After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by the Paranoid Eldest Princess - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The three-part, nine-day Metropolitan Examination concluded, and the gates of the tribute examination hall were firmly shut.

In the hall, illuminated by rows of candles, Si Jinghua sat upright in the seat of honor. Her gaze swept over the officials standing in attendance below, and she curled her lips into a faint smile: “The selection of talent for the nation rests on this single event. I hope you will all grade the papers impartially and not betray the Emperor’s grace.”

The officials answered in unison. Si Jinghua’s eyes flickered across those who seemed especially diligent, and she stood up: “Then I leave the hard work to you, lords. Begin.”

“—Yes.”

The grading process commenced immediately. Countless exam papers flowed like a river, passed from hand to hand among the officials. As Chief Examiner and the Eldest Princess, Si Jinghua held a unique position; she did not participate in the grading herself, but paced between the various rooms to observe.

That day, when she reached the outside of the transcription room, she paused to stand silently by the window. Several vermilion brushes were busily transcribing the answers from the original ink-written papers; the sound of brushing paper never ceased. In one corner, a transcriber broke into a cold sweat while copying a particularly powerful, forceful essay. His wrist paused imperceptibly, and in that moment, a digit was mistakenly transcribed. Only after he sensed that the Princess had walked away from the window did the transcriber dare to exhale.

When they were some distance from the transcription room, Si Jinghua paused and gave a signal to Fuqu, who was walking beside her. Fuqu nodded.

Si Jinghua continued to inspect the next location. She arrived outside the room where the examiners graded the papers, but she did not enter. Instead, she stood under the veranda, listening to the vague sounds of debate within.

“…This essay is flowery but hollow; it has nothing but ornate phrases!”

“This flamboyant style truly must not be encouraged!”

“This one is decent; the phrasing is simple yet rigorous…”

After listening quietly for a moment, Si Jinghua turned and left. Fuqu, who had been at her side, had already vanished. As the night deepened, the examination hall was cut off from the world, accompanied only by candlelight and papers.

Back in her own quarters, Si Jinghua looked at several papers that the examiners had labeled as “lowest grade.” She picked one up, read it carefully, raised a brow, and took up a vermilion brush to grade it herself. Ever since the Emperor had issued the decree naming her Chief Examiner, those with ulterior motives had been unable to hide their intentions.

Just two days after the decree, rumors surfaced in the markets claiming that although she had been tutored by great scholars, she lacked the decades of research held by those in the Imperial Academy; thus, her appointment as Chief Examiner was merely an act of excessive doting by the Emperor, a truly absurd choice. Even worse, some daring individuals began selling fake exam questions for profit, causing anxiety among the candidates.

These petty tricks were a direct challenge to her authority, an attempt to paint her as “incompetent and lax in supervision.” Si Jinghua immediately dispatched agents to investigate, but they only managed to catch a few scapegoats. Even when there were traces of a deeper trail, the leads were quickly cut. She did not believe the mastermind behind this was limited to such shallow means.

Two days later, the grading was nearly finished. Just as the officials took a breath of relief, news arrived: the Eldest Princess wanted to conduct a “re-review.”

A re-review? A re-review of what? Officials who were dizzy and exhausted from days of grading rubbed their ears. What was Her Highness playing at? When the Emperor first appointed her, they had discussed it privately; her status was appropriate, but her experience… they had feared she would like to interfere, but since she had spoken so little lately, they had gradually forgotten her existence as a sort of “lucky mascot.” They hadn’t expected her to strike now!

Ugh, there is nothing more annoying than a supervisor who meddles, they thought. They would have to see what exactly the Princess could find in a re-review! A row of them adjusted their robes and walked with unsteady steps toward the main hall.

“Your Highness, may I ask what you intend to re-review?” one official asked upon arrival.

Si Jinghua spoke with deliberate calm: “I see that you have all been working tirelessly for days and have completed the grading of the papers.”

Some of those present secretly let out a sigh of relief. Could it be that the re-review was just a formality?

However, Si Jinghua shifted her tone. She picked up a stack of papers and said: “But in my spare time, I flipped through some of the papers graded as ‘lowest,’ and I feel there are some improprieties. I have invited you all here to discuss them together.”

“…”

The group watched as Her Highness picked one up and asked: “I see that this essay cites the classics and is elegant in style. Why was it graded as ‘lowest’?”

One official leaned in to examine it closely: “Your Highness, although this person has literary talent, looking at the proposed strategy, the essay is hollow—all style and no substance.”

“And what about this one? It looks detailed in its data and rigorous in its logic.”

“Your Highness may not know, but this person even got the data wrong. It is truly intolerable!”

Si Jinghua nodded: “Then what about this one? I have read it carefully; it seems quite improper to grade this essay as ‘lowest,’ does it not?”

One official took it, read it, and saw that the essay was logically sound with solid data. The strategy proposed was perhaps a bit radical, but it was certainly not worthy of a “lowest” grade. She bowed: “Your Highness is correct.”

Si Jinghua turned her phoenix eyes toward a specific person: “Official Wang, would you like to take another look?”

