Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 817 Luo Yunhou is so powerful
While there was a commotion outside the door,
Zhang Jinyu lazily walked out from the inner door with his soldiers. Although he looked lazy, he was still a little uncertain in his heart.
It stands to reason,
There should be trouble at the Imperial Examination Hall, and they are all children from poor families, so there should be more people. But now, there is no news. It is obvious that I have neglected it. But Lord Nan is really cunning. As soon as the students at the gate make trouble, the trouble becomes his own. Damn it, how unlucky.

As soon as he left the mansion, he narrowed his eyes and quickly glanced at the crowd. It was obvious who was the leader of the trouble and who was fanning the flames. They were all students from the academy. They made trouble once last year and wanted to make trouble again. How could they succeed every time?

He smiled, asked the servant to bring a chair over, and placed it on the steps of the gate like he did yesterday, and sat down.

Just this one action made the students who were still shouting below speak more and more quietly. After a while, the voices gradually died down, and everyone's eyes turned to look over.
Seeing this,
Zhang Jinyu smiled and asked;
"What's going on? It's already noon, and you're not going back to eat. Instead, you're sitting here in the hot sun. Aren't you tired?"

You are asking even though you already know the answer. How could Zhang Jinyu not know about the Taoist selling exam questions? He and Your Majesty witnessed it with their own eyes. The key point is that he spent money to buy one, but the brocade bag remained in the hands of Eunuch Dai. He took fifteen taels of silver for nothing. Who can he complain to?

Offstage,

Seeing the Lord coming back,

Many candidates lowered their heads, intimidated by the majesty of Marquis Luo Yun, and did not show the indignation they had just shown.

At this time, only the few people who had just stood out hesitated a little, not knowing whether to continue speaking. They looked at each other, pursed their lips, mustered up their courage, walked out first, clasped their fists and bowed;

"Your Excellency, I have something important to report. Someone blatantly sold the exam questions and cheated in this special exam. I hope Your Excellency will conduct a thorough investigation."

Someone took the lead, and naturally others followed suit. A large number of students knelt on the ground at the same time, shouting,

"Cheating in the imperial examination is an outrage to both humans and gods. I hope Your Majesty will conduct a thorough investigation."

For a time, the momentum was huge.
Ning Bian and the others, as well as the onlookers, immediately changed their expressions. Even Zhang Jinyu's mouth twitched. What a guy, he was forced to do something. I don't know what will happen to the Imperial Examination Hall.
How is it?
Why didn't Lord Nan send someone to inform us in advance? If you say that everything is calm in the Imperial Examination Hall, Zhang Jinyu would never believe it. I don't know what means Nan Zixian used to suppress it.

Seeing the students kneeling on the ground, I really couldn't help but ask. I remembered what Master Chu Nian said. The imperial examination cheating is nothing more than bribing the examiner and giving him the test questions and solutions. Another way is to bring in the answers. The last one is to directly replace someone else.

Speaking of which, Zhang Jinyu was in charge of the exam personally, so there really was no one who impersonated someone else. As for bribing the examiner, there definitely was no one. As for cheating someone, if there really was one, then one would have to admire his means. Zhang Jinyu thought of the corridor where all the candidates threw their clothes aside for inspection, so he accepted the fact that he could go in.

Therefore, there is no way to talk about the fraud. We can only say that others are cheating under the guise of fraud. It is easy to deal with it this way. The civil case is the matter of the Shuntian government. I don't know how Lord Xu of Shuntian government is doing.

"Be quiet, stand up. There must be a reason for a thorough investigation. We can't just say whatever you say. The matter of cheating in the imperial examination involves serious matters and needs to be sorted out again. We can't just say one thing and he says another, and then there's no accurate answer. If there is, I will investigate it thoroughly to see who is so bold as to fool the court. If not, let's just leave it at that."

Zhang Jinyu was not vague and first explained the reason. He did not want to pursue the charges of false reporting against these people. When the students heard this, they thought that what the Marquis said made sense, and they would know whether it was true or not by just asking.

After everyone stood up, Zhang Jinyu stretched out his hand and asked the three heroes in front to speak first;
"Since the three of you dare to come forward, I will naturally not ignore it. Of course, don't be afraid. If this matter has not happened, it will be over after today. If this matter has happened, I will accept your petition, okay?"

It was both a question and a discussion, the three of them nodded and replied;
"Listen to the Marquis."

"Okay, in that case, who's going to speak first?"

