Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 94 The Scholars Cause Trouble, Duke Wei Arrives to Calm the Situation (Part 2)

On the 28th day of the second month, around 5 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the square outside the examination hall was already packed with people, especially the area where the results of the examination were posted, which was completely overflowing.

Before long, the side gate of the examination hall opened, and several constables filed out carrying buckets of paste, ladders, and lists of candidates.

"I'm coming."

Those candidates who came to see the results and those who came specifically to report the good news and earn tips quickly squeezed to both sides to make way.

The moment that would decide their fate was approaching. The candidates stared at the rolled-up list of successful candidates as if it were their own lifeline, their faces full of anticipation.

The constables, however, acted like emotionless machines. They carried a ladder to the notice board, placed it on top, handed over a bucket of paste, and began to scrub it. Then they unfolded the notice board and slapped it down.

After finishing the job, I packed up my things, walked in, and didn't even look back.

The candidates, however, swarmed forward like flies to rotten meat, using all their strength to push their way to the front, staring at the list and looking at each name one by one from beginning to end.

No, no, no!

Those who hadn't seen their names gradually grew anxious, while those who did see their names were secretly delighted and quietly retreated.

In less than fifteen minutes, only those candidates who were not on the list remained below the list.

Everyone's expression changed from anxiety to anger.

Why didn't they pass the exam?

That's all because the exam questions were poorly designed!
Who would become so obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge that they neglect their studies and ambitions?
Setting exam questions like this is a deliberate attempt to suppress those who are good at studying the classics!
It's normal to fail the imperial examination, since there are at least five or six thousand candidates, but only two or three hundred make the list. More than 90% of them fail.

But scholars sometimes like to get stuck on trivial matters, especially when they feel there is a clear problem or injustice. They get angrier and angrier as they think about it.

At this moment, Gongyuan Square was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

"Sun Yuanhua is a protégé of the chief examiner Xu Guangqi. He has been in officialdom for several years despite failing the imperial examinations repeatedly. This time, he actually ranked first. It's too unfair!"

That's it!

It is unclear who raised their voice, but all the candidates were immediately filled with indignation.

"No, we have to get an explanation."

Then someone pointed towards the palace, and many candidates were immediately enraged. They rushed towards the palace, and the candidates behind them pushed and shoved each other to catch up.

At this time, Zhu Jue was still having breakfast with the two empresses in Kunning Palace.

Fang Zhenghua suddenly strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, those candidates have been instigated to surge towards the direction of East Chang'an Street."

As expected, the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party would not let such a good opportunity pass them by.

Zhu Jue snorted inwardly, but outwardly remained calm and said, "Hmm, go and call Wei Zhongxian over."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhenghua quickly bowed and took his leave, then hurried away.

Upon seeing this, Empress Zhou couldn't help but ask with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Don't be afraid, I'm here to protect you, the sky of the Ming Dynasty won't fall down.

Zhu Jue said nonchalantly, "It's just that the candidates who didn't make the list can't accept it and want to make a fuss. It's okay, it's always like this when the results of the imperial examination are announced. They'll make a fuss and it'll pass."

Oh, I'm not happy about not passing the exam.

That's normal; if you're upset, just vent your anger and it'll pass.

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhou nodded repeatedly and said, "That's good."

Seeing this, Empress Zhang couldn't help but show a hint of doubt on her face.

Is it always like this?

How come she's never heard of it?
Soon, Wei Zhongxian strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty and the two Empresses."

This fellow knew all along that there would be trouble among the examinees today, so he was waiting outside Kunning Palace early on.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then said solemnly, "Those troublemaking examinees are probably heading to East Chang'an Street. Are you ready?"

This is natural.

You can rest assured that I'll handle things.

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and said, "This servant is ready."

Then let's go for it.

Zhu Jue waved his hand decisively and said, "Go ahead, try to persuade them first, give them a chance. If they don't listen, you know what will happen."

Wei Zhongxian quickly bowed and took his leave.

Soon, Wei Zhongxian left the palace, mounted his horse, and led a group of imperial guards out of the East Chang'an Gate, shouting, "My lads, come out and form ranks!"

The Imperial Guards, who had been waiting in the streets and alleys to the south, immediately swarmed out, forming a dense line that stretched for miles behind Wei Zhongxian.

At this moment, a group of black dots surged in from the direction of the examination hall.

Wei Zhongxian even leisurely took out his binoculars and started aiming, his face full of disdain.

Before long, thousands of candidates flocked over.

