Chapter 370 The gentleman is far away from the kitchen (nine thousand chapters)
At the end of the Qianbu Corridor is the majestic Chengtian Gate. The Jinshui River outside Chengtian Gate sparkles in the morning sun. The five white marble stone bridges on the river are like five dragons. Wu Daonan, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet, and Liu Chu, the Minister of Rites, start from the far right.
Walking on the white marble bridge, the Jinwu guards guarding the Chengtian Gate certainly recognized Wu and Liu, the two elders, but they still had to check their waist badges according to the rules and then let them go——
After passing Chengtianmen and Duanmen, in front is the Meridian Gate in the south of the Forbidden City. On both sides of the corridor between Duanmen and Meridian Gate are the Zhifang in the Six Sections, commonly known as the Six Sections Corridor, Li, Hu, Li,
In each department of military, criminal, and engineering, there are two guishizhong who are on duty here. They are responsible for serving as attendants, admonishing, repairing problems, collecting artifacts, and inspecting the affairs of the six ministries and 100 departments. Although their ranks are low, they have great power.
Yang Lian is on duty at the household department today. He has learned that Zhang Yuan was ranked sixth on the examination list. With Zhang Yuan's craftsmanship, high school is expected, and failure is an accident. Last year, Zhejiang Provincial Examination
Yang Lian, as the official of "Spring and Autumn", was the only one among the nine candidates selected by Zhang Yuan, Li Wei Lianjie. The imperial examinations were selected at every level. It was not easy to stand out——
Seeing Mr. Wu Ge and Liu Shangshu walking past the door of the Zhifang, Yang Lian thought to himself: "The two chief examiners of the joint examination must have joined the cabinet to report on their duties. It is really hard to be examiners, especially Wu and Liu.
He is nearly seventy years old, and his face is as gray and gloomy as if he had been seriously ill."
Wu Daonan really felt that he was going to fall ill. He had just taken a nap on the sedan chair all day and night, and that was all he had to do. What made him exhausted mentally and physically was the fraud case that framed Zhang Yuan, and he did not expect that Shen Tonghe would be involved.
It was so disgusting that it aroused public anger. There must have been some omissions in the marking process. The reason was that Zhang Yuan's first volume was cut off, which confused his judgment. He originally wanted to promote Zhang Yuan to Huiyuan.
, things have now become a mess at this point. He, the examiner, is facing strong pressure from the government and the public. At present, he can only start with Zhang Yuan's cut off ink roll. No matter how wide the implication is, he must tear apart the shady story——
—
Identification was verified again at the Meridian Gate. Wu Daonan and Liu Chu entered the Forbidden City first. To the right of the Meridian Gate was the Huiji Gate. Inside the Huiji Gate were the Imperial Palace, the Cabinet and the Imperial Palace. As usual, in addition to the chief assistant, the Cabinet should
There were four to five assistant ministers, but after the thirty-fourth year of Wanli, all the original ministers died and retreated. The first minister, Ye Xianggaozeng, sent more than 100 messages to Gaozeng to ask for replacement ministers. But the Wanli Emperor ignored them.
After Ye Xianggao of the Donglin Party was forced to retire due to criticism from the Zhejiang Party the year before last, only Fang Congzhe was left in the cabinet. Wu Daonan only entered the cabinet in August last year. The parties to which these two cabinet ministers belong are relatively unclear. Although Fang Congzhe is from Zhejiang
, but he had been living in the wild before joining the cabinet. His relationship with the Zhejiang Party was not very close, but the leader of the Qi Party, Qi Shijiao, was his disciple, and he was a cabinet minister. He wanted to gain a foothold in the capital with many parties. How could he not have his own party members and connections?
OK, so Fang Congzhe had to get involved in the vortex of party struggle. Similarly, Wu Daonan, who was from Jiangxi, did not belong to any political party, but because of his good relationship with Ye Xianggao, he also had rifts with Tang Binyin and Han Jing who promoted the party.
, was pushed to Donglin's camp by the three parties of Zhejiang, Qi, and Xuan to attack. People in the court cannot help themselves, and it is almost impossible to remain neutral——
In the main hall of the cabinet, Fang Congzhe, the chief minister of the cabinet who is still handsome in his sixties, listened to Wu Daonan and Liu Chuxian's report on the examination fraud case, his eyebrows were furrowed and he said: "Brother Huifu, you insist on giving a copy of the crime
It will be criticized by people if the examination papers of the late emperor's temple are taken, and this candidate is not an unknown person, so it is easier to follow the facts."
