Chapter 104 Examination of the Ministry of Punishment
These days, Li Si's performance really exceeded Li Mu's expectations.
When he was in Beijun, with Chen Miaomiao by his side, Li Si restrained his nature and was forgiven.
But this is the capital of the gods, thousands of miles away from Beijun. Chen Miaomiao is far away in Baiyun Mountain. Li Si has neither lingered in brothels nor hooked up with girls from good families, which is very rare.
After all, his Yuanyang was gone long ago, and even if he really messed up in the city of God, Chen Miaomiao would not find out.
But he didn't. He locked himself in his room all day long and concentrated on preparing for the exam. If he hadn't gone to the Ministry of Punishment to check his identity today, he might not have left the inn at all.
When he indulged, Li Mu was shocked.
When he restrained himself, Li Mu was shocked.
On the way to the Criminal Department, Li Si asked: "How is that friend of yours?"
Li Mu asked: "Which friend?"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he remembered which friend Li Si was talking about.
Li Mudao: "You are right. He and the woman have reconciled, but it is not the situation you mentioned. There is just a small misunderstanding between them. Just explain it clearly."
Li Si raised his eyebrows and said, "Isn't that the case?"
Li Mudao: "Between men and women, in addition to love, there is also friendship, which is not necessarily what you said."
Li Si asked: "Is she pretty?"
Li Mu nodded and said, "Beautiful."
To be fair, the queen's appearance is at least in the top ten among the beauties in the divine capital. She is very beautiful whether she is wearing a dragon robe or ordinary clothes.
Li Si asked again: "Is your friend handsome?"
Li Mudao: "As handsome as me."
Li Si looked at him with a meaningful look, but said nothing. Li Mu raised his head and looked ahead and said, "The Criminal Department is here."
Even in the Thirty-sixth County, the identity of the recommended candidates has been investigated, but in order to prevent some people with evil intentions from being confused, the court will conduct another investigation.
There was already a long queue at the entrance of the criminal department. They were all candidates who came here today to have their identities checked.
Among them, Li Mu saw many wearing the uniforms of the three major academies.
Although the imperial court no longer directly selects officials from academy students, academy students still have great privileges in the imperial examination. All academy students can directly participate in the imperial examination without local recommendation.
The academy has a history of hundreds of years, and its contribution to the Zhou Dynasty far outweighed its damage. It is unrealistic to directly exclude the academy from the imperial examination.
In fact, although the imperial court introduced the imperial examination, it still could not change the special status of the academy.
Students who have been taught in academies for several years, regardless of their conduct, at least in terms of talents in all aspects, are far superior to local talents.
If we want to completely change the dominance of the academies over the imperial court, we must strengthen local basic education. This cannot be changed overnight. The academies certainly know this. Therefore, when the queen almost arbitrarily promoted the imperial examination, she did not receive much resistance from the academies.
.
Whether it is changed or not, the impact on the academy is actually not that big.
Although Li Mu had acquaintances in the Ministry of Punishment, he did not openly engage in specialization and was ranked behind Li Si.
However, when he stood in the queue, several students wearing college uniforms in front of him stopped lining up and stayed away from him, looking at him with frightened expressions.
The scenes of Li Mu holding chains and arresting people at the gates of the three major academies in those days are still etched in their minds.
They were really worried, and Li Mu suddenly conjured an iron chain in his hand and put it directly around their necks.
In the three major academies, Li Mu's name is a taboo that cannot be mentioned.
The officers from the Criminal Department soon discovered something unusual here, and thought someone was making trouble. Two police officers immediately came over. When they saw Li Mu, they were surprised and quickly invited him into the Criminal Department.
Li Mu came here to check his identity this time, not to cause trouble, but it was obvious that standing here would affect the normal order of the review, so he had no choice but to walk into the Criminal Department with Li Si.
This review was presided over by the Ministry of Punishment and jointly supervised by officials from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and Zongzheng Temple.
In the yard in front of the yamen of the Ministry of Justice, there were several officials standing, belonging to different yamen. This shows that the imperial court attached great importance to the imperial examination.
Zhou Zhong walked over slowly and asked, "Master Li, why did you come to the Ministry of Punishment today?"
Li Mudao: "Participate in the identity review."
Zhou Zhong asked: "Master Li, is he going to take part in the imperial examination?"
Li Mu glanced at him and asked, "Isn't it possible?"
Only then did the officials realize that although Li Mu had stirred up countless storms in the capital city, he was not an orthodox official from the academy. He was just a catcher and a censor, and he could stir up trouble in the court.
The chickens and dogs are restless. If I pass the imperial examination and have a legitimate status, is it okay?
"Okay." Zhou Zhong nodded and said, "Master Li, there is no need to review it anymore."
Li Mu shook his head and said: "Before the imperial examination, there are no special cases. Mr. Zhou just treats me as an ordinary candidate."
Zhou Zhong didn't say anything else, and took Li Mu to a government office. Inside the government office, an official from the Ministry of Justice sat and was questioning a young man.
"Name."
"Chen Liang."
"Hometown."
"Jiangyin County, Jiangcheng County."
"Who recommended it?"
"Jiangcheng County Magistrate."
