Inside the hall, Li Jing, who was seated at the head of the table, smiled and nodded when he saw that everyone had finally reached a consensus.

Then Li Jing looked at everyone and said loudly, "In that case, after we all go back, let's immediately take action, conduct investigations, try to obtain evidence of their crimes as soon as possible, and then bring them down in one fell swoop!"

"good!!"

Everyone responded in unison.

The scholar stood up and said, "Gentlemen, if the framing was indeed done by the Yuan family, the Xun family, and others, it will probably be difficult to find out in a short time. Right now, the most important thing is to suppress them!"

"Hmm, what you say makes sense. So how can we bring them down without offending His Majesty?"

Li Jing nodded, then looked at Wang Ji with some confusion.

"I think we can take the initiative and have all those who recommended corrupt officials resign from their posts. In this way, it will be difficult for the Yuan, Yang, and Xun families to remain in their positions!"

As for those who made the recommendations but were arrested for selling refined iron, they can be temporarily put aside. If they are impeached, then they will be the ones who offend His Majesty!

"Yes, Brother Wang's method is excellent. It avoids the strong and attacks the weak, turning the passive into the active. Let's do it this way!"

Wang Ji's words were a revelation to everyone.

Li Jing nodded and then looked at everyone: "That's right. This matter is urgent. No matter what, we should resign first and take them all down with us. Later, when we have evidence, we can exonerate ourselves and His Majesty's people. In this way, we can gain His Majesty's support!"

"color!!"

The crowd shouted and cheered.

The Han family head frowned and said, "Brother Li, if this happens, a large number of people from the Yuan family, the Xun family, and us will inevitably be implicated. At that time, there will be a lot of vacancies in the court and in the local areas."

We must be wary of the Empress Dowager taking this opportunity to place members of the imperial clan and her relatives within the family!

The head of the Zheng family also said with a solemn expression:

"Brother Han is right. Moreover, with the assessment just around the corner, apart from those poor students who came on their own, most of the recommended spots have fallen into their hands. Even if we recruit their people, they can quickly fill the gaps. We must be on guard!"

"That's right. The Empress Dowager's sudden recommendation of a powerful figure for a position of filial piety and integrity is clearly a preparation for arranging positions for her relatives and in-laws. If a powerful figure can become an official, then her relatives and in-laws can naturally do the same!"

"Furthermore, their attempt to emulate the Taiping Rebellion in establishing schools is undoubtedly a way for them to cultivate their power. If this is allowed to continue, all the scholars will eventually side with them, and once they gain power, we will have no strength left to resist!"

"Yes, we must be careful!"

Everyone chimed in, looking at Li Jing, who was in the lead, with worried expressions.

"Don't just look at me, everyone. Now that there's a problem, you should all come up with some ideas!" Li Jing said, frowning.

Han Ping pondered for a moment and said, "I believe that the assessment can indeed be manipulated..."

Li Jing asked, "Oh? I wonder what insightful opinion Brother Han has?"

"As you all know, there are a total of 5,000 places available for admission this year. Of the 3,000 recommended places, nearly 40% have been allocated to a few families, 20% to the Grand Tutor and his group, and the remaining 40% are ours."

Besides the three of us, there are a large number of students from underprivileged backgrounds among the remaining two thousand self-study exam slots.

Therefore, I think we should try to recruit those students from underprivileged backgrounds. This way, by combining our resources, we'll have a numerical advantage!

Li Jing nodded: "Brother Han is right!"

One of the people in the hall asked, "What should we do?"

Wang Ji stood up and said, "What those students seek is nothing more than to pass the examination and obtain an official position. We can help them in some way."

For example, we could provide them with some ink and paper or help them obtain textbooks from the three colleges to increase their chances of passing the exams.

In this way, having this favor, although it's uncertain whether we can win over those students, will at least prevent them from siding with Yuan and Xun, and they might even speak up for us in a crucial moment!

"Yes, Brother Wang is right, let's do it that way!"

Li Jing and the others nodded, agreeing with Wang Ji's suggestion.

Li Jing then looked at everyone and said, "Alright, this matter is settled. Now let's talk about what's next!"

One of them stood up and said, "As for Zhao Ning's recommendation of the civil service, perhaps we can start with the Governor of Henan, Zhang Kuang. The Governor of Henan is a member of the Yuan family. He once recommended the magistrate of Zhongmu County, but now he has just been arrested by Sima Fang. We can take this opportunity to bring him down!"

Li Jing nodded: "Yes, that makes sense. If someone recommends corrupt officials, then naturally everyone else they recommend is unreliable too!"

Han Ping said, "As for those imperial relatives and in-laws... we might as well use Liu Yan, the Prince of Bohai, and Dou Wu as targets!"

"Oh? What do you mean?"

All eyes turned to Han Qing.

Han Ping smiled and said, "That Liu Yan embezzled public funds and grain, and his house was searched and a huge amount of money was found. He committed such a serious crime, but the Empress Dowager only transferred him to another post."

Liu Kui, the Prince of Bohai, was summoned to Luoyang twice by the Empress Dowager, but he refused both times, and the Empress Dowager remained indifferent.

As for Dou Wu, he recommended so many people back then, and they all committed some kind of offense, yet he remains unscathed.

How can the Empress Dowager, who is so biased and favoritism-driven, possibly win the support of the people?

"Then what does Brother Han think we should do? If we confront the Empress Dowager head-on, I'm afraid..."

The thought of the Empress Dowager's ruthless killing sent chills down the spines of everyone in the hall.

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