In previous years, the results of the rural examination were posted outside the Gongyuan. This year, in addition to posting the list, the list was also published in "Yanjing Weekly". "Yanjing Weekly" published a special issue of the rural examination. In addition to the list of candidates, there are also
The three answer sheets of the top ten were published. Except for the third answer sheet of Jieyuan Chen Ruihua, the remaining 29 articles were all accompanied by vernacular translations. The third answer sheet of Chen Ruihua itself was in vernacular. People with a discerning eye began to notice,
The imperial court of Yan State was going to promote vernacular writing.
Chen Ruihua is a descendant of the Qi family. Mr. Chen lost the lawsuit against the Xu family a while ago, so he could not get sick. When he heard that his nephew had won the election, he was overjoyed. He then ordered a big show and a banquet. Chen Ruihua hurriedly said: "The general will be here soon."
It's nothing to be a general candidate. It's the National Examination next year. It won't be too late to wait until my nephew wins the Jinshi. Besides, my nephew doesn't have much time to socialize, and he still has to study hard." Mr. Chen heard this.
After praising him for being sensible, they just organized a banquet and a brief celebration at home. Mrs. Chen breathed a sigh of relief: her family was in a difficult situation and could no longer be as extravagant as she had been in the early years. She then rushed to the Kingdom of Wu.
Report.
At the end of September, Chen Ruiwen wrote back from the Kingdom of Wu, instructing his younger brother, Haosheng Wenshu, to take the Chunwei Palace Examination next year and be admitted to high school. The Kingdom of Wu will soon be his, Chen Ruiwen's, and he can arrange a good future for his younger brother. Chen Ruihua
He smiled calmly and put the letter in the candlelight.
Little did they know that Chen Ruiwen was not bragging. He was once famous, but his official career had failed in the past few years, and he had tasted all kinds of life. The King of Wu was old and was getting fainter. Chen Ruiwen seized the opportunity to flatter him a few times, and he suddenly returned to his favor.
Zhen Zangzhu, an important minister of the state of Wu, secretly lamented to his friend Bao Sanye: "In the early years, how could anyone get favored by flattering..."
In the past two years, the King of Wu has become more and more displeased with the Crown Prince. Mr. Bao was also unhappy when he mentioned the King of Wu, saying: "I don't know how many days the old man can live. When he returns to the west, the Crown Prince will immediately tell Chen Ruiwen to get out."
Zhen Zangzhu shook his head and said: "Don't be too happy too early. Chen Ruiwen is not confused. You see how cheap it is for him to slander and cheat people, but he never does it. Instead, he helps the ministers to coax the prince to do serious things. Without him,
The monk who failed to keep his balance last time was able to make away with tens of thousands of silver."
Mr. Bao thought carefully for a long time and said, "Seriously! He has never done anything outrageous."
Zhen Zangzhu said: "This man is not a fool. He just wants to accept death when it comes to Princess Yan's regency. We underestimated him earlier."
Third Master Bao sighed: "Concubine Chen is dead, yet he can still favor her again. I really underestimated her." After thinking for a while, "Is it because Concubine Chen is dead, and the prince misses her instead?"
Reuse her brother’s?”
"Third Master, you are overthinking it. Your Majesty is just getting older and loves to hear compliments. It has nothing to do with Concubine Chen."
Third Master Bao nodded and sighed: "The harem is also interesting. Earlier when Concubine Chen and Mei Ji were here, my sister said that these two could fight until the heir apparent succeeded to the throne. Both of them died in just a few years. What a pity, beauty.
Bad fate."
Zhen Zangzhu smiled slightly and said, "That Concubine Shen is not a light-saving lamp."
Third Master Bao said thiefly: "Don't worry, the prince is gone. No matter how good she is, it doesn't matter if she can't give birth to a son."
Zhen Zangzhu thought for a while: "If you can't give birth to a son... you may not be able to stop her. I advise the prince to join forces with Concubine Shen."
Mr. Bao was startled: "No need."
