Imperial examination fraud

"Xu Cijiu write any poetry at all. I can easily write a few lines and make him feel ashamed. If I hadn't written a poem for his cousin Xu Qi'an that day, that jade pendant of the Layman Ziyang would have been mine."

Zhu Tuizhi recalled the past conflict and began to curse and swear.

"Could it be cheating in the imperial examinations?" Liu Jue probed.

"Nonsense!" The students of the Cloud Deer Academy were furious upon hearing this, glaring at him with their eyes wide open.

The word "examination cheating" popped into Zhu Tuizhi's mind, as if instantly connecting all the questions and providing a reasonable explanation for why Xu Cijiu was able to write a masterpiece and achieve the highest rank in the imperial examination.

Immediately, Zhu Tuizhi shook his head. "Impossible. Poetry is not like prose. Knowing the exam question in advance gives you ample time to prepare. Brother Liu, if I give you three days to write a masterpiece on the theme of 'Spring Scenery,' can you create a timeless work?"

Liu Jue shook his head. "I'm ashamed to admit it; even if I had three years, I probably couldn't write it."

He took a sip of his wine, a meaningful smile appearing on his face, and lowered his voice. "But, Brother Zhu, think about it, what if the person who wrote the poem for him was Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong?"

The atmosphere at the table fell silent. Neither the students from the Cloud Deer Academy nor the students from the Imperial Academy immediately refuted the argument. Instead, they pondered it carefully in their minds.

Yes, if it were Xu Shikui, and he knew the exam questions in advance, he could probably write them in a day, let alone three days.

The farewell poem, the poem about plum blossoms, and the half-song he sang before his "sacrifice" in Yunzhou were all composed on the spot.

The students of the Cloud Deer Academy even thought of the "Exhortation to Learning" poem posted on the academy's wall of fame. According to the academy's Confucian scholars, Xu Ningyan composed the poem in ten breaths, which was a testament to his extraordinary talent.

"Hmph, how could Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong, possibly know the exam questions?"

Although they thought that way in their hearts, they wouldn't admit it aloud, the students of the Cloud Deer Academy questioned.

"I don't know," Liu Jue waved his hand and laughed, "It was just drunken talk, pure guesswork. But Xu Qi'an is a Silver Gong, it's said in official circles that he is deeply trusted by Wei Yuan."

He didn't continue.

After this incident, the students of the Cloud Deer Academy lost their appetite for drinking. They sat for a while, then got up to take their leave.

The sociable Liu Jue personally escorted Zhu Tuizhi and the others downstairs, then offered to pay the bill, and everyone dispersed outside the restaurant.

A quarter of an hour later, Liu Jue returned and got into a carriage parked outside the restaurant.

Inside the carriage sat a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy man, with a jade thumb ring on his thumb, walnuts in his hand, and a teacup in his other hand.

"Manager Zhao!"

Liu Jue bowed respectfully.

The middle-aged man nodded, put down his teacup, flipped over the teacup that was upside down on the small tea table, poured himself a cup of tea, and frowned, saying, "You reek of alcohol. Have some tea."

"Thank you, Steward Zhao." Liu Jue held the teacup with both hands, slurped it down in one gulp, and said slowly:

"I've found out some things. According to those students from the Cloud Deer Academy, Xu Cijiu can't write poetry at all; his level is terrible. That poem 'The Road to Shu is Hard' was most likely ghostwritten. Of course, I have no proof."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man smiled with satisfaction and chuckled, "No need for evidence, this is enough."

In the outer city, in a courtyard planted with willows.

Having just swallowed the Blood Embryo Pill, Master Jinlian basked in the warm spring sunshine. She felt that her body was no longer cold and was no longer turning into something yin, but there was still a trace of Yin Qi remaining in her body, which was enough to be eliminated by another Blood Embryo Pill.

"This physical body is not compatible with my Primordial Spirit. It won't be long before the Golden Lotus of Creation matures, and the lotus seeds can reshape my physical body. It's time for me to leave the capital."

Hopefully, nothing unexpected will happen.

Master Jinlian prayed silently.

