"What nonsense!"
Chen Pingping muttered a curse. The heads of the Overwatch Council at the table looked fearfully at the Director's outburst. Chen Pingping pulled the blanket off his knees and coughed. His grizzled hair was a mess without a trace of beauty. He said, "The rules of the Council are very clear. We cannot interfere in the matters of the Palace unless the Emperor gives an edict."
Yan Ruohai, the head of the Fourth Bureau, smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It's a pity. In the past, we investigated the cheating in the imperial examinations, but these things always happened in high places. We don't have enough people, so it's hard to find any clues. Now that we have these names, it won't be hard to find the officials behind it. I just didn't expect it to involve the Eastern Palace. "
The words of the Overwatch Council had always been very bold and harsh. Other than their unparalleled loyalty to His Majesty, these secret agents didn't care about anyone else.
Chen Pingping pushed the wheelchair to the window. His grizzled hair contrasted with the black cloth on the window, making it stand out distinctly. He coldly said, "This commissioner has a very good life. Last night, the Emperor had just decided to investigate the exam hall fraud case, and he sent such a gift."
Yan Ruohai was also very curious about this commissioner, who he had never met before. He didn't know how he had obtained the list of names. "We should have investigated it long ago," he said quietly.
"Yes." Chen Pingping waved his hand and let his subordinates go to their manors to make arrangements for the big operation in a few days. He left Yan Ruohai behind. After a while, he said coldly, "There are many people who know the commissioner's identity, so this matter cannot be kept a secret. His Majesty still wants to save the Crown Prince some face, so we cannot touch the people in the Eastern Palace."
"Then the Prime Minister?" Yan Ruohai suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He guessed the commissioner's identity, and couldn't help but be shocked speechless.
Chen Pingping narrowed his eyes and looked at him. "Since you know who he is, of course you know that his father-in-law cannot be touched, no matter what."
"Actually, none of these people can be touched." Yan Ruohai smiled bitterly. "Other than the Crown Prince, one is a noble in the palace, one is the Prime Minister, and one is a senior member of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Our relationship with the military has always been good. We can't tear it apart over such a small matter."
"Yes." Chen Pingping snorted through his nose and said, "We must move these three lines, but we must not pursue them to the root. Otherwise, the imperial court and the public will be shaken, even His Majesty will not be able to put an end to it. Perhaps these officials have guessed that His Majesty will not punish all the officials because of the exam hall fraud, so they have been so bold in recent years. "
He suddenly laughed, but that smile was a little cold. "But they didn't expect that there would be someone in this world who was even more daring than them, actually betraying so many people in one go."
Yan Ruohai frowned. "What Commissioner Fan is doing is very inappropriate. He has offended so many nobles at once. How will this be resolved?"
"He's giving me the task to do." It was hard to tell whether Chen Pingping was angry or mad. In short, he wasn't in a good mood. "He knows that I won't let him stand in the eye of the storm. The reason why he gave me this list is to tell me that he doesn't want to be led by the nose. He wants me to help him deal with it!"
Yan Ruohai didn't dare reply, but he was even more shocked. What was the relationship between the eldest son of Count Sinan and Director Chen? Why did they dare to do such a thing? And looking at Fan Xian's expression, it seemed that he really was going to do as Fan Xian said.
Chen Pingping regained his composure and suddenly laughed, but his laughter was a little sharp and unpleasant. "Interesting. Interesting indeed."
Yan Ruohai asked curiously, "What does Commissioner Fan gain by doing this?"
"There are always some strange people in this world who don't do things for their own benefit." Chen Pingping seemed to be thinking of something, and a rare expression of respect appeared on his face. Yan Ruohai had never seen such an expression even when Director Chen mentioned His Majesty.
"Sir, please tell me, what is the highest level of investigation into the exam hall fraud?"
Chen Pingping raised his head slightly and said in a cold voice, "His Majesty feels that the Guo family has controlled the Ministry of Rites long enough."
"Understood."
"There is currently no one in the First Bureau. Mu Tie isn't smart enough, so you will take the lead."
"Yes."
— — —
The spring examination had already entered its third round. Fan Xian picked up a warm, wet towel and wiped the corners of his eyes. He found that he had indeed been a little tired over the past few days, and that his eye wax had grown. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly as he stood up and stretched. He then carefully looked at the students sprawled on the tables, sleeping. If even he, the examiner, was so tired, these students must be even more pitiful.
Today was the last day of the spring examination, and Fan Xian had already spent a few days in the examination hall of the Ministry of Rites. Although his family often sent him refreshments and food, his body and spirit were exhausted to the extreme. He yawned and walked over to Yang Wanli's side. He carefully looked at him. In the past few days, he found that this student named Yang Wanli had been very well-behaved. The things he had tucked in his clothes had not been touched, and he couldn't help but feel a little happy.
