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Compared to the spacious examination room that could accommodate 2,000 candidates, there were only 104 people in the women's examination room. There were only two examiners in charge of supervising the examination, and two other officials patrolling the examination.

When Jiang Shaohua stepped in, several officials stood up and saluted.

Jiang Shaohua did not say anything, but just waved his hand, signaling the officials to perform their duties.

Some of the women couldn't hold back their excitement and quietly looked up at Her Majesty the Empress. However, they held their pens tightly and didn't drop them to stain the test paper.

Jiang Shaohua had sharp eyes and immediately caught those two bright gazes and that familiar girl's face.

It’s the big girl Lu who has been determined to become a female official since she was young!
Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly.

Her Majesty the Empress saw her and smiled at her!

Lu Zhen suppressed his excitement, quickly lowered his head, and continued to work hard on answering the questions.

Chen Jinyu followed Jiang Shaohua's gaze and smiled as well.

After leaving the examination room, Chen Sheren laughed softly and said, "Mr. Li and Master Cui were afraid that no one would come to take the female examination, so they specially signed up to give the emperor a boost!"

"And there's Lu Zhen, the most outstanding student in Ye County Women's Academy. She's here to take the women's exam as well."

Jiang Shaohua smiled and hummed: "I still remember that when I first went to the academy, Lu Zhen was still an eight-year-old child. Now he has grown up."

Chen Sheren laughed: "Your Majesty is only seventeen years old this year, in the prime of youth. Yet he speaks in an old-fashioned way."

Only Chen Sheren dared to joke with the emperor like this.

Jiang Shaohua glanced at her with a smile: "You are three years older than me, but you look younger and more lively than me."

Chen Sheren raised his eyebrows and smiled, saying shamelessly: "That's right, without me, the emperor's life would be much less fun."

"Yes, yes, I can leave Marquis Changning, but I can't leave you for even a day." Jiang Shaohua took over the conversation seriously.

Chen Sheren laughed and said, "Your Majesty is coaxing me like this, is it because you want me to do something that will be very dangerous?"

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "How can I bear to do that?"

The king and his ministers smiled at each other.

The Enke exam lasted for three days in total.

After the exam, the Ministry of Rites had to copy and correct the papers under the names of the candidates, and also review and determine the rankings. This was a complicated and huge task, and all the people in the Ministry of Rites lived in the government office. After everything was done and the dust settled, the officials could go home. This also largely avoided cheating in the process of correcting the papers.

Minister Dong said to the officials with a cold face: "I will say this first."

"There must be no deviation in the marking of the examination papers this time. If there is even the slightest mistake, not only this minister, but also the emperor will not forgive you. You all know the emperor's methods."

"By then, it will be too late for you to cry and grieve. No one can save you."

Minister Dong did not stop at just his harsh words. He made rounds of inspections during the days of marking the papers. Surprisingly, he actually caught a cheater.

This candidate made a secret note on the last sentence of the test paper. The copyist thought this sentence was a bit abrupt after copying it, so he reported it to Minister Dong. Minister Dong had been in the Ministry of Rites for more than 20 years and had seen all kinds of tricks. After reading it, he sneered and asked someone to "invite" the examiner to come over. He also "invite" the candidate who made the secret note to the Ministry of Rites. They questioned him separately and confronted him face to face. The candidate could not hold on and knelt down crying and begging for mercy.

The examiner was an official from the Ministry of Rites. He knelt down with a pale face and begged bitterly: "Sir, I was bewitched for a moment and accepted three thousand taels of silver. I will return all the silver now, and I beg Sir to forgive me this time..."

Minister Dong sneered: "It's too late to say this now. I will report this matter to the emperor and ask the emperor to make a dictum. I can't save you, so you're on your own!"

That afternoon, Minister Dong brought the paper into the palace and reported the whole story to the emperor.

Jiang Shaohua said calmly: "Dismiss him directly and never employ him again. The close relatives of the three clans are not allowed to take the imperial examinations."

Not confiscating the property and not beheading him was already a special favor to the Ministry of Rites. It was also to save face for Minister Dong. You know, the Ministry of Rites was involved in fraud, which was not a decent and pleasant thing for Minister Dong.

Last year, the Ministry of Revenue had a series of problems, and the emperor was ruthless. Minister Ji also lost face.

Minister Dong knew what was going on and said with gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Jiang Shaohua looked at Minister Dong and said slowly: "The imperial examination is a major event in the selection of officials for the country. I trust Minister Dong, and I also believe that Minister Dong can control the officials of the Ministry of Rites and not let me worry about it."

These words were gentle yet contained a reminder, and were also a gentle warning.

Minister Dong was startled and replied solemnly: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will do my best to manage the Ministry of Rites for you."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Among the six ministries, the ones with the most oil and gas are of course the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel. The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Justice each have their own "sources", so is there no "source" for the Ministry of Rites?

Of course there are.

The provincial and metropolitan examinations, held every three years, were the stage for the officials of the Ministry of Rites. In previous years, there were many officials who secretly predicted the examination questions for others. As for the pre-exam search for smuggled papers and the post-exam revision of the papers, there was certainly some room for "manipulation" in every link.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were all honest and loyal on the surface. They all claimed to be upright civil officials, and their family backgrounds were each one more wealthy than the other.

It was Minister Dong himself. The Dong family was originally an inconspicuous scholarly family, but over the past decade, it has gradually grown and become second-rate in the capital. Minister Dong stood up in time and made great contributions to the emperor. Now he is the confidant of the minister. The rapid political advancement will inevitably lead to the rapid growth of the family's power.

The current Dong family is also one of the most famous families in the capital. It can be imagined that in the next few years or decades, as long as Minister Dong firmly holds the position of Minister of Rites, the Dong family will continue to prosper.

Minister Dong didn't even have to embezzle or solicit bribes. The annual tributes from the government and the annual festival gifts from local officials were very generous. And it was completely reasonable, legal and in accordance with the rules. The emperor was not so harsh that he would not allow even this little bit of money.

After Minister Dong left the Showa Hall, he wiped his forehead with his sleeve and then quickly returned to the Ministry of Rites.

The unfortunate official from the Ministry of Rites was stripped of his official hat that night and expelled from the capital.

The enthusiasm and efficiency of the officials of the Ministry of Rites in marking papers suddenly increased.

Two thousand men took part in the special examination, and finally one hundred were selected, and one was selected from twenty.

There were fewer papers for women's subjects and they were marked separately, so they were marked out the next day.

Minister Dong personally reviewed the papers and selected 20 from the 104. He then divided the 20 papers into three categories: the first category had 3 papers, the second category had 5 papers, and the third category had 12 papers.

One out of five. (End of this chapter)