[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-13":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289311,4477,"Chapter 13: Turn the Table Over","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-13",13,"\u003Cp>When the bell signaling the end of the literary exam rang, all answer sheets appeared inside the Evaluation Hall, each automatically bound into a volume with the candidate’s name and number printed on the cover. Six evaluators sat at the head of the hall, responsible solely for the policy essay section. The first two parts of the literary exam had fixed answers and required no evaluator input; junior disciples simply scanned the papers with magic artifacts and automatically calculated the scores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six evaluators were all deeply cultivated; multitasking was basic skill. At this moment, each had multiple answer sheets spread before them—seven or eight at minimum, up to a dozen or more. The monk even had twenty sheets open at once, replacing them with a new batch in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To these evaluators, grading was no challenge. After all, the candidates were merely children; a policy essay that followed historical facts in a conventional manner was already commendable. Originality was rare, and self-consistent reasoning rarer still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the literary exam, sons of wealthy and prestigious families clearly outperformed others—they had access to renowned tutors and began their studies earlier. The literary exam had been held for centuries, and the major families knew the general scope of topics. Many teachers had gained fame by specializing in predicting exam questions, and once renowned, they were naturally recruited by these families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The evaluators graded swiftly; they could finish reviewing all papers within an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he read, the old Confucian suddenly slammed his fist on the table and roared: “Absolute nonsense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only grading a paper—why was he so furious?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other evaluators turned to look. They saw the old Confucian was reading Xiang Weiyuan’s paper, so they each gestured and drew Xiang Weiyuan’s sheet to themselves, flipping through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young cultivator tapped his armrest lightly as he read: “This ‘Essay on Recruiting Talent’ is refreshingly novel. Hmm—govern with virtue in times of peace, with talent in times of chaos. Interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Sigu glanced around and said gravely: “The ancient sages long ago declared: recruit only by virtue. This boy is not from our Confucian school—if he firmly advocated recruiting by talent alone, I might even respect him. But how can one alternate between virtue and talent? The sages’ principles are eternal and unchanging—how can they waver? This fence-sitting conduct—if not severely punished—will never win the people’s trust!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged Confucian from the Four Sages Academy also said: “Liu Lao’s words are harsh, but his point stands. The guidelines encourage originality, not heresy or perverse doctrines. Since this boy has ties to Tai Chu Palace, how does Master Fufeng view this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist looked at the two Confucians and slowly frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Confucian suddenly sneered: “This year, Tai Chu Palace seems entangled in many affairs. If my old eyes blur and I write too harshly, Brother Fufeng, don’t take offense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Confucian’s meaning was clear. This year, five families competed for three slots in Tai Chu Palace; as an evaluator, Master Fufeng stood at the storm’s center—some wanted to lift him up, others to slightly suppress him, still others to remain neutral. The balance was delicate, and the Daoist had long been exhausted. If Liu Sigu truly graded recklessly and ruined one family’s plans, the blame would fall squarely on the Daoist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, though inwardly furious, the Daoist kept his expression calm: “Judge fairly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Confucian nodded in satisfaction and wrote two characters on Xiang Weiyuan’s paper: Di Bing, Eight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The policy essay was graded out of twenty. This eight instantly dropped Xiang Weiyuan out of the Fu region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other evaluators said nothing and continued grading. Moments later, all sections were tallied, and a line of small characters appeared on the stone stele:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan, Di Jia, Nineteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This nineteen included scores from the first two sections. Xiang Weiyuan had received the maximum ten in each of the first two parts—scores no one could tamper with. In the twenty-point policy essay, he received nine, totaling nineteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep into the night, a side hall still glowed with light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yu sat at the table, occasionally glancing at the time, his expression shifting between gloom and hope. Suddenly, the door opened and Zhang Sheng entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yu, startled, exclaimed: “How are you out of seclusion already? You weren’t supposed to emerge until after tomorrow’s martial exam!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng’s face was noticeably pale: “I’ve felt uneasy in my spirit, so I paid a price to exit early. Are the Dao and literary exams over? How did Yuan’er perform?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m waiting for the results—they should be out now.” Sun Yu called over a young Daoist: “Go fetch the Dao and literary exam scores.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Daoist gasped: “That… that’s against protocol.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yu’s face hardened: “You hesitate over such a small matter? Do you look down on Xuan Ming Hall? If you won’t go, I’ll go myself. Afterward, I’ll give you the lowest possible rating in this unified exam—you’ll spend another thirty years as a menial servant!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Daoist paled and hurried off without another word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While waiting, Sun Yu showed Zhang Sheng the literary exam questions. Zhang Sheng glanced at them and his expression eased: “The questions were odd, but not hard. With Yuan’er’s cultivation, he couldn’t score less than twenty-eight—even twenty-nine is likely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, a menial Daoist returned and placed a jade slip before Sun Yu: “Here are the Dao and literary exam scores—I copied them secretly. Brother Sun, please don’t tell anyone, or I’ll be expelled from the palace!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yu waved the young Daoist out, then handed the jade slip to Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng took it, glanced at it, and immediately frowned. Sun Yu sensed something was wrong and leaned in to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top name on the list was Li Zhi: Dao Exam 38, Literary Exam 30, total 68. Second was Bao Yun: Dao Exam 40, Literary Exam 27, total 67.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng scanned down the names page by page. By the end of the first page, he had not seen Xiang Weiyuan’s name. Sun Yu was equally stunned—the first page listed thirty candidates; Xiang Weiyuan hadn’t even made the top thirty. Entering Tai Chu Palace was now impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng’s face turned ashen. He flipped through three more pages before finally finding Xiang Weiyuan’s name: Dao and Literary combined score 49, ranked ninety-fifth among all candidates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yu frowned. This score wasn’t just far from entering a celestial sect—it was miles from even reaching a Cave Heaven. At this point, whether to take the martial exam or not was meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng, however, grew calm. He studied Xiang Weiyuan’s breakdown scores in detail, then closed his eyes and fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Zhang Sheng opened his eyes and spoke calmly: “I only taught him six months. Even his literary score alone should’ve exceeded nineteen. His foundation and fortune are merely Di Jia… Hehe … Di Jia… good, very good! Brother, you may not know—Yuan’er’s foundation and fortune were barely behind mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng slowly placed the score slip on the table, his voice icy: “If I, Zhang Sheng, had received only Di Jia in the Dao Exam, would anyone dare claim the Tian rank?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Yu didn’t know what to say, only sighed: “Brother, calm down—this… this matter…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since they resort to such despicable tactics, I owe them no courtesy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng rose and walked toward the hall’s exit. Sun Yu tried to stop him but failed, shouting: “Brother, what are you doing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the darkness far away came Zhang Sheng’s voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turn the table over!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Nothing more tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1286,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5058f47d9cd69117ee9a13b7dd4f8740bd84330127f8694d743f550b92564fba","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-14","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-12",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]