Originally, this incident was just a joke, as an after-dinner joke for the children of the powerful in the capital.

are laughing at a group of poor scholars from other places who don't know the sky and the earth and ask for their own hardships.

But unexpectedly, this matter spread quickly.

At first, they didn't care, but as the news spread, the smell changed.

The children of the powerful in the capital have obtained a very good ranking through privileges, while students from other places, students from ordinary backgrounds, have no power and no silver to play because their families have no power and no money to do, so they can only fall off the list in the end, and ten years of hard work in the cold window will be in vain.

This is not enough.

If you don't pass the exam this time, it won't matter, it will take another three years, but the children of the powerful in the capital will also put all the people in prison, and threaten to let them stay in it for the rest of their lives.

With the spread of these rumors, there are also some articles written by Liang Qi and others on weekdays, as well as the articles of Zhao Xuzhe and others on weekdays.

Although most of the people can't tell the height, they can tell whether the writing looks good or not.

In terms of fonts, Zhao Xuzhe's characters are crooked, while the characters of Liang Qi and others are very neat, and they look like they have worked hard.

In addition to the common people, there are many other scholars in the capital, as well as officials from all sides.

Seeing these comparisons, and listening to the speculation about the fraud in the imperial examination, these scholars also expressed their dissatisfaction.

It would be very happy if the people could have a scholar in their own family, and these scholars from ordinary backgrounds would also allow them to easily substitute for their own situation.

It is not easy to cultivate a child who can read, and the child also has the ability to get a good ranking, but in the end he was replaced by these powerful children, how sad is that?

Chu Xuanjin, who was originally enjoying himself in the harem, was also troubled and had to go to court because of this incident.

After reading the recital presented to him, Chu Xuanjin looked impatient and asked Zuo Ye, "Master, what do you say?"

Zuo Ye said loudly: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that these scholars are just because they can't get the ideal ranking, so they maliciously spread rumors, if they are allowed to do so, the majesty of the court, and even Your Majesty's face, will be trampled on the soles of their feet, so the minister thinks that they must not be tolerated, and must be severely punished!"

Chu Xuanjin nodded approvingly when he heard this, and then asked Prime Minister Cheng Yi, "Prime Minister, what do you think?"

When Cheng Yi heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head, remembering that he had also gone from an ordinary child step by step to today's position.

It's just that he looked at Chu Xuanjin and then at Zuo Ye, and after weighing the pros and cons, he said, "The minister thinks that these scholars are indeed wrong, but the minister thinks that they only need to be taught a lesson, and they are punished severely, and they still don't have to, they have to be given a chance to mend their ways."

Zuo Ye asked him in a low voice, "Prime Minister, if everyone can provoke the majesty of the imperial court like them, then how should the prestige of the imperial court be established in the future? How will the people be convinced by the court's disposition in the future?!"

Cheng Yi frowned tightly, and he didn't agree with the severe punishment of these scholars, but he knew in his heart how heavy Zuo Ye's words were, so he silently returned to his position and stopped arguing.

Seeing that Cheng Yi was still aware of current affairs, the corners of his lips raised slightly, and he said to Chu Xuanjin: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that this matter should be dealt with as soon as possible, so that the palace examination can be arranged as soon as possible, and the best talents can be selected for Your Majesty and the Great Zhou as soon as possible to serve the imperial court."

"That being the case, then according to the will of the Taishi, Dali Temple, the Criminal Department, you go and arrest those scholars who question and make trouble, and the specific punishment ......" At this point, Chu Xuanjin's order was stuck.

Subconsciously looked at Zuo Ye and asked silently: What punishment should be given?

Zuo Ye saluted him and said, "The ministers think that they should strip them of all their fame and be exiled to the frontier for eternity, so they don't take the majesty of the court seriously. The minister believed that with their example, no one would dare to challenge the majesty of the imperial court."

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When everyone in the hall heard Zuo Ye's execution, their hearts jumped.

It's so ruthless!

They all know very well how much water there is in this imperial examination, and what these people say is actually not wrong.

Stripping them of their fame is already a very ruthless punishment for their students who have studied hard for many years.

It is too cruel to exile them to the frontier and never return.

The ministers can't help but look at me, and I look at you, and they can see the same unbearability in each other's eyes.

However, no one dared to refute Zuo Ye's meaning.

The first time Cheng Yi heard this, he looked at Zuo Ye in shock, but finally stopped talking.

"Since all the ministers have no objections, then do it according to the will of the Grand Master." Chu Xuanjin waved his hand and said.

He didn't want to bother with all this, just let them worry about it.

Cheng Yi's mind has been replaying the picture of the old prime minister he met when he participated in the imperial examination.

At that time, he was just an ordinary student, and when he went to take the exam, he was so nervous.

Especially when I saw the children of other powerful people in the capital, they all had horses and incense carts, followed by a number of small servants, all kinds of food and clothing were very well prepared, and they were accompanied by their fathers and brothers in official uniforms.

When the officials in the examination room saw them, they all came forward to greet them enthusiastically, and then listened to their words of good care.

