Ten years of hard work.
From the County Examinations to the Capital Examinations, then to the Imperial Examinations, and finally to the Court Examinations, one step at a time. Some had only been here once, while others had been here five or six times.
"Hurry, it's almost time. Let's get a good spot at the entrance of the palace."
"I wonder what the results of the Court Theory Examination will be like this time?"
"I heard that Wu Feng seemed to have received the Emperor's summons in advance. As for the other scholars, no one said anything. Hence, I believe that Wu Feng should be in the top three."
"I heard that Fang Zhengzhi did not receive an invitation from the Emperor. I think he is going to fail?"
"Even if he doesn't fail, Nangong Hao will still top the list."
"That's true!"
All of the candidates exchanged information as they walked, guessing at the results of the court theory examination. After all, this court examination was too eye-catching.
Nangong Hao was ranked second on the Rising Dragon Roll. He had been recognized as the top talent of the Great Xia Dynasty for four years. Wu Feng was ranked third on the Rising Dragon Roll, the disciple of the Clear Water Sage.
There was also Yan Xiu, a new talent who had demonstrated extraordinary abilities in the preliminary court examinations. Fang Zhengzhi had been in the limelight ever since the provincial and imperial examinations.
The entire capital was in an uproar.
At the entrance of the palace, there was a huge crowd of people. Many merchants, citizens, and candidates were squeezed at the entrance.
Everyone wanted to be the first to hear the results.
At the entrance of the Imperial Decree Hall, two rows of golden-armored guards stood on either side of the hall. Each of them held a shining spear in their hands, and they had solemn expressions on their faces.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stood in the middle of the guards. All of the officials stood at the entrance of the Imperial Decree Hall.
All of the candidates were waiting for the results to be announced. They stood about 500 meters away from the entrance, all of them craning their necks.
Yan Xiu stood in the middle of the candidates, his expression cold. However, his gaze was searching the surroundings.
Last night... Fang Zhengzhi did not return to the inn.
Yan Xiu was not too surprised by this. After all, if Fang Zhengzhi was tired from listening to the songs in the Intellectual Loft, it was normal for him to rest for the night.
However...
It was time for the results to be announced. Why hadn't Fang Zhengzhi appeared yet?
In Yan Xiu's heart, even though Fang Zhengzhi was rather laid-back and did whatever he wanted, Yan Xiu never thought that Fang Zhengzhi would make a mistake based on his principles.
Especially when they were waiting for the results to be announced. It was impossible for him to be absent.
"Where did he go?" Yan Xiu looked towards the entrance of the palace and a tinge of anxiety flashed across his eyes. However, he was now in the palace and before the results were announced, he could not leave.
He could only wait.
Waiting for Fang Zhengzhi's arrival.
Wu Feng's current mood was not bad. Even though there was an unpleasant interlude when they were about to leave the inn, an interlude was still an interlude. It could only be interlude, and could not be compared to the main theme.
Of course. Part of the reason why he was in a good mood was …
Fang Zhengzhi did not come to hear the results?!
What a piece of good news!
All along, Wu Feng had heard rumours that Fang Zhengzhi was extremely daring. He was so daring that he could go against the officials in the Imperial Court. He was so daring that he could curse the officials in the Eastern Hunting Grounds.
However, it was still an exaggeration to say that they did not show up for the Court Theory Examinations results.
A night of romance …
You can be as romantic as you want!
"Fang Zhengzhi did not come? I wonder what he is doing. "
"I heard that he went to the Intellectual Loft last night and was invited to her chambers by Lady Immortal Tune. Don't tell me that he did not sleep the entire night? Hahaha … "
"I think it's because he doesn't dare to come and listen to the results."
"Young Master Qin's words hit the nail on the head. Truly brilliant. Fang Zhengzhi did not receive an invitation from the Emperor. He will definitely fail the court theory examination. It is normal that he does not dare to come, but … "
"But what?"
"What a pity for Lady Immortal Tune. You have such a good reputation, but you have to take the blame for this guy. "
"Yes, yes. Young Master Wang is right. I don't think Fang Zhengzhi is at the Intellectual Loft. He must have found a place to hide."
"Hahaha …"
The candidates who were waiting for the results to be announced naturally noticed that Fang Zhengzhi was not among the candidates. Hence. They laughed even more unscrupulously as they discussed the matter.
A faint smile appeared on the edges of Wu Feng's mouth. Fang Zhengzhi wasn't here to listen to the announcement. Naturally, he was hiding. He didn't believe that Fang Zhengzhi would be so tired that he couldn't wake up.
As he thought of this, Wu Feng's mood became better and better. His gaze swept across the crowd, and stopped slightly. This was because he had noticed a figure.
