Chapter 113 Wei Shengxue: I'm about to start a conspiracy theory
Imperial examination cheating.
This phenomenon has never ceased since the birth of examinations.
To put it bluntly, it's all about profit. The fruits are too sweet, so it's no wonder that some people ignore warnings and take risks.
It's not that Ying Zheng didn't understand this point, but he still chose to cheat after they emphasized it again and again. This was a provocation to his authority against the immortals, and he must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others.
As the saying goes, by the time you see the first cockroach, the house is already full of them.
By the same token, by the time they saw the first exam room full of cheating, cheaters were already everywhere.
During the first imperial examination, many people did not realize the power of "surveillance" and thought they would not be discovered if they avoided the examiner's sight. However, they happened to run into a Qin official who took some time out to watch the examination room.
Ying Zheng was furious and said coldly, "Gather your men and inspect every examination room. Catch any and all those who are cheating."
Compared to his anger, Wei Shengxue's reaction to cheating was not that strong.
There are all kinds of birds in the forest. There are exams every year and cheating every year. To her, this is no longer news.
Compared with other examination halls, this cheat sheet that accurately predicts the questions is more worthy of exploration.
"Prime Minister Li just said he would strictly investigate officials. Was it because he noticed that the exam questions were leaked locally?"
Li Si's face was gloomy. As the prime minister, he was the overall person in charge of this national imperial examination. He could not escape the blame for what happened. To put it seriously, the position of prime minister that he had obtained with great difficulty and had not even sat on it for a while was about to be lost.
He hated those who cheated, but upon hearing this, he could only suppress his anger and replied, "This humble official is only speculating. Whether it was the candidates who cheated or the examiners who leaked the questions, we need to wait for the results of further investigation."
Wei Shengxue praised his rigorous attitude.
Then he asked casually, "Where is the examination room?"
Li Si reported the place name without blinking.
Wei Shengxue recalled it, pulled up the system map to confirm it twice, and then turned to look at him: "That place has always been disobedient, right?"
Li Si blinked quickly and smiled as usual, trying to gloss over the situation: "It's just a little friction, the people below can handle it."
Weishengxue was already familiar with his way of speaking, so he was no longer easily distracted by the main point as he had been when they first met. Instead, he could accurately find the main point from his words: there were occasional frictions with the Qin Dynasty, and his rebellious spirit was still there.
Oh, isn't this the perfect place to cause trouble?
For a moment, a series of common plots in novels, such as deliberately inciting the people to riot, deliberately spreading bad ideas, maliciously creating conflicts, etc., flashed through her mind.
"Prime Minister Li, when you investigate, it's best to pay close attention to who they're targeting for leaking the test questions."
Li Si replied without hesitation: "He must be someone who is usually uneducated but has a good family background."
This is very consistent with human nature and people's cognition at that time.
I am superior to others, but now I cannot directly inherit my parents' status. So I can be superior to others in another way. How reasonable.
It was so logical that even a shrewd man like Li Si did not realize the possible malicious intent behind it.
"You'd better pay more attention to the reputation of those who cheated in the local area. I mean, their reputation among scholars and the style of local scholars. Are they low-key and tolerant, or do they take action when they are dissatisfied? Also, what is the relationship between the examiners and the local tyrants? Do they have any connection with the anti-Qin forces..."
Wei Shengxue talked a lot, and in the end even she didn't know what she was saying.
She looked at the Prime Minister, who she saw as shrewd and calculating, with a trusting gaze, "Prime Minister Li, do you understand what I mean?"
Li Si seemed to reply: I don’t understand! I really don’t want to understand!
It was just a case of cheating in the imperial examination, but after her words, it was successfully upgraded to a case of treason.
They maliciously leaked the test questions to the person with the worst reputation in the local area, and then incited the already excited scholars after the results came out, and then spread some rumors. The Qin version of the imperial examination system that they worked so hard to perfect was easily distorted into a garbage shelter in disguise for playboys.
What's worse, some people can even smear the Qin Dynasty and misinterpret policies that are beneficial to people into a cancer that further exploits and oppresses them.
In this way, all their hard work was wasted.
After realizing this, Ying Zheng and others all looked unhappy.
"Fellow Daoist once said that he was not good at government affairs, but what you said today is more far-sighted and thorough than ours." As he spoke, Ying Zheng's gaze fell vaguely on the water glass, and the rippling water reflected the depth surging in his eyes.
Wei Shengxue was just blabbering to the system about all the bizarre cheating methods she'd seen before, and when she heard this, she just replied, "You'll understand after seeing it enough. It's just a theoretical guide, and anyone surfing the internet can't say a few words."
"Please don't let me take care of it. Compared to me, Zhao Kuo is considered an expert in practical operations."
