White-robed Minister

Chapter 68 0066 [The Most Tragic Imperial Examination Ever]

The rear residence of the magistrate's office.

An inkstone flew out, and Shi Dalang hurriedly dodged it, crying out in alarm, "Father, this thing can kill people!"

"I'm going to smash you to death, you bastard!"

Shi Xun was already furious. He walked over and kicked his son to the ground: "Are you trying to kill me? During the national mourning period—" He suddenly lowered his voice, "During the national mourning period, you dared to go out and secretly drink!"

Shi Guoting clutched his sore spot and argued, "I didn't go to any taverns or brothels. I was just secretly drinking at Li Erlang's house. I wouldn't be stupid enough to let others know."

Shi Xun was furious: "You don't want anyone else to know? You just got back and I could smell alcohol on your breath. Do you think other people don't have noses?"

Shi Guoting dared not argue any further and instead said, "Father, I also found out the names of the two scholars who beat me that day."

"They should have killed you on the spot!" Shih Hsun roared in fury.

Shi Guoting said, "Father, I've come up with a plan that will definitely make the Liang and Ding families suffer a lot."

"I don't need your instruction," Shi Xun snapped. "From today onwards, you are not allowed to go out. Stay home obediently!"

"Father, I won't drink anymore, please let me out," Shi Guoting quickly begged.

Shi Xun ignored him and ordered his servants to lock his son in the study.

Ding Zhengchen: Shi Xun had already planned how to deal with the two merchant families, Liang Wensu and Liang Wensu: How could he not know that Xu Geng was up to something?

When Shi Xun's term as prefect is about to expire, he will levy exorbitant taxes on the palace.

The Three Offices had a performance evaluation system that compared the actual amount of taxes collected by officials in the same place and position throughout their careers. The best performers had the opportunity for promotion, while the worst performers were subject to salary penalties or even demotion.

Therefore, when local officials' terms are about to expire, they illegally levy "palace tax." To put it bluntly, they create various pretexts to make merchants and ordinary people pay money, helping local officials to boost their performance records.

Of this money, the portion exceeding the regular tax will be taken directly by the officials themselves!

When Shi Xun's term was about to end, the Ding and Liang families would be levied a huge amount of palace taxes. Even the clerks couldn't help them, because outgoing officials were particularly ruthless.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Lord Yu requests your presence at the Military Governor's Office."

"Okay, I'll go."

Shi Xun rushed to the Pacification Hall, only to find that Yu Jing was not there at all. He subconsciously sat down and waited.

But then an aide walked over, casually tossed out a stack of papers, and then turned and left.

They didn't even say hello.

Shi Xun curiously flipped through the pages, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

The paper was filled with the miscellaneous taxes he had recently collected, as well as all sorts of random levies.

The last page contained three lines written by Yu Jing himself: "The heads of all trades intend to cease operations. Any excess revenue will be deposited into the treasury. All daily levies will be waived this year."

The first sentence was a warning: the merchants were being forced to close their shops. If this continued, Yu Jing would make him regret it.

The second sentence is an order, demanding that Shi Xun return the money he embezzled, deposit it all into the treasury, and let Yu Jing decide how to use it.

The third sentence is an instruction: because the merchants have paid more money, no further apportionments are allowed for the remaining months of this year.

None of these things mattered. What truly chilled Shi Xun was that Yu Jing no longer wanted to see him.

She not only refused to see him at her private residence, but also at her office.

This is a complete breakdown in relations!

Therefore, there is also a fourth hidden meaning: if Shi Xun dares not to obey, Yu Jing will disregard the face of his patron and directly submit a memorial to impeach him in an official manner.

Looking at the three lines of text, Shi Xun said in a daze, "How could it have come to this? How could it have come to this?"

It's just collecting a few more miscellaneous taxes, isn't it?

Looking across all the prefectures in the country, which magistrate didn't collect miscellaneous taxes? He wasn't even the most ruthless one.

Shi Xun returned to the magistrate's office and sat in the East Pavilion for a long time, unable to understand why Yu Jing had suddenly turned against him.

That doesn't make sense.

Something must be wrong, but Shih Hsun really couldn't figure it out.

At this moment, Yu Jing was writing a letter to Cai Xiang, cursing Cai Xiang as a bastard who had become senile by recommending Shi Xun and inexplicably sending him to Guangzhou.

Yu Jing even threatened Cai Xiang that if Shi Xun wasn't transferred away, he would break off all ties with Cai Xiang!

He was furious.

In the past few days, Yu Jing had his staff conduct a secret investigation, and what they found was shocking.

The leaders are indeed preparing to stage a strike.

After finishing the letter, Yu Jing put down his brush and it took him a while to regain his composure.

-

Cai Xiang is a particularly impulsive person, causing a whole bunch of messy blunders. This time, he definitely couldn't resist Shi Changyan's request and recklessly recommended someone without regard for his own reputation; it's simply outrageous.

Fortunately, Xu came to warn him, otherwise he would have surely ruined his reputation in his later years.

Thinking of Xu Lai, Yu Jing couldn't help but smile. He was truly a gifted and talented child.

Yu Jing asked Xiao Shi, "Have those things been completed?"

The junior scribe was similar to a page, but with higher requirements, possessing various functions such as personal secretary, attendant, errand runner, and messenger. Gao Qiu once served as a junior scribe for Su Shi.

"Everything's ready." Xiao Shi hurriedly went to fetch the items.

Since there was no force gauge, Yu Jing wanted to use a scale to conduct the experiment.

Yu Jing, who was already halfway to the ground, actually started studying physics, wanting to verify whether Xu Lai's lever principle was correct.

Yu Jing fiddled with the experimental equipment and said to Xiao Shi, "Go and call Sixth Sister over."

