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“My father also told me that if I become an official in the future, I should take the Prince as a role model.”
“My father said the same.”
Zhao Hongjie’s face trembled with anger. “Of course, you would say such things when you have a good relationship with him.”
“All of this was orchestrated by him. I refuse to believe it’s true.”
After the results were announced, Su Yu left the palace to return home. He hadn’t seen his wife and children in over twenty days, and he missed them dearly.
However, before he even reached home, he overheard people talking about a bet.
“Zhao Hongjie is such a sore loser. He was the one who proposed it in the first place, and now it has turned into such a mess. It’s really unsightly.”
“Exactly. Accusing a prominent figure of leaking exam questions? What was he thinking?”
“How can someone like him be a student?” The prominent figure was an idol for most scholars, and his words were truly disgusting.
Su Yu narrowed his eyes, surprised by the turn of events.
“Yuan Bao, go to the palace, bring back the exam papers of Jingyu and Zhao Hongjie, and deliver them to the tavern. If he wants to challenge me, I’ll make sure he understands it completely.” Su Yu said coldly.
“Yes, sir.”
Su Yu headed to the tavern first.
Upon arrival, he heard Zhao Hongjie shouting incessantly, using harsh words.
“I heard someone say that I leaked exam questions. I’m here to see who spread such rumors.”
As Su Yu’s voice echoed, the second floor of the tavern fell into a deep silence, with everyone turning to look at the staircase.
As Su Yu approached, everyone quickly knelt down to pay their respects, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Please rise.” Su Yu sat down next to Wang Jingyu.
“How much did you bet?” Su Yu inquired.
“Two hundred thousand taels.”
“Seems like not a waste of time.” Su Yu reluctantly agreed.
Those who were close to Wang Jingyu began to exchange knowing glances. Two hundred thousand taels was just not a waste of time?
“Why are you like Xiao He, she said the same?”
“Just telling the truth.”
After speaking with Wang Jingyu, Su Yu turned to Zhao Hongjie, who was visibly discontent but dared not speak. In a cold tone, Su Yu said, “You’re not satisfied, are you? I’ve had someone retrieve the exam papers of Jingyu and his companions, as well as Jingyu’s own. Today, I will make sure you understand it completely.”
“You…”
Zhao Hongwei interrupted him, “Shut up.”
Was this brat asking for a beating?
“There’s no need for trouble, Your Highness. We accept defeat gracefully,” Zhao Hongwei spoke up.
“I don’t accept it. Why did I fail?” He could accept not winning against Wang Jingyu and his group, but failing completely was something he couldn’t bear.
Su Yu surveyed everyone present, chin propped up. “All of you participated in this exam, so you should know that this time, anything superficial will lead to failure.”
“My brother and I seek individuals who are capable and practical, who can truly help the people, not those who are all talk and no action. Such individuals are unworthy.”
“I can tell you directly, if you continue to pursue superficial things in the future, there’s no need for you to come back. Because I will be the chief examiner for every imperial examination from now on.”
As long as he was the chief examiner, he wouldn’t allow superficial individuals to enter the court.
The candidates who had failed suddenly understood the reason for their failure. It was because of this: “Your Highness, we understand.”
“We will make sure to truly understand.”
“Merely understanding is not enough. From your thoughts alone, I can see who will truly follow through with their words and who is just speaking casually. No one can escape my scrutiny,” Su Yu declared.
Zhao Hongwei understood why his brother had failed.
Although he had answered according to the exam questions, his ambition and arrogance were evident in every word.
If they were looking for practical individuals, his brother would indeed not be chosen.
Zhao Hongwei had come to terms with it, but Zhao Hongjie had not.
He didn’t believe he was inferior to Wang Jingyu.
Soon, Yuan Bao brought over several exam papers. Su Yu first had them look at Wang Jingyu’s, followed by those of Qin Lang, Luo Su, and finally the remaining candidates.
As the candidates looked through the papers, they realized that their rankings were justified, especially Wang Jingyu and Qin Lang.
After reviewing Wang Jingyu’s papers, they moved on to Zhao Hongjie’s.
Upon finishing, silence fell over everyone.
Even they could sense the ambitious tone in Zhao Hongjie’s writing.
Could someone like him truly be a good official?
The answer was no.
Everyone knew that with great ambition comes sacrifice, and those sacrifices would inevitably be made by the common people.
Zhao Hongwei furrowed his brow slightly, finding his brother’s answers to be even worse than he had imagined. Perhaps if his exam paper hadn’t been filled with such ambitious aspirations, he wouldn’t have failed.
“Is there an issue with my paper?” Zhao Hongjie inquired.
“Yes, Your Highness and I want to focus on getting things done, not on climbing to the top at all costs,” Su Yu explained.
“I…”
“Individuals with great ambition often resort to any means to climb the ranks, and you are no exception.”
“Zhao Hongjie, at the age of nineteen, you drove away three tutors and injured two. After the age of ten, you became even more reckless. At thirteen, you won in an exam against a child from an ordinary family, and you had their hands broken so they couldn’t pursue an official career. At fifteen, you passed the Xiucai exam, but because the top scorer was your classmate, you threatened them to keep their sister away from the academy.” Su Yu calmly recounted Zhao Hongjie’s past misdeeds.
Cold sweat dripped down the faces of Zhao Hongjie and Zhao Hongwei. “Your Highness…”
“Do I need to continue listing more evidence? Even if your exam paper had been outstanding, I would still have rejected you. If someone like you becomes an official, it will be the common people who suffer in the end,” Su Yu bluntly stated.
Zhao Hongjie stared at Su Yu intensely, his gaze almost challenging him to a confrontation.
“Su Yu, you’re just favoring these people. You’re all in cahoots. I refuse to accept this,” Zhao Hongjie lunged towards Su Yu, his fierce expression sending chills through the onlookers.
Yuan Bao stepped in front of Su Yu and restrained Zhao Hongjie before he could reach him.
The former Prime Minister shook his head in disappointment. “People, failure is not frightening. What’s truly frightening is failing and not understanding why, and continuously making excuses for oneself.”
“You old coot, shut your mouth. Who do you think you are? Just because you’re called the former Prime Minister, you think you’re somebody?” Zhao Hongjie’s disrespectful words caused Zhao Hongwei a headache. “Hongjie, be quiet. Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
“I’m not wrong. He is just an old coot, and Su Yu is a bastard too. Thinking they’re so great just because they’re nobles? They’ll meet their end sooner or later.” After waiting anxiously for the results for over ten days, he had already planned his future, only to be told he had failed? How could he accept that?
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