Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 431 The Storm of Fraud: A Decisive Strategy!
"The imperial court will never tolerate the practice of cheating in the imperial examinations, and I will never allow such scandals to tarnish the national image. This matter must be thoroughly investigated and will not be tolerated."

Zhu Yunwen reiterated his stance with a firm tone, then changed the subject and solemnly said, "However, before the truth comes to light, I will not allow anyone to use the matter of cheating in the imperial examinations to stir up trouble, maliciously slander the court, or confuse the people. If such a trend were to occur, the consequences would be unimaginable. You should all understand my intentions."

His gaze was sharp as he swept over the two men in the hall, and he said in a deep voice, “Once the news of the cheating in the imperial examinations spreads, the people of the court and the public will be outraged. As important officials of the court, you two are highly respected and in charge of the government affairs office. The responsibility of appeasing the people and stabilizing the hearts of the officials naturally falls on your shoulders and cannot be shirked.”

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo quickly replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we will obey your decree."

"Good!" Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "Then do it immediately. Before this matter is resolved, if the court is thrown into chaos by rumors, I will hold you two responsible. Do you understand?"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, startling both Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo.

Wang Zuo's body stiffened, as if he were being weighed down by an invisible burden, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

"We will do our utmost to quell the unrest and buy time for the court to investigate the case," Zhan Hui replied first, his voice carrying the composure of an old minister.

Wang Zuo then snapped out of his brief daze and hurriedly echoed, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost and live up to your expectations."

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand lightly and said calmly, "In that case, go and handle it quickly."

After speaking, he lowered his head and looked at the national policy plan he had previously formulated, appearing as if he wanted to dismiss the guest.

Upon seeing this, the two had no choice but to kneel respectfully, kowtow in gratitude, and then rise and leave the hall.

Seeing the two of them leave, Zhu Yunwen suddenly looked up, glanced at them as they departed, his eyes flickering thoughtfully.

Stepping out of the palace gates, a cool breeze brushed his face. Seeing that no one was around, Wang Zuo lowered his voice and tentatively asked Zhan Hui, "Brother Zhan, do you think His Majesty has already realized that we are using the leaked exam questions to obstruct the implementation of the new policies and new learning?"

Zhan Hui paused slightly, his gaze deep and unfathomable, and slowly said, "The Emperor's heart is unfathomable, as deep as the ocean, how could we presume to fathom it? However, since your purpose has been achieved, and His Majesty has approved the arrest of Fang Xiaoru and the siege of the Examination Hall, why do you need to worry?"

Wang Zuo frowned, a hint of unease in his voice: "That's true, but His Majesty has ordered that Fang Xiaoru not be interrogated for the time being, but only detained for the time being, with a decision to be made in three days. I have a feeling that if this matter is delayed any longer, things might change, and things could go wrong if things drag on."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, His Majesty has ordered the two of us to suppress the discussions in the court and among the people. This move..." He hesitated, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, before finally swallowing the rest of his words.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hui sighed softly and said earnestly, "You and I are both important military officials and veterans of the court. It is to be expected that such heavy responsibilities would fall on our shoulders. There is nothing surprising about it."

Wang Zuo gave a wry smile and shook his head: "That's true. But once this matter gets out, public opinion will surely surge, and there will be a storm of discussion in the court and among the people. We may not be able to suppress it. If we don't handle it well, how can we bear the blame from His Majesty? It's difficult, really difficult!"

Zhan Hui stared at him intently, knowing that he intended to use this matter to make a big splash, but was also worried about how to completely extricate himself from the situation.

There is no perfect solution to this problem.

Those who wanted to frame Fang Xiaoru and Pei Yanbing, thereby attacking Yang Shiqi and using this opportunity to suppress the new learning and new policies, would certainly have to pay a price.

"Difficult as it may be, we have to bite the bullet and do it. To put it bluntly, we ministers are like young wives struggling to survive in the cracks. Above us are the emperor's will, like a mother-in-law pressing down on us, and below us are our subjects, like crying children. Who can understand our suffering?"

The two walked toward the administrative office while talking in hushed tones.

The wind grew colder, as if foreshadowing an even bigger storm to come.

News of Fang Xiaoru's detention and the siege of the Examination Hall spread rapidly throughout the court and the country like wildfire.

Upon hearing the news, the ministers will likely flock to the government office soon to submit petitions and express their opinions.

A game concerning the very foundation of the nation has quietly begun.

……

After sending Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo away, Zhu Yunwen immediately issued an order to summon Yang Shiqi, Yao Guangxiao, Yang Rong, and Xia Yuanji to the palace for an audience.

He was confident and well-prepared when it came to formulating national policies and planning for future development.

However, even though he had gradually adapted to the power struggles in the imperial court after several years of experience, he still felt a vague unease deep in his heart, as if there was a trace of unspeakable trepidation.

If we could convene a few key ministers to discuss countermeasures, that would be ideal.

