After their minds were read, the entire court trembled with fear.

Chapter 24 Good heavens! They actually made Shen Zhiyi the chief examiner!

In the previous dynasty, there was something called "obliquely appointed official," which meant buying an official position with money.

Even Wu Xianggong, the last prime minister of the previous dynasty, was bought his position and never went through the imperial examination process.

Wu Xiangong was incredibly wealthy, his fortune rivaling that of a nation; his family's wealth even surpassed the treasury of the previous dynasty.

He presented beautiful women and built palaces for the last emperor of the previous dynasty, thereby gaining the position of prime minister.

This is unprecedented in history books.

If the top is not straight, the bottom will be crooked.

The bureaucratic system of the previous dynasty consisted almost entirely of officials who bought their positions; none of them had the ability to be officials, and they were all obsessed with making money.

After the establishment of Da Ye, the first step was to revive the almost abandoned imperial examination system.

Unfortunately, the task was only half completed when the late emperor was entangled in another matter—the Yellow River breached its banks.

The breach of the dikes caused a large area of ​​farmland in the Yellow River region to be submerged, resulting in several years of famine. This made the late emperor and the current emperor realize the importance of infrastructure construction, so both emperors liked to build roads, bridges, and dikes.

However, this has led to the continued existence of problems with the imperial examination system. It has been reformed, but not thoroughly, and the old emperor still thinks that the matter is over.

If there were no problems with the imperial examinations, Shen Zhiyi wouldn't be standing here.

In the previous dynasty, officials were openly bought with money, while in Da Ye, they secretly bribed examiners. However, with the old emperor in Da Jing, they dared not be too brazen, but it's hard to say what would happen below.

[Officials in the capital had to be Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), but local officials, if conditions allowed, could appoint Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations). People below took advantage of this loophole, and many county magistrates were local tycoons. Even though the prefect was directly appointed by the old emperor, as the saying goes, a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. If the prefect stayed for too long, he would also be assimilated by the local customs.]

Shen Zhiyi sighed, completely unaware that the old emperor and his ministers had begun discussing how to strengthen control over local areas and reform the imperial examination system.

As for the Crown Prince, the Dragon Scale Guards immediately took the message to Jiangnan Circuit.

"Shen Zhiyi."

Shen Zhiyi, whose name was called, skillfully slid to her knees, causing the old emperor's lips to twitch violently.

"Get up. I didn't tell you to kneel."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty."

Shen Zhiyi stood up, feeling extremely uneasy.

What's wrong with this old emperor? I'm just a nobody, a mere court official.

"Shen Zhiyi, would you like to be the chief examiner for the imperial examination?"

Shen Zhiyi was dumbfounded.

【What are you doing? This is such a huge leap! Besides, isn't this exam only held once every three years? It was already taken this spring!】

The Vice Minister of Rites approached with a smile and whispered, "A batch of officials are to be laid off in Jiangnan, so naturally someone has to fill the vacancies. Therefore, His Majesty is wise and has decided to hold an additional spring examination this year."

"Oh, is that so, Lord Chen?"

The Vice Minister of Rites skillfully accepted it: "Eh!"

The more Shen Zhiyi looked at it, the stranger it seemed.

These high-ranking officials seem to really enjoy it when I call them "Your Excellency." Every time I do, even the Vice Minister of Justice, who always has a stern face, responds with an awkward smile.

The old emperor: Actually, he also wanted Shen Zhiyi to call him "Your Excellency"!

"Alright, that's settled then. The date is set for December. Chief Examiner Shen Zhiyi, you'll be here."

Shen Zhiyi knelt down with a thud.

[Old Emperor, are you kidding me? This is way too casual.]

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wouldn't you like to reconsider?"

"What are you afraid of, Shen Zhiyi? You're not the only examiner. Look, the people from the Ministry of Rites will all help you."

The old emperor considered Shen Zhiyi's personality and said, "How about this, if the imperial examination goes well, I will reward you with a chef from the Imperial Kitchen."

"I can't afford it."

"From the palace."

"okay."

They say people die for money and birds die for food, but why can't I control my appetite?

Oh dear, how could I have agreed? I didn't know anything about it.

The Vice Minister of Rites reassured him, "Shen Lang, just rest assured. The Ministry of Rites will handle everything else according to procedure. You just need to find out those who cheated in the imperial examinations and bribed officials. It's very simple."

Shen Zhiyi gave a forced smile.

[Simple my foot! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one experiencing it!]

Logically speaking, the chief examiner of the imperial examination should not make such a big fuss, but Shen Zhiyi is different. No one dares to approach her; they can't even keep their distance.

The old emperor was aware of this, but the local officials and the examinees were not.

He only needed to give her a hint, and Shen Zhiyi's boundless curiosity would surely lead her to look further down on her own.

On the other side, Jiangnan Road.

The Crown Prince was furious after learning the news from the Dragon Scale Guards.

"This is outrageous! I should have killed them all when I arrived."

"This list was leaked by Shen Zhiyi."

Dragon Scale replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Very well, the list of the Living Yama has arrived. I will kill according to the list."

During that period, the political landscape of Jiangnan underwent a dramatic change. Nearly 60-70% of the officials were beheaded, their homes confiscated, and their entire families executed, resulting in rivers of blood.

With a vacancy in the government offices, the old emperor issued an edict to the whole country to hold an additional provincial examination in December.

The scholars who had originally intended to criticize the emperor's tyranny immediately changed their tune and shouted that he was wise.

*

On the twelfth day, the Emperor ascended the Yan Ying Hall and summoned his ministers.

"Hmph, some people are really interesting. The people are suffering, and corrupt officials are running rampant. On one hand, they shout that officials should be punished, but on the other hand, they demand that only a few be made an example of, saying it's for the sake of national stability."

"In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with killing them all."

The old emperor was truly majestic and domineering, just as majestic and domineering as when he slaughtered the entire royal family of the previous dynasty.

The old emperor choked up instantly.

After choking up, he suddenly summoned the compiler of the history museum and secretly pulled him to a side hall.

Shen Zhiyi and Zhang Sheren tilted their heads in a professional manner, but after doing so, they noticed the minister's admiring gaze and immediately pulled their heads back.

But I don't know what those two were whispering about, it felt like I'd been bitten by a mosquito and it was so itchy.

Hehe, luckily I still have a surveillance system.

Shen Zhiyi directly selected the screen showing the old emperor.

[The old emperor wants to see the national history? What's so interesting about that? You're just acting like a guilty conscience.]

The ministers present nodded in strong agreement.

Where would an emperor go to consult history books?

However... what is the old emperor feeling guilty about? He actually wants to look through the national history.

Shen Zhiyi was also curious. In his opinion, the old emperor was a competent emperor no matter what, so there was nothing for him to be ashamed of.

【Oh, I found it!】

The old emperor in the side hall froze.

Oh no, how could he have forgotten about Shen Zhiyi?

[It turns out the old emperor was worried that his purge of the previous dynasty's royal family, including the three-and-a-half-year-old prince, would be recorded in history, lest he be branded a tyrant in the future.]

So what? If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring!