Chapter 191: Chapter 78: Passing the Imperial Examinations at the County, Provincial, and National Levels_2
Lord Zhuang had someone investigate the top three hundred listed individuals and found, according to those sent, that these people truly deserved their credentials; simply put, none of them, unlike Ma Peng, had been struck by good fortune to achieve such an unexpected excellent result.
Lord Zhuang still felt uneasy, “I hope I am just being overly concerned.”
The trusted servant said with a smile, “Old Master, now everyone is discussing the tribute scholar Yu Zida! They all say he could be the first in the Great Yuan Dynasty to pass the imperial examinations at the county, provincial, and national levels!”
Lord Zhuang muttered to himself, “I hope so too.” If Yu Zida achieved this feat, then the matter of Ma Peng would be overshadowed.
Unfortunately, before the palace examination, there were rumors that Ma Peng’s success in becoming a Palace Graduate had insiders’ help. What could that involve if not cheating?
Once the rumor of Ma Peng cheating on the examination spread, those scholar candidates who considered themselves talented yet had failed burst with excitement. Several failed candidates banded together and rushed to the Imperial Academy to create a disturbance. It is unknown who pushed the situation further, but the commotion intensified.
Ma Chengteng heard the rumor but was not panicked; instead, he sent Ma Yuan to investigate, “Find out who is spreading this rumor.” Ma Chengteng could not understand what deep hatred this person held against his family to spread such a rumor.
Ma Chengteng himself was not afraid; he was worried that Ma Peng might not keep his composure and sent someone to call Ma Peng over to discuss the matter with him.
Ma Peng was somewhat anxious, “Father, what if…”
Ma Chengteng interrupted Ma Peng, “Was the examination essay written by you?”
Ma Peng nodded, “It was written by me.” The essay had many errors corrected by his father, who also contributed several suggestions, but it was indeed written by Ma Peng himself.
Ma Chengteng stared at Ma Peng, “If it was written by you, what are you afraid of?” The essay had not passed through anyone else’s hands; only four people knew the truth, so what of the rumors?
Ma Peng was not afraid of this issue but worried that someone might set a test for him to take, and performing poorly could give him away.
Ma Chengteng did not know the intentions of those stirring up trouble behind the scenes, but capturing the mastermind behind this would resolve the issue, “Don’t worry; just make sure not to show any cowardice in front of others. Also, you must keep your composure. You know what to say if someone tries to trap you with questions?” Unless it was proven that there was cheating in this session of examinations, no one would ask Ma Peng to retake them, and for a simple reason: no one would make trouble out of nothing. The person who spread such rumors deserved punishment, and once exposed, others would deal with him without Ma Chengteng lifting a finger.
Cheating and nepotism were historically the most feared issues in the imperial examinations. If true, examiners would only try to cover it up. Unfortunately, there was no such case in this examination, and the spread of such rumors had already angered several examiners.
Unexpectedly for Ma Chengteng, after the rumor spread, the Emperor sent someone to review Ma Peng’s essay. The Emperor examined Ma Peng’s script, which was clean and tidy without a single correction or spelling mistake—it was pleasing to see; furthermore, the handwriting was robust and mature, and the flow of the script was smooth. As for the content of the essay, it was conventional: not outstanding, but it had its highlights.
Among the three hundred tribute scholars listed, apart from the anomaly of Ma Peng, none had shown such remarkable performance. The only plausible explanation for Ma Peng’s high rank was that the examiners had been lenient and biased.
After reviewing the essay, the Emperor did not pass judgment but said, “Post this essay out, let the public see if the examiners were biased.”
After Ma Peng’s essay was posted, several well-known tutors from Bailu Academy reviewed it. Everyone agreed that qualifying for the second level was beyond doubt; however, considering the literary flair of the essay, ranking forty-eighth seemed a bit too high. In such examinations, rankings could fluctuate due to luck, as not all examiners have the same preferences. Ma Peng’s clean and tidy essay left a good impression on the examiner, and the style of handwriting favored by the examiner explained the high rank.
Further, Ma Peng’s tutor came forward, stating that although Ma Peng was not exceptionally gifted, he was diligent and studious—a good student. If an indolent child of wealth had passed, that would have been suspicious. For a student as hardworking as Ma Peng to pass might be luck, but it also rested on a solid foundation.
The day after Ma Peng’s essay was posted, Yu Zida’s essay was also published. Once Yu Zida’s essay came out, no one paid attention to Ma Peng anymore, as everyone went to admire the masterpiece of such a great talent.