The Guangxi imperial examination fraud case, because it involved officials of the Inspectorate, so the case was handed over to Dali Temple for full trial.

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

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

"Put it down."

In front of Zhao Han, there were only three records of the parties.

The university graduation examination in each province has been combined with the township examination (provincial examination). The president of the university can only arrange and organize the exam, and is not qualified to personally proctolate the exam, and cannot even touch the exam questions in advance. There are three real examiners, one is the chief justice of the province, one is a foreigner sent by the Ministry of Rites, and the other is a clean government sent by the Inspectorate.

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 to various examination rooms from Nanjing, by Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Rites. On the day of the exam, in addition to the three examiners, the university president and the director of the provincial hall of ceremonies are present. Only when the five people arrive can the sealed test paper be opened, and after the approval is correct, the five people will seal the test together. If there is a problem with the examination paper, the examination must be terminated.

Something went wrong, and the five of them lost their official positions together!

The sealing of the test paper was done by the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Punishment, and it was covered with the big seals of the three books. There are also three layers of sealing, the test paper is sealed once, the waterproof paper on the outside is sealed once, and the outermost box must be sealed. Each layer of sealing is stamped with three large seals, and only the outermost layer is allowed to be damaged by wind and rain.

The printing of the test papers is in charge of the factory and is carried out in the Forbidden City. Therefore, the first sealing of the test paper also has the seal of the celebrant and the celebrant superintendent.

If this can still be leaked in advance, the problem will really be a big deal, and there will be a large number of officials who have been investigated and punished. The President of the Celebrant Supervisor, the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, the Criminal Department, the Inspectorate, the Guangxi Grand Court, the Guangxi Rite Hall, and the President of Guilin University...... All of them will be investigated severely.

If there is really fraud in the imperial examination, it will not be a leak, but someone will be invited to take the exam on behalf of him!

Shoufu Song Yingxing said: "Your Majesty, this matter must be strictly investigated, not only to investigate the fraud case, but also to investigate those scholars who knock on the que!" When is it not good to knock, you have to completely block the Donghua Gate on the day of the roll call, and the Jinshi are blocked in the door and can't get out. If it is not severely punished, where is the majesty of the court? ”

Last year, the ministry reformed and three more cabinet ministers were added, and Zhu Shunshui has also joined the cabinet. He said: "Knocking on the scholars should indeed be punished, but they can't be blindly strong, otherwise it will be difficult to block the mouth of the world." Many of them were just bewitched, and when they heard that there was a case of fraud in the imperial examination, they came to knock on the court with full enthusiasm. The minister thought that it was enough to punish those who took the lead in making trouble and colluding, and there was no need to punish all the knockers.

Xiao Huan, who also joined the cabinet last year, disagreed with Zhu Shunshui's opinion: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks it should be handled strictly." However, all those who participate in the knocking are not allowed to be released as officials. However, they could not be cut off from their careers and allowed to take the provincial government officer examination. ”

Chen Maosheng stood up and said: "Most of the people who knocked on the list this time are unsuccessful scholars. They only think about the title of Jinshi, and would rather waste time repeating the imperial examination, delay for a few years and then release seven or eight grades, rather than start from the ninth rank official. This kind of scholar has become an official, and he will not be a good official! In addition, this imperial examination is more generous than three years ago. The release grade of the first and second list jinshi has been improved, so that self-financed college graduates can also be released. The imperial court is already giving in, and the fallen scholars are still pressing step by step. If the imperial court gives in again, I don't know what unreasonable demands there will be in the next imperial examination! ”

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

Chen Maosheng said: "All those who participated in the knock will have their fame cancelled. If they withdraw their university diplomas, not only can they no longer be officials, but they are not even allowed to take the official examination! ”

"No!"

The other ministers objected in unison, and they did not agree with Chen Maosheng's statement.

Chen Maosheng was resolute: "For the sake of a Jinshi title, I can't even look down on the nine rank officials, and would rather take the exam for three more years, six years, nine years, or even more than ten years." What is this kind of person an official for? Even if they are officials, will they do things seriously? Will it ask for the lives of the people? No, they will only pull gangs and factions to climb up! If it is not severely punished, it will certainly encourage the arrogance of this generation, and it will also create unhealthy tendencies in the officialdom. In the end, it became like the previous Ming, the first list looked down on Shu Jishi, the Shu Jishi looked down on ordinary Jinshi, the second list looked down on the third list of Jinshi, and the Jinshi looked down on people to be officials, and people looked down on tributary officials! With the same list, the same department, the same township, and the same room, gang and faction, officials protect each other, and form parties to fight! ”

The crowd was silent, and it was not good to argue any more.

Zhao Han smiled and said: "There are so many unsuccessful scholars, so I will take a step back......"

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

"If I don't back down, how can I dispel the resentment in the hearts of the scholars?" Zhao Han smiled more and more happily, "I ordered the Ministry of Rites to post a list outside the Donghua Gate, and said that it would be allowed to participate in the examination indefinitely in the future." They are determined to be admitted to the Jinshi, so they will take the test as they please. But ......"

As soon as the ministers heard the "but", they knew that the emperor was about to make a bad move.

