Each time the results were announced, a candidate would walk out from the queue and stand at the entrance of the Imperial Decree Hall to thank Fang Zhengzhi.
The golden-armored guards who were waiting at the entrance of the palace finally calmed down when they heard the voices.
They did not hear wrongly!
This time, the results were announced from fourth place to tenth place.
The top three had not been announced yet!
Even though they did not know what was going on, as the golden armored guards, they had a clear responsibility. They had to report the results for the glory of the top three.
As such, there was no need for them to do anything.
The golden armored guard calmed down.
However, Wu Feng could not calm himself down. He should have been happy to stand in front of the Imperial Decree Hall with the rest of the candidates.
However, he could not bring himself to be happy at all. He could even feel the gazes of the other candidates behind him.
"First place, I am clearly first. Why is this happening?" Wu Feng was indignant. He could not believe it. He was waiting for Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping to "reflect" on himself.
However, even after Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping announced the tenth place, he had no intention of admitting his mistake. He carefully kept the parchment and handed it to Emperor Lin Mubai.
"Your Majesty, please announce the top three!"
"Mm." Emperor Lin Mubai nodded his head. Eunuch Wei, who was standing at the side, immediately took the silk from Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and respectfully handed it back to Emperor Lin Mubai.
Emperor Lin Mubai extended his hand to receive the parchment. However, he did not open it immediately. Instead, he swept his gaze across the crowd of candidates, his expression slightly stern.
"Where is Fang Zhengzhi?!"
This was the question that Emperor Lin Mubai was most concerned about.
He could announce the results immediately. However, what would happen after that? Why was no one coming to thank him?
Could it be that Fang Zhengzhi was hiding in the crowd?
Emperor Lin Mubai could only think that way. He did not believe that Fang Zhengzhi would be so daring as to be absent from the announcement.
If he dares to make things difficult for me... I will chop off his head!
Emperor Lin Mubai cursed. Then, he finally opened his mouth, "I have seen many new suggestions in this court examination. I have also seen the future of the Great Xia Dynasty. However, the top three rankings are ultimately limited. After much consideration, I have no choice but to choose from them. You may not be chosen, but don't be discouraged. You must study hard, and wait for the golden roll in the future! "
"Thank you, your majesty!"
When the candidates heard Emperor Lin Mubai's instructions, they immediately thanked the Emperor for his grace.
Emperor Lin Mubai nodded. Then, he opened the parchment and scanned it. Moments later, he announced, "The winners of this Court Theory Examination are... Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi!"
His voice fell. However, it didn't cause the cheers and celebrations like before. Instead, the entire place was silent. Because, everyone's eyes were wide open as they stared at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.
After a while, the silence was slowly broken. However, there were still no cheers. Everyone just looked at each other, unable to believe what they were hearing.
"Did I hear that right? Nangong Hao?! "
"I don't think so. I heard it too, but how could it be Nangong Hao? Didn't he not receive the Emperor's invitation? "
"Could he be lying to Wu Feng?"
All of the candidates were stunned when they heard Nangong Hao's name. Nangong Hao had personally said that he did not receive the Emperor's invitation.
Why did Nangong Hao get first place in the written exam?
Although this was something that everyone had already expected, it was still incomprehensible for it to happen again after the incident with the Imperial Edict Incident.
Of course...
Most of the shock came from Nangong Hao's name. It was a name that none of the officials and candidates wanted to hear.
"Fang Zhengzhi?!"
"The winners of this Court Theory Examination are Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi!"
Emperor Lin Mubai's voice reverberated in everyone's mind.
"What does this mean... why is there Fang Zhengzhi on top of Nangong Hao?!"
"There are two people in the court theory examination?!"
"Why are there two people?!"
"Furthermore... How could the other person be Fang Zhengzhi? Didn't Fang Zhengzhi also not receive the Emperor's invitation? This doesn't make sense at all! "
No one could understand what had happened. If Nangong Hao had been given first place in the theory exam, it would have been acceptable.
Even if Nangong Hao didn't receive an imperial edict.
After all, Nangong Hao was the most talented person in the Great Xia Dynasty. However, it was not normal for Fang Zhengzhi to be the most talented person.
Two people who didn't receive the Emperor's edict were named first at the same time?
Tied for first place?
This was something that had never happened before. A tie for first place in the court examination!
Wu Feng's eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets.
How could this be?
Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi had snatched first place from him? However, Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi did not receive the Emperor's invitation. Why? How could this be?
"Your Majesty, I..." Wu Feng opened his mouth and finally lifted his foot. However, at this moment, he saw Emperor Lin Mubai's gaze.
It was a gaze that could not be questioned.
It represented the authority of the Emperor.
This caused his raised foot to stop. It quietly froze in mid-air, unable to step on the ground at all. The words that were at the tip of his tongue could no longer be said.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping, as well as all the other officials, were in the same state of disbelief as Wu Feng. They had no idea what was happening.
This was the court examination!
It was not like the imperial examinations. There had never been a case of the same ranking in the court examination. However, the court examination required the people to name the 'top talent'.
How could there be two 'top talents' in the same court examination?
This did not make sense. Furthermore, they did not believe that Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Hao could be on the same ranking.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's lips twitched. He wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.
All of the officials stared at Emperor Lin Mubai in confusion. Even the person in charge of announcing the results stood rooted to the ground in a daze.
They did not know if they should announce the results immediately.
Emperor Lin Mubai looked at all of the confused faces. Of course, he knew what the officials were thinking. However, he was the current emperor, the ruler of a generation.
He had made the decision. How could he allow others to question his decision?
