Chapter 637: Words of Truth Distinguish Clear from Turbid

Da Zhou Imperial Palace, Qianyang Palace, 3:15 PM.

In the spacious main hall, the bronze cranes of longevity flickered with a heavy, dim yellow light. From their sharp beaks, they exhaled a milky-white dragon-saliva incense smoke, which was refreshing and curled lingeringly.

The eunuchs and palace maids serving in the hall had all been sent outside. Aside from Jia Cong, who had entered to report, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had only kept his trusted confidant Guo Lin to attend him.

The doors of Qianyang Palace were tightly shut, and ten paces outside the hall, imperial guards had been arranged to keep strict watch.

Inside the main hall, because the doors were closed, the light was somewhat dim. All the lamps and candle stands had been lit, and the blended, glowing yellow candlelight flickered and danced, illuminating the entire hall.

In front of the imperial desk stood an easel, upon which hung a drawing of a firearm with complex lines. This was the component blueprint Jia Cong had redrawn based on the finalized breech-loading gun, which he had prepared specifically for today.

At this moment, the monarch and his subject stood before the easel, their demeanor and posture unusual.

Jia Cong appeared to have the spirit of a youth, constantly pointing at the blueprint and explaining in detail the various characteristics of the breech-loading gun. Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao listened with great interest, occasionally asking questions.

The monarch and subject chatted congenially. Guo Lin, standing to the side, felt a strange sensation in his heart upon seeing this.

Jia Cong explained the general process of developing the breech-loading gun to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, highlighting the shortcomings in Da Zhou's current manufacturing techniques, which had already caused significant obstacles to the development of advanced firearms like the breech-loading gun.

The reason he used an obscure method to instill these concepts into Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was to clarify the existing limitations and difficulties to the Emperor for the subsequent development of the Firearms Office.

This not only reasonably corrected Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's excessive expectations for firearms but also laid the groundwork in advance for the environment and conditions required for future firearm research.

While clarifying the difficulties of firearm research, he also explained in detail to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao the massive improvements the newly manufactured breech-loading gun had over the improved Rumi musket in terms of range, power, and accuracy.

Moreover, the forging strength and precision of the new firing pin for the breech-loading gun had already reached the pinnacle of Da Zhou's iron-casting techniques.

A single firing pin could support thirty shots, enough for musketeers to handle the volley fire required for a small-to-medium-sized battle.

If a single soldier carried multiple spare firing pins, it could meet the demand for high-intensity firepower in large-scale battles.

After listening to Jia Cong's explanation, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao felt invigorated. The gloomy mood brought on by the major imperial examination fraud case over the past few days seemed to have been swept away.

Years ago, when Jia Cong led the musketeers to gallop across the Liaodong battlefield, the thousand-man musketeer team had exerted astonishing power in the two great victories at Yafu Pass and Qingyuan Collection, sweeping away the Jurchens outside the pass in one fell swoop.

At that time, the musketeers only used improved Rumi muskets. If they were all re-equipped with the new breech-loading guns, which had several times the power of the Rumi muskets, the power erupted by the thousand-man musketeer team would be incomparably fierce!

The Emperor was very expectant of the breech-loading gun's power and asked Jia Cong to plan and determine a time to arrange a test-firing drill at the Firearms Office workshop, awaiting his personal arrival.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao added, "Minister Jia, your successful manufacture of the breech-loading gun can be called timely.

Although Da Zhou is stable across the four seas, the border regions remain turbulent. In the several prefectures of Datong along the Nine Frontiers, the harassment by Anda Khan of the Remnant Mongol Tuman tribe is becoming increasingly frequent.

In the western border of the Dian region, the barbarian kingdom along the West Sea occasionally harasses the border; in the southeast coastal areas, the scourge of Japanese pirates has never ceased since the Yongan reign.

Da Zhou occupies the dragon-rising land of the Central Plains, with vast territory, abundant products, and a large population, and has always been coveted by the fierce barbarians of the four directions.

To speak of peace and to pacify with martial force, combining hardness and softness, is the essential requirement for establishing a nation.

I need sharp firearms like the breech-loading gun to prepare the military, awe the four barbarians, and exterminate the fierce and stubborn.

