Outside the gate of Gongyuan, the scene before the first provincial examination was repeated in the early morning of the ninth day of the lunar month. There were crowds of people, lights like a sea, and rumors were rampant. Only a very small part of the nine thousand candidates passed the exam, and the majority were depressed.
, most of them felt that their talents were not appreciated, so as soon as rumors arose, they found a reason to vent. Except for those who had returned home, the other candidates responded to the call and gathered at Gongyuan——
When Zhang Yuan and his entourage, hundreds of people, arrived in a mighty manner, a large number of sergeants were already standing in front of the left and right squares of Gongyuan to prevent these failed scholars from attacking the Gongyuan. The scene was chaotic and the lights were complicated. Even the people they usually knew looked strange at this time.
Suddenly, a middle-aged scholar with a square scarf and a t-shirt saw Zhang Yuan's group arriving. He thought they were also failed candidates who had heard the news and came to make trouble. He quickly came up to contact him and said: "Everyone, everyone, the evidence of fraud in the undergraduate provincial examination is conclusive. The examiner gave Han
The candidates of the society have passed the joints. Otherwise, how could there be twenty-eight people from the Han Society on the list? Zhang Yuan was only eighteen years old. What knowledge did he have?
The truth will be revealed, so that we can have a chance to pass the exam again, don’t you think so?"
Zhang Yuan said calmly: "What my dear friend said is absolutely true, but I heard that Zhang Yuan is not only eighteen years old, but twenty, seventy or eight years old -"
The middle-aged scholar said: "No, I am eighteen years old. I know this better than you. I know Zhang Yuan. Zhang Yuan's knowledge is actually very mediocre. His eight-part essay collections are all written by others to gain fame and reputation. They are extremely shameless.
."
Zhang Yuandao: "I see. Where is Xixiang? Are you also a candidate for the undergraduate provincial examination?"
The middle-aged scholar was filled with righteous indignation and said: "Of course I am a candidate, otherwise why would I be so angry?" But he refused to say his name and hometown——
Huang Zunsu asked: "The evidence of fraud in the examination room that Xiongtai said is conclusive, I don't know what evidence is there?"
The middle-aged scholar said in a serious manner: "The people in the Han Society headed by Zhang Yuan gathered eighteen thousand taels of silver and gave it to the examiner Qian Qianyi. Someone saw this with his own eyes. If you don't want others to know, you have to do nothing."
, the conspiracy will always be exposed, right?"
The members of the Han Society around Zhang Yuan were very angry, especially those who had won the election. They were almost furious. They knew that Zhang Yuan was testing this person, so they suppressed the attack, but their expressions were already wrong. This scholar
When he saw it, he cupped his hand. He said a few vague words and then wanted to run away——
Zhang Yuan stopped him and said, "Wait a minute. I want to ask you, where did you hear these things?"
The footsteps were chaotic, and a group of Hanshe members and their servants surrounded the middle-aged scholar. The scholar looked nervous and shouted: "What do you mean by this? What do you mean by this--"
Zhang Yuan asked him: "Do you know who I am?"
The middle-aged scholar laughed and said, "I haven't seen Jing yet."
Zhang Yuan said: "I am Zhang Yuan."
The middle-aged scholar was speechless and frightened. He reluctantly said: "I'm just hearing this from hearsay. I can't believe it to be true. I can't believe it to be true -"
A grumpy member of the Han Society shouted angrily: "Didn't you say that the evidence is conclusive? Who saw the eighteen thousand taels with his own eyes? If you don't explain clearly today, I will beat you half to death. Although our Han Society is a literary society,
He is also capable of using force."
All the members yelled and cursed, and questioned the rumor mongers, slandering people's reputation. It was really hateful.
Zhang Yuan stared at this middle-aged scholar and said: "You slandered my Hanshe colleagues in person for cheating in the examination room. If you can't produce conclusive evidence today, we will drag you to see Wang Tixue. The Ming Dynasty Law is guilty of false accusation."