In fact, before he asked King Liqin to be the judge, he had already made up his mind. However, after hearing King Liqin's words... However, his decision had changed.
Fair!
This was the only word he had wanted to follow when he was grading the scripts in the Imperial Decree Hall. He had thought that he had done it, but he had not.
Since they were evenly matched, there was no need to force a ranking!
It was unfair to divide the two essays according to the rules of the court examination. Since it was unfair, why should they do it?
Rules? I am the rules!
As for why he did not invite Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Hao to see him before the results were announced... The reason for this was simple. Because in the policy papers, there were many different theories. There were only three essays that were both literary and focused on "war".
As such, the top three had already been decided.
Since that was the case, there was no need to meet them again.
Directly summon the fourth to tenth ranked scholars and rearrange the rankings of the essays under the name of "peace". That would be enough.
It wasn't that Emperor Lin Mubai was slacking off. It was just that he had personally read two hundred sets of examination papers and had delayed too many court affairs. He really didn't have the time to meet more people.
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi...
Could not meet him. There was not much of a difference.
Emperor Lin Mubai knew that he was the Emperor. The Emperor's decision could not be questioned. However, he had to give the world an explanation. Furthermore, this explanation had to be reasonable.
"All of you may be surprised by my decision today. However, this is within reason. There is no such thing as number one in literature. There is no such thing as number two in martial arts. Ever since I took the throne, I have read countless essays. I thought that I would be able to pick out the best. However, I cannot pick out Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi's essays! "
"Cannot pick out!"
The words rang out from the entrance of the Imperial Decree Hall.
All of the officials and candidates looked at each other in dismay.
The meaning of this sentence was too easy to understand. It meant that there was no choice. However, when this sentence came from the mouth of the current Emperor, the deeper meaning behind it could be imagined.
Even the Emperor could not tell the difference. What kind of talent was this?
This sentence displayed Emperor Lin Mubai's humility and magnanimity. It also placed Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi on the same level as the current Emperor.
At this moment, Wu Feng's face was completely red.
The scene in the Intellectual Loft the previous night flashed past his mind. At that time, he was giving Fang Zhengzhi a speech about his strategy in the court examinations.
Now...
He felt a burning sensation on his face.
"There is no such thing as number one in literature, number two in martial arts. Your Majesty, the heavens can bear witness!" One of the officials fell to his knees.
Then, all of the other officials fell to their knees as well.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
No one dared to question Emperor Lin Mubai's decision. After all, he was the Emperor, the ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty.
All of the other candidates fell to their knees when they heard this.
The official in charge of announcing the results finally came to his senses.
"The top scorers for the Court Theory Examination are Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi!"
"The top scorers for the Court Theory Examination are Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi!"
"The top scorers for the Court Theory Examination are..."
Their voices traveled from the entrance of the Imperial Decree Hall to the entrance of the palace.
The crowd at the entrance of the palace was in an uproar. There were two people in the top scorers? Furthermore, it was Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi?
Fang Zhengzhi!
He was tied with Nangong Hao!
Some of the shabbily dressed citizens cheered and shouted Fang Zhengzhi's name. Among the crowd, a few people dressed in black glanced at each other and left quickly.
The golden armored guards galloped towards the four gates, all of them shouting, "The top scorers for the Court Theory Examination are Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi!"
His voice reverberated throughout the Flame Capital City, causing the entire city to be in an uproar.
In front of the Imperial Decree Hall, Nangong Hao, who was wearing a white robe, slowly walked out from the crowd. His steps were slow but steady.
Every step he took seemed to follow a set pattern.
However, there was a hint of excitement at the corner of his mouth. It wasn't the excitement of making it into the rankings, but the excitement of finding an opponent.
Tied?
This court examination was going to be interesting.
"I thank you for your kindness!" Nangong Hao walked to the entrance of the Imperial Decree Hall, stood in the middle, bowed slightly and said to Emperor Lin Mubai.
"Am I?" Emperor Lin Mubai sighed in his heart. In the end, he did not say much and only looked behind Nangong Hao.
Behind Nangong Hao, there was nothing but Nangong Hao.
No one else stepped forward!
"Fang Zhengzhi really didn't come!" Emperor Lin Mubai's gaze froze as he released a powerful aura.
When the other officials witnessed this scene, how could they not know what Emperor Lin Mubai was feeling at this moment?
As the Emperor, the Emperor.
He had announced the results in front of everyone and given Fang Zhengzhi the highest honor. But where was Fang Zhengzhi? Not only did he not thank him, he did not even see him. How could he tolerate this?
If Fang Zhengzhi did not make the roll...
That was fine. With His Majesty's magnanimity, he could naturally pretend that he did not see it.
However, he had been hit!
Furthermore, he was the top scorer!
How could he ignore it?
"Fang Zhengzhi, where is Sword Envoy Fang?" Emperor Lin Mubai's gaze swept across the crowd of candidates. His voice was calm, but it was laced with a sense of terror.
They were like sharp arrows flying in the air.
No one dared to step forward to answer.
All of the candidates looked at each other.
All of the officials looked at the candidates. All of them had the same thought. It was one thing for Fang Zhengzhi to be late, but why wasn't he here?
This was a crime of disregarding the Emperor's authority.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smirked icily. He had noticed that Fang Zhengzhi was not here. He had wanted to report Fang Zhengzhi after the results were announced.
But now...
He did not need to report Fang Zhengzhi anymore.
Fang Zhengzhi had made the roll! Furthermore, he was the top scorer!
He did not know if this was good news...
Or if he was in trouble.
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