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What happened when a rejected candidate claimed unfair treatment in a Song civil-service examination?

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Taizu The Taizu emperor, founder of the Song dynasty, detail of a portrait; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei

Under the reign of the Song dynasty founder, Emperor Taizu, the civil-service examination system underwent significant reforms to ensure fairness and meritocracy. When a rejected candidate claimed unfair treatment, the emperor ordered a reexamination of the results to address the grievance.1

This policy was part of a broader effort by Taizu to base the bureaucracy on demonstrated ability rather than birth or personal favor. To further ensure integrity in the selection process, Taizu also mandated reexaminations if there was even a hint of favoritism in the selection of graduates. By 973, he established a final examination held in the imperial palace to verify rankings and required that the list of successful competitors be announced publicly.1