Chapter 35

With the idea of stepping out, the wildness that had been suppressed in Jiang Chen's bones from his past life suddenly burst forth, becoming uncontrollable.

Of course, this stepping out was not something Jiang Chen could do as he pleased.

First, he had to pass the Qianlong Examination to step out. Otherwise, leaving the capital city on his own would be equivalent to giving up the Qianlong Examination.

The Qianlong Examination was the first important goal for Jiang Chen in this world. He could not give it up.

One reason was to ensure that his father could continue to hold the feudal lord's token, for which he had to strive.

Moreover, the undercurrents formed in the capital city left Jiang Chen with no choice but to fight!

The next morning, Jiang Chen got up early. After practicing in the martial arts field of the marquis mansion, he saw that the sun had already passed its zenith and decided to visit the Alchemist Hall.

Since he had signed a contract with the Alchemist Hall, Jiang Chen naturally would not break his promise.

However, before he could even leave the mansion, Xuan Fatty and Hu Qiu Yue hurriedly arrived. The expressions on their faces made it seem as if the sky was about to fall.

"Brother Chen, how can you still act as if nothing has happened?" Xuan Fatty almost rolled into the room, and upon seeing Jiang Chen, he immediately blurted out this question.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Chen was puzzled.

"Brother Chen, something big has happened!" Hu Qiu Yue's usually simple-minded expression now showed a sense of anxiety, as if the sky was about to collapse.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen saw that their expressions were not playful.

"Brother Chen, you didn't pass the basic examination!" Xuan Fatty was almost in tears, "Brother Chen, you were still lecturing us yesterday, how could this happen..."

"Didn't pass? Impossible!" Jiang Chen firmly shook his head, very sure that it was impossible, "You saw my examination, didn't you?"

"We did see it, you passed the first and second parts of the examination. But the third part, you didn't pass."

The third part, the theoretical examination, was something that no one could see from the outside.

"Theoretical examination? I can't believe it. I didn't make any mistakes in the rote memorization part, which is enough to ensure I passed. And for the free-response part, I did very well. Unless the examiner is blind."

Xuan Fatty was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.

"No, no, Brother Chen, we can't just sit here and wait for disaster. Didn't you hook up with the princess? Quickly go to the palace and ask the princess to help. Once the final results are announced, it will be too late to change anything!"

According to the rules of the basic examination, if any of the three parts are not passed by the deadline, it means the examination is not passed.

If the basic examination is not passed, there is no qualification to participate in the subsequent Qianlong Examination.

Then, retaining the feudal lord's token would be out of the question.

Although Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised, he was not panicked. As he was deep in thought, Marquis Jiang Han also quickly walked out of the mansion, clearly having just received the news.

"Chen, you..." Jiang Feng walked up to him.

"Father, I feel there must be something wrong. The only thing I can guarantee is that my answers will not fail the examination."

Jiang Chen's tone was very firm and left no room for doubt.

Jiang Feng originally wanted to comfort his son, but seeing him speak like this, he was momentarily stunned, his eyebrows raised: "So, someone is targeting our Jiang family!"

"Damn, to dare to cheat in the Qianlong Examination, is this a slap in the face of the royal family? No, Brother Chen, we can't let this go!"

"Right, we must investigate clearly. If we die, we must die with clarity!"

Jiang Chen waved his hand: "I must get to the bottom of this. Father, stay in the marquis mansion and don't panic. I will go to the Qianlong Examination venue to check my answer scroll. If it's my fault, I, Jiang Chen, am not someone who can't accept defeat."

After a pause, Jiang Chen's tone hardened: "But if I find out someone is cheating, this time they have really succeeded in angering me."

The news that Jiang Chen did not pass the basic examination spread like a plague throughout the entire capital city. Some people found it unbelievable, while others were gleeful at his misfortune.

Of course, more people were still watching. Anyone with a bit of sense could sense the undercurrents of conflict and hear the sounds of war.

When Jiang Chen arrived at the Qianlong Examination venue, the place was already crowded with people waiting to see the commotion.

"I want to check my answers!" Jiang Chen said straightforwardly.

Since he was being bullied, Jiang Chen had no reason to be low-key.

"Check your answers? According to the rules, you can only apply to do so after three days." The responsible officer's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he didn't even look up, his voice lazy and almost lifeless.

"I want to check now!" Jiang Chen said calmly.

"Do you think you are someone special? You can just check whenever you want? What gives you the right?"

"Based on this!" Jiang Chen slammed his palm on the table, and the gold dragon-shaped token of the royal family was embedded in the metal table, leaving a clear imprint.

"What?" The responsible officer immediately became more alert upon seeing this, hurriedly stood up, and said in a flustered manner, "Please wait, I will inform my superiors."

With the gold dragon-shaped token, Jiang Chen had the authority of the royal family in the Qianlong Examination venue. All the obstacles became nothing in the face of royal power.

