After deciding on the list of first-class officers, it stands to reason that the tasks of the elders present have been completed. After a whole day of hard work from noon to evening, it is time for everyone to go back to their respective homes.
However, all the elders stood in place tacitly and did not move.
The list has been decided, but things are not over yet!
You know, there are still ten poor bastards trapped in the side hall today.
Chunwei is an important ceremony of the country. Although it is led by the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy, for the sake of fairness and to obtain more political resources, the six ministries and the cabinet have always participated.
Among the ten people currently trapped in the side hall, there is one minister in each of the six departments, three bachelors in the cabinet, and one Hanlin bachelor.
Most of them are their right-hand people. The disposal of these people has not been determined. How can the bosses feel relieved and leave?
However, what kind of people they were, naturally they would not plead directly to the emperor. They looked at each other, Mr. Hu's beard curled up, and he stepped forward with some reluctance and spoke.
"Your Majesty, the candidates for the first class of the palace examination have been decided, and this spring is coming to an end. The examination papers are being read, and your majesty has summoned ministers to read them again. I think it must be because the previous examiners read the examination papers improperly and did not respect the Holy Heart. The palace examination is like this. You should be punished for being so negligent in this important matter."
"Fortunately, His Majesty's Holy Light has re-appointed the first grade, so that the palace examination can be successfully concluded. This is a blessing for the sincerity of the son. I believe that after this incident, these new scholars and the civil and military ministers in the court will be cautious in their words and deeds." , self-denial, serve the public, take warnings, fulfill their duties, and serve the court."
The old man said this beautifully, but secretly, the meaning was actually very clear.
Just asking for mercy!
First, he severely criticized Xiao Tan and others, then praised the emperor's sage, and finally swore an oath for them.
It is nothing more than saying that since the matter has been resolved satisfactorily, Your Majesty, it is better for you to reduce the major issues to the minor ones.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Ao from the cabinet also followed.
"Your Majesty, I think what the great uncle said is true. The release of the imperial examination results is a matter worthy of celebration. It would be inappropriate to cause the scholars to talk about it due to the turmoil over the reading of the scroll, which would damage the dignity of the court. Therefore, I agree with what I see. , a small punishment or a big warning will suffice. No one has ever done anything wrong. Your Majesty has the world in mind and has virtues all over the world. I beg your Majesty to be a little more lenient to calm the minds of the world's scholars."
In the final analysis, Xiao Tan and others made a mistake in this matter. At the most serious level, it was dereliction of duty, and at the most light level, it was laziness in government affairs. Therefore, punishment is certain.
Otherwise, the emperor's face would not be at stake.
For no reason, the original reading result was overturned and the paper was re-marked. If it wasn't for these readers who had a problem, then the emperor was messing around?
Therefore, although they were begging for mercy, the elders all tacitly agreed that they just wanted to handle them gently and did not want to spare them from suffering.
However, it was obvious that the emperor had no intention of letting this matter go. Faced with the euphemistic advice of these ministers, he did not deny it without giving face, but said lightly.
"It's late today. This matter will be discussed later. Uncle Zong will go back first to arrange the subsequent passing ceremony. We will discuss this matter again after the Spring Festival is completely over. During this period, a group of people who participated in the reading of the scrolls and so on , and return to the mansion first for investigation."
"Mr. Chen?"
At the end of the conversation, the emperor suddenly named Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, which made the ministers present feel a little uncomfortable.
Sure enough, after Chen Yi responded, the emperor said.
"General Xian, please work harder and stay in the palace for a while. I have some things to discuss with General Xian. All other gentlemen, please step aside!"
Ah this...
The elders looked at each other, a little embarrassed for a moment, and then they turned their attention to Chen Yi who was standing aside.
However, Mr. Chen's face showed no reaction.
Among the many ministers present, he was the only one who had nothing to do with the record readers in the side hall. The Metropolitan Procuratorate had a special system and was responsible for supervision, so it was naturally impossible for him to participate in such specific business operations.
And it stands to reason that once a problem arises, it is appropriate for the Metropolitan Procuratorate to intervene.
From Chen Yi's perspective, he didn't mean to put on a cold face, but at this time, he couldn't make any other moves, otherwise, he might also be blamed.
Again, although it is still unclear what exactly happened, the emperor completely overturned the conclusion of the previous reading, and there must be a problem during the reading process.
