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“What about the blank paper?”

“We are not sure, the examinees will cover their papers with a blank paper before handing them in. This is to prevent us from seeing their handwriting.”

Resident Adviser Zhuang nodded and then turned to Governor Luo and said, “After being handled by these two, the test paper should then have the names concealed, right? Names are not revealed until all exam supervisors have finished marking the papers. Now, I am very curious how that person recognized Xiao Liulang’s paper and successfully swapped it with a blank one?”

Governor Luo pondered for a while then replied, “There are two possibilities: distribution of papers and paper marking. Xiao Liulang was first in the College Examination, and by tradition, he would sit first in the Imperial College Examination. The first paper distributed would be his, so there could be an opportunity to tamper with it in advance, and he would still be able to identify the paper even after names are covered.

Alternatively, an examiner could have had access to Xiao Liulang’s paper from the College Examination, remembered his notes, and then identified Xiao Liulang’s paper from among those being marked.

No matter which it was, there must have been someone corrupt among the paper markers!”

The markers for the College Examination and the Imperial College Examination are not in the same batch, to prevent anyone remembering any examinee’s handwriting which could subsequently affect judgment of that examinee’s test.

However, it’s not impossible that someone might have secretly got hold of the College Examination papers. The security level of the papers greatly decreases once marking is completed.

Apart from Resident Adviser Zhuang, the other eleven examiners were confined to the secret room, subjected to Governor Luo’s harsh interrogation.

Under severe punishment, Governor Luo managed to identify the criminal.

He was one of the paper markers, a man surnamed Wu, who worked meticulously at the Imperial College for twenty years. He was usually so honest that he seemed like an antique. Governor Luo initially thought he was the least likely suspect.

It seems that not betraying others is not a matter of high moral standards but of insufficient incentives.

“That man offered me a thousand taels of silver to destroy Xiao Liulang’s test paper. I originally planned to stain it with ink to make it look like Xiao Liulang had accidentally dirtied his own paper. I’ve seen many such cases which just end up being discarded, no one checks. However, before I could act, Officer Wang, who I had distracted earlier, returned.

I startled and spilled the ink on myself. There was no time to find more ink, so I replaced it with one of the blank papers that happened to be nearby.”

“What did the man look like?”

“He covered his face, I didn’t see clearly.”

“His voice? His height?”

“I don’t remember… I really don’t remember!”

Governor Luo reported the interrogation results to Resident Adviser Zhuang.

Typically, if any malpractice occurs during the Imperial examination, everyone’s papers are discarded and the exam is retaken. Regardless of the trouble the government faces in organizing a second exam, retests can also cause many candidates to become mentally unsettled.

A good exam result comes from a combination of ability and luck. No one can guarantee that they will perform better in the next exam than the previous one, nor can they ensure that other candidates won’t surpass them in the retest.

Of course, for those who failed the exam, a retest would undoubtedly be an unexpected opportunity.

The problem is, even though Xiao Liulang’s paper was replaced with a blank one, he still passed the Imperial College Examination with eleven ‘A’s and one ‘B’ grade.

In other words, those who were meant to pass, have passed and those who failed, deserved to fail. The only difference is that all of them moved one place higher in rank, while Xiao Liulang lost his first place position.

Governor Luo sighed, “That person probably didn’t anticipate that despite this, Xiao Liulang would still pass the Imperial College Examination. It’s a pity – Xiao Liulang could have been in the top spot.”

Resident Adviser Zhuang said solemnly, “This matter can be trivial or can be serious. If we look at it from a long-term perspective, it’s a small issue; but if it stops Xiao Liulang from advancing, then it becomes a big issue.”

The title Little Sanyuan could bring a scholar momentary fame yet it would only last for a short time.

If he really wants to achieve great things, he needs to continue to take the Prefectural Examination. After placing in the Prefectural Examination, he can then compete in the Capital Examination.

The Imperial College Examination is not the end goal, on the contrary, it is the starting point of the Imperial Examination journey.

Resident Adviser Zhuang said, “The decision rests with him. You go and ask him whether he wants to retake the exam.”

If there would be a re-examination, it would involve not just him, but everyone who participated in the Imperial College Examination would have to go through both the eight-part essay and the classic essay sections again.

Governor Luo went to the inn.

He met with Xiao Liulang, delicately explained his purpose, and asked whether Xiao Liulang wanted to retake the exam.

Instead of directly answering, Xiao Liulang opened the window and pointed to the students on the first floor of the Grand Hall who were discussing their results – the results had been announced, with those who had failed looking dejected and those who passed beaming with joy.