Sparse raindrops fell around the inn, accompanied by the sound of spring thunder from time to time. However, those students seemed to be stunned, standing stupidly in the drizzle outside the inn. This alley was a gathering place for students from outside the capital on their way to the examination, so there were a lot of people here. After the previous shout, the crowd immediately fell into a strange silence.
After a long time, some people finally came back to their senses and surrounded the student who had shouted before. After a long period of noise, it was as if an explosion had occurred. All of them were asking at once what had happened. Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli also showed expressions of excitement, but they suppressed the impulse in their hearts and only walked to the railing to listen to the conversation.
There were too many people asking questions, but only one person answered. After a long time, the three of them finally understood. Last night, the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council had sent out over a hundred secret agents. They had split into five groups and headed straight for Guo Manor in the south of the city. Four groups had gone to four other residences and captured four Jiangnan students.
Because they had moved so quickly, the news was covered up for the entire night. It was not until morning that the emperor announced lightly that he had already issued an edict ordering the Overwatch Council to investigate the examination hall fraud case. The court was immediately thrown into chaos. Only now did the officials know why Guo You, the Minister of Rites, was not among the group.
The only ones who were truly calm were the Prime Minister, the Minister of Revenue, and of course, Chen Pingping of the Overwatch Council, who had yet to attend court.
This time, the Overwatch Council had acted quickly and accurately, especially the group that had captured the four Jiangnan scholars. On the spot, they had found letters between them and other officials, and in Guo Manor, they had seized an astonishing amount of silver. According to the preliminary results of the investigation, the four Jiangnan scholars were all from powerful families, and three of them were salt merchants. This time, they had brought large amounts of gold and silver to the capital for the examinations, and after a lot of effort, they had finally found Minister Guo's tutelage.
Guo You had already entered the prison of the Overwatch Council, and the four Jiangnan scholars had become pitiful guests. Since yesterday, the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council had begun to order the Jiangnan branch to arrest them, in order to make sure the case was irrefutable. Because these four Jiangnan scholars had nominally bribed the chief official of the Spring Examination, Minister Guo, in reality, most of the money had been sent to the Eastern Palace. Thus, the final background of this case was … the Crown Prince.
Of course, the students knew nothing about these details. They only knew that they were cursing Minister Guo in the rain, not even sparing the poor Minister Guo's mother and son.
It seemed that His Majesty was determined to thoroughly investigate the exam hall fraud case. Other than the Ministry of Rites, there were at least a dozen other officials who had been suspended from their duties pending investigation. According to rumors in the jianghu, the reason why the investigation had been so quick and accurate was all because of a blacklist. On that list were the names of the scholars who had colluded with the court officials during the spring examination. The Overwatch Council had used the scholars to make their own deductions, and the results were excellent.
Somewhat shocked, Hou Jichang walked back to the table from the railing. He raised the wine cup and poured it down his throat. Seemingly unaware of the spiciness of the wine, he said absentmindedly, "I didn't expect this, I really didn't expect this."
"Didn't expect what?" Yang Wanli and Cheng Jialin had not yet recovered from this shocking news, and they asked without thinking.
Hou Jichang laughed and slapped the table heavily. "I didn't expect the Overwatch Council to act so accurately and so ruthlessly, to be able to get their hands on a list that could put the nobles of the court to death." He picked up the wine pot and filled the cups of his two friends. He raised his cup in invitation and said excitedly, "Come, let's drink to the Overwatch Council!"
"Cheers!" Yang Wanli and Yang Wanli didn't say anything else. They raised their cups in excitement.
At that moment, the inn was filled with excited young scholars, inviting people to drink to their hearts' content. The Kingdom of Qing had been corrupt for a long time. Although everyone knew that it was impossible to completely change the situation by simply catching a Minister of Rites, as the saying goes, "A journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step." As long as His Majesty had discovered a problem and was willing to solve it, These young, energetic, and perhaps even naive scholars all believed that the future of the Kingdom of Qing would become better.
…
…
After a long time, the drunkenness slowly crept into his chest. Yang Wanli's eyes were glazed over, and he laughed somewhat foolishly. "How satisfying. Even if I don't pass this time, to be able to witness such a shocking event, it can be considered satisfying."
Cheng Jialin drank less, and he was also the most sober. He had always been passionate about his career, and he hesitantly asked, "Since the exam hall fraud case has been uncovered, then … will there be a retake of the exam this time?"
"There won't be." On the contrary, after drinking a few pots of wine, Hou Jichang's thin face appeared calm, and his eyes became very clear. "This is only a warning from His Majesty, and there are precedents. Twelve years ago, when the world was first settled, there was also an incident in the exam. That year, 14 officials of the Board of Rites were executed, but the results of the exam were still announced as usual. Only those students who had relations with the officials were removed, and those who came later took their places."