I ask you, if you were to manufacture one thousand new-style breech-loading guns, how much time would your Firearms Office need at the fastest?"

……

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong felt a slight shock in his heart. Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's plans were not small; he opened his mouth and asked for one thousand breech-loading guns.

Compared to the improved Rumi musket, the breech-loading gun had a more complex structure, and the difficulty of manufacturing it had also increased significantly.

Given Da Zhou's current level of skill and the forging strength of the Ministry of Works' Firearms Office, manufacturing one thousand breech-loading guns was an extremely arduous task.

Jia Cong said, "Your Majesty, currently the forging of each component of the breech-loading gun is at the pinnacle of Da Zhou's forging techniques, and the various craftsmen used by the Firearms Office are all first-class talents within Da Zhou, which is why they can be successfully manufactured.

But currently, the number of craftsmen in the workshop is limited, and the speed of musket manufacture is restricted. According to my estimation, the Firearms Office's monthly output can at most complete the forging and assembly of fifty breech-loading gun components.

Among these, a small number of defective guns must be discarded. To complete the manufacture of one thousand breech-loading guns, it will take nearly two years."

Although Jia Cong gave the manufacturing time, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao felt it was too long at first hearing.

But just now, Jia Cong explained to him that the performance and power of the breech-loading gun were several times that of the improved Rumi musket; the two could not be mentioned in the same breath, and the difficulty of manufacture was naturally several times higher.

Therefore, Jia Cong saying it would take two years to complete one thousand qualified breech-loading guns was considered reasonable.

However, state affairs were urgent and changed in an instant; two years was a time Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao could not wait.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Two years is too long. Is there a compromise?"

Jia Cong said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, if we expand the scale of the firearms workshop, select more first-class craftsmen, and intensify training, we can increase the workshop's monthly output."

The breech-loading gun is currently in its initial manufacture. After verification in actual combat, it will be continuously improved and finalized. If the first manufacture is one thousand, it will cause significant waste.

In my opinion, the power of the breech-loading gun is several times that of the improved Rumi musket. The firepower exerted by five hundred breech-loading guns is already far above that of one thousand improved Rumi muskets.

Therefore, the first batch of breech-loading guns only needs five hundred to achieve Your Majesty's need to form an army and prepare for war.

As long as the Firearms Office is expanded, I estimate that by this winter, the workshop should be able to complete the manufacture of five hundred breech-loading guns."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao felt invigorated. According to Jia Cong's estimated time, five hundred breech-loading guns could be successfully manufactured in half a year, and they could form an army by the end of this year.

For a newly manufactured powerful firearm, this was already considered a very fast equipment efficiency.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was in a great mood and smiled, saying, "Go back and write a specific strategy regarding this matter. I will mobilize the relevant officials from the offices to fully assist in this matter."

Just as the monarch and subject were full of longing regarding the breech-loading gun, a voice came from outside the hall: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Wei Guanyao has an urgent memorial to present."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was slightly stunned upon hearing this. Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Wei Guanyao had always been experienced and steady, and had never had an urgent memorial to present. What urgent matter made him so eager to see the Emperor?

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao suddenly thought that the Court of Judicial Review was working with the Investigation Office to detect the major imperial examination fraud case. Could it be that something unusual had appeared in the fraud case? The Emperor's face tightened slightly.

He said, "Proclaim him into the hall!"

The eunuch outside the hall slowly pushed open the hall doors. Not long after, Wei Guanyao received the eunuch's summons and hurried into Qianyang Palace.

He saw that the candles in Qianyang Palace were bright, and Earl Weiyuan Jia Cong was also in the hall, rolling up a scroll on the easel, and felt a little strange in his heart.

However, he knew that Jia Cong, as the Supervisor of the Firearms Office, was involved in the military secrets of firearm manufacture, and it was not strange for him to report to the Emperor alone in the hall.

Moreover, the matter he was reporting today, although somewhat tricky, was not a secret, and he feared it would spread by tomorrow, so there was no need to avoid Jia Cong.

