Chapter 157: Cheating, Just a Small Matter

Ancient times had no trace of copyright awareness. If they said they would pirate you, they would pirate you, without even giving a warning.

Taking a closer look, the pirates are even more audacious than the legitimate versions.

This paper, ink, and layout are unexpectedly superior to the products of the official printing press. Are you the national printing office, or am I the national printing office?

After all, Zhu Yunwen bought the copyright, and these people…

It seems like the copyright fee was spent in vain.

“Does Mr. Luo know about this?”

Zhu Yunwen inquired.

Shuangxi smiled, “Your Majesty, Mr. Luo is already aware and very pleased. He said he wanted to express gratitude to Liu’s Bookstore. I reckon he’s probably enjoying tea there right now.”

Zhu Yunwen opened his mouth, feeling frustrated to the point of wanting to spit blood.

If someone has pirated your book, even if you don’t gather a group of people to smash their store, you should at least protest at their doorstep. Demand some copyright fees to compensate for the economic loss, right?

Being pirated, and you’re still happy? Going there in person to express gratitude?

“Your Majesty, this book has been printed with great effort. It seems that Liu’s bookstore has considerable expertise in engraving and printing…”

Mǎ Enhui flipped through the book and sighed.

Zhu Yunwen noticed Ma Enhui’s calm tone and asked, “Why aren’t you angry, Empress?”

Ma Enhui furrowed her brow slightly and asked, “If other bookstores are selling copies, it means Mr. Luo’s ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ is well-received. Shouldn’t I be happy? Why should I be angry?”

Suddenly, Zhu Yunwen realized that these people’s mindset seemed to be:

If I pirate your work, it’s because I think highly of it. If your writing is garbage, you wouldn’t even qualify to be pirated by me…

However, Zhu Yunwen didn’t like being pirated. Even though these pirated copies brought sales, readership, and popularity, they didn’t bring a single penny in revenue to the China Bookstore.

“Have you ever thought, Empress, if others are selling ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ what will the China Bookstore sell?”

Zhu Yunwen asked gently.

Ma Enhui was momentarily stunned but quickly understood.

Indeed, if everyone went to buy from Liu’s Bookstore, who would come to their business? Wouldn’t that mean that their books wouldn’t sell?

“Who is so bold, daring to pirate without permission, not knowing that this book is exclusive to China Bookstore? Find out, shut down their bookstore!”

Ma Enhui slammed the table, furious.

When it comes to personal interests, one cannot refrain from using authority.

Shuangxi and the others knelt on the side without daring to move, muttering under their breath, “Empress, our bookstore also printed someone else’s…”

Ma Enhui was instantly speechless and gave Shuangxi a fierce glare.

Zhu Yunwen burst into laughter,

waved his hand, and said, “Alright, you can withdraw. Empress, if the court intervenes and forcefully prohibits other bookstores from printing ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ it will probably only lead to public resentment, not benefiting the people and merchants. It’s better to find another way.”

Ma Enhui asked in confusion, “What other way? Your Majesty, look at the materials and craftsmanship used in these prints. They are of top quality. Even if the printing office and China Bookstore put in more effort, it may be difficult to surpass them.”

Zhu Yunwen, holding chopsticks, confidently said, “For matters in business, we naturally use business methods. Empress, you must trust me. For now, let’s eat.”

Ma Enhui looked at Zhu Yunwen’s determined gaze, and her mood calmed down. She said slowly, “Then, I’ll watch carefully.”

After the meal, Zhu Yunwen instructed Shuangxi, gave a few words to the printing office, and then went to Wuying hall, summoning Dong Lun, Gao Xunzhi, and Yang Shiqi.

The Gaokao was crucial for selecting talents and determining the future court structure. Zhu Yunwen dared not be negligent.

“Is the Examination Hall preparation on track?”

Zhu Yunwen inquired.

Dong Lun earnestly replied, “Your Majesty, everything is well-prepared. We are only awaiting the essays of candidates from across the nation.”

Zhu Yunwen nodded with satisfaction and said, “In the list of candidates from the Ministry of Rites, there are quite a few outstanding individuals. I wonder how many will be selected this year.”

“If there are truly talented and knowledgeable individuals, they will win top marks in examination.”

Dong Lun responded.

After some thought, Zhu Yunwen said, “Throughout history, there has always been cheating in the imperial examinations. Is there any method to ensure the selection of genuine talents and prevent cheating?”