What surprised him even more was that this Yang Wanli actually had quite a bit of talent. Although a few of the caveats were not watertight, and his opinions were not grand and imposing, they were practical and unpretentious, which suited Fan Xian's temperament. The unnamed official of the Overwatch Council had also reported back. This Yang Wanli came from a poor family, and he had studied in the clan school in Quanzhou since he was a child. His results in the provincial examinations were excellent, and Fan Xian and he had a friendship that exposed cheating, so he couldn't help but pay more attention.
At this time, Yang Wanli had already finished the last test. He was looking tiredly to see if he had made any mistakes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Sir Fan had once again come to his side, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Although they were in the examination hall, and Fan Xian naturally couldn't talk to the examinees, Yang Wanli's mind was a little dazed after a few days of torment. He boldly pinched the lapels of his clothes, and then gave Fan Xian a pitiful look. It seemed that he was asking the young examiner how he had found out that he had smuggled something inside the examination hall.
Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh. With your talent, did you really need to resort to such methods? It wasn't convenient for him to talk, so he only used his right index finger to lightly point at Yang Wanli's bedding.
Yang Wanli was confused. He looked down and saw the black bedding behind him. He then looked at the long satin gown that, although it hadn't been washed for many days, still exuded an air of nobility. His heart jumped, and he knew how he had given himself away. Just think, which examinee could afford to wear a washed silk gown and carry a roll of black bedding into the examination hall?
He couldn't help but laugh foolishly.
Fan Xian smiled slightly and made a decision in his heart. He put his hands behind his back and strolled back.
…
…
It was already night, and the examinees gradually left the examination hall of the Ministry of Rites. After a few days of torment, everyone had long been exhausted. They yawned endlessly, and their bodies stank. Their faces were full of confusion. There were still a few slow examinees who were still bent over their desks, biting their brushes. There were also a few who had fallen asleep in their clothes under the lamp. It wasn't time yet, so naturally, the examiners didn't bother with them.
Suddenly, a gong rang out in Tongtuo Alley, to the side of the Ministry of Rites. The sound was crisp and clear, as if it wanted to wake up the night sky above the capital.
"The time has come. Students, stop writing."
Following the shout, officials from the Ministry of Rites began to clear the hall, chasing out the students who were still holding on to their brushes. There was an examinee who was at least forty years old. His hair was already white, but he still hadn't finished his exam. He cried and wailed, unwilling to leave his desk. In the end, he was tragically dragged out by several officials from the Overwatch Council.
After a long time, the crowd seemed to still be able to hear the examinee's wailing, unpleasant voice echoing outside the examination hall of the Ministry of Rites.
Fan Xian sighed, but there was no sympathy in his heart. In this world, it was the same in that world. What you could do, what you were suited to do, it all depended on your own efforts. It wasn't that he was a cold and emotionless person. It was just that to him, these students' exams were over, but his own … had just begun.
The night the exams ended, the papers had to be immediately sealed. This was Fan Xian's duty. The chief official, the two examiners, and the two supervisors all sat high up in the hall, not daring to leave. They all waited for Fan Xian to lead the people to complete the two procedures of pasting names and making a copy. Only then could they seal the papers.
The candles were bright, and the entire second yamen of the Ministry of Rites was busy. In the outer room, dozens of old officials were dividing and organizing the papers. In another small room, Fan Xian rubbed his temples as he watched two officials from the Ministry of Rites paste the names.
Before all the papers were pasted on, they had to first be sent to Fan Xian. Fan Xian didn't dare to be negligent. He carefully looked at the names on the papers, matching them with the names on the four slips of paper. After a long time, he had already picked out a dozen or so papers and placed them inconspicuously to his right.
The two officials from the Ministry of Rites next to him lowered their heads and looked at each other. They knew that the dozen or so papers had been sent to the important figures in the palace.
After finishing what he was doing, Fan Xian waved at the two officials, indicating that they should begin pasting the names. The two officials didn't dare to be negligent, and quickly began to cover the names and birthplaces of the students on the papers with paper.
Fan Xian didn't try to avoid suspicion. He carefully watched from the side, and finally realized how these officials of the Kingdom of Qing did this. It turned out that when pasting the names on the papers that he had picked out, the strips of paper used were slightly shorter than those used by ordinary students.
Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh as he watched the officials from the Ministry of Rites solemnly paste a short slip of paper onto the exam papers he had chosen. If Guo You were to find out in the future that not all of these exam papers had been requested by high-ranking officials of the court, and that some of them had been written by talented scholars that he had taken a liking to, such as that simpleton Yang Wanli, would Guo You be so angry that he would vomit blood?
What he didn't know was that if his little trick fell into the hands of the elders of the Overwatch Council, Guo You wouldn't even have the chance to vomit blood.
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