Chapter 322: Release of the Court Examination Results (1) (1/2)

Chapter 322: Release of the Court Examination Results (1)

Translator: Sparrow TranslationsEditor: Sparrow Translations

However, there were pleasantries to be said before the announcement. This was no problem for Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. He was a seasoned veteran in the courts.

Even though this was the first time he was announcing the results...

He had heard it umpteen times.

Firstly, he had to praise Emperor Lin Mubai on his achievements throughout the years and emphasize the value the Emperor put on the court examinations.

Left Prime Minister had the gift of the gap and he knew all of Emperor Lin Mubai’s exploits like the back of his hand.

He managed to recite all the achievements since Emperor Lin Mubai’s inauguration.

All of the other officials and candidates listened to the speech quietly.

After almost 15 minutes, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stopped. After all, this was the court examination results release. The announcement was the main show today.

When he finished, he turned to look at Emperor Lin Mubai.

Emperor Lin Mubai nodded, his intentions clear. Good enough, please proceed.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping immediately understood the Emperor’s intentions. He began to unfurl the parchments, revealing the names.

The court examination results were announced differently from the imperial examination.

The imperial examination announced the second honor roll first, then the first honor roll, before revealing the names of the top three. For the court examinations, the results were announced from top to bottom.

Furthermore, there were only 10 names.

For the 11th to 30th ranked candidates, they would have to check out the full list placed at the entrance of the palace.

Left Prime MInister Yu Yiping looked at the parchment, the rock in his heart disappearing in that instant. His smile widened.

Because...

Fang Zhengzhi’s name was not on it.

At the very top of the parchment were two words, Wu Feng!

Fang Zhengzhi was not on the list!

”For this edition of the court examinations...” Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stopped in his tracks, his smile frozen.

He saw the word behind Wu Feng’s name.

Fourth!

How could this happen?

Wu Feng’s name was right at the top, yet he was fourth. The Emperor’s comments were written clearly at the side as well.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping could not figure out what was going on.

Normally, the results were announced from top to bottom. Could it be that the top three were behind?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping looked at the last row on the parchment.

Even so...

There was no mention of the top three candidates. The last name on the parchment was ranked tenth.

What was the problem?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping’s gaze froze. He could not find the top three candidates. This was something he did not expect.

But, could he ask about it now?

Of course not, so he could only look through the entire parchment.

Then, he realized that the parchment only contained the names of those ranked fourth to tenth. There was no mention of the top three.

There were only seven names on it.

”Seven names...” Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping found the problem. There was still some blank space above Wu Feng’s name.

This space was for the top three candidates.

But why was it not written down?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping did not dare to ask, but he looked back at Emperor Lin Mubai with a confused expression.

Emperor Lin Mubai knew what Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was thinking.

He was very exasperated as well.

The time for the announcement of results had come too soon. He had no time to write down their names and his comments.

Timing was crucial here.

It represented fate and luck.

If he missed the timing, it would not be a good omen for the empire. Furthermore, he was just about to engage the Southern Mountain Range.

As such, he decided to leave it blank rather than writing some words haphazardly.

This did not affect the announcement of the results.

Initially, he had planned to announce the top three candidates himself before handing the parchment to the Minister of Rites to announce the rest.

However, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had stepped out.

Emperor Lin Mubai was stunned by his actions. However, if he did not pass the parchment over to him, it would be extremely embarrassing for Yu Yiping.

After some consideration, he decided to spare a thought for his Left Prime Minister.

Then, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping began to talk about him. As a result, he could only wait by the side. He had hoped that Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping would look at the parchment after the speech.

Then...

If Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was smart, he would return the parchment to the Emperor. That would have been a smooth transition.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping did glance at it.

But, he immediately began to announce the results...

This resulted in this embarrassing impasse. He could not continue announcing, but it was too late for Emperor Lin Mubai to stop him.

”Announce what you see!” Emperor Lin Mubai knew that if he didn’t speak, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping would stand there awkwardly.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was shocked when he heard this.

It was a simple instruction, however, the implications caused Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping to take a step back.

Announce what you see...

Really?

Anyone who would do that was an idiot.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping did not know why the top three were missing from the parchment, but he knew the rules of the announcement.

He racked his brains for a way to salvage the situation. Finally, his eyes glittered.

”Many people might not know the emphasis and special meaning this court examination holds. I shall only say one thing. The Emperor had spent the past three days in the Imperial Decree Hall, personally marking all the scripts. He did not leave at any time!” Yu Yiping emphasized the last sentence.

All of the officials knew that Emperor Lin Mubai had marked the scripts personally.

However, the candidates did not.