It was a thin strip of paper that had very little difference in the length of the name. If one were to look at it casually, they would not be able to see anything strange. But if the transcriber was aware, he would certainly be able to tell. Fan Xian watched as Yang Wanli's paper was pasted with a short strip of paper, and for some reason, his mood became extremely good. He smiled and shook his head. He could not help but ask, "Even if they were picked out, how do I mark them when copying?"
The official beside him smiled awkwardly. He knew that this newly famous person still did not understand the rules. Carefully, he replied, "Sir Fan junior, when copying, as long as you work on the strokes of certain words, the person who approves the scrolls will naturally understand."
Fan Xian suddenly understood, and sighed in admiration. "That way, even if the person marking the paper doesn't know who it is, as long as he knows it's the right person, it's fine."
"Yes, sir." The official from the Board of Rites replied politely, but in his heart, he was cursing this world-shaking young man for not even knowing these old rules of officialdom.
What he did not know was that Fan Xian was also cursing these people for being stupid. If it were not for the Qing officials being so arrogant, how could these loophole-ridden old rules have been followed for so many years? He would not have been able to use these loopholes to do things for those true scholars.
Of course, he also understood that the reason the entire bureaucracy had always tacitly approved of this method was because, in this matter, whether they were political enemies or not, they had already tacitly approved of this method of dividing watermelons. Aside from madmen, no one in the system dared to cause trouble.
In fact, the Eastern Palace, the elders, and even the Prime Minister all had other ways to arrange this matter, but they all came to him at the same time. One reason was because the middleman was responsible for sealing the names, which was an important step in the process. The other reason was that, apart from Prime Minister Lin, the other parties wanted to see what Fan Xian's attitude was.
Fan Xian's attitude was actually very simple: screw you. After all, not everyone was as idle as Fan Xian. After all, not everyone had a good father like Fan Xian, and not everyone had a good mother like Princess Iron Fan.
After a busy night, the civil service examination, which could decide the lives of countless scholars, finally came to an end. Many officials rubbed their sleepy eyes and gathered in the main hall, listening to the chief examiner of this year's spring examination, the Minister of Rites, Guo Youzhi's lecture.
Guo You waved his hand tiredly to dismiss the lower-ranking officials. He then looked kindly at Fan Xian. "You have worked hard these past few days, Sir Fan."
"I wouldn't dare." Fan Xian forced himself to smile. "Sir, I wouldn't dare to say that. Besides, I'm still young."
Guo You smiled and said, "Everyone has worked hard." Actually, all of the high-ranking officials present understood the inside story of this civil service examination. Guo You and the two teachers were not the only ones who had profited from it. Even Fan Xian didn't know that a few days ago, someone had already sent his share of silver to Fan Manor. That sum was even more frightening than half a year's worth of revenue from Danbo Bookstore.
For several days, the examination hall was filled with the rancid smell of something yellow and white. Fan Xian stood on the stone steps and covered his nose with his hand. He took one last look at the dark hall, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He had been in this world for many years, and all he knew was that he had to live, but he didn't know how he should live. It wasn't until he made up his mind to do this that he realized that being a good person in the general sense felt good.
Of course, being a good person didn't mean being a pedantic old man.
The officials of the three ministries had already gathered the examination papers. Led by the eunuchs of the palace, and protected by the palace guards and secret agents of the Overwatch Council, they traveled through the capital's almost white night sky toward the Imperial College. Within a few days, the copied papers would be finished, and the candidates for the top three would be selected. They would then be sent to the Imperial Academy, where the top three would be chosen …
Fan Xian left the smelly examination hall. A carriage from Fan Manor was already waiting for him at the gate. After getting into the carriage, he accepted a towel from Teng Zijing and wiped his face. He asked tiredly, "Father, do you have any objections to what I did?"
"No." Teng Zijing shifted his injured thigh and replied quietly, "It's just that the old master seems a little unhappy. He feels that you should have informed the Prime Minister ahead of time. Furthermore, the scope of this matter is too wide. If the public were to become angry, I'm afraid that neither the Prime Minister nor the old master would be able to protect you."
Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything. He still had the Overwatch Council behind him. More importantly, Chen Pingping had Wang Qinian pass on a message that the Emperor was preparing to reorganize the government this year. He was just going with the flow. Chen Pingping was probably scolding him for causing trouble on the surface, but he was secretly pleased that he finally had a reason to make a move.
Fan Xian only needed to provide the Overwatch Council with a reason, and then the Council would present this reason to the Emperor for him to make a decision. As for the Crown Prince and Ning the Talented, Fan Xian had other plans. Earlier, when he had copied the names, Fan Xian had chosen a few talented names to hide, regardless of whether they were from the Eastern Palace or from the Great Prince. He had protected them, and it could be considered an explanation to the other party.
When the matter came out, Fan Xian wanted people to feel that he had done this not because he was biased towards one side of the government, but because he was a pure scholar who had made a "noble" and crazy decision based on some rotten obsession.
