Chapter 12: The Case of the Imperial Court’s Malpractice

Sparse raindrops, falling around the inn, accompanied by the rain, and from time to time there is a spring thunder resounded, while those students seem to be frozen, stupidly standing in the fine rain inside and outside the inn. This alley is the foreign students rushed to the capital to go to the examination place, so the number of people is very large, and in the previous voice shouting, the crowd immediately fell into a very strange silence.

After a long time, only after some people came back to God, to the previous shouting students surrounded the past, a good period of disturbance, as if the general explosion, seven mouths ask what happened in the end. Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli also showed excitement on their faces, but they suppressed their inner urges and just walked to the side of the fence, listening to the crowd’s conversation.

Asked too many people, the answer is only one, get half a day, three people to listen to understand, the original last night the Supervisory Yuan a actually deployed more than a hundred spies, divided into five roads, directly to the south of the city of Guo House, while there are four roads is to go to the other four mansions, to catch the four Jiangnan to the students.

Because the action is very fast, so the news was covered up the whole night, until the morning court, His Majesty the Emperor said faintly, he has issued a decree, so that the Supervisory Yuan detailed investigation of the examination field fraud, the courtroom was plunged into some kind of confusion, at this time the ministers realize why the Ministry of Rites, Guo Youzhi will not stand in the team.

The only ones who were really calm in their hearts were the prime minister, the minister of household, and of course, the supervisory authority, Chen Pingping, who still didn’t go to the court.

The action of the Supervisory Yuan was extremely fast and accurate, especially the team that arrested four Jiangnan scholars, and searched out their correspondence with certain officials on the spot, and in the Guo Mansion, it was even seized a rather alarming number of silver taels. According to the preliminary results of the investigation showed that the four Jiangnan scholar’s family is a party of the powerful, there are three salt merchants, this time to the capital to catch the examination with a large number of gold and silver, walked many ways, finally cast to the door of Guo Shangshu.

Guo Youzhi at this time has entered the Supervisory Yuan’s prison, and the four Jiangnan scholar has become a pitiful guest, the Supervisory Yuan four is from yesterday, began to make Jiangnan branch to start to take people, and try to do into an iron case. Because nominally these four Jiangnan scholar is to buy through the chunwu president officer Guo Shangshu, but in fact most of the silver is handed into the East Palace, so the final background of this case is …… Prince.

Of course, these details of the matter, natural students will not know the slightest, only know in the rain scolded Guo Shangshu, even the poor old Guo’s old mother and weak son did not let go.

His Majesty’s determination to thoroughly investigate the case seems to be very great, in addition to the Ministry of Rites, at least a dozen officials because of this matter was suspended to be investigated, according to the rumors of the jianghu, the reason why this time to check so fast, to catch so accurate, all because of a blacklist, that list written above the chunxin exam and the officials in the dynasty collusion with the name of the scholar, the Supervisory Yuan by the scholar to start, push back and claim, the result is very good.

Hou Jichang somewhat shocked from the column side walked back to the wine table, raised the glass of wine into the throat, seems to not feel the spicy wine, still out of focus, said: “I did not expect, really did not expect.”

“Didn’t expect what?” Yang Wanli and Cheng Jialin two people also did not come back to God from this shocking news, subconsciously asked.

Hou Jichang laughed and heavily slapped the desktop, saying, “I didn’t expect the Supervisory Yuan to strike so accurately, so ruthlessly, that it managed to get a list of names that could lead to the deaths of nobles in the dynasty.” He picked up the wine pot, filled the cups of his two friends, raised his cup to invite them, and said with a face full of excitement, “Come on, let’s toast to the Supervisory Yuan!”

“Dry!” Yang Cheng and the two of them had no words to say, and excitedly raised their cups and finished.

At this moment, the inn was full of excited young students inviting people to drink, Qing’s officialdom has long accumulated evils, although everyone knows that it is impossible to just rely on catching a Minister of Rites to completely change this situation, but as the saying goes, the journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step, as long as his majesty really found the problem and is willing to solve the problem, these young, energetic, and even can be said to be the purest of the readers, they all believe that Qing’s future will definitely become a little bit better. future would definitely become a little better.

After a long time, the wine gradually on the chest, Yang Wanli disoriented eyes, some silly smile: “really happy, even if this does not win, but can be in the body of such a shocking thing happened, is also considered to be a happy time.”

Cheng Jialin drank less, the person is also the most sober, he has always been enthusiastic about the career, some hesitation asked: “Since this section of the field of ills has been unveiled, that …… the spring exams will not be re-examined.”

“Will not.” On the contrary Hou Jichang after a few pots of wine down, but the thin face looks calm, eyes become extremely clear, “This is just a warning from His Majesty, and this matter has a precedent, twelve years ago, the world was first settled, the Chun exams also had an incident, that year beheaded fourteen officials of the Ministry of Rites, but the results of the Chun exams are still released as usual, only those students who have an affair with the officials were removed from the list, and were filled in by the the later ones made up.”

