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Even Crueler Truth? (1)
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Jing Wan was actually a bit confused. Since this printing technology has already been invented, why does the exam questions for the imperial exam still need to be transcribed? For the sake of making it completely unified, wasn’t printing even better?
“Scholars should just have the mannerism of a scholar. For the exam questions to be printed, how is that appropriate?” Li Hong Yuan faintly spoke.
“This is the reason for setting this rule?”
Towards the answer Li Hong Yuan gave, Jing Wan was also speechless.
If like in her past life, having huge amounts of students and huge amounts of exam papers, and all have to depend on people to manually make copies, just thinking about it made one shiver. The teachers certainly would all go on strike.
The next day, the entrance to the Gong Courtyard opened, and the exam candidates entered into the hall, getting rigorously inspected one by one. Moreover, there were blade carrying black clad guards overseeing, so before one even entered, the legs already went limp somewhat, especially those harboring a guilty conscience.
Looks like, because the previous courtyard exam had problems arising, the provincial exam this time was especially strict.
Once everyone entered, and it was time, the Gong Courtyard gates closed shut. The rules that should be explained were all explained, and afterwards, just directly issued the exam papers. It can be said to be clean and swift.
However, when the exam candidates received the exam questions, one after another emerged in uproar. There must be a mistake with this exam question, right?
The gong sounded, and for a moment, the exam candidates all quieted down, waiting for an explanation. It wasn’t that the exam question was wrong, but rather the third round’s exam questions had moved to the first round, with the glorified excuse of testing everyone’s ability to cope, laying down a foundation for the future as an official. After all, at that time, anything can happen.
Those whose brain was still considered clear-headed, all knew this was nonsense, and very quickly understood the reason within, but for these people, there actually wasn’t any influence.
The official side’s ‘nonsense’, if you like hearing, then just listen a few words, if not, then just let it enter one ear and out the other.
For the exam candidates, adjusting the order of the exam questions, was there no influence? Naturally no, the influence was actually very big. It was already an exam that concerned one’s entire life to begin with, so majority of the people were all nervous, and the sequence of the exam rounds actually was considered to gradually progress from easy to difficult. Some people had a greater grasp of the ones in front, so suddenly facing a difficult problem, they naturally would be even more nervous. Moreover, if not answered well, the later ones will certainly be affected too. The outcome, one can well imagine.
As a matter of fact, this was merely just the start, yet some people were starting to shake and sweat already, sitting restlessly. The hand was unable to steadily hold the brush, holding with great difficult, and that ink all fell onto the paper drop by drop. Fortunately it was just the draft paper, else heheh………….
In merely two hours, someone actually fainted. Without a doubt, for the exam this time, they were thoroughly done for.
One must know, if according to the normal order, testing well in front, then even if testing not that well towards the end, one would still have a chance.
It was obvious, by adjusting the order, the effect was even more serious than expected.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Facing the other examiner’s gaze, Li Hong Yuan coldly sneered, “Although your excuse earlier was high-sounding, it wasn’t without reason. If this kind of trivial matter all unable to deal with, how can one face the matters of the world? This kind of person, even if having scholarly learning, still wouldn’t be suited to serve as an official. It’s better to get eliminated while it’s still early.”
With the words already said like so, the others naturally didn’t dare to say too much. One has to know, for these people, they perhaps weren’t involved in the previous courtyard exam fraud case, and perhaps also didn’t participate in the salt administration matter, but it didn’t mean that they weren’t being suspected corruption. A blade called the ‘living Enma’ was still brightly suspended above their head. The ‘misery’ of the numerous Chongzhou Fu officials, they have all heard somewhat. But even if throwing in all one’s fortunes, it still didn’t necessarily mean that the matter was just over with.
The other examiners needed to watch over from beginning to end, but Li Hong Yuan naturally was an exception, purely just leaving whenever he wanted, incomparably willful, yet no one dared to say a single word. Regardless whether it was due to fear or something else, all in all, when he wasn’t present, they were instead able to relax quite a bit. As such, they most likely hoped for him to not come.
Li Hong Yuan didn’t completely toss aside and not bother with either. Regardless whether it was the morning or afternoon, he would all take time to come over for a sit.
Three days and two nights, the first round ended. Aside from the people getting dragged out midway being more than previous years, there seemingly wasn’t anything different.
The completed exam papers were all collected, and afterwards entirely sealed. Because the inner screen officials were still busy with copying the exam questions that were originally for the first round but was now moved to the third round, the matter of grading the exam papers was temporarily set aside.
Li Hong Yuan slept every night holding his delicate wife. Everything outside seemingly had nothing to do with him.
