Chapter 563: Cheating In The Examination

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Old Madam Yu also thought that the others in the residence might be dissatisfied with the reduction of the expenses, so she said, “Pick a few decent jewelry pieces from my collection and send them to the courtyards in the residence as compensation.”

Yu Youyao nodded. “That’s appropriate.”

The things she would take from her grandmother’s hands were definitely not bad. After wearing them a few times, they would be kept.

It was jewelry of not bad quality. It could be passed down for generations.

After that, Yu Youyao asked if the salary of the farmers and workers in the manor could be changed to be distributed every ten days. Seeing that the price of rice was rising day by day, she thought about distributing the money to the workers early. With money, they could hoard more rations.

However, in this way, the stewards of the manor would have to work much harder.

Yu Youyao suggested that the stewards in the manor be given ten kilograms of rice every month as a reward.

Since the year wasn’t good, there was no better reward than rice and food.

Old Madam Yu thought for a moment and felt that this matter was feasible. The two of them discussed many details together.

At this moment, Nanny Liu entered the house with a solemn expression. “Matriarch, bad news. Young Master Shan Fang of the clan was captured by a team of soldiers just now.”

Yu Youyao held her breath. Yu Shanzheng was a tribute student who had passed the examination.

She recalled that her cousin had previously vowed that Song Mingzhao wouldn’t be able to come to the Yu Residence. At that time, she was still clueless, but now, an idea suddenly popped into her mind.

Before Old Madam Yu could ask, Yu Youyao had already opened her mouth and asked anxiously, “Hurry up and go out and ask what’s going on. Is Brother Fang the only one who’s been captured, or have all the candidates in this examination been captured? Then, send someone to the Zhenguo Marquis Residence to ask about Heir Song.”

Nanny Liu did not realize what she meant. Seeing Eldest Miss i s anxious expression, she immediately ran out.

However, as soon as Yu Youyao opened her mouth, Old Madam Yu realized something. Her mind buzzed, and she almost couldn’t sit still anymore. “Yao Yao, you mean…”

Her mouth trembled, and she couldn’t even speak properly.

Yu Youyao nodded with a solemn expression. ‘Grandmother, do you still remember what Brother Shande and another brother in the clan said behind the rockery three years ago?

How could she not remember? It was also because of that matter that the rankings of the imperial examination had been delayed for a long time.

She hadn’t eaten or slept well for a long time, afraid that a disaster would happen. It wasn’t until the second examination in front of the hall that her tense heart slowly calmed down.

Old Madam Yu’s expression turned very ugly. “An appointment with a disciple. Cheating in the examination.”

Yu Youyao nodded with a solemn expression. “There’s nothing in the world that can be kept secret. The matter of making an appointment with the disciples first spread from the Golden Jade Pavilion under the name of Ning Yuanbo’s residence. In the past, the Weining Marquis Residence was powerful and Imperial Consort Lu was doted on. They were fearless. Even if they were exposed, as long as there wasn’t enough evidence, it wasn’t enough for the Weining Marquis Residence to bear the crime.”

The news came from the Golden Jade Pavilion, but it was a restaurant. There were all kinds of people in it to begin with. Without concrete evidence, no one dared to implicate the Weining Marquis Residence.

Therefore, even if they knew about the fraud, they mostly covered it up.

This was the Yu Residence’s reaction at that time.

Old Madam Yu understood the crux of the matter. “Now, the Marquis of Weining has repeatedly lost his power and been demoted to Ning Yuanbo, and Imperial Consort Lu has also been demoted. Someone has caught hold of this incident and made a big fuss. This…” Towards the end, even her voice changed. “The imperial examination involves the future of thousands of students in the world. If this matter is exposed, it won’t just be chaos in the court. I’m afraid the world will be in chaos…

Wasn’t the Great Zhou Dynasty chaotic enough now?

How many people had been disappointed by King You’s case? How deep was the resentment of the people?

The King of Dongning seemed to be stable in Shandong, but he had already angered many scholars by destroying the old classics of his ancestors and burning the ancestral code.

The capital of Zhejiang and Qingliu fought to the death. The pirates often disturbed the border, burned, killed, and plundered. Countless commoners died and were already infuriated.

In addition, there was fraud in the examination. The Confucian students were dissatisfied with the court rules, and the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty lost all their trust for the authorities.

This country was probably also…

Yu Youyao also had mixed feelings.

Old Madam Yu closed her eyes and kept twirling her prayer beads. The room fell silent.

Such news was easy to find out.

The time it took for Nanny Liu to burn an incense stick was all it took before someone rushed back into the house. “Matriarch, the main examiner is suspected of leaking the questions. The candidates for this examination are suspected of cheating. All the candidates who participated in this examination have been arrested, even Heir Song.”

Whether he was Mr. Xian Yun’s disciple or the heir of the Zhenguo Marquis Residence, as long as it involved cheating in the examination, no one could escape.

This news undoubtedly confirmed Yu Youyao’s previous guess.

After being mentally prepared, Old Madam Yu calmed down a little. “Our family only had one student succeed this time, and our ranking isn’t high. We’ve also read his writing. It’s standard. Even if we take out the papers for review, it won’t affect him.”

This was already a blessing in disguise.

Yu Youyao nodded. “After the few of them entered the capital, they followed Grandmother’s instructions. Most of them stayed in the courtyard to study in peace. They rarely went out to get involved in the disputes between the candidates and rarely gathered together with them. These are traces that can be tracked. This matter most likely won’t implicate our family.”

Her grandmother had nurtured two important ministers of the Imperial Court and was regarded very highly in the clan.

After the brothers in the clan entered the capital, they listened to their grandmother’s words. The Yu Residence also took good care of them, and their food and clothes were appropriately given to them.

Since they were so comfortable at home, they did not go out all the time.

Old Madam Yu felt a little more at ease and thought of Song Mingzhao. “It’s a pity for Mingzhao. As Mr. Xian Yun’s disciple, he’s already talented to begin with, but he’s suffered an undeserved calamity. The three exams were originally his great achievements in the imperial examination, but now, he’s become the target of public criticism. As long as it involves fraud, the lower the ranking, the safer he will be. Those in the front will be interrogated strictly. I’m afraid he’ll suffer a lot this time.”

As long as it involved cheating in the examination, no matter how good his family background was, it was useless.

Once it was confirmed) they had to be evaluated strictly to give an explanation to the scholars in the world. After all, once these people caused a commotion, the Imperial Court would not be able to take it anymore.

Not to mention that the main and co-examinations would be punished severely, many candidates who were involved in fraud had also died in prison.

Even if he was lucky enough to survive the torture and was finally released, unless the Imperial Court was especially kind, he would never be able to participate in the imperial examination again. If he studied hard for ten years, his future would be ruined. In more serious cases, even the next three generations would be implicated.

He couldn’t even do anything. He could only watch helplessly.

Yu Youyao lowered her head and said nothing.

The more Old Madam Yu thought about it, the more upset she felt. “With Mingzhao’s talent, I’m not worried that he’ll really be implicated. However, once he’s in jail, hell suffer even if he’s not guilty.. How can ordinary people take it!”

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