Administrative Punishments for the Case of Malpractice in the Jiangnan Provincial Examination
Following the announcement of successful candidates of the Jiangnan provincial examination conducted in 1657, there was talk of malpractice and a number of operas and other writings circulated that ridiculed the abuse of power exhibited by the examination officials. The Shunzhi Emperor ordered a thorough investigation of the matter as well as commanding all 112 successful candidates to retake the exam under the watchful eye of the emperor, 98 of which passed with the others losing their degree of juren. In the following year, another provincial exam was held to once again test the 98 candidates, 8 of which failed and lost their qualification. Moreover, the chief and secondary examination officials as well as seventeen assistant officials were executed.
The original punishments for this case as drafted by the Ministry of Justice were as follows: Chief Examiner Fang You was to be beheaded, Secondary Examiner Qian Kaizong was to be hanged, and the other seventeen assistant examination officials were to be exiled. The Shunzhi Emperor, however, felt that the punishment was too light and ordered that all nineteen officials be executed in this document later written in 1658.
The original punishments for this case as drafted by the Ministry of Justice were as follows: Chief Examiner Fang You was to be beheaded, Secondary Examiner Qian Kaizong was to be hanged, and the other seventeen assistant examination officials were to be exiled. The Shunzhi Emperor, however, felt that the punishment was too light and ordered that all nineteen officials be executed in this document later written in 1658.
- Item No.
- 120842
- Period
- Dec. 25, 1658