"Dalang, that girl doesn't seem to be from the Great Feng."

Old Zhang's son, the gatekeeper, thought for a moment and described her as follows, "She was a dark-skinned, ugly girl with blue eyes. Her hair was also unattractive, curly."

Number five?!

Holy crap, what's she doing at my house? Did Master Jinlian send her? Does she even know I'm number three?

Master Jinlian asked him to help find Number Five instead of Number Three, which could be covered up by saying that "Number Three's rank is too low." After all, the more Confucian School's Law Follows Speech become law, the more terrifying its power becomes in the later stages.

However, in the early stages, ranks nine through seven are considered trash. Only when one reaches the Sixth-Rank Confucian Scholar Realm, and can copy other people's skills, does one possess considerable combat power.

In Chu Yuanzhen and Heng Yuan's view, although Xu Cijiu intelligent, when it really needed, their cousin Xu Ningyan, who was strong in combat, was more reliable.

It seems I'll have to skip work today. Xu Qi'an nodded and said, "I understand. I'll go back to the manor with you after I get my leave."

After taking leave, Xu Qi'an sat on horseback and trotted towards the Xu Residence, with Xiao Zhang, the son of the gatekeeper Lao Zhang, trotting alongside him.

Two quarters of an hour later, they arrived at the Xu residence, which was not far from the Xu Residence. Xu Qi'an handed the reins to Xiao Zhang and went straight into the residence.

As soon as I entered the outer courtyard, I saw cooks carrying plates of hot dishes, steamed buns, and rice towards the inner courtyard.

"Dalang's back!" The cooks breathed a sigh of relief, glancing towards the inner courtyard as they spoke.

"A young lady came to the manor, saying she was looking for you. She asked what your relationship was, but she couldn't explain it clearly herself, babbling incoherently, and nine out of ten sentences were unintelligible."

"Nine out of ten sentences are hard to understand; Number Five's Southern Frontier accent is quite heavy," Xu Qi'an complained, as he entered the inner courtyard with the cook. From afar, he could hear Xu Lingyue's gentle voice coming from the inner hall:

"Miss Lina, you've come all the way from the Southern Frontier border. What business do you have with my elder brother?"

"I'm not here to see your elder brother, I'm here to see a few friends for some casual training," a voice with a heavy accent said, speaking in broken Dafeng Great Feng.

However, the sound was like a silver bell, clear and melodious, and very pleasant to hear.

So you're saying you don't recognize my older brother?

"I don't know him."

She quickly figured out Lina's background; this girl didn't seem very bright and had nothing to do with her older brother Xu Lingyue warmly welcomed Lina.

Her aunt sat on a chair not far away, her brows furrowed, scrutinizing Lina with a hint of hostility in her eyes.

This foreign woman has quite the appetite! In half an hour, she ate three days' worth of food for the whole family. If that were converted into silver, it would be... quite a few taels, wouldn't it?

This was only because my aunt specifically asked the cook to prepare some rice, flour, steamed buns, and vegetables. If it were fish and meat, how much money would it cost?

Who can afford to raise a girl like that?

"Miss Lina? What brings you to my residence?"

Xu Qi'an stepped across the threshold, scrutinizing the young barbarian girl from the Southern Frontier with a look of surprise. Compared to her pale face from yesterday's injury, she now had a rosy complexion and bright eyes, as if her injuries had already healed.

"Master Jinlian sent me to find you, saying that I'll be staying here while I'm in the capital. Thank you so much, Lord Xu, for saving my life."

Lina quickly put down her chopsticks, swallowed her food, and looked Xu Qi'an over with an open and honest expression.

She had assumed that since she had come to the capital, she would be received by either Master Jinlian, or Number Three, or Number Four or Number Six. Who would have thought that she would end up staying at the home of a strange man?

Master Jinlian had already told her about yesterday's events, and Lina knew that this handsome young man was her savior.

Since he was a trusted friend of the Daoist priest, Lina trusted him without reservation.

She called me Lord Xu, not Number Three. Xu Qi'an stared at Lina for a moment, unable to discern anything from her clear, innocent blue eyes.

