Prime Minister.

Chapter 87, 086: A Sudden Turn of Events

Today, everyone present has different perspectives on the same matter due to their different identities and positions.

Most of the examiners understood and respected Xue Huai's actions, but it was clearly unlikely that they would do such a thing themselves.

Grading exam papers in the Spring Examination is a tough job. In less than twenty days, each examiner has to grade thousands of papers. With tight deadlines and heavy workloads, many people secretly complain. Who has the leisure to check for common words in the papers just because of a hint of suspicion?

They knew they couldn't do it, so even though they thought Xue Huai's actions were foolish, they couldn't help but admire his loyalty.

In Sun Yan's view, Xue Huai's actions were clearly a prelude to his next move against Yue Zhongming. He was willing to drag himself into the mess, putting himself in a do-or-die situation.

At this moment, Sun Yan sighed inwardly. Putting aside the differences in their positions, he was somewhat envious of Shen Wang for having such an outstanding disciple.

Looking back, Sun Yan was once as righteous as Xue Huai, but as his career was filled with setbacks, his edges were worn down. Even after finally entering the cabinet, he was overwhelmed by Ning Hengzhi and Ouyang Hui.

So-called ambition is nothing more than groveling.

Yue Zhongming was seven or eight years younger than Sun Yan and was at the age when he was full of ambition, so he naturally didn't have as many feelings as Sun Yan.

He couldn't completely trust Xue Huai and had already sensed something was amiss, but Xue Huai didn't show any obvious abnormality. In such a public setting, Yue Zhongming couldn't just reveal his hand directly.

The matter concerning the Crown Prince cannot be revealed directly by him, otherwise the Emperor will not let him off the hook—how could a mere Vice Minister of Rites know the secrets of the Crown Prince? Even if he knew in advance, why didn't he report it to the Emperor?
Therefore, Yue Zhongming said nothing, but looked at Xue Huai meaningfully, hoping that this young scholar would not stray from the right path.

Everyone in the hall had their own thoughts, except for Fan Dongyang, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who had already read through all five suspicious examination papers.

As Xue Huai said, at first glance, there was nothing wrong with the five answer sheets, but when put together, one could find those words that were too coincidental.

He put down the exam paper and asked, "Xue Shidu, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Xue Huai calmly replied, "General Secretary Fan, I was unaware of this beforehand, nor did I have any secret dealings with anyone. The reason I recommended these two papers is simply because the quality of the writing itself is good and meets the standard for recommendation."

Gao Tingbi and Liu Yu were unaware of Xue Huai's intentions, but they knew they could not hesitate at this moment. They immediately and decisively stated their position to show that their selection of the papers was based on fair standards.

Fan Dongyang frowned slightly and said, "Since the three examiners did not show favoritism, and these five answer sheets are suspicious, what does Xue Shidu think should be done?"

Xue Huai frankly replied, "Reporting to the Chief Censor, it is still impossible to determine whether we acted out of favoritism. After all, under the watchful eyes of everyone, neither I nor my colleagues Gao and Liu dared to confess even if we had any hidden reasons. Therefore, we cannot conclude for the time being that we are not involved."

Fan Dongyang looked at Xue Huai thoughtfully. He naturally knew about the achievements of this third-ranked scholar. A year and a half ago, he had petitioned the emperor to transfer Xue Huai to the Censorate, but he did not know why the emperor refused, so he had to give up the idea.

Having met him today, Xue Huai is indeed different from ordinary young officials. Who else would dare to say with such righteous indignation that they are suspected of favoritism?

Upon thinking of this, Fan Dongyang said meaningfully, "Then what do you intend to do? Do you want Grand Secretary Sun to revoke your right to recommend candidates, or do you want me to submit a memorial to His Majesty impeaching the three of you?"

Gao Tingbi and Liu Yu's faces darkened; they never imagined that Xue Huai would be a genuine madman.

Xue Huai shook his head slightly and said, "I only want to say that the imperial examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents in the country, and it cannot be taken lightly. The suspicions against us will be investigated by the court, but these five answer sheets must be rejected."

"You're 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free'."

There was no sarcasm in Fan Dongyang's words; on the contrary, there was a hint of appreciation and approval.

Xue Huai succinctly stated, "I only ask for fairness."

Fan Dongyang nodded and said, "I have no objection, but this is an internal matter, so it should be decided by the two chief examiners."

Yue Zhongming remained silent, while Sun Yan slowly said, "What Xue Shidu said is correct. Fairness and impartiality are of utmost importance in the imperial examinations. Otherwise, we would be letting down His Majesty's trust and the hard work of thousands of candidates. These five answer sheets should be rejected. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone agreed.

Bribery and collusion have been rampant in the imperial examinations, despite repeated prohibitions, or rather, they are simply impossible to eradicate.

This method is covert and effective, unlike exam question leaks or mass cheating that implicate many people, where finding one person can lead to a chain reaction and ultimately create a major case that shakes the government and the public.

The process of passing through the examination room can be at least one-on-one communication between an examiner and a candidate. The examiner can basically determine which room they will be grading the papers in, and the candidate only needs to choose one of the five classics in their answer. If the level of the answer is acceptable, the examiner can recommend the candidate. If not, the examiner can also reject the paper.

