OBS Chapter 320 Anyone who obstructs the imperial examinations will be killed without mercy.
Chapter 320 Anyone who obstructs the imperial examinations will be killed without mercy.
Ying Wuyou continued reading the letter in his hands with a solemn expression. The letter detailed how, fearing that those who registered for the imperial examinations might engage in misconduct or break the law, thus implicating the county magistrate, some counties had resorted to extreme measures, refusing to approve a single candidate! Reading this, Ying Wuyou was speechless, thinking to himself, "What absurd behavior! What kind of incompetent fools are being raised in the imperial court these days?"
Ying Wuyou angrily placed the letter lightly on the table, a nameless fire burning within her chest. She gritted her teeth, determined to have a proper discussion with the King of Qin about this matter. Then, she hurried towards the Zhangtai Palace.
Upon entering the hall, they saw the King of Qin engrossed in reviewing a mountain of memorials, not even lifting his head once. Ying Wuyou took a deep breath and said softly, "Father, I have important matters to discuss with you."
Upon hearing his daughter's voice, the King of Qin slowly put down his vermilion brush, looked up at Ying Wuyou, and asked gently, "What is the matter that you are in such a hurry? Tell me."
Ying Wuyou composed himself and reported to the King of Qin in a clear and organized manner: "Father, according to the information I have received, some counties and prefectures are extremely indifferent to this imperial examination. Not only have they failed to effectively and promptly convey relevant information, resulting in many scholars being completely unaware of the examination; even worse, some have simply not taken the examination seriously at all, simply shelving it and ignoring it. I believe that such behavior constitutes dereliction of duty and should be severely punished! Therefore, I have ordered that all officials who fail to perform their duties be dismissed from their posts as a warning to others!"
King Qin listened quietly to Ying Wuyou's account, his face gradually darkening, his thick eyebrows furrowing tightly. Clearly, he hadn't expected anyone to dare so negligently neglect state affairs. After a moment of silence, King Qin slammed his fist on the table in uncontrollable rage, causing the writing implements to tremble slightly. He gritted his teeth and roared, "I have treated them well, bestowing upon them high positions and generous rewards, entrusting them with important responsibilities, yet they are so perfunctory and irresponsible, holding their positions without doing their jobs! What kind of useless cowards are we keeping in the court!"
After thinking for a moment, the King of Qin narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a gloomy expression, "Dismissal from office is far too lenient a punishment. For the past two years, I have been restraining my temper and have not been easily angered. I never expected that these fools would actually think that I have a good temper and act so recklessly!"
Seeing this, Ying Wuyou, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward and said, "Father, please calm down. Your son still has something to say."
However, the King of Qin was in a fit of anger and glared at Ying Wuyou. Ying Wuyou, on the other hand, did not care at all and instead pouted and said, "Father, please don't be angry. I was just in a hurry and didn't have time to finish what I was saying."
The King of Qin sighed helplessly, his tone softening slightly, and said, "Please continue."
After receiving permission, Ying Wuyou continued, "Your subject has learned through investigation that some county magistrates are worried that the students who come to register for the imperial examinations may be of questionable character and that they may be implicated if any problems arise in the future. Therefore, they simply refuse to approve all the students who register for the imperial examinations."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin could no longer contain his anger. He stood up abruptly and roared furiously, "These greedy parasites are utterly despicable!"
He then turned to Fude beside him and ordered, "Quickly go and summon Wang Wan, Wei Liao, Feng Quji, and the others to me!" Fude bowed and agreed, then quickly turned and left. Not long after, Wang Wan, Wei Liao, Feng Quji, and several other ministers hurriedly arrived at Zhangtai Palace.
The King of Qin looked at Ying Wuyou with a majestic gaze, signaling him to recount in detail what he had just said to the people present. Ying Wuyou recounted the whole story in detail. After listening, the faces of the others all showed barely suppressed anger.
The King of Qin slammed his hand on the table, causing a few drops of tea to spill from the teacups. He roared, "I hereby declare that anyone who dares to obstruct the imperial examinations will be executed without exception! If any prefecture or county fails to actively promote the imperial examinations, causing the local people to be unaware of their existence, the prefect and magistrate will both be executed! If any county has no one registering for the imperial examinations, the magistrate of that county will also be executed!"
The King of Qin's words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving the hearts of those present churning with turbulent emotions that lingered for a long time. It had been so long since they had witnessed the King of Qin unleash such fury that they had almost forgotten that this ruler was a man utterly ruthless and merciless. He had once been decisive and cold-blooded; in the court, he was awe-inspiring and commanded respect. But this sudden outburst of anger seemed to transport them back to that era of iron-fisted rule.
None of them spoke. For Wang Wan, this was a time when he had to keep a low profile. He knew that the King of Qin no longer consulted with him on state affairs and politics as he used to. Therefore, although he had some reservations about the edict, he knew he couldn't rashly stand up and oppose it. So he said nothing.
Feng Quji and Wei Liao were utterly loyal to the King of Qin, admiring and obeying him from the bottom of their hearts. In their view, any decree issued by the King of Qin was absolutely correct and must be resolutely carried out.
For Ying Wuyou, these people were undoubtedly heinous criminals who deserved to die. Although he never advocated killing, at this moment, he firmly believed that certain individuals must be punished accordingly. After all, the imperial examinations were no trivial matter; their importance was self-evident. If those who wantonly disrupted the imperial examination system were not severely punished, how could the examinations be smoothly implemented in the future? How could the laws of Qin win the trust and respect of the people? How could the authority of the court be maintained and established?
Undeniably, some provisions of Qin law do appear quite harsh and unforgiving. However, if the law is too lenient and merciful, it will likely only lead to the oppression and abuse of kind-hearted and law-abiding citizens. This would inevitably disrupt social order and make it difficult to uphold justice. Therefore, in order to maintain fairness and justice and ensure the long-term stability of the country, we must not be lenient towards those who dare to trample on the dignity of the imperial examinations and undermine the authority of the law! Thus, this so-called discussion is actually nothing more than a unilateral order from the King of Qin.
Thus, faced with these three extremely stern orders, none of those present raised the slightest objection. The three edicts were then swiftly dispatched to various counties and prefectures of the Qin Dynasty, triggering a major upheaval in the officialdom.