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...

Yan Xiu had already done his best. From taking the two hits from Fang Zhengzhi, to channeling all of his remaining energy into the Dao of Asura, Yan Xiu had calculated everything perfectly.

However, he did not expect Fang Zhengzhi to charge at him!

"I guess he’s not scared of getting hurt!" Yan Xiu thought to himself. Then, his face paled.

Fang Zhengzhi lunged, his arms outstretched. Even though Fang Zhengzhi’s injuries would be aggravated, but, his attack also had immense power.

Yan Xiu had not taken this into consideration.

"Sh*t!" He spat out a mouthful of blood. In that moment, the red glow surrounding his body disappeared.

Because...

Yan Xiu had no energy left. He had fainted.

This was the most dramatic end to the duel. No one would have guessed that in this critical battle, both candidates would be thrown off the stage at the same time.

"Boom!"

Dust shot skyward.

"Yan Xiu, how are you?" Fang Zhengzhi cradled Yan Xiu in his arms the moment he recovered.

"Doctor!" Emperor Lin Mubai hollered without hesitation.

"Here!" A doctor on standby replied immediately. He rushed over to Yan Xiu and began diagnosing him.

The atmosphere around the arena was tense.

After all, Yan Xiu was the heir to the Yan Family of Western Liang. He had such talent and potential. Should anything happen to him, both the empire and the Yan Family would have suffered a great loss.

"Your highness, his injuries are not severe. He simply fainted from overexertion. He should make a full recovery within five days!" The doctor reported.

"Okay, I will leave Yan Xiu in your care." Emperor Lin Mubai nodded.

"Yes your highness!" The doctor carried Yan Xiu to his residence with the help of a few assistants.

The crowd parted for them to pass.

Fang Zhengzhi watched as Yan Xiu was carried away. He hesitated for a moment, then ran after the doctor.

"Fang Zhengzhi, where do you think you’re going?" Ping Yang pouted when she saw Fang Zhengzhi attempt to leave. The emperor has yet to announce the results, how dare you run away?

She had to educate him on the rules and courtesies here.

This would prevent him from causing even more trouble.

"Your highness, do you not see my injuries? I need to find a doctor!" Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Ping Yang with a pained expression.

"Find a doctor?" Ping Yang wanted to ask him where his injuries were. However, she swallowed her words.

After all, based on the intensity of that battle, Fang Zhengzhi was probably injured.

Seeing that Ping Yang did not reply, he turned to look at Yan Xiu, then prepared to leave. However, he was not in luck.

He was stopped by yet another person.

This person was Xing Qingsui.

"Thank you Fang Zhengzhi." Xing Qingsui said. He thanked Fang Zhengzhi for allowing him to understand what was force. Then, he looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s injuries, "The Stabilization Constabulary has fought many battles throughout the years. We have medicine to treat your injuries. Why don’t..."

He wanted to ask if Fang Zhengzhi wanted to go there to heal.

However, Fang Zhengzhi waved him off, "It’s okay, I’m quite busy. I’ll go off first!"

Then, before Xing Qingsui could reply, he bounded away.

Xing Qingsui was rooted to the ground. He did not know whether to go after Fang Zhengzhi.

All of the officials were dumbfounded by the exchange.

"Xing Qingsui thanked him? Whatever for?"

"Does the Stabilization Constabulary really have a relationship with Fang Zhengzhi?"

All of the officials started to guess in their minds. However, none of them dared to voice their thoughts. After all, the Stabilization Constabulary was a pillar of the empire.

The leader of the 13!

Who would dare say anything without concrete evidence?

"Doctor Li, follow the Sword Envoy and tend to his injuries." Emperor Lin Mubai looked at Xing Qingsui, then back at Fang Zhengzhi. His eyes glimmered, then he turned to a doctor beside him and ordered.

"Yes your highness!" Doctor Lee nodded and raced after Fang Zhengzhi.

All of the officials were stunned to see an empty stage.

Both of them left? Who wins this round?

"Did you have a clear look? Who hit the ground first?"

"I think it is Fang Zhengzhi, after all, he was the one who was hit."

"I won’t be so sure. Yan Xiu was already unconscious. As such, he would not be able to suppress Fang Zhengzhi in the air. He could have hit the ground first. Furthermore, Yan Xiu had lost any power to fight after fainting. According to the rules, Yan Xiu should have lost."

"The invigilator did not announce that Yan Xiu lost the ability to fight. That means that the duel was still ongoing. According to the rules, the winner should be the second one to hit the ground."

All of the officials continued to discuss the potential result. This duel would affect the rankings for the imperial examination.

"We will follow the rules of the imperial examinations. Three days later, the Imperial Academy and the invigilators will announce the rankings!" Emperor Lin Mubai heard the discussions and announced to the crowd.

"Yes your highness!"

"Yes your highness!"

"Yes your highness!"

King Duan, the Ninth Prince, as well as all the imperial messengers acknowledged the order.

Emperor Lin Mubai nodded, then left.

Ping yang was still slightly unhappy that Fang Zhengzhi left. She stood up from her seat, then recalled her wager. "Brother, will you send someone to give me the Sun Shooting Bow, or should I send someone to collect it?"

"I will have someone send it to you tomorrow!" King Duan’s expression changed, but he grit his teeth and took the hit.

"Thank you brother!" Ping Yang beamed.

...

The preliminary court examinations may have come to a close, however, everyone knew that it was far from over.

Fang Zhengzhi’s ability to use the Divine Constabulary and Stabilization Constabulary techniques had already attracted the attention of the officials.