Zhao Han said: "First, as long as you fail in the first test and give up the opportunity to release the nine-rank official, you can't be directly released in this life, and you must be admitted to the Jinshi before you can become an official." Second, if you are admitted to the Jinshi after more than three times, you can no longer be an administrative officer, but can only be a miscellaneous official, or you can be sent to a local school. Third, if you are over 30 years old, you are not allowed to take the exam again! ”

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

If these three conditions are taken out, even if the indefinite imperial examination is allowed, most of the scholars who fail will choose to directly release the nine-rank officials. Except for the truly confident people, who the would dare to participate in the imperial examination repeatedly? Once you fail the exam three times in a row, you can only be a miscellaneous official in this life, so it is better to go out directly.

In this way, it can block the mouth of Youyou, so that the fallen scholars can no longer complain. It also gave really powerful candidates the opportunity to take the exam three times, but they can't get sick with diarrhea in the three exams within nine years, right? If there is such a thing, don't complain, it is right to find a temple to burn incense.

Suddenly, Zhao Han's expression became serious: "The leader of the strict investigation of this matter will be stripped of his fame and withdrawn his university diploma!" ”

……

Outside Donghua Gate, it has been very lively for the past two days.

The knocking gentleman knelt and didn't leave, but it was cheaper for the small vendor.

Although in addition to major solar terms, stalls are not allowed outside Donghua Gate, but the stalls can be held far away. Noodles, chaos, three meals a day, anyone who is hungry can call for takeout.

Several messengers walked back and forth, and suddenly their eyes lit up, and an errand came over and pointed to the chaotic soup on the ground: "Your Majesty is gracious and allows you to eat outside the Donghua Gate, but you are not allowed to stain the city gate." Whoever spills the soup will be fined ten cents! ”

The student who accidentally spilled the soup was not used to seeing the errand officer domineering, and wanted to argue a few words, but he was afraid that it would ruin a big thing. I could only put the bowl down and took out two coins as five dollars: "Take it!" ”

When the five big coins are already the highest denomination of Datong copper coins.

The new dynasty of Datong is very unkind, and only the copper coins of this dynasty are allowed to be used, and the Tongbao of the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties cannot be used.

Of course, in order not to seriously affect the lives of the people, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. As long as it is a copper coin, it can be exchanged at Datong Bank, weighed, and verified, and the bank will not suffer a loss anyway. The garbage in the last years of Chongzhen should be ten yuan, and if you get it to Datong Bank, ten yuan can only be exchanged for one new penny.

Even the inferior copper coins minted by Li Zicheng were collected, but the exchange value was very low.

As a result of this practice, the little savings of people in some areas have also shrunk significantly.

Therefore, in many provinces, the peasants are allowed to pay grain directly, because they are afraid that the people will not have the money to pay the taxes and there will be chaos.

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

The team that knocked on the queue for their lives instantly became chaotic, and it was really unbearable to kneel for two days in a row.

In the midst of the chaos and noise, many scholars took the opportunity to adjust their posture and stretch their arms and legs. Some people have been kneeling for too long, their legs and feet have been stiff, and they can't move at all, so they simply lie down and say to the people who come to help: "Don't get in the way, don't get in the way, I'll lie down for a while." ”

Horizontal and vertical, lying on the ground.

After a while, there was even a snoring sound, and I don't know which brother actually 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 unsuccessful scholars, you will not make concessions to us former scholars." To be honest, I have some regrets. I was originally from Nanjing, and if I had been a small official, I would have been able to become a prefect now. I have a classmate when I was a child, and I didn't even get into Xiucai, but now I am the prefect of Yongping. Although Yongping is remote and the people do not have one out of ten, the prefect is the prefect after all. Time is also fate, and blames himself for being too high-spirited. ”

"How can you think that?" Zhai Wenben said, "We all have meritorious achievements, how can we be swordsmen and penmen?" Shame on you! ”

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

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

When they arrived outside the Donghua Gate, one of the handymen was brushing the paste, and the other was pasting the notice on the wall. The scribe said, "Don't kneel, look at the notice." ”

The unsuccessful scholars who knocked on the list hurriedly got up and gathered around the notice to read carefully.

There are a few scholars who have failed the list, and it is estimated that they are proud of their talents, and they feel that they have played abnormally this time, and they will definitely be able to pass the next exam. They cheered, knelt down again, and kowtowed to the Donghua Gate and shouted: "Your Majesty Shengming, long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!" ”

More unsuccessful scholars looked at each other and were speechless for a long time.

"Well, let's disperse."

Finally, someone sighed and left, limping because he knelt for too long.

For the vast majority of scholars, they did not dare to gamble their lives at all. The emperor seemed to have given them the opportunity to take the imperial examination indefinitely, but the conditions were too harsh, and it was very easy to beat the chickens and eggs, so it was better to become a nine-rank official after the first examination.

Moreover, there is no reason for them to continue to make trouble.

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

But the court didn't let them go easily, and an official of the Criminal Department came over with the police: "All of them, go to the Criminal Department for questioning." Rest assured, only those who lead the troublemakers will be investigated, and you can report each other. Moreover, His Majesty was gracious and only arrested three people, and the rest were all innocent. ”

After the exam, Zhang Xiliang, who was out of shape due to illness, fainted in fright when he heard this - it may also be that he knelt for two days and was physically exhausted.

Zhao Han's idea is very simple, if you have a problem, you can go to the sparse, and the candidates who fail the list are also eligible to be sparse. Hundreds of people in series, you can go up and down together, what the hell is it to take the lead and knock on the que?

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