Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 66 Imperial Examination Fraud Case

Qin Ye was stunned after hearing this and was a little at a loss for a moment.

In fact, it was common for princes and nobles to ask the Ministry of Works for help when building villas or villas. This task has always been considered a good job in the eyes of officials of the Ministry of Works.

After all, those who can go to the Ministry of Industry are all powerful and influential people.

Officials from the Ministry of Industry dream of having connections with big shots of this level.

In the past, such assignments were generally only given to close associates of the court officials who had good relationships with the ministers.

Now this task actually fell on Qin Ye's head, and Qin Ye suddenly panicked.

Family members know their own business. Qin Ye knows his position in the Ministry of Works. He is responsible for the dirty work, but he does not get the reward for the credit.

After all, Qin Ye is not a person who likes to scheme for personal gain. Otherwise, with his excellent construction skills, he would not have been stuck in the same position for so many years and still be a sixth-rank official.

Of course, this does not mean that Qin Ye is a confused person. On the contrary, Qin Ye has a clear mind.

But after working in the Ministry of Industry for so many years, Qin Ye saw it very clearly.

Those ministers and chancellors may seem to have a good life, but in reality, they are replaced every three to five years, and most of them are dismissed due to corruption.

There is no way around it. The projects built by the Ministry of Works every year often cost millions or even tens of millions of taels of silver, and there are too many opportunities to make money. In addition, the princes and nobles also want to share in the profits. Even the Minister of Works often finds it impossible to stick to his original intention. This is not a problem that can be solved by not being greedy.

If you are not greedy while sitting in this position, you are in itself an obstacle to those vested interests.

It’s the same old saying, if you don’t take it, how can I take it?

Soon after arriving at the Ministry of Works, Qin Ye had thought about indulging himself. However, when he saw that the Shangshu, who was in great glory, and his entire family were exiled to Lingnan because of a corruption case, the little bit of luck in his heart disappeared in an instant, and he turned to doing his job honestly.

What happens to others is their own business, and Qin Ye turns a blind eye to it.

But Qin Ye refused to take the money that was not his.

So Qin Ye has been working safely in the Ministry of Industry for so many years until today. Of course, it is inevitable that he is short of money.

Today, Qin Ye suddenly heard that the task of building a mausoleum and ancestral hall for the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion fell on him, and he subconsciously refused.

In his opinion, there is no such thing as a free lunch for no reason. In addition, the Champion Marquis has made many enemies recently. He is worried that if he gets involved with the Champion Marquis, he will be involved in some unnecessary trouble.

After all, when princes and nobles asked the Ministry of Works to build buildings, it was usually the Ministry of Works that paid for them.

If this kind of thing is taken seriously, it can be considered as corruption.

Of course, such things would not cause any harm to the Champion Marquis. At most, it would only hurt his face.

But if there really is a stubborn censor who sets his sights on Marquis Guanjun and makes a report, and if Marquis Guanjun is fine, Qin Ye will naturally become the scapegoat.

Therefore, Qin Ye naturally did not want to get involved in this mess.

But he was also worried that a direct refusal would offend Shangshu Liu Zhiyuan, so he was very conflicted.

Liu Zhiyuan was able to sit in the position of Minister of Works, so he was naturally a man of great ability.

He knew Qin Ye well. He was a good guy in the Ministry of Industry. He had good business skills, was not prone to causing trouble, and was afraid of trouble.

Seeing Qin Ye like this, Liu Zhiyuan understood what Qin Ye was thinking.

Liu Zhiyuan said with a calm smile.

"Qin Ye, the construction of the cemetery and ancestral hall for the Champion Marquis' Mansion is just asking the Ministry of Works to send an official who is proficient in this field to be responsible for the design and planning, as well as the later supervision of the construction."

"Besides that, not a single brick or piece of wood will be shipped from the Ministry of Works."

Qin Ye was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then looked at Liu Zhiyuan with a little surprise and said.

"Sir, do you really mean what you say?"

Liu Zhiyuan said with a slight smile.

"I can't lie to you."

"Okay, just go ahead and do it."

"The Marquis's Mansion is pressing you urgently. You should go to the Mansion tomorrow to meet the Marquis. Remember, you must put all your knowledge into practice and make sure to satisfy the Marquis."

Qin Ye bowed and said.

"Thank you for your support, sir. Don't worry, I will definitely satisfy you, sir."

After giving Qin Ye a few simple instructions, Liu Zhiyuan sent Qin Ye out.

In the evening, at the Kang family mansion, Sheng Hong was talking with his brother-in-law Kang Haifeng.

Looking at Kang Haifeng, who was so harmonious and cheerful, Sheng Hong was speechless.

