Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 114 Launch
Although there were all kinds of rumors that seemed true or false, many scholars were naturally tempted.

But even if they had the idea and some people had some tricks, they still couldn't change the start of the Jiaxu Imperial Examination in the 27th year of Hongwu.

Countless candidates felt humiliated as they prepared to enter the Imperial Examination Hall with their food boxes in hand. They hoped that they would not be assigned to a bad examination room, as it would be a real pain if they were assigned to a room near a stinky toilet.

However, before entering the Imperial Examination Hall, these candidates had to be inspected at the side, and they lined up one by one to be inspected.

Xu Zengshou had a serious expression on his face. He opened a scholar's food box and broke open the steamed buns.

This kind of practice is also very normal. Although these successful candidates feel aggrieved, they have also suffered this kind of "humiliation" along the way in the imperial examination.

A scholar murmured to himself that it was an insult to society, but he still quickly put on his clothes, carried his food box and waited to enter the Imperial Examination Hall.

Suddenly, a scholar was dragged out of the house crying. His clothes were embroidered with pieces of cloth, all of which were scriptures.

"Hand it over to the authorities." Xu Zengshou spoke calmly, "Investigate further!"

Mei Yin also stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"

"My Lord, this guy brought cheat sheets with him." Xu Zengshou bowed politely and replied jokingly, "This is the third one. He is really a disgrace."

Mei Yin snorted coldly and said, "Every time there is an imperial examination, there are always some people who cheat. In the end, I'm afraid they will lose their fame."

Xu Zengshou had no feelings about this. He was the youngest son of Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan. Although he could not inherit the title, his birth determined that he would have great achievements in his official career. These scholars would never be able to get a higher official rank than him even if they worked hard all their lives.

Despite this small incident, the examination seemed to be proceeding smoothly and orderly.

Jiang Li suddenly came to the Wenhua Palace to ask for a meeting, and he found out something important.

"Your Highness, Lu Guanxiao, a scholar from Changshu, Suzhou Prefecture, has falsely registered his residence." Jiang Li said directly, "He is originally from Changshu, married into the Sun family in the county, and took the exam with a Changshu residence."

Zhu Yunhuan put down his brush and asked, "How talented is this person?"

Jiang Li spoke the truth, "We are not good at writing, so we naturally don't know. But he is quite famous among the scholars. Before the examination, many scholars also competed and said that he would definitely win. If he is lucky, he will have a chance to be in the top three."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly and said, "What a pity."

Impersonating a citizen is actually the same as immigration through the college entrance examination. Some scholars pretend to be citizens of other provinces to take the exam in order to gain advantage.

Or because the number of students taking the exam and the number of admissions in each province are limited, and the admission regulations vary from place to place, some scholars choose to pretend to be from other provinces to take the exam in order to increase their chances of passing.

In history, the brothers Bai Juyi, Su Shi and Su Zhe all had a history of impersonating others.

Jiang Lin didn't know what to say, so he could only wait patiently. His Highness would naturally have his own ideas.

The matter of impersonating a citizen is a big deal, but it is also a small matter. We can only say that Lu Guanxiao was born at the wrong time. This imperial examination must be a big deal, and his impersonation will not be taken lightly.

Since they want to carry out a series of reforms through this imperial examination, many things will not be so simple. If things like impersonation are not restricted now, many southern scholars will definitely run to the north in the future. There is basically no doubt about this.

So we should impose restrictions now and start killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Maybe this unhealthy trend can be curbed.

Zhu Yunhuan opened his mouth and asked, "Can local officials be involved in his impersonation?"

Jiang Li immediately replied, "It has not been investigated yet. It seems that only the village elders and school officials know the inside story."

"Then you can't blame me." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's right, it's all my fault."

It was nothing for a son-in-law to take the imperial examination, but if he managed things, it would mean he had some financial resources and strength. Since they tried their best to make their family members pass the imperial examination and become officials, it also showed that they still had some expectations in their hearts.

It may not be a bad thing to stop these people from thinking about it. It is definitely not a good thing if these people with evil intentions come to power.

Zhu Yunhuan was in a good mood. Although there seemed to be some minor accidents, it was not a bad thing overall.

Even when there are some small unexpected situations, Zhu Yunhuan can take advantage of the situation.

The examination was divided into three sessions, each lasting three days. However, after the first session, which tested three questions on the Four Books and four questions on the Classics, the review naturally began.

In addition to the examiners, there are also the scholars of the Hanlin Academy, etc., who need to work overtime to review the papers. Because the results of this subject need to be announced faster, the emperor and the grandson seem to be in a hurry.