The person addressed stepped forward, took the paper with both hands, and under the gaze of everyone else, re-read it. He bowed in confession: “It was my negligence. Your Highness has eyes of wisdom and found the problem in time. We are in awe.”

Watching them adjust the grades for the papers, Si Jinghua curled her lips. An hour later, several papers from the “lowest” pile had been reassigned their proper grades. At the end, Si Jinghua warmly praised and encouraged the group before ordering that a pre-prepared meal be served.

After the Eldest Princess left, everyone sighed in relief. “I heard Her Highness was arrogant, but it doesn’t seem so.”

“Indeed, she seems quite conscientious and responsible.”

“She just lacks a bit of experience.”

“She is young, it is normal. Besides, Her Highness has only started working in the court these last two years.”

At the mention of this, the vast hall fell silent. Everyone knew exactly why the royal children only started taking on real responsibilities in the last two years. The topic was too sensitive, and the group silently steered the conversation elsewhere. Only two people wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads as their pounding hearts slowed down—thankfully, the Princess hadn’t noticed their problems earlier.

On the day the results were posted, the sky was not yet bright, but the area was already crowded with people. Wen Chenqing and Lu Mingjuan squeezed into the throng. She didn’t really want to stay awake half the night just to wait for the news—after all, Wen Chenqing was confident in herself; given her ability, failing was impossible. Even though Lu Mingjuan was also confident, she had insisted on dragging her out to stand watch.

Resigned, Wen Chenqing changed her clothes and took Yinxing with her to wait outside the hall. She hadn’t been nervous at first, but the tense, burning atmosphere of the crowd was infectious, causing her heart to rise in her chest despite herself. Time slipped away second by second.

When the time finally arrived, the gongs sounded. Officials emerged holding the gold-lettered list and, under countless expectant gazes, slowly unfolded and posted it. In an instant, the air erupted in noise, like a boiling pot.

“I passed! I passed! Hahahaha!”

“I passed too!”

“What?! Why isn’t my name on there?!”

Human joy and sorrow were not shared at that moment. Some roared with laughter, some fainted from delight, while others wept or looked like their souls had left their bodies. It was the full spectrum of humanity.

Wen Chenqing’s eyes swept rapidly over the list. When she saw that both she and Lu Mingjuan were listed near the top, the stone in her heart finally dropped.

“Miss! You are amazing!” Yinxing whispered excitedly in her ear. “Good sister! You’re really something!” Lu Mingjuan, beaming, gave Wen Chenqing a thump on the back.

“…” Wen Chenqing rubbed the spot where she was thumped and sighed: “Clearly you are the better one; you’re even ranked above me.”

Yet, the smile in her eyes leaked out. Fifth place, the result exceeded her expectations, but it was worth her effort and sacrifice.

The group gradually withdrew from the crowd, spirits high. Before they could discuss how to celebrate, they were interrupted by an abruptly loud debate erupting nearby.

“Look! Gu Wenxin! The famous talented woman from Jiangnan! How is she at the bottom of the list?!”

“And Zhang Mao! I remember he ranked high during the provincial exams. We have all studied his articles and they were peerless. How is he also…”

“Who is this? I read this person’s article not long ago, and it was mediocre. How is he near the front of the second rank?!”

“Look at the one ranked fifth. Who is that? In the past poetry gatherings, I’ve never seen this person produce anything shocking!”

Dissatisfaction and skepticism spread rapidly through the agitated crowd. Several failed candidates became even more indignant, shouting loudly that it was unfair, causing a commotion. Hearing her own name mentioned, Wen Chenqing stopped in her tracks: “?”

Why? Just because my poem wasn’t great, I can’t get a high score? I am clearly quite skilled at things other than poetry! Besides, this was for selecting officials, not famous poets.

Lu Mingjuan looked at her, stifling a laugh: “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. We won’t hold it against them.”

Some people, mixed into the crowd, took the opportunity to fan the flames:

“Such a situation has never happened in previous examinations. What is going on this year? Why do so many people have issues?”

“Who is the Chief Examiner this year?”

“The Eldest Princess! The current Eldest Princess!”

“Ah, the Princess… well, she is new to the examination field, and young…”

Wen Chenqing, who was being urged by Lu Mingjuan to leave and rest, froze in place. Lu Mingjuan, who had no intention of watching the drama and preferred to keep a low profile, turned her head: “What’s wrong?”

Behind her, the crowd was becoming more and more heated, and Wen Chenqing couldn’t help but wonder if it was genuine frustration or if someone was fanning the flames. Otherwise, why had the sentiment shifted from individual questioning of results to a collective crusade against the fairness of the entire examination?

The spearhead seemed aimed directly at the Chief Examiner.

Lu Mingjuan tugged on her sleeve: “Let’s go. That drama has nothing to do with us.” She leaned closer to Wen Chenqing, her normally smiling face turning unusually serious as she whispered: “When the big players fight, we must not be the fish caught in the crossfire.”

Wen Chenqing listened to the arguments behind her, her hand gripping tight inside her sleeve, but the moment she heard Lu Mingjuan’s advice, she quickly loosened her grip.

“You’re right. I don’t want to accidentally get squashed.”

Turning from a small fish into dried fish—that would be miserable.