vrcanaries Chapter 100 It's your turn, third-place scholar!
Chapter 100 It's your turn, third-place scholar!
The third prince was displeased with the eldest princess's orders, but he had no choice but to comply.
The Crown Prince holds the highest position here, so it's not appropriate to have His Highness read it aloud himself.
He took the policy essay from the brocade box from the crown prince and began to read it aloud!
Jiang Yuelin's voice was extremely loud, even reaching the area below the high platform.
Chu Tianze and the students in the front row could vaguely hear it.
The Third Prince only read a few lines before Chu Tianze's face showed a smug expression.
He murmured to himself, "Such a wonderful article should be read aloud so that the whole world can hear it!"
“From today onwards, I will surely ascend to the top of the literary world in the North, and from now on I will have a place in the imperial court.”
"Ten years, I only need ten years, and I will surely sit on the throne of prime minister, reaching the pinnacle of power!"
The students in the front row squinted their eyes as they heard the Third Prince reciting.
I was completely captivated by what I heard!
Even more extreme, some had tears in their eyes, were so excited that they wished they could kneel down and worship the heavens.
"Heavens above! The cultural heritage of our northern lands is about to flourish!"
"Such writing is like heavenly music. I am fortunate enough to hear it with my own ears in this lifetime. I should drink three hundred cups of wine in celebration."
"Brother Chu is a man of great talent, far surpassing all of us. He is truly a figure to be admired."
"Wonderful! This article is wonderful, surpassing all of Brother Chu's previous works. I will definitely copy it repeatedly and memorize it."
Although the students in the back row couldn't hear, the messages relayed in front were like waves.
It was passed on wave after wave.
In no time, thousands of students knew that Chu Tiance had produced an unparalleled masterpiece.
The Third Prince is reciting it himself!
This honor inspires every student at Beidi University.
Everyone stood tall and proud, their faces beaming with barely suppressed joy!
In stark contrast was Zhao Wuji, who had been so confident just moments before, standing on the high platform.
Zhao Wuji's expression was still arrogant when the Third Prince first spoke.
But as the words were read aloud, his face gradually turned deathly pale.
Later on, he even collapsed into a chair, completely limp!
Chen Wenyu looked ashen-faced, as if he had aged ten years.
He was still holding Chu Tianze's article in his hand, but at that moment he felt that these few pages were as heavy as a thousand pounds!
He was falling so hard he could hardly breathe.
The third prince, on the other hand, was single-minded. Although he was a playboy, he could still discern whether a piece of writing was good or not.
As I read on, I became completely absorbed in it.
Later on, he even began to read with great expression!
When the Third Prince uttered the last word of the article, Zhao Wuji could no longer hold on, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.
This terrified Chen Wenyu!
"Quickly, someone come! Lord Zhao has fainted!"
Chen Wenyu reacted quickly and immediately realized that this was a good opportunity to save Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji fainted from the shock. Even if the princess wanted to investigate, she would have to wait until Zhao Wuji woke up.
When the time comes, the court officials will jointly submit a memorial to the emperor, and they will surely be able to protect Zhao Wuji.
But Zhou Wei won't give him that chance!
"Step back, all of you! Let me handle this."
Zhou Wei shooed away the palace servants who wanted to rush up to help.
Holding a meteorite iron needle in his hand, he walked towards Zhao Wuji.
Chen Wenyu's face turned deathly pale as he asked, "Lord Zhou, what are you doing?"
"My lord, haven't you heard of my medical skills?" Zhou Wei brandished the meteorite iron needle in her hand. "I cured the leg ailment of the Duke of Qi's heir!"
"What's so difficult about treating a mere case of fainting?"
As Zhou Wei spoke, ignoring Chen Wenyu's attempts to stop her, she directly inserted a needle into Zhao Wuji's acupoint.
A sharp pain shot through him, and Zhao Wuji let out a dry howl before opening his eyes.
"See, that's perfect!"
Zhou Wei put away the meteorite needle and turned to look at Chen Wenyu.
"My lord, you heard the Third Prince reciting just now."
"Is the article written by Chu Tianze exactly the same as the one in the brocade box?"
Chen Wenyu was sweating profusely and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
After deliberating for a long time, he finally said, "Lord Zhou, this..."
"My lord, there's no need to say anything else, just answer yes or no." Zhou Wei waved her hand, her patience exhausted.
The Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess both stared at Chen Wenyu, who could only nod.
"It is indeed word for word..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji felt as if he had been sentenced to death.
He slumped to the ground, completely devoid of any scholarly demeanor!
Zhou Wei glanced at him disdainfully. This man, relying on his status as an imperial censor, had repeatedly impeached Jiang Yueli.
Even students from the northern regions wrote a petition of ten thousand words, demanding that the Great Zhou Emperor annul the engagement.
He can find eight hundred angles to pin a label on the princess!
But how innocent is Jiang Yueli in this matter?
As an imperial censor, Zhao Wuji did not investigate Chu Tiance's crime of resisting the marriage with the royal family, but instead blamed Jiang Yueli for the whole affair.
They were simply looking down on Jiang Yueli because she was a woman, and trying to suppress her.
So what if Jiang Yueli is the eldest daughter of the emperor?
Being a woman is her original sin!
Now, they're finally paying the price.
Seeing that the situation had reached this point, the Crown Prince could only ask, "Elder sister, where did you get this article from?"
“Your Highness, I promised this person that I would not reveal his identity, so I cannot inform you.”
"However, what we are judging now is whether Chu Tiance is a literary traitor, which has nothing to do with who the author of this article is."
"Even if the author of this article is a beggar on the street, it is still Chu Tiance who cheated."
"The cheating was undeniable, and even the documents were kept by the Crown Prince, with no one else touching them."
"Your Highness, you don't have any objections to this, do you?"
The crown prince would certainly have some opinions about this matter.
Jiang Yueli entrusted the article to him for safekeeping, precisely because of this plan.
Who among those present dared to question the Crown Prince?
Even eloquent people like Chen Wenyu and Zhao Wuji couldn't find a way to refute them.
“Your Highness, you saw with your own eyes that Chu Tiance copied down the text in your hand.”
"This proves that the theft in my residence was related to him; he is a complete and utter traitor!"
As Jiang Yueli spoke, she slowly stood up and looked down at Zhao Wuji.
"Lord Zhao, how can you, a man from the North, treat such a despicable and shameless villain as a literary master? This is utterly ridiculous!"
"After today, Chu Tiance will be utterly disgraced. How good will the reputation of you Northern scholars be?"
Zhao Wuji was enraged by these words, his face flushed red, he clutched his chest, and couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Jiang Yueli's output was not over yet.
"You officials from the North, when you colluded with Chu Tianze to submit a lengthy memorial to the Emperor, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
"You scholars are preparing to step on my corpse and reputation to elevate Chu Tiance to the position of literary master. Your intentions are utterly despicable!"
"What has happened today is nothing but the retribution for your actions, the price you pay for forcing me to do this."
As Jiang Yueli spoke, the murderous intent in her eyes could no longer be suppressed.
Upon seeing this, the crown prince felt a chill and wanted to speak up to stop him:
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhao is an official appointed by the court, and Chu Tianze is also a scholar personally selected by Father. Even if they are to be punished, they should..."
Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, Jiang Yueli shouted, "Guards! Zhao Wuji is protecting the traitor Wen, a calamity for the Great Zhou!"
"This person said himself that if Chu Tiance's identity as a literary traitor is verified, he is willing to be beheaded and displayed to the public."
"Then let's not delay any longer, let's send Lord Zhao on his way!"
Before anyone could react, Zhou Wei drew the sword from one of the Imperial Guards on the high platform.
Using the Lingbo Weibu movement technique, he flashed to Zhao Wuji's side like the wind.
Amidst the other person's immense terror, Zhou Wei gently swung her knife and slit open their neck.
The sudden and dramatic turn of events startled even the Crown Prince, who immediately stood up from his seat.
But Jiang Yueli's scheme was not over yet.
"Guards! Chu Tianze, the third-ranked scholar, has deceived the world, the Crown Prince, and the Emperor through cheating. He has no real talent or learning, yet he dares to presume to hold the position of the Northern Literary Master. He is truly despicable!"
"He should be beheaded to atone for his sins!"
The knife in Zhou Wei's hand was still stained with Zhao Wuji's blood, which was slowly dripping down.
Upon hearing the princess's order, he pointed his sword directly at Chu Tiance below the platform.
He laughed loudly, "It's your turn, the third-ranked scholar!"