Had they not been cleaning up his mess from behind the scenes, his actions wouldn't have gone so smoothly, nor would he have remained undetected until now.
Zhao Jing felt a deep sense of gratitude toward the elders. He stood his ground in a posture of contrition, accepting whatever punishment they deemed fit to dole out.
Seeing this, Xu Shiniang sighed and continued, "You possess the talent of a Champion Scholar. If relying solely on your true strength and abilities, you would undoubtedly secure the first place. But with the current factions in the imperial court pulling strings, requiring you to take a step back and yield the title of Champion Scholar—you are dissatisfied, unwilling, and defiant. We understand all of this.
"But you must remember, by using underhanded methods to gather evidence and win the palace examination, what you lose is the foundation upon which your future standing rests.
