After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

Two weeks later, the monthly exam results were posted on the list.

Everyone checked their own scores, and also to see how many others had scored.

"Make way for me, everyone!"

Xie Chichun grabbed Shen Lingyi and rushed in, carving a path through the crowd.

There were hundreds of names on the list, but Shen Lingyi didn't need to look down; she could see her name at the top with a quick glance.

Su Yuheng said in disbelief, "Shen Lingyi is first? How is that possible! The teacher must have made a mistake!"

"Be careful what you say," Shen Lingyi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is Su Tongyan questioning the fairness of the examiners' grading? This exam was graded by five examiners, and His Majesty was invited to supervise. Are you going to question His Majesty's judgment?"

Su Yuheng glared at her fiercely without saying a word, when Xie Chichun suddenly shouted, "I made it! I'm in the top ten!"

Su Yuheng's eyes almost popped out. Was he kidding? That brute actually made it into the top ten?

By this time, most of the students had finished looking at their own rankings and started looking for the rankings of the people they cared about most.

It was certainly shocking that Shen Lingyi held the top spot, but the others were even more unexpected.

"The Crown Prince Huaizhen is just barely in seventh place."

"Why did the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion only get sixth place? Isn't she said to be a talented woman?"

Shen Tingjiao beat Wei Chengrui by two points.

This surprised Shen Lingyi somewhat, not so much Shen Tingjiao, but the latter.

As the saying goes, you know yourself best. Shen Lingyi used to dislike arguing about these things, not because she lacked talent but because she was stubborn. Her own tutor also said that if she were serious, few people could compare to her.

Wei Chengrui was different; he genuinely didn't like studying.

Perhaps it's a common flaw among military generals; he wasn't much better than Xie Chichun in this regard.

The result was not only a surprise for Xie Chichun, but he also returned from his trip to northern Xinjiang looking very different from before.

Shen Lingyi was caught off guard and suddenly airborne.

Overjoyed, Xie Chichun picked her up and spun her around several times, solemnly promising her, "Lingyi, you saved my life. From now on, if you say go east, I'll go east. I, Xie Chichun, will obey your every command!"

"Alright, put it down right now."

After Shen Lingyi landed, she straightened her clothes, and Fuquan arrived with a big smile on his face.

"His Majesty requests that the top scholar from our academy be invited to the palace for an audience."

Just as Shen Lingyi was about to reply, Shen Tingjiao's voice rang out: "Wait a minute, Father-in-law, you can't take my sister away!"

Fu Quan's face stiffened. He was about to ask which lady was so unruly that she dared to yell at him when he recognized Shen Tingjiao.

"I wonder what important matter the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion has to do with?" The eunuch snorted coldly. He knew of Shen Tingjiao from His Majesty, so naturally he didn't give her a friendly look.

Shen Tingjiao bit her lower lip tightly, her eyelashes trembling.

The next second, she suddenly looked at Shen Lingyi, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Sister, won't you admit it yourself? If things are exposed in front of His Majesty, it will be too ugly. It's better to clarify things here."

These words drew whispers from the crowd.

Fu Quan frowned, wondering what kind of trouble this young lady was up to now.

Shen Lingyi chuckled, already realizing what this person was up to.

Shen Tingjiao took a breath to calm herself down, and her voice became even: "That day you said you wanted to know the score in advance, so you went to Master Du's room, and you almost got caught by him."

Shen Lingyi raised an eyebrow. "So what does that prove? Does it mean I plagiarized?"

"No,"

Shen Tingjiao looked at her and said, word by word, "You switched the exam papers. If Teacher Du were to check them now, he would still be able to find that the sealing slips had been tampered with."

Hearing these well-prepared words, Shen Lingyi finally lowered her eyes.

Master Du, now glaring at him with fury, let out a heavy snort that made his beard tremble. "So it was you who broke into my room that day looking for my exam papers!"

Du Fuzi's words are practically confirmation that Shen Lingyi switched the exam papers.

The scene immediately became noisy.

Some said they had expected it, some were indignant and cursed Shen Lingyi for being shameless, and many more felt sorry for Shen Tingjiao for standing up for her own family.

The shock that had been on Su Yuheng's face vanished. He crossed his arms and said, "So that's why you two became dark horses. It turns out you used this kind of tactic."

"Su Yuheng! If you can't speak properly, then shut up!" Xie Chichun shouted angrily, but offered no explanation.

Because they really did go to Master Du's room that day.

Contrary to what Shen Tingjiao said, they were not going to switch exam papers. Instead, Shen Lingyi accompanied Xie Chichun to retrieve the red-tasseled spear that the old man had confiscated on their first day at the academy.

Her father is coming back soon. This spear was made for Xie Chichun by General Xie when she was seven years old.

Upon returning home, General Xie will surely test the mettle of his only daughter; what good is she if she doesn't have a gun?

Xie Chichun glanced at Shen Lingyi upon thinking of this, knowing that if it weren't for accompanying him to retrieve the spear, the latter wouldn't be facing criticism at this moment, so he decided to take the blame.

She could simply give up studying; after all, she never wanted to be a civil official anyway.

Shen Lingyi, however, elbowed her and spoke while Xie Chichun was grimacing.

"Master Du, aren't you going to say a few words? If not, then I am."

"Hmph, you two audacious little brats who dared to trespass into the teachers' quarters, what else do you want me to say?" Master Du said this, but he stepped forward to explain on their behalf and Fuquan's behalf.

"My lord, these two did indeed enter my school, but only to retrieve the spear I confiscated. One of them was a step too late and I caught him red-handed. He was even punished by sweeping the floor all afternoon that day."

Xie Chichun's eyes widened suddenly, as if to say, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Ahem, Master," Shen Lingyi said, unusually so, "there's no need to go into details. Just get to the point."

Master Du glared at the two of them, then bowed respectfully to Fuquan.

"That's roughly how it is. I admit they've been a bit noisy and disruptive on a daily basis, but they're definitely not the kind of people who would maliciously switch exam papers just to change their ranking. I hope you'll investigate thoroughly, Your Excellency."

Things took a turn for the better, and Shen Tingjiao staggered back a step.

Shen Lingyi walked up to her and lowered her voice: "You planned it all but still missed something. You just happened to see Chi Chun and me sneaking into Master Du's house that day, right? You were thinking of using this to your advantage to trick us, but who knew that Master Du, who has always disliked us, would be on our side."

"you!"

After experiencing extreme joy and sorrow, Shen Tingjiao was so angry that she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Shen Lingyi immediately stepped back, a hint of disdain on her face. "Sister, you're not feeling well, so you shouldn't be out wandering around all the time."