Zhang Jinyu looked at the brocade bags in the hands of the three people. They were indeed the same as the ones he bought. They were made of the finest Su brocade from Jiangnan. Most people could not afford them. So, the things were real, the Taoist priest was real, the cheating was real, and only the test questions were fake.

Uh!
I can't say the test questions are fake, I can only say the original test questions are the same as the ones in the lucky bag. Didn't I swap them in the middle? I touched my nose a little unnaturally.
It's strange to say, these people are too anxious. They know that they have already changed the test questions, but they still want to make a fuss. It is obvious that they have problems in their hearts. What's the name? If I'm not good, you can't be good either. The crying child gets the milk. Who knows what will come out of this fuss.

Just when Zhang Jinyu was daydreaming,
people in front of you.

Yu Guangming from the Qinglian Academy saw that the Marquis was so easy to talk to, so he did not delay and handed over the brocade bag with both hands.

"My Lord, fellow students, the brocade bag in my hand was bought from a fortune-teller's shop in West City for ten taels of silver. He said it was the test questions for this year's provincial examination. I'm sure many people bought it."

Yu Guangming looked at the people around him. Many of them avoided his gaze. He guessed that many people would buy. He continued to look at Luo Yunhou and said;
"My Lord, I don't believe that the imperial examination questions can be easily leaked. I scolded him and prepared to go back, but the old Taoist grabbed my sleeve and said that this is a secret that cannot be leaked. This year's imperial examination questions were obtained with the help of a noble person. If I buy them, I will definitely pass the exam. So I couldn't help but buy one."

Zhang Jinyu, who was sitting there, was also dumbfounded. It was such a simple scam that people believed it. It was so easy to be deceived. If someone else said that it could make you rich and that it was a treasure, you would buy it too.

"Your name is Yu Guangming, which sounds very impressive, but you are so clueless when it comes to doing things. You believed the old Taoist when he said it was a test question. But if someone else told you that he had a treasure to sell you at a low price, would you still buy it? As the chief examiner of Hanyuan Palace, I don't even know whether it is a test question or not. How can you believe his words?"

This question, when asked in front of everyone, stunned many people. The Marquis was right. We can't just believe what others say. Who can guarantee whether it is right or not?

"Hey, Lord Hou is right. Who knows if the test questions are real?"

"Yes, if he is a liar, saying that he has a treasure to sell at a low price and can get three times the money if he goes to the pawn shop, then why doesn't he go there himself?"

"That's the truth,"

The people below were talking wildly, and the three people standing on the stage were obviously a little anxious. After all, they risked their lives to report it. If it didn't work and the Marquis investigated, the three of them would be finished. Qin Hewen from Qiushui Academy quickly stood up and said;
"Your Majesty is right, but I want to ask, since the old Taoist priest can openly sell the exam questions without anyone stopping him, there must be someone protecting him. Whether it is true or not, Your Majesty needs to investigate it clearly."

"Yes, my Lord, please check it out."

Cheng Weijiang from Yunshan Academy quickly agreed and did not dare to be negligent.

"Well, in that case, we should first verify the authenticity of the questions in the lucky bag. What is written in it? You three can read it."

"My Lord, the test questions are different, but that's because the test questions for the special examination were swapped."

Yu Guangming was anxious and spoke without restraint. The three of them also knew that the test questions were different from those in the treasure bag, so how could they verify it?
Zhang Jinyu's eyes flashed, his face hardened, and he scolded;
"What do you mean by the test questions have been changed? For this special examination, when I took the test questions, the seal was not changed at all. However, since I have never been a chief examiner and have never seen the seal, I am not sure whether it is fully sealed or half sealed. Therefore, I urgently used the backup test questions again and sent them back intact. All of you adults and the students in the examination room have witnessed it. Therefore, I don't know what the original questions are."

After hearing Luo Yunhou's explanation, the three were all stunned. Thinking back to the day when the exam started, they had all seen that the imperial edict had indeed not been opened, and new exam questions were used. So how could they verify it? They felt cold in their hearts, fearing that they had gotten into trouble.
"My Lord, how can we verify it without the original question?"

Yu Guangming asked anxiously,
Zhang Jinyu spread his hands and shrugged.

"I have never seen the original test questions. I have never seen the test questions in your hand. How can I take on the case?"

Zhang Jinyu saw that the three of them were at a loss and their faces turned pale with fear. He smiled in his heart.

"Alright, the three of you don't have to be afraid. I say, if we don't want to pursue it, then we won't pursue it. The court has regulations on so-called cheating. One is smuggling, two is replacing someone else, and three is bribing the examiner to cheat. Do you three have evidence for these three points?"

