I

The Guangxi imperial examination fraud case involved the officials of the Procuratorate, so the case was handed over to Dali Temple for full jurisdiction.

Dali Temple is equivalent to the highest court in the country.

"Your Majesty, the Guangxi imperial examination fraud case, the preliminary trial of the parties involved has ended, and officials will be sent to Guilin to investigate the case."

"let it go."

Before Zhao Han, there were only three transcripts of the parties involved.

The college graduation examinations in each province have been combined with the provincial examinations (provincial examinations). University presidents can only arrange and organize exams, and are not qualified to invigilate the exams in person, or even get access to the exam questions in advance. There are three real examiners, one is the chief judge of the province, one is Yuanwailang sent by the Ministry of Rites, and the other is the Qingzheng Yushi sent by the Procuratorate.

Zhao Han carefully read the three transcripts and was basically able to determine that the fraud case was fake.

Because the test papers were taken from Nanjing to various examination centers by Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of Rites. On the day of the exam, in addition to the three examiners, the president of the university and the head of the auditorium of the province must be present. Only when all five people are present can the sealed test paper be opened. After the approval is correct, the five people will stamp their seals together and start the test. However, if any problem is found in the test paper, the test must be terminated.

Something went wrong, and all five of them lost their jobs together!

The sealing of the test papers was done together by the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Punishment, and it was stamped with the seals of the three ministers. There are also three layers of sealing. The test paper is sealed once, the outer waterproof oil paper is sealed once, and the outermost box is also sealed. Each layer is sealed with three big seals, and only the outermost layer is allowed to be damaged by wind and rain.

The printing of the test papers was carried out by the Si Li Jianjing Factory, and the whole process was carried out in the Forbidden City. Therefore, the first seal of the test paper still bears the seal of the supervisor of ceremonies.

If the question can be released in advance, the problem will really explode, and a lot of officials will be investigated and dealt with. The Superintendent of Rituals, the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishment, the Procuratorate, the Guangxi Grand Court, the Guangxi Hall of Ceremony, the president of Guilin University...all will be severely investigated.

If there is really cheating in the imperial examination, it will not be leaking the questions, but inviting someone to take the exam for him!

Chief Assistant Song Yingxing said: "Your Majesty, this matter must be strictly investigated, not only the fraud case, but also those scholars who knocked on the gate! When is it not good to knock on the gate, we must call Donghua on the day of Donghuamen's call." The door is completely blocked, and Jinshi of the current department is blocked in the door and cannot get out. If there is no severe punishment, what is the majesty of the court?"

In the reform of the Ministry last year, three more cabinet ministers were added, and Zhu Shunshui has also joined the cabinet. He said: "Kouque scholars should indeed be punished, but they should not be forced blindly, otherwise it will be difficult to block the mouths of the world. Many of them were just bewitched. They heard that there was a fraud case in the imperial examination, and they came to Koque with enthusiasm. The minister thought that it was enough to punish those who took the lead in causing trouble and collaborating with others, and there was no need to punish all the scholars who knocked on the queue.

Xiao Huan, who also joined the cabinet last year, disagreed with Zhu Shunshui's opinion: "Your Majesty, I feel that it should be strictly dealt with. Anyone who participates in knocking down the que is not allowed to be an official. However, their careers cannot be cut off and they are allowed to participate in the provincial government. Examination for official officials in the government."

Chen Maosheng stood up and said: "The people who knocked on the que this time are mostly scholars who have failed. They only think about the title of Jinshi, and they would rather waste time and repeat the imperial examination, delay a few years before releasing seven or eight ranks, rather than go from nine ranks Officials start with a down-to-earth attitude. This kind of scholar will become an official, and he will not be a good official! Also, this imperial examination has been more generous than it was three years ago. The ranks of the first-ranked and second-ranked Jinshi have been raised. Let self-funded university graduates also have the qualifications to be released. The imperial court is already making concessions, and the scholars who fail the exam will press harder. If the imperial court makes further concessions, I don’t know what unreasonable demands will be made in the next imperial examination!"

