During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the frequent appearance of "joint strips" in the imperial examination room was the most fashionable cheating method, and there was a tendency to replace cheating methods such as carrying a gun instead.

"Joint strips" means that the rich and powerful people agree with the examiner to mark some words somewhere in the test paper, and write these words on the strip to the examiner, and the examiner deliberately pays attention to the words on the strip one by one, and the candidate who is completely consistent is to be admitted. Of course, the examiner can serve the examinee so substantially because the examinee indicates on the slip the hardship fee to the examiner afterwards.

During the Qing Daoguang Xianfeng period, this method was even more popular in the science field. Every time there is a scientific examination, the candidates run around, digging the door to find a way, tossing and turning, and trying to get in touch with the examiner and hand over the note.

What's even more incredible is that during this period, not only did the candidates regret not being able to hand in the slip, but the examiner was also ashamed of not being able to receive the slip. According to Qing Dynasty pen records, the examiner gladly accepted the slips, and even took the initiative to ask for them, either to win over protégés, expand political power, or to satisfy vanity, as if the more slips they received, the higher their prestige and greater power. As a result, it is natural that "this wind has been around for a long time, and it is not strange to be unscrupulous", and the atmosphere of the science field is rotten.

After the four-person jury was formed, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the trial, Emperor Xianfeng also specially sent a message to the chief examiner, Bai Ye: If Pingling really has cheating, he will naturally be punished according to the law, and if he is not guilty, he will also have his own justice. Until the problem is clarified, you can just go about your work and don't worry, and in order to avoid discussion, you don't have to go to Hajj for the time being.

These words are soft and hard, and there are needles hidden in the cotton. It is both a reassurance and a deterrent, which shows the emperor's determination to investigate and deal with this case. The jury quickly found out that Ping Ling was not a good person, but he just liked quyi, which was essentially different from those professional talents, and there was nothing wrong with it. But it is important to note that the vermilion rolls of the same age do not match the ink rolls.

The ink paper is the examination paper written by the candidate with an ink pen in the examination room. In order to prevent the examiner from cheating through handwriting, the Northern Song Dynasty adopted the system of sealing and transcribing names. After the candidate has handed in the examination paper. The staff then pasted the names of the candidates. Let people copy it with a red pen, and let the marker read the red scroll. In order to ensure the authenticity of the test paper, in the transcription process, the Zhu scroll copied by the transcriber is required to be exactly the same as the candidate's ink paper. Even if there are typos or even smudges in the ink roll. It must also be copied in its entirety. After the transcription, there is another procedure—the reading. The purpose of this is to check whether the vermilion scroll and the ink scroll are exactly the same.

The jury reviewed the ink scrolls and Zhu scrolls of the same age, and after careful comparison, they found that all seven typos in the ink scrolls had been corrected on the Zhu scrolls. There were seven typos in one volume. With such a low level, how can you still be hired as a lifter?

The jury seized this issue for in-depth investigation, from the copyist to the reading staff, and then to the same examiner (the same examiner is the examiner who cooperates with the examiner to read the paper, and the test paper is read for the first time and selected, and the candidates are recommended to the examiner, and those with average level are directly eliminated). When the jury was investigating, the parties involved in the case were dismissed from their identities at the age of their own and died for unknown reasons shortly after they were put in prison, which undoubtedly made the case even more confusing.

Zou Shilin, the same examiner at the same age, confessed. Zou Shilin is the editor of the Hanlin Academy, and it should be said that he knows the vermilion ink paper system of the science field well, but when he read the test papers of the same age this time, he thought it was caused by a mistake by the copyist, so he easily corrected the typo. Zou Shilin didn't know Pingling, and the reason why he knew that he committed the crime was only because there were many similar situations in the previous scientific expeditions, and none of them were exposed, so he thought that there would be no mistakes, so he corrected it casually.

The issue has been investigated. The jury submitted its handling opinions to Emperor Xianfeng: first, it is a personal preference for Pingling himself to act on stage, and there is no need to punish him, but after all, acting on stage is insulting, and the edict is taken as a warning; Second, Pingling's talent is mediocre, and there are many typos in the test paper, which is not enough to be selected as a lifter, and he should be punished and suspended from the three subjects of the examination according to the law, and this punishment is waived because Pingling has died; Third, if the examinee cheats, he should also sit in conjunction with the examiner and be demoted to one level and transferred, but Zou Shilin changed the Zhu scroll without permission, and he has no national law, so he plans to remove him from his official position and never use it.

The chief examiner, Bai Ye, and the two deputy examiners, Zhu Fengbiao and Cheng Tinggui, should also bear leadership responsibilities and be fined for one year.

On October 17, the imperial history was played, and on the 18th, the emperor ordered a thorough investigation, and on the 23rd, such a result was obtained, the case was closed quickly, and it had nothing to do with himself, Bai Jun, who was originally extremely frightened, breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this time he finally had a good night's sleep, but he didn't expect that he was washing his face, and the hot towel for his face was still in his hand, and Jin Xiang, a servant of Bai Jun's family, came in to call Qian: "Master, Zhu Shangshu has arrived." ”

Zhu Fengbiao didn't wait for Bai Jun to open his mouth to invite, so he hurriedly walked in, and when he saw Bai Jun, he pulled Bai Jun's sleeve without saluting, "Lord Zhongtang, Lord Zhongtang," Zhu Fengbiao had already lost his demeanor as a dignified six-part book at this time, his voice was panicked, and the whip that was usually shiny and shiny on the ground was scattered, "It's a big deal!" ”

"What's wrong? Isn't the Holy Will down? It's just a fine for one year," Bai Jun disagreed, he was in a very good mood and now made jokes about Zhu Fengbiao, "When did Tong Xuan still count on those few taels of silver to live?" ”

"Ouch, Nakado-sama!" Zhu Fengbiao stomped his feet, "This is all the old yellow calendar of that year!" In a hurry, he couldn't care about Bai Jun's face, "Are all the old men blind in the palace?" An hour ago, the General Administration Department received Su Shun's excerpt, "Speaking of Su Shun, Zhu Fengbiao gritted his teeth a little, "Su Shun said that he would grind all the test papers in the Shuntianfu Township Examination!" ”

The copper basin in Jin Xiang's hand fell to the ground with a bang, and the residual water splashed on the hem of Bai Jun's clothes, Bai Jun still didn't realize it, threw away the towel, grabbed Zhu Fengbiao's hand, and stared straight at the Hubu Shangshu who came to report the funeral in front of him, "This is true??!?? ”

"Lord Zhongtang, when is it? The fire burns the eyebrows! How else can I have the heart to lie to you? Zhu Fengbiao's face turned miserable, "Although you have not done anything in it, but for many years, this grinding survey has not been done seriously!" "According to the regulations, after the list is issued, the relevant departments must review and inspect the test papers of the people who have been selected for the examination, and there are errors and omissions in the marking of the papers, and this procedure is called grinding and inspection. During the Daoguang Xianfeng period, the officials gradually became tired, regarded the grinding survey as a routine procedure, and held the attitude that more things are better than less things, and the grinding and exploration system has become useless. "There must be drawbacks! It's so poisonous and obedient, so we have to shed a layer of skin if we don't die! Nakado-sama, what should I do? (To be continued......)

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