The imperial examination is the shortest way to success for children from poor families, but it also becomes an excellent opportunity for officials to make money wantonly. Many officials want to take advantage of this imperial examination to make a fortune.

However, before their money could get warm, the secret guards and numerous officials came to their door and ransacked their home to question him.

However, in just one month, hundreds of officials were dismissed from their posts, exiled or even beheaded. For a time, the officialdom was in chaos, and no one dared to move at will.

Immediately afterwards, Ying Zheng issued a very harsh decree. Anyone who participated in imperial examination fraud, whether they were poor people or dignitaries, would be punished.

All three clans are subject to joint sitting, and their descendants will not be allowed to enter the imperial examination hall again for a hundred years!

Although this punishment seems a bit too harsh, in Ying Zheng's eyes it is just as it should be.

As the saying goes, if a person achieves enlightenment, a chicken or a dog will ascend to heaven. If you embezzle money, your children, relatives and friends at home will also benefit from it invisibly. Since you have received the benefit, you must bear responsibility.

Of course, if a relative or friend makes a report, they will not only be exempted from criminal law but will also receive high rewards.

After this, those officials who want to use their brains will not dare to take action easily. After all, the risk is too great. What they gain by luck is just some money, and if something goes wrong, they are not the only ones who will be unlucky.

The entire family will not be able to embark on an official career for a hundred years, which is undoubtedly a devastating blow!

Under such strong oppression, even the official system was much clearer, and the imperial examination was carried out step by step in an orderly manner.

From the initial township test, to the subsequent county test, and then to the subsequent county test, we are checking at every level to create a fair competitive environment for candidates as much as possible.

Of course, the so-called fairness is only relative. After all, there is a huge gap between the poor and the nobles in nature. The differences in resources, connections and educational environment make the starting points of both sides completely different.

Therefore, even if the unjust officials have been frightened, the clearance rate of noble children is still much higher than that of poor families.

There are nearly 100,000 candidates nationwide, and less than 1,000 people have passed the county examination. Among them, more than 80% are aristocratic students, and most of the rest are from middle-class families with small assets.

There are only a few dozen poor candidates who really come from the bottom.

Seeing such data, Ye Zhang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. This is the limitation of the times. The accumulation of accumulated knowledge of the noble family for hundreds of years cannot be surpassed overnight.

But even if it is not satisfactory, this is still a good start. I believe that with this imperial examination, more and more talented people from poor families will appear in the future...

Time flies. After the county examination, all qualified candidates will rush to Xianyang and go to the palace to participate in the last palace examination. As long as they can stand out in this most critical competition, their future will definitely be bright!

This examination was personally presided over by the First Emperor Ying Zheng, and the national teacher Ye Chang served as the invigilator. All candidates were working hard for their own future and using all their abilities.

It only took an hour from the time the question was asked to the end of the answer. After all, Ying Zheng had so many things to do and didn't have much time to waste. After bowing respectfully, everyone left with an uneasy feeling.

Half a month later, the final results of the imperial examination came out, which also meant that the first imperial examination of the Qin Empire came to a successful conclusion.

Many imperial lists were posted on various city walls in Xianyang. All the candidates who had taken the imperial examination gathered around them, scanning the imperial lists with great excitement and nervousness, hoping to find their names.

According to the joint formulation of Ye Zhang and Ying Zheng, the imperial examinations were divided into three levels. The first is the first-class Jinshi, which has only three places.

There are a total of ten people in the second class. Although they are not as outstanding as the first three, they are equally important. As for the third class, there are more people, a total of more than thirty people.

Judging from the proportion, about half of the candidates are selected, and each one can be said to be chosen from thousands of people.

Among them, the first-level and second-level talents in the palace examination were elite talents. They were all left in Xianyang City and assigned to work in the department to which Jiuqing belonged. They were considered to have entered the central government agency of the country, and their future was unlimited.

The remaining thirty or so people also have their own affiliations, but most of them have been transferred to serve in local counties. Some have become county magistrates and county magistrates, and some have served as officials and governors in the county government.

Waiting for positions.

Although it is a few points behind the former, if they can perform outstandingly in their respective positions, they will still be reused and promoted to official positions. It can be said that all those who are famous on the list have been given official positions, and no one has been left behind.

This kind of treatment is actually a bit high, and the reason why Ying Zheng made such a decision was to let the people of the world see whether his emperor was as cruel and unscrupulous as the nobles of the Six Kingdoms said.

At the same time, it also made more people believe that the imperial examination can be used to get ahead, and it is not just a formality. Anyone who is talented and willing to serve the Qin Dynasty can become a human master.

As soon as the imperial examination was opened, dense crowds of people rushed over to watch, all wanting to see who could win the first place in the imperial examination.

But at this moment, there was only one candidate who did not join in the fun. Instead, he packed up his parcel with a calm expression and slowly walked out of the inn, preparing to leave Xianyang and return to Peixian County.

He didn't think he would pass the exam, and the reason why he came to take the exam was just to express what he wanted to say.

After all, his policy was to truce, focus on agriculture, and strive to develop the economy. It can be said to be incompatible with the current trend of the entire Qin Dynasty, so how could it be reused?

And just when he stepped out of the inn, he saw a group of cavalry running on the street, loudly announcing: "The top one in the imperial examination is Xiao He from Peixian County!

Ranking first in the imperial examination, Xiao He from Peixian County!"

After the voice fell, the man named was stunned. After the voice gradually faded away, he turned around and said with some disbelief: "I am actually the first..."

At the same time in Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng looked at the examination paper in his hand and said, "Is it too high to rate this person as the leader of the imperial examination?"

Hearing this, Ye Zhang chuckled and said, "Xiao He has the talent to help the country, and he deserves to be the leader."

Hearing this, Ying Zheng's expression changed and he raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I didn't expect Mr. to appreciate him so much. I wonder how he compares to Li Si?"

He knew very well how high the other party's vision was. Even Li Si, the current Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, had never received such praise.

Ye Zhang thought for a moment and then replied: "In terms of governing the country, he is better than Han Fei."
Chapter completed!