His words, however, dragged Feng Hai down with him, as if blaming the Ministry of Revenue official for not being diligent enough.
"Enough, has Wen Mengsheng's original examination paper been found?"
Emperor Qi, unwilling to listen to their mutual finger-pointing, reprimanded them.
Soon, Wen Mengsheng's examination paper was also presented before Emperor Qi.
Upon opening it, the essay was not bad, but compared to Yin Canwen's, there was a significant gap.
At this level, it might be possible to be on the list, but winning first place was absolutely impossible.
Seeing this, Emperor Qi's anger grew more pronounced.
"Come, place Feng Jinlin's and Yin Canwen's original examination papers under the sun to see if they indeed have fluorescent powder as they claimed."
"Yes."
Eunuch Wang immediately stepped forward, took the two scrolls, and hurried out.
After a short while, he ran back in, somewhat out of breath, and said to Emperor Qi.
"Your Majesty, it is as Second Young Master Feng said, these two examination papers do have fluorescent powder on them."
Under the sun, nothing could hide.
He then glanced at Wen Mengsheng and continued, "Your Majesty, Wen Gongzi's examination paper also has this fluorescent powder, though not much."
"What!?"
Everyone present was astonished. If Feng Jinlin's and Yin Canwen's papers had it, it was because they had both worn hand-woven cords.
But for Wen Mengsheng's paper to have it, it was strange.
Emperor Qi quickly thought of something: it was likely that Wen Mengsheng himself had swapped the examination papers, which is why his hands had been stained with fluorescent powder, causing his own paper to also have it.
However, he was neither from the Ministry of Personnel nor could he handle such matters. How could he have gotten involved?
His gaze towards Wen Jingsong now held killing intent.
Right under his nose, there was such a brazen individual, and he had even reached the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel!
Compared to the injustice suffered by scholars from humble backgrounds, the provocation and trampling of his imperial authority were far more serious!
With this thought in mind, he no longer intended to give them any chance to argue.
Thus, he immediately accused them!
"Wen Jingsong, how dare you allow your son to so brazenly provoke the imperial examination system of our Great Jin? The first place can be changed just like that. Do you take everyone in the world for fools? Where do you place me!"
With these words, the father and son of the Wen family immediately knelt on the ground.
Wen Mengsheng could barely speak clearly, while Wen Jingsong still wanted to argue a bit.
He looked up and cried out his innocence, then said with tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty... regarding the matter of the examination paper being changed, this humble minister truly knows nothing. Could it be that someone deliberately tampered with the name section, leading to this misunderstanding!"
He had already known about the ink substance. If he could use this to create even a slight turning point, it would be good. Little did he know this would push him into an abyss!
Emperor Qi frowned, his finger heavily touching the name section. When he raised his hand, the name section remained unchanged.
"Guards, go and summon General Meng."
Emperor Qi was aware of the use of ink in the military, but having never served in the army, he was not entirely sure. Therefore, finding someone to verify it would be more credible.
Soon, General Meng strode into the hall with imposing vigor. He took the examination paper from Emperor Qi and even sniffed it carefully.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are no signs of tampering in the name section."
Upon hearing this, the censors were eager to applaud!
Now, what else could he say!
Wen Jingsong slumped to the ground, muttering to himself, "How could this be? How could this be? They would use ink to alter handwriting!"
This statement gave Feng Jinxu an opening, and he immediately questioned.
"Lord Wen is quite capable, knowing even what ink is!"
The words were not harsh, but they struck directly at Emperor Qi's heart.
His suspicious nature reviewed the matter, even suspecting that the ink had originated from the military. Whether someone had deliberately given it to him or he had found a way to obtain it himself was no longer important.
In any case, Wen Jingsong was already a dead man in his eyes.
Seeing that the tide had turned, Wen Mengsheng immediately wailed and cried out his innocence.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject did not change any examination papers. The guards at the Ministry of Personnel are so strict, how could I possibly get in? The reason the examination paper also has fluorescent powder is because... because the daughter of the Bai family once admired me and privately gifted me this item. But I felt it was improper for a man and woman to be too intimate, so I did not..."
His words enraged Bai Dalang.
The matter of Bai Siruo had only recently subsided, but gossip was unavoidable.
Yet, he was now slandering the Bai family. He immediately flew into a rage, knelt before Emperor Qi, kowtowed heavily, and said with earnest and agitated words.
"Your Majesty, Young Master Wen's words are a stab at the heart, wanting the lives of my Bai family! You know the truth of Siruo's matter. Now, allowing this Wen to so disgrace my Bai family's daughter, will it only be after my Bai clan's blood is spilled on the ground that they will be cleared of suspicion!"
The speaker intended it, and the listener took it to heart.
Emperor Qi did not want the old affairs that had been suppressed to be brought up again, so he naturally had to favor the Bai family.
He did not want to pursue the sordid matters Wen Mengsheng spoke of, and directly pronounced his judgment.
"Wen Jingsong, as a pillar of our Great Jin, to have committed such an act, you are immediately to be imprisoned and investigated. Your son, Wen Mengsheng, dared to alter the first place, showing no regard for me, and is also to be imprisoned for investigation. Feng Jinxu, you shall take the imperial decree to confiscate the Wen family's property and thoroughly search the secret room you mentioned to see what is inside. Bai Chao'an, as you are a cabinet official and are also deeply involved in this matter, you shall thoroughly investigate the matter of the replacement of scholars from humble backgrounds. Lord Feng and Lord Ying will assist you. You must all investigate this matter thoroughly and give the people of the world an explanation!"
"Yes!"
Those who were named stepped forward.
After the guards dragged away the raving Wen Mengsheng and the completely defeated Wen Jingsong, Emperor Qi finally remembered Yin Canwen and Wen Yuwei.
The two of them were also deeply involved in the case and naturally could not be let off so easily.
Wen Yuwei knew that her uncle's family had no way out and did not know how Emperor Qi would deal with her and the other members of the Wen clan.
She looked up at Prince Ke, her meaning perfectly clear.
Since Prince Ke had promised to give the Wen family a way out, he would naturally not break his word at this time.
So he spoke to Emperor Qi.
"Father, Miss Wen has shown great righteousness by denouncing her own kin, sacrificing her family for the greater good. This is a righteous act. I implore Your Majesty to be lenient with the Wen clan members in consideration of her merit."
Emperor Qi glanced at his son, understanding a little more.
Compared to the Ninth Prince, he had thought this one was honest and well-behaved. Now it seemed he was no different.
The throne was truly a thing that befuddled the mind. One by one, they all wanted to cause trouble for their father.