Chapter 236 Candidates Identify Jiang Taifu Selling Exam Questions
The next day, when it was time for the morning court session, Grand Tutor Pan also rushed to the Golden Palace. He was efficient and brought Wang Qing's confession with him.
Grand Tutor Pan bowed respectfully, saying, "This old minister greets Your Majesty."
"Grand Tutor, please rise. What brings you to the palace? Cao De, quickly offer Grand Tutor Pan a seat," the Emperor said in a deep voice.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. This old minister has come to the palace to report on some events that occurred during this year's imperial examinations." Although Grand Tutor Pan was old, he was still very hale and hearty. When Chief Steward Cao brought him a soft chair, he did not act like an old man and actually sat down. He slowly recounted what happened in the examination hall yesterday.
They didn't dare to delay for even a moment. Yesterday, they brought in the people arrested by the Five Cities Garrison for interrogation. Among them, someone directly pointed out that the examinee Wang Qing had cheated. It wasn't until Grand Tutor Pan personally went to Wang Qing's house that, before he could even conduct a thorough interrogation, Wang Qing took the initiative to admit that he had known the exam questions in advance and had cheated.
Wang Qing had no choice but to admit that if he were truly an incompetent fool, Pan Taifu could test him and find out if he was lying. He admitted his mistake and showed a good attitude. For a candidate, this would only be a three-year ban from taking the exam as a lesson. However, Wang Qing's crime of implicating the person who sold the exam questions was much greater.
After listening to what Grand Tutor Pan had said, the Emperor said, "I presume that Grand Tutor Pan has already found out the truth and knows who sold him the exam questions."
"I have found out the truth, but I am afraid that I may have made a mistake and wronged someone." Grand Tutor Pan shook his head, his face somewhat embarrassed. "The candidate managed to slip through the cracks right under my nose. It is my fault, and I admit my guilt."
"Grand Tutor, you need not blame yourself for this matter. I do not blame you. I am deeply grateful to you for selecting learned scholars for me. Now that the truth has been found, you shall deal with the matter according to the law." Grand Tutor Pan was the emperor's tutor, and he served the emperor wholeheartedly throughout his life.
Grand Tutor Pan stated frankly, "This matter involves Grand Tutor Jiang Huai of the Crown Prince, and this old minister dares not make a decision rashly."
"Was it Grand Tutor Jiang who leaked the exam questions?" The Emperor narrowed his eyes, a strange glint in them.
Grand Tutor Pan then slowly explained, “Given Grand Tutor Jiang’s character, this old minister does not believe he would engage in bribery by buying and selling exam questions. However, the examinee Wang Qing readily admitted that he bought the exam questions from Grand Tutor Jiang. I have brought Wang Qing’s confession with me. He has admitted to cheating and has voluntarily confessed that he spent a large amount of gold and silver to buy the exam questions from Grand Tutor Jiang. The details of their transaction are also written in his confession. I request Your Majesty and the Crown Prince to review it.”
Xie Shang took the testimony and read it carefully. The testimony was very detailed, even explaining where Jiang Huai's exam questions came from. It was almost flawless. The only problem now was that if the silver was found in Jiang's residence, it would prove that Jiang Huai had indeed sold the exam questions, and he could be convicted.
When officials are found guilty of corruption, it can be a serious crime that leads to the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire family.
The Emperor said, "Crown Prince."
Xie Shang quickly handed the testimony to the Emperor, saying, "Father, please take a look." He then gave Jiang Jinyan, who was standing in the queue, a look that said, "Take a moment and calm down."
Seeing the Crown Prince's somber expression, the ministers whispered among themselves, saying, "We all know about the stampede that happened at the entrance of the examination hall yesterday. It was caused by a candidate being caught cheating, but how could it be related to Grand Tutor Jiang?"
"Yes, Grand Tutor Jiang isn't an examiner, so how could he buy and sell exam questions?"
"Could there be a mistake?"
"Grand Tutor Pan must have investigated thoroughly before daring to speak in court."
"The Jiang family is currently enjoying great success; perhaps someone is framing them."
