From cute to empress

Chapter 104 The Truth About Academic Fraud

Zhen Youcai and I hurried out of the hall and headed towards the back hill of the Imperial College. That was the residence of successive generations of chief academics, a quiet place rarely disturbed by anyone.

"Who is it?" I asked in a low voice.

"Lin Jijiu's steward seems to want to leave the capital secretly." Zhen Youcai looked solemn.

We arrived at the back of the mountain and saw a sneaky figure preparing to climb over the wall. Zhen Youcai rushed forward and stopped the man.

"What...what do you want to do?" The butler looked panic-stricken.

"I think you should know what we want." I looked at him coldly, "Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"

The housekeeper hesitated and refused to speak. I signaled Zhen Youcai to search his body, and sure enough, he found a letter.

I unfolded the letter and saw this:

"After the task is completed, there will be a generous reward. Remember, do not reveal a single word about this matter, otherwise..."

At the end of the letter, there was a bright red seal.

"This is... the Zhou family's seal!" My pupils suddenly shrank, and my heart was filled with shock.

The Zhou family, the family of the current prime minister, possesses immense power and wealth comparable to that of a nation. Why would they intervene in the academic fraud case at the Imperial College?

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

"It seems this pool of water is deeper than we imagined..." I put the letter away and stared at the butler sharply. "You'd better tell the truth, otherwise, your end will be a hundred times more tragic than it is now!"

The butler was so frightened that he trembled all over and finally spoke.

"It's...it's the eldest young master of the Zhou family. He...he gave Lin Jijiu a large sum of money and asked him...to ask him..."

"What do you want him to do?" I demanded.

"Let him... let him modify the exam questions so that... let those students who have paid the money pass the exam smoothly..." the butler said intermittently.

I immediately understood. It turned out that there was a huge chain of interests hidden behind this. Those wealthy businessmen spent huge sums of money to bribe officials in order to enable their children to enter the officialdom, and those officials, for the sake of profit, did not hesitate to trample on the fairness and justice of education.

"Very good." I smiled coldly, "It seems that it is time for some people to pay the price."

I turned around and said to Zhen Youcai, "Pass the order down. Seal the city gates and strictly investigate all those associated with the Zhou family. Don't let them escape!"

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left.

I gazed at the twinkling stars in the night sky, but my heart felt cold. This struggle had only just begun, and what awaited me would be even more dangerous challenges...

At this moment, several figures hurried over. In the dim moonlight, I recognized them. They were Zhao Xuezi, Sun Xiucai, and... Princess Zhou?!

"Your Majesty..." Mr. Zhao hesitated to speak.

My heart moved. It seemed that things had taken a new turn...

I looked at the three people in front of me with different expressions, and my heart was filled with confusion. "Why are you here?"

Student Zhao was the first to step forward. He took a deep breath and said firmly, "Your Majesty, we can't just sit back and watch! These past few days, we've secretly visited many candidates and discovered..." He paused, glanced at Princess Zhou, and continued, "We've discovered that most of those candidates who bribed the examiners to get good grades have close ties to the Zhou family!"

My gaze fell on Princess Zhou. She was always innocent, but now she looked ashamed, her eyes evasive. "Your Majesty, I... I didn't know anything about this..." She bit her lip, her voice trembling. "I'll go back and investigate thoroughly, and give you an explanation!"

I reached out to stop her, "Princess, there is no need to blame yourself. I believe you. This matter involves a wide range of issues, and the strength of just a few of us is far from enough." I turned to Mr. Sun. He has always been resourceful, but at this moment he was silent, as if thinking about something.

"Mr. Sun, what do you think?" I asked.

Sun Xiucai raised his head, his eyes gleaming. "Your Majesty, I think it's better to take the initiative than to passively wait! We can spread the word and say..." He leaned close to my ear and whispered his plan.

After hearing this, my eyes lit up and I nodded approvingly. "Okay, let's do it!"

Over the next few days, we followed our plan, secretly gathering evidence and spreading rumors to lure out those involved in academic fraud. Finally, our opportunity arrived!

"Your Majesty, they will hold a secret meeting in a villa on the outskirts of the city to discuss how to respond to our investigation." Zhen Youcai hurried to report.

"Okay! Let's go!" A cold light flashed in my eyes.

As night fell, Zhen Youcai and I, accompanied by a team of elite guards, quietly infiltrated the courtyard. In the courtyard's study, we witnessed firsthand how those hypocritical officials and wealthy businessmen, driven by profit, were willing to trample on educational fairness and justice!

