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It was an old man wearing a skullcap and a casual outfit, but his eyes looked exceptionally sagacious!

Behind him was an elderly steward, who was bent respectfully toward his master.

If one looked closely, they would spot quite a few capable cultivators, who were scanning the perimeter with their piercing eyes.

They were scattered among the crowd and looking in different directions, but they always kept an eye on the wise-looking old man!

The old man himself was rather relaxed and even tried to strike up a conversation with those around him.

He asked curiously, “Did this Princess Mu really bet her own life?”

The onlooker he asked was the gossipy type, who pulled the old man a little further away from the crowd before whispering in an excited voice, “Oh yeah, she did. They put it down on paper!”

The sagacious old man looked intrigued. “Did they?”

“Sir, you’ve asked the right person. I witnessed the whole thing! Here’s what happened: Princess Mu here provoked Miss Feng Wu first, saying that she would cut her whole head off and give it to Miss Feng Wu as a football if Miss Feng Wu could make it onto the list this time!”

“Oh my —” The old man cried out in surprise.

“That’s right! Miss Feng Wu didn’t respond at first, but Princess Mu wouldn’t let it drop. She practically forced Miss Feng Wu to say yes. What was more, Princess Mu Yaoyao even made a solemn oath, saying that if she refused to acknowledge the bet afterward, her father would lose his title!”

The old man sounded shocked. “Seriously?!”

The chief steward looked up at the sky in resignation.

Isn’t it a little inappropriate to gossip like this, Your Majesty?

1Naturally, the onlooker had no idea that he was talking to the emperor, and he went on in high spirits. “Yes, seriously! Princess Mu just dug her own grave, if you ask me! I’m looking forward to seeing her cut her own head off, hahahaha — well, I’m off. They’re going back to the teahouse and I need to get there before the front row seats are taken!”

“Which teahouse?”

“Why, you want to go, too? Come with me, then! It’s just over there!” Taking His Majesty’s hand, the onlooker dragged the emperor through the crowd.

Speechless, the chief steward watched as his emperor marched cheerfully into the crowd…

Guards of the secret service narrowed their eyes in a threatening manner. With one sweep of their hands, this ignorant onlooker wouldn’t know what killed him!

They gave the chief steward inquiring looks.

The chief steward shook his head.

The best seats had been taken when Emperor Wu got there and they could only stand in the second row.

By then, everyone had learned that Feng Wu had gotten the highest score in the written exam!

It wasn’t another person with the same name, and she was unmistakably first!

Throwing off the servants supporting her, Mu Yaoyao rushed up to Feng Wu with eyes that could spit fire!

She ranted, “Feng Wu! You cheated!”

All eyes were on Feng Wu after those words…

So, she was able to get such good grades because she cheated in the exam?

Hidden among the commoners in his skullcap and casual outfit, the emperor looked at Mu Yaoyao in disappointment.

He recalled that it was only the other day that the empress had recommended this girl to him, praising the girl for how comely, docile, and well-behaved she was… so that the crown prince could consider the girl as a future imperial concubine.

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Seeing Mu Yaoyao with her unkempt hair, pale face, and frantic manner, Emperor Wu thought about his extraordinary son, and was furious!

How dare his wife try to use such a woman to defile his Linyuan! The idea was abominable!

However, Mu Yaoyao had no idea that His Majesty himself was in the crowd, nor did she know that she had had a chance of marrying Jun Linyuan… Right now, she just wanted to do as she pleased.

She pointed at Feng Wu. “Cheater! You’re a cheater!”

Feng Wu smiled. “Princess Mu, everyone has to take responsibility for what they say and do. You can’t take back your words. You know that, right?

“Now, Princess Mu, please tell everyone when I cheated. How did I do it? And where is your evidence?” Feng Wu narrowed her eyes and her gaze was as sharp as a cold blade!

Under her intimidating stare, Mu Yaoyao cringed and stumbled back.

She yelled, “You, you just cheated!”

“Answer my question.” Feng Wu was still smiling.

Of course Mu Yaoyao had no evidence. She was only giving vent to her frustration!

“Tell everyone this: were we in the same examination hall?” Feng Wu smirked.

“Yes.”

“And His Royal Highness and Mr Lu were in the hall with us.”

“Yes…”

“So, you’re telling me that someone could cheat in the exam with both His Royal Highness and Mr Lu as invigilators? Is that possible?”

“Of course not!” Mu Yaoyao answered involuntarily.

“And you’re still insisting that I cheated?”

Mu Yaoyao stammered. “…I – I mean that it happened after we handed in the exam papers…”

“Really? Princess Mu, you’re so well-connected. Common candidates like me have no idea what happens after our exam papers are handed in, but you actually have access to someone inside!”

Mu Yaoyao was speechless.