Why did Master Jinlian arrange for her to be by my side? What was the deeper meaning behind this?

The old silver coin did not consult me beforehand. Based on my experience dealing with old silver coins, I judge that if they had consulted me beforehand, there must have been some kind of premeditation.

If there's no prior discussion, there must be a deeper meaning.

So Xu Qi'an asked, "What else did the Daoist priest say to you?"

Lina took a bite of her steamed bun and mumbled, "Master Jinlian said you are a close friend he met in the capital, and that I should stay at his residence without worry."

After swallowing the steamed bun, she said with some indignation and grievance, "The Daoist priest said I eat too much and he can't afford to feed me."

Ah. Xu Qi'an's face was blank. So the reason Jinlian sent her here was because she ate too much and he couldn't afford to feed her?

This is indeed an impeccable reason. By the same token, neither Number Six, who lives in a nursing home, nor Number Four, who relies on old friends for food and lodging, can afford to support the little girl from Southern Frontier.

Damn it, it feels so bad to be treated like a rich swindler. In this world, it's either you get something for free or I get something for free. Karma's got it. Xu Qi'an sighed, "I see."

"Cough cough!"

The aunt coughed loudly, asserting her presence as the matriarch of the household.

But Xu Qi'an ignored her and said to himself, "Alright, I'll have someone arrange a room for you right away."

"Xu Ningyan!!"

The aunt roared in anger, stood up from her chair, put her hands on her hips, and glared at her. "I'm your aunt! Didn't you ever think of discussing this with me?"

As he spoke, his gaze frequently drifted to the messy table, telling his unfortunate nephew that this girl was a bottomless pit.

Xu Qi'an hesitated. His aunt's consideration made a lot of sense. Prices in the capital were high, and this girl's appetite was really too expensive.

Moreover, my luck has recently changed. I've stopped picking up silver and started accumulating reputation instead. Then, Wei Yuan deducted my salary again.

"Big brother, have you forgotten about chicken bouillon?"

At this moment, Xu Lingyue spoke up, and she did some calculations for Xu Qi'an: "Last year, the salt transport office in the capital issued 2,000 catties of salt tickets, making a profit of 5,000 taels. Of that, my elder brother took 10%, which was 500 taels. You haven't even gotten that money back from the Bureau of Astronomy yet."

"I asked the officials of the Salt Transport Office, and they said that the imperial court plans to open at least ten workshops this year to produce chicken essence. When the year-end settlement is completed, it will be an unimaginable huge fortune."

"So, our family is not short of money anymore."

The "salt coupons" that Xu Lingyue mentioned refer specifically to chicken essence. Now, chicken essence, like salt, has become an important strategic resource for the imperial court. It suddenly appeared last year but could not be produced on a large scale. However, after expanding production this year, the profits are immeasurable.

If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten. It must have been that old geezer, the supervisor, who blocked the chicken essence, making me forget. He was trying to rip me off.

Xu Qi'an was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was actually the Jack Ma of this era.

Lina didn't understand at all, but she thought it was very impressive. She had come all the way from the Southern Frontier border to the capital and knew what a copper coin could buy and what a tael of silver could buy.

At the same time, they also knew how difficult it was to earn money.

Subconsciously, she looked at this "Lord Xu" with pure admiration in her eyes, like a little girl seeing her neighbor's older brother with a perm, wearing jeans and a decorative iron chain around his waist, breaking into the street in his yard.

"How come I didn't know about this?" the aunt said suspiciously.

"Don't you know, Auntie? I had Lingyue tell you." Xu Qi'an then looked at his younger sister.

Xu Lingyue looked bewildered. "Mother has probably forgotten."

The aunt opened her mouth but couldn't speak. She wasn't sure if she had forgotten, as she had no recollection of such a large "profit."

At this moment, Lina asked with an admiring tone, "May I ask your esteemed name, Lord Xu?"

She learned this way of asking questions while Great Feng the world of Da Feng.

"Xu Qi'an!"

"Xu... Xu Qi'an," Lina tilted her head, thought for a long time, and suddenly screamed, "You're Xu Qi'an! Didn't you die in Yunzhou?"

