"So, what was the result? What did those people say?" Yang Chuxia asked again.
Mr. Luo replied with some confusion, "The other few all had the same judgment as me."
"Mr. Luo, how many examiners do we have in Funan? Were they selected by Funan Prefecture itself, or were they sent by the imperial court?"
"There are a total of four examiners, one from Funan Prefecture and three sent by the imperial court."
Yang Chuxia thought for a moment and continued asking, "Which of these four did you ask to look at the paper?"
"Naturally, it was the one from Funan Prefecture. The remaining three left Funan as soon as they finished grading the papers and before the results were posted." Seeing that she asked so many questions, he added, "The other three are also highly respected individuals and teachers at the Capital City’s Imperial Academy. They are most fair and objective, and it’s impossible for them to be biased. Furthermore, the examinees’ information, names, and places of origin are all sealed, and no one else can see them."
Yang Chuxia nodded, "But Mr. Luo, if these gentlemen are not the problem, what if the problem lies after this point? After the exam papers have been graded, if someone wants to know which examinees passed, wouldn’t they need to open the papers and transcribe the information? Is this done by the gentlemen themselves or by our Funan Prefecture?"
Mr. Luo was by no means a fool, and upon hearing Yang Chuxia’s words, he naturally understood the strangeness of the matter.
However, since it was not as Yang Chuxia speculated, he couldn’t say for sure. After all, one cannot make conclusions without evidence.
At this time, Ye Zi’an spoke up, "Xiaxia, transcribing examinee information, ranking and posting their scores is done by Funan Prefecture."
"Mr. Luo, if it weren’t for you going to see those experts beforehand, I might have thought that my husband’s knowledge is not sufficient, and he could just try again in three years. But after hearing your words, I can only suspect this way. If someone changed my husband’s paper to someone else’s while transcribing the information, wouldn’t that be possible?"
After hearing this, Mr. Luo was speechless for a long time and finally murmured, "But all this is just your speculation."
"Speculation or not, just have someone investigate!" Who else could say such domineering words, other than Mu Shaoling?
Yang Chuxia was startled and turned her head to see that Mu Shaoling was the one who pushed the door open.
"Why are you here?" When he saw him coming, Ye Zi’an felt a little embarrassed.
Knowing that this man had a somewhat unusual relationship with his wife, Ye Zi’an’s embarrassment only grew now that he was in such a situation.
As if he didn’t see the hidden emotion in Ye Zi’an’s eyes, Mu Shaoling sat down nonchalantly, "The young master heard that a certain great talent actually failed the exam, tsk tsk, I just had to come and make fun of him."
"Mu Shaoling, speaking will get you beaten," Yang Chuxia glanced at him with a warning in her eyes.
Mu Shaoling just shook his head, "Tsk, you’re worrying about him, but look at him, he doesn’t seem to be upset."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxia looked towards Ye Zi’an and indeed saw that he was calm.
When Ye Zi’an caught a glimpse of the slight concern in Yang Chuxia’s eyes, he managed a faint smile.
"Xiaxia, I’m fine. As long as you don’t lose faith in me, it’s enough." In his heart, although not passing the exam was disappointing, there would still be opportunities to try again. But what mattered more to him was what Yang Chuxia thought, and if she would think he was useless.
"I wouldn’t think so. In my opinion, if you don’t pass the first time, you can always try again in the second or third attempt. Don’t some people keep trying until they’re in their fifties?" Yang Chuxia shook her head, thinking of Fan Jin who had taken the exams well into his fifties.