As soon as Yang Shiqi stepped into the hall, before he could even stand properly, he bowed down and knelt down, his voice heavy with self-reproach: "I failed to judge people well and recommended Pei Yanbing as the deputy chief examiner. He has committed such a heinous crime. It is all my fault. I am willing to accept Your Majesty's punishment."

His forehead was pressed to the ground, and his voice was full of remorse.

The matter had already escalated, and Yang Shiqi and others had naturally heard the news.

After bowing, Yao Guangxiao began his analysis calmly and logically: "Your Majesty, Pei Yanbing did not intentionally leak the exam questions."

"This year's new education and new policies have a great momentum, and the imperial examination questions should be closely related to current affairs. It is only reasonable to base the questions on this."

"However, this inevitably makes the scope of the questions too narrow."

“Fang Xiaoru held lectures on new learning every day, and the content of his lectures happened to match the exam questions, which was not unexpected.”

He paused, then changed the subject, adding a touch of analysis: "However, as the deputy chief examiner and the person in charge of setting the questions for this imperial examination, Pei Yanbing should have anticipated this."

"But he was too eager for quick success and was determined to use the imperial examination questions to promote new policies and new learning. He acted without prudence, which allowed others to seize his weakness and lead to his current predicament."

Zhu Yunwen listened quietly, his brows furrowed slightly. From Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo's report just now, he had vaguely sensed that the two intended to make a big deal out of this matter, but he still couldn't understand why the imperial examination questions were so coincidentally similar to Fang Xiaoru's lectures, and even thought it was purely a coincidence at one point.

Now, after listening to Yao Guangxiao's analysis, I finally understand.

The root cause lies in the limitation of the scope of the topic.

The practice of predicting exam questions for the imperial examinations has existed since ancient times.

During the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi would draft his own exam questions and even compile his guesses into a book, which he would study repeatedly. In the end, he won the imperial examination and became the top scholar, bringing the art of taking exams to its extreme.

During the Song Dynasty, in order to compete for reputation and cultivate more successful candidates in the imperial examinations, major academies competed to set up special "successful candidate classes." Famous teachers and scholars carefully prepared the exam questions and provided frequent mock exams to systematically prepare students for the imperial examinations, leaving those students who studied in seclusion and worked alone far behind.

As a result, many academies gained fame and attracted a large number of students.

Entering the academy to study is like entering a prestigious high school in later generations.

Passing the imperial examinations and becoming a Juren or even a Jinshi is no longer out of reach.

In this era, most scholars were like lone boats adrift, groping their way forward on their own. The gap between them and those in academies who received guidance from renowned teachers, mock training, and precise exam predictions was like the difference between heaven and earth, even greater than the chasm between ordinary high schools and top-tier universities in later generations.

After all, even the worst high schools will bury their students in a massive amount of mock exams and tests after the World Expo.

In this era, scholars who studied alone were often completely unaware of the direction of the imperial examination questions and could only rely on luck and their vast knowledge to pass the test. The difficulty they faced can be imagined.

The methods for predicting exam questions are even more varied and numerous.

The first to be affected were the "inscriptions in the palace" and the "drafts in the room".

The so-called "examination questions" refer to the actual questions from past imperial examinations. While collecting these questions would not be difficult in later generations, they were quite challenging in this era due to limited information.

"Drafts from the Room" are essays that examiners have previously praised.

Examiners are only human, and each has their own preferences. By understanding their preferences, one can roughly predict the tendencies of the questions.

In addition, there are "current affairs" predictions.

By observing the trends in imperial policies, one can infer the direction of exam questions.

While this method is not foolproof, it has proven effective time and again.

However, since the beginning of the imperial examination system, the imperial court has always advocated "blind examination" and strictly prohibited the practice of guessing or predicting the questions.

The imperial court regarded all privately printed exam preparation books as forbidden books.

If discovered by the authorities, the consequences range from confiscation of property to execution; no mercy will be shown.

Thinking about this, Zhu Yunwen's heart sank. He felt that the truth about the "coincidence" was clear, but he also felt that this matter was difficult to solve.

The key is how to convince the candidates who participated in the imperial examination, scholars across the country, and even ordinary people that this was purely a coincidence, rather than something fishy going on.

If you simply say, "It's just a misunderstanding, just a coincidence," I'm afraid no one will believe you.

Putting yourself in their shoes, if you were taking the exam and learned that someone had recently explained the exam questions in public, and that this person had a close relationship with the examiner, and that the court had assured you that there had been no leak of the questions, would you believe it?

The answer is obviously no.

Even if the imperial court repeats this matter a thousand or ten thousand times, it doesn't matter.

Most people would probably still believe that there must be something fishy about it, and that the court was deliberately concealing and covering it up.

Not to mention, there are countless bureaucrats and gentry who are just waiting to make a big fuss about this matter and use it to attack the new policies and new learning.