"What are you going to do?" Zhao Han asked.

Chen Maosheng said: "Those who participated in knocking on the gate will all have their honors revoked. Their university diplomas will be taken back. Not only will they not be able to be officials anymore, they will not even be allowed to take the official examination!"

"No!"

The other cabinet ministers objected in unison, and they all disagreed with Chen Maosheng's statement.

However, Chen Maosheng was firm: "For a Jinshi title, even a ninth-rank official would be disdainful, and would rather take the exam for three, six, nine, or even more than ten years. What is this kind of person an official for? They Even if you become an official, will you be serious about doing things? Will you plead for the people? No way, you will only form cliques to climb up! If you don’t punish severely, you will definitely fuel the arrogance of this generation, and you will also create unhealthy tendencies in the officialdom. In the end, it became like the previous Ming Dynasty. The first list looked down on Shuji scholars, the Shuji scholars looked down on ordinary Jinshi, the second list looked down on Jinshi, and the third list Jinshi, and Jinshi looked down on Juren as an official, and Juren looked down on Bagong officials! , have sex with each other, form cliques, officials and officials protect each other, and form cliques to fight against each other!"

Everyone is silent, it is not good to argue.

Zhao Han smiled and said: "So many failed candidates knocked on the que, then I will take another step back..."

"Your Majesty, don't back down!" All the cabinet ministers stopped together.

"If I don't back down, how can I dispel the grievances in the hearts of scholars?" Zhao Han laughed more and more happily, "I ordered the Ministry of Rites to publish a list outside Donghua Gate, saying that they would be allowed to participate in the examination indefinitely. They were determined to take the exam. Jinshi, let them take the exam. But..."

As soon as the cabinet ministers heard the "but", they knew that the emperor was about to play tricks again.

Zhao Han said: "First, as long as you fail the first test and give up the opportunity to be released as a ninth-rank official, you will not be able to be released directly for the rest of your life. You must be admitted to Jinshi before you can become an official. If you are admitted to Jinshi, you can no longer be a government official, you can only be a miscellaneous official, or you can be sent to a local school. Third, if you are over 30 years old, you will not be able to take the official examination again!"

The cabinet ministers were all holding back their laughter, the emperor was really full of bad water.

If these three conditions are taken out, even if the imperial examination is allowed indefinitely, most of the failed scholars will choose to directly release the ninth-rank officials. Except for those who are really confident, who the hell would dare to take the imperial examination repeatedly? Once you fail the exam three times in a row, you can only be a miscellaneous official for the rest of your life, so it's better to just let it go.

In this way, Yoyo's mouth can be blocked, so that the failed scholars can no longer complain. The truly capable candidates were given three full chances to take the test, but within nine years, they couldn't have diarrhea and get sick all three times, right? If this kind of thing really happens, don't complain, it is reasonable to find a temple to burn incense.

Suddenly, Zhao Han's expression became serious: "The leader who investigates this matter strictly, will be deprived of his honor, and his university diploma will be taken back!"

...

Outside the Donghua Gate, the past two days have been very lively.

The scholar Kou Que knelt down and did not leave, but it was cheaper for the small street vendor.

Although stalls are not allowed outside Donghua Gate except for important solar terms, you can set up stalls far away. Noodles, chaos, three meals a day are sold, and anyone who is hungry can order takeaway.

Several servants walked back and forth, and suddenly their eyes lit up, and a servant came over and pointed to the chaotic soup on the ground: "Your Majesty is kind enough to allow you to eat outside Donghua Gate, but you didn't let you dirty the gate of the city. Who spilled it? Tang Shui, fine ten cents!"

The student who accidentally spilled the soup couldn't get used to the servant's arrogance. He wanted to argue a few words, but he was afraid that something big would happen. He had no choice but to put down the bowl, and took out two coins for Wuda: "Take it!"

Dang Wuda is already the highest denomination of Datong copper coins.