Wu Daonan said: "The first one to get the best one. I didn't know it was Zhang Yuan's paper. I found out after splitting the number. The second and third exam papers are all here. Brother Zhonghan will know his talent just by looking at this craftsmanship."
Fang Congzhe watched Zhang Yuan's third exam and praised him: "He is indeed a talented person who can apply himself to the world. It is really rare that he can still discuss with such energy in the third exam."
Wu Daonan said: "This is why Liu Shangshu and I couldn't bear to be deposed. Zhang Heming, the room official of the first room of "Spring and Autumn", and Xu Guangqi, the reviewer, compared the handwriting on the red scroll and the ink scroll, and thought that there was a hidden meaning in the first title of the taboo, so they proposed to
I came here to verify the evidence, but unexpectedly a fire broke out in Jukuitang and all the scrolls were destroyed. This is obviously to destroy the evidence, which shows how rampant the traitor is."
Fang Congzhe asked: "Can the person who set the fire be traced?"
Wu Daonan said: "There are more than ten thousand soldiers, deacons, handymen, and scribes in Gongyuan. It is difficult to trace. Now we can only open a case to investigate if it is confirmed that the candidate Zhang Yuan was framed."
Fang Congzhe said: "Then we have to wait until the transcription student is caught before the truth can be revealed."
Wu Daonan pointed to Zhang Yuan's first volume and said: "This volume was cut with a clever technique. Although Liu Shangshu and I can't see the flaw in it, there should be a mounting expert who can crack it. I would like to propose that the internal officials send two
The chamberlain who is proficient in mounting calligraphy and paintings came to inspect it and let the six subjects bear witness to the matter."
Liu Chu first said: "Invite the promotion officer and the supervisory officer to watch and witness."
Wu Daonan added: "Please give me the title of official, and the copying and recording officials should also come together."
The ink scroll was cut, and the sealing officer and the copying officer were the most responsible and suspected——
Fang Congzhe pondered and said: "Brother Huifu is determined to do this? If it is not a cut-off, brother Huifu will not look good. It is better to wait until the transcription student is caught."
Wu Daonan smiled bitterly and said: "I got the guilty papers. If I can't prove his innocence immediately, my face will be even worse. The impeachment memorials from the officials will come like snow flakes."
Seeing Wu Daonan's persistence, Fang Congzhe had no choice but to nod his head and said, "In that case, please ask Eunuch Song, the eunuch in charge of the eunuch's eunuch, to send two people."
There were several small chamberlains waiting outside the Cabinet Room to deliver messages. Wu Daonan hurriedly wrote a message and asked the chamberlains to take it to Song Jin, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace was close to Bei'anmen and a few meters away from the Cabinet Chamber.
After more than three miles of walking, Fang Congzhe, Wu Daonan, and Liu Chuxian waited for half an hour when they saw a fat eunuch in his fifties coming with two younger chamberlains. He smiled and said, "Mr. Fang Ge, Mr. Wu Ge
, Ah, Liu Shangshu is also here, do the three old gentlemen have any valuable calligraphy and paintings that need to be appraised by the internal officials?"
Wu Daonan explained the situation, and the fat eunuch Song put away his smile and said in surprise: "Such a thing can still happen in the heavily guarded Gongyuan!" He turned back to a tall and thin eunuch in his forties and said: "Young eunuch Wang, you
He is an expert in appraising calligraphy and paintings among the internal officials. Come and take a look, this matter is of great concern, so you should be cautious."
This young eunuch Wang bowed to the two pavilion elders and Liu Shangshu and said: "I am a humble official, Wang Tiqian. I wonder which ink scroll you want to inspect?"
Fang Congzhe said: "Wang Shaojian will take a look first to see if he is sure that it is a cut. If not, don't go to Liu Ke Gallery to declare it. What do you think, Brother Huifu?"
Wu Daonan nodded and said: "Then let Mr. Wang take a look first." He pointed to Zhang Yuan's ink scroll on the case -
Along with Zhong Benhua, Wang Tiqian was one of the top ten talented officials in the imperial court. He wrote well and was proficient in the mounting of calligraphy and paintings. He was in charge of all the official books, official books, and calligraphy in the imperial palace. He was quite talented. He stepped forward respectfully and stood up. Looking at the ink scroll next to Wu Daonan——
Wu Daonan did not explain which scroll was cut off. The three ink scrolls were placed side by side on the desk, each with twelve main scrolls. Wang Tiqian stared at the first volume at a glance. Look at the original ink scroll at the beginning of the volume. He looked at the words "Mi Seal" and then looked at the words "Zhiyi" in the first title. He did not rush to speak. Instead, he carefully checked all the thirty-six main volumes of the three sessions, and then returned to the first volume. He lightly used the thumbs and index fingers of both hands to Gently twist the lower part of the curls. Squinting his eyes slightly, he seems to be enjoying it——
The cabinet room inside the Meridian Gate was very quiet. Fang Congzhe, Wu Daonan, and Liu Chuxian stared at the hands of the chamberlain Wang Tiqian, but the fat eunuch Song Jin curled his lips and thought to himself: "You don't need your eyes to see, but you touch it with your hands. What are you touching?" , so intoxicated!”