…
There is a small clock placed on the table in front of the young man. It should be a magic weapon used to detect lies. If what he said is false and the magic weapon responds, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to leave the Criminal Department today.
After the young man walked out, the official from the Ministry of Justice said: "Next."
Another candidate was about to go in, but was stopped by Zhou Zhong. He looked dissatisfied, turned his head, and immediately retracted his head, took a step back, and gave up his position.
Li Mu walked in at Zhou Zhong's signal and put the test papers on the table.
The official from the Ministry of Justice didn't even raise his head and asked, "What's your name?"
"Li Mu."
"Place of origin?"
"Beijun, Yangqiu County."
"Who recommended it?"
"His Majesty."
"who?"
…
The official of the Ministry of Justice raised his head. The people recommended by local talents are usually local officials such as county magistrates or county guards. He did not realize for a moment what kind of official your majesty was. When he raised his head to confirm, he saw Li Mu and was stunned for a moment.
, stood up immediately: "Li, Mr. Li..."
"Okay." Zhou Zhong looked at the official and said, "The person you recommend should be my official."
This kind of review is just a formality. It is difficult to detect people with truly ulterior motives through this kind of magic weapon. Only after the imperial examination is over, those who pass the imperial examination will be scrutinized more carefully.
After Li Mu, Li Si also quickly passed the review.
When the two of them walked into the courtyard again, an official hurriedly walked in from outside and said to Zhou Zhong and others: "I'm sorry, I'm late..."
The Minister of Civil Affairs looked at him and frowned: "The imperial examination is the top priority of the imperial court. How can Minister Liu be so careless?"
"Sorry, sorry, cough..." the official said apologetically, and suddenly covered his mouth and coughed, and bloodshot eyes came out of his mouth.
Several officials were startled and said quickly: "Mr. Liu, what's going on?"
The official waved his hand and said, "Something went wrong in my practice last night. I suffered internal injuries. It's okay, it's okay..."
An official said: "Master Liu, why don't you go back to your home to rest. We are here and nothing will happen. It is important for Master Liu to take care of himself..."
The official shook his head and said: "The imperial examination is an important matter for the imperial court. How can I leave my post without authorization? A minor injury will not hinder anything."
Li Mu already knew the identity of this person at this time. He was the new Minister of Rites. Last time Li Mu was framed, this person was the biggest beneficiary.
When the Ministry of Rites was short of manpower and faced with the imperial examination and was in urgent need of officials to preside over it, he, who had just been transferred to the position of Doctor of the Ministry of Rites, was promoted to the position of Minister of Rites as an exception, saving at least ten years of struggle.
Seeing that he was vomiting blood, some officials still asked uncertainly: "Mr. Liu, are you really okay?"
Liu Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "It's okay."
When everyone saw this, they couldn't help but feel awe in their hearts.
Before today, when they mentioned the Minister of Rites, they only thought that he was lucky enough to reach this position.
Now it seems that this person is so cruel to himself, and it is definitely not an accident that he can climb to where he is today.
It was also the first time for Li Mu to see such a ruthless person. He couldn't help but take a closer look and found that the Minister of Rites, besides being ruthless to him, was also quite handsome.
Although he is not as monstrous as Cui Ming, he is definitely considered a handsome man, comparable to several Zhang Chun.
The Minister of Rites also noticed him and said, "This is Mr. Li Muli, sorry, disrespectful..."
Li Mu hugged him and said, "Master Liu has worked really hard for the imperial court..."
Liu Qing smiled and said: "What I am doing is just my job, and it is not as good as Mr. Li's contribution to the court..."
The two complimented each other a few words, and suddenly heard the sound of quarreling coming from the side.
"Why don't you let me take the exam? Give me back the exam guide!"
"Let's go, don't delay other people here..."
…
Li Mu turned around and saw a familiar figure. Wei Peng was pushed out by two officials from the Ministry of Justice. His face turned red and he was arguing with them.
Li Mu soon understood the reason.
If Wei Peng came to the Ministry of Punishment to review his qualifications for the imperial examination, there is a high chance that he would not pass.
His father, Wei Teng, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, had just been dismissed from his post by the Queen. According to the rules, no one within the third generation of the Wei family could participate in the imperial examination.
Wei Peng is now the son of a guilty minister, so it is naturally impossible for him to pass the review of the Ministry of Punishment.
Zhou Zhong walked over, glanced at Wei Peng, and asked the official from the Ministry of Justice: "What's going on?"
The official bowed and said, "Sir, this man is the son of a guilty minister, and according to the law, he cannot participate in the imperial examination..."
Zhou Zhongdao: "Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, was convicted after he obtained the imperial examination. The Ministry of Punishment reviewed him only for those with evil intentions. Since he had obtained the imperial examination, he was qualified to take part in the imperial examination. The Ministry of Punishment had no right to deprive him of the right to participate in the imperial examination."
.”
The Minister of Justice had already spoken, but the official from the Ministry of Punishment did not dare to say anything and obediently returned the examination to Wei Peng.
Wei Peng took the test and bowed to Zhou Zhong: "Thank you, sir."
Zhou Zhong glanced at him lightly and said, "I act in accordance with the law..."