Before long, Pianpian walked briskly into the study, while her maid Yu'er waited outside the door.

"Come and help," Yu Jing said.

Pianpian was confused: "Father, what are you doing?"

Yu Jing said, "It's a leverage experiment. I told you to help me with it, and I'll explain it to you after I've done it."

"oh."

The father and daughter started tinkering with it.

After a while, Yu Jing suddenly asked, "Pianpian, do you still remember Xu Sanlang?"

"I remember, I had dinner at my house once," Pianpian said.

Yu Jing tried to keep her tone casual: "What's your impression of him?"

"Not bad." After saying this, Pianpian's cheeks instantly turned crimson.

Because she realized what was happening.

When a father asks his daughter what she thinks of a certain man, a little thought reveals what he means.

Yu Jing didn't continue the topic; as long as her daughter didn't dislike it, that was fine.

Since the emperor had just died, marriage was forbidden for a hundred days, and even engagement was prohibited.

The marriage ceremony consists of six rites, and only after the fourth rite is completed is the marriage contract officially established. However, some people exploit the mourning period by completing the first three rites first, preparing for the fourth, and then waiting for the mourning period to end.

Yu Jing would never do something like that.

Yu'er, who was waiting outside the door, was overjoyed and couldn't suppress her smile.

Yu Jing thought for a moment and said to his daughter, "Xu Sanlang is coming to our house for dinner the day after tomorrow. Behave properly."

She lowered her head and remained silent.

State studies.

A group of students are reading the official gazette.

"Did you find it?"

"Don't rush, don't rush."

No one obeyed the order to remain quiet because this official gazette was a special edition for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), containing a complete list of Jinshi.

The students at the innermost part of the group carefully read through the list and announced with great regret: "There isn't a single person from Guangdong on this year's list of successful candidates."

"Ugh!"

Everyone sighed.

-

Actually, there might also be people from Guangdong. For example, if a scholar from Guangdong went to study at the Imperial Academy and passed the imperial examination, his place of residence would be marked as "Guozijian" (Imperial Academy).

Xu Lai suggested, "How about we tally up the number of successful candidates from each region?"

"That's a good idea."

The students began to carefully compile the statistics.

In less than fifteen minutes, someone read aloud: "Only 165 people were admitted to the imperial examinations this year, so few! 66 from Kaifeng Prefecture, 30 from the Imperial Academy (Taixue), and 9 from Fujian..."

Eight people from Jiangxi Province —

"Two from Shaanxi, two from Jingnan, one from Hebei, and one from Hedong —"

"The remaining provinces and regions, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Jingbei, Lizhou, and Kuizhou, did not produce a single Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)."

hiss!

Xu Lai gasped in shock.

The number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial Academy (Taixue) alone directly accounted for 58% of the total number of Jinshi this year.

You're a member of the Capital Celestial Dragons, right?

The most ridiculous situation was in Hebei Province. Apart from Kaifeng Prefecture, Hebei had the highest number of candidates for the provincial examinations, even more than the Imperial Academy. So many Hebei scholars went to the capital, yet only one passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examinations).

Hebei's quota is more than double that of Guangdong!

"Sigh, let's call it a day." The students felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Especially for Nei Shesheng, who passed the imperial examination last year but failed to pass the final exam, his resentment vanished instantly.

They felt that even if they were expelled, they would most likely fail the exam this year.

"Why were only 165 people admitted this year?"

"Now it takes two years to complete one subject, whereas it used to take four years, which is equivalent to having more than 300 students back then."

"Didn't they admit 183 students in the last subject?"

"I estimate even fewer students will be admitted in the next subject, since it's a list of those who failed."

These words silenced the entire room.

Even fewer than 165 people, how few must there be?

The next imperial examination is ridiculous. Not only will the competition be fierce, but the treatment of the successful candidates will be the lowest.

Xu Lai scratched his head, feeling like he had traveled to the wrong time.

It doesn't matter if it's a few years earlier or later. What was the worst imperial examination ever?

"Xu Lai, Xu Lai! Where is Xu Lai?" someone outside kept calling out.

Upon hearing this, Xu Lai went outside: "Here I am, here I am."

An official approached and read aloud an informal document: "The Military Commissioner Yu Xiang hereby declares to the students: I have long admired the Guangzhou Prefectural School, which is renowned throughout Lingnan for its ability to cultivate talent and promote education—"

"A student from the state named Xu came and presented mulberry shears—learning is not found in high pavilions, but in the fields; tools are not found in luxury, but in benefiting the people."

"This envoy hereby bestows upon him five taels of silver to commend his merit. Furthermore, the state school is ordered to record this matter as a permanent example for encouraging education—"

More and more students gathered around after hearing the news, and they were all dumbfounded.

They just rewarded me once, and now they're doing it again.

Moreover, the direct reward of five taels of silver was even more generous than the previous water conservancy survey.

What exactly did Xu Sanlang do?

Of course, reporting on someone is a meritorious act; you can't possibly get five taels of silver just for presenting mulberry scissors.

"Sanlang, the mulberry scissors you mentioned last time, you actually made them?" Yang Shu asked in surprise.

Xu Lai smiled and said, "Brother Jiezhi, your family has a mulberry orchard, so you can have two made to take back. Not only will it be convenient for your own family, but if the villagers ask blacksmiths to make them, the entire Jihua Township can benefit."

"This is only right," Yang Shu said.

Other students were also curious about this and inquired which blacksmith shop sold it.

Xu Lai accepted the reward money and returned to his dormitory to read.

School starts on the first day of the second lunar month, and tomorrow is the end of April. It's the quarterly exams.

After the ten-day exam, I will visit Yu Jing's house.

Yu Jing sent someone to invite him at noon today, but it's unclear what he wants him to do. Xu Lai guesses it's to discuss physics.

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