Chapter 2586
As for why Shi Diwen wanted to open up the rules and give these people the opportunity to participate in the provincial examination, Bai Letong could also think of the reason at this time. Shi Diwen wanted the officials from the rural trial office to work for him with peace of mind, so naturally he had to promise them some benefits. If the descendants of these officials could be recommended to serve as officials in Haihan, it would of course be an offer they could not refuse.
Bai Letong even had some suspicions that Shi Diwen made such an arrangement because he was wary of people like him who were stupid and insisted on getting to the bottom of things. Once someone suspects that there is fraud in the rural trial office, these people can be thrown out as scapegoats. Shi Diwen's previous handling method was undoubtedly to calm the matter by canceling their reference qualifications, so that he would give up continuing the investigation.
If an official with no background were to handle the matter, he might have stopped at this point and would not investigate further. However, the person who paid attention to this matter was Bai Letong, a second-generation wearer with a profound background. He was still involved in the fraud case. He refused to give up even when there were doubts, so Dai Yingda came forward.
Bai Letong asked: "Dai Yingda hopes that I can turn a blind eye to the provincial examination. So what role did he play in this matter?"
Shi Diwen told him frankly: "I believe you have learned about the situation of Yangzhou salt merchants during your time in Hangzhou. Putting aside their influence among the people, our capital relocation plan also requires the financial support of salt merchants. But this job that requires money and effort is certainly not free, and the government must give them some sweeteners.”
Bai Letong suddenly said: "So Uncle Shi intends to provide the salt merchants' children with opportunities to become officials in return?"
Shi Diwen said: "The children of salt merchants becoming officials will bring these wealthy and powerful families closer to us, and at the same time it will also play a certain role in setting an example and allow more literati to participate in future rural examination selections." .”
This is the truth, but there is still a hurdle in Bai Letong's heart that he cannot overcome: "Uncle Shi, I have no opinion on the significance of promoting the children of salt merchants, but using such a method would be unfair to other candidates participating in the provincial examination."
Shi Diwen said: "This time the provincial examination will lower the standards and admit more people. Moreover, the children of salt merchants are special recruits and will not occupy the normal admission quota. If you still feel that you can't figure it out, then think about ordinary people. Whether students can make equal contributions to the country after admission is not what I value more, but the national interest!”
Shi Diwen's words were quite straightforward. Even if Bai Letong didn't completely agree with him, it would be difficult to make a strong rebuttal. As Shi Diwen said, the family power behind these salt merchants' children can provide financial support for Haihan's capital relocation plan. Its significance is of course far greater than enrolling a hundred or so ordinary students in the provincial examination. Which one is more important? In fact, it is not difficult to tell.
Bai Letong values legal fairness, but Shi Diwen obviously values practical results more. Shi Diwen's approach may not be legal, but it has been recognized by the executive committee. Even if Bai Letong wants to continue to oppose this matter, it will be difficult to win more support.
Then the conversation returned to the previous question, who is the person who has been recognized by Shi Diwen and the executive committee and is qualified to receive special treatment in the provincial examination?
When the conversation came to this point, Bai Letong had no scruples and took the lead in putting forward his own opinion: "Then, can I make a bold guess as to who is the candidate who is so valued by Uncle Shi?"
Shi Diwen nodded, indicating permission. Bai Letong said: "Since Uncle Shi specifically mentioned influence, he must not be an ordinary official's son, let alone a grassroots citizen. After thinking about it, there seems to be only one possibility, that is, a relative of the previous dynasty. ! ”
After ruling out many possibilities one after another, the answer is actually ready to come out. With the knowledge of Bai Letong and others, it is not difficult to guess it. It just lacks Shi Diwen's certification.
Shi Diwen did not avoid answering this time. He nodded and approved Bai Letong's guess: "Your guess is basically correct, but I can't reveal the specific situation to you at this time. After the provincial examination is over, You will know.”
Shi Diwen refused to disclose the specific situation, naturally he was worried that there would be changes in the matter. However, it is enough for Bai Letong and others to get such an answer. After confirming this link, the whole thing makes sense.
Due to the change of dynasties, the people of Donghai Region still had doubts about the prestige and credibility of the new dynasty, and it was difficult to carry out many aspects of work, one of which was the rural examination. And Shi Diwen hoped to change the public's view of the new dynasty through certain operations. If relatives of the previous dynasty were allowed to participate in the imperial examinations held by the new dynasty, and thereby obtain official titles and official appointments from the new dynasty, Opportunity, this will probably have an excellent publicity effect and help Haihan recruit talents in the former Ming Dynasty ruling area.
However, because there were still many uncertainties, Shi Diwen did not dare to publicize it in advance and could only arrange the matter secretly. The officials of the rural trial office and the Yangzhou salt merchants just happened to be lucky enough to catch the favorable wind. The real protagonist has not yet appeared within the reach of Bai Letong and others.
Tao Hongfang said: "When we met with Dai Yingda yesterday, he seemed very calm about our coming to confront Uncle Shi. Did he also know the inside story of this matter?"
Shi Diwen responded: "Dai Yingda is a smart man. He knows how much he weighs and is very well-informed. It is indeed possible that he will guess some clues about the arrangements for the provincial examination, but of course he will not do it in front of you. He talks about government affairs unreasonably, so even if he knows some information, he will not tell it openly. I don't know if he already knows the inside story, but even if he knows, he will continue to pretend not to know the inside story. Only then can he maximize his own interests.”
Shi Diwen's words were a bit convoluted, but the three young people already understood what he meant. Dai Yingda wanted the salt merchants' children to enjoy special treatment in this rural examination, so he had to keep silent about other things. Otherwise, once the news leaked out, the salt merchants' children who participated in the township examination would also be affected. Therefore, he only touched on the topic in yesterday's conversation and was unwilling to discuss the chaos in the rural examination in depth. He was probably worried about disrupting Shi Diwen's arrangements.
Originally, after the truth was revealed, the person involved should have breathed a sigh of relief, but Bai Letong did not feel relaxed. His heart was completely filled with a sense of helplessness. He had worked hard for so many days under pressure, but the result was Checked out loneliness. This gave him a sense of disorientation and confusion about his situation and his next work.
(End of chapter)