Sheng Hong knew that Kang Haifeng and his eldest aunt Wang Ruo had a very bad relationship.

But no matter what, the two are still husband and wife.

Wang Ruoyu is dead, so you, Kang Haifeng, should at least pretend to be okay.

But Kang Haifeng was different. When his wife died, he was so happy that it was like New Year's Day. He almost celebrated with drums and gongs.

Although he couldn't bear to see it, Sheng Hong could only speak calmly.

"Brother-in-law, have you finished taking care of my elder sister's funeral arrangements?"

"You see, I've been busy with official duties these days and really don't have time to come and see you."

Kang Haifeng waved his hand and said.

"Brother-in-law, you're welcome. People are dead anyway, so we have to take care of the living as well as the dead."

"I've already buried her, so you don't have to think about it anymore."

Sheng Hong said after hesitating for a moment.

"Then I wonder why my brother-in-law asked me to come here today. What is his request?"

Kang Haifeng looked at Sheng Hong with a serious look and said.

"Brother-in-law, your family is in trouble."

Sheng Hong was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then said with some confusion.

"Brother-in-law, let's not joke about this. Our family has always lived a peaceful and stable life. How could we get into trouble?"

Kang Haifeng said immediately.

"Brother-in-law, our father-in-law brought many students and old friends with him during his lifetime, and many of them are still active in the court. You know this, right?"

Sheng Hong nodded slightly and said.

"Of course. My father-in-law was once the Prime Minister, in charge of the Central Government. His students and friends were all over the government and the country. Even Grand Tutor Lou was a junior whom my father-in-law had mentored."

Kang Haifeng said solemnly.

"Master Lou is the deputy chief examiner of this imperial examination. You should know this."

"I remember that your Erlang and Sanlang both took part in the imperial examination this time. The problem lies with your Sanlang."

Sheng Hong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

Family members know their own affairs. Sheng Hong has two sons. The eldest son, Sheng Changbai, is mature beyond his years, very steady and independent-minded, and upright. Sheng Hong is not worried that his eldest son will cause any trouble.

The second son, Sheng Changfeng, was spoiled by his concubine, Lin Xiaoniang, since he was young and was somewhat arrogant.

Upon hearing Kang Haifeng say this, Sheng Hong hurriedly spoke.

“Brother-in-law, I don’t know what happened to our Chang Feng. I hope you can tell me.”

Kang Haifeng sighed and said.

"Brother-in-law, this matter is very tricky."

"Not long ago, Grand Tutor Lou sent someone to secretly convey a message that there was cheating in the imperial examination, and your Sanlang was involved."

"Taifu Lou knows the relationship between your family and the Wang family, and considering the kindness of your father-in-law, he has come to report the news."

"What? Imperial examination cheating?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong felt as if struck by lightning and his scalp went numb.

Just hearing these four words, Sheng Hong subconsciously shuddered.

The Great Zhou Dynasty's imperial examinations were extremely strict, and the punishment for cheating was extremely severe. If an examiner participated in cheating, the punishment would be the execution of the entire family, and the extermination of three generations of the family was not uncommon.

Students who participated in cheating would be stripped of their academic titles, banned from taking the imperial examinations for life, and paraded through the streets in shackles.

Sheng Hong couldn't help but feel anxious when he thought that his Sanlang's actions would cause the entire Sheng family to lose face.

Sheng Hong hurriedly continued.

"Brother-in-law, could this be a mistake? Our Chang Feng is a bit naughty, but he wouldn't be so foolish as to be involved in cheating in the imperial examination."

Kang Haifeng said calmly after hearing this.

"The examiner found six papers and five current affairs essays. The six papers had almost identical approaches to the questions, and the quotations from classics and texts were also very similar."

"Brother-in-law, you are also a Jinshi from the Double Imperial Examinations, and now you are a Bachelor of the Imperial Academy. In terms of knowledge, you are superior to me."

"Tell me, are these six people considered cheating?"

Sheng Hong asked with a glimmer of hope in his heart.

"Brother-in-law, Chang Feng, he shouldn't be in this situation."

Kang Haifeng couldn't help but shook his head and said.

"Brother-in-law, do you really have to believe what I say if I take you to see those six scrolls?"

"Well, then, go home and ask your Sanlang first."

"After you have clarified the matter, we can talk about it later."

"Anyway, you must make sure to get things straight tonight."

"Master Lou said that he can keep this matter under wraps for two days at most."

"He didn't dare to hold back for more than two days. Once these six papers were handed over to the chief examiner, Ke Xiang, it would be too late."

After hearing this, Sheng didn't bother to be polite. He nodded and left the Kang family, and then returned to the Sheng family eager to go home.