Zhao Kuo, a clown who only talked about war on paper and ruined hundreds of thousands of Zhao troops, was a person who people would laugh at whenever they mentioned him.
Ying Zheng didn't expect that she would compare herself to Zhao Kuo, and he suddenly felt that his previous thoughts were wasted.
"Tingwei."
"I'm here." The official who succeeded Li Si as the Chief Justice stepped forward and saluted.
"Bring all those involved in fraud to justice. Order all counties to cooperate with the investigation. Make sure a set of rules are in place before the results are released."
"Yes." The Chief Justice received the order and returned to his position to intensify the investigation.
Fortunately, since it was the first imperial examination, and the standards of each county were different, it was unknown how long it would take to mark the papers. The time for the examination results has not yet been announced to the public, giving investigators some time to calculate the results.
…
After several hours of review, all the cheaters were finally found out.
The bad news is that there are people cheating in every one of the 36 counties in the world.
The good news is that there was only one county that leaked the exam questions, and the others were all private cheating.
"Good, very good." Ying Zheng took the list presented to him and laughed in anger.
"Order the Supreme Court to conduct a thorough investigation. All counties and prefectures must cooperate, and Li Si will assist. We must ensure that these bad apples are completely eliminated."
"Yes." The ministers accepted the order.
Wei Shengxue did not pay attention to the subsequent investigation process, and just said that if there was any need, just go find her.
…
Shanfu County.
When the rosy glow on the horizon had lost all its color and stars appeared on the sky, the college entrance examination that had lasted for a day finally ended.
The examiner collects the papers and seals them.
Many candidates came out one after another.
When Lu Zhi walked out with the crowd, the first thing she saw was her father and brother who had been waiting there.
They came over and stuffed a can of hot soup into her hands. "You haven't eaten all day. Warm up your stomach. We've prepared your favorite fish porridge for you."
Lu Zhi smiled and nodded, then got on the carriage with her father and brother and left the examination room.
"I saw someone cheating today." She whispered about this to her father in the carriage.
Lu Wen looked at her and asked, "You didn't get involved, did you?"
Lü Zhi took a sip of her soup and shook her head, "Of course not. There are immortal instruments monitoring the examination room. I'd be crazy to get involved in such a thing. Whether I'm involved in the corruption or uphold justice, I'm bound to get tainted."
Her realization greatly relieved her father. "My son is smart and much more clear-headed than your brother." He glared at his son and said, "Learn more from your sister."
The elder brother of the Lu family tilted his head back in silence and chuckled, "My sister is smart and more promising than me. You used to worry that I couldn't support the Lu family, but now that I have my sister, you don't have to worry anymore."
Lu Wen: “…” I’m so angry that I’m going to die!
Lu Zhi: "..." She wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Forget it, she decided not to say anything.
The carriage fell into a temporary silence.
After an unknown amount of time, the elder brother of the Lu family, who had no idea how to read the air, began to nag: "How long will it take for my sister's results to come out? My sister is so talented, she will definitely get first place!"
Lü Zhi was a little embarrassed by the silence, so he immediately changed the subject. "We don't know yet. We'll have to wait for the official announcement. But there's no need to worry too much. With my slight connection to the immortal, I can't say anything else, but I can guarantee that my grades won't be lowered."
"I've asked everyone in the family to be more alert recently and not to show up. I'm afraid things will get out of hand."
He added, "Brother, don't go to any of your friends' gatherings for now. If they ask, just say I'm in a bad mood and you have to stay home to comfort me."
The elder brother of the Lu family first glanced at Lu Wen, and when he saw his father agreed, he nodded obediently, "Okay, I will send them a message tomorrow and ask them to be quiet too."
The Lu family had taken root here, and inevitably they would have to interact with various families. Lu Zhi knew that this exchange of information was inevitable, so she said, "At most, we will gather again at noon tomorrow, and there will be no more trouble after that."
…
The next afternoon, the elder brother of the Lu family hurried into the study and drank two glasses of water in a state of shock before he calmed down a little.
"Sister, you are amazing. It was a real mess outside today. Fortunately, your reputation was effective. It almost allowed us brothers to return home safely."
Lu Zhi was standing at the desk practicing calligraphy. She felt that her writing speed was still too slow for this exam and she almost didn't have time to answer the questions, so she took advantage of the free time to practice calligraphy.
“This is just the beginning.”
"Brother, you'd better pray that these people are just cheating, not that the higher-ups are involved in some major event. Otherwise, we won't be able to continue living in Shanfu County."
Lu Zhi wrote the last stroke, but her hand shook and the stroke was not finished, revealing a sharp edge that was contrary to the whole calligraphy.
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