The Ming Dynasty started with caution

To answer this question correctly, first of all, you have to know who the Four Masters are.

Secondly, use the extremely abnormal ability to summarize to refine their attainments.

It is estimated that 9.97% of the candidates do not know who the Four Masters are, and the remaining ones who know cannot summarize it.

The Four Masters actually refer to the four Neo-Confucian masters Shao, Zhou, Cheng, and Zhu in the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, to summarize their Neo-Confucian attainments, each of them has profound and profound knowledge, how can it be possible to describe it in just a few words on a piece of paper?

So, Cheng Minzheng, the abnormal question-setting maniac in Huizhou, did not consider the feelings of the candidates at all.

Yan Chengjin wrote furiously. In order to win the first prize in one stroke, he wrote in Li Dongyang's regular script.

It may not be the same when writing other characters, but it is almost the same when writing policy papers, because he has been practicing every word on the answer in Li Dongyang's regular script since half a year ago.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the joint examination in the twelfth year of Hongzhi was over.

The candidates who participated in the imperial examination were already selected from thousands of talents. After several rounds, many people still couldn't bear it and fell seriously ill before the exam was over.

But Yan Chengjin insisted on exercising every day and had wolfberry to protect his body, so he was fine.

He was exhausted after being released from the Imperial Examination Hall.

Now at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, some people were already discussing the policy essays for the imperial examination.

"The third question of the policy essay was too difficult. I didn't write it until the exam was over."

"Brother Xue was careless. Even if it was a guess, you had to write it out. You could earn some points. How could you leave it blank? I wrote it out." Another person was complacent.

Your test paper is gone!

Yan Chengjin mourned for him for a second, immediately put on a muzzle, and quietly left the Imperial Examination Hall.

Only three days later, there was news that Cheng Minzheng sold the questions and was imprisoned in the Northern Pacification Prison. Xu Jing and Tang Bohu were taken away that day.

The court was furious, and the matter was circulated in the streets and alleys of the capital.

If the emperor is incompetent, selling questions can make a big deal out of a small matter, because the incompetent emperor doesn't care who sells the questions. This happened in the previous dynasty.

But in the Hongzhi Dynasty, in the Ming Dynasty under the governance of the wise Emperor Hongzhi, selling questions was an extremely serious matter.

Even Cheng Minzheng, who had taught him how to read and be a good person, was not allowed to do so.

In addition to Cheng Minzheng, even officials such as Hua Chang and Lin Tingyu who impeached him were imprisoned one after another.

Sure enough, the imperial examination cheating case in the twelfth year of Hongzhi still happened!

Yan Chengjin knew how serious this time was. Emperor Hongzhi killed all the test papers reviewed by Cheng Minzheng, and hundreds of candidates failed to pass the exam, but the court did not make it public.

Wait...

Suddenly I found that I missed a link!

Thinking that he might also be the one who marked the test papers for Cheng Minzheng, Yan Chengjin carefully counted the good things he had done in his daily life...

Emperor Hongzhi had no time to take care of him, and Zhu Houzhao took the opportunity to slip out again: "Old Gao, I heard that Master Cheng sold the test papers. Did he sell them to you?"

Yan Chengjin was busy blocking his mouth. When did God take Zhu Houzhao away?

Justice is late again?

Yan Chengjin was very serious: "This matter concerns the fate of our family. Your Highness, please don't talk nonsense!"

Zhu Houzhao came out because he thought Cheng Minzheng and Yan Chengjin were in collusion. When he heard that there was no such thing, he angrily said: "Master Cheng is really not nice. He only sold them to Xu Jing and Tang Yin, not to you."

Of course, Zhu Houzhao didn't know that selling the test papers was different from his usual cheating in the Zhanshi Mansion. He would be scolded by the masters at most for cheating, but selling the test papers would cost him his head.

Yan Chengjin said, "Your Highness, why did you come out to look for students today?"

Zhu Houzhao said angrily, "I thought Master Cheng had given you a test paper. Now my father is furious and wants to personally try the case. I came here to ask you to hide in the mountains and forests. When I become the emperor, you can take the exam again and I will pardon you. Now it seems that it is not necessary. But Lao Gao, did Master Cheng really not give you a test paper?"