“Then …… won t we have a chance?” Yang Wanli laughed innocently, the nature of the pure and virtuous he thought of the problem is very simple, “The third grade only has so many quotas, wait for those who take the crooked way of benevolence to be removed from the name, our chances will be mostly.”

Hou Jichang sneered, “If there weren’t more noble nobles also doing this, Guo Shangshu is only a minister of a ministry, how would he dare to get his hands dirty on this grand ceremony of the nation. Those nobles want to protect the students are only more, just ticked off four salt merchant’s son, in the general situation and what is the complement?”

The other two thought, really so, can’t help but be a little gloomy. After a long time, Yang Wanli suddenly slapped the table, laughed: “No matter what, this is also a pile of painful things. Last year, the most sensational thing in the capital was the speech paper, forcing the eldest princess to return to xinyang, this year, I am afraid that the most sensational thing is this blacklist, actually overturned a dynasty minister.”

Cheng Jialin face with a worried look said: “wait until tomorrow the three awards come out to talk about it.”

Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli know his nature, for this chunan exam still have illusions, slightly smile, also do not care about him, said: “I have to go to Shi Yanli that boy pulled up from the bed, tell him the good news.”

Yang Wanli laughed, “Remember to let him buy some food.”

“Beautiful, so beautiful.” Fan Xian flicked the paper that Wang Qinian had brought over, in a much better mood. Wan’er sat beside him and said with some worry, “Aren’t you worried that the crown prince’s brother knows that it was you who denounced the malpractice?”

Today, Fan Xian, who was heavily reprimanded by his father, was grounded for the first time in his life, and had to stay honestly in the mansion. He knew that this pile thing was really a bit too ridiculous, of course, if he didn’t get the news from the courtyard in advance, knowing that His Majesty the Emperor was going to make an example of him this year, Fan Xian wouldn’t dare to be the “tainted witness” and make enemies of all the civil and military forces in the court.

In fact, that list is not a secret, Fan Xian has a few slips of paper in his hand, and who doesn’t have a few in their hands? Simply look at this kind of openly and squarely the situation, we know that the Qing officialdom has long been accustomed to. Because of this, this time, the Supervisory Committee to investigate the case, will be out of everyone’s expectation, for a time, no one will be the first to suspect to Fan Xian’s head.

Listening to his wife asking questions, Fan Xian’s face showed a hint of inexplicable expression, saying, “That prince brother of yours is too bold, his means are too bad, this court full of civil and military personnel is also a group of bold and confused people, what kind of big event is the Chun Exam malpractice, it is so big that it has become known to the whole world, even if I don’t denounce it, if his majesty wants to investigate it, do they still want to hide it?”

Wan Er climbed up from the quilt, quietly looking at his face: “My dear husband, don’t be so risky in the future, there is no wall in the world that can’t withstand the wind, if people really know that this matter has something to do with you, what will you do in the future?”

“What to do? Cold mix.” Fan Xian said another witty remark that his wife didn’t understand, and smiled, “Even if you know, so what?”

Wan Er sighed, thinking that her husband knew his books, was full of poetry, and appeared to be smooth on the outside, but no one could tell when he would do something so crazy.

Fan Xian knew that his wife was worried about him, and said quietly: ”The key to this matter is still in the palace. What are the imperial examinations? It is a means for His Majesty to gather talents for himself, and an emperor in the previous dynasty once laughed out loud at the time of the imperial examinations and said that all the heroes of the world would henceforth be in my net. His Majesty can tolerate officials in the court using the places in the imperial examinations to exchange for wealth, but he cannot tolerate all the places being used to exchange for ill-gotten gains. What’s more, both the crown prince and the eldest prince have interfered in this matter, our emperor uncle has to ask himself …… what these two sons of his own really want to do?”

Wan’er was a bit hard of hearing and said curiously, “Naturally, they want to cultivate their own power in the dynasty in the future.”

Fan Xian smiled and continued to ask: “Then your majesty will have to ask, what are you doing to cultivate your own power? The Grand Prince is a leader of soldiers, what does he need such a large force in the dynasty for?”

Wan Er smiled bitterly, “What about the crown prince’s brother? He is the Crown Prince of a country, cultivating talents would be considered reasonable, after all, he will be the Son of Heaven who will be ruling the country’s dynasty in the future, in the past, when listening to the Tai Fu’s lectures in the Eastern Palace, the Tai Fu had once said that the Eastern Palace could not be inactive, and that not to be afraid of rumors, and to take the lead in preparing some ministers for the future would be considered true abject loyalty, and filial piety and righteousness for the family of a Son of Heaven.”

Fan Xian shook his head, revealing a faint sneer and said, “Taifu’s article is about as good as it gets, and the reasoning is definitely right, but the problem is, with His Majesty’s health today, and the East Palace starting to cultivate talents at this time, His Majesty has to ask himself in his heart: is the Crown Prince in a hurry?”