Compared to his idleness, Jing Wan can be said to be busy. Ever since the provincial exam started, there has been official madams coming to visit one after another. One has to know, when the fu and prefectural capital were the same, it wasn’t something Chongzhou Fu can compare. In ordinary fu, among the officials, the local magistrate was the biggest boss, at most just a fourth rank, but in a prefectural capital, the magistrate can only move to the side.
(T/N: Pretty much similar to how Kaiming Fu is to the Tong Prefecture, being both a fu and a prefectural capital. Chuanzhou Fu is both a fu and the prefectural capital of Shannan Prefecture, while Chongzhou Fu is just a fu under Shannan Prefecture.)
Perhaps in the past she once thought about selectively receiving, but now it wasn’t the same. Regardless whether the gift was light or heavy, Jing Wan all accepted without question. Those that she took fancy to, it was just being a bit more ‘friendly’, and those that she didn’t, she was just too lazy to bother with. In any case, her attitude was already clearly displayed, this bit of thing completely wasn’t enough.
Chongzhou Fu’s specific circumstances, they were unable to find out, but right now, they probably can sympathize with those people. Jin Wangfei’s greed was practically just a bottomless pit, unable to be satisfied.
But even so, what else can they do? Not give? In a few days, once Jin Qinwang finishes dealing with the provincial exam, and invites the various officials to drink tea[1], perhaps it was just going and never coming back. As such, no matter how much they ached and hated inside, they could only clench their teeth and endure. Not only so, when facing Jin Wangfei, they still needed to carry a smile, praising her, and fawning over her, only hoping to have her coaxed happy so that she can blow some more wind by Jin Qinwang’s ear.
Of course, everyone all knew, if the matter was too big, merely blowing pillow talk was useless, but according to Chongzhou Fu’s situation, as long as the fu treasury was more or less appropriate, towards the things on the accounts, to want to have Jin Qinwang convinced really wasn’t anything difficult. Of course, for every day Jin Qinwang doesn’t leave Jiangnan, the suspended heart is unable to settle.
All the way until the afternoon of the first day of the second round of the exam, an unexpected guest came. Unknown as to whether or not they’d grasped Li Hong Yuan’s daily schedule these last few days, when visiting, Li Hong Yuan just happened to have gotten up from the afternoon nap.
Li Hong Yuan saw the invitation card, declining to comment, directly having the invitation card thrown aside, and when time came, he also had the person let in.
Jing Wan picked up the invitation, seeing the name inscribed at the end, “Min Yu Han? This is someone of the Min clan? What is this person coming to visit for?”
“Imperial Noble Consort’s former fiance.” Li Hong Yuan didn’t hide. “The main offender that made that one on the throne become suspicious out of jealousy, doubt, and even kill.” His tone was nonchalant. Originally a shocking matter, but in his mouth, it was instead summed up the same as saying ‘today’s weather is not bad’.
At least, Jing Wan’s heart just began jumping, “Ah Yuan met him before? Did he come looking on his own?”
“This person, towards the Li imperial clan, especially that one on the throne, deeply hated to the bone. The incident last year at the western borders had him causing trouble inside. Having discovered in time, just had the person captured, thus didn’t lead to an even serious aftermath. The person got taken to Chengde Imperial Residence, and at that time, learned his identity.”
Jing Wan wanted to say, even the borders all had your people, this hand of yours sure extends quite far. However, this wasn’t the important point, “Because of Imperial Noble Consort, you had him released?”
“He self-willingly became a spy for this prince, working in Jiangnan.”
Jing Wan’s expression was a bit difficult describe, and momentarily later, finally opened her mouth, “Because the feelings were deeply rooted, originally detested, but after seeing you, changed his attitude, just because you are the sole bloodline of the person he loved? Even if on you, there’s still half the blood of his enemy, for him, it was still ‘loving the house and its crow’ surpassing ‘hating the house and its crow’?”
“For some things, it’s ultimately better to let him know.” Li Hong Yuan said rather meaningfully.
Jing Wan tacitly understood. In other words, if something didn’t happen in between, how can the other party’s attitude possibly have this big of a change. Also, based on this man’s personality, for him to not do a bit of something and just let the person go, that would really be inconsistent with his character description. Jing Wan can even imagine, that Min Yu Han’s appearance, painfully wishing for death, broken up from regret. To have not immediately dropped dead, it was probably thinking of waiting until he has the child of his beloved sent onto the throne. Then, he’ll finally have a bit of face to go meet his beloved.
[1] There’s a well-known internet slang in China, where if you’re caught criticizing the government, or really just ‘negatively’ commenting on them in general, you might get ‘invited to drink tea’ by the government.
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