Yan Chengjin felt warm in his heart. Zhu Houzhao still had some conscience and did not love him in vain.

Yan Chengjin did not want to argue with him about this matter. The more he argued, the more Zhu Houzhao would talk endlessly.

"Your Majesty wants to personally try the case?"

"Yes, tomorrow."

It is better not to ask about the imperial examination fraud case. Yan Chengjin stopped asking about it and let Zhu Houzhao come a hundred times before letting him go.

……………………

In the prison of the Northern Pacification Division, a beam of light shone through the iron window, reflecting on Cheng Minzheng.

Cheng Minzheng counted the days and found that he had been in there for five days.

The jailers were all nice to him, and Mou Bin was also nice to him. He was only questioned on weekdays, but the food was a little worse, and he ate big white steamed buns every day.

Today, he was taken to be questioned again, but there were a lot of people coming, and people from the three judicial departments came.

Bai Ang, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, said: "Sir Cheng, Xu Jing and Tang Bohu have confessed, you'd better hurry up, otherwise tomorrow, it will be His Majesty who will see you."

The three judicial departments never interfered in the affairs of the Northern Pacification Division, but now they all came at once.

Cheng Minzheng straightened his back and said righteously: "I have never done it, so why should I be afraid of seeing the emperor!"

People from the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple knew that Cheng Minzheng was aloof and arrogant, and if he didn't confess, he wouldn't confess.

In this way, they interrogated for most of the day without any clues, and the three judicial departments returned without success.

Before leaving, Cheng Minzheng asked them for some pens, ink, paper and inkstone, thinking that he would present his crimes on paper. Bai Ang was overjoyed and quickly sent someone to prepare them.

Cheng Minzheng took a look at the stack of white paper and shook his head: "Not enough, bring some more."

Bai Ang and Mou Bin looked at each other. Do you have to write so carefully?

However, there is no harm in writing the case in more detail.

Bai Ang asked someone to bring in a large pile of white paper, prepared a writing desk and an oil lamp for Cheng Minzheng, and spread out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

Bai Ang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, immediately ordered: "Transfer all the prisoners around and do not disturb Mr. Cheng's confession."

Cheng Minzheng has thought a lot since he was imprisoned.

Anxiety, then fear, then indifference, and finally seeing through.

In just five days, the officialdom was ups and downs, as if a lifetime had passed.

He knew that the reputation he had earned through hard work was gone, as was Taoist Liu Nuan, the leader of the new sect. Now, he just wanted to finish writing Hu Zhai.

The prison is a thought-provoking place.

After thinking it over in the cell, Cheng Minzheng was flooded with inspiration like thousands of threads.

No wonder Tai Shigong was able to write an eternal masterpiece like the Historical Records in his cell.

After the cell door was closed, Cheng Minzheng started writing, but it was not about the confession, but about the finale of Fox House.

The next day,

The court hearing was held in the center of the Meridian Gate. There was an imperial court in the wide courtyard of the Meridian Gate. The eunuchs placed a row of tables, and behind the tables was the throne of Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi conducted the inspection in person, and naturally all the officials from the Sanfa Si Yamen came.

Cheng Minzheng was brought up.

The interrogator from the Criminal Department shouted: "Kneel down!"

Facing the imperial palace where Emperor Hongzhi was, Cheng Minzheng knelt down. Emperor Hongzhi's voice came from the imperial palace: "Cheng Qing's family, I ask you, is it true that Xu Jing and Tang Bohu bought questions from you?"

Cheng Minzheng is neither humble nor arrogant: "I will keep my name clean for the rest of my life, and I will never reveal anything about it."

Emperor Hongzhi: "Except for two people, no one answered this question correctly. Even I thought about it for a long time before I dared to write. I dare not say that I can get the complete answer. Why did Xu Jing and Tang Bohu give the answer? I gave it to you The reviewer’s are all the same? They are all from "Tuizhai Ji".