More importantly, this duel affected the rankings for the imperial examination, but there was no clear result.

Who would top the imperial examinations?

Would it be Fang Zhengzhi, or Yan Xiu?

The answer would only be revealed in three days.

Furthermore, there was one other issue.

This issue had been forcefully suppressed by Emperor Lin Mubai. It was the massacre of the soldiers in the Northern Mountain Village.

Before this, Fang Zhengzhi was not inside the capital. In order for the Ministry of Law to investigate him, they required the approval of the Emperor.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had just been promoted to a rank four official. If they issued an arrest warrant, the public may think that this was an attempt to retrieve the Traceless Sword.

These were all valid concerns.

However, now that Fang Zhengzhi was back, these questions were void. This case concerned the lives of hundreds of soldiers.

They simply could not let it slide.

Even the Emperor himself did not have any reason to suppress it now. This case would naturally fall into the hands of the Ministry of Law.

In the Crown Prince’s residence, Minister Wan Chong presented his idea to the Crown Prince. As long as the Crown Prince was willing to support it, he would present the idea to the Emperor.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was just below the Crown Prince. He knocked the table lightly with his right hand. He frowned, clearly undecided.

"Prime Minister, what do you think?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong was more than happy to ask for advice.

"I think that this is not a bad opportunity, but... it isn’t great." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Please elaborate." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong was slightly confused.

"Based on the information I’ve gathered, Chi Guyan and Princess Ping Yang were at the scene as well. It would be difficult for us to convict Fang Zhengzhi with these two around. At the very most, we could convict him for overdoing it."

"Do you think we should just let it slide?" Minister Wan Chong frowned, unwilling to give Fang Zhengzhi a pass.

"Since we are not guaranteed to get a conviction, I think we should just let this incident be a thorn in the court’s side."

"So you think we should wait a while longer?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

"Yes, since we have already waited this long, I don’t think we would mind waiting a little while longer. The results of the imperial examinations are about to be released. I think King Duan has a lot on his mind right now. Let’s see what his decision will be!" Yu Yiping nodded.

"Okay then, we will do as the Left Prime Minister says. Wan Chong, suppress this incident for now!"

"Yes your highness!"

...

The imperial academy was slightly more rowdy than usual.

The rankings for the imperial examinations were not set just yet. Furthermore, the Emperor had only given them three days to decide.

To make matters worse, the Chief Imperial Messenger, Han Zhangfeng, was still locked up in jail. His replacement was also unwell, leaving the imperial academy without a leader.

Everyone in the city was discussing the potential results of the imperial examinations.

There were many betting houses giving odds for the results.

"Come come, place your bets on the rankings! You will win however much you bet! The results will be out in three days! Don’t miss this chance! Yan Xiu or Fang Zhengzhi! You can make a fortune on this!"

"I bet 50 silvers!"

"Move to the side! I bet 200 silvers on Yan Xiu!"

Voices continued to ring out within the city. The initially bustling city became even more boisterous.

Inside the restaurants and hotels...

There were groups of well dressed men sitting about. They were all talents coming to participate in the court examinations. Naturally, they were concerned about the rankings.

"Young Master Li, what are your views on the rankings?"

"I don’t know for sure. However, I don’t think that it is a difficult guess."

"Oh? Please enlighten us!"

"This was a duel with no clear result. As such, the result will be determined by the people. All we have to do is guess the result that the majority wants."

"What the majority wants? Do you mean that Yan Xiu will rank first?"

"Yan Xiu had suppressed Fang Zhengzhi for most of the battle. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of the Emperor, Yan Xiu is superior to Fang Zhengzhi. By letting the imperial academy decide, he has already made the results clear."

"It is no wonder you were in the First Honor Roll for the last edition of the imperial examinations. Everything you have said makes sense. Based on my sources, King Duan is in control of the rankings ever since Han Zhangfeng was imprisoned. Since Fang Zhengzhi killed so many of his soldiers, it is unlikely that he will favor Fang Zhengzhi."

"Exactly! He is very lucky to have been able to make it this far despite just being a commoner. How can he still take home the top spot for the imperial examinations? Traditionally, the top spot has been a talented and influential person. Previously, it was Chi Guyan, and before that, it was Nangong Hao. They were all talents!"

"The Yan Family has been silent for almost a decade. I never expected them to shock the world all of a sudden!"

"Hahaha, that is true! My cousin was once with the Yan Family. I think he will be in town tomorrow. We can go build some bridges then."

"I heard that Yan Xiu is icy cold. We will need you to help us break the ice."

"Sure, sure..."

...

Whilst the city was noisy, King Duan’s residence was eerily quiet. Armored soldiers patrolled the grounds. Birds did not even dare to caw within a hundred meter radius.

"Mr Hua, King Duan is waiting for you in the study. He has not had a sip of water or soup. Could you please..."

"Mm, give it to me, I will bring it in!" Mr Hua took the food from the attendant and sent him away.

"Thank you." The attendant took his leave.

Mr Hua looked at the food in his hand. He was in no rush to enter the study. Instead, he turned and walked to a pavilion to his side.

"Your highness is always patrolling the camps. Yet, you are mulling in your study now. I don’t think that this is a problem I can solve. You’ll just have to wait then!"

Mr Hua sat in the pavilion and a cloaked figure appeared in the near distance.

"So fast? Your talent is a little glaring!" Mr Hua looked at the approaching figure, smiling icily as he did so.