Finally, a middle-aged official, who introduced himself as Manager Ma, arrived.

"Little Marquis Jiang, according to the rules, you can only apply to check your answers after three days. However, since you have the royal token, you do have the right to special treatment. Let me go and get your answer scroll. Also, the check must be supervised by the chief official here. Our Lord Du has not arrived yet, so you may need to wait."

"No need to wait, I will supervise personally." At this moment, a clear and resolute female voice came from the outside.

Looking back, it was Princess Gouyu, wearing a leather armor that made her figure so alluring it could make people's noses bleed.

The appearance of the royal princess and the royal token in the Qianlong Examination venue immediately made the atmosphere on the scene intensely excited.

Everyone knew that Princess Gouyu usually did not pay much attention to the Qianlong Examination, only occasionally giving instructions or asking Du Ruhai to report.

In name, Princess Gouyu was the chief official, the top leader. However, for a long time, Du Ruhai had been in charge of these matters, and it was not an exaggeration to say that Du Ruhai had a hand in everything.

However, no one expected that Princess Gouyu, who usually did not interfere, would personally come today.

"What? Am I, the top-ranked chief official, not qualified to decide matters of the Qianlong Examination?"

Princess Gouyu's face turned cold.

Manager Ma's forehead was sweating, and he repeatedly said he dared not, immediately going to retrieve Jiang Chen's answer scroll.

Following the procedures, the four answer scrolls were finally unfolded, and the examination was checked under the supervision of several authoritative examiners.

"This is not my answer!" Jiang Chen glanced at it and coldly shook his head.

Manager Ma looked at the heads of the various examination subjects and asked, "These answer scrolls were graded by you. Please check if these are the answers Jiang Chen submitted."

The heads of the various subjects all looked and said, "The answers we graded are indeed these. You can see that these answers are full of errors, off-topic, and irrelevant. We really cannot let him pass with such answers."

The heads of the various subjects were chosen to grade the exams because they were authoritative, principled, and trustworthy.

When they said this, the first thought of the onlookers was that Jiang Chen's answers were indeed very poor.

Princess Gouyu's phoenix-like eyes flickered, and she looked at Jiang Chen.

"Don't look at me. This kind of idiotic answer is definitely not from me. You are the chief official of the Qianlong Examination, so you handle it."

Princess Gouyu gritted her teeth in her heart, thinking, "You little brat, can't you say something nice? If you slightly turn the situation around and make a big fuss, there might be a chance to turn things around."

"This matter has different perspectives. As the chief official, I cannot favor any side. How about this, let's have Jiang Chen take the examination again on the spot?" Princess Gouyu came up with a compromise.

The heads of the various subjects did not mind, as they could just grade the exam again.

However, someone did not agree.

"Princess, this is absolutely not allowed. According to the ancestral rules, once the deadline has passed, if the examination is not passed, there can be no retake. As the chief official and a royal princess, how can you break the ancestral rules for a mere feudal lord's heir?"

The so-called Lord Du, who was supposed to be absent, appeared just in time.

"Du Ruhai..." Jiang Chen saw Du Ruhai's face and had a vague idea of what was happening.

"Jiang Chen, you defy the law, causing a disturbance in the Qianlong Examination venue, and your crimes are heinous."

"Breaking the rules, misleading the princess, and plotting to abolish the ancestral laws, this is treason!"

"How can a mere feudal lord's heir have such audacity?"

Du Ruhai's accusations came one after another, and he tried to pin all sorts of charges on Jiang Chen.

His nose was almost touching Jiang Chen's face.

At this moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded!

Slap!

Jiang Chen swung his arm and delivered a powerful slap to Du Ruhai's face.

"Jiang Chen, don't be rash!" Princess Gouyu exclaimed.

However, the fiery slap had already landed firmly on Du Ruhai's face, leaving a bright red handprint that stood out starkly against his dark complexion.

"Du Ruhai, I have already warned you not to provoke me. You are indeed incorrigible. If you don't seek death, you won't die. Since you are looking for death, I, Jiang Chen, will grant your wish!"

"Come, I want you to go with me to the Golden Hall. I will confront you in front of the emperor. If my answers are wrong, I, Jiang Chen, will willingly surrender the feudal lord's token. If someone is cheating, Du Ruhai, I will take your head!"

Jiang Chen completely ignored the chaos on the scene and the stunned expressions of the onlookers, and strode quickly toward the Golden Hall.

The crowd on the scene was left speechless.

Princess Gouyu, with a blank expression, also quickly left, leaving Du Ruhai no time to even shed a tear.

"Heaven! This Jiang family father and son are rebelling! Assaulting the chief official of the Qianlong Examination, causing a disturbance in the venue, and breaking the ancestral laws. I will also go to the Golden Hall to file a complaint. I will request the execution of the nine generations of the Jiang family!" Du Ruhai's expression was extremely distorted!