……

Wei Guanyao said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, an unexpected situation has appeared in the imperial examination fraud case. Because this matter is of great importance, I dared not delay, which is why I was eager to enter the palace to see the Emperor."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's expression was solemn as he asked, "What unexpected situation is there?"

Wei Guanyao replied, "Half an hour ago, the main culprit of the imperial examination fraud case, Wu Liang, because of forced confession by the Investigation Office's Commissioner Zhou, struck his head against the torture rack in the Investigation Office's torture chamber and committed suicide!"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face changed, and he stood up abruptly from the throne, asking sternly, "How could such a thing happen? Hasn't Wu Liang already signed and confessed? How could there still be forced confession?"

Wei Guanyao replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, although Wu Liang was brought to justice because of the impeachment by Censor Sun Shouzi in court, it originated more from the report to the Investigation Office by the failed candidate Zhou Yan.

In Zhou Yan's report, he mentioned that Wu Liang's classmate and close friend Lin Zhao was suspected of being involved in the fraud of drafting questions.

Yesterday, Lin Zhao returned to the city and was caught. The Justice of the Court of Judicial Review Yang Hongbin, according to the request of Commissioner Zhou, escorted Lin Zhao to the Investigation Office's torture chamber to confront and interrogate him with Wu Liang.

Commissioner Zhou used torture to force a confession from Wu Liang, making him admit that Lin Zhao was involved in the fraud. Wu Liang initially said that Lin Zhao had no fraudulent behavior, but later, unable to bear the torture, he agreed to confess truthfully.

After the jailer untied Wu Liang from the torture rack, Wu Liang took advantage of the lack of attention and struck his head against the torture rack and died.

The Justice of the Court of Judicial Review Yang Hongbin was present as a co-judge, and he said that Commissioner Zhou used excessive torture, improper inducement, and overly aggressive interrogation, causing the culprit Wu's mood to collapse, leading him to commit suicide and causing a tragedy."

After Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao finished listening to Wei Guanyao's narration, his face was gloomy and his expression was furious.

Wu Liang was the main culprit of the fraud case, and the more than ten successful candidates involved were all brought to justice because of him. Now that Wu Liang had died by suicide before being brought to justice,

the imperial examination fraud case would lose its support because of this. How could it be justified? How could it be properly concluded? How could it face the mouths of the scholars of the world!

However, besides focusing on the predicament caused by Wu Liang's death to the imperial examination fraud case, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was clearly concerned about more than just this one matter. Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked with a gloomy face: "Why was Lin Zhao involved in the fraud case? Why did no one report this to me beforehand!"

Wei Guanyao felt a little confused upon hearing Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's questioning. Wu Liang's death would cause the imperial examination fraud case to fall into a deadlock; this was the crux of the matter.

Why was the Emperor not focusing on this, but instead focusing on this Lin Zhao? This person was not the key to this case...

Although Wei Guanyao was confused, since the Emperor asked, he naturally had no reason not to answer.

He hurriedly said, "Because on the day Wu Liang was caught, Lin Zhao happened to be out of the city visiting friends and could not be arrested, nor was he convicted, so it could only be handled separately later.

Before there was a conclusion on this person's guilt, we dared not report it to the Emperor."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao heard Wei Guanyao's explanation, which was somewhat reasonable, but his brows were still locked, and there was a strange anger in his eyes.

Jia Cong, holding the scroll, stood to the side. As the saying goes, the bystander sees clearly, and he clearly saw Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's strange expression.

He and Wei Guanyao had the same feeling: Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao seemed to have an unusual concern for Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao, as the Jieyuan of Hangzhou Prefecture, although he had some reputation among the candidates, Jia Cong could not understand for a moment what connection he had with the high and mighty Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, and why he would attract the Emperor's attention.

If there was anything else eye-catching about Lin Zhao, it was that he followed Jia Cong and ranked third in this year's imperial examination list.

!

……

Jia Cong thought of this, and his heart moved. Since he was a candidate for the spring examination, he naturally paid great attention to matters related to the spring examination.

His mentor Liu Jingan not only had the reputation of a literary master and sage, but before retiring, he served as the Minister of Rites and had served as the chief examiner for the spring examination several times.

