NFBE Chapter 176 He Denies It to the Death
Chapter 176 He Denies It to the Death
Zhou Yi's pen trembled slightly. He tried to calm himself, but his mind was in complete chaos.
He knew that his behavior had aroused suspicion, but if he confessed directly, his life would be ruined.
He suddenly put down his pen, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said in a weak voice, "To be honest, sirs, I caught a chill in the examination hall and fell ill after returning home. Now I'm dizzy and have a headache, and I can't remember what I wrote earlier..."
Yu Wan exclaimed, "Wow! Does Young Master Zhou mean we should catch a cold in the sweltering heat of June, when we don't even need blankets?"
Her teasing tone almost made everyone burst out laughing.
A hint of a smile flashed across Li Kangnian's serious face, but he quickly frowned and said in a gloomy tone, "Zhou Yizhi, do you think I'm a fool?"
Zhou Yizhi quickly replied, "Lord Li, I have absolutely no such intention. If I were truly suspected of cheating, why would I cooperate so much by following the officials from the Hanlin Academy? I only dared to come to the Hanlin Academy because I have a clear conscience."
"Zhou Yizhi, whatever you say now is useless. We only need to see the evidence." Xie Yuanxiu's expression was indifferent as he glanced at the table. "There's only half an hour left, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Are you still going to continue writing?"
Everyone could see clearly that Zhou Yizhi hadn't written many words on the blank sheet of Xuan paper on the table.
Zhou Yi's lips trembled slightly.
He was wrong. He shouldn't have been so arrogant, thinking he could write down what he had copied.
In front of everyone, his mind went completely blank, and he couldn't recall the contents of the exam paper at all.
But if he doesn't continue writing, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that he cheated and falsified information?
Not only will he be severely punished, but it will likely implicate other members of his family as well...
“If they keep writing, the students will be able to continue writing.”
After saying that, his face turned pale, and he picked up the pen again, but his hand still trembled uncontrollably, and the characters he wrote on the rice paper were crooked and uneven.
He tried hard to recall the exam questions, but the terrifying scene of the cheating being completely exposed kept flashing through his mind.
Each stroke of the pen felt like a ton of bricks, and beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, soaking my clothes.
Time passed slowly, and the burning gazes of the crowd and the silence of the room seemed to mock his disheveled state.
Zhou Yizhi's breathing became more and more rapid. He felt as if he were sinking into a quagmire, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
Yun Shang watched quietly to the side, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
When he saw Xie Yuanxiu take out the exam paper with his name on it, he knew that his ranking had been stolen.
Although the handwriting on that exam paper was exactly the same as his, the content was completely different from what he had written.
The other party is truly incredibly capable, managing to completely copy and switch the exam papers.
Xie Yuanxiu and Li Kangnian exchanged a glance. Li Kangnian's face was solemn, filled with boundless rage.
"The time has come." Xie Yuanxiu's words were like a death sentence for Zhou Yizhi.
Looking at the Xuan paper riddled with errors and crooked handwriting, making it impossible to decipher what had been written, Zhou Yizhi lost his composure and took a deep breath, then suddenly put down his brush.
He bowed deeply to Li Kangnian and said, "Lord Li, I am really unwell and I am afraid I cannot recite what I wrote that day."
Xie Yuanxiu said, "You mean, you admit to cheating and falsifying information?"
Zhou Yizhi raised his somewhat pale face and retorted, "Lord Xie, you must provide evidence when you speak. The imperial examination was jointly organized under the supervision of the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites. On the day of the examination, there were not only officials from the Hanlin Academy, but also officials from the Ministry of Rites."
"Lord Xie said that the exam paper that Young Master Yunshang wrote from memory was exactly the same as the exam paper that the student submitted. The student guessed that there might be a problem with the review process, but it was definitely not related to the student."
Even at this point, they can still calmly make excuses.
That's quite capable.
Xie Yuanxiu chuckled and placed the exam paper with Zhou Yizhi's name on it directly in front of Zhou Yizhi, saying, "In that case, I will pretend you are unaware of this."
"Now, in front of Lord Li, tell me, is what you wrote on this examination paper?"
Zhou Yizhi lowered his head, his gaze quickly sweeping across the room.
Looking at the neat and beautiful characters on the rice paper, he was consumed by jealousy.
Both were trying to prove themselves, so why was a poor, pedantic scholar from the countryside more calm and composed than him?
The fact that his exam papers were switched has been discovered, and now if he wants to clear himself of the blame, he has no choice but to...
"This isn't a student's exam paper!" Zhou Yizhi suddenly exclaimed in surprise, looking utterly astonished. "This...this wasn't written by a student."
Xie Yuanxiu seemed to have anticipated his reaction. "So, you had no idea your exam paper was switched?"
Zhou Yi looked bewildered and wronged. "Please, esteemed officials, do justice for me. I believe I have achieved much in my studies. I only participated in this imperial examination to test the waters. I never thought I could be the top scorer."
"The students don't know what's going on either."
He kept insisting he was innocent, and no one present believed him, but Zhou Wang did.
He looked at Li Kangnian and said, "Lord Li, there must have been some mistake during the review of the papers. I know my nephew well; he has always been upright and honest, and he would never do something so morally depraved."
"Is that so?" Xie Yuanxiu smiled faintly. He raised his hand and saw three guards from the Hanlin Academy rush in from outside the door.
They were each holding a man dressed as a scholar, who looked terrified, but judging from the strength of their struggles, they were definitely not weak scholars.
Upon seeing them, Zhou Yizhi could no longer maintain his composure.
Xie Yuanxiu said, "Lord Li, when Yun Shang came to the Hanlin Academy to request a review, a group of candidates gathered outside the academy. I felt something was amiss, so I sent people to keep an eye on him, and sure enough, we found these suspicious people."
After they were arrested, they confessed to everything.
At this moment, he pointed directly at Zhou Yizhidao and said, "It was him. He gave us brothers some money and told us to incite the examinees and slander the reputation of an examinee named Yunshang."
Xie Yuanxiu said, "If you were completely unaware, why would you use money to bribe these people to incite the examinees and try to ruin Yun Shang's reputation?"
When Zhou Yizhi had previously sought out people to incite the candidates' emotions, he had no idea about these things.
When this was suddenly revealed, he had no way to defend himself.
Seeing this, Zhou Wang understood everything.
He was both angry and terrified. "Yi Zhi, did you really cheat?!"
"Who helped you cheat and commit fraud?!"
He roared, seemingly unaware of anything.
Ignoring Zhou Wang, Li Kangnian stared coldly at Zhou Yizhi. "Zhou Yizhi, you are suspected of cheating. Your results in this imperial examination are invalid, and you are prohibited from participating in any examinations held by the court for the next ten years."
If you are barred from taking the exam for ten years, your future will be ruined.
Moreover, if this matter were reported to Emperor Wenjing, the punishment would likely be far more severe than this.