Chapter 679 - 248: Planning for the Matter of the Champion Scholar

Chapter 679: Chapter 248: Planning for the Matter of the Champion Scholar

Zhao Jing’s words sounded pleasant, but how could Chen Wanqing fail to hear the helplessness and compromise in his tone? However, it wasn’t the final moment yet. How could they give up so easily?

"Jing, human effort can achieve anything. Let’s think of another way," she urged.

Zhao Jing looked down at his fingers, which were tightly clutched in hers. Finally, he agreed with a deep, magnetic laugh. "All right, we’ll try again. If we truly can’t change the situation in the end, at least we will have tried our best and won’t have any regrets."

Over the next few days, Zhao Jing and Xu Yanhe didn’t dare relax for even a moment. The two of them would stay in the study all day. Occasionally, the sound of their intense discussions would drift out, before gradually calming down again. This cycle repeated, day after day. They reviewed their books, leafed through the latest court bulletins, and at night, they were given lessons by Eldest Uncle or Xu Yanlin when they returned home from the government office.

Chen Wanqing had also been racking her brains during this time to find a way to break the deadlock, but to no avail. Finally, she decided to tell her mother about this matter. In Chen Wanqing’s heart, her mother was omnipotent. She always had many ingenious ideas to resolve frustrating dilemmas. This time, Chen Wanqing placed her hopes on her mother as well.

While Xu Su Ying frowned in deep thought, Chen Wanqing lowered her voice and said, "If Jing’s abilities were truly inferior, we’d have nothing to say about losing. But his ’strategic retreat’ isn’t because he lacks capability; it’s a compromise resulting from the struggle between the Royalist Party and the Empress Dowager’s Faction. Just because they can’t break the current political stalemate and don’t want outsiders to see them as a joke, they choose to sacrifice Jing’s interests. I won’t allow this. Mother, please think of a way..."

"There are only three people who can compete with Jing for the title of Champion Scholar," Xu Su Ying said, breaking her silence. "Among the top five candidates, aside from Zhao Jing being in the Royalist Party, the fifth-place candidate’s grandfather is also a member of the Royalist Party. This person doesn’t need to be considered a rival, which means only the remaining three need to be taken into account. These three placed second, third, and fourth in the Imperial Examination. If they were to become the Champion Scholar, there would be very little dispute from below. After all, they possess genuine talent and learning, and are only slightly inferior to Zhao Jing.

"As for the Advanced Scholars who placed below sixth, they absolutely cannot be chosen as the Champion Scholar. There has never been such a precedent since ancient times. If such a precedent were actually set, even a fool in the streets would be able to guess the shady dealings involved. When that time comes, where would the fairness and authority of the imperial examinations stand?

"I’ll send someone to investigate these three and see if we can find any leverage against them."

Touched, Chen Wanqing said, "Mother, why don’t you let me..."

Xu Su Ying firmly pressed down on her hand. "Since you were little, you’ve never asked me for anything. This is the first time you’ve opened your mouth, and it’s for Jing. Husband and wife are one entity; his affairs are your affairs, and your affairs are my affairs. Leave this to me. I have a plan in mind and will definitely handle it flawlessly for you."

Chen Wanqing left her mother’s courtyard and returned to the backyard. In the evening, when Zhao Jing returned from the front courtyard, she took advantage of the privacy to tell him about the matter.

Zhao Jing held her waist and remained perfectly still for a long time. A moment later, however, he said, "Go talk to Mother tomorrow. Tell her she doesn’t need to take action; I can do it myself. I just need to trouble her to lend me a few men, and I will handle the rest."

Chen Wanqing asked him hesitantly, "Can you do it?"

Zhao Jing pulled her into his embrace and said with a soft chuckle, "If I can’t even handle these trivial matters, how am I supposed to survive in the court later, facing the overwhelming deceit and treachery? You don’t need to worry about me, Wanqing. I already have a plan for this matter; I’m only lacking reliable manpower."

"Then I’ll go speak to Mother tomorrow and ask her to assign a few capable men to you."

"All right."

A few days before the Palace Examination, the Capital City was exceptionally bustling.

The second-place candidate in the Imperial Examination was a student from Jiangnan Academy named Chang Zai. With such a name, it was immediately evident that his family had placed high hopes on him, wishing for him to become a high-ranking official or prime minister in the future.

This Chang Zai was truly a brilliant young talent. Not only had he taken first place in the county examination, but he had also won top scorer in the provincial examination. If he hadn’t slipped up during the prefectural examination and lost the top spot to someone else, he would have collected five consecutive first-place titles by now.

Furthermore, because Chang Zai came from a scholarly family that had produced over a dozen Advanced Scholars, and his ancestors had even held first-rank official positions, he had never experienced any setbacks since childhood. As a result, he was incredibly arrogant and haughty. To quote one of his classmates: "This man is conceited and condescending. He believes that if the world has ten measures of talent, he alone possesses eight. His temperament dictates that he only allows others to be inferior to him, never tolerating anyone stepping over his head."

He was impulsive, hot-tempered, and highly jealous. In reality, dealing with him was the simplest thing in the world.

Just like that, during a private gathering, someone criticized his essays as not being worth one cent. Provoked, Chang Zai got into a physical brawl with the person. The Advanced Scholar beaten by Chang Zai ranked low in the examinations. Whether out of fear of the Chang family’s power or simply due to a weak constitution, he was half a beat too slow to fight back and ended up with two broken ribs.

As for Chang Zai, he suffered no serious bodily injuries, but his face was left somewhat disfigured.

The matter was reported to the authorities. The injured Advanced Scholar was reprimanded and ordered not to participate in the Imperial Examination for three years. Although Chang Zai wasn’t imprisoned or stripped of his qualifications for the Palace Examination, he was deemed by the Ministry of Rites to be "reckless, unrestrained, and lacking in propriety." Consequently, even if he were to be selected as the Champion Scholar, no one would be convinced.