— — —
In the following days, the capital was calm. Since Fan Xian had already revealed the truth, the hidden powers of the Overwatch Council began to cooperate. At least before the list of the top three came out, no shocking news spread through the officialdom. In the end, the people that Fan Xian had secretly stuffed into the top three were not eliminated. It was clear that in the Imperial College and the Ministry of Rites, there were spies from that terrifying old man, Chen Pingping, secretly helping Fan Xian hide.
As for Guo You and the other high-ranking officials, perhaps because they had been too used to cheating in the exam hall in the past few years, and because they had masters like the Eastern Palace behind them, they clearly didn't pay enough attention and didn't see such an obvious problem.
On the 22nd of the second month, the spring branches on both sides of the road gradually unfurled, and the birds on the branches flew in pairs. It was a joyous time of spring. In an inn on the west side of the capital, not far from the Imperial College, students from all over the country who were waiting for news gathered downstairs in a panic. There was no wine or food on the table, because these students were not in the mood to eat and drink at the moment. All of their thoughts were focused on gathering information.
"No chance." A student from Shandong Road smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I think there's still no chance this time."
"Brother Jialin, why do you say that?" The student sitting next to him had a slightly dark expression. It was Yang Wanli, the one who had met Fan Xian's eyes during the exam.
He came from Quanzhou, and often made a living by the sea. He was very different from those gifted scholars who were born into nobility and spent the first half of their lives in the study hall. It could be seen that his mood was very relaxed. He picked up a pair of vinegar-soaked peanuts from the table and ate them. As he chewed, he said unclearly, "Brother Jialin is a famous figure in Shandong Road, and his treatises are brilliant. A few days ago, after everyone read them, they were full of praise. As for me, I'm not good at this, and I'm not good at writing. Although I'm confident that I'll be able to make it to Muling County, I'm sure I won't be able to make it onto the list. "
Cheng Jialin came from Shandong Road, and this was his third time participating in the exam. He smiled bitterly and lowered his voice. "Don't tell me you and I don't know these things? There are only so many candidates for each exam. The high-ranking officials in the court ask for a few, the palace decides on a few, and the Imperial College chooses a few. Outsiders like us may have some fame in our hometown, but what are we in the capital? Even if the court wanted to find a few talented people to serve as foils to shut the mouths of the scholars, there are plenty of famous scholars in the capital to choose from. How could it be us? "
The other scholar at the table had a lean face, and he did not seem to be a man of fortune. Perhaps he had drunk too much, and there was something in his chest that he could not release, so he spoke very boldly. He laughed coldly. "Brother Jialin is correct. I think it would be best if there were no more imperial examinations in the future, so that you two would not have to waste so much money on travel expenses. What bullsh * t exam? It's just the high-ranking officials in the court choosing their own dogs! "
Cheng Jialin's face darkened, and then he became slightly afraid. He advised, "Brother Jichang, keep your voice down. If the secret agents of the Overwatch Council hear us, not only will our careers be ruined, I'm afraid even our lives will be in danger."
Brother Jichang's surname was Hou, and he was also a strange man who did not like to walk the path of the rich and powerful. Although he had a bit of a reputation in the capital, and had always been as famous as He Zongwei, because of his sharp tongue and personality, he had always been a little lonely. Hearing his friend's worried words, he could not help but laugh. "Although the Overwatch Council is frightening, how could those secret agents look up to small fry like us? If they were really that powerful, why didn't they keep an eye on the cheating cases in the exam hall? "
Yang Wanli shook his head. "Although the Overwatch Council has always had a bad reputation, when it comes to supervising officials, they are very useful."
Hou Jichang waved his finger. "How can there be an innocent official in the government? If we place our hopes on the Overwatch Council, isn't that asking a tiger for its skin? "
Yang Wanli retorted. "Officials are also chosen from among the scholars. How can they all be bad people? I think …" For a moment, he could not find any famous officials in the capital who were known for their innocence. He could not help but feel a little hesitant. After a while, his eyes suddenly brightened. "I think Master Fan Xian of the Imperial College is a very good official."
His two friends beside him naturally knew that Yang Wanli had been caught by Master Fan junior carrying something in his clothes. They could not help but make fun of him. "So letting you finish the exam makes you a good official? That's a little too simple."
The three of them joked for a while more, and as the wine went to their heads, they could not help but start cursing the abuses of the court in a low voice. They returned to what they had been talking about before. If the Overwatch Council was truly willing to investigate the cheating cases, perhaps the atmosphere in the exam hall would actually improve.
At that moment, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the inn. The three of them stood up curiously, and heard a scholar roar in ecstasy. "Cheating in the exam hall! Guo You, the Minister of the Board of Rites, has been stripped of his position and thrown into prison!"
There was a loud bang! Spring thunder roared above the capital, and a fresh spring rain fell on the bodies of the students inside and outside the inn.
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