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Chapter 227: If the lord doesn’t mind, I will pledge as your adopted son… (2 / 2)
Chapter 227: If the lord doesn’t mind, I will pledge as your adopted son… (2 / 2)
Ji Sui almost coughed up blood from the sheer absurdity of the situation.
By the time it was his turn to report on matters, his hands were trembling, and his voice sounded like it was squeezed out through clenched teeth.
[Huh? Is Lord Ji’s throat feeling uncomfortable? Why does his voice sound a bit strange?]
Before the officials who could hear Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts had time to suppress their laughter, they heard his follow-up: [But that has nothing to do with me. I’d better focus on my duties as chief examiner.]
[Minister Li mentioned that there are thirteen candidates from noble families this time—I’d better pay extra attention to that.]
[Who’s on the list… oh! The nephew of the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Clan! Noted!]
The Assistant Minister, who had been watching the drama unfold, was completely thrown into a panic by that single remark.
When he finally collected himself, his heart sank.
No, no! Why pay special attention to my nephew? He’s here to take the exam fair and square. I never asked anyone for favors on his behalf! Since arriving in the capital, he hasn’t even socialized much!
Everything was fine before, but now that you’ve singled him out, what was a non-issue might turn into an issue!The Assistant Minister firmly believed his nephew would never cheat in the imperial exams, but what if? And what if the “attention” revealed that his family had some skeletons in the closet? That would be a disaster!
A decade of hard work and studying could be rendered meaningless in an instant.
[The Minister of Personnel’s brother-in-law is also taking the exam. My superior’s brother-in-law… hmm… definitely need to keep a close eye on him, in case he does something that could tarnish my superior’s reputation.]
The Minister of Personnel: “…”
Suddenly, the chill of November felt like it had seeped into his bones.
He thought Xu Yanmiao was only focusing on his brother-in-law. Surely, Xu wouldn’t use this as an excuse to take a closer look at his household, right?
…Right?
[Huh? Why is my superior looking at me?]
[Hmm… it couldn’t be that he wants me to leak exam topics, right?]
The Minister of Personnel’s mouth twitched.
He’d worked so hard to climb to the position of Minister—why on earth would he risk everything for a brother-in-law? Even thinking with his legs would tell you that’s impossible!
Xu Yanmiao quickly dismissed the idea himself: [Probably not. My superior doesn’t seem like a fool.]
The Minister of Personnel: “…”
At least you realize I’m not a fool?
[Aside from the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Clan and the Minister of Personnel, who else was it? Oh, right! The son of Censor Wei Da!]
[Wuhu! Another piece of material! I don’t know much about this Censor Wei’s son, but Censor Wei himself is such a savvy official. Noted!]
[Impressive! The old emperor tasked him with overseeing the engraving and printing of the Summer Code. The total budget was 30,000 taels of silver, but he reported the cost as 800 taels and personally covered the rest!]
[Let me think… should I set a question about emotional intelligence here or overstepping boundaries?]
Other officials discreetly glanced at Censor Wei with mixed expressions of shock and pity.
The first “victim” had arrived.
It was all the Minister of War’s fault! Why bring up the topic of officials’ children?
Censor Wei hastily tried to deny it to those around him: “No, I didn’t, I wouldn’t—”
Mid-sentence, he froze and awkwardly stopped talking.
He hadn’t yet realized Xu Yanmiao was the one calling him out and instinctively tried to deny everything. But now…
A Jin Yiwei officer approached him and casually said, “His Majesty asked me to pass along a message: ‘The Censor’s household appears to be quite wealthy.’”
Censor Wei felt like no response would save him. He stood there like an ant on a hot pan, flustered and panicked.
—Yes, it was true. He hadn’t told the emperor about covering the cost himself. However, some senior officials had noticed, and his intention had been to show them he knew how to play the game.
This tactic of “knowing the game” had already won him considerable praise from several high-ranking officials. A promotion and wealth were just within reach!
But now, Xu Yanmiao had completely ruined it all!
Censor Wei dared not resent Xu Yanmiao, so he could only sneak a few angry glances at the Minister of War.
Why did you have to bring up the fact that my son was taking the imperial exam? Do you think I’m going to help him cheat or something?
Can’t you just treat him like a regular examinee?
[Hmm, there should be more…]
The Minister of War felt the weight of many cold, murderous gazes directed at his back. But instead of panicking, he straightened his posture and even looked a bit pleased.
If it weren’t for the setting in court, and if he weren’t worried Xu Yanmiao might overhear, he would’ve said something like—
What’s the problem here? Isn’t it obvious that children from noble families have an inherent advantage over those from humble backgrounds? If we don’t keep a close watch, what’s to stop someone from turning a blind eye out of respect for their fathers or other influential relatives?
This is a society that values connections. They don’t even need to hand out cheat sheets—just assigning a better exam room, making sure the proctor doesn’t linger near them to make them nervous, or hinting at the exam’s focus topics beforehand would be enough. Even if Xiao Baize himself were here, he couldn’t eliminate such things completely.
The best solution is to monitor them closely from the very beginning.
The phrase “If the lord doesn’t mind, I will pledge as your adopted son” is a reference to Lü Bu. (LOL)