Yes, I will definitely take off your shirt."
Everyone in the Han Society said one after another: "Yes, take him to see the Grand Master and remove him from his rank as a member."
The middle-aged scholar's face turned pale. He begged for mercy: "I am stupid. I misunderstood the rumors and believed them to be true. Those who don't know are not guilty. Zhang Jieyuan, the leader of the society. You talented men, please forgive me this time."
Zhang Dai sneered and said: "He who doesn't know is not guilty. To put it lightly, send him to see the great master."
Huang Zunsu said: "This person should not be an undergraduate candidate——"
As soon as these words came out, the middle-aged scholar became more and more panicked and suddenly shouted: "Help, help - the people from Hanshe beat the failed candidates, help - help -" The cry was shrill and scary.
The middle-aged scholar wanted to arouse the public anger of other candidates present and create chaos so that he could escape——
Sure enough, other scholars gathered around to watch the fun and asked what happened? The middle-aged scholar in the crowd who shouted for help rushed towards the wall while shouting, trying to squeeze out and run away. The angry one earlier
The members of the Han Society were really good at using force. They kicked him over in the chest. Other members of the Han Society blocked the outsiders and isolated them inside and outside. Although there were only more than a hundred members of the Han Society present, they were better together. Although the other candidates
Most of them are just a piece of loose sand, all following the trend and making noise.
Two servants who were members of the Han Society grabbed the middle-aged scholar and grabbed him. Zhang Yuan asked, "Are you from the Dong family or the Wang family?"
This middle-aged scholar had a pale face. He was just ordered to spread rumors. He also succeeded in inciting the resentment of many candidates. However, he did not expect to bump into Zhang Yuan and a group of people from the Han Society. At this time, Zhang Yuan asked bluntly
He was a member of the Dong family or the Wang family. Knowing that he had failed, he trembled and was about to lie on the ground——
Huang Zunsu said with a smile: "Anyone who commits unrighteousness will be punished by his own death. This person was sent to our door by himself. If I had known this, there would be no need for Huang Sangao and the others to go to Bu Xiyuan——"
After hearing the sound of three cannons at Longmen, everyone was silent. The gate of Gongyuan slowly opened. First, a group of officials rushed out, shouting "Quiet", and then a group of examiners came out. Dozens of people came out.
A lantern shines brightly as day——
When the examiner Qian Qianyi heard that the failed candidates surrounded Gongyuan, he was shocked at first. In order to avoid suspicion, he removed the seven exam papers with embedded words, thinking that there would be no more mistakes. Unexpectedly, such rumors would arise, and the target of the attack would be even more serious.
It was directed at him, the examiner. Hearing the roar of people in Gongyuan, he didn't know how to respond for a moment——
Of course Qian Qianyi is a very smart person, but before he was admitted to the imperial college, he had been studying and making friends. After he was admitted to the imperial college, he was writing history in the Hanlin Academy and serving as a minister. He had not yet been involved in the intrigues in the officialdom, and he had no experience as a local official, so he lacked handling.
No matter how smart a person is, he will never be able to master emergencies without experience and training. This is also the reason why Qian Qianyi was defeated by Wen Tiren when he later competed for cabinet ministers. Qian Qianyi is only suitable for learning.
species——
The chief envoy He Rushen and the patrol censor Ye Qifan are not here. In addition to the two chief examiners and the deputy examiners, there are also the house officials and academic officials from various prefectures and counties who have not left. The deputy examiner Wang Bian, who is nearly sixty years old, is not here.
He had been a censor and had always been dignified. He immediately discussed a few words with Qian Qianyi, summoned all government officials, county academic officials and officials. He fired a cannon and went out——
Dozens of officials shouted in unison: "President Qian, Wang Tixue is here, you can't make any noise!"
The failed candidates outside the Gongyuan were shocked by the gantry cannon at first and had already calmed down. When they saw President Qian and Wang Tixue coming out, they were all awe-struck. These students who were incited by the rumors were allowed to follow them, but the leaders did not dare to speak out.
