Chapter 152 The Imperial Examination
The examiners were already in their positions, and the officials in charge of the inspection were ready.
"Isn't there an empty seat in the middle?" If there's an empty seat, it means there are still examiners who haven't arrived yet.
"Is that the chief examiner?" someone asked, but no one answered, because the notice over there said that the examiner was Minister Lu, but Minister Lu was already sitting there.
It started to drizzle that day, and there was even snow mixed in with the rain; it was very cold.
As soon as Ji Yingying left the manor, she couldn't help but want to curse. It looked like it was going to snow, and they were still going to have a travel exam? Weren't they afraid the students would freeze to death?
The Emperor and his entourage are afraid of the cold, which is why they plan to move the date forward a little; there might be snow in November.
It will be even colder then!
They were invited to board the carriage and quickly arrived at the examination venue. The arrival of the carriage surprised all the students.
This examiner is so... disrespectful to the chief examiner, arriving so late.
An old woman emerged from the carriage, leaving the students puzzled once again.
Ji Yingying waited until the nanny came down and held up the umbrella before she came down.
The students didn't think much of it when they saw that it was a woman, but they were dumbfounded when they saw the clothes she was wearing. Was this the young lady, Lord Ji, who was an official in a female capacity, or the Princess Protector of the Nation?
Was she one of the examiners?
[Oh wow~ There are even two or three girls here, not bad!] Ji Yingying noticed the students queuing up.
The three women stood aside, not following the group of men. Well, if they knew they were also examinees, their gazes would probably be quite strange.
Minister Lu came to greet her personally: "Young Master Ji, thank you for your trouble." He was all smiles, which made Ji Yingying very uncomfortable.
[Since you knew you were troubling me, why did you still ask me to come?]
Minister Lu was dumbfounded. He knew she would be sarcastic, so why did he still say it?
As she passed by, many officials greeted her.
[They're using people from the Ministry of Justice, huh?] Ji Yingying knew one or two officials, thanks to Mu Kaiji.
After she sat down, she began to check her way into the examination room.
Ji Yingying just sat there watching, as did everyone else, and they were getting bored.
Ji Yingying suddenly spoke up: "Wait, he'll take you to the back to check, and strip you naked."
The officer immediately obeyed and took the man away.
"Young Master Ji, was there anything wrong with that person just now?"
"Ah... I don't know, I just thought he wasn't good-looking, so I had someone check him out?"
We can't exactly say he carried cheat sheets on his person, can we?
Immediately, everyone's expression turned grim. Someone actually dared to cheat! This was simply... suicidal!
Not long after, the man was pushed out, driven away, and even stripped of his degree.
The man kept crying and begging for mercy, but no one paid him any attention.
[Sigh, what a lazy person. Why can't he just study properly? Why does he have to resort to these underhanded tactics? Xiangxiang, check if he actually got those grades himself.]
No, he stole the title of Tong Sheng from a fellow student, causing the student's family to be ruined. He cheated to become a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), and someone else helped him pass the Juren (a higher-level scholar) exam; he paid for it.
He's just a piece of trash who spends his days in brothels and abusing women!
"Oh..." The next second, Ji Yingying said to Minister Lu, "Investigate him. He definitely has a problem."
"Very well, very well." Minister Lu immediately made the arrangements.
He thought that was the end of it, but no sooner had he made the arrangements than Ji Yingying caught another one.
“You tore off his cloak.”
The man tried to stop him, saying that his family was poor and this was the only cloak he owned; what would he do if he lost it?
They just won't let me pull it.
The officers ignored his pleas and tore it up, leaving a large amount of paper scattered all over the ground.
"Ah... another one got caught." Ji Yingying sighed, and the people behind her became even more cautious.
They weren't stupid; they could tell that this princess was quite formidable.
She can detect even the smallest tricks.
[Fragrant, popcorn...]
He was just an ignorant and incompetent good-for-nothing who wanted to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). His rise from a junior scholar to a provincial graduate was nothing more than a matter of buying his way in.
When the topic of buying and selling official titles came up, Ji Yingying asked again: "How many official positions in our Tianyou Dynasty are bought and sold?"
There are quite a few. Do you want some gossip? If so, I'll give you a list.
Are there any serious cases?
No, they all bought their way into minor official positions, like your father's low-ranking official. As for higher-ranking officials, they'd be beheaded anyway.
"That's alright. Besides, my dad wasn't bought; he's a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)—he got his position through the exams."
I know your older brother is taking the exam today too. Why don't you go and take it later? I've heard that in ancient times, becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination was a very important achievement, and very few people could achieve it.
Can you, a modern person, do this?
"No way, you want me to take an exam? Are you crazy?" Ji Yingying was too lazy to pay attention to him. As soon as Ji Jiaming came in, she immediately waved her hand.
Ji Jiaming also waved.
"Is that your older brother?"
"Yeah, to be honest, I don't even know how well he's learned. If he passes, he passes; if he doesn't, he doesn't pass."
Minister Lu: ...You have a big heart!
"Search this person too!" As soon as Ji Yingying's voice rang out, the man immediately knelt down, crying out, "I won't do it again, I won't do it again, I was wrong..."
"I wouldn't dare, but I think you'd be very bold..."
The students behind were even more nervous, fearing they would be caught.
This year, you don't need to bring food to the exam; it will all be provided by the examiners.
This year, TOEFL has its first batch of corn, as well as down jackets and other clothes that can make money.
The national treasury was much richer, and the emperor generously granted a favor to those poor scholars, allowing them to enter without bringing food.
When the appointed time arrives, the officers will distribute a cornbread bun and a bowl of white porridge. If you want vegetables or anything else, you can buy them with money.
The students behind were all very careful, and they would secretly breathe a sigh of relief after successfully passing through.
Upon entering the examination room, each person was given a piece of clothing, and it was even a down jacket. Ji Yingying had arranged for it, saying, "Wear something warm so you can write better."
Whether they were resting on heated beds or simply sleeping on heated floors, this year's examination hall made all the students kneel and worship towards the direction of the palace.
"What's going on here?" Ji Yingying also came in. She was one of the examiners, and she was in charge of security. The rest was not her concern.
After confirming that she was a security guard, Ji Yingying complained to Xiangxiang: "If I went back to the modern world, I could definitely retire early and become a security guard."
"We are grateful to the Emperor for making our lives so good. In previous years, the exams were held in cold weather, but back then, no food or lodging was provided, let alone clothes."
[Thank that old man Deng? You should thank me instead; I'm the one who fought for it.]
The students who were nearby were shocked when they heard this, but they didn't show it. Instead, they sat down and waited for the test questions.
Ji Yingying found a place to sit down, took out her beloved little warm quilt, and wrapped herself in it, ready to go to sleep.
Before she even left, Granny Xia had prepared everything for her.
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