Chapter 227: If the lord doesn’t mind, I will pledge as your adopted son… (2 / 2)
Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court
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 Jiâs throat feeling uncomfortable? Why does his voice sound a bit strange?]
Before the officials who could hear Xu Yanmiaoâs inner thoughts had time to suppress their laughter, they heard his follow-up: [But that has nothing to do with me. Iâd better focus on my duties as chief examiner.]
[Minister Li mentioned that there are thirteen candidates from noble families this timeâIâd better pay extra attention to that.]
[Whoâs 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? Heâs here to take the exam fair and square. I never asked anyone for favors on his behalf! Since arriving in the capital, he hasnât even socialized much!
Everything was fine before, but now that youâve 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 âattentionâ 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 Personnelâs brother-in-law is also taking the exam. My superiorâs brother-in-law⦠hmm⦠definitely need to keep a close eye on him, in case he does something that could tarnish my superiorâs reputation.]
The Minister of Personnel: ââ¦â
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 wouldnât use this as an excuse to take a closer look at his household, right?
â¦Right?
[Huh? Why is my superior looking at me?]
[Hmm⦠it couldnât be that he wants me to leak exam topics, right?]
The Minister of Personnelâs mouth twitched.
Heâd worked so hard to climb to the position of Ministerâwhy on earth would he risk everything for a brother-in-law? Even thinking with his legs would tell you thatâs impossible!
Xu Yanmiao quickly dismissed the idea himself: [Probably not. My superior doesnât seem like a fool.]
The Minister of Personnel: ââ¦â
At least you realize Iâm 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 donât know much about this Censor Weiâs 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 âvictimâ had arrived.
It was all the Minister of Warâs fault! Why bring up the topic of officialsâ children?
Censor Wei hastily tried to deny it to those around him: âNo, I didnât, I wouldnâtââ
Mid-sentence, he froze and awkwardly stopped talking.
He hadnât yet realized Xu Yanmiao was the one calling him out and instinctively tried to deny everything. But nowâ¦
A Jin Yiwei officer approached him and casually said, âHis Majesty asked me to pass along a message: âThe Censorâs household appears to be quite wealthy.ââ
Censor Wei felt like no response would save him. He stood there like an ant on a hot pan, flustered and panicked.
âYes, it was true. He hadnât 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 âknowing the gameâ 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 Iâm going to help him cheat or something?
Canât you just treat him like a regular examinee?@@novelbin@@
[Hmm, there should be moreâ¦]
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 werenât for the setting in court, and if he werenât worried Xu Yanmiao might overhear, he wouldâve said something likeâ
Whatâs the problem here? Isnât it obvious that children from noble families have an inherent advantage over those from humble backgrounds? If we donât keep a close watch, whatâs 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 donât even need to hand out cheat sheetsâjust assigning a better exam room, making sure the proctor doesnât linger near them to make them nervous, or hinting at the examâs focus topics beforehand would be enough. Even if Xiao Baize himself were here, he couldnât eliminate such things completely.
The best solution is to monitor them closely from the very beginning.
The phrase âIf the lord doesnât mind, I will pledge as your adopted sonâ is a reference to Lü Bu. (LOL)