Yes, President Qian and the others are not in awe of him. They are afraid of Wang Tixue. The great master, who has the power to expel them from their honor as members——
The white-haired Xiao Ran's Grand Master Wang Bian loudly said: "Each prefecture and county academic officials will gather their respective students. Wait for the rest to stand back, and the students will line up in groups. Hangzhou Prefecture is first from the left."
The professor of Hangzhou Prefecture and the ministers of several counties under its jurisdiction asked the officials to bring out the long-brand lamps from each county. The names of the candidates were written on the lampshades, just like moths seeing the lights. The long-brand lamps were of great significance to the candidates.
It was very attractive, and the instructors loudly called the names of a few students who usually listened attentively to the instructions. The rest of the students from the same county gathered under the long sign lamp, and suddenly the roll call inspection before the exam started.
——
Thousands of students from Jiaxing Prefecture, Huzhou Prefecture, Shaoxing Prefecture, Quzhou Prefecture, Jinhua Prefecture, Taizhou Prefecture, Chuzhou Prefecture, Yanzhou Prefecture, Ningbo Prefecture, and the 11th Prefecture of Zhejiang Province were divided into eleven long queues.
Although the queue is crooked, it is much more orderly than the chaotic and crowded mess before -
Wang Tixue asked Qian Qianyi to lecture the students. Qian Qianyi was humble and asked Wang Tixue to handle the matter. Wang Tixue did his duty and asked the students first what they were gathering for.
Those students who had been shouting fiercely before were looking around one by one, waiting for others to come forward. After a while, a student from Ningbo finally had the courage to step forward and explain to the Grand Master the reason for their gathering. He heard that
Fraud among Hanshe students——
Wang Tixue shouted sternly: "There is fraud in the examination room. This is a major case of dismissal from office and exile from the army. Who dares to spread rumors!" His tone softened slightly: "All the students in the Han Society have passed the exam this time. They study hard every day.
The result of learning and being able to think, but you failed the exam and did not want to study hard. But you listened to the rumors and came to the Gongyuan to make unreasonable troubles. Taizu's lying inscription on the inscription prohibits all military and civilian diseases, and the students are not allowed to express their opinions. You, all students, are not afraid of severe punishment by the laws of the Ming Dynasty?
"
Although all living beings have secret slander, they dare not express it openly at this time.
Wang Tixue added: "Tomorrow noon, the ink scrolls and ink scrolls of the 120 candidates who have passed the undergraduate examination will be posted on the screen wall in front of the Chief Envoy's Yamen. You can go and compare them and learn from them.
You can then purchase the engraving of the Zhujuan Collection of the Zhejiang Provincial Examination of Yimaoke——" He asked loudly: "What else do you have to say?"
If students still dare to say anything, they will listen to Wang's teaching: "If you have nothing to say, you will retreat quickly, and if you dare to gather a crowd to cause trouble again, let the academic officials of each county write down their names. Those who are in minor cases will be demoted to the second class, and those who are in serious cases will be dismissed."
The honor of being a student."
All the students looked at each other and retreated dejectedly. The square outside the gate of Gongyuan soon stopped being crowded, but there were still many people standing still. This was the queue of students from Shaoxing Prefecture. The professor of Shaoxing Prefecture was annoyed and was about to yell.
, Zhang Yuan and others came forward to salute, and then went to meet the two examiners——
When Qian Qianyi and Editor Wang saw that it was Zhang Yuan and Huang Zunsu, they immediately became friendly. Wang Tixue said: "Zhang Yuan, please don't be disturbed. The rumors will dissipate."
Zhang Yuandao: "Teacher Qian and Teacher Wang, several students have just arrived in front of Gongyuan. They met a person who spread rumors. This person does not seem to be an undergraduate candidate, but was ordered to spread rumors. The students have detained this person and are waiting for you two
Teacher's punishment." He said, waving his hands back, and two healthy servants escorted the middle-aged scribe who was spreading rumors over.
