Mind reading, the emperor saw my fist hard

Chapter 333 Gaining Merit

There is such a cheating method!

Emperor Xuan directly asked Eunuch Liu to come over and then ordered him to conduct the experiment.

After a while, Eunuch Liu came back running, sweating profusely.

"Your Majesty, words written with highly concentrated sugar water will indeed become invisible after drying, but will become visible after being roasted over fire."

Emperor Xuan twitched his lips. This is really possible, but how can we prevent it? We can't just bake the clothes of all the candidates taking the imperial examinations!

That would take too long and isn't very realistic.

[For these low-level cheating methods, there is a simplest way to prevent them. 】

what way?

Emperor Xuan and all the civil and military officials stretched their necks.

[Just let the candidates enter the examination room naked. ]

Minister of Rites: This really won’t work!

If you do this, you will be scolded by the world for being disrespectful. If you meet a hot-tempered scholar, he might even commit suicide to prove his integrity.

[Before the exam, we provided them with a bathhouse so they could bathe and change clothes, and then provided them with uniform clothes. I don’t believe they could cheat in this way.]

Xu Jinyu's thoughts fell, and his eyes lit up towards everyone in the room.

Why didn't they think of this method? This will solve the problem of smuggling once and for all.

I've already given you a change of clothes, so I'd like to see how you can smuggle anything else.

Writing on clothes and hiding things in the crotch, I want to see how you hide.

Emperor Xuan laughed wantonly on the dragon throne.

After the court was dismissed that day, soldiers began to repair the house outside the examination hall, and guards with swords in their hands surrounded the house.

It was obvious that it was an urgent matter, but no one dared to ask.

After Emperor Xuan was done with his work that day, he finally had time to ask the eunuch Liu beside him: "What has that little bastard Xu Jinyu been doing these days? Why haven't I seen her come to court?"

Eunuch Liu smiled and replied, "Lord Xu is busy traveling around the capital to see if there are any potential candidates."

Emperor Xuan stopped writing and looked up in surprise: "You are not telling the truth. Xu Jinyu would care about this."

The smile on Eunuch Liu's face could no longer be maintained.

“This…this…”

"Just tell the truth! I wouldn't be surprised no matter how outrageous that little bastard does."

Eunuch Liu: "Your Majesty knows Lord Xu. Lord Xu has been running around the capital these days, just to see if these candidates will cause trouble before the imperial examination."

Emperor Xuan raised his eyebrows and asked with great interest, "Is there?"

"Of course there are. Several candidates were introduced to brothels by candidates they were not familiar with. Now they are immersed in the land of tenderness and don't know how to return. I'm afraid their legs will be weak during the imperial examination."

"Humph!"

Emperor Xuan snorted coldly.

Such things were not uncommon before the imperial examination every year. There were always some candidates who were taken to brothels by familiar or unfamiliar people, and then rushed into the examination room in a hurry when the imperial examination began.

Such people certainly cannot get good grades in the exam and can only wait for the next examination.

He has no self-control at all and even if he passes the imperial examination he would still be a corrupt official.

Emperor Xuan was too lazy to care about such things.

"Let her be. Just be safe."

"Yes, the Imperial Guards are following Master Xu openly and secretly. Master Xu's safety is absolutely safe."

The capital city became much more lively because of the upcoming imperial examination. Tens of thousands of candidates flocked to the capital, filling the streets with the sound of reading.

These days, after the officials leave court, they have an additional entertainment option, which is to find a teahouse, order a cup of tea, and sit there all day.

Because Lord Xu was running around the capital, digging up interesting stories about these candidates.

Each one of them can make everyone happy for the whole day.

"Here he comes, here he comes, Lord Xu is here."

Someone shouted softly.

After a while, Xu Jinyu slowly walked over to the corner of the street, looking around for his target.

The target was not found, but a trembling old lady was seen passing by carrying a basket, and then she fell to the ground with a "ouch!"

The things in the basket were scattered all over the floor, and the old lady lay on the ground motionless.

[Should I help or not? ]

Xu Jinyu was a little conflicted.

[If I help him, I’m worried that he might be scammed. If I don’t help him, I’m worried that he might have really fallen.]

Xu Jinyu's hesitant look made the officials on both sides of the street extremely anxious.

Sir Xu, please feel free to help her. For the sake of the guards behind you, no matter whether this old woman really fell or pretended to fall, it would have to be a real fall.

[Hey! You don't need my help. ]

A scholar in a ragged shirt helped the old man up, picked up the things scattered on the ground, and called a coachman to take the old man home.

[Hey, what a scholar who respects the elderly and loves the young. Let me see his name. Pay attention when you take the imperial examination. ]

On the second floor of the restaurant, the Minister of Revenue took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "It's easy to follow Lord Xu and check the character of these people. We don't need to investigate ourselves, we just need to write it down."

The Minister of Personnel also nodded and said, "Yes, the imperial examination can only show a student's writing skills, but not his character. With Lord Xu here, we don't have to worry about sending out those with black hearts when we assign officials."

The Minister of Personnel directly ordered the servant behind him: "Remember this candidate and see if he can pass the imperial examination."

[Hey! Hey? Hey~~~]

Xu Jinyu used three modal particles in succession, making the officials stretch their necks.

According to convention, something that surprised Lord Xu so much must be something bizarre.

【You are accumulating merits! 】

What does it mean to brush merits?

The officials craned their necks and looked down.

After the scholar below helped the old man up, he helped a woman pick up her running child, helped a scholar pick up a purse that had fallen on the ground, and bought a candied haws for a crying child.

"Merit comes from Buddhist scriptures. The general meaning is to do good deeds often. This is merit, but what does it mean to brush merit?" The Minister of Revenue was a little confused.

The Marquis of Qingyang, who was sitting opposite, peeled peanuts carelessly and ate them while saying slowly, "Why are you in such a hurry? Lord Xu will give you the answer in a moment."

“But I’m just in a hurry!”

[Oh, it is indeed to gain merit, to show the officials in the capital that they love the people like their own children. I was wondering why there are so many things in such a small place.]

[These people were hired, earning one tael of silver a day, and the oldest one earning two taels of silver a day. They have been performing on the four main streets of the capital for three days, hoping to attract an official to notice them before the imperial examination, and to improve their reputation at the same time.]

[If all else fails, there is another way out: becoming the son-in-law of a high-ranking official. ]

[Ah~~ How can I comment on this? Do I mean that you have good intentions, or do I mean that you have too much energy to spend on your work?]

“Ah! So this is called brushing merit!” Marquis Qingyang chuckled.

"These scholars have so many crooked ways, and the officials are not fools, they can believe this, hahaha... enough..."

Marquis Qingyang could not continue speaking because the Minister of Personnel was staring at him with a burning gaze.

Marquis of Qingyang: "Lu Cao?..."

After a pause, Marquis Qingyang said in a subtle tone: "Are you the fool?"

Minister of Personnel Lu Cao: “…”

Who are you calling a fool!

How could I be a fool!

Maybe the person I met is really kind.

The Minister of Revenue said to the Minister of Personnel with sympathy: "The official you recommended a few years ago, I happen to have a student teaching there. I heard that the county magistrate has another name, Zhou Paopi. Anyone with a little value who passes through their county will be skinned. But this county magistrate is also smart. He only targets ordinary people."

The Minister of Personnel opened his mouth, he was deceived, this time it was definitely a mistake, "I will go to His Majesty to apologize tomorrow."

Marquis Qingyang: "Don't apologize yet. Tell me how you were deceived by that person."