klisemfg Chapter 330 Entrapment!
Chapter 330 Entrapment!
His eyes began to dart around, and after stammering for a long time, he finally managed to say:
"Ahem... Well! This is a mystery of the immortals, its secrets can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words! You wouldn't understand even if I told you!"
The students exchanged puzzled glances and asked, "Brother Liu, since this is a subject of study, there must be a deductive process involved, right? Why are you so certain?"
"Oh dear, why are there so many 'whys'?"
Brother Liu, somewhat annoyed by the question, waved his hand impatiently, stiffened his neck, and said, "This young master is exceptionally intelligent. In the examination hall, a flash of inspiration, as if divinely inspired, naturally made me understand! Anyway, remember, my answer is definitely correct. When the results are released, this young master will surely be among the top!"
Hearing the commotion behind the screen, Zhang Fan paused slightly in his teacup and gave a cold smile.
A flash of inspiration? Divine intervention?
That's utter bullshit!
If they didn't know the derivation method, even if the ancients racked their brains, they couldn't have answered those questions so confidently.
There is only one reason—
That bastard got the standard answer!
"Looks like those old foxes are pretty quick; they've even started selling the answers to the first county exam on the streets," Zhang Fan said casually.
Meanwhile, Mi Yueyao, who was sitting to the side, also keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Although she didn't understand the exam questions, she connected them to her plan to travel south of the Yangtze River...
Mi Yueyao's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously glanced at Zhang Fan, who was leisurely drinking tea.
They came all the way to Wu County, and it turns out they were here because of the imperial examination cheating scandal!
Just then, Brother Liu at the next table, having drunk a few cups of wine, became increasingly boastful and unrestrained:
"Don't look so gloomy, guys! To tell you the truth, this county exam is just a formality. When it comes to the prefectural exam, and even the imperial exam in Xianyang..."
"Hmph, as long as I have the connections, I guarantee that all the talented men of Jiangnan will be able to sweep up all the official positions in the imperial court!"
"Brother Liu is truly righteous!"
"From now on, we will definitely follow Brother Liu's lead wherever he goes in Jiangnan!"
"Yes, yes, yes, I hope Brother Liu will continue to guide me. I'd like to propose a toast to Brother Liu!"
Behind the screen, flattering and fawning voices rose and fell.
Listening to the flattery of the students around him, Brother Liu became extremely smug, laughed triumphantly, and downed three cups of wine in a row.
Zhang Fan listened quietly, then shook his head with a cold smile.
These idiots are still dreaming even as they're about to die.
Since someone is willingly offering their neck to the guillotine, he won't be polite.
He put down his teacup, then turned his head slightly and spoke calmly to a guard who had remained inconspicuous in the corner of the private room:
"Go change your clothes."
Zhang Fan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura.
"Take His Majesty's secret decree and retrieve all the examination papers from today's county examination, then send them to the Censorate overnight."
The guard suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly turning sharp as knives. He was clearly a Black Ice Guard elite in disguise!
Zhang Fan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes suddenly turning icy: "Take your men and take complete control of the Censorate! Remember, absolutely do not alert the Prefect of Kuaiji or other local officials. If you encounter any obstruction... just carry out the secret decree and forcibly take over."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The guard clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice deep and powerful.
Without uttering any unnecessary words, he turned and strode out of the room, disappearing into the hustle and bustle of the restaurant.
As Mi Yueyao watched the departing figure of the Black Ice Platform man, her heart pounded wildly, and she felt a chill run straight to the top of her head.
Forced takeover of the Inspection Department!
The exam papers are sealed!
The Xiang family is finished!
……
As night fell, the autumn rain began to fall again over Wu County, drowning out the sound of the night watchman striking the gong.
Wu County Supervisory Office.
The old officials in charge of guarding the exam papers were dozing off by the brazier when the black ice platform quietly descended.
"Whoosh!"
Several dark figures leaped down from the high wall like ghosts.
Several veteran officials felt a sharp pain in the back of their heads and then collapsed limply to the ground.
The Black Ice Guard launched a swift and silent attack overnight.
In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the entire Wu County Supervisory Office was taken over, and all the county examination papers were sealed with the dragon-shaped seal unique to the Black Ice Bureau.
Meanwhile, the Kuaiji Prefectural Governor's Office remained brightly lit, and the officials from Jiangnan were still drinking and making merry, completely unaware of the earth-shattering changes happening right under their noses.
Inside the Censorate, candlelight flickered.
A man with his face covered by a black cloth stepped into the room, shaking off the rain. It was Zhang Fan.
"My lord, all the county examination papers are here, totaling more than 1,300!" A Black Ice Guard commander knelt on one knee and respectfully reported.
"Um!"
Zhang Fan strode to the desk, casually pulled out the top stack of exam papers, and quickly began to flip through them.
Looking at the familiar questions on the exam paper and then at the answers written by the students, Zhang Fan's mockery grew stronger and stronger, and in the end he couldn't help but sneer repeatedly.
"What a bunch of idiots."
Zhang Fan casually slapped several exam papers onto the table.
You don't need to investigate who cheated or who colluded with the examiners one by one.
It's in the answer key!
Regarding the issue of filling and emptying the pool, he slightly changed the parameter by one hour, and the correct answer was not "four and a half hours" at all;
In that graphic reasoning question, he even swapped the original correct option with an incorrect image that looked like a turtle shell...
"Pass down the order."
Zhang Fan's eyes were icy as he pointed to the pile of exam papers on the table and ordered, "Go through all the exam papers. Pick out all those whose answers are more than 80% wrong and make a separate list of their names."
Entrapment!
No torture is needed. If a large number of idiotic answers appear on the exam paper, it is 100% certain that the students have been bribed by the Xiang family and the local tyrant Fang Zhengge!
"My lord, now that the list is finalized, should I immediately lead men to arrest these scoundrels who cheated on the imperial examinations?" The commander of the Black Ice Guard asked menacingly, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Arrest them? Why would we arrest them?"
Zhang Fan waved his hand, "If we arrest a few small fry now, wouldn't that alert the enemy and just give the Xiang family and those old foxes, Fang Zhengge, a free ride?"
He walked to the window, looked at the deep, rainy night outside, and sneered, "The county examination is nothing more than an appetizer for them to test the court's bottom line. The Xiang family's real target is the prefectural examination, which will determine the appointment of officials!"
If we're going to play, let's play big!
"Once the list is verified, keep quiet, seal it as is, and act as if nothing happened. Let them pass the county examination smoothly."
Zhang Fan's tone was ruthless, "I want them to think they have connections everywhere, to make them mobilize their entire force for the county examination! Just wait until they think the situation is settled, only to find themselves utterly defeated..."
Zhang Fan slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white.
"This is the best time for me to uproot and completely exterminate this rebellious faction in Jiangnan!"