Fang Huairen wanted to be the prime minister.
The Ju Family had the favored Ju Noble Consort in the imperial harem, as well as juniors in the Imperial Cabinet who would strongly support him in becoming prime minister.
According to the Head of Ju family, as long as Fang stood out, the Ju Family would stop supporting him.
Fang Huairen was unwilling to believe this. He probed, "What does becoming prime minister or not have to do with the current imperial examination fraud?"
The Head of Ju family glanced at him indifferently and said lightly, "The imperial examination fraud has been sensationalized for too long. The Noble Consort is somewhat tired of it, and just wants it resolved quickly."
Even if it meant sacrificing the Ju Family's eldest son Fang Yuan, or even implicating all the elders and children of the Fang Family.
Fang Huairen almost laughed angrily. "If the Fang Family really falls, the Eldest Prince will gain nothing from it."
"If it leads to the scholars of the world rioting, there will be benefits," the Head of Ju family sneered coldly. "You shouldn't have cheated in the imperial examinations in the first place. Now you're just reaping what you sow."
It sounded righteous on the surface, but was actually the strong bullying the weak.
The Ju Noble Consort did not trust the Fang Family. She took advantage of the situation to use the imperial examination fraud to attack the Fang Family, severing Fang Yuan the exam champion scholar like cutting off an arm. Then she used the future position of prime minister as either a carrot or a stick, to appease or control.
The Fang Family currently had two choices:
Stand out and oppose the scholars of the world, offending the Ju Noble Consort, and fight with all their might to protect their eldest son Fang Yuan.
Or watch from the sidelines, sacrifice Fang Yuan to protect themselves, and at the same time gain the position of prime minister.
Right or wrong, the choice was theirs.
The Head of Ju Family looked at Fang Huairen hesitating on the spot, and contemptuously released his sleeve from his grip.
At this time, the Imperial Court had already spoken, allowing the aggrieved scholars to state their grievances.
Fang Huairen still did not move. He just closed his eyes painfully.
In the end, so much for father and son kinship. When it came down to it, it was still about sacrificing Fang Yuan for the sake of the prime minister position.
The Head of Ju Family sneered and turned away, continuing to watch the commotion in the hall.
Xu Mo also smiled, knowing that the scheme to sow discord had succeeded.
He also knew that this imperial examination fraud case could finally be resolved in a fair and just manner.
"In response to His Majesty, although I have not passed the examinations myself, I still know that one exam paper cannot belong to two people. I beseech Your Majesty to reveal the truth about what exactly happened with the fraud in the provincial examinations two years ago."
"I humbly beg Your Majesty to reveal the truth and make public the original exam papers from the provincial examinations that year."
In fact, at this point, everyone knew in their hearts what was right and wrong. They were just looking for the key evidence to convict Fang Yuan.
Such as the altered exam papers, or the copying officials from that year who had changed the names.
The Imperial Court glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Fang Huairen looking devastated like an eggplant struck by frost. The corners of his mouth quickly turned up and then down again as he sighed helplessly, "Since everyone is set on this, then Minister Qi will show the original papers to everyone."
Qi Gongzhen obeyed the order and rushed back to the Imperial Examination Hall at top speed. He took out the two disputed exam papers from that year, then returned to the Golden Sacred Hall.
After two years, the specially prepared ink on the papers was still as bright as new. The neat, well-defined handwriting was so exquisite that it amazed people. The fact that the handwriting on the two exam papers was so similar also shocked people.
Apart from coming from the same school and copying each other's writing for practice, it was impossible for ordinary people's handwriting to be so similar.
Unless it was deliberately practiced, unless it was intentionally controlled.
This directly proved that the exam fraud existed. One of the papers was an imitation, and it was a deliberate, premeditated imitation.
The Imperial Court examined them personally and found altered traces at the redacted name sections of both papers. He understood in his heart, and summoned the copying officials from the provincial examinations two years ago.
At the time, some people had wondered why Fang Yuan painstakingly imitated Xu Mo's handwriting but did not directly copy the entire paper, instead needing to change the name.
The answer was simple. The imperial examinations themselves had quite strict security precautions. The original papers and red-inked papers never left the confines of the Imperial Examination Hall, let alone for Fang Yuan to copy them.
