Chapter 291 The audacious Zhang Ruzhou
"Wen Boyuan, you immediately arrange your manpower to set up eyeliners around Chunfang Garden." Zhao Yingluo whispered, "Remember, I want to know every move of everyone who comes in and out of Chunfang Garden, whether they are officials or scholars. Can’t let it go.”
After hearing this, Wen Boyuan nodded seriously, "Yes, Your Highness! I'll do it right away."
On the second day of the imperial examination, the morning light first appeared, and the golden sunshine gently shone on the ancient and exquisite glazed tiles of Chunfangyuan, as if giving this land of fireworks a golden coat.
Zhao Yingluo stood outside the gate of Chunfang Garden, taking a deep breath of fresh air and feeling the tranquility of the morning.
Today's exam is policy analysis. For most candidates, this is an important opportunity to show their political opinions and governance concepts.
But for Zhao Yingluo, this was an opportunity to deeply understand the darkness and injustice behind the imperial examination.
She still chose to dress up as a man, wearing a dark blue robe, a delicate jade belt around her waist, and a black hat on her head, with a heroic spirit between her brows.
Maid Xia He followed closely behind, and they walked into Chunfang Garden one after another.
The old bustard's sharp eyes recognized the "young master" who spent so much yesterday from a distance, and he came up to him with a smile on his face: "Hey, this gentleman is here again. Are you still here to see Mr. Zhang today?" ?”
Zhao Yingluo nodded slightly, pretending to be serious and said: "Exactly, please ask mom to lead the way."
Under the guidance of the old bustard, Zhao Yingluo and Xia He came to the secret private room on the third floor again.
When Zhang Ruzhou saw Zhao Yingluo coming in, he quickly stood up to greet her, and then said with a smile, "I have arranged everything for you for today's exam, so don't worry."
Zhao Yingluo sat down calmly, took a sip of tea, and then slowly spoke: "Master Zhang, yesterday you said you could find someone to take the exam for me. How did you arrange it?"
Zhang Ruzhou smiled proudly: "Don't worry, young man, I will take you to see the scholar who will take the exam for you."
The two of them left as soon as they could, walking through the winding corridors and courtyards of Chunfang Garden, and arrived at a hidden corner outside the Imperial College.
There was an inconspicuous little door here, and Zhang Ruzhou took Zhao Yingluo in with ease.
I saw a tall young man standing at the door. He was wearing a blue gown, with handsome features and a calm demeanor.
Zhao Yingluo looked at him for a few times and secretly praised in her heart: This person is indeed extraordinary.
"This is the scholar who will take the exam for you." Zhang Ruzhou introduced, "His name is Lu Hong, and he is a talented scholar who has read many poems and books. He will definitely get a good score for you in today's policy exam."
Zhao Yingluo nodded slightly, but did not show too many emotions. She asked calmly: "What if he fails the exam?"
Zhang Ruzhou laughed loudly: "Don't worry, Sir, Lu Hong is talented and will definitely win the championship in one fell swoop. To say the least, even if he performs abnormally and fails to pass the exam, we still have backup plans. When judging the papers, someone will naturally give The paper with your name on it is better."
Zhao Yingluo sneered in her heart when she heard this. This Ruzhou is indeed cunning, even tampering with the judgment. But there was no expression on her face, and she just nodded lightly: "If you say that, I feel relieved. Mr. Zhang, please pay more attention to today's matter."
"Don't worry, Sir, I'll take care of it." Zhang Ruzhou promised, patting his chest.
The three-day examination ended in a tense and orderly atmosphere. The fourth day was the day of the agricultural practical examination.
This day's exam was personally invigilated by Jiang Laosi, the Minister of Agriculture. Zhao Yingluo gave full trust to this special exam, so she did not interfere too much.
The process of exams, grading, and test score statistics was cumbersome and detailed, and the final results were not available until the sixth day.
On the afternoon of the fifth day, Wen Boyuan, the commander of the capital in front of the palace and the commander of the Imperial City Department, hurriedly came to the princess Zhao Yingluo with a detailed list.
Zhao Yingluo took the list, glanced at it, and then her eyes became sharp.
The list lists in detail the information of officials and scholars who have recently visited Chunfang Garden, including the officials' names and official positions, as well as the scholars' names and place of origin, etc.
Zhao Yingluo's face became more and more ugly. She found that the officials on the list included many invigilators, marking officers and other important officials in the imperial examination.
The number of scholars entering and exiting Chunfang Garden also exceeded a hundred, which was obviously not a normal phenomenon.
"These officials are so unscrupulous!" Zhao Yingluo's voice revealed strong anger and disappointment.
She has always been committed to maintaining the fairness of the imperial examinations and the reputation of the court, but this list allowed her to see the ugly side of officials.
Wen Boyuan stood aside and understood Zhao Yingluo's anger about this matter, "Your Royal Highness, this matter is not trivial. According to my preliminary estimate, the amount of corruption involved by Zhang Ruzhou and other officials through selling off positions, engaging in favoritism and other means has reached one million taels." "
"A million taels?" Zhao Yingluo sneered, "I'm afraid it's more than that! A single 11th Jinshi sold 100,000 taels."
Wen Boyuan nodded and continued: "These officials used their power to not only accept bribes on a large scale, but also practiced favoritism in the imperial examinations, promoted cronies and excluded dissidents. Their actions have seriously damaged the fairness of the imperial examinations and the imperial court. reputation.”
Zhao Yingluo raised her head and looked at Wen Boyuan, her voice was a little low, "General Wen, what do you think about this matter?"
Wen Boyuan pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Your Royal Highness, I think we should start from two aspects. First, we need to thoroughly investigate the corruption of these officials, collect conclusive evidence, and catch them all. This requires us The secret agents of the Imperial City Department work closely with the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple and other departments. Secondly, we must also strengthen the supervision of the imperial examination, starting from all aspects of the examination, such as test preparation, invigilation and marking, to ensure the fairness of the examination. "
After hearing this, Zhao Yingluo nodded repeatedly: "Well said! I'll leave this matter to you. You lead the spies of the Imperial City Department to secretly investigate the corruption of these officials, and at the same time, work closely with the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple and other departments. Be sure to I have collected conclusive evidence. In addition, I will contact Lu Yihao and Zhu Shengfei for the imperial examination."
"Yes!" Wen Boyuan bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left.
After Wen Boyuan left, Zhao Yingluo ordered Wang Shouen to bring Left Prime Minister Lu Yihao and Zhu Shengfei to see him and asked them to bring the list of Jinshi for the imperial examination.
Two veterans, Lu Yihao, arrived at the palace hall quickly. They were all smiles. They thought that the scientific examination would end successfully and give Her Royal Highness a satisfactory result. But when they saw Her Highness the Princess's unhappy face, they knew that things were not as simple as they thought.