Wang Tiqian stopped and opened his eyes wide. He said to another chamberlain who came out with Eunuch Song: "Li Jincheng, do you want to touch me too?"
Li Jiancheng was not good at talking. After reading the first volume, he only nodded to Wang Tiqian.
Wang Tigan turned to Fang Congzhe and the others and said: "Three old gentlemen, this volume is undoubtedly cut with a very clever technique. It is indeed difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, but you can still feel the subtle traces of connection by lightly twisting your fingers."
Wu Daonan remained calm and asked, "Can Mr. Wang separate the cut areas so that people can tell at a glance that they were cut?"
"Yes." Wang Tiqian said: "I have full confidence in my humble position."
Wu Daonan nodded and said: "Then please invite Young Inspector Wang to follow us to the Liuke Gallery and let Liuke bear witness to the matter."
Liu Chu first asked: "What other equipment does Mr. Wang need?"
Wang Tigan said: "A basin of clean water is enough."
Eunuch Song Jin followed the Meridian Gate to watch the excitement. The twelve officers on duty in the Sixth Section all gathered in the corridor to listen to Mr. Wu Ge's explanation of the situation. Everyone was shocked. Yang Lian was the housing officer of Zhang Yuan's rural examination. Naturally, I care even more.
After waiting for a while, Zhang Wenda, the censor of Youdu who served as the promotion officer for the Bingchen meeting, and the two censors Zhou Shidan and Li Song, as well as the official Zhou Yingqiu, the copy officer Ding Shaoshi, and the record officer Li Sicheng, all came to the meeting. When they arrived at the Liuke Gallery, everyone had solemn expressions——
Wu Daonan introduced: "This is Wang Shaojian, the internal official supervisor. He is proficient in the mounting of calligraphy and painting. He will separate this intercepted ink scroll to prove the innocence of the candidate Zhang Yuan. Do you have any objections?"
No one said anything. If he jumped out to stop the inspection at this time, wouldn't it be a sign of guilty conscience? The only option was to hold on -
Seeing that no one had any objections, Wu Daonan said to Wang Tiqian: "Young Master Wang, let's start."
Wang Tiqian asked the waiter to bring a basin of water, first put an unknown medicinal powder into the water, and explained to Fang Congzhe and other officials: "This is to prevent the water from soaking the paper and blurring the writing."
Wang Tiqian asked Li Jiancheng to be his assistant, and he was very careful not to let the handwriting on the front and pages of the volume become blurred. Otherwise, if the handwriting was blurred, it would not be used as evidence. A master of framing can take the kind of old and damaged , the ancient paintings that are broken at the touch of a touch are framed as new, and the surface of famous calligraphy and paintings can be lifted up, and one painting is framed into two identical paintings, and it can be said that they are both authentic, but the look is different. This is such meticulous work, Therefore, it is not difficult to separate the cut roll paper. This kind of spliced paper is most afraid of water. After being soaked in water for less than a moment, the temporarily fused pulp decomposes and the fibers of the paper are disconnected. It is almost useless. At the same time, another piece of mangosteen paper with the same lead as the paper was put down at the same time. It was soaked in water and softened. When the two sides were torn off, the break was crooked and uneven——
Wang Tiqian explained: "Paper has its own lines, and the lines break after being cut. If you find other papers to splice them together, no matter how skilled the craftsman is, you can't keep the lines as they were before. There will always be seams, like those left after a trauma. It’s like a scar.”
Wu Daonan asked: "How long does it take to assemble such a paper?"
Wang Tiqian said: "Even a master will need more than four hours."
Liu Chuxian shook his head and said, "It seems that the master of framing is among the servants of Gongyuan."
Wu Daonan looked at Fang Congzhe: "Brother Zhonghan, now that the truth has come to light, there is no doubt that the examination papers have been cut off. I will write a memorial to explain what happened to the emperor, and file a case for strict investigation."
Fang Congzhe sighed inwardly. This case was a case, and he didn't know how many officials would be involved. A storm was coming.