Therefore, Liu Jingan had a mastery of the secrets of the spring examination, such as taking the exam, grading papers, selection, and ranking, that few could compare to.

As the indoor disciple most esteemed by Liu Jingan in his later years, Jia Cong naturally explained all matters related to the spring examination to this young disciple.

With such a rare famous teacher as Liu Jingan, Jia Cong's understanding of spring examination affairs was probably not inferior to the three chief examiners of the spring examination.

Therefore, he was naturally very clear about the selection rules for the palace examination papers.

Among them, the most important point was that the papers of the top eighteen candidates on the imperial examination list, as long as the level of the palace examination papers was comparable, would be directly presented to the Emperor for review.

The top three in the palace examination, barring any accidents, would also be produced from among the top eighteen candidates on the imperial examination list.

Lin Zhao, as the third-ranked candidate on this year's imperial examination list, his palace examination paper would definitely be among those presented to the Emperor for review. This was the only opportunity for Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao to notice him.

But even for this reason, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao knew of Lin Zhao's existence, and Wei Guanyao mentioned that the other party was involved in the imperial examination fraud, so the Emperor should not have shown such an expression of surprise and anger.

Unless Lin Zhao's palace examination paper, in the process of being presented to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao for review, not only left an impression on the Emperor but also aroused some appreciation and high attention.

Jia Cong could even vaguely speculate that on the gold list of the palace examination, which should have been posted on the 15th but was temporarily sealed by the Ministry of Rites, Lin Zhao was very likely to have been designated by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao as the top rank.

With Lin Zhao's talent as the Jieyuan of Hangzhou Prefecture and his reputation as the third-ranked candidate on the imperial examination list, the final result would not make people feel surprised at all.

Only if such a situation occurred would Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao show such anger at being deceived and fooled when he heard that Lin Zhao was involved in the imperial examination fraud.

Jia Cong's thoughts flashed in his mind, and within a very short time, he thought of this possibility, and he was sure that this was not his own groundless speculation, but a reason very close to the truth.

Just now, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's unusual concern for Lin Zhao also made Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Wei Guanyao show a confused expression.

This was actually not strange, because Wei Guanyao was not the chief examiner or subordinate official for this year's spring examination, and he knew very little about the inside story of this year's spring examination.

He probably knew that Lin Zhao was the third-ranked candidate on the imperial examination list and was a candidate with some weight,

but he would only analyze and locate the problem from the perspective of the three judicial offices' investigation. If Lin Zhao's crime of fraud was confirmed, it would become a strange story of this year's imperial examination...

He was not like Jia Cong, who was in the game and had interests involved, so he naturally did not have Jia Cong's keen thinking to analyze the crux, and could speculate on the deep-seated reasons in a short time.

If Jia Cong knew that during the palace examination grading, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked the three chief examiners to nominate candidates for the top rank, and the person recommended by the Minister of Personnel Chen Mo was Lin Zhao.

He would know that his speculation was absolutely correct...

……

On that day, Jiang Liu wandered the streets and heard various details of the fraud case, giving Jia Cong a considerable understanding of the ins and outs of the matter.

Chief examiner Xu Liangxiong accepted the visits of candidates before the exam, and his behavior was improper. The strategy questions he set during the exam gave candidates an opportunity to take shortcuts, and he was guilty of dereliction of duty and selling questions.

But after carefully scrutinizing the matter, Xu Liangxiong did not have the intention of deliberate fraud. It seemed that in the dark, many coincidences eventually led to the incident...

According to rumors on the street, Wu Liang did not bribe or collude with Xu Liangxiong; he just went to visit and received guidance on the questions from the other party.

Xu Liangxiong also eventually failed to be the chief examiner for the imperial examination. Originally, the questions he set were worthless and were just elegant matters of social interaction among scholars.

But just one day before the imperial examination, chief examiner Huang Hongcang was murdered, and Xu Liangxiong hurriedly took over as chief examiner. To prevent complications, the imperial court handled this news secretly.

Therefore, when Jia Cong and other candidates entered the examination hall to take the exam and heard that the chief examiner had changed, everyone felt very surprised.

