During these three days, Gu Wenheng received a constant stream of invitations, but he declined them all under the guise of preparing for the Palace Examination.
On the day of the Palace Examination, Gu Wenheng dressed neatly and followed the guards into the grand hall.
Rows of neatly arranged desks awaited them, with seating assigned according to their rankings on the published list.
After paying their respects to the Emperor, he composed himself and focused intently on the examination paper before him.
The topic was on integrity and corruption. Gu Wenheng pondered for a moment before picking up his brush to write.
Hua Shunming sat at the high seat, his eyes constantly sweeping back and forth over the candidates. No one noticed that his gaze lingered a moment longer whenever it landed on Gu Wenheng.
Gu Wenheng sensed multiple pairs of eyes fixed on him in the grand hall, but it did not affect him in the slightest. His brush moved across the paper without pause.
