PFC Chapter 62 Decision
Chapter 62 Decision
"These are just your guesses. If you launch a large-scale search and then fail to find anything, it will only fuel the fire and accelerate the escalation of this matter!"
Guan Yan wasn't unwilling to believe Zhou An; it was just that Zhou An couldn't give a convincing reason.
Verifying based on mere speculation will only escalate the situation, and even Judge Li's side would not agree.
Since they couldn't find the swindler, the only way to protect Li Mu was to suppress the matter.
If the matter becomes too public and has to be reported to the imperial court, Li Mu will be in trouble.
"I know it's just speculation, but if we don't do it, the scammers will get wind of it and run away. Then we won't be able to suppress public opinion, and things will completely spiral out of control!"
Zhou An said, "Although it's just a guess, it's not entirely without basis. These swindlers can accurately predict the candidates' thoughts and trick them. They are not only very clever, but they must also be well-educated and have some knowledge."
Those who can manipulate test takers will inevitably develop an arrogant attitude.
This kind of person is very confident, confident that everything is under their control.
Zhou An's guess was an attempt to guess the other party's mindset.
Firstly, when scammers approach educated people, their words and actions will inevitably leave no flaws.
This is something that cannot be done by someone who has never been to school.
The way scholars speak differs greatly from how ordinary people speak.
Even the most naive scholars wouldn't be so oblivious as to miss this point.
It's no wonder that scammers feel arrogant and complacent after manipulating test takers so easily.
Moreover, in ancient times, information was scarce, so after a swindler committed fraud in Tongzhou, he would most likely not stay in Tongzhou to continue committing fraud.
They stayed in Tongzhou temporarily to confirm that the deceived scholar had indeed not reported the matter to the authorities and that the matter had not been exposed.
Then the scammer can move on to the next place and continue their scam.
However, if they leave after succeeding, the scammers won't know immediately what's happening in Tongzhou.
If you continue to commit fraud, you may get caught.
In his previous life, Zhou An had seen many criminal investigation cases. Generally, those who committed crimes randomly would usually flee immediately.
Those who commit premeditated crimes are less likely to flee immediately.
They thought they wouldn't be caught for a while, so they wanted to stay and see how things progressed before fleeing if things went wrong.
Although Zhou An wasn't sure, the probability was high.
If he weren't worried that the imperial court would send someone to re-examine his exam papers and delay his chances of achieving official success, he wouldn't want to get involved in such matters.
"If the scammers can't be caught, it proves that this was just a fraud, not cheating, and the news can't be kept secret."
Zhou An said, "Just tell your father this, and he will understand how to make a decision."
"good!"
Guan Yan nodded and said, "I'll go back right away!"
Zhou An got up to see Guan Yan off, and returned to his room, but he had no heart to read.
This provincial examination was truly full of twists and turns. Anyone with a weaker constitution would have gone mad even if they hadn't gone crazy after passing the exam.
If the swindler can be caught and the matter settled, all the successful candidates will have to thank him.
.........
Inside the main hall of the mansion.
The prefect of Tongzhou, Guan Shuo, and all the officials of Tongzhou, including Hu Yuan and the school director Du You, were present.
Everyone remained silent, their faces grave.
Seeing that no one spoke, Guan Shuo said, "Since no one has any other ideas, let's submit a petition to the imperial court. I'll go and write it right away!"
None of them wanted to take responsibility, and when asked what to do, not one of them said a word.
Even that old fellow Li Chunyang didn't say anything, so let's just submit a petition.
"Prefect Guan!"
When Li Chunyang saw that Guan Shuo actually wanted to submit a memorial directly, he became anxious and stood up, saying, "If even such a small matter requires a memorial to be submitted directly for the Emperor and all the officials to decide, what use are we to the court?"
"Judge Li is right. We haven't even clarified the specifics of the matter yet; submitting a memorial now might only lead to the Emperor reducing our punishment!"
Officials from Li Chunyang's faction quickly chimed in to agree.
Guan Shuo sneered inwardly. The officials in Tongzhou were almost divided into three factions: those who supported him, those who supported Li Chunyang, and a few who were more shrewd and just did their job.
It's normal that those people didn't speak up; neither did Li Chunyang's faction.
They just want him to make the decisions so they can distance themselves from any problems that arise later.
Now that he's flipped the table, he's getting anxious.
"Then what do you suggest we do? How do we quell the anger of the examinees, and how do we find clues?" Guan Shuo said calmly.
"This…"
When Guan Shuo asked them questions, they fell silent again.
How to control public opinion and how to investigate are things that a prefect like Guan Shuo would naturally know.
But if no useful clues are found, the matter cannot be resolved properly, and it is not reported in time, the imperial court will certainly blame us.
Being an official is actually difficult. If nothing goes wrong, all is well. But once something does happen, whether or not to report it, and when to report it, requires a lot of skill.
If you report it too early, the court will think you're incompetent and can't even handle this simple matter.
Once the report is submitted, the situation gets out of control, and the imperial court will blame you for not reporting it sooner.
Although Guan Shuo and Li Chunyang are the only ones with the right to submit a memorial directly, who knows if they will make any suggestions and then make them take the blame?
"Prefect Guan, may I have a word to say?" Hu Yuan stood up and said.
"Scholar Hu, please have a seat!"
Guan Shuo quickly replied, "Please just say what you have to say."
"This matter is also somewhat related to me. I can vouch for the candidates that there was no cheating in the results of this provincial examination."
Hu Yuan said, "I will also submit a memorial to the court. It was all on my whim that I participated in setting the exam questions and grading the papers, which led to this matter."
"Teachers, no!"
Du You said urgently, "If anyone is to blame for this, it's me. How can I let you take the blame?"
Whether there was fraud in the results is not the same as whether there was fraud in the process.
The entire provincial examination involved a great many officials and yamen runners, and no one could guarantee that no one would tamper with it.
Hu Yuan assured the candidates that with his reputation, he could indeed suppress the matter.
However, if it is later discovered that there are problems with those involved in the imperial examination system, he will inevitably be despised by those scholars.
How could Du You possibly let his teacher bear these burdens?
"It's alright, I..."
Hu Yuan waved her hand, but before she could finish speaking, Guan Shuo's advisor walked in.
"Who let you in?" Guan Shuo shouted.
"Prefect, I have important matters to report."
After the advisor finished speaking, seeing that Guan Shuo did not speak, he quickly stepped forward, leaned close to his ear, and whispered a few words.
Guan Shuo frowned upon hearing this, hesitated briefly, and then said, "Everyone, I'll go out for a bit and we can discuss this matter again later!"
Although everyone was curious upon hearing this, no one spoke.
Guan Shuo led the clerk out, and after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they returned to the hall.
"Gentlemen, I have a solution!"
Guan Shuo said, "When those two were captured, it was not long after the city gates were closed."
If a swindler is committing fraud and remains in the city, he will surely hide.
They might not have received the news at that time, and even if they did, it would have been too late to leave the city.
My intention is to take the portrait and search the entire city to see if we can catch the swindler!
"No!"
Li Chunyang immediately objected, "The swindler has been gone for so long, why would he stay in the city? The matter hasn't spread yet, there's still a chance to suppress it. Once the city is searched, it will cause a huge uproar, and everyone will know."
"Since Judge Li objects, what do you suggest we do?"
Guan Shuo said calmly, "There is one thing I must make clear first: I will never agree to suppress this matter."
If you disagree, report this directly to the imperial court and request the Ministry of Justice to issue a warrant for your arrest throughout the country based on the portrait.