bestfiction Chapter 177 The Unpredictable Man
Chapter 177 The Unpredictable Man
Zhou Yizhi had obviously thought of these things as well, and his face turned deathly pale.
"My lord, I know I was wrong. I was confused for a moment. The Zhou family has high hopes for me, and I was afraid of failing the exam and bringing shame to the family, so I... so I resorted to this desperate measure."
"Please, Your Honor, forgive me this time, considering this is my first offense."
Li Kangnian said impartially, "The Hanlin Academy has always acted in accordance with the law. You have committed fraud and deception this time. I will punish you according to the law. No amount of pleading will help you."
His words effectively cut off any avenue for the Zhou family to plead for him.
Many members of the Huiling Zhou family hold positions in the imperial court, and it is likely that once this matter gets out, many members of the Zhou family will come to him seeking an audience.
Li Kangnian doesn't tolerate these kinds of people.
After he finished speaking, his gaze turned to Yun Shang and Yu Wan, and a smile appeared on his serious face.
"If you two hadn't insisted on a review, I wouldn't have known that anyone had cheated on this exam," he said. "Rest assured, I will order a thorough review of all the exam papers and will not tolerate such misconduct!"
Yu Wan vaguely remembered that Li Kangnian, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, also appeared in the original work.
In summary, he was a righteous person who turned evil. If he hadn't been born into the powerful Li family of Yingxi, he probably would have been dragged down long ago.
Yun Shang and Yu Wan exchanged a glance, then bowed to Li Kangnian at the same time.
Yun Shang's voice was clear and cool, neither humble nor arrogant: "Thank you, Lord Li."
Yu Wan opened her mouth with a string of flattering words, "Lord Li is fair and honest, which is a blessing for the students of our Great Zhao. I believe that you will thoroughly investigate this cheating incident and put the minds of all poor students in the world at ease."
Zhou Yizhi dared to change Yun Shang's exam paper, wasn't it because Yun Shang's background was not prominent?
The other two in the top three are from prominent families. Would Zhou Yizhi dare to set his sights on them?
Li Kangnian had heard plenty of these mutual compliments, but for some reason, even though they were exactly the same words, when Yu Wan said them, it made people feel that she genuinely believed it.
Li Kangnian couldn't help but smile, his mood improving considerably. He nodded and said, "Of course."
"This review will not only investigate whether there are any other fraudulent documents, but also identify those who assisted in the fraud involving the Book of Changes."
As he spoke, he looked at Xie Yuanxiu and said, "Xie Yuanxiu, you will be in charge of this review. You must be meticulous and rigorous."
Xie Yuanxiu responded respectfully.
Zhou Wang slumped to the ground, muttering to himself, whether cursing Zhou Yizhi or worrying about whether he would be implicated was unknown.
After Li Kangnian spoke, Yu Wan pulled Yun Shang away from the Hanlin Academy.
The rest is beyond their control.
We just need to wait for the results.
A group of examinees were still gathered at the front gate of the Hanlin Academy. Yu Wan felt a chill run down her spine when she saw this, and she grabbed Yun Shang's hand to find a side door.
Yun Shang let her pull him along, his gaze slowly shifting from their clasped hands to her face.
The midday sun still carried a touch of gentleness, shining on her fair, jade-like skin, making one feel warm from the bottom of their heart.
The coldness deep in Yun Shang's eyes melted slightly. He lowered his eyes and asked softly, "Aren't you worried that I might have failed the exam because I wasn't in good condition?"
Yu Wan was focused on finding the side door when she suddenly heard his question. She paused for a moment, turned around to look at him, and gave him a bright smile.
"I believe you."
“Since you came to Beijing, you have been studying hard and preparing for the exam. You have worked even harder than you did in Huicheng County. I believe that hard work will definitely pay off.”
She silently added a sentence in her mind.
What's more, you're the male lead in the original story. Who else but you has the perfect opportunity to shine and slap the minor characters in the face?
"Will hard work pay off...?" Yun Shang looked at the smile on her face, and gently curled her hands at her sides.
A feeling of itch welled up inside me again.
Her smile was so beautiful, so beautiful, that he almost felt he might actually be falling for her...
The two had only walked a few steps out of the Hanlin Academy when they saw Mingwei waiting at the entrance of an alley.
Mingwei leaned against the carriage, propping himself up on one leg. Upon seeing the two, he stepped forward and said respectfully, "Young Master Yun, His Highness invites you."
Yun Shang lowered his eyes and glanced at Yu Wan.
Yu Wan simply smiled and waved her hand, "Go ahead, don't worry about me."
Looking at her bright smile, Yun Shang suddenly felt uneasy.
Does she really want him to leave?
His expression was aloof. He looked at Yu Wan for a while, then silently turned and got into Mingwei's carriage.
Yu Wan: "...?"
Was it her imagination? Why did she feel like Yun Shang had given her the cold shoulder?
Why is he inexplicably angry again?
"He really is like a male protagonist from an old-fashioned angst novel. His temper changes so quickly, and his mood is so unpredictable..." Watching the carriage drive away, Yu Wan couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Ever since we arrived in Shengjing, this guy has become more and more strange."
She shrugged, not taking it to heart.
Prince Chen's Palace.
Mingwei led Yunshang into the mansion quietly through the back door without alerting anyone.
On his way to the study, Mingwei turned his head and thoughtfully looked at the aloof man beside him.
On the way to the Prince's Mansion by carriage, he had a strange feeling of oppression.
Having served the prince, he had seen his share of ups and downs, including the wrath of the emperor.
Just now, inside the carriage, Yun Shang clearly showed no anger on his face, and his expression was as cold as ever, but he still felt that the atmosphere inside the carriage was so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
If he didn't know Yun Shang's background clearly, he would probably think that Yun Shang was some kind of extremely noble and prestigious member of the imperial family.
Such imposing presence is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.
"Young Master Yun." Upon reaching the outside of the study, Mingwei stopped and said respectfully, "His Highness is inside the study. Please."
Yun Shang's gaze remained unchanged. She nodded slightly and said in a calm tone, "Thank you."
Mingwei smiled and watched him walk into the study.
He took a soft breath.
This young master Yun, despite his humble origins, exudes a noble and aloof aura that always sends chills down people's spines.
Prince Chen was reading documents in his study.
Due to health reasons, he was not highly regarded by Emperor Wenjing and only served as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, not even the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Above them is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, while Prince Chen, as the Junior Minister, can basically ignore everything.
However, since he was a prince, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review did not dare to regard himself as the prince's superior. Therefore, he would regularly send documents of important cases to Prince Chen for his personal review.
The cases handled by the Court of Judicial Review often involved human lives. Prince Chen cared deeply for the people and therefore carefully reviewed all the documents sent by the Minister of Judicial Review.
Only when he caught sight of Yun Shang did Prince Chen put down the document in his hand.
He raised his eyes, his expression gentle, "I already know about the matter at the Hanlin Academy."
Yun Shang straightened up after bowing, showing no surprise on his face.
News of what happened at the Hanlin Academy has already reached Prince Chen, so it's not surprising that he knows about it.
"I sent Mingwei to find you earlier, thinking you had failed the exam." Prince Chen chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I didn't expect someone to have replaced your exam paper."
Yun Shang raised his eyes, his gaze meeting that of Prince Chen. A dark glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice, "It was Prince Xuan who did it."
Prince Chen was slightly taken aback, then burst into two hearty laughs.
"Haha, as expected of the person I have chosen. Before I even open my mouth, you already know what I want to ask."