Aunt and Xu Lingyue looked over suspiciously.

This foreign girl claims to know Xu Qi'an, but she doesn't know about her resurrection. So, what is she doing at the manor?

Let's talk in private.

Xu Qi'an pulled Lina out of the side hall, stopped by the flower bed, and explained:

"I'm not dead, Li Miaozhen made a mistake. Well, actually I'm an outer member of the Heaven and Earth Society. Although I don't have the corresponding fragments of the Earth Book, I know everything about your affairs."

"No wonder Master Jinlian sent me to find you." Lina smiled happily, easily believing Xu Qi'an's words without any doubt.

"So easily fooled." Xu Qi'an said seriously, "This is a secret. You can't reveal it to anyone, not even within the Heaven and Earth Society."

"Good!"

Lina smiled brightly and nodded vigorously. Her smile was radiant. Although it was hot in Southern Frontier, Lina's skin was a healthy wheat color, but in the eyes of the Great Feng admired fair skin and beauty, she was considered to have dark skin.

Let's go eat.

If everyone in the world were as innocent and naive as Number Five, how wonderful that would be! Xu Qi'an looked at the lively and energetic figure and sighed with heartfelt emotion.

He still had many questions for Number Five, such as how she knew that it was Number Three herself who picked up the silver, and not some fabricated friend.

No rush. People with simple personalities are usually quite stubborn; if they say they'll keep it a secret, they definitely will.

But if she eats at someone's house, she's bound to feel indebted. If she stays at home and eats there for a few more days, she'll realize that it's wrong to freeload.

cabinet.

Wang Zhenwen, dressed in a scarlet robe, was engrossed in reviewing memorials at his desk. He had been sitting there for two hours, only stopping to use the restroom a few times, and devoting the rest of the time to official duties.

The cabinet was essentially the emperor's private secretary, wielding immense power far exceeding that of the Six Ministries.

All memorials to the emperor, large and small, and even suggestions from the common people, were collected by the Office of Transmission, submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs for the emperor's review, and then forwarded to the Grand Secretariat.

The cabinet was responsible for drafting the proposed solutions, which were then submitted to the emperor by the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs for a final decision. Finally, the six ministries reviewed and issued the recommendations.

During the reign of Emperor Yuanjing, the Office of Transmission directly forwarded memorials to the Grand Secretariat, which drafted its handling recommendations before finally forwarding them to Emperor Yuanjing.

One step in the process has been omitted.

This is because Emperor Yuanjing believed that the extra procedures in the middle hindered his cultivation of Daoism.

It is precisely this omitted step in the process that is most prone to shady dealings. Because in this way, Emperor Yuanjing only sees the memorials that the cabinet wants him to see.

Of course, although Emperor Yuanjing was not a good emperor, he was an emperor who was good at using power. In order to curb the excessive power of civil officials and undermine the imperial authority, he came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

This method is called "Wei Yuan".

From a macro perspective, the various factions and Wei Yuan's faction were irreconcilably opposed. From a micro perspective, the infighting among the various factions was fierce.

Emperor Yuanjing remained calm and composed, maintaining the balance while focusing on his Daoist practice.

Wang Zhenwen opened the last memorial, read its contents, and then sat in deep thought for a long time. He then took out a slip of paper, wrote down his suggestions, and pasted it onto the memorial.

After doing all this, it was just dusk when the duty was over.

That evening, a new nemesis of Xu Lingyin appeared at the Xu Residence's dining table.

Xu Lingyin had mixed feelings of love and hate towards this "older sister" who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She loved her because after her "older sister" arrived, the amount of food at home increased several times over.

The reason for the resentment was that this older sister ate far too much.

My mouth is so small, I can't possibly outeat her.

Second Uncle Xu, his face grim, scrutinized Lina before turning to his nephew and asking, "Is she a member of the Gu Clan of Southern Frontier, specifically the Li Gu Tribe?"

Lina lifted her face from the bowl, rice grains still clinging to the corner of her mouth, and said crisply, "I'm from the Power Gu Tribe, how did Second Uncle Xu know?"

