kingnovel Chapter 1166 Right to Verify Answer Sheets
Chapter 1166 Right to Verify Answer Sheets
The wind made the window frames in the study rattle.
Two quarters of an hour after Shen Zheng and Xu Yunyan left, Liu Yumin realized that he had been too eager to succeed and had handed over his chips too quickly, thus inadvertently falling into Shen Zheng's trap.
They knew he still had leverage.
So, should he use this last trump card, use it, or... use it?
The small leaves of the potted plant on the table swayed gently in the wind. Liu Yumin was lost in thought when he heard footsteps outside the room.
"Liu Qianshi," Shen Zheng said, leading Xu Yunyan back. She sat down with a smile and immediately began to probe his defenses: "I just discussed this with Lord Xu again, and we believe that allowing Young Master Ji to participate in the re-examination is too risky and unfair to the students of the prefectural school..."
"Lord Shen!" Liu Yumin watched helplessly as a trap appeared before him, yet he had no choice but to walk into it: "I was so nervous about coming down to official business that I forgot to mention something..."
"There's one more thing?" Shen Zheng feigned surprise. "What is it?"
Liu Yumin forced a smile: "Lord Xin said he wanted to use this re-examination to promote the 'right to verify students' answer sheets' in several surrounding prefectures. I almost forgot about this..."
"The right to check students' answer sheets?" Shen Zheng hesitated, but was secretly overjoyed.
"Students' answer sheets verification" is a new system proposed by the Provincial Surveillance Commission in recent years. It involves distributing the exam papers of candidates who failed the exam, annotating the reasons for their failure, and then organizing examiners to answer their questions in a group, so that students know "where they went wrong" and can improve.
A few years ago, when this system was first proposed, it was met with opposition from many intellectuals.
Shen Zheng thought that the reason these literati opposed it was very simple—they had been rained on, so naturally they wanted to tear up the umbrellas of the students behind them.
Moreover, local education officials also opposed this system, citing a variety of reasons, such as "insufficient staff and funding in the prefectural schools" and "concerns that students might misunderstand and become dissatisfied with the imperial court."
But Shen Zheng thought this system was excellent.
Although the imperial examination papers of today are not like the college entrance examination of her past, which have standard answers, as the saying goes, even if a person dies, he should die knowing why.
Most students were able to participate in the imperial examinations only because their families supported them. If they failed the exams without understanding why, not only would they be unable to accept it, but their families would as well.
Thinking of this, Shen Zheng deliberately showed a conflicted expression to Liu Yumin, "Liu Qianshi, please have a moment, allow me to consider this further..."
Liu Yumin's eyes widened upon hearing this.
Should we think about it some more?
Seeing Shen Zheng bracing herself on the table and trying to get up, he couldn't help but stand up before her and say, "Lord Shen, Lord Xin has only told us this much. As for the rest... there really is nothing more."
"Is it really over?" Shen Zheng suppressed the smile in her eyes and hesitated, "Liu Qian Shi, perhaps... you should think about it again?"
Liu Yumin had seen many "thieves" in officialdom, but this was the first time he had seen a "robber" like Shen Zheng.
Left with no other option, he decided to be frank: "That's really all. Lord Shen, if you have any further requests, please tell me directly. If it's within my authority, I will try my best to grant them. If it's beyond my authority, I will immediately send a message to Lord Xin for his decision..."
Liu Yumin stood up and was taller than the window. Shen Zheng felt the light dim in front of her and quickly said, "Liu Qianshi, you are too kind. Please sit down and talk."
Liu Yumin slowly sat down, but never dared to sit completely still.
Shen Zheng poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "I do have another idea."
Liu Yumin's mouth was dry, but he didn't dare touch the tea in front of him.
You're obligated to drink someone's tea, especially when you're drinking tea from someone like Lord Shen.
He simply said, "Lord Shen, please speak freely."
Shen Zheng took a sip of tea and smiled, "I have heard that the prefectural school directors of Linjiang and Jianchang prefectures once served in the Hanlin Academy and are erudite and insightful; the headmaster of Luming Academy in Yuanzhou has been able to predict the prefectural examination questions every year and has profound teaching skills. If these famous teachers could come to my Liuyang prefectural and county schools to give lectures, the students of the prefectural schools would surely broaden their horizons, learn from others' strengths, and improve their studies."
"..." Liu Yumin remained silent.
This requirement is neither too demanding nor too lenient; it falls precisely on the line between "somewhat difficult but not impossible."
After a long silence, he nodded with difficulty: "Your humble servant and Lord Xin... will do their best to invite these renowned teachers to give lectures on behalf of Liuyang Prefecture."
“Then it’s settled.” Shen Zheng didn’t give him a chance to back out. She stood up and said, “Liu Qianshi, are you tired from your journey? I will have someone arrange accommodation for you. You can reply to Lord Xin after you’ve rested.”
Before Liu Yumin could even process what was happening, his legs had already followed Shen Zheng out of the study.
Before being led away by the yamen runners, he heard Shen Zheng say, "By the way, Vice Commissioner Liu, please pass on a message to Lord Xin: all officials participating in the re-examination must sign a 'Re-examination Fairness Certificate' to demonstrate the fairness of the re-examination."
A certificate of fairness for the second-round interview?
Liu Yumin's smile became even more bitter.
I thought coming to Liuyang Prefecture was a great job, but it turned out to be a trap.
......
On the day Liu Yumin moved into the government office, he sent someone to deliver a reply.
Shen Zheng and Xu Yunyan led the staff of the Household Registration Office to finalize the reward system for this re-examination.
On the second day after Liu Yumin moved into the government office, he had nothing to do, so he took some people to Huai Mansion, which had been searched and confiscated, and listened to many people cursing around Huai Mansion for an entire afternoon.
Shen Zheng then sent a message back to Tong'an County, ordering the county to prepare items for the exams and rewards. She also inquired about the county soldiers who had just arrived. When the yamen runner returned, he reported that the training ground had been largely completed and the county soldiers were now learning to make beds, tables, and chairs from Old Qiao.
On the third day after Liu Yumin moved into the government office, he received a reply from Xin Shunyun, and in addition, he also received a "big package".
Xinji has arrived.
Xin Ji rented a small house next to the government office and warmly invited Liu Yumin to live with him, but Liu Yumin declined.
On the fourth day after Liu Yumin moved into the government office, the government office's workshops and the government education commissioner began to repair and clean the examination hall and set up the examination venue. Cart after cart of supplies was brought into the examination hall, and many people in the government office noticed that it was unusual.
On the fifth day after Liu Yumin moved into the government office, rumors began to circulate. The people said that "Lord Shen is going to hold the government examination again." Many students in the government office believed this and complained bitterly.
On the sixth day after Liu Yumin moved into the government office, Xin Ji was wandering around the gate of the examination hall when he encountered Cui Jinyin and Yu Nanshu, who were also wandering around the gate. He and Cui Jinyin hit it off immediately and got into a fight. They were then "persuaded" by the people to enter the government office. At the same time, the examiners arrived in Liuyang Prefecture one after another.
On the seventh day after Liu Yumin moved into the government office, before dawn, there was activity on the government office bulletin board. A brand new bulletin board gleamed in the gray sky.