Rebirth: From being expelled from the imperial court to becoming a high-ranking official

"Brother, you are back."

Qin Si came back from the court and had just walked in when his brother called out to him. He was startled before he could even stand still. Then he said happily, "Yunhe, you're in the capital."

"Well, I just arrived this afternoon. Brother, I heard that you got 21st place in the second class. Congratulations."

Qin Si's road to the imperial examination was really tortuous, but now he has finally passed. Qin Yunhe is very happy for his brother.

Qin Si was also happy to see his brother arrive, and patted his shoulder: "Thank you, Awen, go in first."

The two brothers hadn't seen each other for only a few months, but they missed each other very much and talked about many recent events.

"...I thought you would go home and come back from there, maybe you could catch the good news."

"I can't stay at home for a few days. I'm still worried about your situation in the capital. Also, I'm afraid that if I come too late, I'll run into some problems."

Qin Si nodded: "Yes, so we don't have to rush like the first time we came to Beijing."

In fact, now that he has acquaintances like Lin Zhaotang in Beijing, it is unlikely to be like that time. However, Qin Yunhe is still worried about his brother and Li Chang.

"Brother, how about bringing your principal?"

"Very good. Although Mr. Chen is strict, he is easy to get along with as long as the tasks assigned to him are completed well."

"That's fine. The main people in charge will write an evaluation in the end, and I'm afraid I'll encounter a difficult person in charge who will deliberately make things difficult for me."

"It's okay. It's all for official business. There's nothing difficult about it."

Qin Yunhe thought that after he finished taking the civil service examination, he would find a suitable time to ask Lord Lu about the job vacancy, and try not to let his brother wait too long.

But now nothing has happened, and he has not told his brother about this.

Half a month passed in a blink of an eye, and it was May 12, the day for the examination.

The examination was organized by the Ministry of Personnel and took place there.

Because all the candidates were incumbent officials, the examination was obviously not as strict as the imperial examination, and there was no body search or anything like that. They were just allowed in after their identities were verified.

There were dozens of desks neatly arranged in the office of the Ministry of Personnel. More than forty officials from various places entered the examination room one by one and sat down in order.

The test questions were not as complicated as those in the imperial examination. They just required students to write an essay based on the topic.

Such questions are generally no problem for officials who have taken numerous examinations, big and small, to get to where they are today. As long as they do not stray too far from the topic or their arguments are too biased, they can basically pass.

But think about it, the officials who can be recommended to participate in the selection are all those who have made some achievements in the local area and are familiar with the laws and practices. They are basically selected for selection, and the written test is just a formality.

It just depends on what kind of official you choose to be.

The examination lasted for one hour and it was soon over. The examiners collected the examination papers and sealed them, and the examiners left one after another.

Li Chang had nothing to do but wait for Qin Yunhe outside the Ministry of Personnel, and asked him as soon as he saw him come out.

"How about it?"

Qin Yunhe and Li Chang walked back side by side: "The test questions are ordinary, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Qin Yunhe never speaks too confidently. If he can directly say that it is not a big problem, then he is naturally very confident.

"They were recommended by various places. There's no difference. We just want to make sure that the recommendation is credible. Will we have an interview tomorrow?"

Qin Yunhe nodded.

In fact, what he was more worried about was the interview. He didn't know what questions would be asked.

The next morning, the officials came to the Ministry of Personnel together again, and a clerk called out their names in front of the door.

Qin Yunhe waited anxiously for his name to be called, until halfway through the meeting, he heard the clerk call out his name: "Xun Ning Mansion Procurator Qin Wen Qin Yunhe."

Qin Yunhe hurried forward and said, "It's me."

"Please come in."

Qin Yunhe was brought to the front of the hall. As soon as he entered, he saw Wu Tonghuo standing there, with a few officials he didn't recognize sitting on both sides.

Wu Tonghuo was the examiner yesterday and I had actually met him.

It’s just that dozens of people took the exam at the same time yesterday, and Qin Yunhe’s seat was at the back, so he couldn’t see Wu Tonghuo up close.

Qin Yunhe bowed and said, "Qin Wen greets all the gentlemen."

When he finished his ceremony, he saw Wu Tonghuo in the hall looking down at something, while other officials were looking at him while twirling their beards or examining him.

Wu Tonghuo twirled his beard and spoke first: "When you were a magistrate, a foster mother sued her adopted son for being disobedient and unfilial. You tried to reconcile them twice. Why?"

Qin Yunhe's heart skipped a beat, remembering that Yang had also complained about him when she filed a complaint at the government office, saying that he was biased because of his high-ranking status as a juren.

Qin Yunhe bowed again and said, "Your Excellency. Indeed, the law stipulates that those who disobey their mother's orders should be punished with caning, and those who are disobedient and unfilial can be strangled. However, the law has its own rules, and the facts have their own rules.

I have learned from many sources that Gao Chong is a steady and kind person. Even though the foster mother repeatedly made things difficult for him and provoked her, he never slacked off in his service.

Looking at the foster mother again, although she was embarrassed many times, she repeatedly expressed that she did not want Gao to be severely punished. Although the mother and son were unhappy, they still wanted to turn things around.

If the law is applied without considering the situation, at the very least, the rift between mother and son will be difficult to mend. At the worst, Gao Zhong will lose his life, and Yang will be left without anyone to take care of her, and she will be miserable and helpless for the rest of her life. "

Another judge said, "You mean that your punishment is appropriate, but the law is too harsh and unforgiving?"

"I dare not. It's not that the law is too strict, but I think the truth needs to be divided. In fact, now that I think about it, it was indeed my inexperience at the beginning. Later, I realized that the court's laws are strict and cautious, and I was worrying too much.

The local authorities should just follow the law to make the decision. Since the three judicial officials and even Your Majesty will personally review the case, they will definitely not allow filial and kind people to suffer injustice.

The reason why the law stipulates that unfilial behavior will be punished as soon as it is reported is to deter children and to prevent parents from reporting it lightly.

If we assume that the two are in agreement as I have done, it would be easy to reduce the deterrent effect."

The judge raised his lip corners imperceptibly and asked, "If you were to encounter the same case now, how would you handle it?"

This question is...

Qin Yunhe thought for a moment, sorted out his thoughts, and said, "If I were still the prosecutor, I would naturally make the decision according to the law. After that, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate would review the case. I believe Gao Zhong would not be wronged."

"What if you were the Censor?"

"I will still understand the situation of both parties first, submit the seal for verification, and assist the Criminal Department in making a judgment."

"What if you are the censor?"

".......with the Ministry of Justice..."

Qin Yunhe suddenly felt a little... unconfident. Was there something wrong with his answer?

Wu Tonghuo supported his forehead with one hand, and seemed to lower his head and smile secretly.

Someone else asked Qin Yunhe some questions about laws and regulations, and criminal case decisions.

Qin Yunhe has handled many cases in the past few years, and the questions he was asked were basically ones he had encountered before, so he answered them smoothly.

Finally, an official said, "You can leave first."

Qin Yunhe was unsure, so he could only bow and leave.

The weather in May was already gradually getting hotter, and coupled with the tension, Qin Yunhe's forehead was covered with sweat, which he wiped off only after he went out.

Li Chang came forward and asked, "How is it?"

Qin Yunhe smiled bitterly: "I don't know..."