As Feng Wu pressed on, Mu Yaoyao fell back and was on the verge of breaking down.

“I… I have no such access! I – I just heard people talking!”

“Really? What did you hear, then? You heard about me cheating on the exam?”

“I… well, they showed me a list before and you weren’t on it!”

“A previous list?” Feng Wu smiled. “Did Imperial College come up with a list before the official announcement? Who gave you that? Mr Zuo?”

“Yes! It was Mr Zuo!” Mu Yaoyao tried to intimidate Feng Wu with Mr Zuo’s name. She tossed a piece of paper at Feng Wu. “See? You’re not on this list! Your name was added afterward! You… you cheated!”

Emperor Wu snorted.

Zuo He! It was so audacious of him to leak such information!

“Your Majesty?” The chief steward was waiting for further instructions.

Emperor Wu nodded.

Hence, in less than a minute —

Someone cried out in the crowd. “Someone’s coming out from Imperial College! Look! They’re putting up something else!”

Mu Yaoyao rejoiced!

Holy shit!

Was Imperial College disqualifying Feng Wu because she called her a cheater just then?!

However, Mu Yaoyao almost fainted when someone began to read the new announcement aloud.

It was very succinct.

Zuo He was dismissed from his job for gross misconduct and for harming a student during the three days he served as the acting principal of Imperial College. He had been removed from his office as a member of the education board and was sentenced to life imprisonment!

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Mu Yaoyao was speechless.

And everyone was taken by surprise!

Mr Zuo? Gross misconduct? What kind of misconduct?

And which student had he harmed?

Shortly after the new announcement was posted —

Someone came out of Imperial College to put up a new post.

“That’s an exam paper! Imperial College is putting up someone’s exam paper!”

“Look! It’s Serial Number 10001 and the name says Feng Wu. It’s Feng Wu’s paper!”

“Holy shit! Look at her handwriting! She deserves to get full marks for that handwriting alone!”

“Oh god! Look at her answers! They’re excellent!”

“The memorization questions aren’t that big a surprise, but she got all the multiple choice questions right!”

“And there’s section four. I never knew that ‘Cracking Ground’ can be used in that way!”

“She’s got remarkable knowledge of formations and medicine refinement as well!”

–

“Yes! I see it now! I know what happened!”

The onlooker, who had been talking to Emperor Wu, tugged at the latter’s sleeve in excitement!

1“What do you see?” Emperor Wu asked with a half-smile.

“Didn’t you hear? According to Princess Mu, she read the list Mr Zuo circulated earlier and Feng Wu wasn’t on it. Feng Wu didn’t have a lower ranking, but had been excluded from the top 1000! She had been removed from the competition completely!”

Emperor Wu nodded.

The onlooker was greatly excited by his realization. “But they’ve just put up Feng Wu’s exam paper! With His Royal Highness and Mr Lu as the invigilators, there’s no way Feng Wu could have cheated, right?”

Emperor Wu said, “Of course not!”

“This is it, then! This is proof of Feng Wu’s true capability! She got full marks and no one can question a thing! But she didn’t even get into the first 1000 in Mr Zuo’s list! That malpractice was Mr Zuo’s doing! He harmed a student and was removed from his post for misconduct! That was what he did!”

The others around them were enlightened. “You’re so right! That makes sense! We were wondering just then!”

“Who knew Mr Zuo could do such a thing?”

“That Zuo family is unbelievable!”

–

A few steps away, the people from the Zuo family lowered their heads and quietly left the scene…

No one would have connected Mr Zuo’s misconduct with his disciplinary fraud in the exam, but after what Mu Yaoyao did… Everyone now knew what the Zuo family had been up to!

It was all thanks to Princess Mu and the Mu manor!

Meanwhile, Mu Yaoyao stood there, dazed…

She hadn’t seen that new announcement coming at all.

Crossing her arms, Feng Wu grinned at Mu Yaoyao. “See that?”

“W- What do you want?!” Mu Yaoyao glared at Feng Wu!

“Nothing, really.” Feng Wu shrugged. “I’m wondering when are you going to honor our bet.”

Mu Yaoyao was speechless.

All eyes were on Mu Yaoyao now. Would she keep her promise?

Mu Yaoyao kept her gaze on Feng Wu. “You want me dead, then?”

Feng Wu shrugged again. “Princess Mu, you forced me to take the bet and I’m the bad guy now? Luckily, everyone here is a witness, or you might actually pin the thing on me. So —”

Feng Wu waved the agreement at her. “Princess Mu, when do I get to play with your head as a football?”

1“You! You!”

Mu Yaoyao had never felt this humiliated before!

Everyone was looking at her as if she was a clown, and the looks they gave her were full of contempt and ridicule…

“You’re hounding me to death here!!!” Mu Yaoyao pointed at the crowd. “You, you, and you lot! You’re all in so much trouble!”