Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 737: The Duke’s Perfect Counterattack in the Trial (2)_1

Chapter 737: Chapter 737: The Duke’s Perfect Counterattack in the Trial (2)_1

The Chief Judge of the Ministry of Justice, upon hearing this, clasped his hands respectfully towards Emperor Huian, seeking the Emperor’s opinion.

Emperor Huian nodded slightly, agreeing to Mo Qingze’s request.

After thanking the Emperor for the grace, Mo Qingze asked the three men with a calm expression, "You merely saw someone give me something, but I did not show it to you at the time. How can you be sure that it was the examination questions and answers for the autumn examinations?"

The person who had previously stepped forward to accuse hurriedly said, "You said it yourself, and also mentioned sharing it with us. We didn’t agree, so you held onto the questions and answers close to your body and hurriedly left."

This statement seemed reasonable and left no loopholes to exploit.

To this, Mo Qingze, neither confirming nor denying, posed a second question, "Compared with you, how do you reckon my scholarly knowledge and abilities?"

Upon hearing this, the three men slightly understood the purpose of Mo Qingze’s question and hesitated for a moment before admitting reluctantly, "Brother Ziyu’s talent is beyond our reach."

Even if they shamelessly claimed that Mo Qingze’s knowledge was far inferior to theirs, a simple inquiry at Changshan Academy would reveal the truth, which could not be fabricated.

With a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth, Mo Qingze swiftly followed with another question, "As far as I know, in this autumn examination, one of you ranked fifteenth, one eleventh, and another even ninth! Regardless of whether you possess the ability, if I were truly cheating and had prior knowledge of the questions and answers, would I perform worse than you?"

Seeing the three men’s expressions stiffen noticeably, Mo Qingze continued icily, "Or are you implying that you received benefits from someone, deliberately framing me, while in fact, it was you who cheated to obtain such rankings?"

Before they could recover from the first question, the subsequent bombshell left them completely unprepared. No one knew better than themselves how their results were acquired.

Watching Mo Qingze’s mocking expression and the doubtful gazes cast upon them, the three men forced themselves to remain composed. At this point, if they could not address these two issues, their secrets would inevitably be revealed completely. It would be more than just the charge of framing and perjury!

Among the three, the one who had perjured first was the most composed, and he quickly came up with a response, "Examiners have different preferences, and therefore different views on essays. The three of us have been acquainted for many years, with an integrated style of writing, and it is reasonable to be favored by examiners who appreciate such essays. As for why you performed worse than us despite having the questions and answers, is it not because you were worried that scoring too well would arouse suspicion, so you deliberately did so?"

This explanation, although somewhat far-fetched, was not impossible for the first issue. With more than one examiner, each with their own preferences, bestowing high grades on liked essays, even if flawed, was not entirely out of the question.

As for the second issue, such an explanation could also make sense, for there have always been self-proclaimed smart individuals throughout history.

After listening, Mo Qingze showed no signs of anger or helplessness from his question being refuted. He knelt upright on the ground, respectfully addressed Emperor Huian, seated on the Dragon Throne, and the eight main examiners on both sides, "The so-called physical evidence is nothing more than a few pages with the autumn examination questions and answers found at the scholars’ lodgings before the exam. If someone intended to frame me, it would not be impossible to do so! The four questions I raised, their replies also have unverifiable elements and are insufficient to prove my cheating in the examination hall! Therefore, to prove my innocence, I request to compete with these three in a contest. If I win, it will suffice to show that there was no need for me to cheat; If I lose, I will willingly confess to the crime and bear all consequences."