Chapter 510:458
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“With the Third Prince personally coming here, it looks like many people will be at his mercy, huh?” Zhao Chuchu said. “A lot of people must be involved,
“We already found a lot of people involved in this, but we won’t know how many of them are there until the prince finishes with his investigation.”
“Are anyone from the academy in it too?”
“Nope. I warned the principal when I met him, and the academy is prepared for this. Those people won’t be able to infiltrate there.”
“Then, what about the questions?
“They are with the Third Prince. Since the emperor now knows about this and even sent the Third Prince over, the head examiner this time will be the prince himself.”
That was something that Zhao Chuchu had not expected.
However, this was the best solution for the Provincial Examination to be fair.
Since the new set of questions came personally from the emperor, only he and the Third Prince have them.
“Chuchu. don’t worry. We will take care of this.
Zhao Chuchu nodded.
She wasn’t worried at all.
If Xie Heng could not handle such a trivial matter, then he would never have been able to become a grand secretary who was respected by many as a peasant.
Xie Heng did not tell her a lot of things.
It wasn’t that he did not trust her, but he didn’t want her to worry about those things.
He wished for her to focus on the businesses she had set up.
News of the leak did not spread throughout Guangqing Province.
The Third Prince did not want to affect the students who were innocent and decided to apprehend those who were in secret.
The Provincial Examination took place as planned.
Zhao Chuc.hu accompanied Xie Heng to the examination hall.
The entrance was strictly guarded. Not only did the examinees have their bodies searched, but all of their belongings were meticulously checked to make sure that nothing was hidden in them.
Zhao Chuc.hu even personally witnessed two different examines being escorted out of the hall and straight to the prison.
It showed how much the dynasty valued the Imperial Examination.
The Provincial Examination was on three different days, the ninth, 12th, and 15th of August.
However, the examinees weren’t allowed to leave the examination hall during the period. They had to eat, clean, and rest in there.
Many of the examinees did not have a strong enough body to endure the ordeal.
Some who were strong-willed enough could endure it but almost lost their lives once the examination had ended.
It shows the harsh requirement for one to become an official in ancient times.
Old Mrs. Yuan and the rest were all worried in Zhao Chuchu’s place as the examination took place. However, the lady wasn’t concerned at all and lived through those days as if nothing was happening.
On the 16th of August, the Provincial Examination officially ended. Zhao
Chuchu headed to the examination hall early in the morning to welcome Xie
Heng back.
Quite a number of the examinees came out sighing. It was clear that the examination did not go well for them. Some even went crazy because of the intense pressure they had to sit through.
On the other hand, Xie Heng stood out among all his other peers.
He looked completely normal. It was as if he was not bothered by the examination at all.
However, even he had heavy bags under his eyes. It showed how bad the environment was in the examination hall.
Zhao Chuchu waved at the man, and he quickly walked toward her.
“Bro. Don’t worry! I know you will get the highest score!” Xie Jun encouraged before Xie Heng could even say anything. The little boy was worried that his older brother would collapse like the other examinees. Xie Heng chuckled and patted his brother’s head. “Of course.”
“Are you confident?”
“That’ll have to wait until they announce the result. Let’s go home.”
As he had not bathed for a while, even Xie Heng was disgusted by his own body. He kept a slight distance from Zhao Chuchu just so that she was not affected by the smell of his body.
Old Mrs. Yuan, Xia Chengxuan, and the rest had already all gathered at Xie Heng’s house. They brought a lot of nutrition and food as they were worried that he had suffered.
Xie Heng was utterly speechless when he saw them, but it would be disrespectful to refuse the gifts.
“Sir, I’ve prepared a hot bath.” Chai Le came out from the back of the house and saved Xie Heng from the guests.
Xie Heng quickly got up and went to clean himself up.
Not one person brought the examination up as if they had discussed it beforehand. They didn’t want to give Xie Heng even more pressure.
Old Mrs. Yuan and the rest headed back after dinner, leaving Xia Chengxuan and Kang Xiuwan behind.
“Da Lang, I’m sorry about what happened back then.” Xia Chengxuan took the chance to apologize.
“It’s all in the past.” Xie Heng smiled. “Just remember about this when something similar happens again.”
“I will never forget it!” Xia Chengxuan quickly nodded.
She promised not to give anything to an examinee in the future in case something tried to harm them again.
Fortunately, Xie Heng was wary enough, or else Xia Chengxuan would be embarrassed to talk to Zhao Chuchu again. The young lady was the one who saved her and her daughter. If anything happened to Zhao Chuchu because of her, she would not be able to live with it.
Xia Chengxuan did not stay for too long and left with Kang Xiuwan.
The house finally quieted down.
Xie Heng did not talk much with Zhao Chuchu either. He fell asleep not long after the guests had left.
Zhao Chuchu did not bother him as she knew he needed the rest very much.
Since the bed prepared at the examination hall was small, it would be hard for the man to get a good sleep with his tall and muscular body. There was also the fact that they had to share a room with many people.
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