Qian Qianyi and Editor Wang looked at each other and nodded together. There were constant rumors before and after this provincial examination. Someone must be behind the scenes. Editor Wang looked at this middle-aged scribe with a pale face, and asked those around him.
Prefecture and county academic officials, which county does this student come from? The professors carefully identified the teachings, but they all said they didn’t recognize this student. There is no such student in this county——
Wang Tixue was surprised and asked the middle-aged scribe: "Where are you from?"
The middle-aged scholar was so frightened when he saw several court officials looking solemn and majestic, with their officers holding open fires, that he knelt down and said, "The student is a student from She County, Huizhou, not a student."
Wang Tixue was furious and shouted: "If you are not a student, how dare you wear a scarf and a t-shirt?"
Qian Qianyi said: "I must be pretending to be an undergraduate candidate with a scarf and a t-shirt, so as to spread rumors and confuse the public."
Wang Tixue ordered him to take off his turban and robe, and whipped him twenty times before asking questions. Two officials from the Yamen School came forward and pushed the middle-aged boy down.
The long, palm-width bamboo slices were beaten hard, and the screams this time were really terrifying——
Twenty years later, they stood up for questioning and called everyone. This man's surname was Wang, and his given name was Wang Lizhi. He was a distant relative of Wang Ruqian. He managed a teahouse for Wang Ruqian in Hangzhou. He was ordered by Wang Ruqian to spread rumors with the intention of framing Zhang Yuan and Han.
Everyone in the society——
Although Wang Ruqian was just a scholar from Huizhou, he was very famous. Both Qian Qianyi and Editor Wang had heard of this Wang Ruqian, and knew that he was quite talented, famous for his poetry and painting, and that he had a huge fortune——
Qian Qianyi asked Zhang Yuan: "Why does Wang Ruqian want to spread rumors to frame you?"
Zhang Yuan naturally knows the reasons. One is because of the conflict at the Orchid Pavilion on the Qinhuai River last year, and the other is because Wang Ruqian's Lutian Pavilion Bookstore has been competing fiercely with Hanshe Bookstore. In the past two months, Fan Wenruo from Suzhou wrote to him.
Speaking of this matter, of course, there is no need to tell Qian Qianyi about these things——
Zhang Yuandao: "Teacher Qian, this rumor is not only aimed at Hanshe, but also slanders the reputation of the two teachers. This Wang Lizhi has one thing he hasn't said yet. Besides Wang Ruqian, there is another person behind the scenes——
"
Wang Lizhi didn't wait for Qian Qianyi to ask him, and quickly confessed: "Yes, yes, there is another one, Mr. Dong's son Dong Zuyuan, and his father Dong Xuanzai."
Hearing the names "Dong Zuyuan, Dong Xuanzai", Qian Qianyi and Editor Wang immediately understood. Editor Wang knew about the feud between Dong Qichang and Zhang Yuan. Before the Taoist test last year, Dong Qichang wrote a letter asking him to depose Zhang Yuan. Don't
The supplementary sheet was originally a student;
Qian Qianyi was even more convinced, and at the same time extremely angry. Dong Zuyuan did this at the instruction of his father, Dong Qichang. In order to frame Zhang Yuan, Dong Qichang actually wanted to drag Qian Qianyi into the water, falsely accusing him of accepting a bribe of 10,000 yuan.
Eight thousand taels, this is the crime of being exiled to the army. Thinking of Dong Qichang's smile when he came to deliver calligraphy and paintings that day, Qian Qianyi felt disgusted in his heart——
The matter involving Dong Qichang was a bit tricky. Editor Wang said to Qian Qianyi: "President Qian, you have to make the decision on this matter. Maybe you can discuss with Uncle He Fang and Yu Shi how to deal with it safely."
Qian Qianyi nodded and ordered Wang Li to be escorted directly to the Chief Envoy Si Yamen. He and Editor Wang arrived shortly afterwards. (To be continued)