Chapter 19 Solution
Su Dianli looked at them and chuckled inwardly.
Whether the prefectural examination can be held or not is none of his business.
Back then, it was all you scholars who begged me to hold this county examination!
You've forgotten everything?!
The test takers were rather helpless.
That's not wrong.
They really did beg to open it.
But at the time, I didn't really think that much about it.
They just wanted to take the imperial examinations and achieve official rank as soon as possible!
The most ingenious scams never involve complicated schemes.
The main strategy is to attract willing participants.
Su Qingzao reminded him several times.
Just as Luo Hufang wouldn't hide anything from his clerks, their entire yamen didn't hide anything from anyone either.
Regardless of the more than four hundred examinees, their families, and Instructor Gu.
Everyone knows a thing or two.
But they still wanted to jump in.
There is no other reason.
The allure of the imperial examinations was simply too great for them.
So much so that even knowing there's a pitfall, they still go and try.
Things have come to this point.
The fifteen candidates had no choice but to pack their bags and head to the prefectural city ahead of time.
Everyone was hoping that the prefectural examination would definitely be held!
Otherwise, they would not only have worked for nothing.
Moreover, it will become a laughing stock in several counties.
It's a lot of trouble, time-consuming, laborious, and expensive.
We got nothing!
So embarrassing!
Everyone packed their bags and set off.
The fastest traveler left on February 23rd and returned on February 27th.
The first thing they did upon returning was to gather a few classmates and give Su Dianli a sound beating!
This county examination was fraught with difficulties, and those who made it to the end, regardless of their influence, must have been wealthy.
Students raised by such families are unlikely to have good tempers.
When the police arrived, Clerk Su was already beaten black and blue, rolling on the ground.
"It hurts so much! It hurts so much! Do you even know who my second brother is?!"
"Wait a minute! Do you even know who my niece is?!"
At this point, the scholar who had hit the man angrily retorted, "Do you think Steward Su is comparable to you?! Everyone knows she's at odds with your family!"
"If we listen to her, we won't be laughed at!"
God knows, they were considered respectable in their respective counties.
This time, I went to the prefectural city hoping to participate in the prefectural examination, but I was severely ridiculed.
They call them country bumpkins from a small town, unable to understand any social norms.
How could there possibly be a prefectural examination under such circumstances?!
What is the point of overcoming all difficulties to hold the county-level examination?
It was all for nothing.
The officials at the prefectural school were already impatient.
Seeing that they were making trouble for no reason, he became even more sarcastic in his words.
He even threatened that if these candidates dared to mention the prefectural examination again, they would never have to take it again.
As they spoke, they threatened to ruin the imperial examination prospects of these fifteen people.
Not to mention the scholars' anger, when their families heard about this, they wished they could tear Instructor Gu and Clerk Su apart alive.
Regardless, the scholar who managed to stand out from 470 people must have some skill.
If a student, nurtured by the entire family, has his path to the imperial examinations cut off...
That would mean destroying their entire family!
Thinking of this, everyone's fists clenched even harder.
The constables and others from the yamen were initially too lazy to break up the fight.
Faced with the public's anger, they had no choice but to pull Su Dianli out of there.
Fighting is fine, but we can't kill them!
Things have escalated to this point, and it's inevitable that we'll have to go to court.
The scholar who hit the man, and the servants in the scholar's household.
Then, Clerk Su and Instructor Gu also came to the hall.
Su Qing whispered a few words and asked someone to call over the restaurant owner near the county school.
The hall was noisy and chaotic.
The two sides were arguing fiercely.
No one expected things to develop to this point.
Even Su Dianli thought that failing the prefectural exam was the end of it, so why mock these students?
What he couldn't understand, Su Qing did.
Gu Congsi even sensed something.
They all know that the new emperor values the imperial examination system.
But the Guangyuefu (a type of music bureau) cannot be established, otherwise it would be inviting the new emperor's displeasure.
Furthermore, it would be one thing if the counties below couldn't even hold their own county-level examinations.
The prefectural school still had reasons to shirk responsibility.
Now, Nanjiang County has not only done it, but done it in a way that has attracted widespread attention.