In Linqi Pavilion, Sheng Molan, Sheng Changfeng and Lin Xiaoniang were chatting together.

Looking at the mother and sister who were still complaining and cursing Sheng Minglan for having a good life, Sheng Changfeng said calmly.

"Okay, little girl, Molan, what's the point of you two scolding each other?"

"Anyway, things have already happened."

"Even if you two keep talking till your lips are worn out, it won't help."

Sheng Molan said with some dissatisfaction after hearing this.

"Why, after hearing me and my little girl scolding you, you're still unhappy, right?"

"Are you worried that if that bitch Sheng Minglan finds out, it will affect your chances of getting close to the Marquis of Guanjun in the future?"

Sheng Changfeng waved his hand and said.

"No matter how powerful he is, he is just a warrior. It won't be long before I become a new Jinshi. Why should I cling to him?"

Sheng Minglan said with disdain.

"Come on, don't think I don't know that before the imperial examination, you spent every day drinking and visiting brothels with your classmates. You didn't even read a book properly."

"Don't think that just because you've swindled a bunch of money from a young woman and found some frivolous scholar, you're infallible."

"You're bragging so loudly now, but don't let me and my wife down when the time comes."

Sheng Changfeng said with great certainty.

"You know what? That great scholar is extremely talented and has many connections in the court. I wonder how many powerful families have come to visit him to learn from him."

"I was able to join the team thanks to my friends."

“It’s definitely worth the money.”

Just when Sheng Changfeng looked confident, the next second, Sheng Hong walked into the side hall angrily.

When Lin Qinshuang and others saw Sheng Hong, they hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"Husband (Daddy), why are you here?"

Sheng Hong said after looking at Lin Qinshuang and Sheng Molan.

"You two go out, I have something to tell Feng'er."

Lin Qinshuang's heart skipped a beat when she saw this. She could naturally tell that Sheng Hong was angry.

Lin Qinshuang pretended to be weak and said.

"Husband, what's wrong with you?"

In the past, seeing Lin Qinshuang in this state, Sheng Hong would definitely treat her gently, but at this moment, Sheng Hong was no longer in the mood to do so.

"I told you to get out, didn't you hear me?"

After hearing Sheng Hong's roar, Lin Qinshuang was so scared that she dared not speak, and hurriedly pulled Sheng Molan out of the side hall.

At this time, Sheng Changfeng looked at his father Sheng Hong and was a little confused.

Sheng Hong was too lazy to waste time and went straight to the point.

"Chang Feng, your father will ask you a few questions, and you must answer truthfully. If you dare to lie, I will expel you from the Sheng family and never allow you to return to the clan."

Sheng Changfeng was caught off guard when he heard Sheng Hong's sharp words.

"Dad, my child, did I make any mistakes? If so, I hope you will calm down."

Sheng Hong waved his hand and said impatiently.

"Don't talk nonsense, I ask you questions."

"Let me ask you, did you cheat in this imperial examination?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changfeng panicked, his eyes dodged and wandered, his face turned red, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

He said bravely.

"Father, what are you talking about? How could I cheat in the imperial examination?"

No one knows a son better than his father. Seeing Sheng Changfeng's character, Sheng Hong knew in his heart that what his brother-in-law Kang Haifeng said was true.

Sheng Hong slammed the table in anger.

"Kneel down."

Sheng Changfeng fell to his knees with a thud.

Sheng Hong said angrily.

"You bastard, even after all this, you still dare to lie. Do you know that your cheating in the imperial examination has been exposed?"

"Tell me quickly, what's going on."

Sheng Changfeng was hesitant and stammering and didn't say anything. Seeing this, Sheng Hong kicked Sheng Changfeng to the ground.

"You bastard, even now you still don't tell the truth, you are really tired of living, right?"

"Okay, since you don't want to live anymore, I'll grant your wish."

"Come on, drag this evil creature out and beat him to death."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changfeng didn't dare to be stubborn anymore. He trembled a little and spoke with great anxiety and fear.

"Dad, how did you know all this? Could it be that the truth has really been revealed?"

Sheng Changfeng's two sentences proved that he had cheated in the imperial examination, which made Sheng Hong so angry that his face turned red and veins bulged.

"You beast, tell me what's going on."

At this time, Sheng Changbai didn't dare to have any luck anymore, and explained everything honestly.

It turned out that just as the imperial examination was approaching in early February, a close friend of Sheng Changfeng mysteriously introduced him to a great scholar, who was said to be extremely good at predicting exam questions.

At first, Sheng Changfeng naturally didn't believe it, but after seeing many powerful young men go there to study, Sheng Changfeng went there with the mentality of giving it a try.

(End of this chapter)