At the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.
The officials from the Censorate and the Ministry of Rites were locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to back down. The Imperial Guards stood guard at the entrance, watching the spectacle without intervening in the shouting matches, treating it as a mere show.
Zhang Yicai was extremely anxious. Seeing that these people would never open the gates of the examination hall, he immediately shouted to the pedestrians on the street in the distance: "Murder! Murder! Students inside the examination hall discovered cheating, but the Ministry of Rites killed them to silence them."
People coming and going on the street only heard the first three words and were wondering how a murder could happen inside the examination hall when they heard more people shouting.
"The officials in the Ministry of Rites are allowing wealthy students to take the exams for others, treating commoner students like they're not human! Everyone, come and see!"
"Everyone come quick! Someone is blatantly cheating in the examination hall, and the proctors are turning a blind eye."
Now the people finally understood and immediately surged towards the entrance of the examination hall, cursing loudly.
"How did you manage to get students from ordinary families admitted? Why are students from wealthy families allowed to take exams for others? It's not fair."
"That's right, it's unfair. Your Ministry of Rites needs to give an explanation. My son is still taking the exam inside. I thought he would definitely pass this time. Now, those rich students can even have someone take the exam for them."
As more and more people gathered at the entrance of the examination hall, and things began to spiral out of control, the officials from the Ministry of Rites panicked and tried to say something.
Unfortunately, the people were all in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to them at all. If they hadn't been stopped by the Imperial Guards, they probably would have already rushed into the examination hall.
The people in the Ministry of Rites were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, wondering what to do about the current situation.
The words spoken by the Censorate members just now only revealed the current situation inside the Examination Hall. Soon, the news will spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, and at that time, the matter will be beyond their control.
Seeing that the people from the Ministry of Rites all looked pale and sickly, Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to add fuel to the fire, a stern rebuke came from outside the crowd.
"How dare you slander the students in the Imperial Examination Hall? When did your Censorate start taking such nonsense seriously?"
Xue Xingzhao, dressed in a black official robe, walked out from the crowd with a serious expression. When his gaze fell on Zhang Yicai, a flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes.
If he hadn't kept a close eye on the situation at the examination hall, he might have actually fallen into this guy's trap. Trying to use the people to force him to open the examination hall gates? He was dreaming.
If something really happens inside, then the gates of the examination hall must not be opened.
As long as it's not opened, there's still room for maneuver.
When Zhang Yi met Xue Xingzhao's stern gaze, he unconsciously swallowed hard. After a while, he straightened his back and said, "The Censorate never does anything without evidence. Lord Xue's words are too arbitrary."
At that moment, standing inside the examination hall gate was a man who had been beaten to the point of near death after discovering someone had taken the exam for him.
"If Lord Xue truly believes I am speaking nonsense, why not open the gates of the examination hall now and let everyone see for themselves?"
Upon hearing this, the onlookers echoed his sentiments.
"That's right. If there's really nothing wrong, open the gates of the examination hall now so we can see clearly."
"That's right. If they weren't guilty, why wouldn't they let us see? Some people have said before that scientific expeditions are nothing more than a transaction. I didn't believe it then, but now I'm starting to believe it."
The examination hall was closed as soon as the exams started; it was like two different worlds from the outside. Even if there were instances of proxy test-taking inside, how could we outside possibly know?
Looking at the excited and angry faces of the people, Xue Xingzhao only sneered in his heart, but said in a deep voice: "You may not know this, but in order to ensure the fairness of the imperial examination, the gate of the examination hall will be completely closed when the examination begins. Unless the examination is over, it cannot be opened no matter what happens inside."
This has been the case since the imperial examination system was established. Now, I don't know where the officials of the Censorate heard the rumors, but they insist on opening the gates of the examination hall. I really don't know why.
Once the gates of the examination hall are opened, if someone with ulterior motives sneaks in and makes shady deals with the students inside, then the fairness will truly be lost.
You can rest assured that the fairness of the imperial examinations within the examination hall will never be compromised by any individual.
Please rest assured and do not make things difficult for the Ministry of Rites at such an important time.
Xue Xingzhao's words were so sincere that many people actually believed him. Coupled with his good reputation in the capital, some people actually stood on his side at this moment.
"What Lord Xue said makes sense. All the words were spoken by these officials from the Censorate. The true situation inside the examination hall is still unknown. If it were opened like this, there would be nothing inside."
If bad people were to infiltrate during this opportunity, it would be unfair to those students who have studied diligently for many years.
"That's right. These people from the Censorate are just talking. Who knows if it's true or not? The gates of the examination hall are so thick. Who can hear what the people inside are saying?"
It just so happens that only those from the Censorate heard it, while the Imperial Guards and the Ministry of Rites didn't. These people are probably just making things up.
Seeing that Xue Xingzhao had changed the attitude of the people with just a few words, Zhang Yi was furious and wished he could go up and tear that hypocrite's true face to shreds right now.
Is he talking nonsense? It's clear that these people are in cahoots, concealing the truth and deceiving the people.
If His Majesty hadn't entrusted the Ministry of Rites with full authority over this imperial examination, how could the Censorate have been so easily manipulated?
If we can't catch the Minister of Rites red-handed today, the reputation of the Censorate might be ruined by him.
He was afraid of death and was always worried about his life. But now there were thousands of students in the examination hall. The effort and money that these people had to spend to participate in the autumn examination was nothing to the young masters of wealthy families, but it was a considerable sum of money for those commoner students.
Some of them emptied their family coffers, while others supported their entire family to send one student to school, all in the hope that the student could shine in the imperial examinations. Yet those who were born with everything still came to snatch away the hard-won opportunities from ordinary students.
This is extremely unfair to students from ordinary families.
What's even more terrifying is that these people have been kept in the dark all along. They have studied day and night for years in order to pass the exam, only to have their spots easily taken by those rich kids.
Such behavior is truly outrageous.
He wasn't doing this for anyone else, but simply because of the pride in his heart, he was determined to fight Xue Xingzhao to the bitter end.
Xue Xingzhao breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with a hint of mockery as he looked at Zhang Yicai.
Lu Cijian is far too inexperienced to compete with him.
He'll deal with Jiang Yimian, that troublesome fellow, first. As for Lu Cijian, he'll kill him sooner or later.
Those who dare to oppose him must all die.
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