The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 89: Competition

Chapter 89: Competition

“Then let’s compete to see who becomes chancellor first.”

The grading proceeded faster than Xu Ying had anticipated. By the time she nearly finished her portion, the officials had also completed evaluating their papers. Shocked, Xu Ying randomly pulled out one of the lower-ranked papers. Upon closer inspection, she found it neatly written, elegantly phrased, and substantively insightfulcomparable to the top-tier papers she had seen last year.

Hurriedly checking other lower-ranked papers, she found them decently composed, some even matching the quality of those graded by the officials. Had these been submitted last year, they would not have been relegated to the lower tier.

Xu Ying’s heart raced with a growing sense of unease.

Turning to the top-tier papers, she found them densely packed with content, tailored to her preference for practical governance. Zhou Jin and the other examiners had clearly prioritized this aspect, as the top papers were filled with feasible, realistic suggestions concerning people’s livelihoods, far surpassing the lower-ranked ones in quality.

It wasn’t that the officials had misjudged; rather, exceptionally talented candidates had entered the fray, disrupting the previous equilibrium. Those who had adopted a wait-and-see approach last year had now thrown their hats into the ring, abruptly raising the passing standard.

This was terrifying. Xu Ying felt a chill run down her spine. If this continued, wouldn’t the Hall of Gathered Talents amass more and more exceptional individuals?

Anxious and unable to sleep, Xu Ying sat down, pressing a hand to her chest as she tried to reassure herself: if she were to die suddenly, those talented individuals would scatter and seek new patrons. Without a leader, chaos would inevitably ensue, so there was no real need to worry.

Just then, the system abruptly came online: “Warning: You have outperformed 99% of the Jin Dynasty’s emperors. The system’s predictive model has encountered an unknown error and must return to the factory for repairs. Please prepare accordingly.”

“What’s happening? Are you abandoning me?” Xu Ying’s eyes widened in shock. “What am I supposed to do?”

“A self-operating program has been reserved for the host. Thank you for your cooperation. Wishing you a pleasant life.”

With that, the system fell silent, and a countdown timer appeared before Xu Ying’s eyes. Panicking, she exclaimed, “When will you be back? A system should see things throughgive me a deadline!”

There was no response. The countdown reached zero, and the green light vanished. Furious, Xu Ying kicked the table. “Factory repairs”? More like desertion.

This was a classic case of “misfortune never comes alone” and “when it rains, it pours.”

Trying to look on the bright side, Xu Ying reasoned that at least the pressure was off. She could die whenever she wishedeven of old age. Come spring, she could change the reign title and simply wait to die of natural causes, which would still fulfill the system’s requirements.

With the system offline, Xu Ying opened the self-operating program it had left behind. It displayed only a bland panel with a few stark words: “Display Tasks,” followed by a small checkbox. The crude interface reminded her of elementary school computer web pages.

To minimize energy consumption, the program had disabled its network connection and was running in offline mode. A warning message indicated that without the main system to convert and supply energy, enabling the network switch would drain excessive power and cause the program to shut down.

Having grasped the situation, Xu Ying closed the panel.

After the Winter Examination papers were graded, the results were promptly released. The exam papers were sealed and stored, with provisions for review upon formal request. The officials, who had been buried in grading work day and night in Taiping Lane, were finally free to leave.

When the gate of Taiping Lane opened, the first to be carried out were the officials who had caught colds. Zhou Jin felt he had recovered and did not wish to be carried out, but his body was still weak. Another blast of cold wind might have been fatal. The imperial physician forcibly pressed him onto a wooden plank, covered him with a thick quilt, and carried him out of Taiping Lane.

Outside, the waiting family members craned their necks anxiously. At the sight of a line of people being carried out, they feared something terrible had happened, their legs going so weak they nearly collapsed to the ground.

As the imperial physician approached, he clasped his hands and explained, “The weather is bitterly cold. These envoys must not be exposed to wind or chill. Please help them into carriages quickly. Once home, keep doors and windows shut for quiet recuperation. Do not venture out until the weather warms.”

Seeing their lords still breathing warm vapor, the families sighed in relief, realizing it was a false alarm. They hurriedly thanked the physician and called servants to assist.

After the examination officials emerged from Taiping Lane, everyone’s focus turned to the results. But when the rankings were posted, all were stunned.

In this Winter Examination, the number of women who passed amounted to half of the total. Even more surprising, many renowned scholars were among them, including Li Dengyun, who had once served as the Crown Prince’s tutor.

Most unexpectedly, Li Dengyun ranked only second. The top candidate was Wu Zhaoyan, daughter of the Editorial Director Wu Zhi.

Though Wu Zhaoyan had previously been known as a talented girl, she was confined to the inner chambers and merely seventeen years old. How could she possibly surpass Li Dengyun?

Many reacted as if stepped on, some claiming the examiners were currying favor with Xu Ying by deliberately arranging this, others insisting Xu Ying was flattering Editorial Director Wu Zhi so he would cover up her patricide and fratricide in the historical records, thus granting Wu Zhaoyan the top position.

Discussions erupted everywhere, especially over the inexplicably high number of women achieving excellent results this year. It was utterly abnormalif there were no foul play, even ghosts wouldn’t believe it.

As the Winter Examination’s fairness came under doubt, Wu Zhaoyan, now at the center of the storm, tossed a handful of bait into the water, and the fish in the pond swarmed competitively to snatch it.

Wu Zhi was furious, clutching his official hat while repeatedly turning back, wanting to curse at the critics. His servants held him back, pushing him forward, and one comforted him, “They are merely jealous of our young lady, Master. Pay them no mind…”

“Failing to surpass others and then blaming the examwhat a colossal joke!” Wu Zhi flicked his sleeve.