Official Zhou Yingqiu calmed himself down and thought: "So what if the examination paper is found to have been cut off? Zhuo Xiaosheng and the framer have already left Gongyuan. Without witnesses, they can't be traced back to me."
Although Zhou Yingqiu was trying to forgive himself, he was still frightened. If he had known that things would reach this point, how could he have taken such a risk!
…
At dusk that day, Yang Lian, who was in charge of Hu Ke, left the imperial city and went directly to the Shang Family Courtyard in the East Fourth Archway to meet Zhang Yuan. Zhang Yuan's clan brother Zhang Dai was also here, and Zhang Dai was also in the exam. Two hundred and twenty-seven. Three students from Shanyin Zhang's Jinke High School, and three uncles and nephews are on the list, which is a good story. Among the members of Hanshe are Huang Zunsu, Ni Yuanlu, Ruan Dacheng, Xia Qichang, plus known Sun Jike, seven of the forty-nine candidates of the Han Society were selected. Hong Chengchou is now also a member of the Han Society, that is, eight people. Compared with 344 candidates out of 8,000 candidates, the number of members of the Han Society was The ratio of Chinese style is very astonishing. What makes Zhang Yuan regretful is that the learned Wen Zhenmeng and Jiao Runsheng failed to win the Chinese style. Senior Brother Xu’s disciple Sun Yuanhua also failed. Qi Huzi did not perform well this time. Could it be because he was not assigned The reason for the shit number? The smell can be inspiring. Ni Yuanlu is in high school——
Yang Lian solemnly told Zhang Dai and Zhang Yuan what they had seen and heard in the Six Section Gallery today. Shang Zhouzuo came back from the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He was very happy to hear that Zhang Yuan's innocence had been proved, but at the same time he was very disappointed with those who framed Zhang Yuan. The mastermind behind the incident was extremely indignant. Yang Lian was even more indignant than Shang Zhouzuo. Yang Lian despised these cheating shady schemes the most. He hated this despicable and shameless practice that harmed people's futures——
Knowing that there was clear evidence of the cut, Zhang Yuan felt a little relieved, and at the same time his anger arose, and he asked: "I wonder how Mr. Wu Ge and the others can track down the criminals?"
Zhou Zuo of the Shang Dynasty said: "The Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities has been conducting strict checks on people leaving the city at the nine gates. It must be related to this court case."
Zhang Dai said angrily: "You can't go wrong if you just go to Dong Qichang and Yao Zongwen to check."
Zhou Zuo of Shang Dynasty said: "This cannot be done based on one's own whim. It must be justified and supported by evidence."
Zhang Yuandao: "You have to pass the test papers, and you have to find someone to cut them. I heard that if you want to test the straw papers, you can immediately order people to set fire to them. This shows that there is a group of people in the Gongyuan who join forces to commit crimes. It is not good for one person to do evil and go alone. Check, with so many people colluding, there will always be flaws and loopholes that will fall into the eyes of others. With so many people in Gongyuan, it is difficult to avoid the eyes and ears. As long as you check, it will not be difficult to find out."
Yang Lian nodded and said: "We must investigate strictly. This matter has a great impact on Mr. Wu Ge, and Mr. Wu Ge will definitely get to the bottom of it." Wu Daonan in the cabinet is pro-Donglin. If Wu Daonan is forced to resign due to the imperial examination case, then The Donglin people were completely speechless in the court. Since the Li Sancai case in the 41st year of Wanli, the Donglin party had been losing ground against the three parties of Zhejiang, Chu and Qi. Ye Xianggao was forced to retire. Donglin leaders such as ** Xing and Gao Panlong have not yet been able to express themselves, so they must use this imperial examination case to fight back strongly.
What makes Yang Lian secretly happy is that because of Zhang Yuan, the Zhejiang Party has been split. Shang Zhouzuo will definitely support Wu Daonan in investigating the imperial examination case that framed Zhang Yuan, and Zhang Lianfang, a famous Zhejiang Party member who was banned this time. , is also very communicative, there is no reason to go against his nephew, right——
Zhang Yuandao: "Teacher Yang, there are rumors among the candidates that Huiyuan Shen Tonghe and the seventh Zhao Mingyang cheated by cooperating with each other. This matter is making a big fuss now. Elder Wu Ge must pay attention to it and not be pointed out."