The issue of cheating has existed since ancient times. “Top students” who rely on cheating often have inflated abilities.

Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty noticed this and tried to reduce inflation by introducing the palace examination.

However, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty ultimately lacked the strength to thoroughly eliminate the inflated results, and the efforts to reduce exaggeration were not consistently implemented. It happened occasionally but lacked regularity.

A more diligent ruler in this regard was Empress Wu Zetian.

Little Wu saw the severity of the cheating issue and realized that “the selection and appointment of officials were not based on merit,” and with a less competent husband, decided to take matters into her own hands.

Personally investigating, she questioned for several days to gauge the candidates’ abilities.

Although the invention of the palace examination is credited to Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, it was Little Wu who truly established and continued the practice.

Little Wu’s ability to become an empress wasn’t just a matter of a little intelligence. In order to prevent cheating in the imperial examinations, Little Wu ingeniously created the “paste names to prevent cheating” method, which means that for every exam paper, all names and places of origin were covered with paste.

Alright, even if you managed to bribe the examiners, no one would know which one is your exam paper. You couldn’t see the names clearly because, at that time, the examiners didn’t have X-rays, and they hadn’t practiced the ability to see through things. It was impossible for them to know whose paper it was.

In case of a mistake, if you took money from the Li family and gave the benefits to the Zhang family, the Li family probably wouldn’t be happy, and the Zhang family wouldn’t appreciate it either.

The practice of “paste names to prevent cheating” can be considered a great masterpiece in the history of the imperial examinations, making the examination process more objective and fair.

During the Song Dynasty, covering names was a common practice. In a poem by Wang Anshi titled “Sending off Chen E,” there is a line that praises the strategy of covering names to prevent cheating, stating, “In the past, officials were troubled by injustice, now names are covered, and books are copied in secret.” This line applauds the effectiveness of the strategy.

However, during this time, to avoid identifying handwriting, candidates also needed to rewrite and transcribe their answers, submitting them for review.

Relying solely on the method of covering names could prevent collusion between examiners and candidates but couldn’t eliminate cheating during the examination process.

Looking at the cheating methods used by people in ancient times and comparing them to modern methods, one can only say that the techniques you’ve used are leftovers from ancient times.

The first cheating method for candidates was using cheat sheets.

This was the most common and probably the most frequently used method. They would write the Four Books and Five Classics with “micro-engraving” techniques on a small booklet, preferably palm-sized for easy concealment.

Who could imagine that within a cheat sheet as small as the length of a ring finger and as wide as the pinky, one could fit all the text from the four books: “The Great Learning,” “The Analects,” “The Doctrine of the Mean,” and “Mencius”?

With such a tiny book, without a magnifying glass, it’s difficult to read the words, but not only did they bring it along, they could also read it clearly. Isn’t that impressive?

People had already tried writing cheat sheets on the palms of their hands, clothes, pieces of paper, and even candles.

Using cheat sheets was ultimately a manifestation of lack of confidence. It’s somewhat understandable since memorizing so many words without being a genius is challenging, so copying a few sentences doesn’t hurt.

However, the second method was more formidable, involving hiring a “stand-in” or someone to take the exam on behalf of the candidate.

While there was no specific term for “stand-in” in ancient times, a similar concept was called “substitute.”

When it was your turn to take the exam, if you lacked confidence, you could offer me benefits, and I would take the exam for you. When the results came out, I took the money, and you got the credit. A win-win situation.

Speaking of standing in for exams, we can’t forget about Wen Tingyun, who wrote, “Clear as crystal dice, red beans in the palm, deep affection knows no bounds.” He was truly a top-notch expert in the field of standing in for exams.

For those in later generations who stood in for exams, how many times could they do it?

Once, twice, at most four or five times.

But Wen Tingyun maintained a record of standing in for exams eight times, earning him the nickname “Wen Eight-Hand.”

Using a literary giant as a stand-in…

The Tang Dynasty was indeed open-minded.

The risk of standing in for exams was high, and finding a substitute was not easy. Those who could pass the exam had already become officials and were unwilling to take risks.

For those who couldn’t pass, it was useless to find them.

Ancient people racked their brains, showed initiative, and developed another form of standing in for exams, known as the “Dragon Gate exam paper.” In the end, it was a dual contract…

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