Turning around, he suddenly encountered Wu Zhaoyan and immediately scowled, scolding, “What are you doing standing here silently without propriety? I haven’t even settled with you for secretly signing up for the Winter Examination behind my back!”

Instead of obediently lowering her head as usual, Wu Zhaoyan met his gaze squarely and stepped forward. “I did register without your permission, Father Master, but you did not stop me either.” Now that I’ve stirred controversy outside, if you wish to punish me, I’m afraid you must also hold yourself accountable.”

“You…” Wu Zhi was abruptly silenced by her words. She stared unblinkingly, and any evasion would be caught in her sight, leaving no room for concealment.

Wu Zhaoyan relented, shifting her gaze away, a faint smile curling her lips. “Don’t worry, Father. I have applied for a re-evaluation. Soon, to appease the public, they will likely revoke my ranking.”

“Preposterous!” Wu Zhi flared up in rage. “The exams were graded anonymouslywhat’s yours is yours… You’ve already taken it; revoking your rank would only bring greater shame!”

Wu Zhi turned his face aside. “Your mother has some acquaintance with the Gao family and has already invited Lady Jiang to bring her daughter Gao Yun over for a visit. Gao Yun is around your age, so you should go entertain her later.”

Wu Zhaoyan looked up in surprise, a faint sweetness mingling with her astonishment. Her low spirits instantly took a turn and soared upward.

Shortly after, Gao Yun arrived. After the two families exchanged pleasantries, Wu Zhaoyan was asked to take Gao Yun aside for some private entertainment.

Gao Yun comforted her, “Don’t worry too much. Her Majesty won’t easily compromise. Moreover, not long ago, taking advantage of the disappearance during her incognito inspection, she eliminated some restless individuals. They won’t dare stir up trouble again anytime soon.”

Wu Zhaoyan asked anxiously, “Her Majesty… what is she like? Precisely because she just purged those people, after dealing the blow, she should offer some sweetness. She probably wouldn’t choose to exert more pressure on them at this time.”

“Not necessarily,” Gao Yun replied. “Her Majesty has never feared any noble families. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have issued an edict prohibiting officials from visiting brothels and ordering them closed. Besides, their questioning of the Winter Examination’s fairness is equivalent to questioning Her Majesty herself. Let them make noise. Eliminating those parasites occupying high positions just makes room for talented individuals.”

Wu Zhaoyan nodded, her anxious heart finally settling.

“I heard you’ve been studying women’s medicine,” Wu Zhaoyan said with a teasing smile. “Many people laugh that you’re taking up midwifery before even getting married. What, don’t you want to become a female minister, standing above ten thousand people with only one above you?”

Gao Yun responded calmly, “Before Her Majesty, I am indeed beneath one person. But when I save the lives of thousands of women in childbirth, am I not above ten thousand people then?”

“Don’t underestimate this either,” she continued. “Childbirth is essential for every household nowadays. The merit in this field is sufficient for me to be enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as a minister.”

“Then let’s compete to see who becomes a minister first,” Wu Zhaoyan joked, raising her hand.

Gao Yun smiled slightly and raised her hand to high-five Wu Zhaoyan. “I already have one year of experience, so you’ll need to catch up quickly. Especially for the interviewthere are many hidden complexities and numerous points to pay attention to…”

Wu Zhaoyan listened carefully to Gao Yun’s advice. The interview was indeed crucial and couldn’t be taken lightly, as Zhang Keqian’s case from last year served as a cautionary tale.

Due to widespread controversy over the Winter Examination’s fairness, Wu Zhaoyan’s exam papers were retrieved and rechecked. After verification and seeking Wu Zhaoyan’s consent, Xu Lang had her papers posted beside the official roster for public viewing.

This year’s exam featured fewer general knowledge questions but more graphical reasoning and calculation problems. The scope was broad, and the volume was largemany candidates didn’t even finish. However, Wu Zhaoyan astonishingly answered all multiple-choice questions correctly. Her subsequent essays were also excellent: logically rigorous, refreshingly fluent, with many suggestions that various ministries could directly implement.

Among the top papers, policy essays couldn’t create significant score gapsthe differences mainly lay in the multiple-choice section. Wu Zhaoyan’s perfect score in that section left everyone thoroughly convinced.

Yet some still muttered sourly, “Didn’t Zhang Keqian also perform well in the preliminary exam last year? But his true colors showed during the interview, and he almost failed…”

However, these envious comments lacked persuasiveness. Zhang Keqian’s situation differed from Wu Zhaoyan’she came from a poor family with limited exposure, knew only rote learning, and had studied only books essential for the imperial examinations.

The Wu family had served the court for generations by compiling historical records, granting them easy access to rare and treasured texts. Wu Zhaoyan, leveraging this advantage from childhood, had read extensively across diverse subjects. Coupled with her reputation as a talented scholar and her extensive social connections, she was unlikely to perform poorly in the interviews.

Gao Yun’s circumstances were similarshe had shone brilliantly during her own interview. It was even rumored that the Wu family had invited Gao Yun to their residence to share her insights. Barring any unforeseen mishaps, Wu Zhaoyan’s success was virtually assured.

Throughout the streets and alleys, discussions buzzed about whether Li Dengyun might overtake Wu Zhaoyan in the interviews. His unique status and longstanding prestige led many to speculate that the emperor would not allow a young woman to outshine him. Yet, considering their female emperor’s unconventional methods, doubts lingeredperhaps she would specially appoint Li Dengyun to a high-ranking position, granting him the seal of a chancellor, to avoid occupying a spot in the Hall of Gathered Talents.

In any case, with Li Dengyun emerging to serve the female emperor, the political winds in the court were set to shift once more, and Liu Xu’s faction would inevitably fall from power.