This rhetorical question frightened the three of them into sweating profusely. Thinking back carefully from the opening to the closing of the dragon gate, they really didn't find anything. Shaking their heads, Cheng Weijiang spoke with difficulty,
"My Lord, no."

"Take a look. If not, the test paper in your hand can only be said to be cheated. These cases should be handled by the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen. Try to see if you can catch this person."

Zhang Jinyu made light of the incident and let it go. When no one said anything, Yu Guangming stood up with a look of resentment on his face and asked;

"My Lord, I beg to differ. The test questions sold by the old Taoist are in my hands. If I want to verify whether they are true or not, I just need to take out the test questions and compare them with the original questions. Then I will know whether what the old Taoist said is true or false."

"Well said, absolutely right, but I have already sent back the imperial edict of the examination questions according to the rules, and no officials have seen it. Do you still want me to ask the emperor?" With a cold shout, the crowd in front of him knelt down in fear and bowed to the palace.
"My Lord, I dare not. That is not what I meant."

Yu Guangming had cold sweat streaming down his temples, his mouth corners trembling, and he dared not say another word. The other two even lowered their heads, not daring to raise them.

"Get up, that's not what you meant. I know what you said makes sense, but I know how you did in this year's imperial examination. I know how well the essays of so many people were written. I know whether some of you were good enough or not. I will personally review the papers. It's better for some of you not to come. Instead of focusing on these evil ways, you should prepare for the next imperial examination. Since you can buy it, you are also thinking of taking a shortcut. What happened in the end?"

Zhang Jinyu sighed. The three people in front of him were not from wealthy families, so ten taels of silver was a lot of money. In addition, there were some poor people who actually spent money to buy it. Not to mention the money, it should have been borrowed. In this way, with almost no output, no matter how much he borrowed, he could not pay it back. Let alone taking the imperial examination in the future, it would be difficult for him to live.

"My Lord is right. The student was impulsive."

The three of them saw that things were hopeless and resolutely admitted their mistakes.
"Some of you have also bought this lucky bag. Not only have you been cheated, but your life will be difficult. Of course, everyone has been young, and everyone makes mistakes. If you have extra money, it's fine. But if you don't have the conditions, how dare you dream of buying it?"

Zhang Jinyu did not press too hard, but waved his hand and instructed;
"I cannot bear to be deceived. All the children from poor families can come here and exchange the brocade bag for silver. Each person will get 15 taels. One is to repay the loan, and the other is to buy some things to take back to show filial piety to the parents. We cannot let them down all the time. As for those who have land, take care of yourself."

Patting his legs and lifting up his skirt, Zhang Jinyu sighed and returned to the west courtyard. The old housekeeper had already asked the servant to carry the silver and take the pen, ink, paper and inkstone to prepare for accounting.

And some of the students who reacted suddenly knelt down and cried out;
"The student thanks the teacher for his kindness. The student feels ashamed and has brought shame to the teacher."

"Students thank the teacher for his kindness,"

In an instant, a large number of the students who were surrounding the palace knelt down, and even the three people who had just stood up all knelt down and kowtowed, with shame on their faces. After kowtowing, they covered their faces and left. Before leaving, the steward of the marquis's mansion stuffed fifteen taels of silver into their pockets.

On the street corner,

Seeing Marquis Luo Yun, who put the matter aside with just a few words, the eldest son Li Chaosheng was amazed. He was worthy of being Marquis Luo Yun. No one could match his method. In this case, cooperation was a natural thing to do.

Seeing the people at the door disperse, he got off the carriage again.
"Yuanfu, wait here."

"Yes, my lord,"

Yuanfu pulled the reins, stood in front of the car, and replied respectfully.

Li Chaosheng walked along the street to the east and headed towards the gate of the marquis' mansion.

Over at the Gongyuan,

The news of what happened in front of the Marquis Luo Yun's mansion spread quickly. Pei Shaoqing had been staying in the Imperial Examination Hall for the past few days and had not returned because he was worried that the matter could not be controlled. Therefore, he brought his servants here and sent people to keep an eye on it every day.

Seeing the stalker coming back, Pei Shaoqing was overjoyed and asked anxiously;

"How is it going? Is there any movement from Luo Yunhou's side?"

"Your Excellency, there was a commotion. At noon, a large group of students surrounded the Marquis's residence and shouted about cheating in the imperial examination. Unexpectedly, Marquis Luo Yun came out and calmed them down with a few words. They dispersed and there was no commotion at all."

