When His Majesty's edict arrived in Shuzhou, it was already the twenty-ninth day of the ninth month.
Only one day remained until the annual examination.
Tomorrow, all the students from the Prefectural City and the surrounding counties and towns would gather at the examination grounds—the great courtyard situated between the Provincial Administration and the Prefectural Yamen.
The examination would last two days.
They would enter at Mao Hour, begin at Wei Hour, and finish at noon the following day.
Originally, Shuzhou's Education Minister, Ma Shuhan, had set the annual examination for the twenty-eighth, but for some unspeakable reason, he postponed it by two days.
The scholars within the Prefectural City not only understood and approved, but simply had no time to concern themselves with it.
The reason behind Liu Hong's death had already spread far and wide: colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, manipulating grain prices, intending to spread Epidemic Poison, and more.
Each and every crime was posted on the notice board outside the Provincial Administration's yamen.
Alongside him were those people taken away by the Judicial Department.
Ye Jingxiao, Deputy Surveillance Commissioner of the Surveillance Commissioner's Office, had colluded with the Lin Family Grain Merchant to frame loyal and good men.
Mr. Lingchuan of Guiyun Academy had secretly sold ironware to the Poshushuo Kingdom on behalf of Commander Zhu Hao.
Sun Wutong of the Sun Family...
Other than a few who were exiled, the rest, such as Ye Jingxiao and Zhu Lingchuan, would be escorted to the Capital Prefecture to await Autumn Execution.
The moment these matters came to light, they spread through Shuzhou like wildfire.
The common people cursed without end.
Though the rising grain prices in the Prefectural City had not resulted in people starving to death by the roadside, the people would not