"Then … doesn't that mean we have a chance?" Yang Wanli laughed foolishly. With his pure nature, he thought of the problem very simply. "There are only so many places in the top three. Once those who took the dishonest path are removed, our chances will be much better."
Hou Jichang laughed coldly. "If it weren't for the fact that there were even more noble people involved, Minister Guo, who was only a minister, would not dare to tamper with the nation's grand ceremony. Those nobles would probably want to protect even more students, but they only removed four salt merchants' sons. What good would that do for the bigger picture? "
The other two thought to themselves that it was indeed so, and they couldn't help but feel a little sad. After a while, Yang Wanli suddenly slapped the table and laughed. "No matter what, this is still something to be happy about. Last year, the most sensational thing in the capital was that speech, which forced the Eldest Princess to return to Xinyang. This year, the most sensational thing is probably this blacklist, which actually overthrew a minister of the court. "
Cheng Jialin looked worried. "Let's wait until the top three are out tomorrow," he said.
Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli knew his temperament, and that he still had some illusions about this year's imperial examinations. They smiled and ignored him. "I have to go pull that kid Shi Chanli out of bed and tell him the good news."
Yang Wanli laughed. "Remember to have him buy some food."
— — —
"Beautiful, very beautiful." Fan Xian lightly flicked the paper that Wang Qinian had brought over. He was in a great mood. Wan 'er sat next to him and said with some worry, "Aren't you worried that the Crown Prince will find out that you were the one who exposed the cheating?"
Today, Fan Xian, who had been severely reprimanded by his father, was, for the first time, grounded. He could only obediently stay in the manor. He knew that what he had done was indeed somewhat absurd. Of course, if he hadn't received news from the Council beforehand that the Emperor was planning to make an example of him this year, Fan Xian would not have dared to become this "tainted witness" and make an enemy of the entire court.
In truth, the list of names was not much of a secret. Fan Xian had a few slips of paper in his hands, and all the advisors had a few slips of paper in their hands. Just by looking at this kind of open and aboveboard cheating, one could tell that the Qing bureaucracy had long since become accustomed to it. It was precisely because of this that the Overwatch Council's investigation this time was unexpected. For a moment, no one would suspect Fan Xian's head first.
Hearing his wife's question, a strange expression appeared on Fan Xian's face. He said, "Your Crown Prince is too daring, and his methods are terrible. The entire court is also a group of daring idiots. Cheating in the spring examinations is a big deal, and yet it has been made known to the whole world. Even if I didn't report it, if His Majesty wanted to investigate, would they still be able to hide it?"
Wan 'er crawled out of bed and looked at his face calmly. "Husband, don't take such risks in the future. There is no wall in this world that can withstand the wind. If people find out that you had something to do with this, what will you do in the future?"
"What will I do? Cold. " Fan Xian made another witty remark that his wife did not understand. He smiled and said, "So what if they find out?"
Wan'er sighed. She thought that her husband was well-educated and well-mannered. He looked calm on the outside, but no one could predict when he would do something so crazy.
Fan Xian knew that his wife was worried about him. He quietly said, "The key to this matter is still in the palace. What is the imperial examination? It is a way for His Majesty to gather talents for himself. In the previous dynasty, there was an emperor who laughed during the imperial examination and said that all the heroes of the world had fallen into his net. His Majesty can tolerate the officials of the court using the imperial examination places to exchange for wealth, but he cannot tolerate all the places being used for ill-gotten gains. Furthermore, both the Crown Prince and the Great Prince have interfered in this matter. Our uncle, the Emperor, has to ask himself … what are his two sons trying to do? "
Wan 'er did not quite understand. She asked curiously, "Of course they want to cultivate their own power in the future."
Fan Xian smiled and continued to ask, "Then His Majesty will have to ask, why do you want to cultivate your own power? The Great Prince is someone who leads an army. What does he need such a large power in the court? "
Wan 'er smiled bitterly and said, "What about the Crown Prince? He is the heir to the throne of a country. Cultivating talents is acceptable. After all, he is going to be the Emperor who will control the country in the future. In the past, when I listened to the Grand Tutor's lectures in the Eastern Palace, the Grand Tutor once said that the Eastern Palace cannot do nothing. He must not be afraid of rumors. He must first prepare some officials for future use. This is true loyalty and filial piety. "
Fan Xian shook his head and revealed a faint sneer. He said, "The Grand Tutor's essay is probably good, and his reasoning is certainly correct. But the problem is that His Majesty is healthy. The Eastern Palace is now beginning to cultivate talents. His Majesty must ask himself: Is the Crown Prince anxious?"
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