In fact, Pei Yanbing did not leak the exam questions privately. Yang Shiqi took the initiative to apologize, but because he was in the middle of the controversy, it was inconvenient for him to defend himself. He had to ask Yao Guangxiao to clarify the situation on his behalf. But the problem was, how could he explain it to the world?
Zhu Yunwen remained silent for a long while, then slowly swept his gaze over the four princes and asked in a deep voice, "Do you have any solutions to this?"

The hall fell silent as everyone lowered their heads in deep thought, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

After a moment, Xia Yuanji broke the silence first, his voice low and firm: "His Majesty's decision to have Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo withstand the criticism from the court and the officials is truly a brilliant move."

"This matter can only be postponed for now, and will be investigated slowly on the grounds that the case is complex and has many connections."

"Unless conclusive evidence of Pei Yanbing leaking the exam questions is found, the case cannot be closed and he can be convicted."

"As time goes by, the storm will naturally dissipate, major issues will gradually become minor, and minor issues will eventually disappear without a trace."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's eyes flickered slightly; this was exactly what he had originally planned.

However, while this strategy can solve the immediate problem, if it is delayed, although it may quell the scandal of cheating in the imperial examinations, the grand plan to implement the new learning and new policies will inevitably be shelved and come to nothing.

Even if it drags on until the end, Pei Yanbing will not escape the responsibility for oversight and will have to give an explanation to the court and the public.

Even without any evidence to prove that Fang Xiaoru was involved in leaking the exam questions, in order to appease the people, he could only be expelled from the capital and kept away from the court.

In this way, the crisis of cheating in the imperial examinations was resolved, but those forces that had been obstructing the new policies got what they wanted, and their side ended up with a complete defeat.

No matter how you calculate it, this is a huge loss.

His brows furrowed, his chest heaving with frustration, and he was about to speak when Yang Rong stepped forward first, cupped his hands and suggested, "Why doesn't Your Majesty launch a new foreign war and publicize it extensively to divert the attention of the court and the public?"

"Previously, the imperial court had dispatched troops to conquer Siam and Pegu, advancing in two routes: one route, led by Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, sailed south and achieved remarkable results, winning a great victory."

"The other route is advancing overland from Yunnan. They are still building roads and have been repeatedly harassed by local chieftains and tribes."

"Although Siam and Pegu have now submitted to the Ming Dynasty, the land route to Southeast Asia has not yet been opened, and the court is determined to continue its construction."

"Those chieftains who dared to provoke the Heavenly Army and obstruct the road construction have offended the majesty of our Great Ming Dynasty. It is justified for the court to send troops to punish them."

"Your Majesty, I request that you issue an edict to conquer the chieftains in the southwest, as well as the areas of Ü-Tsang, Döghan, and Jinchuan, and follow the example of the previous pacification of the three Jurchen tribes to completely eradicate these unruly chieftains and permanently pacify the southwestern border."

"By taking advantage of this opportunity, we can shift the world's attention from the imperial examination controversy to foreign wars, thus reversing the passive situation."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's eyes suddenly lit up.

Shifting the focus was indeed a brilliant move!
Although Yang Rong was a minister of state affairs, he was skilled in border defense and military affairs, and since taking office, he has been tasked with coordinating this matter.

Specific military affairs, such as troop deployment and personnel appointments, are handled by the Military Affairs Department.

However, large-scale military operations cannot be separated from the coordination and cooperation of government at all levels, and require someone to coordinate in the middle.

To facilitate command at the front, generals in command of troops often concurrently served as local administrative officials.

Although the Ming Dynasty does not currently have this need, military and local negotiations remain a regular occurrence.

For example, the production of muskets, cannons, and warships were all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Assets of the Ming Dynasty, and were overseen by the Political Affairs Department. The military only sent personnel to supervise the manufacturing quality. Once the finished products were ready for shipment, both the military and the government had to sign off on them before they could be released.

As for logistical supplies, such as provisions and uniforms, they need to be allocated from the warehouses of the Food and Material Reserves Department to supply military needs.

All of these matters were complex and important, and Yang Rong was in charge of them within the imperial court.

Although he was neither a military general nor a minister of military affairs, he had always been involved in military affairs.

Prior to this, Zhu Yunwen had privately mentioned to him his ideas on pacifying the southwestern chieftains and implementing the policy of replacing chieftains with centrally appointed officials.

The plan was to bring these indirectly ruled territories under the direct control of the Ming Dynasty.

However, although the southwest has a significant strategic position, it is mostly a wild and undeveloped area. If only economic factors are considered, the benefits are meager, and it may even be a losing proposition. Therefore, no action has been taken yet.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to wage war would not only shift the focus but also advance our long-cherished ambitions, making it a win-win strategy.

As he was pondering, Yao Guangxiao stepped forward: "Your Majesty, while military campaigns may temporarily divert attention, the case of cheating in the imperial examinations must ultimately be resolved."

"I believe that since those who oppose the new learning and new policies intend to use this matter to stir up trouble, why doesn't Your Majesty act decisively and eliminate their hopes completely?"

……

(End of this chapter)