The affair concerning Cui Junrong was actually quite simple, yet its nature was appallingly heinous.
It was incredibly difficult for a scholar to pass the imperial examinations and earn an official post. Ten years of arduous study were often not enough to succeed, and some had studied for far longer than ten or even twenty years.
They lacked natural talent, relying solely on their tenacity, sleeping late and rising before dawn. To support their studies, entire families would eat bran and wild greens, going the whole year without a single taste of meat.
If they truly had no chance at such a life-altering opportunity, then so be it. But they did have a chance, and it was brutally snatched away from them.
Forcibly preventing capable candidates from taking the imperial examinations—how was that any different from cheating during the exams themselves?
"Father told Mr. Cheng about this. Mr. Cheng should make his move in the next day or two."
