Chapter 88: Disqualified

Shen Li stood beside Zhou Qing, softly comforting her, "Don't worry, Master will definitely succeed."

Zhou Qing frowned, looking up at Shen Li.

"My left eyelid keeps twitching, making me nervous. They say if the left eye twitches, it's a bad omen; if the right eye twitches, it means fortune."

"As long as I'm here, there won't be any disasters. Both your eyes are twitching for fortune."

Zhou Qing smiled, but her heart was still pounding with anxiety. "Do you think something bad will happen? I think I just saw Zhou Huaihai."

That guy is always up to no good!

Wherever he shows up, trouble follows.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Even if Zhou Yuan himself appeared here, it would still be fine."

Seeing how nervous Zhou Qing was, Shen Li really wanted to pat her head.

But he couldn't.

He could only watch as Zhou Qing rubbed her own head, blinking at him.

"If something does happen, can your relative who's an official in the capital intervene here?"

Shen Li chuckled, "Yes, he can handle it. Just relax."

Zhou Qing pouted and then sighed.

While Zhou Qing was anxiously waiting, Zhou Huaishan had already been assigned his spot in the examination hall.

He sat down comfortably, and before the exam papers were handed out, he took out the breakfast he had the inn's kitchen prepare for the exam.

One fried dough stick and two red-shelled eggs.

He spread a bright red cloth over the table, enjoying his fried dough stick with eggs, savoring each bite.

As he ate, he silently prayed, Full marks, full marks, full marks!

He didn't notice the confused, shocked, or amused looks coming from the other examinees around him.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Huaishan carefully wrapped up the crumbs in the red cloth, folded it neatly, and placed it back in his bag. Then, he pulled out a small red flag and set it at the top right corner of his desk.

Victory with the flag!

Huaishan will win!

Zhou Huaishan, you’ve got this! Keep going!

His strange antics were enough that the invigilator reported the situation to the Prefect.

"Sir, this seems against the rules, doesn't it?"

The Prefect waved it off, "The examination rules don't say you can't eat during the exam. Ask him if he needs hot tea. We wouldn’t want him choking on those eggs before even taking the test!"

This has to be a first!

Offering hot tea?

The invigilator's eye twitched as he glanced at the Prefect.

But the Prefect had already gone back to other matters.

Better not say anything. Better not ask anything either.

After having his fill, the exam papers were handed out. Zhou Huaishan picked up his paper with both hands, closed his eyes, kissed it, and confidently began answering.

Zhou Huaishan breezed through his answers, while in another exam booth nearby, Sun Jin was stunned as soon as he saw the test questions.

His father had spent thousands of silver taels bribing the Prefect.

The Prefect had taken the money and even leaked the exam questions to him. But now, the questions he received were completely different from the ones he had prepared for?

If the questions were different, did that mean the Prefect wouldn't even accuse Zhou Huaishan of cheating as planned?

The thought that Zhou Huaishan might not face ruin made Sun Jin grip his brush in frustration.

His hand trembled, and a large blot of ink dripped onto his answer sheet, spreading across the page.

In that moment, Sun Jin felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

In the imperial exams, each candidate is only given three sheets of paper.

This one, now stained with ink, was ruined and useless.

How was he supposed to answer the exam now?

Panicked, Sun Jin quickly put down his brush and waved over a patrolling examiner. "Sir, I've accidentally spilled ink on my paper. Can I get a new sheet?"

Seeing the examiner's cold expression, Sun Jin hurriedly added in a low voice, "Please, ask the Prefect for me. My name is Sun Jin."

It would’ve been better if he hadn't said that. As soon as he mentioned his name, the examiner’s face darkened.

"Each candidate is given three sheets. If you damage or soil one, that's your own responsibility."

With that, the examiner turned and walked away, as if saying another word to Sun Jin would invite disaster.

Sun Jin stood frozen in place, his mind buzzing.

What was happening?

His father had paid the Prefect so much money, and Zhou Huaihai had given the Prefect five thousand taels.

Not only had the Prefect given him the wrong exam questions, but now they wouldn’t even give him an extra sheet of paper?

It had to be this useless examiner refusing to help him.

Clenching his fists, Sun Jin slammed them on the table and stood up abruptly. "I don’t believe the Prefect would refuse me a new sheet of paper. It’s just one sheet, and I’m not even cheating!"

Hearing this, the examiner spun around, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Disrupting the exam and disturbing others—escort him out!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, two guards stationed outside rushed in and headed straight for Sun Jin.

Sun Jin’s mind exploded.

Escort me out?

Is this bastard saying he’s going to throw me out?

"I demand to see the Prefect! Who told you to do this to me? I want to see the Prefect!"

The guards ignored Sun Jin's outburst, grabbing him by both arms and dragging him out.

Barely half an hour into the exam, the gates of the Prefect's office suddenly opened.

This caught the attention of all the anxious relatives waiting outside.

Who’s already finished their exam?

Zhou Qing's heart started pounding.

Could it be that her father had handed in a blank exam?

Or...

Was her father framed and expelled?

Filled with negative thoughts, Zhou Qing’s eyes were glued to the gates, ready to rush forward the moment her father appeared.

However, when the gates opened, it was Sun Jin who was pushed out.

Sun Zenian had been drinking tea across the street. The moment he saw Sun Jin, he was so shocked that he knocked his teacup over and stumbled as he rushed forward.

"What happened?"

Sun Zenian grabbed Sun Jin, his hands trembling.

Sun Jin, however, was staring at Zhou Qing from afar, his gaze full of resentment.

The guards shoved Sun Jin out, shouting, "This candidate was causing a disturbance in the exam hall and disobeying orders. He has been disqualified from the exam."

With that, the guards slammed the gates shut and returned inside.

All the people waiting outside turned their eyes to Sun Jin.

Some of them had been at the scene in front of the Qingfeng Inn the day before and whispered, "Isn’t that the guy who falsely accused Zhou Huaishan?"

As soon as that was said, a wave of curiosity and gossip swept through the crowd.

Sun Zenian, hearing the murmurs around him, was completely stunned.

Disqualified?

He had given the Prefect so much money, not only to make his son top the exam but also to get Zhou Huaishan disqualified.

Now, his own son had been disqualified?

What... what the hell is going on here?!