As for the time of the announcement of the results, there are actually no special regulations. Normally, it takes about a month. Some people think that they can wait a little longer until the apricot blossoms bloom, which is more convenient and more artistic. However, Lao Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan are unwilling to wait any longer because they need to get some things done as soon as possible. They are not patient people. A year of planning has already made them impatient.

Zhu Yunhuan was very patient and was waiting patiently, but he was also paying close attention to some things.

After the three exams, each student looked exhausted. This was because they had to live and eat in the dormitories of the Imperial Examination Hall for several days in a row, and they had to rack their brains to write those brilliant essays, which had already exhausted their energy.

When Zhu Yunhuan received the news that the imperial examination had ended, he couldn't help but laugh.

Old Zhu summoned Zhu Yunhuan to Wuying Hall and asked, "Can the people under your command do their job well?"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "They can still do some tricks, but if they can't do these things well, it's hard to explain."

Old Zhu nodded, but then said, "These little tricks can be done well, but I'm afraid those people in the court will back down at the last minute. I think they are still afraid that they don't have the courage."

"If they don't have the guts, they can find any excuse to accuse us." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "Things have come to this point and they have no say in it. These things are nothing more than means. Either they are justified, or I am pushing them."

Old Zhu was even happier, because his grandson was very smart. Sometimes it was not the means that mattered, but the results that mattered.

Maybe it sounds a bit harsh and ugly, but for an emperor, this is what he needs to do. If he doesn't have some tricks, it will be difficult to stabilize the country.

Zhu Yunxun said helplessly, "Grandfather, what I mean is that you should let your people start spreading some news. If we don't cause controversy among the scholars and create a stir, these things will be ineffective."

Old Zhu also understood this truth and said directly, "That's the truth. If we don't make a big deal out of it, it will not look good."

Zhu Yunhuan also meant this. "It would be better if the northern scholars could make a fuss. I want them to file petitions and complain. If we do this when the results are announced, it will be embarrassing for us."

Old Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "What I mean is to wait until the results are announced before executing them. Only then will the northern scholars be furious and cause a big mess."

"It has been proven that the chief examiner accepted bribes." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "We can now tell you about Zhao Mian's solicitation of bribes last year. He was not a perfect person to begin with."

Mr. Zhu would definitely be very angry if others did not do things according to his plan.

But if the crown prince had his own opinions, Zhu Yuanzhang would not be so angry.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Originally, I was thinking of stirring things up after the results are announced, but there's no need. Now there's a student who pretended to be a foreigner, and he should be very knowledgeable. As long as we control him in the court, let the people quarrel. When the results are announced, we can still win over the people's hearts."

Old Zhu immediately asked, "Is he impersonating someone else?"

"Yes, it's fake nationality." Zhu Yunhuan explained, "It's just that some things don't need to be known to everyone."

Old Zhu smiled and nodded, "Let's do as you wish. Let's settle the matter earlier this year."

Old Zhu stretched his muscles and said, "I have been teaching you skills and handling political affairs for the past year. If it weren't for the overall situation, I would have killed some bastards long ago!"

In the past year, Lao Zhu had to suppress his anger at times. If it weren't for the overall situation, if it wasn't such a big game, he really couldn't help it and would really explode.

The bottom line is that some people have gone too far, and Lao Zhu can only suppress his anger.

Zhu Yunhuan also said, "I can't stand it anymore. Do you really think we can't lift the knife now?"

"In the past, it was just a palace examination, and we only looked at the top ten or fifteen papers. This year, you should look at more." Old Zhu said decisively, "Since you have to do something, then do it faster and better!"

Zhu Yunxun opened his mouth and said, "This year's exam is just the Spring Examination, and the results are just announced. From the next exam onwards, the North and South rankings will be divided."

Old Zhu also nodded, and understood why Zhu Yunhuan planned to get some things done before the results were announced. After all, it was not easy to try once, so there was no need to continue to struggle.

Therefore, for this subject, it is still better to select a certain number of northern scholars and maintain a certain balance, and that will be enough.

As long as the effect and purpose are achieved, there are some things that you don’t have to care about too much.

The grandfather and grandson smiled at each other and looked forward to what was to come.

Perhaps they are all domineering in nature, and they have been restraining themselves over the past year, so many people have begun to forget themselves. Now that the emperor and the crown prince are about to show their edge, it is estimated that some people will definitely be scared.

The situation of the Ming Dynasty has never been beyond the control of Emperor Hongwu!

(End of this chapter)