Of course Zhang Yuan wants to side with Wu Daonan. Wu Daonan is now his tutor. If Wu Daonan had not decided to admit him under the exception, his situation would have been very bad. Even if he was not listed on the list, it would soon be found out that he had been framed and raped. Even though it would be difficult to change the test results, he really couldn't afford to wait for three years——
Yang Liandao: "I know that Huiyuan's name on the list has been wiped out - is it true that Shen Tonghe and Zhao Mingyang are adjacent to each other?"
Zhang Yuandao: "There is such a rumor among the candidates in Suzhou Prefecture. We will know whether it is true or not."
Zhou Zuodao of Shang Dynasty said: "Shen Tonghe is the son of Governor Shen. It is said that he is good at opera and poetry, but is not good at eight-legged art. Zhao Mingyang is a distant relative of Shen and has always been talented. Shen Tonghe and Zhao Mingyang were joint names in the Yingtianfu Township Examination four years ago. There were rumors of cheating at the time, but they ended later.”
Yang Lian thought to himself: "Shen Jiwen has a good relationship with Mr. Jing Yi, and the governor of Henan is also politically influential. Why is his son so unruly? If this happens, it will be too confusing, and it will also affect the investigation of Zhang Yuan's framed case." He said: "Here. The numbering of candidates' hall numbers is a matter of the Ministry of Rites, because candidates from the same province are all grouped in the same district, and it is common for the hall numbers of familiar people from the same hometown to be adjacent to each other. There is no sufficient reason to use the joint numbers to trace fraud."
Zhang Dai said: "Shen and Zhao were joint numbers during the provincial examination, and they were also joint numbers when they came to the general examination. Is there such a coincidence? Shen, Zhao's fraud and those who framed Jie Zi should be the same group, just catch one of them. "
Yang Liandao: "Let's see how the emperor responds."
Zhou Zuo of Shang Dynasty said: "These cases can be investigated without waiting for approval. The Five Cities Military and Horse Division is already searching."
After Yang Lian had dinner at Zuo Mansion of Shang Dynasty, he returned to the Huitong Hall. Zhang Dai also wanted to go back to the Paozi River. Zhang Yuan sent his eldest brother out of the south archway. Zhang Dai said angrily: "If you say that the Dong family and his son have nothing to do with this case, even the devil will not believe it. Jiezi, do you want to arrest a servant of the Dong family and bring him out for interrogation like you did with Wang Ruqian last time?"
Zhang Yuandao: "No, Dong will definitely accept Wang Ruqian's lesson last time and won't let us arrest people so easily. If we arrest people without permission, we will fall into the opponent's pretext and mess up the situation. However, Uncle Baosheng is separated from Dong Qichang. Living by the lake, brother, I can ask the servants to pay more attention to Dong's movements. If Dong doesn't frame me, he will definitely panic, and there will always be flaws. Also, since the Five Cities Military and Horse Division is arresting someone, that person might I will hide in Dong Qichang's house and keep a close eye on this. And if the news spreads, I will say that Dong Qichang helped Shen Tonghe commit fraud, so that the Dong family and his son can have a taste of the power of the angry people who do not know the truth."
Zhang Dai smiled and said: "This is not a false accusation. Uncle Zhong said that Shen Tonghe did have a close relationship with the Dong family."
Zhang Yuan said: "By the way, how can the telescope be useful now?" He asked Wu Ling to run back and fetch the white copper telescope. He gave it to the eldest brother and asked him to arrange for two servants to set up a telescope near Dong's villa. Monitor day and night from a hidden height, wait for the rabbit, no matter whether it is useful or not, just wait for a few days——
After sending his eldest brother off, Zhang Yuan walked back, with Mu Zhenzhen following behind him. Zhang Yuan turned his head and looked at Mu Zhenzhen and said, "Zhenzhen, am I very wronged?"
Mu Zhenzhen said: "Yes, the young master is really wronged. Such an unfair thing has been blamed on the young master. With more than 8,000 actions, the young master is the most wronged."
Zhang Yuandao: "Very good, I will face the officials in the capital with this wronged and angry face from now on. I am the victim, Dou E is the second. It is understandable that I have excessive behavior."
…
When the list of candidates for the general examination was announced in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites today, Dong Zuchang took a Qing guest and took a carriage to see the list outside the Ming Dynasty. It was already daybreak and most of the tens of thousands of people had dispersed, but there were still thousands of people gathered at the screen wall of the Ministry of Rites.
There was so much noise in front of the house that Dong Zuchang followed his father's instructions and did not dare to show his face. He only asked the Qing guest to look at the list to see if Zhang Yuan's name from Shanyin was on the list. Dong Zuchang was sure that Zhang Yuan would not win because the framer had already
On the day after he finished cutting the scrolls, he left Gongyuan Zayuan and had the framer put on the merchant ship back to Songjiang——
The Qingke came back soon, with a strange expression on his face. He got into the car and said in a low voice: "Second Young Master, that Zhang Yuan won the prize and is in sixth place."
