Chapter 898 - 900: There Really is Something Fishy_1
Bai Ruozhu looked at the dean in surprise. Why hadn’t he raised any doubts before? Did he really intend to turn a blind eye to this matter?
Actually, upon reflection, the difference between third and second place wasn’t that big; it wasn’t about competing for first place. Nevertheless, whether it was a mistake or being taken advantage of, simply letting it go was rather hard to accept.
"I was not quite sure myself, which is why I didn’t dare to bring it up just now," the dean said, standing a bit straighter, "Let’s go to the organizing committee to confirm, Ruozhu. We will need your help with the scoring."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu felt relieved. Her personality was not about fighting others at all costs, but she wasn’t a pushover either. It was good to see that the dean wasn’t a weakling either.
"I’ll accompany you. Pressure needs to be applied when necessary," Jiang Yichun said with a stern face.
Bai Ruozhu laughed out loud, "You could scare someone to death with just your presence, without even needing two hundred elite soldiers radiating coldness."
Jiang Yichun glared at her, this ungrateful little thing, who was he doing this for anyway?
Seeing the two joke around, the dean’s mood also lightened up a bit. After the trio had convened, they went to find someone from the organizing committee. The dean was quite adept at handling matters; he did not start by claiming that the ranking was calculated incorrectly, but said he wanted to review the points scored for the ranking, as the Study Palace rewarded students based on their points, and there seemed to be a discrepancy between the students’ reported scores and the totals.
The person in charge of managing the points was not aware of any issues and agreed cheerfully, stating, "Please wait a moment. I will go to the archive room to retrieve the records."
The three of them felt relieved that things were going so smoothly.
Unfortunately, the person returned quickly with a puzzled expression, saying, "The record books aren’t in the storeroom. It seems they were taken by someone higher up." After speaking, the person mumbled to themselves, "No one from above has ever looked at these before. Why did they take the books away this year?"
The trio exchanged glances, even more certain now that there was something fishy going on.
The dean thanked the person and led Bai Ruozhu and the others out, his face growing stern as he said, "Let’s go see Mr. Qiu. Although he’s not the main person in charge of this year’s competition, he is the most respectable and venerable scholar. I trust Mr. Qiu’s character."
Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and couldn’t help asking, "What if it’s discovered that the organizing committee and people from the Chang’an Academy colluded to tamper with the competition results? Will investigating this have any impact on you, dean?"
As the highest-ranking individual in Beiyu Study Palace, the dean was still only the head of the academy and could not compare in power with some Capital Officials, let alone with members of the organizing committee. Bai Ruozhu began to worry.
"At any cost," the dean said through clenched teeth before continuing forward.
Jiang Yichun, holding Dengdeng in one arm and patting Bai Ruozhu’s shoulder with the other, said softly, "Nowadays, with an enlightened sovereign and the clarity of the universe, how could such filthy matters be tolerated? Even the integrity of scholars does not allow the dean to bow down to them.
Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng and replied, "Then let’s play it by ear."
The dean was a kind and elderly figure, and Bai Ruozhu couldn’t bear the thought of him getting into trouble with people best not provoked and becoming a target of their schemes. So she even thought she might step in later, given that she was well-protected by her dark guards, and those people couldn’t do much to her.
Jiang Yichun understood her thoughts and smiled at her with tenderness that seemed to say, our Ruozhu truly has a good heart.
The two of them quickened their pace to catch up with the dean, and soon found Mr. Qiu in a meeting with the organizing committee’s staff.
Mr. Qiu was a bit surprised to see them approaching and asked, "What can I do for you?"
The Chancellor of the Academy glanced at the people in the room and said with a smile, "Mr. Qiu, I have something to discuss with you privately."
Before Mr. Qiu could open his mouth, an old man with white beard interjected, "It’s not about the competition, is it? How come it’s over and you all are still hiding something?" After his words, he chuckled twice and said to the others, "This year, the Beiyu Study Palace performed exceptionally well, ah. I never expected them to make it into the top three."
Hearing this, others commented on how much the Beiyu Study Palace had improved and said encouraging words like, "Keep it up next year."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but take another look at the white-bearded elder and heightened her vigilance. It was clear that this man was no simple character, as he had outright said that Beiyu Study Palace’s third-place finish was already beyond expectations. If they claimed there was a mistake in the scoring, would the people present think that they were insatiable, trying to push their luck even further?
Indeed, it was a thought that easily came to minds.
Mr. Qiu looked at the Chancellor and said, "Just speak your mind, Old Wen, as long as it’s not personal."
Although the competition was over, they were still at the organizing committee’s venue, and Mr. Qiu felt it was improper to have a private conversation with the Chancellor to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
The Chancellor’s brows furrowed slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Bai Ruozhu felt a twinge of pity and quickly intervened, "It’s embarrassing for the Chancellor to bring this up; it’s a problem caused by the students."
The crowd turned their gaze to Bai Ruozhu. After her outstanding performance in this year’s competition, who among the organizing committee’s judges didn’t know her?
Seeing that no one stopped her from speaking, she bowed slightly and continued, "In our academy, rewards are given according to the points earned by everyone. However, after reporting their points, some found they had more points than what was announced. Consequently, some classmates accused me and my second brother of tampering with the rankings and claiming extra points."
She said this with a somewhat embarrassed smile, "It was just youthful exuberance that led to an argument, and even to a bet, so..."
"You’re bothering Mr. Qiu with such trivial matters? Bai Ruozhu, you really are thoughtless," the white-bearded elder spoke up.
"Mr. Deng is right, you’re quite something," someone else chimed in.
Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat. Mr. Deng, he was the General person in charge of this year’s competition.
"We wouldn’t have bothered everyone, but when we went to look for the record book, the clerk said that the judges had taken it away, so we had no choice but to disturb you all. We just want to get a clear view of the points," Bai Ruozhu explained.
The white-bearded Mr. Deng, clearly impatient, waved his hand dismissively and said, "During tomorrow’s banquet, awards will be given out in public to the top five in each event. By then, won’t you know? Just make sure to note it down."
The Chancellor’s expression shifted slightly. Mr. Deng’s words weren’t wrong, but once the awards were given out, could the rankings be changed?
Bai Ruozhu also glanced at Jiang Yichun, feeling that Mr. Deng wouldn’t speak so confidently without being prepared, and suspecting that even tomorrow, they might not find any flaws.
Jiang Yichun’s face was stern when he suddenly spoke up, "As an officer, I am aware that the points and rankings for each competition are recorded and available for inspection. Are they not accessible this year?"
Mr. Deng’s face darkened, "What do you mean by that? Just because some youngsters are quarreling, you have to bother us elderly?"
"There’s no need to trouble you. We just need to see the record book, and moreover, I suspect that the Beiyu Study Palace’s points have been undercounted, which could affect the rankings. So it’s crucial for us to have a look. Has the record book disappeared?" Jiang Yichun’s voice was cold, emanating an aura of a martial general’s decisiveness, which instantly cooled the atmosphere.