It's not surprising that someone is blocking the way; the Imperial Guards are only feared by officials, not these angry examinees. They were even cursing and demanding that Wei Zhongxian move aside.

Seeing this, Wei Zhongxian said with a face full of disdain, "You don't know who I am, do you? How dare you tell me to get out of the way?"

Who are you?
Few test takers have actually seen the legendary 9,000-year-old grandfather.

This is because most of these candidates are not from the capital.

However, some candidates in the capital city secretly reminded those around them.

"Wei Zhongxian?"

So it was you, you treacherous eunuch!

"Get out of here! We're not here to see you today."

Oh dear, how dare you tell this humble one to get lost?

Wei Zhongxian said with some annoyance, "This is the imperial city. How dare you make such a racket and turn the world upside down?"

What happened to the capital?
We came to the capital to cause trouble.

"What? We've turned the world upside down? It's the chief examiner, Xu Guangqi, who's turned the world upside down!"

"Yes, Xu Guangqi not only deliberately asked questions about the nature of things, but also ranked his own student first on the list of successful candidates."

"This is outrageous! We're going to file a complaint with the emperor!"

"This is blatant cheating, we have to retake the test!"

If His Majesty hadn't asked me to persuade you, I would have already taken action.

Wei Zhongxian patiently said, "You're all indignant because you didn't make the list, so you're causing trouble, right? I didn't make the list either, so why didn't I cause trouble? Go back home now, or don't blame me for being impolite."

You can't even read many characters, what kind of list are you on?

You treacherous eunuch, are you deliberately making fun of us?
Upon hearing this, the group of test takers became even angrier and their insults became even more vicious.

I shouldn't be trying to reason with you guys!
Upon seeing this, Wei Zhongxian immediately hardened his face and said in a shrill voice, "I'll count to three, and you'd all get out of here. Anyone who dares to cause trouble here will be thrown into the imperial prison and subjected to severe torture. I want to see who sent you to cause trouble."

what?
Throw him into the imperial prison!

Many candidates immediately fell silent, as if they had choked on their words.

"one".

As soon as Wei Zhongxian spoke, those who had instigated the trouble immediately ran away. They weren't fools; they were just there to fool fools.

"two".

Wei Zhongxian's face had already turned sinister, and those who were timid and afraid of trouble were so frightened that they quickly ran away.

"three".

Wei Zhongxian was already showing signs of madness, and those who were still hesitating immediately turned around and ran away.

This left the entire eastern half of East Chang'an Avenue as if it had been cleaned up, leaving only about a hundred naive young men who had been manipulated standing in front of Wei Zhongxian in a standoff.

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhongxian waved his hand without hesitation and said, "Arrest them all and throw them into the imperial prison. I will give them a thorough interrogation to see who ordered them to cause trouble."

These hotheads who are blinded by greed are basically the kind who act impulsively and risk their lives.

The reason they are so easily manipulated is that they are unaware of the dangers of the world and think they are the embodiment of justice, the kind who would speak out against injustice whenever they see it.

These kinds of people are basically single-minded. They'll risk their lives if provoked. They don't even realize that people are deliberately provoking them. They don't care who's using them or who's instigating it!
Even with the cruel tortures in the imperial prison, they needed to know who the person was to extract a confession.

These guys know nothing, so naturally you can't force them to confess.

Wei Zhongxian personally led his men to interrogate the suspect for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, he hurriedly headed towards the capital.

Zhu Jue had just finished reviewing the memorials and was about to go to the north of the city to take a look.

However, he still had to see Wei Zhongxian when he requested an audience.

He wasn't afraid of scholars causing trouble, but it was no small matter, and he needed to know how well it had been handled.

Soon, Wei Zhongxian strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "How is it? How many people have been arrested? Have you found out who's behind this?"

Wei Zhongxian said somewhat awkwardly, "I only captured about a hundred people. These people don't seem to know anything. They were just provoked and rushed over."

These hotheads, they're always the ones who get killed when they cause trouble!
If we keep these guys around, they'll probably be more easily provoked into becoming cannon fodder in the future.

Then let's just use you as cannon fodder for now, so you won't cause me any trouble later.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then decisively said: "Remove all their academic titles and send them back to their hometowns. They will never be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations again."

Also, make a list of their names, along with the results of their investigations. Make several copies and post them on every main street in the inner city, so that those candidates who still want to cause trouble know the consequences.

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and said, "This servant understands."

Having said that, he bowed and hurried away.

(End of this chapter)