"Ah!" Dong Zuchang was shocked and asked: "Did you read that correctly?"
The Qingke said with a bitter face: "On the second row, in big words, the sixth place is Zhang Yuan, Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. How could I get it wrong?"
Dong Zuchang was shocked at first, and then extremely angry. He gnashed his teeth, his face turned red, and he ordered the driver to return to Paozi River immediately.
The carriage drove through West Chang'an Street and turned south. A moment later, Dong Zuchang entered his villa by the Paozi River angrily. He asked his servant where his father was, and then went straight to Juyunxuan——
Dong Qichang was copying "Autumn Thoughts on Rivers and Mountains" by Song Dynasty artist Zhao Qianli in the Juyun Pavilion, and wrote Du Mu's poem on it: "The water in Nanling is long and long, the wind is tight and the clouds are thick, and they are about to turn into autumn. It is the lonely place where the guest's heart is, who has red sleeves?"
"Leaning on a high building?" After writing, he looked at it carefully and thought that copying was better than the original work. He was quite proud of his ability to copy and forge. He also thought: "I am trying my best to imitate the poor regular script of that boy Zhang Yuan. It should be noted that it is easy to copy good calligraphy, but it is easy to copy bad calligraphy."
It’s really embarrassing for me. Although the eight-legged essay was written in a hurry, it was not bad. If it wasn’t a taboo, the examiner would have got it right——"
Just as he was thinking this, he heard heavy and urgent footsteps. He raised his head and saw his son Dong Zuchang running in. His face turned red and he said loudly: "Dad, Zhang Yuan won the sixth place."
With a soft "click" sound, Dong Qichang's pen fell on the copied "Autumn Thoughts on Rivers and Mountains", and a large ink dot was smeared on the faint river water of the scroll, which immediately destroyed the artistic conception of the entire painting.
"What's going on? Tell me carefully."
Dong Qichang seemed calm, but his voice was already breathless when he spoke.
Dong Zuchang said angrily: "How can my son know what's going on?"
Dong Qichang stopped talking, and drew strokes on the painting "Autumn Thoughts of Jiangshan" with the brush in his hand. The ink lines were like knives, criss-crossing, destroying a good painting. After a long while, he said: "Pai Deli"
The family went to wait at the house of Doctor Zhou of the Ministry of Rites to see what is going on?"
…
It was already sunset when Zhou Yingqiu, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, returned to the house near Yaowang Temple in the south of the city. The Dong family had been waiting in the foyer for more than three hours. When they saw Zhou Yingqiu, they quickly crossed their hands and said: "Mr. Zhou, my master——"
"Shut up." Zhou Yingqiu stopped the Dong family from talking with a sullen face. He hesitated and said, "Follow me." He entered the study and picked up a pen to write a letter to Dong Qichang. But he felt it was inappropriate.
. Afraid that the letter would fall into the hands of others, he was already a little suspicious, and said to the Dong servant: "Go back and tell your master. Ask him to wait at the back door of Yaowang Temple at the end of tomorrow. I will talk to him face to face. Remember to ask
Take a carriage ride.”
After Dong's servant left, Zhou Yingqiu wandered alone in the study. A beautiful maid came over with tea and said charmingly: "Master has been in the Gongyuan for many days. Now that he is out, would you like to buy some wine to celebrate?"
This beautiful maid was sent by Dong Qichang years ago. Her name was Li Zhu. She was very charming on the bed. Zhou Yingqiu doted on her. But when he saw this beautiful maid, he couldn't help but feel annoyed and waved: "Get out, get out.
Don't bother me."
The beautiful maid was startled, put down the tea cup, and withdrew with tears in her eyes.
Zhou Yingqiu was thinking about the reason for the exposure of the cut-off test papers. Xu Guangqi knew that Zhang Yuan's test papers would be distributed in the "Spring and Autumn" room. He paid special attention to it. Another thing he had to admit was that Zhang Yuan was indeed talented.
The official's attention and Xu Guangqi's persistence eventually led to the inspection of the grass scroll, forcing him to take a trick and instruct his cronies to set fire to the grass scroll. Covering up old crimes with new crimes is just a matter of covering up the past. If you can't cover it up, it will be a crime.
To increase the crime, the crime of arson in the Gongyuan is more serious than the crime of fraud in the examination room——
"Master, someone wants to see you." An old servant appeared outside the study.
