Chapter 933 Dead
The examination room became quiet again, with only the occasional sound of flipping papers remaining.
Several inspecting officials clearly noticed the change in the atmosphere around them. Many candidates were distracted by the sudden cheating incident. Some of those with stronger mental states were still okay and managed to calm down and not be affected by what happened just now, but most of them were restless and irritable. The timid ones even turned pale as if they were frightened, and their hands were shaking with pens when they answered questions.
A soft-hearted official couldn't help but whisper, "These Black Armor Guards are truly reckless. Even if there really were cheaters, since they've already caught their accomplices and have evidence, Wu Kui should have waited until after the exam to arrest them. This incident has affected many innocent candidates."
"Yeah, with all the noise and blood, I'm afraid most of the candidates were affected."
"This is the last game. It's such a shame that something went wrong."
Liang Guangyi was indifferent when he heard this: "What a pity! The imperial examinations are held to select talented people to fill the court. They will have to go through a lot of things after entering the officialdom. They will have to endure all kinds of hardships. If they can't even withstand such a small thing, then even if they have great knowledge, it is useless."
The person they chose was not a great scholar of literature or a top poet. Outstanding literary talent is one thing, but serving as an official is another.
Today, the Wei Dynasty's court is empty. What it lacks are practical people who can withstand the wind and rain and serve the people, rather than some "literati" who are only good at showing off and pretend to be melodramatic. Even this time, the examination questions, in addition to the usual questions on the interpretation of classics, also include abacus and some court policies and state affairs, in order to test their other abilities besides literature.
Talent, courage, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances are all criteria for measuring their future prospects.
It is true that the Black Armored Guards coming in to arrest someone just now caused some noise, but if one cannot even handle such a small matter and is easily affected and unable to answer questions, then no matter how knowledgeable one is, he will undoubtedly be a waste in today's Wei Dynasty. It would be better for him to get rid of it as soon as possible.
The few people who spoke just now were choked by Liang Guangyi's extremely cold words.
Cao Dejiang also agreed with Liang Guangyi's words in his heart, but seeing the tense atmosphere, he spoke gently: "Well, the matter is over. Catching the cheaters on the spot will better deter others."
"The Empress and His Majesty are both extremely concerned about this major exam. It's our fault that cheating still occurred despite the numerous oversights. There's still a while left before the exam ends. All of you should patrol the exams and do your own work. Don't cause any more trouble."
Several examiners present were all nervous. They were ordered to supervise the exam, but they did not notice that someone was cheating by using birds. If the Black Armored Guards had not entered, the matter would probably have been covered up. If this matter was made public, it would be their dereliction of duty, and if they were to be held accountable, they would be punished.
For a moment, they had no time to sympathize with the candidates and they all perked up their spirits.
We must not cause any more trouble.
…
An hour later, a gong sounded from the examination room, and the exam was over. Everyone was asked to stop writing immediately, regardless of whether they had finished answering or not.
An official led the black-armored guards to seal the test papers on the spot. After sealing all the test papers, they were taken away directly. The candidates who had finished the test came out of the examination room one after another, either excited or frustrated.
The blockade on the streets outside had long been lifted, and the area was surrounded by relatives of the candidates. After seeing the candidates inside, the news that someone had used birds to cheat in the exam spread instantly, like pouring hot water into a frying pan, causing an uproar among everyone.
"Someone actually dared to cheat on the exam. Is this true?"
"Of course it's true. That man used birds to cheat and was caught on the spot by the Black Armor Guards. At first, he refused to admit it and even saw blood..."
"Bird, how can that thing cheat?"
"I don't know, but there must be something wrong, otherwise why would the Black Armor Guards capture people?"
"That guy is truly courageous. Those who cheated in the preliminary exams were either stripped of their student status and banned from taking the exam for ten years, or thrown into prison. With the lessons learned from the past, he still dared to take such a risk. With so many people watching under the Emperor's feet, he's truly reckless..."
There was a lot of discussion outside about the cheating, and Tang Ning looked unhappy as he sat in the restaurant.
When Cao Dejiang and Liang Guangyi hurried over, they saw a row of people kneeling in front of Tang Ning.
"My Lady."
Cao Dejiang stepped forward and confessed his guilt: "This old minister failed to monitor strictly and failed to detect the fraud. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Liang Guangyi also lowered his head: "It is our fault."
Tang Ning waved his hands when he heard this: "It has nothing to do with you."
She was not someone who could not tell right from wrong. This exam was held hastily and suddenly, and there was no previous experience to draw on. Cao Dejiang and his men had tried their best to take everything into consideration, and she had also sent countless people to guard and investigate, but they were still able to get away with it.
If she hadn't had the sudden idea of leaving the palace this time, and Hua Wu hadn't happened to be playful and took a few more glances, who would have thought that those two snowball-like birds would be tools for some people to cheat. It would be really unreasonable to blame Cao Dejiang and others for this.
After Tang Ning asked the two to stand up, he handed the confession he had just obtained through torture to Cao Dejiang and the others: "Take a look."
Cao Dejiang took it and frowned after looking at it with Liang Guangyi: "Is there really someone in this world who can talk to birds?"
Yue Jian whispered, "Indeed, there are some in the martial arts world. Not only birds, but also wild beasts. Some people are born with keen senses and extraordinary talents. Not only are they naturally close to animals, but they can also imitate the sounds of birds and wild beasts during the training process to use them to convey messages."
"The person who cheated today used this method. The paperweight that the Black Armor Guards took back earlier contained a bone whistle. Because it was specially treated, the sound it made is inaudible to ordinary people. Only trained birds and some special people can hear it clearly."
"The person in the examination room used this to pass messages to the outside world. He used the two pearl-carrying birds to bring back the exam questions, and the people outside answered them and then passed them back to him."
Liang Guangyi frowned upon hearing this: "How can ordinary students understand something this complicated?"
Cao Dejiang also noticed something wrong: "As Miss Yuejian said, this method is mostly used by people in the martial arts world and is rarely seen in ordinary places. Moreover, training these birds and making special bone whistles must be no easy task. Otherwise, if those spies use this method, who can capture them?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Tang Ning:
"Empress, is there any hidden reason behind this?"
Tang Ning said coldly, "After the examinee was brought out, he was killed on the spot. Yu Yanfeng led his men to catch the person who was cooperating with him in cheating, but they found someone guarding the place. After they finally caught them, they found that all they brought back were mutes."
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