The Datong New Dynasty was very unreasonable. Only the copper coins of this dynasty were allowed to be used, and Tongbao from the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties could not be used.

Of course, in order not to seriously affect the lives of the people, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. As long as it is copper coins, it can be exchanged at Datong Bank, weighed, and inspected for fineness. Anyway, the bank will not suffer losses. The rubbish in the last years of Chongzhen was worth ten qian, and if it was taken to Datong Bank, ten qen could only be exchanged for one penny of new money.

Even the low-quality copper coins minted by Li Zicheng were accepted, but the exchange value was kept very low.

This approach has caused the people in some areas to have their little savings shrink sharply.

Therefore, in some provinces, they dare not only collect money for agricultural taxes and allow farmers to pay their grain directly, because they are afraid that people will have trouble if they have no money to pay taxes.

"Brother Da Zhong fainted, send him to the hospital!"

The team that knocked on the que for orders suddenly became chaotic, kneeling for two days in a row was really unbearable.

Amidst the chaos and clamor, many scholars took the opportunity to adjust their postures, stretching their arms and loosening their legs. Some people's legs and feet are already stiff because of kneeling for too long, and they can't move at all. They simply lie down and say to those who come to help them: "It's okay, it's okay, I'll lie down for a while."

Lying all over the place in disarray.

Not long after, there was even a snoring sound, and I don't know which man fell asleep.

Zhang Tianzhi stood far away and said in a low voice, "Will your Majesty give in?"

Li Xun said: "Even if you make concessions to the scholars who failed the ranking, you will not make concessions to us scholars of the former Ming Dynasty. To be honest, I regret it a little. I am originally from Nanjing. If I had served as a small official back then, I guess I could be a magistrate now." Yes. I had a childhood classmate who didn’t even pass the examination as a scholar, but now he is the magistrate of Yongping. Although Yongping is remote and there are not one out of ten people, the magistrate is the magistrate after all. Time is fate, and it’s all my own selfishness. too high."

"How can you think like this?" Zhai Wenben said, "We all have a reputation for raising people, how can we be a knife and pen official? It's a shame and a shame!"

"An official is here!" Zhang Tianzhi's eyes widened.

A clerk of the Ministry of Rites, followed by two miscellaneous officials, walked quickly from the south street.

When they arrived outside the Donghua Gate, one miscellaneous official brushed the paste, and the other miscellaneous official posted the notice on the wall. The official said, "Don't kneel down, just read the notice."

The unsuccessful scholars who knocked on the que quickly got up and gathered under the notice to read carefully.

There are a few students who failed the exam, probably because they were self-confident about their talents, and felt that their performance was abnormal this time, and they would definitely pass the next exam. They cheered, knelt down again, kowtowed towards Donghua Gate and shouted: "Your Majesty is holy, long live your majesty, long live, long live!"

More failed scholars looked at each other in blank dismay, speechless for a long time.

"Oh, let's go."

Finally someone left with a sigh, and walked with a limp due to kneeling for too long.

For the vast majority of scholars, they dare not gamble their lives at all. The emperor seems to have given them an unlimited opportunity to take the imperial examination, but the attached conditions are too harsh, and it is very easy to beat them. It is better to become a ninth-rank official after the first exam.

Moreover, they have no reason to fight anymore.

The emperor did give him a chance, he did make concessions, and if he continued to make trouble, he would only appear to be unreasonable.

But the imperial court did not let them go easily. An official from the Ministry of Criminal Justice brought the police over: "There are all of them, go to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for questioning. Don't worry, only the leading troublemakers are investigated, and you can report each other. And His Majesty is merciful, only arrest three people, All the rest are innocent."

It's over, Zhang Xiliang, who failed to perform well in the exam due to illness, was so frightened that he fainted when he heard this—or maybe he was exhausted after kneeling for two days.

Zhao Han's idea is very simple, if you have a problem, you can go to the shuffle, and the candidates who fail the ranking are also eligible to go to the shuffle. Connecting hundreds of people in series, you can even go to school together, but what the hell is taking the lead in begging for orders?