Chapter 112 Li Si: I think I saw someone cheating
What does Ying Zheng think?
Li Si stood there calmly, not joining in the argument between either side.
Their Majesty is the most pragmatic person. As long as someone is truly talented, his tolerance is almost infinite.
To put it bluntly, as long as the job can be done, he doesn't mind whether the person in the position is a human or a ghost, let alone a different gender.
So when the news spread further, there were three more restrictions on the imperial examination.
——No restrictions on identity, age or gender.
As soon as the news came out, the voices of opposition and criticism far outweighed the voices of support and approval, but just like Ying Zheng's insistence on pushing forward the county system, he now ignored these voices.
…
"E'ou, a new imperial decree has been issued in Xianyang City, allowing women to participate in the imperial examinations."
Lu Wen hurriedly trotted into the Lu residence and excitedly told his eldest daughter the good news.
E'sui, now a young woman, kept her eyes fixed on her book, possessing a composure uncommon for her age. "Father, you're not worried anymore, are you? The immortal already told me to study hard and strive for good grades next year. The implication was clear, yet you're still worried."
Lü Wen found a seat in the study, breathed a long sigh, and shook his head helplessly. "You, your father isn't worried about you not being able to participate. With the immortal's special permission, even if it weren't possible, I'd make an exception for you. But you're navigating the male-dominated officialdom all alone, and the criticism and difficulties you encounter are far beyond your imagination. But if, like now, the door is open to other women, even if it's difficult, there will always be a brilliant woman who can break through. You two are natural allies."
"In official circles, having an alliance to support each other is much easier than fighting alone."
E'ou was reading a book with two minds focused. When she heard this, she had just finished reading a volume, closed the book, stood up, walked to her father's side, squatted down, and snuggled gently at his feet. The warmth of the father and daughter's bodies warmed her.
The girl's steady voice betrayed an unmistakable pride. "I know my father is thinking of me, but I, Lü Zhi, have never been afraid of being different. I've been well-read since childhood, possessing wisdom far exceeding that of my brothers. In the past, my path was different, and I could only marry and have children like my mother and grandmother. If I was entrusted with the wrong person, I had no choice but to accept it. But now that the immortal has fought for a path to heaven for women like me, I no longer wish to live in that square house, wasting my days on daily necessities."
"No matter how difficult this road is, can it be more difficult than being a wife, raising children, and serving my parents-in-law, yet not being respected?"
E'ou, no, her real name should be Lü Zhi.
Lu Zhi squinted her eyes as she faced the sunlight pouring in through the window. The sunlight was rare in winter, and it reflected on the snow as if it was sparkling, with a slightly dazzling light.
Just like these women who were the first to enter officialdom.
Dazzling and eye-catching.
…
Winter passes and spring arrives. When the spring breeze melts the snow on the mountaintops, when the first hint of green emerges from the moist earth, when the heavy ears of wheat are hung with the joy of a good harvest...
The college entrance examination is finally here.
Contrary to what one might imagine, the first imperial examination had a clear goal, targeting the talents of the six states hidden among the crowd. Therefore, the requirements were not lowered at all for the first time, but the difficulty of the test paper was increased instead.
The questions on the paper are mainly practical application questions, supplemented by some knowledge of Qin law.
The goal of the screening is very clear, which is to select officials who can fill the carrot holes in the Qin Dynasty, and they are big carrots who can quickly get started after a short period of training and can stand on their own.
Under the watchful eyes of her brother, Lu Zhi walked into the examination room. She looked around and saw that most of the people coming and going were men, but occasionally, like a red flower among green leaves, she would find a woman and greet her politely.
——May we meet at the end.
"So there really are women taking the scientific exam? With long hair and little knowledge, how can you possibly understand the questions?"
"Hehehe, I'm afraid that by then I'll cry and shout about leaving~"
"She's dressed so extravagantly. I wonder if she's here to take the exam or to bribe the examiner, trying to steal good grades from men like me through some shady scheme."
"Some people, the more incompetent they are, the more they look down on others, little knowing that by shouting, everyone knows they are incompetent."
"Alright, alright, until you start hugging a woman's stinky feet and eating gigolos, I'm ashamed to be associated with you."
She heard countless words of ridicule or support, but her expression did not change at all, and she ignored them all.
A bunch of mediocre people, not worthy of her attention.
She even took the trouble to appease the girls gathered around her. "They don't dare to oppose the immortal who proposed it, nor do they dare to criticize His Majesty who implemented it. They don't even dare to discuss the county magistrate who is in charge. They only pick on us girls and talk nonsense. Look, aren't they just judging us for not being able to do anything to them? A bunch of weaklings who bully the weak and fear the strong, are you really worthy of your attention?"
She didn't lower her voice at all when she spoke, so the people who were nearby naturally heard it, and even heard it clearly. When they heard it, they became angry and took a few steps forward, clenched their five fingers into fists, and raised their hands high.
Bang——
Bang——
Bang——
At this moment, the gong hanging outside the examination room was struck. Three sharp, piercing and loud sounds directly suppressed all the sounds on the scene.
"The exam has begun. Please enter the venue in an orderly manner."
"This exam will be supervised by examiners throughout. Anyone found cheating will be stripped naked and paraded through the streets! A sign reading 'Cheating House' will be hung on the village entrance for three years as a warning to others!"
Stripped naked and paraded through the streets!
This insulting plaque must be hung for three years!
For the ancients who attached great importance to face and family, this was a more terrible punishment than direct killing.