Nangong Hao.
Nangong Hao was still dressed in white. However, the blood stains on his robe had disappeared. He did not know if he had washed it away or changed into a new set of clothes.
He looked a little ethereal, but there was a glimmer of light in his eyes.
That glimmer of light came from Nangong Hao's eyes. They were like the sun in the sky, blinding, yet superior.
He was very bright. You could see him clearly, but you could not touch him. As such, you could only look up at him.
Nangong Hao was like that to all of the candidates in the Great Xia Dynasty.
He was too talented.
He was far more talented than his peers. Even though Nangong Hao did not intentionally keep his distance from others, he still seemed arrogant.
Wu Feng really wanted to know one thing.
He wanted to know if Nangong Hao had been invited by the Emperor. This was a matter of course. With Nangong Hao's current state, there was no way he would fail.
However, he still wanted to know.
He was like a beggar in the rain. Even though he knew that there would not be many people on the streets, he still reached out with a heart full of anticipation.
This was anticipation. He was not anticipating his own extraordinary performance, but rather, his opponent's mistake.
Fang Zhengzhi had handed in his script early for the theory examination. As such, he had failed. Nangong Hao had also handed in his script early for the theory examination.
Would his outcome be the same?
Wu Feng was not betting on the abilities of Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Hao. He was betting on the impact of handing in his script early. As the Emperor, how could he allow anyone to show him any disrespect?
Wu Feng finally walked towards Nangong Hao.
"Young Master Nangong!" A friendly smile appeared on Wu Feng's face as he bowed towards Nangong Hao. His actions were a little humble.
All of the other candidates stopped their discussions when they saw this.
Wu Feng had taken the initiative to greet Nangong Hao?
What was his motive?
Was this a battle between two powerful individuals? Or was this the start of a war?
"Young Master Wu." Nangong Hao looked at Wu Feng, who was in front of him. He didn't push her away, and his reply was extremely respectful. He even politely returned the greeting.
Even so, the candidates still felt that there was an invisible and impassable wall between the two of them. It was very strange.
However, it was very real.
Wu Feng's lips twitched. He had expected that Nangong Hao would not ignore him. However, he was slightly taken aback by Nangong Hao's courteous treatment.
This was an emotion that came from the bottom of his heart.
It was almost as if he was trying to climb up the social ladder.
This emotion flashed past Wu Feng's heart. Why did she feel that Nangong Hao's politeness towards her was a form of charity?
He was ranked third on the Rising Dragon Roll.
He was only one rank away from Nangong Hao...
Why was this happening?
Wu Feng felt that he should be standing on the same level as Nangong Hao. The difference of one rank was already very small. He really wanted to calm himself down, but in reality, that kind of emotion followed him like a shadow, unable to be erased.
As such, after opening his mouth a few times, he could not bring himself to ask if Nangong Hao had received the Emperor's edict.
He felt that he could ask this question casually.
It was as casual as two friends asking each other if they had eaten. However, when he was standing in front of Nangong Hao, he found that he could not bring himself to ask.
"Young Master Wu, are you asking if I have received the Emperor's edict?" Nangong Hao spoke again at this moment. His expression did not change at all, and his expression was extremely indifferent.
"Haha... there is no need to ask this question. With your talent, it is easy for you to top the court theory examination." Wu Feng chuckled and tried to calm himself down.
However, the shock in his heart still caused his voice to tremble slightly. This was because when Nangong Hao said those words, he felt as if he had been seen through.
It was as if he was completely exposed. It was uncomfortable.
"I did not receive the Emperor's edict." Nangong Hao shook his head lightly. When he said this, his tone was very calm. It was as calm as a windless lake.
There was not a single ripple.
Even in the face of the strong winds, the surface of the lake was still ice.
Nangong Hao's tone was calm. However, this did not mean that all of the candidates would remain calm. This news was too shocking.
"Did I hear wrongly? Nangong Hao... he did not receive the Emperor's edict?! "
"How is that possible?"
All of the candidates could not understand. Nangong Hao had topped the court examination four years ago.
Four years later...
Nangong Hao took advantage of the situation and stabbed into the heart of Flame Capital City like a sharp sword.
But he did not receive the Emperor's edict?
This was like a bolt of lightning striking down from the heavens.
The Emperor's edict represented the top 10 of the court theory examination. Those who received the edict were on the roll. Those who did not received the edict were off the roll.
This was an indisputable fact.
Even though those who were not on the roll could still enter the combat examinations if they were in the top 30 of the theory examination. However, no one expected that to happen to Nangong Hao.
The top talent of the Great Xia Dynasty, Nangong Hao...
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