"Isn't there a name card? There is no name card." Zhou Yingqiu said impatiently.
The old servant said: "He is a scholar, and he asked to see the master about something of life and death -"
Zhou Yingqiu's face changed color, and he went out of the door. When he saw Zhuo Xiaosheng, the transcription student, standing under the eaves with his hands on his hands and his shoulders hunched, like a cold bird, Zhou Yingqiu became furious and shouted in a low voice: "Didn't I tell you to go find Dong Hanlin?"
Zhuo Xiaosheng laughed and said, "Wansheng and Dong Hanlin are not familiar with each other."
Zhou Yingqiu had no choice but to let Zhuo Xiaosheng in and arrange for him to stay overnight. Zhou Yingqiu couldn't sleep that night. The next day, he had breakfast and asked Zhuo Xiaosheng to ride in the carriage with him. Zhuo Xiaosheng was flattered.
The carriage drove to the sycamore tree at the back gate of Yaowang Temple and stopped. It started to rain on the overcast sky, and it fell on the newly born sycamore leaves. It was still mid-afternoon, and the back gate of Yaowang Temple was deserted. Zhuo Xiaosheng was a little agitated.
Feeling anxious, I laughed and asked, "Where are you going, Mr. Zhou, to take Wansheng?" I thought, "You are probably taking me to surrender, I'm sorry you don't dare."
Zhou Yingqiu said with a cold face: "Ask Dong Hanlin to pick you up, and Dong Hanlin will arrange for you to leave Beijing."
Zhuo Xiaosheng said with a sad face: "Mr. Zhou, if this incident fails, the honor of late students will definitely be lost, and they will not be able to gain a foothold in Beijing. The price is too heavy. The fifty taels of silver that your Excellency promised me will not be enough for late students."
Life in Beijing!"
Zhou Yingqiu said calmly: "I won't treat you badly, and I will let you spend the rest of your life in peace."
Zhuo Xiaosheng said hurriedly: "Thank you sir, thank you sir."
After waiting for a while, two carriages came from the north and stopped by the sycamore tree. Zhou Yingqiu looked out and saw half of Dong Qichang's face exposed through the carriage window on the other side of the sycamore tree. He turned around and told Zhuo Xiaosheng:
"Don't move around in the car. I will discuss with Dong Hanlin how to send you out of the city."
Zhou Yingqiu got off the car and sat on Dong Qichang's carriage. Seeing Dong's son Dong Zuchang riding with his father, he said: "Second Young Master Dong, please go to the other carriage first. I have something important to say with you." After Dong Zuchang got off the car, he
I told Dong Qichang the whole story of cutting the examination papers.
Dong Qichang's hands and feet were cold, and he asked for a long time: "How should I deal with the aftermath?"
Zhou Yingqiu asked: "Where is the framer?"
Dong Qichang said: "We were sent out of Beijing ten days ago."
Zhou Yingqiu said: "The matter is urgent, try to silence them."
Dong Qichang was shocked and said: "Shut up, this -"
Zhou Yingqiu said: "The framer may not be in a hurry, but there is a person in the carriage over there who must be removed as soon as possible." After saying that, he smiled at Zhuo Xiaosheng who showed his face in the window of the carriage opposite. How could Zhuo Xiaosheng know that Zhou Yingqiu wanted him?
He even nodded and bowed to Zhou Yingqiu and Dong Qichang in a flattering manner——
Dong Qichang asked: "Who is this person?"
Zhou Yingqiu said: "It's the transcriber who escaped. Keeping this person alive will be a big disaster."
Dong Qichang felt bitter in his mouth and asked: "What is this person's life experience?"
Zhou Yingqiu said: "Don't worry about this. The people I'm looking for cheats are all bachelors. They don't have any family background, and only such people are willing to take risks for money. At that time, I promised him to work as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites.
Fa, this kind of person cannot be retained. As long as this person is removed, he will die without any evidence. The officials will not give Wu Daonan enough time to investigate and deal with the case. The impeachment memorial will make him miserable. As long as Wu Daonan is defeated, the case will be over.
After all, we and the outer curtain officers will just be fined. Although Brother Xuanzai is relieved, Brother Xuanzai has to find a way to deal with this transcription student quickly, and I have to rush to the Yamen to see the emperor's holy will on the examination room case.
How about it?" He bowed his hands, got out of the car, returned to his own carriage, and asked Zhuo Xiaosheng to get on Dong Qichang's carriage.
