he groundwork with his mother-in-law.She patted Xiaohua's head, "As long as you do well later, there will be plenty of snake jerky in the future. You'll eat until you can't anymore and even have some...At this moment, Zong Pingchuan truly felt like he was lifting a rock only to smash his own foot. If he had known that his two sons were this outstanding, one becoming a marquis general and the other topping the imperial examinations, he wouldn't have sent any news of his death back home.

It is important to maintain a balance between the Mu and Yuan families. We should not abandon the Mu family and our own children just because we are afraid of the Yuan family's power.

Until this moment, his mind was still preoccupied with the possibility of mending his relationship with Mu Shi and her children. Lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone speak.

"The matter of the champion being replaced is indeed serious. This official will immediately dispatch someone to bring in those scholars who participated in the palace examination along with the champion. They should all be this year's jinshi, and they are all easily found at the Hanlin Academy."

Just now, the impossible thing that was so hard to do, someone suddenly came forward to speak for them.

It was all because Zong Yu revealed his identity as a general.

Fang Jinshu sighed, "This is what the officialdom is like. They're all a bunch of people who look down on others!"

No wonder that during the war against the Wumeng Kingdom, the imperial court chose to negotiate and give up the land of Xizhou several times. With such a bunch of cowardly officials, it would be strange if Da Xi could stand firm!

The expressions on the faces of those present varied. Some began to speak up in defense of the Zong family, but due to the presence of Yuan the Grand Minister, their voices were subdued.

Most officials remain cautious.

At this point, Zong Pingchuan wanted to stop it but it was too late. He could only grit his teeth and stand there. If he continued to recklessly obstruct, his suspicion would only grow larger.

Right now, he could only make the worst preparations. Even if the truth about the stolen exam papers were revealed, as long as he refused to admit it and pushed the blame onto others, His Majesty would at most punish him for negligence.

It's no big deal if one's official rank is lowered by a few levels. As long as the Green Mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. The lost official position will eventually be regained. As long as the Green Mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.

Luckily, he had left himself several backup plans before, so he wasn't completely without confidence.

After a while, the several jinshi were brought in, including the imposter champion Zong Bai.

These people were not qualified to attend the prince's banquet. After entering, they saw so many prominent figures and officials from the capital, even Chancellor Yuan was present, and they all felt very uneasy.

They only glanced inside before dropping their gaze.

Until someone called out their names, the several jinshi were still puzzled, wondering how this person's voice seemed so familiar

And they were just inconspicuous little officials in the Hanlin Academy. How could these high-ranking officials remember their names

"Du brother, Zhang brother, Wang brother, Wei brother, do you still remember me"

"I am Zongbai."

When some people heard the name Zong Bai, they were surprised and looked up. They felt strange inside, but their expressions also had a touch of coldness and disdain.

Of course we remember Sir Zong's name. We are not worthy to be addressed as "brother" by a top scholar like you.

This scholar, before the imperial examination, was quite polite to them, talented and pleasant to be around. However, after passing the exam, he seemed like a different person altogether, never associating with them again.

Although the champion eventually entered the Hanlin Academy, his status was different from that of the several jinshi.

After that, they also went to congratulate Zongbei, but not only did they receive a cold shoulder, they were also met with very indifferent responses. This made everyone's impression of Zongbei plummet sharply.

"Could it be that you gentlemen have some misunderstandings about Zong Bai"

As soon as these jinshi called out the phrase "champion" to Zong Bai, the guests present understood everything.

And the face of the fake scholar beside him turned pale. He finally knew why he was called here today, realizing that his life was on the line!

This fake champion's psychological quality is lower than everyone imagined. Before anyone even asked him a question, his face turned pale and he knelt on the ground with a thud, starting to blurt out the truth.

"Please spare us, your lordships! Please!"

"The student was not intentional, the student was also threatened. The person said if I did not cooperate, I would never have a career."

"Student, wooo wooo... a student would only agree to impersonate someone else out of a moment of foolishness."

"Actually, my real name is not Zong Bai. I'm a student surnamed Wu, called Wu Bai. I am also one of the students participating in this imperial examination."

Because the handwriting was similar to that of the champion Zong Bai, that person finally found me.

"The students know only this much, the students are truly innocent, please spare us, all you adults."

Several scholars standing beside him were all stunned into silence.

"I told you, Brother Zongbai is not that heartless. You guys didn't believe me."

"Wu Bai is the one who has always refused to meet us and treats us with such coldness."

"He actually dares to impersonate this year's top scholar!"

Several people, upon learning they had misunderstood Zong Bai, felt deeply guilty. But when they thought about how Zong Bai's top scholar status had been usurped by someone else, they felt indignant and stifled on his behalf.

"Wu Bai, you have such guts!"

"Anyone with sense will come forward and identify the mastermind behind this." to persuade my parents and elder brother.""Big brother was really out of line this time, doing something like this and not wanting to take responsibility. Big sister is definitely on your side."Fan J...