"Everyone, you are committing academic fraud so blatantly. Have you ever thought about those students who are studying hard? Have you ever thought about the future of the country and the people?!" I pushed open the door and shouted sternly.

Everyone in the room was in chaos. They had never expected that I would suddenly appear here! Lin Jijiu's face turned pale, and the head of the Zhou family was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

I threw the stack of evidence on the table. "These are all irrefutable proof of your crimes! Come, arrest them all!"

"Yes!" The guards rushed forward and captured all the culprits.

As I watched this scene unfold, I felt no joy at all, only endless sadness. This struggle was far more cruel and complex than I had imagined...

"Your Majesty, what should we do next?" Zhen Youcai's voice sounded in my ears.

I took a deep breath, my gaze fixed firmly on the horizon. "Announce to the world everything that happened tonight!" Even before dawn, the news spread like wildfire throughout the capital. The people were buzzing with discussion, none of them having imagined that behind this grandiose educational reform lay such a shady dealing. For a moment, the government and the people were shaken.

I sat in the imperial study, looking over the densely packed list in my hands, feeling a mixture of emotions. Among these people were high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and even ministers I once trusted. For their own selfish desires, they had trampled upon the fairness and justice of education, ruthlessly crushing the hopes of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"Your Majesty, what should we do with these people?" Zhen Youcai stood aside with a heavy tone.

I put down the list and rubbed my tired eyes. "The culprit will be severely punished according to the law, with no leniency! As for the others, depending on the severity of the offense, they will be demoted, have their salaries fined, and so on."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhen Youcai responded with a fist salute.

I know this controversy isn't over yet. Academic fraud is just one example of the challenges facing education reform. There's still a long way to go to truly achieve fairness and justice in education.

"General Zhen, what do you think can be done to prevent such incidents from happening again?" I looked up at Zhen Youcai, hoping he could give me some advice.

Zhen Youcai pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "Your Majesty, while institutions are certainly important, what's even more important is the supervision and restriction of power. Only by allowing power to operate in the sunshine can we prevent the breeding of corruption."

His words resonated with me. Yes, even the most perfect system, without oversight and enforcement, will ultimately become nothing more than empty words.

"You're right. I've decided..." I paused, a bold idea forming in my mind. "Pass the order down. I have an important announcement to make at tomorrow's morning court! All officials must attend!"

The next morning, at court, the atmosphere in the Golden Palace was heavy. All officials sensed a sense of impending doom. I sat upright on the dragon throne, my gaze scanning the anxious and bewildered faces below, my heart swirling with emotion.

"My dear ministers, this imperial examination cheating case is of a heinous nature and has extremely negative consequences." I spoke in a grave tone, each word clear. "I have resolved to use this as a lesson and thoroughly overhaul the education supervision system to select true talents for our dynasty!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the hall. The officials were talking to each other.

I motioned for silence and continued, "I have decided to establish a dedicated education inspection department, directly reporting to me. They will regularly inspect schools at all levels, thoroughly investigating teaching order and the development of academic atmosphere. Any violations discovered will be severely punished!"

"Your Majesty, will the establishment of a new department lead to redundancy and increase the burden on the country?" The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and expressed his concerns.

"I have made up my mind. There is no need to discuss this matter further." I said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "As for the required manpower and financial resources, I will make separate arrangements."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhen Youcai stood up to support my decision. He cupped his hands and said, "I believe that only by strengthening supervision can we prevent such incidents from happening again and restore a pure land for education!"

"General Zhen, you're right!" Lin Jijiu also stepped forward to express his agreement. "I suggest that we select retired officials of high moral character and profound knowledge from all over the country to serve as inspectors. This will ensure the fairness and effectiveness of the inspection work."

"Well, Lin Jijiu's suggestion is very good. I will seriously consider it." I nodded and expressed my appreciation for Lin Jijiu's proposal.

"Your Majesty, I have another matter to report." The Minister of Personnel, who had remained silent until then, suddenly stood up and bowed. "The establishment of the new department, the selection of personnel, the division of responsibilities... all of these require detailed regulations to ensure the effective operation of the new department."

His words woke me up. Yes, determination and goals alone are not enough. We also need a set of effective systems to put these ideas into practice.

"The Minister of Personnel's words make sense," I took a deep breath, my eyes firm, "I have decided..."