Chapter 47
"Oh?" The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Your idea comes quite suddenly."
The imperial examination will begin in a few days. Even if the eldest prince has any ideas, how can they be of any use at this time?
The eldest prince cupped his hands in greeting: "Father, rest assured, if you think my plan is feasible, it can be used even if the imperial examination starts tomorrow."
These words piqued the emperor's curiosity: "Tell me about it."
"It's quite simple. All you need to do is switch the exam papers from two neighboring prefectures after you've anonymized the papers and changed the names."
Seeing the emperor's eyes brighten slightly, the eldest prince spoke with increasing confidence: "In this way, even if someone bribed the local officials in advance, it would be of no use."
The practice of concealing names and locations in the examination papers refers to hiding the names and origins of the examinees after the papers are collected, and then having a designated person copy them. This was intended to prevent officials from being bribed and engaging in favoritism and fraud. However, starting with the late emperor, some unscrupulous individuals have devised new methods of cheating.
The officials in charge of grading the exams would agree beforehand with the candidates who had paid money to write a specific character in a certain place as a code. Once the officials recognized the code, they would award the candidate a high score. The imperial court had long suffered from this problem but had no way to deal with it, and the emperor was also very troubled by it.
"In addition, the state governments that switch exam papers can also arrange and combine them in many different ways, making it difficult for their subordinates to figure out, thus suppressing the cheating trend."
By the end, the emperor's face was full of satisfaction: "This plan is brilliant! This way, we can make it in time and try it this year!"
The eldest prince cupped his hands in greeting: "It is truly my honor to be able to share the burdens of my father."
The emperor nodded repeatedly.
But soon, he realized a very serious problem: "What if something happens to the transported exam papers on the way?"
Exam papers are just flimsy pieces of paper; a single spark, a gust of wind, or even a rain shower can cause irreparable damage.
In short, transporting exam papers is extremely prone to problems, and even the slightest mishap can have serious consequences.
Clearly, the eldest prince hadn't considered this question and was immediately stunned.
Shen Rang stood to one side, his posture upright, like a pine or bamboo.
He was recording every word the emperor and the eldest prince had just said, his handwriting vigorous and powerful, his brushstrokes bold and unrestrained.
He finished speaking, and seeing that the eldest prince had not yet spoken, he bowed to the emperor.
"Oh? What are your thoughts, Shen Qing?"
"Your Majesty, I think the exam papers don't need to be moved. We can just have someone else move them," Shen Rang said. "If we transport the exam papers, any slight mistake could be irreversible, and then the hard work of an entire prefecture would be wasted. But if we send the officials to the neighboring prefectures, we can avoid these troubles."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the eldest prince interjected, "That's right, that's what I was thinking just now too. Zirong is so quick to speak!"
Shen Rang cupped his hands in greeting to him and then began to take notes again.
The emperor looked at the eldest prince and said, "That's a good idea. I will have someone make the arrangements. You've had a long journey to the palace, so go back now."
The eldest prince quickly got up to take his leave.
Before long, news of what happened in the Imperial Study reached the Crown Prince's ears.
How could there be such a shameless person in the world!
The Crown Prince looked helplessly at the old man who was throwing a tantrum in front of him, and gently comforted him, "Grand Tutor, please don't be angry. My elder brother has always been like this. Next time he has any ideas, I will be more careful."
The Crown Prince's Grand Tutor was named He Fenghua. He was the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat and was highly trusted by the Emperor. He had been responsible for teaching the Crown Prince classical texts when the Crown Prince was still young. They were very close and could talk about anything.
The idea of switching the exam papers came from the Crown Prince while he was browsing through the classics. He immediately invited He Fenghua over, but before the Crown Prince could tell the Emperor, the First Prince took the initiative.
"When I discussed matters with Your Highness that day, does Your Highness still remember who was in the hall?"
The Crown Prince shook his head: "They are, after all, people who serve closely at the front."
He Fenghua sighed heavily: "It seems that we need to thoroughly sift through the servants in the Eastern Palace!"
“It’s not necessary,” the Crown Prince said. “If we make any move, it will give others an opportunity to take advantage of us, and it would be bad if something else went wrong.”
After the prince finished speaking, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a dark glint flashed in his eyes.
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