I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 808 Cheating in the Examination Room
There were huge crowds of people outside the Imperial Examination Hall.

"Look, Yang Gong, it's Yang Gong coming!"

"Mr. Yang? Could it be Grand Tutor Yang Wenxian?"

"That's right, Yang Situ is the head of the Hongnong Yang family. He has three dukes in four generations and is famous all over the world."

"I know, I know. Who in the world doesn't know the name of Yang Situ? His family tradition is clean and honest, and he is fair and impartial. He can be regarded as a role model for scholars like me."

"Could it be that this imperial examination is presided over by Yang Gong?"

"If this is true, then we, the children from poor families, will have a bright future!"

The candidates were talking about it a lot. The name of Yang Biao, the leader of the Qingliu school, was obviously well-known to these students of the Imperial College.

Amid the expectant and admiring gazes of the crowd, Yang Biao, wearing a dark court robe and a Jinxian crown on his head, walked slowly onto the platform with steady steps.

He is nearly fifty years old, tall, with a gaunt face, bright eyes and a righteous demeanor.

"Dear scholars," Yang Biao's voice was loud and clear, resounding throughout the venue like a huge bell, "Today, the first imperial examination of our Han Dynasty is grandly opened here. This is a grand event for our dynasty, and it is also a good opportunity for you all!"

"Since Emperor Gaozu founded the country, the Han Dynasty has gone through hundreds of years of ups and downs. Its rise and fall, honor and disgrace all depend on talents. In the past, the way of selecting talents was often biased, making it difficult for knowledgeable people to display their talents."

"Now, General Su Yao is promoting the imperial examination to recruit talents regardless of their background. This is truly a wise move!"

"The essence of the imperial examination is fairness."

Yang Biao looked serious, his eyes swept across the audience:
"Today, you all gather here to serve as the pillars of our Han Dynasty."

"Whether you come from a humble family or an aristocratic family, everyone has an equal opportunity to gain fame and serve the Han Dynasty with real talent and knowledge."

"On behalf of the imperial court, I solemnly promise that this imperial examination will be conducted with fairness and justice, and all fraud will be eliminated, so that every person with real talent and knowledge can receive due recognition and reuse!"

When the people in the audience heard this, they all bowed and saluted, their excitement beyond words.

Especially those scholars from poor families, there were tears in their eyes.

They have studied hard for many years just to change their fate one day. After hearing what Yang Biao said, their hearts are even more filled with longing for the future.

Among the children from aristocratic families, apart from those who are just filling in the numbers and some who are secretly disdainful, there are also many who are eager to try and want to show their skills on this stage and prove their strength.

"The general is wise, and eunuch Yang is fair. We will go all out and live up to the court's expectations!"

In the crowd, a poor student was the first to shout, followed by a group of echoes.

Their voices merged into a torrent, rising straight into the sky.

Yang Biao on the stage nodded slightly. Although there was a relieved and warm smile on his face, a sharp look flashed in his eyes.

Yang Biao knew very well that this imperial examination was not only to select talents for the court, but also a test for all forces.

Su Yao has made it clear that in the future, those who have passed the imperial examination will be given priority in establishing new institutions.

Only by passing the imperial examination can the family's children occupy a seat in the future court and maintain the family's glory and power.

But once the imperial examination system truly achieves fairness, children from poor families will flood into the officialdom in large numbers, which will inevitably impact the foundations of the aristocratic families.

These days, because of the worry about this issue, the threshold of his house is almost broken down.

Therefore, I am far from feeling as relaxed as I appear to be.

Especially when he thought about his next plan, he felt like he was dancing on the edge of a knife and his mind was tense.

To the extent that he didn't even hear Cai Yong's call from behind him.

Such a trance-like performance made Cai Yong, who had been working with him, feel a little distressed:
"Mr. Yang is dedicated to the public and has put a lot of thought into this imperial examination. He is truly a role model for us."

"Now that everything is ready and the candidates have entered the venue, you can rest assured and leave the rest to your subordinates."

Yang Biao forced a smile and said to Cai Yong:
"Bo Ji is right, but this imperial examination concerns the future of scholars all over the world, and even more so the future direction of our Han Dynasty. How can I feel at ease until the end?"

Cai Yong was quite impressed by Yang Biao's attitude. The two continued to chat for a while before going back to their respective business.

The imperial examination is a grand event in the literary world and the country, and every move is watched closely.

Although Cai Yong was ordered by Su Yao to take full responsibility for organizing this grand event, his background and his position as the chief priest of the General's Mansion were obviously not enough to convince the public, and he could not be responsible for and do everything alone.

