Some civil and military officials were genuinely terrified; they instinctively felt fear when facing Zhu. Others simply knelt down, feeling it was none of their business, merely not wanting to stand out too much and give Zhu a handle to use against them.

Looking down at the civil and military officials in the court, Emperor Zhu asked sternly, "Tell me, in the thirty years since the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty, when has there ever been any unfairness in the imperial examinations? Why is it that this time, such a trouble has arisen!"

At this moment, Zhu Yunying stepped forward, looking grief-stricken, and said, "Grandfather, this time it was my fault for handling things poorly."

"You stand aside for now!" Old Zhu said directly, not giving Zhu Yunying a chance to regain the initiative. "We'll handle this matter!"

No way! The stage is all set up, how can we start picking fruit at this time!

Old Zhu didn't care about Zhu Yunying's thoughts; he had also given this matter careful consideration. Although this might cause Zhu Yunying to lose face slightly, it wouldn't have a fatal impact on Zhu Yunying's authority, and he could make up for it elsewhere later.

Most importantly, Zhu Yuanzhang clearly understood that his grandson was playing a long game. It wasn't just about weakening Confucius's status, but also about undermining the interests of scholars throughout the land.

Let the founding emperor handle these matters; that way, he can truly get things done. Even if there is resistance, it will be much less.

Although Zhu Yunying was now the emperor, he was still no match for Zhu Yuanzhang. This was quite obvious; he was directly stripped of his power to handle these matters. For Zhu Yunying, at this point, all that remained was bitterness in his heart. He had painstakingly planned for so long, but now he was helpless; there was truly no way out.

Old Zhu slowly opened his mouth and said, "We have been in control of the North for a long time, and throughout history, the North has never been known for its literary culture. We know this, and we never intended for the North to be full of scholars. But to cause trouble just because you can't write well is simply unacceptable!"

By causing trouble, Old Zhu has definitively defined the nature of the matter, which has complicated things considerably.

Old Zhu didn't say anything, but directly said, "From now on, this will become a fixed procedure for the imperial examinations. The essays of those who pass will be displayed so that those who fail can see what good essays are like. This should be done not only for the metropolitan examination, but also for the prefectural and provincial examinations. Firstly, it will demonstrate the fairness of the imperial examinations, and secondly, it will let those who fail see their own abilities. If they don't have the ability, they should learn it and stop complaining!"

Zhu Yunying felt even more bitter at this moment. This was a matter of "checking scores" and "checking papers," and although there might be some loopholes to exploit in such matters, in general, these practices were something he had discussed with his father, Zhu Yuanzhang.

Although Zhu Yunying himself often complained that he was a "useless liberal arts student," and although he occasionally thought of suppressing Confucianism, he also knew very well that liberal arts students still had their uses in many situations, and that Confucianism was irreplaceable at the moment. Governing the country was still very important, and these liberal arts students were needed.

Old Zhu continued, "Your Majesty, is the court aware of the students who led the disturbance?"

Zhu Yunying immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I have someone keeping an eye on things."

These words suddenly sent chills down many people's spines. This matter might be more complicated than they had imagined, and it might not be the sudden event they thought it was. Or rather, even if it was sudden, the court had it under control. Not only was the retired emperor renowned, but the current emperor was clearly also a man of great ambition and foresight.

Old Zhu nodded slightly and then said, "Have someone arrest those people and bring them to justice. Let's find out the motives of these troublemaking students!"

At this moment, an imperial censor stepped forward, his expression sorrowful, "Your Majesty, if we arrest and interrogate the students, I fear it will cause unrest among the scholars!"

"A disturbance among the scholars?" Old Zhu sneered, then questioned, "Then tell me, are these scholars worried about chaos as they cry out for justice in the streets and block the carriages of civil and military officials?! Failing the imperial examinations is common. If every student who fails an exam puts on a show like this, won't our country be in chaos?!"

Old Zhu, still seething with anger, grabbed the memorial and hurled it at the scholar. "If we follow those scholars and reopen the imperial examination, admitting them all, will our court be filled with good-for-nothings?! They're incompetent but good at causing trouble. I became emperor precisely because I caused trouble! Or should we just cut off all those who passed this exam and free up 120 spots for those who failed?!"

These words were extremely harsh. Many civil and military officials trembled with fear, for the Emperor Emeritus had essentially used his own experience to condemn the students' actions as rebellion. This was bound to cause chaos, and this was no small matter!

However, Joo Yoon-young didn't care at all, because he knew that he should be tough like this.

The idea that the court can't punish everyone is a myth. If this precedent is set, more scholars might cause trouble later. If we back down now, it'll be harder to be firm later. When those scholars are eager to succeed, it's best to give them a good whack, a good beating!

Old Zhu pointed at the crowd in the hall and said sarcastically, "You all came from the Yuan Dynasty, where scholars were even less than prostitutes. We gave you dignity and treated scholars well, and this is how you show loyalty to the monarch?! If you really don't know what's good for you, I'll issue an edict immediately, classifying scholars into nine ranks!"

This immediately sparked a chorus of voices in the court, all pleading with the retired emperor to calm his anger. During the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the dignity of scholars was truly as low as dust. Even though the Mongol emperors had consciously tried to ease ethnic tensions, the social status of scholars remained that of the "stinking ninth category" (a derogatory term for intellectuals).

Zhu Yunying stepped forward at this moment and calmly said, "Issue an imperial decree ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard to immediately arrest the troublemakers. The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Rites shall assist in this matter. I need to know why those students are causing trouble!"

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