Chapter 77: Civil Officials Die to Advise Whoever is hurled at by a stone will bark like a dog...

Dali Si grabbed Li Mi by the collar.

The force was so great that the latter's body swayed violently and he almost lost his balance.

"What are you doing? Do you want to take action?" The united candidates from the Northern Territory rushed forward.

"How dare you speak nonsense here! The imperial examination system is for the court to select talented people, and its rules are strict and fair." Dali Temple Chief Pei Chen's brows were like swords, and his face was cold.

"What is your intention in slandering and defaming me like this?"

The rebuke was loud and powerful.

But the Pei family's child and his mother obviously do not have such good psychological qualities.

Beads of sweat the size of beans kept oozing out of the little fat boy's broad forehead, and his mean mother's slanted eyes were wide open with fear.

"When stones are thrown at a crowd, only those who are hit bark like dogs." Someone stood up for the injustice and started to make a fuss.

Whoever gets angry when being hit by a stone will bark like a dog.

Could it be that he was one of the participants in the imperial examination cheating?

Two fists were no match for four people, and the Dali Temple Zheng family finally fled in panic.

"Ah!" Gui Zhier cursed angrily after failing to persuade them to stay. "In the end, they got away with it. What bad luck!"

Dali Temple, right? She remembered it.

"First... Miss Gui, please prepare some food for us." Wang Pu, who was wearing a plain green robe, put down his bamboo stick, dragged his slightly lame left foot, walked to the table and slowly sat down.

His back was as straight as a pine tree, but his expression was a little confused.

The situation developed unexpectedly and he urgently needed the teacher to answer his questions.

"Is the news true?" Guizhier brought out the freshly made Spring Sophora japonica cake.

"It's a very accurate rumor." Li Mi, a student from Yang'an, smelled the fragrance and grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth without caring about the heat.

Take a bite and you will hear the crispy crust with a "crunch" sound.

The soft and glutinous filling is wrapped with the fragrance of fresh locust flowers, blooming on the tip of the tongue. The slightly burnt aroma of the crust and the elegant sweet fragrance of the locust flowers are intertwined and lingering, making people salivate.

It's like the warmth of spring sunshine, all within it.

The anxious hearts of the candidates from the northern border were soothed by the delicious food and they finally calmed down.

A slender and delicate female student wiped her red eyes with a silk handkerchief, and her eyes gradually became clear again.

She answered the imperial examination questions very smoothly and thought she had a chance of getting a good ranking.

"It's said to be an organized, premeditated mass test paper swapping," Li Mi, a student from Yang'an, condemned as he wolfed down his food. "No one knows if their test paper is being used to trick others."

"After something like this happened, I wonder if the list of the Spring Examination will be announced tomorrow?" The bold and mellow female student spoke frankly.

Rice is expensive in the capital, and most candidates do not have much money to spend on the journey to the exam.

It was just enough to barely hold on until the day when the list was released.

If you fail, just go home.

If they were lucky enough to pass the imperial examination, the rewards and gifts they received would be enough to support them in taking the palace examination and being assigned a job.

Fortunately, the candidates from Linghe County had travel expenses donated by the local gentry, so they did not have to worry about sleeping on the streets.

"Grand Secretary Lu, the cabinet minister who exposed this case..." Gui Zhi'er paused, a hint of doubt and thought in her eyes, "Why did he do such an extraordinary thing?"

It is heroic to give advice despite death, but it comes at the cost of one's life.

Only when the monarch's decision goes against orthodoxy and endangers the people and the country will his subjects stand up and speak out their advice even at the risk of angering the emperor.

But it’s not worth it to do it for the imperial examination cheating case, right?

"Could it be that I sacrifice one life to save the entire clan?"

"No." Wang Pu shook his head. "If the chief examiner fails to oversee the case, he will only be dismissed from his post or sent to serve in the military station. His family will not be implicated."

"Could it be that His Majesty has known about this for a long time, but is unwilling to deal with it? Otherwise, it doesn't make sense why Scholar Lu would die trying to make such a protest!"

The candidates thought of the worst answer and looked frightened one after another.

After ten years of hard study and painstaking efforts, isn't the only hope to pass the imperial examination and become an official with your talent and knowledge, so that you can realize your ambition to serve the country?

Such cheating behavior undermines the integrity of the Confucian community.

A saint must punish the evildoers severely! How can we let them go on and let the loyal and good people feel disheartened?

The scholars racked their brains but couldn't figure it out.

Not to mention them, even the current emperor sitting in the Chuigong Hall couldn't figure it out.

Inside the hall, wisps of ambergris smoke rose slowly, lingering among the carved beams and painted buildings.

The court had been dismissed for a long time, and the emperor's dragon robe was slightly wrinkled, as if he was tired from sitting for a long time. Even the golden dragon embroidered on it could not hide its fatigue.

The jade beads on the crown tassel swayed weakly.

"Lu Hanwen died for his remonstrance, so where does that leave me?" the emperor said, his eyes half closed. "He is the only honest and loyal minister?"

The emperor sneered, his eye sockets slightly sunken, and bloodshot was clearly visible.

"I have already ordered a thorough investigation. What else do you want?"

The eunuch holding the brush stood aside, holding a wolf-hair brush, his body hunched.

The ink was about to drip from the tip of the pen. He turned his toes inward and leaned forward slightly, remaining cautious and humble.

Just wait for the order and then draft the decree for the master.

The eunuch holding the pen held his breath cautiously.

Such a big mess has caused everyone to be puzzled, and only he has vaguely guessed the reason -

"Examination fraud is a serious matter. If we cannot solve this problem, we will punish those who speak out against it."

Perhaps it was this threat that frightened Lu Xueshi. Rather than being executed, it would be better to die admonishing him and earn a good reputation in history books.

The eunuch holding the pen narrowed his eyes, and the corner of his robe fell silently to the ground. He decided to keep this secret to himself forever.

"Who is responsible for this case? Has it been found out?" The emperor's voice was deep and majestic, with a hint of anger.

"Your Majesty, yes, yes..." The Imperial City Sigong Chafu knelt on the ground, not daring to look up.

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his throat dry and hoarse.

"Don't hesitate!" The emperor's patience was about to run out.

"It was the servants from the Mifeng Office and the Duidu Office who took advantage of the opportunity to change the names of the candidates on the test papers and replace the original with the fake." The Imperial City Si Gongcha dug his fingers tightly into the ground.

He hesitated to speak, his lips trembling, and after struggling for a while, he added.

"According to investigation, there is the Prince's Palace behind..."

“Pah.”

Another fine blue and white jade cup shattered to the ground, fragments flying everywhere.

The Imperial City's official touched the ground with his forehead, not daring to peek.

His back was already soaked with sweat, his heart was pounding, and he wished that the mastermind behind the scenes he had found out was someone else.

The Lord of the Prince's Palace holds a high and respected position and is the chief contributor to His Majesty's ascension to the throne.

When the late emperor and the late crown prince passed away one after another, it was the Lord who defied all odds and helped His Majesty to secure his throne.

One end of the scale is the people's hearts, and the other end is the powerful.

What should we do about this case?