Because such things cannot be completely prevented, the imperial court mostly turns a blind eye to them, which has become an unspoken rule in the imperial examination system.

Even if the person involved slips up, the chief examiner won't make a big deal out of it. The examiners involved can be held accountable afterward, but it can't affect the entire imperial examination. This is the reason why Sun Yan made this decision and no one questioned it. Xue Huai's expression remained calm. When he heard about the Crown Prince's underhanded tactics from Yue Zhongming, he knew that this matter couldn't be kept secret. He hadn't confessed yet not because he wanted to protect himself, but because the time wasn't right.

After the imperial examinations conclude, the emperor will certainly inquire, and he will explain everything in detail.

He has even more important responsibilities now.

Just when the other examiners thought the matter was settled, Xue Huai picked up three pre-marked answer sheets from the table and said calmly, "Your Excellency, these three answer sheets also have problems."

Sun Yan asked seriously, "What's the problem?"

"The answer sheets themselves are fine; the questions are well-answered, the writing is fluent, and the quotations are appropriate. In my humble opinion, these three answer sheets certainly have the potential to be ranked in the second class."

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Xue Huai's voice suddenly turned cold: "This humble official does not know who these three candidates are, nor do I know the level of their previous essays. Judging solely from the answers themselves, they are truly exceptional pieces. Therefore, when I was granted permission by the Grand Secretary to enter the copying office to examine the papers, I was out of curiosity and went to look at the ink scrolls of these three answers."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Sun Yan's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes, as dark as ink, subtly glanced at Gao Tingbi next to Xue Huai.

At that moment, Gao Tingbi, the top scholar of the Gengchen imperial examination, clenched his hands tightly in his sleeves, his skin pierced, only then could he control the panic in his heart.

"Your Excellency must be wondering what I have discovered."

A flash of anger crossed Xue Huai's eyes as he said, word by word, "This humble official discovered that the ink writing of the names on the names of these three candidates' examination papers actually had cuts and traces of pasting, with very slight glue residue remaining. Truly a remarkable technique."

"Is there such a thing?"

Sun Yan was furious.

Yue Zhongming breathed a long sigh of relief. Xue Huai was indeed sensible, and it seemed that he could deepen his personal relationship with him in the future.

The other examiners were utterly shocked.

Xue Huai's words were not cryptic; the words "cutting the scroll" immediately came to mind.

The so-called "splitting the scrolls" means cutting apart the identity information of two scrolls and exchanging them, giving scroll A to another examinee, while the original owner of scroll A's answer sheet becomes scroll B.

Compared to bribery and other forms of cheating, cutting up answer sheets is undoubtedly more insidious and malicious. After all, the former requires candidates to have sufficient knowledge and ability. Otherwise, the examiners cannot forcibly select a clearly poor answer sheet. Doing so would not be convincing, let alone get the approval of other examiners. Even the chief examiner would find it difficult to do so.

The process of cutting up exam papers did not require any ability from the examinee. Even if he wrote something messy and illegible, as long as the relevant officials helped him switch the papers, he could steal the results of others' years of hard work.

The aftermath was also simple: the examination papers were not preserved for long, and even when the examiners filled out the results, the relevant officials could destroy those inferior papers to cover up the truth.

The student who was supposed to pass the exam didn't even know what had happened. He couldn't even touch the truth. He could only cry bitterly because he failed the exam, while watching others pass with flying colors thanks to his answer sheet.

Xue Huai placed the three answer sheets on the table, suppressing his anger, and said, "Your Excellency, I sincerely hope this is a misunderstanding. If such a terrible thing really happened, I really don't know how I would face those candidates who studied diligently for more than ten or even decades."

Sun Yan's face was ashen. He looked at Xue Huai with a dark gaze, then at the three answer sheets on the table.

He knew very well who the candidates behind these answer sheets were. If it weren't for Ouyang Hui's earnest request, he wouldn't have wanted to do this. But now that Xue Huai had exposed him in public, the situation no longer allowed him to be perfunctory.

After all, Xue Huai even dared to expose himself.

At this moment, Sun Yan finally understood what it meant to shoot himself in the foot. He wanted to use Xue Huai to deal with Yue Zhongming, but he didn't know that this young scholar had no bias at all.

"It's outrageous that something like this could happen during the imperial examinations!"

Yue Zhongming spoke sternly, feeling incredibly pleased with himself. Xue Huai's strange behavior had initially made him very wary, but now he was extremely satisfied with Xue Huai.

That's how we're going to catch Sun Yan off guard. How could the chief examiner disregard fairness? Doesn't he know that cutting up exam papers can ruin a candidate's life?
He turned to Sun Yan and said decisively, “Your Excellency, regarding Xue Shidu’s accusation, I believe it must be thoroughly investigated. We absolutely cannot allow anyone to show such contempt for the dignity of the court. Now Your Excellency still needs to preside over the deliberation. This matter concerns the important task of filling out the examination papers and cannot be taken lightly. Therefore, I am willing to volunteer to thoroughly investigate the matter of splitting the examination papers and share Your Excellency’s burden!”

The atmosphere inside the hall was almost frozen.

Yue Zhongming stared intently at Sun Yan, his face resolute and determined.

It was as if he would kill himself on the spot if Sun Yan didn't agree.

(End of this chapter)