The prefectural school was naturally in an awkward position.
What else can we do but get angry at these people?
We must scare them away so they dare not ask any more questions.
Su Qing, did you already know about this?
So she waited and saw how things would develop, separating the yamen from Clerk Su.
They even made him take the initiative to visit the county school so that they could distance themselves from Su Dianli.
Gu Congsi's eyes held a complex expression.
He was naturally intelligent, and with a little guidance, he grew rapidly.
He never expected that the person who gave him guidance would be his own fiancée.
Or perhaps it was his fiancée whom he had always refused to acknowledge.
When the restaurant owner near the county school arrived, Su Qing lightly tapped the gavel: "Quiet."
The sound was not loud, but it was extremely powerful.
The constables on both sides, wielding instruments of torture and shouting "Majesty!" instantly silenced the noisy crowd.
Apart from Su Dianli and Gu Jiaoyu, everyone else knelt and crawled on the ground.
Su Qing said, "Scholars should not lose face when the candidates rise this time."
One sentence brought tears to the eyes of the scholars who were filled with anger.
Finally, a just and upright official has arrived!
They're so stupid.
If we had listened to Steward Su earlier, things wouldn't have come to this!
"Please give Instructor Gu a seat," Su Qing said. "Instructor Gu has worked very hard organizing five exams."
That's not wrong.
The test takers had no objections.
If it weren't for Instructor Gu, this exam wouldn't have been so fair.
In short...
Only Su Dianli is the worst!
He's the one who caused chaos in Nanjiang County!
The government offices clearly listen to Chief Su; their Nanjiang County is so much better off.
Candidates from other counties thought the same way.
After the rebels came, the once prosperous county town was left in ruins.
Many places have yet to recover.
That is to say, Nanjiang County still retains some traces of what it was like before the war.
The fact that families feel so at ease sending their children here to prepare for exams shows that it is a safe and peaceful place.
Such a wonderful place.
But there are people like Su Dianli!
Looking at the situation before him, Su Dianli glanced around.
Only the restaurant owner was still lying there.
Su Qing then said, "Tell me, how much money did Clerk Su charge you?"
The restaurant owners looked at each other.
How could they not understand that if they confessed honestly, Steward Su would most likely not make things difficult for them?
After all, in this situation, any smart person knows that the only person Master Su wants to deal with is Clerk Su.
This is her own third uncle.
That's really ruthless.
But he was appointed as the head of a county.
Without such ruthlessness, nothing could be accomplished.
Besides, since Su Dianli caused trouble first, it would seem weak and vulnerable if we didn't retaliate.
The restaurant owner was no fool; he immediately recounted how Su, the clerk, had cunningly seized the property and demanded a share of the profits from them.
He also said that he had brought in more than 400 candidates and that they should share the profits with him, etc.
He even took out the account book and told Clerk Su to quickly pay back the money for the food and drinks over the past few months.
Su Dianli, whose head was already swollen like a pig's head, pointed at Su Qing but couldn't utter a single word.
Su Qing!
What are you doing? !
I am your third uncle!!!
But as you speak, you've caused everyone to criticize me!
And they want to pin all the blame for the county exam on me?!
While everyone present was shocked, they looked at Su Qing with indescribable admiration.
She inspires both respect and fear.
That's how a qualified person in charge should act.
The local scholar felt a strange sense of security.
Such decisive and sharp-minded leaders are theirs!
Just thinking about it makes one want to submit.
Realizing the attitude of the crowd, Su Dianli cursed, "What kind of person is a mere woman in charge?"
“Now that your father is gone, this position should belong to Magistrate Tian.”
"Since Magistrate Tian is completely drunk, he should be mine!"
"A hen crowing at dawn, what kind of behavior is this!"
The clerk, Su, spoke recklessly, even dragging Instructor Gu into the mess: "The Gu family father and son were also involved in organizing the county examination, why don't you say anything about them?!"
"She's not even married yet, and she's already protecting her husband's family. Women are indeed very outgoing!"
Instructor Gu stood up, hesitated, and looked at him with a complicated expression.
Gu Congsi directly stopped him: "Third Uncle Su, Chief Su is impartial and will never bend the law for personal gain."
