The direction of the gaze was exactly where the Emperor was seated on the throne.
Song Chongjin felt a tightness in his heart, but his face revealed nothing as he gripped the pen tightly and continued to write as if unaware.
The grand hall was silent, except for the sound of pens moving on paper, not a sound could be heard.
The examining officials and chamberlains stood with hands bound in the four corners and angles of the hall, holding their breath in silence, while only a few Grand Scholars stood below the steps, stroking their beards as they watched all the Scholars focusing on their exams.
Like Song Chongjin, who remained calm and composed, unaffected, such Scholars were in the minority. Most, entering the Imperial Palace for the first time and witnessing His Majesty's heavenly visage, only felt the overwhelming imperial presence, causing their hearts to race and hands to shake as if having a seizure.
How could they hold their pens, let alone write?