Some people who were originally planning to cheat honestly put their hands away, while some people refused to believe it and were prepared to act according to the circumstances with a lucky mentality.
No matter what they thought, after being searched in the men's and women's areas, they finally officially entered the examination room.
As Lü Zhi followed the team to her seat, she caught a glimpse of a large, bright, and striking turquoise gem hanging in the front. Its preciousness and brilliance seemed out of place in the rather shabby examination room.
At this moment, the examiner sitting on the high platform in front spoke up, "This is a surveillance device secretly made by the immortals. As long as you are in the room, all your actions will be recorded and monitored. Those with ulterior motives had better think about whether their little actions can be hidden from the immortals!"
These words made people feel a chill in their hearts.
Some people were sweating, but more people were excited.
Immortals can see them!
They are taking the exam in front of an immortal!
Aaaaaa——!
It's on fire!
…
Thousands of miles away, people in the Xianyang Palace were curious about and attached great importance to the first imperial examination, and all the civil and military officials who could come came.
He curiously poked at the aerial picture that covered the entire open space in front of Zhangtai Palace.
"After transmitting sound and objects over a thousand miles, the immortals have created a magical artifact that can transmit images over a thousand miles."
"Is this the surveillance system that can monitor every exam room in the world? It's truly amazing!"
"Marquis Tongwu, your daughter has also met her end, right?"
The mentioned Wang Ben glanced over there and continued to stare at the scene in front of him.
This is one of the four examination halls in Xianyang City.
There were a large number of people in Xianyang City, so in order to disperse the crowd, four major examination areas were set up, and each examination area had five sub-examination rooms.
The examination room he was looking at happened to be the one where Wang Yu was.
"How is the performance of the little girl that Daoyou likes?"
Ying Zheng did not wear the formal attire for the court meeting today, but changed into a more casual outfit. He leaned back in his chair somewhat lazily, and played with a fruit.
"Hey, take a look." Weishengxue controlled a picture to fly over.
"The writing is smooth, the description is steady, and it seems that he is confident. I just don't know how well it is written." Ying Zheng stared at the picture for a while. Real-time changes were transmitted from the monitor. Lu Zhi, who was sitting in the middle, was facing the jade stone on the monitor, and her performance was clearly captured.
"What are the exam questions for Shanfu County?"
Li Si, who was in charge at the time, appeared from nowhere and repeated the examination questions of Shanfu County in an extremely timely and accurate manner.
This professional quality made Weishengxue sigh again: It's worthy of you, Li Si.
Ying Zheng nodded slightly. The questions in Shanfu County were appropriate.
"Who is the county magistrate here?"
Li Si's mouth curled up quickly for a moment and then dropped back down, and he said as objectively and impartially as possible: "It's my junior fellow apprentice, Zhang Cang."
Without waiting for Ying Zheng to ask further questions, he immediately added: "He is good at calculations and is proficient in calendars."
Ying Zheng glanced at him.
The meaning of this recommendation is obvious.
"The Shanfu County Magistrate has been commended for his meritorious service in administering the imperial examinations. He is hereby transferred to Xianyang and will temporarily serve under the Prime Minister."
Observe him first, and if he is really a talent suitable for Daqin, then promote him.
In this era when the promotion channels for officials are not yet perfect, it is not uncommon for someone to jump several levels and become one of the Nine Ministers. It all depends on whether the monarch values him or not.
"Liu Ji keeps complaining about being short-staffed. This time, I think we'll be able to select a lot of people to fill the gaps."
More than a dozen surveillance images floated over according to Wei Shengxue's thoughts, merged together, and occupied the entire space in front of him.
However, what she didn't expect was that the most common people in the picture were scratching their heads and thinking hard. This familiar expression gave her a sense of foreboding.
She seemed to behave like this when she was in school and had a history exam. Hahaha, that's impossible. These people are all talented people from various countries. How could they be similar to her, a history nerd? It must be an illusion! Illusion!
This time, we will definitely be able to select enough talents. Liu Ji's chattering all day long is really annoying her.
This time, the large number of talented people will definitely be able to shut him up! Definitely!
Wei Shengxue secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead, decisively dispersed the footage of the examination room in Kuaiji County, and watched a few surveillance cameras from other places.
Huh?
After only a few years of watching, Wei Shengxue, who was familiar with all kinds of cheating and peeping methods, discovered that there was something wrong with several people.
She enlarged the surveillance footage again and again, and the originally blurry movements became exceptionally clear and distinct.
Oh no!
For such a serious exam, there are actually people who cheat directly!
This cheating method... If he had any brains at all, he wouldn't be so stupid.
"Fellow Daoist, look at these people,"
She called out to Ying Zheng as if she had discovered some news. "They actually cheated in! This kind of low-level cheating method is outrageous. The invigilators could have seen it if they had just looked away a little bit. They are so bold."
Then she looked over in confusion, "Could it be that the punishment we agreed upon isn't severe enough?"
Ying Zheng looked in the direction she pointed, and Li Si, who was following beside him, also looked over.
He looked back and forth several times, his expression changing slightly.
"Master, could you please zoom in on the image and focus on the location of the slips of paper in their sleeves?"
The picture zoomed in, revealing a half-inch cheat sheet hidden by the sleeve. Li Si took two steps forward and got closer to carefully identify it.
His face was as dark as water.
"Your Majesty, Immortal Master, the officials here must conduct a thorough investigation."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