But Wu Liang was able to have such a coincidence, knowing in advance that the chief examiner had changed, and the originally worthless questions suddenly became a shortcut to success.

If it were another candidate who encountered the temptation of such a coincidence, would they be able to remain uncorrupted and unmoved? I fear it would be very difficult...

Therefore, in Jia Cong's view, Wu Liang was guilty of taking shortcuts and fraud, but the crime did not deserve death. However, in the end, because he was unwilling to frame others, he committed suicide, which made people feel compassionate.

Jia Cong thought that after the palace examination ended that day, Lin Zhao had taken the initiative to chat with him. Although it was only a few words, the other party's demeanor left a deep impression on him.

Such a person, whose talent and luck were different from ordinary people, and whose bright future was in sight, must be cautious in his actions. Jia Cong, based on his intuition, did not believe that Lin Zhao would commit fraud.

He privately pondered and combed through the various details of the fraud case, discovering that the direction of the entire affair was swayed by many terrible coincidences, whether overt or covert, as if it were some kind of destiny at work, making it impossible for these people to escape their fate...

……

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was full of anger because of Wu Liang's sudden suicide and Lin Zhao's involvement, and was pondering the strategy for disposal.

He heard someone beside him say: "Your Majesty, I am also a candidate for this year's imperial examination, and I have paid much attention to the imperial examination fraud case. I have heard many rumors on the street, and I have some shallow and clumsy opinions. I don't know if I should speak or not."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao saw Jia Cong suddenly speak, his eyes brightened slightly, and he said: "Minister Jia has repeatedly broken major cases in Jinling and is proficient in investigation and case-solving techniques. If you have any insights, just speak."

Jia Cong said: "Your Majesty, I have never participated in this case, and my understanding of this case is mostly from rumors on the street. I dare not make rash assertions about those involved and convicted.

But the candidate Lin Zhao is suspected of fraud, and there are still doubts. I just heard what Minister Wei said, and I feel that Lin Zhao's matter has many suspicious points.

Before the imperial examination, although I did not know Lin Zhao, when I handed in my paper and left the palace after the palace examination, I had a brief encounter with him.

Although it was only a few words, this person's demeanor was calm, his words were gentle, and his behavior was not vulgar. He does not look like a person who takes shortcuts.

Lin Zhao is from Hangzhou Prefecture. Jiangnan has always been prosperous in imperial examinations, even more so than Yongzhou in the north. Lin Zhao can be the Jieyuan of Hangzhou Prefecture, and his talent in imperial examinations is excellent, needless to say.

With his talent and city, it is not a difficult thing to obtain the qualification of a Jinshi. He can rank third on the imperial examination list, which is a glimpse of his talent.

With his ability, there is really no need to take risks to commit fraud in the imperial examination.

Furthermore, the candidate Zhou Yan who reported Wu Liang, I heard rumors on the street that this person is a failed candidate for this year's imperial examination.

Reporting a successful candidate as a failed candidate, his motivation is worth discussing. Is it because of hatred for failing? Is reporting Lin Zhao a speculation? It still needs to be clarified and investigated deeply.

Third, the suspect Wu Liang had previously signed a confession for the crime of fraud. Based on this alone, his official career and future were already destroyed. For a scholar, this is worse than death, but he did not commit suicide because of this.

Why was he emotionally agitated and willing to commit suicide when Commissioner Zhou forced him to testify that Lin Zhao committed fraud? This move is unreasonable.

I think that although Wu Liang's official career and future were destroyed because of the mistake of fraud, his desire to live was not cut off, and his conscience still existed. Under the forced confession, he was unwilling to frame his classmate and close friend, and was in despair, which is why he resolutely committed suicide.

For conviction by torture, human evidence, physical evidence, and circumstantial evidence must all be complete before it can be open and aboveboard, and justified.

Now the human evidence Wu Liang is dead, the physical evidence has not been mentioned, and what about the circumstantial evidence? With the three scattered, how can one be convicted?

I think that with the three pieces of evidence incomplete, the suspect's suicide to prove his ambition is more able to verify whether Lin Zhao is guilty or not than the Investigation Office's forced confession..." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 638 =====