Chapter 2565
Later that day, Bai Letong returned to his residence, met with Tao Hongfang and Ning Zijing, and informed his two companions of his thoughts.
"It's a pity that Ha Jianyi is not here. Otherwise, we can ask him if we can use the power of the Military Intelligence Bureau to investigate the details of this group of people." Bai Letong used Ha Jianyi, who was not present, to explain his plan. By the way, Observe the reactions of your two companions and see if you can ask them for help.
Ning Zijing said: "But the local Military Intelligence Bureau also has to take orders from Uncle Shi. Even if Ha Jianyi can mobilize the power of the Military Intelligence Bureau, they will definitely report to Uncle Shi. Then there will be no secrets in your secret investigation. ”
Bai Letong saw that Ning Zijing didn't seem to be opposed to his idea, so he asked tentatively: "Zijing, can you think of a way to ask Master He to help?"
The "Master He" Bai Letong refers to naturally refers to one of Ning Zijing's many masters, He Xi, the top leader of the Security Department.
Because the intelligence department controlled by He Xi is directly under the jurisdiction of the Executive Committee, it has great authority to act. He can decide on his own whether to investigate or even take further actions without having to report to relevant departments or local governments on many matters. . If this department can be responsible for the investigation, then there is no need to worry about local officials getting involved.
Ning Zijing smiled and said: "Le Tong, do you think that I joined Qiong Lianfa just to find a cover for my identity, but in fact I am secretly working in the Security Department?"
Bai Letong said: "That shouldn't happen, right? Even if you want to go, your father may not be able to agree."
Ning Zijing's father, Ning Qi, has always been concerned about the functions of the Security Department. He believes that if this special department lacks supervision, it will easily make some out-of-control behaviors. In order to avoid such risks, the authority of the Security Department must be restricted. Therefore, Ning Qi has always advocated limiting the action authority of the Ministry of Security over the years, and has raised many related issues, implicitly playing the role of the opponent of the Ministry of Security in the executive committee.
Of course, Ning Qi's thoughts were only out of public interest, and he had no personal grudges with He Xi, Hao Wanqing and other Ministry of Security officials. On the contrary, Ning Qi actually has a pretty good personal relationship with He Xi, otherwise Ning Zi would not be allowed to worship under He Xi's disciples and learn some knowledge related to intelligence work.
However, learning is learning. Ning Qi has no intention of letting his son join the Ministry of Security in the future, and he has expressed this view in public more than once. Even Bai Letong knows this.
Ning Zijing nodded and said: "It's good that you understand. Although my father asked me to become a master, he had no intention of letting me work in the security department in the future. Moreover, he even specifically greeted my master and asked him not to give it to me. I have never thought about arranging work in this area and mobilizing people from the security department.”
Ning Qi's arrangement is probably not to let Ning Zijing enter the security department and change the way this department operates, but to let Ning Zijing inherit his father's legacy and continue to try to limit security in the future with his understanding of relevant matters. Ministry’s methods of doing things.
But of course, Bai Letong understood that Ning Zijing could not be relied upon to help with the matter at hand.
At this time, Tao Hongfang remembered that before setting off from Sanya, his father had given him a list, saying that if he needed help here and it was not convenient for him to do something publicly, he could go to the people on the list to help him. Find a way. Of course, Tao Donglai also specifically emphasized to him that the people on this list were not officials or professional military personnel, so don't expect them to do anything great.
Now, listening to what Bai Letong said, the situation is not too urgent, but it is indeed necessary to find out the truth to ensure the smooth progress of this provincial examination. They are not familiar with the place in Hangzhou, so wanting to investigate this kind of thing personally is tantamount to asking for trouble, but if they use local forces, they may be able to get some useful information.
Seeing Bai Letong cast an inquiring look at him, Tao Hong took the initiative and said, "Maybe I can think of a way to do this." Bai Letong said happily, "That would be the best, thank you, Brother Tao!"< br>
Tao Hongfang was not in a hurry to do everything, but still asked cautiously: "Tell me first what you want to check."
Bai Letong nodded, put away the smile on his face, and said solemnly: "I suspect that the real reason why the people from the rural test office refused to change is because they leaked the test questions to the outside world!"
Tao Hongfang said: "You mean, they missed the questions to some people and then asked these people to prepare in advance so that they could benefit from this imperial examination?"
Ning Zijing interrupted: "Hongfang, you don't have to say it in such a complicated way, just two words, fraud!"
In order to prevent cheating in the imperial examinations, many measures have been taken in the past dynasties, such as the "name obscuration method" established by Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, which used paper to cover the candidates' names to prevent the examiners from identifying the target. Later, a further transcription method was invented, in which a dedicated person copied the contents of the candidate's examination paper, thus eliminating the possibility of even identifying the candidate's handwriting.
Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty established the "locked courtyard" system. The examiners were divided into multiple principals and deputy officers, who were appointed temporarily to facilitate mutual supervision. The examiner immediately entered the Gongyuan examination room after receiving the appointment, and was not allowed to leave or meet guests before the results were released.
In order to prevent candidates from cheating, the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty already had military inspections. In the Song Dynasty, the examination rooms were set up in Gongyuan, which was divided into single rooms to prevent the passing of papers and rumors.
In the Ming Dynasty, candidates were even required to bring "no scraps of paper or words into the examination room", and even the details of the body search were stipulated in detail, such as "remove the outer surface of leather clothes, remove the inner parts of felt clothes, use single layers for shirts and robes, and use single layers for socks." Felt, thin soles for shoes”. In addition, in order to prevent substitutes from taking the exam, candidates are required to provide resumes and documents with detailed physical characteristics to verify their identity when entering the examination room.
Once a cheater is caught, he or she will be immediately shackled and paraded outside the examination room. Afterwards, the title of student member was revoked. For serious cases, criminal punishments were also imposed. The punishment was light, and there were many who were sent to the army.
As for the relevant responsible officials, once verified, the lightest charge is dereliction of duty, and they will inevitably be dismissed from their posts. If the circumstances are serious, they will also be sent to prison.
Bai Letong suspected that the officials of the township examination office had leaked questions and organized examination fraud. This can be said to be a very serious accusation. Once the charges are proven, this group of people may not end well, and they will definitely suffer.
Moreover, such accusations may even implicate the people who enabled them. Shi Diwen asked them to organize today's rural examination, and they cannot escape the responsibility for this oversight.
(End of chapter)