So strictly speaking, the Metropolitan Procuratorate is also responsible for this matter. You must know that the reason why the Metropolitan Procuratorate was not involved in the entire process of Chunwei was to monitor problems that may arise at any time.
However, in the end, there was a flaw in the palace examination, but the emperor discovered and stopped it.
Although the entire process of the palace examination is very fast and is all conducted in the palace, the possibility of problems is unlikely, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate has almost no room to intervene.
But, to put it bluntly, these are all reasons. A failure in duty means a failure in duty. The emperor will tell you these reasons and will not blame them. That is the great grace of the Holy Spirit.
If he doesn't know what is good and what is bad at this time, he will probably have to experience what "thunder, rain, and dew are all your kindness"!
Seeing Chen Yi's expression, the emperor had also issued an order to expel the guests. These bosses also knew that the situation was difficult. However, although it seemed that the emperor would not let this matter go easily, the worst situation was not reached after all.
Therefore, the elders had no choice but to bow their hands and said.
"Your Majesty, please leave!"
Seeing Hu Hui and others leaving the Wenhua Hall, Chen Yifang cupped his hands and said hesitantly.
"Your Majesty, minister..."
However, the emperor didn't seem to let him speak. He just waved his hand and motioned for him to step aside. Although Chen Yi was confused, he didn't say much and took two steps to the side obediently.
Afterwards, the emperor said a few words to Huai'en who was standing aside, and then Huai'en hurried away with the order. Not long after, Xiao Tan, a Hanlin scholar with a heavy face and heavy steps, followed Huai'en back to the palace dejectedly. .
"Xiao Tan, the academician of Hanlin Academy, comes to see Your Majesty."
As if aware that the emperor was in a bad mood, Xiao Tan came in and paid homage, kowtowed to the ground, and looked like he honestly admitted his mistake.
As expected, the emperor snorted lightly, but did not let him stand up. Instead, he took out two test papers from the side and asked the chamberlain to hand them to Xiao Hao. He sneered and said.
"Scholar Xiao is very talented and is the leader of the Imperial Academy. Why don't you come and tell me which of the two test papers in front of you is better?"
As soon as the words fell, the sweat on Xiao Tan's forehead started to drip down.
At this moment, the two test papers are not sealed, so the contents and names on them can be seen at a glance.
Of course, this is not the original test paper, but a copied one. However, even without looking at the content, just looking at the final grade can make a difference.
On the left copy, there are three circles drawn on the top, and the names of the three great ministers Hu Hui, Chen Xun, and Shen Yi are signed on the bottom respectively. There is also an imperial inscription with six words clearly written on it: "First, First, First".
As for the one on the right, it is signed only by Yu Qian's name. This young bailiff gave him the rank of top three!
Under the emperor's sharp gaze, Xiao Hao couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, picked up the two test papers in front of him, and browsed them quickly.
As expected, the one on the left belonged to a scholar named Ke Qian, and the one on the right belonged to the top candidate he recommended to the emperor, Cheng Zong!
As a fellow examiner of the joint examination, Xiao Tan is naturally very clear about the process of grading papers in the joint examination. This situation can only show that Cheng Zong's paper has been ranked in the top three in the first reading, and even the final competition There are no qualifications, so there is only one person's comment.
After carefully returning the test paper to the waiter's hands, Xiao Tan immediately kowtowed.
"I have neglected my duty, and I beg your Majesty to convict you of this crime."
At this point, there was no room for him to defend himself. Ke Qian's paper was jointly recommended by three ministers, and it was personally approved by the emperor. He had no guts to say that this policy paper was not good at all. .
What's more, even though he had read it for the first time, this policy review was the best choice in terms of the choice of words and sentences, the fluency of the writing, and even the rigor of the argument.
In comparison, Cheng Zong's test paper became somewhat eclipsed.
Although Xiao Fan actually felt in his heart that Cheng Zong's test paper was not that bad, at least he would have no problem getting into the second class, but the one signed on it was the name of Yu Qian, Minister of the Ministry of War.
How dizzy must he be to say good things about Cheng Zong at this moment...
However, facing the cowardly Academician Xiao, the emperor obviously had no intention of letting it go. He took back the two test papers, leaned down and spoke calmly.
"Xiao Xueshi, I'm asking you something!"
