Moreover, Huo Jing lost the position of Minister of Personnel, which is clearly related to Xu Qing's father-in-law, Feng Xifeng, taking credit for quelling the military rebellion.
In the officialdom, this is a grudge for blocking one's path.
Although the ranking in the Examination does not affect the Imperial Examination, if Huo Jing forcefully assigns a lower rank to Xu Qing, it would also tarnish Xu Qing's reputation.
Of course, being the renowned top scorer of Southern Zhili, coupled with Xu Qing being the de facto leader of the Southern Zhili Party, no matter how reckless Huo Jing is, he wouldn't dare to let Xu Qing fail the Examination.
However, rumors abound that Xu Jieyuan's dream of securing all six top scores might be shattered this time.
Moreover, news from the Inner Court suggests that there's a sentiment that Xu Jieyuan's momentum is too strong and needs to be curbed.
Various speculations are endless.