"Although we are engaged, she has never interfered in the county examination, as everyone knows."
“Although you are our elder, the law of the country is greater than family law. Please forgive us, Uncle.”
Gu Congsi's words were impeccable.
Especially the last sentence, "National law is greater than family law," makes it impossible to accuse Su Qing of being heartless.
Su Qing glanced at Gu Congsi, then at his third uncle, who knew he was about to die: "Although you are my third uncle, you cannot bend the law for personal gain."
“I will resign from this position as clerk and confiscate all the money I have amassed.”
"Apologize where you should, and repay where you should."
"This way, they can avoid physical pain and also relieve the grievances in everyone's hearts."
Ultimately, the offense committed by Su Dianli was neither a major nor a minor matter.
Unfortunately, he held a legitimate official position.
Su Qing wanted to dismiss him from his post directly, but that was impossible; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept him in office for so long.
Given the current circumstances, it is the best option to have him resign voluntarily.
How could Su Dianli not understand?
Su Qing has prepared everything, all for the present.
No, we should even use him to establish our authority!
This would make everyone more convinced.
Even if the local government finds out, they won't say anything.
Since Su Qing also didn't want to hold the county examination, it suited the wishes of the officials in the prefectural government.
Every step is carefully planned.
How could his foolish second brother have given birth to such a cunning daughter!
In terms of official rank, he far surpasses Su Qing!
In terms of seniority, he was her third uncle! Su Qing's father was dead, so he was her father!
Seeing that Su Dian was spouting nonsense, the constables immediately gagged him and waited with their batons in hand.
After he wrote his resignation and pressed his fingerprint on it, he had his family bring him the stolen property, and even took off his official robes and hat, cutting the seal directly from his waist.
After finishing these tasks, Uncle Su, wearing only his undergarments, stared at Su Qing in the hall.
No wonder Mr. Wang was so afraid of her.
There was a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked at Su Qing.
"You'll get your comeuppance!"
"You're a woman! No matter how well you do, you're just a manager!"
"You want to be an official?! Dream on! You can't even be a clerk!"
Uncle Su cursed as he was thrown out of the yamen by the constables.
The scholars exchanged a glance, then dragged him to a street corner and gave him a severe beating to vent their anger!
Su Qing ignored the situation outside, only instructing his men not to kill him, and then looked at the silver that Su Sanshu had embezzled.
All the miscellaneous items added up to nearly six hundred taels of silver.
There were also more than a dozen jars of fine wine that had been smuggled from the restaurant.
The restaurant owners were already happy to get their wine back, and they only said they would ask Uncle Su for the remaining debt, not daring to look at the confiscated silver.
After all, they had done this before, to be honest.
It's about the same for Instructor Gu.
They were just lucky that only Uncle Su was punished this time.
"Luo Hufang, put this money into the treasury. There are always places in the county where the money can be used."
Upon hearing this, everyone was even more convinced.
This is a genuine confiscation, and even the test takers thought it was a good thing.
As long as it doesn't fall into Uncle Su's hands, that would be perfect!
Someone else whispered, "In Nanjiang County, no one can threaten Su Qing anymore."
Su Qing returned to the inner courtyard, glanced at Aunt Su and her son, who were trembling and had injuries on their faces, but did not say much.
She would never allow a threat like Uncle Su to be around, not even a nominal one.
Last year, he escaped with valuables he had stolen from Magistrate Su's house.
Upon returning, he made outrageous remarks, went against her wishes, and insisted on conducting the county examination.
Not to mention, although Uncle Su San was talking nonsense, his official position and seniority were indeed a hidden danger.
Every single thing he did justifies his current fate.
Well, the small matter is resolved.
Let's worry about her medicinal herbs.
It's almost March, and there are less than two months left until the medicinal herbs are harvested.
What exactly does Xue Shoubei of Beijiang County mean?
Or did they not send him any money?
Su Qing scratched his head.
Should she offer a bribe?
Let's forget about it; enticing someone with benefits won't last.
Since they are interested in buying medicinal herbs, why should I be in a hurry?
Or rather, there are things that I don't know.
A note from the author:
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