A few simple words suddenly made Xiao Tan feel a powerful momentum coming towards him. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead more and more, and he couldn't speak clearly as he stammered.
"This...this time...back to your majesty, I have few talents and little knowledge. From a humble perspective, it seems that Cheng Zong's share is slightly inferior."
After the words fell, a sneer sounded, followed by a question.
"Oh, a little less?"
The dangerous tone in this short sentence immediately made Xiao Hao tremble, and he lowered his head and said.
"No, no, your majesty forgives me for my fault. It is a matter of opinion. Ke Qian's policy is solid in content and brilliant in writing. It is much better than Cheng Zong's."
After saying these words, Xiao Tan clearly felt that the emperor's face seemed to look better, but he still had a dark face and said coldly.
"In this case, Academician Xiao came to tell me why Cheng Zong's paper was among the top ten candidates submitted to me, but it was the examination paper that you said had "solid content and excellent literary talent" that fell into the top two. Woolen cloth?"
Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Tan's forehead, but he seemed to be worried about something and did not speak for a while. However, his attitude made the emperor even more angry and shouted sharply.
"Xiao Hao, tell me, what is the relationship between Cheng Zong and you? How many gifts did he give you? How can you, as the palace examiner, ignore your responsibilities, use your power for personal gain, and submit such a policy to my office? before!"
"Your Majesty is wronged, I am wronged!"
At this time, Xiao Tan was completely panicked, kowtowed like pounding garlic, and said.
"Your Majesty, I have nothing to do with Cheng Zong, and I have never accepted any bribes. I am entrusted by your Majesty to be in charge of an important place in the Imperial Academy. How dare you do such a dishonorable thing? Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
This explanation was sincere, but the emperor didn't buy it. Instead, he became more severe and shouted.
"Unjustly accused? Then please explain to me why Ke Qian's strategy is so excellent, but it is not in your eyes, but Cheng Zong, who has nothing to do with you, can be placed at the top of the volume and handed over to me. In front of you?"
"Tell me, if you weren't using your power for personal gain, then why?"
Now that the matter has come to this, Xiao Tan can't care about anything else and speaks quickly.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that Ke Qian's test paper was not read by me, and Cheng Zong's paper was not submitted by me. The time for reading the papers in the imperial examination is tight, and it is difficult for me to read them one by one. I can only select the outstanding ones from each paper reader." We will discuss it together and then decide on the best one and submit it to the emperor."
"In fact, during the deliberation, I felt that Cheng Zong's test paper was the best, so I just put it at the beginning of the paper. There was absolutely no bribery involved. There are traces on the original papers of these papers. All you need to do is to read them. , you will know, your Majesty, please take a closer look."
Zhu Qiyu frowned, but did not continue to ask. Instead, he sent someone to retrieve the original ten original papers. After ordering people to check them one by one, he found that it was as Xiao Hao said, the papers of Ke Qian and Cheng Zong, They were not read by Xiao Tan, but by Jiang Yuan, a scholar in the cabinet.
However, after such a check, Zhu Qiyu immediately discovered something fishy.
Logically speaking, each of the ten examination papers submitted to the imperial court should be recommended by each examiner. As long as the submitted paper is not too controversial or of poor quality, no one else will have it. What objection.
Under special circumstances, if you encounter someone like Yu Qian who is not easy to mess with, even if others disagree, you can still bring it to the imperial court.
This is considered one of the powers of the examiner. However, among these ten test papers, a strange scene occurred.
That is, the Cheng Zong examination paper at the beginning was not read by Xiao Tan, but by Jiang Yuan. However, the second, third, and fourth papers that followed were all recommended by Xiao Tan.
Scroll further down, and you will find the portions of each of the six ministers and document readers.
In other words, among the three cabinet members, only Jiang Yuan recommended the first share of the case. The remaining two, Zhang Min and Zhu Jian, did not recommend the test paper. The quota equivalent to these two people was given to Xiao Tan. .
This is not normal...
No wonder Xiao Tan was hesitant when he spoke just now. It turns out that this is the crux. After reading these ten test papers, Zhu Qiyu had a rough idea of the truth of this matter.
So, he did not continue to pester Xiao Tan too much, but put away the ten papers and put them aside, then turned to give instructions to Wynn.
"Go, summon Jiang Yuan, Zhang Min, Zhu Jian, no, everyone else left in the side hall. I have something to ask!"
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