Chapter 599: Chapter 601: Demoted by 3 Ranks
"Time’s up. Lay down your pens."
As the chief eunuch called out, everyone silently set down their pens.
The officials sitting to the side all put down their teacups. It was their turn to take the stage.
Once the eunuchs had collected all the examination papers, the candidates filed out of the grand hall.
The eunuchs at the side were already working efficiently. They gathered the papers into bundles of ten, covered the names of the candidates, and bound them securely.
"You will review the papers in pairs."
Hua Shunming had already made arrangements; he wasn’t worried about anyone showing bias after recognizing the handwriting.
After they finished their initial grading, he had them swap papers and grade them again, reducing the possibility of collusion.
Besides, there was one final hurdle: he would personally make the final decision on the best papers. Any attempt at opportunism was utterly impossible.
"Well, I didn’t expect to find blank papers in here." Cao Xiangqian, who happened to be paired with Zhou Shicong, said with a laugh. "This certainly saves us some work. Once we’re through these, we can take a little break."
Zhou Shicong, however, was cursing up a storm in his head. ’I wonder which family’s useless brat this is. Even writing a few words would be better than turning in a blank paper!’
’Once the names are revealed, it’ll be a complete joke.’
Cao Xiangqian glanced over. "Mr. Zhou, you know I’m a rough man. Looking at this stuff makes my head spin. Why don’t you make the initial marks, and I’ll take a look afterward.
"I trust your literary judgment, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Shicong replied, "In that case, I will take the lead. Please point out any inadequacies, Mr. Cao."
Cao Xiangqian waved his hand. "We are all selecting talent for the Holy Emperor, so we should naturally do our best. But a rough man like me only knows how to wield swords and spears. I know my limits when it comes to literary composition. I won’t pretend to understand what I don’t, lest I cause trouble for the Holy Emperor."
Zhou Shicong was speechless. ’This old fox is speaking in riddles again.’
’Still, these candidates are a real embarrassment to the civil servants. At an event like this, even just writing out a policy essay from memory would have been far better than turning in a blank paper.’
’At the very least, they could have fooled these martial artists. But now? We’re just a laughingstock.’
"What’s wrong?" Cao Xiangqian asked, a look of confusion on his face. "Is there something wrong with my suggestion?"
Zhou Shicong snapped out of it. "The Holy Emperor instructed us to review the papers together. Let’s not worry about who goes first. We’ll examine them together."
’There was nothing to be gained anyway, so why should I be the only one putting in all the effort?’
’This old geezer wants to get out of it? Not a chance.’
Cao Xiangqian shook his head. "I really don’t get you people. It’s just a few papers. It’s not up to us to decide who wins or loses, so why be so serious about it?"
’In the end, the person designated by His Majesty will benefit anyway. It’s not that these civil servants don’t see it; they’re just being stubborn and don’t want to admit defeat outright.’
’Fine. If everyone wants to make a big deal out of it, this old bag of bones will play along.’
When the results came out, there was no suspense at all.
The scions from the old aristocratic families, recommended by the senior officials, had made themselves a laughingstock this time.
Not only was their literary talent lacking, but their essays were also written so poorly as to be unreadable.
And the ones who came out on top were, unsurprisingly, all officials with no powerful backing, who had clawed their way up the ranks step by step.
Hua Shunming threw the incoherent essays and the list of names of those who had submitted blank papers right onto the floor of the throne hall.
"Look at these people! These are the ’virtuous ministers’ you recommended to Us! Even a child student or a Scholar from outside wouldn’t have submitted answers like these."
None of the officials below dared to make a sound. By now, they were filled with immense regret.
’If we had known it would turn out like this, we wouldn’t have been so eager to recommend them.’
’Now look what’s happened. Their names are as good as blacklisted by the Holy Emperor. Their official careers are probably over.’
Hua Shunming pointed at the officials below. "Why are you all silent now? Weren’t you all saying before that every one of them was a pillar of the state? That it would be a loss to the court if We didn’t use them?"
"Look at them! These nonsensical essays, this chicken-scratch handwriting! Are people like this the pillars of my Rong Dynasty?"
"Calm your anger, Holy Emperor!"
"Calm my anger? If We hadn’t decided to test them on a whim, would We have allowed such incompetent people to continue helping Us rule the world?"
At this, Hua Shunming glanced suspiciously at the kneeling officials. "I wonder, my beloved ministers, do you have any better opinions on policy essays such as these?"
The officials remained silent. "..."
With no one willing to be the first to speak, Hua Shunming had no outlet for his anger. He stared at the list. "All officials whose papers We have failed shall be demoted three ranks, pending future observation.
"In the future, if they fail the examinations again, We will continue to demote them."
The civil servants felt a bitter taste in their mouths. "..."
’If this happens a few more times,’ they thought, ’there won’t be many of us left in good standing.’
The military generals shrank in their corners. ’Please don’t let him do this to us. If he does, we’ll be completely wiped out.’
Xu Zhizhi, his chest tight to the point he nearly had a stroke, heard the news in a side hall and felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
’I worked so hard to push that unfilial son into his current position, and now it’s all for nothing.’
He didn’t even have to ask to know that Xu Yangguang was definitely on that list.
No matter how much he regretted it, it was all set in stone.
In this political chess match, they had lost again—and this time, the defeat was devastating.
Meanwhile, the victor, Hua Shunming, was in the harem, laughing with the Empress.
"I’ve finally vented all the frustration I’ve been holding in for years."
"Every day, these people boast about how capable their children and grandchildren are, about how they are pillars of the state. This time, We’ve finally pulled the rug out from under them."
"From now on, no matter how thick-skinned they are, they won’t dare spout such nonsense to Us in court."
"It’s all the late Emperor’s fault for indulging them. They actually thought they could lord it over Us! This time, We will teach them what it means to be a subject."
Empress Zhou listened in silence. No matter what his faults, it wasn’t her place to speak ill of the late Emperor.
’It’s just... the Emperor has been visiting my palace rather frequently these days. Perhaps I should find something to keep him occupied?’
’It would keep his frequent visits from endangering my two Princes. I know some people in the harem are already growing restless.’
’The Eldest Prince is both the legitimate heir and the eldest son. He’s already a stumbling block in everyone’s eyes.’
’In such a short time, I’ve already rooted out several moles.’
"Empress, are you not happy for Us?" Seeing Empress Zhou lost in thought at a time like this, the smile on Hua Shunming’s face vanished.
"This servant was simply worried for you, Holy Emperor. These aristocratic families are all connected in a thousand ways. Now that they’ve been thwarted, I fear they may try something else."
Moved, Hua Shunming took her hand. "Only you, my Empress, would worry about me at a time like this. Rest assured, these civil servants value their pride above all else. The matter is already behind us."