Therefore, above them, Yang Biao was one of the Three Dukes and had an outstanding reputation, so he was recommended by all officials to be the chief examiner, responsible for presiding over the examinations, grading the test papers, etc.

Cai Yong was the deputy examiner. In addition to assisting Yang Biao in presiding over the examination and participating in marking the papers, he was also more responsible for on-site practical matters and even had to take on the task of supervising the chief examiner.

Under them, there are 18 co-examiners, all of whom are well-known and well-educated. They are responsible for the initial review of the test papers and selecting the excellent answer papers to submit to the chief and deputy examiners.

In addition, there are invigilators, supervising officials, sealing officials, transcribers, reading officials, etc., each performing their own duties and working together to ensure the smooth progress of the imperial examination.

To complete the design of the entire process and the construction of the framework within just three months, this naturally benefited from the records of the imperial examination system in Su Yao's system encyclopedia.

However, when it came to personnel, he could only arrange it and let the relevant departments follow the map to search for suitable candidates from various counties and states.

According to common sense, this task is very difficult.

But fortunately, although the Han Dynasty was in a chaotic era, it still had a deep pool of talent. Despite the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, thanks to Su Yao's quick promotion, the capital Luoyang was not burned down, and the aristocratic families and people in the Central Plains were still in their homes.

In addition, this was the first imperial examination, and all parties attached great importance to it, and all necessary personnel were properly deployed before the examination began.

Among these people there were those selected from different offices of the six ministries of the imperial court, learned men recruited from various counties and kingdoms, and related personnel from the Censorate and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

All forces gathered in the examination room, nervously watching this exam that would decide the fate of countless people.

As the exam bell rang, candidates entered the examination room one by one with dreams and nervousness in their hearts.

Inside the examination room, rows of cells were neatly arranged, each small and cramped, only able to accommodate one person. Candidates filed in, sat down in their respective cells, and waited for the moment that would decide their fate.

At the same time, Guo Jia, Cheng Zhong and Wang Ling were busy deploying supervision work in a secret corner of the Imperial Examination Hall.

The Jinyiwei brought by Wang Ling had already blended into the crowd and were scattered in various corners of the Imperial Examination Hall, closely watching every suspicious movement.

Guo Jia and Cheng Zhong personally went out and moved around the venue. On the surface, they were inspecting, but in fact they were observing the actions of the examiners who had close relations with Yang Biao.

As for the candidates, they did not miss it either. The staff of the Censorate scanned each target with vigilant eyes, watching out for those who might be cheating.

Their eyes are as sharp as those of hawks, not missing any details.

And soon, they reaped the rewards.

The first person to reveal his true colors was a candidate from a prominent family.

While the inspectors were not paying attention, he quickly unfolded the cheat sheet hidden in his sleeve and wrote furiously with a look of smug joy on his face.

His behavior escaped the eyes and ears of the examiner, but it did not escape the eyes of Guo Jia.

Guo Jia approached quietly and calmly, like a tiger ready to pounce.

Just when the examinee was concentrating on the cheat sheet and was unaware of the danger approaching, Guo Jia rushed forward, grabbed the hand holding the cheat sheet with his eagle claw-like hand, and shouted angrily:
"You bold lunatic, how dare you do such a shameless thing in this sacred imperial examination hall? Do you have any respect for the law?!"

Guo Jia's roar was like a thunderclap out of the blue, instantly attracting the attention of the entire audience.

The candidate turned pale with fright, the cheat sheet in his hand fell to the ground, and his whole body was shaking like a sieve. The other candidates around him looked at him with shock and contempt, and there was an uproar in the examination room.

"Drag him away and interrogate him strictly!"

Under Guo Jia's order, personnel from the Censorate and the Embroidered Uniform Guard rushed forward like wolves and tigers, lifted up the candidate, and dragged him out of his seat like a dog.

Then, with a great memory recovery technique and in the face of the mountain of evidence, the candidate confessed to his cheating.

He burst into tears and cried, saying that he was under tremendous pressure from his family and was blinded by the evil spirit and did such a wrong thing.

However, if admitting one's faults was useful, there would be no need for the law.

"According to the imperial examination rules, those who cheat in the examination hall and carry cheat sheets will be put in shackles and put on display in public, stripped of all their academic titles and student status, and banned from taking the examination for one to three years."

Guo Jia asked, "What do you think should be done with this man, Situ Yang?"

The reason why Guo Jia asked Yang Biao this question was naturally because this person had a special identity - his surname was Yang, and he happened to be from the same clan as Yang Biao.

(End of this chapter)