All the maneuvering had to happen inside the hall, relying on the copying officials who could identify people by their handwriting to personally switch out the exam papers. This allowed the fraud to take place unnoticed.
And there were only two or three officials who were qualified to distribute the original exam papers.
Three middle-aged men knelt in the Golden Sacred Hall. They were all commoners without powerful families backing them. It had taken them ten years of hardship to reach their current positions, making them the easiest for elite families to control.
When it came down to it, the abilities of common people were too inferior and they could not resist the great families.
The Imperial Court sighed softly, yet his voice thundered, "Who copied the provincial examination papers? Stand up."
The one in the middle shuddered in fear and nervously sweated as he said, "It was this lowly one, I copied them personally."
"Did you switch the two exam papers and disrupt fairness in the examinations?" the Imperial Court asked again, increasingly furious.
The middle-aged man was silent for a while, seeming to glance at the Fang family. When he got no response, he admitted in despair, "It was this lowly one, I personally switched the papers."
The Imperial Court was enraged. He banged on the table with his palm and demanded, "Then who required you to make the switch and disrupt the fairness of the examinations?"
Who it was had already become obvious. Xu Mo and the copying official were strangers with no grievances or gratitude between them. That left only the Fang Family coercing him through power and influence.
But as long as the middle-aged man did not admit it, and insisted he had lost his mind on his own, the Fang Family could still keep their lives, although they would still be condemned.
In the end, Fang Huairen felt distress for his eldest biological son. He hinted with his eyes for the middle-aged man to take all the blame.
Xu Mo saw this and suddenly stepped forward with cupped fists. "Your Majesty, this lowly one is confused. What great crime is this exam fraud?"
Compared to offending the Fang Family?
The Imperial Court understood his meaning. His lips moved slightly as he uttered a few words: "Collective family execution."
Cheating in the imperial examinations was tantamount to treason.
Collective family execution included four generations of paternal relatives, three generations of maternal relatives, and two generations of wives' relatives. A few dozen at minimum, and up to several hundred lives.
In recent years the Dayu Dynasty had been peaceful, but that did not mean these harsh laws had disappeared. It was just because they were too bloody and cruel, so they were not used lightly.
The middle-aged man finally realized he was doomed. He collapsed to the ground, nearly fainting as he confessed, "It was... it was the Fang Family, the Fang Family..."
He only said the Fang Family, not specifying anyone from the Fang Family.
Fang Huairen rushed forward in one stride and knelt on both knees, weeping and wailing, "This lowly one is too ashamed to face Your Majesty, too ashamed to face the people of the world. This lowly one has raised such a shameless eldest son. I am willing to sever ties and disown him, to henceforth treat him as a stranger. I would rather not have this child!"
As he spoke, he knocked his head heavily on the ground three times.
Among the court officials, some mocked and sneered coldly, while others could not bear to look away.
In any case, the Fang Family had made contributions to the Dayu Dynasty. Fang Huairen's ancestors had half died on the battlefield, which could be considered using their blood to pave the way to power.
Fang Huairen knelt with a bleeding forehead, tears covering his face. "This lowly one has also wronged Eldest Brother. This lowly one is not fit to be this family's head. This lowly one feels remorse. This lowly one will now die to prove my loyalty."
He rushed toward a pillar, but was blocked by Zhu family head and others.
The Imperial Court also thought of the Fang Family's sacrifice and helplessly sighed, "Minister Fang, wait. If it really was your juniors' ignorance, how could it implicate you? If General Fang were still alive, I'm sure he would not want to see the Fang Family like this."
Fang Huairen wept and went limp, collapsing to the ground, while also feeling relieved.
In the end, his father Fang Heng's battle achievements obtained through staking his life were still exploited by them.
But it could at least ensure the Fang Family was safe, though it could not save the mastermind behind the exam fraud.
"Come, strip Scholar Fang of all his examination honors. After the autumn assizes, he will be executed. The Fang Family has failed in teaching their children and is fined. Their descendants will be banned from the examinations for ten years."
With the dragon table heavily struck, the years-long case of imperial examination fraud finally concluded with Fang Yuan's downfall.
