Li Shishi couldn't believe it at all. She said to the maid, "Prepare the sedan chair. I want to go and see it myself!"
Zhao Huan was rarely so furious. The imperial court had put so much effort into organizing this imperial examination. Every precaution had been taken to prevent cheating, yet someone still managed to leak the test questions.
It turned out that the policy essay paper Du Yuntai submitted contained thousands of words, but the content had nothing to do with the policy essay. Instead, it detailed the leaked exam questions, cheating by the examinees, and other issues, and lamented current politics. He argued that the current emperor had discouraged scholars and that the imperial examinations were merely a ladder for the sons of wealthy families. He also lambasted Zhao Huan, calling him a tyrant who had misled the country and the people.
Zhao Huan was furious: "Meng Gurao, I want to ask you, how did you become the chief examiner? Why were the test questions leaked?"
Meng Gu Rao took the blame, but he didn't dare to defend himself. He knelt down hurriedly and said, "I deserve to die!"
"You deserve to die! I wish I could kill you! Do you know what this imperial examination means to the court? How can I explain this to the people of the world?"
Meng Gu Rao prostrated himself on the ground with his head bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I deserve death!"
After his anger subsided, Zhao Huan finally regained some of his sanity. "Get up, Meng Gurao. I believe you are not that kind of person. The test questions were not leaked by you. They must have been leaked before the students entered the examination hall. What I don't understand is that the test-setters are all in the Imperial College, under strict guard by the guards and cannot set foot outside. How did these test questions leak out? Did they grow wings?"
Meng Gu Rao stood up tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, no matter where the test questions were leaked, I cannot escape the blame. I am willing to accept the punishment."
Zhao Huan sighed, "I trust you. What if I punish you? The mistake has already been made."
"Your Majesty," Meng Gurao bowed and said, "The court must give these scholars an explanation. I am the only one who bears the blame."
Zhao Huan frowned: "How can you recite it?"
"I beg Your Majesty to parade me through the streets in shackles!"
Zhao Huan was shocked: "What did you say?"
Meng Gurao sighed, "Your Majesty, even if you cancel this imperial examination, will the scholars agree? Wouldn't it be unfair to those who passed without cheating? And what would those who failed think if they knew someone cheated? Someone at the court must give them an explanation. As the chief examiner of this examination, who else can take the blame if not me? I beg Your Majesty to imprison me and parade me through the streets in a show of force, so that you can give these students an explanation!"
Zhao Huan was heartbroken: "You, I have already let Chen Guoting down once, and I don't want to let you down again."
"Your Majesty!" Meng Gurao knelt again. "I am a minister of the Song Dynasty. My personal honor and disgrace are nothing to me. I beg Your Majesty for your grace!"
With such a serious incident at the imperial court, a cheating case involving the imperial examinations, someone had to take the blame. Regardless of how one looked at it, Meng Gurao, as the chief examiner, was undoubtedly to blame. Zhao Huan gently closed his eyes and said, "Come here! Take off Meng Gurao's official hat, put him in a prison cart, and put him in the shackles for public display!"
The scholars outside the Imperial College were already restless. As the saying goes, "There's no such thing as a wall that's impenetrable," the candidates knew someone had leaked the exam questions. Those who didn't pass the exam started to riot, shouting about the imperial court's corruption and cheating in the exams.
When Li Shishi arrived at the Imperial College, she finally understood the whole story. No wonder Du Yuntai was not on the list. He must have deliberately given up the exam because he was unwilling to let the exam questions leak out.
"Examination cheating! Please give us an explanation from the court!"
A clear voice sounded behind everyone. Everyone turned around and saw that the voice was exactly what Li Shishi said.
"Yes! Cheating in the imperial examination! The court must give us an explanation!" Everyone shouted in unison.
"What did you say! What evidence do you have to accuse us of cheating?" Someone from the high school immediately began to refute.
So those who failed the exam and those who passed started to fight with each other. Those who passed said that you were not as good as others and were slandering them because you didn't pass. Those who didn't pass were even more furious, saying that you were the one who had no knowledge and relied on despicable means to get on the imperial exam.
Both sides were ready to fight, and the situation was about to get out of control. At this time, a team of imperial guards arrived at the Imperial College, one of whom was Cao Dongsheng. Cao Dongsheng took out an imperial edict and said, "The imperial edict has arrived!"
It immediately became quiet, and the imperial edict arrived, proving that the emperor knew about it.
Cao Dongsheng read the imperial edict: "By the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor declares: This imperial examination was marred by corruption and malpractice. I, in gratitude for the students' ten years of hard work, declare this examination invalid. Another examination will be held on a later date!"
"Why? I didn't cheat, but I still passed the exam! You can cancel it just like that, and you must give us an explanation!" someone shouted.
"Yes! We want an explanation!" It seemed to be someone from another high school.
The wheels rolled, a man in front beat a gong to clear the way, and a team of guards on either side escorted a prisoner cart. On the prisoner cart was the white-haired Meng Gurao.
"This is the chief examiner this time. He leaked the questions!" Someone recognized Meng Gurao.
The crowd became excited, some began to spit, and some began to throw stones.
"Beat him to death!"
"You bastard! Tell me, how much silver did you take?"
"Yes, beat him to death!"
The crowd threw rocks, sticks, and rotten vegetable leaves at Meng Gurao. A stone flew over and hit Meng Gurao on the forehead. The stone was the size of a fist and immediately broke Meng Gurao's forehead, causing blood to flow.
"Stop!" Li Shishi recognized that it was the prefect of Kaifeng, but the crowd was so excited that her voice in the back was drowned out by the noise.
These students came from all over the country, and there were not many students in the capital, so few knew Meng Gurao or what kind of person he was. People even believed that this corrupt official had leaked the test questions, otherwise why would the emperor put him in a prison cart and paraded him through the streets?
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