Dong Qichang saw Zhou Yingqiu throwing such a hot poisonous taro over and had to take it. He was really miserable. He heard this deadly poison next to him ask: "I wonder how Dong Hanlin is going to send Wan Sheng out of the city? Jiumendu
Is the investigation stricter?"
Dong Qichang said in a low voice: "There will be a way to send you out."
Zhuo Xiaosheng said: "Wansheng lost his reputation because of Dong Hanlin's affairs, and he has to flee the capital. He will have to live in a foreign country for the rest of his life. Lord Zhou just said that Dong Hanlin will compensate Wansheng -"
Dong Qichang asked: "How much silver do you want?"
Zhuo Xiaosheng said: "Wan Sheng is not the kind of person who speaks loudly. I don't dare to ask for more. I only need one thousand taels of silver."
Dong Qichang said calmly: "One thousand taels of silver is indeed not much, I can give it to you - well, leave here first."
Dong Qichang went to the back of the carriage to ride with his son. He asked two healthy servants to sit with Zhuo Xiaosheng. Dong Qichang's carriage was in front. The two carriages drove away from Yaowang Temple. Dong Qichang ordered the coachman not to return to Paozi River for the time being, but to go around the Temple of Heaven first.
After walking around for a while, I suddenly thought that to go to the Temple of Heaven, I had to go out of the Zhengyang Gate of the inner city. If the poison in the carriage behind was caught by the guard guard, it would be all over. I changed my mind and said, "Let's go back to Paozi River."
Dong Zu saw that his father's face was even uglier than before, and he asked anxiously: "Father, what did Mr. Zhou say? Who is that person in the car behind?"
Dong Qichang originally did not want to be involved in the case of human life. A gentleman is far away from the kitchen, but now he is riding a tiger and cannot get off. If the transcriber is caught and confesses, it will be inevitable for Dong Qichang to confiscate his home and send him to the army. He briefly told his son about his origins and asked: "Zu Chang, do you have anything?"
What can we do?"
Dong Zuchang was surprised and said: "Father, Beijing is not as good as Huating. My son used to be helped by Wu Long, a gangster, and he has the ability to make waves. He is not familiar with it in Beijing. He has never done anything like murder and silence."
Dong Qichang said angrily: "You haven't done it, why have I done it?"
Dong Zuchang said hurriedly: "Father, calm down, it's not difficult to kill this man. Just take him back to the villa, have someone strangle him, and dig a hole in the back garden and bury him."
Dong Qichang stopped talking and said for a long time: "Proceed with caution." After saying that, he sighed and felt that he was helpless and innocent. He had no choice but to do everything. He was forced to do everything. How could he, a famous calligraphy and painting master in the country, end up like this?
There's a way up!
…
The results will be released on February 27th, and it is customary to return the failed rolls to the unsuccessful examinees the next day. However, because a fire broke out in the Gongyuan on the eve of the release of the results and 115 copies were burned, the official Li Sicheng was very embarrassed.
After dragging on for a day, outside the Gongyuan Courtyard and in front of the lobby of the Ministry of Rites, the crowd was furious. The voices accusing the examination room of being unfair were rising. Li Langzhong, the official who received the papers, couldn't stand it anymore and asked Mr. Wu Ge for instructions. Mr. Wu Ge said to hand out the papers——
On February 29th, the papers were handed out, but the 115 people who had not received the papers refused to comply. However, most of these people were candidates from Suzhou Prefecture, including Wen Zhenmeng and Fan Wenruo.
, these Suzhou candidates were already extremely dissatisfied with Shen Tonghe, the senior high school student, and now that they have not received the examination papers, they are even more suspicious and arrogant, making the trouble even worse. The yamen of the Ministry of Rites is completely unable to work. Liu Chuxian, the Minister of Rites, and He, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites,
Zong Yan couldn't bear the pressure. After discussing with Mr. Wu Ge, he went to Emperor Wanli and requested that the first Huiyuan Shen Tonghe, the seventh Zhao Mingyang, and the 115 candidates whose examination papers were burned be re-examined. If
If Shen Tonghe and Zhao Mingyang fail to pass the re-examination, they will be deposed and severely punished. In addition, six candidates will be promoted from the 115 re-examination candidates to participate in the palace examination together with other candidates on the yellow list——
The one hundred and fifteen candidates were overjoyed when they heard the news. This was equivalent to bringing forward the exam three years later. They did not have to wait for three years. Moreover, six of the one hundred and fifteen candidates got the best score of twenty.
1. The chance of getting selected by 344 people is slightly higher than that of 8,000 candidates. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Other failed candidates beat their chests and cursed the arsonists for not burning the fire harder, burning all the papers, and retaking the exam.
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