At that moment, he felt that his chances of making the list were very slim.

But I still have the idea of trying hard no matter what the result is, so I still completed my test questions very carefully.

Later, he was lucky enough to participate in the palace examination, and when the people from the government came to tell him that he was the champion, he was stunned.

He was even more surprised when he saw that Bangyan and Tanhua were also well-known talented but grassroots-born scholars.

Only later did I know that it was impossible for them to be among the best, and the champions, lists, tanhuas, and even those in the forefront were all the children of the powerful who had already done a good job.

However, the prime minister at that time played a concert and proposed that someone had cheated in the imperial examination, arrested a number of officials involved, and the students who participated in the bribery were also deprived of their fame and disqualified.

If you want to gain fame again, you can only take the exam one level at a time.

And the children of the powerful who have lost the protection of their families, where can they still pass the exam?

After accepting the official position, the old prime minister at that time was at the door of the main hall, patted him on the shoulder and said to them: "It is difficult to fight the country, it is even more difficult to defend the country, it is not easy to protect this country, in addition to the wisdom of Your Majesty, you also need the loyalty of all the courtiers and the determination and firm perseverance of the people."

At that time, they could still see the courtiers who had participated in the fraud who had been taken off their official hats.

The prime minister looked at them and said with a deep look in his eyes, "You must remember that you must not follow in their footsteps. The establishment of the imperial examination is to allow more capable people with real talents and hard work to participate in the construction of the Great Zhou, and if the court of the Great Zhou is maintained by capable people like you, then it will be the luck of the Great Zhou and the blessing of the people."

The old prime minister's words were not fast and his tone was light, but they made several young people enthusiastic when they listened to them, and they were bound to use their abilities to achieve a career.

Cheng Yi looked at the back of the old prime minister leaving, clenched his fists, he hoped that one day he could become a person like the old prime minister, a good official, a good official who is down-to-earth for the people.

Now, he has successfully sat in the position of prime minister, but in order to keep the glory that he has won so hard in this life, he has to give up some things.

The picture of the back of the old prime minister that I thought I would remember for a lifetime is now almost blurred.

He was so afraid of the poor life that he had lived before, and he didn't want to go back to that miserable life.

Only if he stays in this position, he will have the opportunity to do more good things for the people, so there are some things that he has to do.

Cheng Yi struggled for a long time, and finally spoke, "Your Majesty."

Zuo Ye squinted his eyes slightly and looked at Cheng Yi, "Prime Minister thinks this punishment is inappropriate?"

Cheng Yi said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that there is naturally nothing wrong with the punishment of the Taishi, but the minister feels that there are too many people to deal with, and if the palace examination is carried out after all the disposals are completed, then this will greatly delay the end of the Spring Festival. Therefore, the minister thought that it was better to lock up the troublesome scholars first, and then deal with them when the spring festival was over."

Chu Xuanjin also felt justified when he listened to Cheng Yi's words, so he asked Zuo Ye, "What does the Grand Master think?"

"The minister thinks what the prime minister said is very true." Zuo Ye didn't refute, in the end he still gave Cheng Yi, the prime minister, two faces.

Cheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

He helped these students to be exiled a few days late, which can be regarded as worthy of the teachings of the old man to him.

It's not that he doesn't want to save these students, it's that the mistakes made by these students are too great for him to do anything about.

On the way back to the Prime Minister's Mansion from the palace, Cheng Yi has been convincing himself like this.

After the news of the execution was announced, the market exploded completely.

It can be seen at a glance that there is a problem in the imperial examination, and the students just told a few truths, and they even wanted to cut off their fame and exile them to the frontier?

Those people who read every day, they only know how to read every day, and let them go to the frontier, isn't that their life?

Although the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty has been almost destroyed, there are still so many bloody.

There are also some who dare not disobey Zuo Ye's intentions, but like Cheng Yi, they are also a little unbearable.

So when someone wanted to protest in the streets, they chose to turn a blind eye.

Anyway, if you want to investigate it at that time, you can't hold them accountable, and it is these scholars who want to resist, not them.

Deter?

They stopped it, but they couldn't stop it, and they had limited manpower, so they couldn't stop it.

The incident continued until the evening, when it subsided a little.

During the day the next day, some officials who were once poor students, or children of ordinary families, who had changed their lives and their families' lives through the imperial examination, appeared at the door of a bed of bedding and some dry food.

Isn't this what they could prepare for when they participated in the imperial examination?

These things suddenly revived the memories of these officials that had passed away.

When they participated in the imperial examination, in addition to wanting to change their lives, they didn't have the determination to bring a better life to the people with the enthusiasm to serve the imperial court?

In their quilts there were also some exam papers of some students who had been locked in.

Some courtiers couldn't help but pat their thighs and shout hello when they looked at it, but when they reacted, they were stunned in place.

The day after the candidates were arrested, the dissatisfaction in the capital about the imperial examination became louder.

Some officials who didn't dare to speak before finally remembered their original intentions and enthusiasm back then, and also joined the team of expressing dissatisfaction.