The officer wiped the sweat off his face with his hands. He was exhausted on the way and wondered if the adults knew.
Pei Shaoqing was a little confused. He was dismissed with just a few words. How could it be possible? He looked at the officer in front of him and saw that he didn't seem to be lying, so he threw two taels of silver to him.

"Then tell me how Marquis Luo Yun coaxed the man back with just a few words."

Pei Shaoqing was thinking in his heart, what words should he say to coax them back? After all, there were so many students, and if they started to make a fuss, how would it end?

The officer below, seeing the silver flying towards him, quickly caught it with his hands, took a bite of it in his mouth, put it away, and clasped his fists and said;

"Your Excellency, I dare not hide anything. Marquis Luo Yun said in front of the main gate that this was a fraud, not cheating in the imperial examination. First, the test questions were wrong, and second, there was no reference. In addition, Marquis Luo Yun said that any poor boy who bought the brocade bag could take back 15 taels of silver and return to honor his parents. This is filial piety. As soon as these words came out, they went back."

The officer did not hide it and told Pei Shaoqing about Marquis Luo Yun's distribution of silver. When Pei Shaoqing heard it, the corners of his mouth twitched. Only Marquis Luo Yun would dare to do this. There were most people from poor families in the Imperial Examination Hall, and it was not ruled out that those people also bought it. Since they were people from poor families, the silver must have been borrowed. Who would be willing to do this? But the Imperial Examination Hall did not have the financial resources of Marquis Luo Yun, so how could they dare to do this?
If he didn't do it, what would happen if the students started making trouble? Just when he was in a dilemma, the guards around him could see the troubled look on his face.
The officer who had just received the silver in the audience rolled his eyes and became a little worried.
"My Lord, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Pei Shaoqing raised his head and looked at the officer in the hall. Could it be that this man had another solution?

"Tell me, what can you do?"

"Sir, I dare not speak of this matter."

Seeing the master asking, the officer swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, with an embarrassed look on his face. Pei Shaoqing's eyes moved, and he took out ten taels of silver from his pocket and threw it over, beckoning,

"Come closer and talk."

The officer took the silver, his face full of joy, leaned over and whispered;
"Sir, since the Luo Yun Marquis's Mansion has said that they will give money to the poor children to fulfill their filial piety, but they also did not say that those who are from the Imperial Academy will not be counted. They are all taking the Enke exam, so why should we distinguish between the inner and outer ones? Why not let those students go to Luo Yun Marquis's Mansion to collect the money and take it back? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Just as he opened his mouth, he closed it cautiously and stepped back.
Only Pei Shaoqing kept this person's words in his heart and guessed that it was true. The Marquis did not say that they were candidates from Hanyuan Palace. The poor children from the Imperial Academy were also candidates for the special examination. However, in this way, he would offend Marquis Luo Yun.

Thinking about so many people, if many people buy it, it will be a huge sum of money. But he also thought of the dilemma of his teacher Nan Da Ren and the students who were waiting for news. Pei Shaoqing gritted his teeth and had to do this.

"Come here, bring me some writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone."

"Yes, my lord."

With pen and paper ready, Pei Shaoqing also investigated the matter and wrote down clearly what the Marquis had said. Then he wrote down the matter of receiving the silver at the end and asked the clerk to make multiple copies, and instructed;
"Put these signs out, quick."

"It's an adult."

The runners took the notice and posted it on the wall of the Imperial Examination Hall. Many students waiting for the exam thought something was going to happen and quickly gathered around to read it carefully. When they saw that the notice said there was no cheating in the imperial examination, they wanted to make a fuss and go to the Imperial Examination Hall to ask for clarification, but someone pointed to the bottom and said,

"Look, there are words below, saying that you should go to Luo Yunhou's mansion to collect the silver. Is this true or not?"

This shout drew the attention of others back. After a closer look, they saw that it was indeed written on the notice. Some candidates were overjoyed and looked around. When they saw that no one was paying attention, they quickly withdrew and headed straight for Luo Yunhou Mansion.

I don't know how much time has passed, there aren't that many people watching, only a solitary figure standing there, sighing;
"Where is the backbone of a scholar?"

"Brother Sang, the world is like this, what can we do? We can't do anything about it. Forget it."

These two were the ones who took the lead in filing the lawsuit yesterday. They had great ambitions, but they failed every time.
(End of this chapter)