"Who's your second uncle!" Xu Pingzhi sneered.

He personally experienced the Battle of Shanhai Pass and witnessed the terrifying strength of the barbarians of the Ligu tribe, whose defining characteristic was their enormous appetite.

It was common for a strong and robust member of the Ligu tribe to eat a whole cow in a day.

Back then, Wei Yuan never captured members of the Li Gu tribe; he always killed them directly to save on food supplies.

"Brother, I have something to tell you," Xu Xinnian suddenly said.

"I knew you were up to something, you've been frowning the whole time. Tell me about it," Xu Qi'an replied to his cousin while fighting with Lina for meat.

"Miss Wang has invited me to go boating on the lake tomorrow," Xu Xinnian said warily.

"What do you think?" Xu Qi'an asked thoughtfully.

Xu Xinnian scoffed, put down his chopsticks, and said disdainfully, "There are only two reasons: either it's out of personal grudge, or he wants to get revenge for the Minister of Ministry of Justice's niece."

"Either the Chief Minister Wang doesn't want to let me off the hook, or he's secretly plotting something."

"Then which possibility do you think it is?" Xu Pingzhi continued.

Xu Xinnian thought for a moment and said regretfully, "Although I may become a major threat to Prime Minister Wang in the future, I don't think I deserve this much attention from him. I think it's Miss Wang who's trying to cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lingyue put down her chopsticks, her face serious. "Second brother, you're not good at dealing with women, I'll go with you."

She quickly glanced at Xu Qi'an and changed her words, saying, "Although I don't know how to engage in those messy battles, women still understand women best."

Xu Xinnian mocked his younger sister's intelligence, "Who said I had to go? It was Miss Wang who invited me to go boating on the lake, not the Prime Minister Wang. Since that's the case, it would be improper for us to go boating on the lake together when neither of us is married. I will refuse."

Military strategy dictates that when the enemy advances, we retreat; when our forces are weak, we should not confront their strength.

"Not bad, handled it well." Xu Qi'an nodded. "You've already made your decision, why are you asking me?"

The family ate and chatted, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

The next day, Emperor Yuanjing finished his meditation, studied the scriptures for half an hour, took some medicine, and then rested his mind for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, thus concluding his morning lessons.

Only then would he spare some time to review the memorials, without taking too long, because the cabinet had already prepared the draft memorials, and he only needed to approve them.

He opened the first memorial, which was from the newly appointed Left Censor-in-Chief. It impeached Zhao Tingfang, a Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, for accepting bribes and leaking exam questions to Xu Xinnian Cloud Deer Academy.

The memorial also cited evidence that the student's poetry was ranked fourth (out of a possible fifth) during the provincial examination. How could he possibly have written a masterpiece like "The Road to Shu is Hard"?

Emperor Yuanjing initially didn't pay much attention to this. Poetry wasn't like prose; leaking exam questions for prose was a very serious matter. Poetry was a bit less serious. Even if you knew the exam questions, you'd find it harder to find a talented poet than to obtain the questions themselves.

However, the memorial later mentioned that the student had a cousin who was a gong- Nightwatchers watchman's office, named Xu Qi'an.

As is widely known, Xu Qi'an was the top poet of the Great Feng Dynasty.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Yuanjing's pupils sharpened, but he offered no opinion. He then tore down the cabinet's "draft," which contained the cabinet's recommendations:

"The imperial examination system has always been of paramount importance for the court in selecting talented individuals. Fraudulent practices in the imperial examinations are intolerable; I urge Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

Emperor Yuanjing pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote a red annotation.

PS: Thanks to the Silver Alliance reward of "The Coyote Cut Off and Retrained", the 190,000 reward from "SeanGhoust", the alliance leader of "mady", the reward from the alliance leader of "Shangxian Qitian", and the reward from the alliance leader of "Nine Great Masters of the Buddhist System".

I am extremely grateful for your kindness, and I will definitely work hard to repay you.

Also, on behalf of Xu Baipiao, I'd like to ask a question: Did the big shots tip me, or the little mare?