I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

After the imperial examination, the examination papers were marked in an intense and orderly manner. In a secret room in the Imperial Examination Hall, Chen Jue sat at a desk surrounded by piles of examination papers.

His face was stern and his eyes were focused. He knew very well that every test paper he judged was related to the fate of a student and even more so to the future talent selection of Da Chu.

As Chen Jue continued to grade the papers, he gradually noticed something strange. Although some of the papers were written in a fluent and flowery style, they had striking similarities in their ideas and viewpoints.

Especially in some obscure and difficult questions, even the allusions and arguments used are exactly the same, which cannot be explained by chance.

Chen Jue was full of doubts and thought to himself: These test papers were most likely the result of cheating by buying the test questions, but these similarities alone were not enough to convict him. He had to conduct an in-depth investigation to find solid evidence.

Chen Jue first used the comparative analysis method. He collected all the suspicious test papers and carefully compared the handwriting on the test papers. He found that although the handwriting on these test papers had been deliberately disguised, there were subtle similarities in the writing habits and strength of certain strokes.

Chen Jue's heart moved, and he realized that this was most likely done by the same person or the same group of people.

In order to further verify his speculation, Chen Jue used the content tracing method. He looked through a large number of classics and historical books to find the sources of the unique viewpoints and arguments in the test paper. Soon, he found that these contents did not come from the common classic versions, but from some extremely remote ancient books.

These rare books are difficult for ordinary students to get. Only those rich children who can afford to buy the test questions or candidates with strong support can get them. This discovery made Chen Jue more convinced that there was serious cheating behind these test papers.

Chen Jue did not rush to examine the candidates, but started from the side to investigate the background information of these candidates. He sent his capable assistants to secretly investigate the family background, economic status and social contacts of these candidates before the exam.

After a careful investigation, he found that several of the candidates were from wealthy families in the capital and had frequent contact with some mysterious people before the exam. Although the identities of these mysterious people have not been found out, their whereabouts are very suspicious, and they often go to places that are involved in cheating in the imperial examination.

After mastering these preliminary clues, Chen Jue decided to investigate one of the candidates named Wang Qi. He knew that the investigation process must be cautious and careful, and he had to cleverly obtain the truth while not letting the candidate know his intentions, so as not to alert the enemy.

Chen Jue ordered someone to take Wang Qi to a quiet room. The room was simply furnished with only a table and two chairs. On the wall hung a calligraphy work with four large characters "Justice and Integrity" inscribed on it, giving people a solemn feeling.

When Wang Qi walked into the room, he pretended to be calm, but his eyes could hardly hide a trace of panic. He was wearing a gorgeous brocade robe and a fine jade pendant around his waist. It was obvious that he came from a wealthy family.

Chen Jue sat behind the desk, raised his head slightly, looked at Wang Qi calmly, and said slowly: "Wang Qi, do you know the importance of this imperial examination?"

Wang Qi quickly bowed and replied, "Sir, I know it naturally. The imperial examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents for the country. I have always been in awe of it and dare not slack off in the slightest." His voice trembled slightly and beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead.

Chen Jue smiled lightly and said, "Really? Then do you still remember the discussion you wrote on a certain chapter in the Book of Shang on the test paper?"

Wang Qi was shocked, but still pretended to be calm and answered: "I remember it. It was the result of my hard study and deep thinking."

Chen Jue stood up, walked to Wang Qi's side, and suddenly said, "Then do you know that your essay is almost identical to that of several other candidates? Is this also a coincidence?"

His voice was not loud, but every word was like a hammer, striking Wang Qi's heart.

Wang Qi's face turned pale instantly, his lips trembled slightly, and he said, "Sir, this... this must be someone framing me. I have always behaved well and would never cheat."

Chen Jue did not refute him directly. Instead, he returned to the desk, picked up a test paper, and read a paragraph from it softly: "This sentence quotes the sentence 'Virtue is good governance, and governance is to nourish the people' from the Book of Documents? Dayu Mo, and uses the example of Emperor Shun's virtuous governance to explain it. Can you explain your understanding of this sentence in detail?"

Wang Qi stammered and answered with many loopholes. Chen Jue was more certain of his cheating, so he continued, "Wang Qi, if you confess now, you may be able to get a lighter sentence. You should know that cheating in the imperial examination is a serious crime. Once it is proven, not only will your own future be ruined, but your family will also be implicated. Your parents and elders at home have always placed high hopes on you. Do you have the heart to let them be humiliated because of your mistake?"

There was a hint of pity in Chen Jue's eyes, trying to impress Wang Qi from the perspective of family affection.

Wang Qi was shaken after hearing what Chen Jue said. He lowered his head and remained silent, struggling fiercely in his heart.

Chen Jue saw this and struck while the iron was hot, saying, "Think carefully, where are those people who instructed you to commit fraud now? Will they come out and speak for you after you are convicted? They will only protect themselves and push you into an abyss of no return. Why should you keep a secret for them?"

Wang Qi's body trembled slightly. He raised his head and looked at Chen Jue, his eyes full of fear and hesitation. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, I... I will tell the truth. It was a man named Li who instigated me to cheat. He gave me a test paper and told me to answer the questions according to the content. After I succeeded, he would give me a large sum of money and guarantee that I would have a smooth career."

Chen Jue's heart moved, and he continued to ask: "Who is this Lord Li? How did you come into contact with him?"

Wang Qi replied, "He is an official from the Ministry of Rites. I met him by chance at a banquet. He saw that I was eager to pass the imperial examination, so he took the initiative to talk to me and hinted that I could easily pass the exam with his help. I was confused for a moment and was deceived by his sweet words, so I made such a big mistake."

Chen Jue got the key clue, but did not let Wang Qi go. Instead, he continued to ask in depth: "Do you know which other candidates participated in the cheating like you? How are you connected?"

Wang Qi did not dare to hide it and told the names of other cheating candidates he knew and how they contacted each other.

Based on the clues provided by Wang Qi, Chen Jue also examined several other candidates. During the examination, he cleverly used psychological tactics, sometimes intimidating, sometimes tempting, so that the psychological defenses of these candidates gradually collapsed, and they confessed their cheating behaviors one after another.

After a hard investigation and review, Chen Jue finally revealed the truth of the imperial examination fraud case to the world. He listed all the candidates, officials and the forces behind the case, wrote a detailed memorial and submitted it to the crown prince.

When the crown prince learned of this, he was furious and praised Chen Jue's fairness, strictness and outstanding talent. He ordered severe punishment for all those involved. Those candidates who cheated were deprived of their imperial examination qualifications and were banned from taking the imperial examinations for life. Their families were also punished accordingly. Those officials who participated in the cheating were dismissed from their posts and investigated, and some were even exiled to the frontier.

Through his wisdom and hard work, Chen Jue successfully defended the fairness and dignity of the imperial examination and selected truly talented students for the Great Chu.