While Linshe County was celebrating the harvest, a great disturbance arose in the imperial court thousands of miles away.
The recent turmoil over grain production made the current emperor very angry, because he did not learn about such a big thing from memorials, but heard it from merchants. This made him feel that the emperor's dignity was violated.
This time, the controversy is about John Hoffman's exam results.
Everyone was naturally paying special attention to the protagonist who could increase grain production and invent the rice transplanter. When they heard that he failed, many people naturally did not believe it.
The official in charge of the imperial examinations in Cangzhou was named Li. Upon learning that He Jinshu had failed the exam, one official asked Li, "Why did He Jinshu fail?"
Li Xuezheng replied cautiously, "I asked the examiner about this question, and he said that there was an unknown stain on He's test paper, so he failed.
Furthermore, Mr. He did not raise any objection to his failure within ten days of the announcement of the results, so I returned to Beijing to report."
In order to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the imperial examinations in the Dongli Kingdom, in addition to establishing a strict marking mechanism, candidates were also allowed to ask the chief examiner for reasons for their failure within ten days after the results were announced, so as to learn from them and learn from their mistakes in the next exam.
But He Jinshu didn't care at all whether he passed this time. He went back directly after touring the city, and he didn't go back to check the reason why he failed.
"I wonder if the stain on the test paper was before or after it was collected?" the official asked again.
This question made Li Xuezheng pause for a moment, and then he said, "The stains were there before I collected it."
“I wonder where this stain came from?”
"What does Lord He mean by this?" Li Xuezheng said angrily. "Does Lord He think that I and the other examiners have framed He Jinshu?"
When the Minister of Revenue, He Xian, heard this, he laughed and said, "I dare not say that, Lord Li. I certainly don't doubt your fairness and impartiality. It's just that there is a stain on the test paper, so there must be a convincing reason.
Otherwise, considering the contributions that Mr. He has made to our Dongli Country, it would be difficult to convince the public if he failed the exam!
And I heard that a few days before the results were announced, someone in Cangzhou made a very high-profile bet outside the venue, betting that He Jinshu would not pass the imperial examination. He even bet 200 taels of silver at one time and finally won 3,000 taels of silver.
I don't know why that person was so certain that He Jinshu would fail this exam, but it's said that all the students in Cangzhou know about this. If He Jinshu doesn't give a definitive explanation, it will be difficult to convince everyone, and it will also cause the people of the world to doubt the fairness of our Dongli Kingdom's imperial examination system."
Betting in the examination hall has almost become an unwritten custom in every imperial examination in Dongli State. In the past, people would bet on who would get first place, and the amount of silver bet ranged from a hundred coins to dozens of taels of silver, and would not exceed 50 taels of silver at most.
Although John Hoffman has become very famous recently, people are not very familiar with his knowledge, and he has not shown much of his talent in front of others. So although some people think he will definitely pass the exam, almost no one would bet on him to get first place.
But at this moment, someone suddenly started a bet, saying that He Jinshu would definitely fail the exam this time. This instantly angered those who had heard about He Jinshu's various deeds during this period. He Jinshu even made a rice transplanter, so how could he fail the imperial examination?
What's more, there has been a rumor in the capital recently that He Jinshu has invented a method to fertilize the fields, which has increased the rice production in Shenjia Village to 800 kilograms. Although this matter has yet to be verified, since it has been said, it must be true.
So some people were angry and bet on He Jinshu to pass the exam, while other people who were just watching the fun followed suit and some bet on him not to pass, while others bet on him to pass.
Finally, when the results were announced, everyone knew the result: He Jinshu failed the exam.
At that time, people in the city quarreled a lot about this matter, but because I was not there, it ended up in nothing.
After hearing what Lord He said, Li Xuezheng snorted coldly and said, "I didn't even know about this bet. How come Lord He is so familiar with the affairs of Cangzhou?"
"Maybe Lord Li is too busy with the imperial examination," Lord He said calmly, "Not only do I know about this, Lord Wang, Lord Tian and the others also know about it.
The seasonings from Cangzhou have been really popular lately, and a lot of merchants have come from there to sell their goods. These are all said by their own people. Would they really come all the way to the capital to make up such lies? "
As soon as Lord He finished speaking, Lord Tian, who was standing in the same row, echoed him, "That's true. Lord He and I have a habit of going to teahouses to listen to storytelling on our days off. We also listen to the other guests' stories and learn about the lives of the people and the anecdotes from all over the place.
When Lord He first heard about this in the teahouse, he scolded the man and said he was making it up.
But the man said calmly that the news had spread throughout Cangzhou, and that if he had money, he would have joined in the betting. Even if he couldn't make a few thousand taels, even if he could make a few hundred taels, he wouldn't have to work so hard to deliver the goods.
Although Lord Wang, who was standing aside, did not say anything, it was equivalent to tacitly agreeing. He had seen a lot of people gathered in the teahouse that day, so he was curious to see what was going on. He did not expect to hear such a story.
Seeing he couldn't win over the crowd, Li Xuezheng immediately knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I have always handled cases impartially and never showed favoritism!"
Upon hearing this, Lord He pretended to be confused and said, "Lord Li, what do you mean? We didn't accuse you of favoritism or perverting the law. We just asked you to explain the situation. If you, the chief examiner, can't explain the matter clearly, then who else can?"
This exam isn't just about He Jinshu alone; it's about the selection of talent for our Dongli Nation. If talents like He Jinshu are buried, how can we trust people in the future with the imperial examinations?"
After these words were spoken, the court fell silent. It was not because everyone was afraid, but because those who stood on Lord Li's side could not refute Lord He's words at all. Those who stood on Lord He's side did not need to say anything more, as Lord He had already said everything. Those who remained neutral just watched the fun from the side.
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