"How could you frame someone for something so serious? Jiang Huai might have only dared to do this because he's the Crown Princess's father. You can tell from how quickly the eldest son of the Jiang family has been promoted that the Crown Princess has been working hard for her family in the Crown Prince's ear! She's really raised a good daughter!"
"When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs rise to heaven. Relying on a mere scholar like Young Master Jiang, I'm afraid he could never climb to such a high position in his entire life."
"Sigh, who can blame them for having such a beautiful daughter who managed to get married to the Crown Prince? We don't have a daughter in our family, so we can never hope to have such an opportunity in this lifetime."
"He went from being a scholar to working in the Ministry of Revenue. Although it was just an insignificant position, he used his connections to take away the jobs of many people. This position was obtained for him when the Crown Prince was still the Prince of Heng."
"Later, he was appointed by the emperor as the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He was also sent by the crown prince. After fighting a battle, he was suddenly granted the title of marquis. He only got to such a position because of his sister's connections."
"If he were to rely on his own genuine talent and learning to enter the court as an official, it would probably be harder than climbing to heaven."
The once brilliant and talented young master suddenly became known as a crony, a gigolo, and the kind of person people would call a crony.
He came in second place this time, and everyone looked at him with new respect. They were just waiting for the top three to enter the palace examination, and who knew he might become the top scholar. However, when the cheating case came out, it was said that it was Grand Tutor Jiang who leaked the questions. Without asking the reason or waiting for the case to progress, everyone said that Jiang Jinyan's second place had become a joke.
Jiang Jinyan was also in the court, and these people still dared to whisper among themselves, clearly taking advantage of his misfortune.
Even though my father tried his best to keep a low profile, he still attracted jealousy, and there were always people who disliked him and wanted to bring him down.
Suddenly, the Jiang family was thrust into the spotlight.
Actually, these rumors didn't start today; there have been rumors for a long time that Jiang Jinyan didn't rely on himself. He didn't try to defend himself but instead proved his strength with his actions.
He didn't expect to receive testimony against his father so quickly. No matter how angry he was, he had to suppress it, because the angrier he got, the more the enemy would take advantage of him.
They weren't doing nothing; they were just waiting to see what tricks the other side would use to suppress the Jiang family. Unexpectedly, they actually turned their attention to the unassuming Grand Tutor Jiang. The other side probably only found Wang Qing as a breakthrough point before targeting Grand Tutor Jiang.
In fact, Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang entered the palace early this morning and met with the emperor before he went to court.
Jiang Fenghua wants to catch the ghost, but the key is that the Emperor must believe her and cooperate with her. If the Emperor knew that the ghost's surname was Su, it's uncertain whether he would be willing to believe her.
The Emperor gave her a chance to clear Jiang Huai's name.
The other party could deduce that Jiang Huai's exam questions were stolen from the Emperor, and Jiang Fenghua could also deduce that the source was the palace, because Jiang Huai had entered the palace too many times during that period, and Jiang Fenghua had been living in the palace, so they were indeed suspicious.
She assured the Emperor that it was not her father's doing, offering her position as Crown Princess as collateral.
He may have obtained it from the examiner, or he may have entered the palace and obtained it from the emperor. Su Xuan was not in Shengjing at that time and perfectly avoided it, which shows that his spies in the palace have penetrated deep into the palace.
Even though Su Xuan thought his plan was perfect, Jiang Fenghua still intuitively believed that Su Xuan was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Jiang Fenghua took advantage of the emperor's paranoia. More than leaking exam questions, it was the emperor being watched by a pair of eyes that made him angrier.
So Jiang Fenghua told the Emperor about this incident, making a hypothetical scenario. She didn't say it was Su Xuan, but only that it was someone else. Naturally, the Emperor also wanted to find out who that person was.
When the emperor's own life is threatened, he will cooperate with Jiang Fenghua.
She knew that the more powerful and influential a person was, the more they cared about their own interests. If some people dared to touch the emperor's interests and take advantage of such loopholes, wouldn't the emperor be furious?
Similarly, if it is confirmed that Jiang Huai was indeed responsible, the emperor will declare that the Jiang family's good days are over.
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