Zhen Zangzhu said: "It's best to join forces with her to prevent her from joining forces with others." He paused and said softly, "Zhao Feiyan never had a son, so she usually became the queen mother." Third Master Bao was slightly shocked.
They are all busy in Shanghai Port at the moment. Mr. Bao went back to his residence to think about it, and sent his confidants to rush back to Jinling to remind the prince what Zhen Zangzhu said. But it was too late.
The prince hesitated for several days after hearing the news. He knew that Concubine Shen was ambitious, so he had not thought of joining forces with her. The old man could not live for a few more days, he just had to wait a little longer. Concubine Shen, a childless childless man, could do this. What? If we join forces with her, I'm afraid she will be granted a lot of benefits. Just as he was undecided, an old eunuch suddenly came to Prince Wu's palace and said that the prince had something important to do to summon the crown prince.
The prince agreed and asked, "How is your father feeling?"
The old eunuch smiled bitterly and said: "It's not good. I'm just afraid that the prince will have to be scolded again."
The prince sighed, "I'm used to it." Then he slowly changed his clothes. The old eunuch looked at him from behind, his eyes twinkling.
When they arrived at Prince Wu's Mansion, the eunuch who had delivered the message shouted outside the palace: "The Crown Prince is here~~"
The Crown Prince strode in and was about to salute, but when he saw that the floor of the palace was in a mess and everything on King Wu's desk had been smashed clean, he was startled: "What's going on?"
King Wu was sitting in the palace, trembling with anger. He pointed at him and said, "What's wrong? You asked the lonely king what's wrong? The lonely king hasn't asked you what's wrong!"
The old eunuch who delivered the message whispered: "Your Majesty, look at those words on the ground."
The prince frowned - it was obvious that someone had sued him. Then he bent down and picked out some papers from the broken teapot, broken mutton-fat white jade paperweight, broken Duan inkstone and other objects. He looked through it for a long time, and the more he read, the more he read. The more shocked he became, the back of his spine felt as if someone had poured a basin of ice water on a cold day. I don’t know who had brought all the things that the prince had done to search for property over the years to King Wu. King Wu loved money most in his life, so his money was touched. It was as if his lifeblood had been touched. The Crown Prince not only made money, but also spent money. King Wu himself had been thinking about building a new Wu Palace for many years, but every time he was blocked by his servants, and now he has not even chosen a place. Crown Prince Frightened into a cold sweat, he shouted: "Father, I am wronged! These are all forgeries to frame the child!"
King Wu said coldly: "You don't need to argue. The lonely king has already asked people to check, and there are a few things here that are most easy to check. Although I am old, I can still read the account book."
The prince shouted again: "Father, I am the prince of Wu Kingdom, why do you need to do this?"
King Wu said: "You don't have to worry. You will find out when you get the account book."
The old eunuch coughed twice, and then the prince remembered that he had not knelt down yet, so he quickly put his knees on the ground and said with tears in his eyes: "My son, I have truly been wronged, and I beg your father to see clearly."
King Wu said slowly: "Of course King Gu will not accuse you wrongly, but you don't want to fool Gu."
The prince was anxious: "Evidence can be forged. If you want to frame a false accusation, you can get it with ironclad evidence." Nai said bitterly, "Who is stabbing me in the back? The third child? Or the fourth child?"
King Wu responded: "Now that things have happened, you still only care about your brother? You have done these things yourself, why do you still blame others?"
The prince was really anxious and scared, so he said without hesitation: "My father just thought, how can my son be used like this? Isn't the treasury all the same in the future..." He choked suddenly. He looked up and saw that King Wu's face was already gray. His body went limp and he couldn't hold himself back from his knees and fell to the ground. He secretly hated Zhen Zangzhu. If that guy hadn't often said in front of him, "Sooner or later, the Wu Kingdom belongs to the prince, what are you doing with your own money?" How could you say such a stupid thing?
After a long while, King Wu nodded: "Okay, okay. Your father is not dead yet, and the treasury is all yours." Nai shouted, "Take it!" Several warriors rushed out in front of the palace, grabbed the prince and then Walk.
The prince was shocked: "Father! What are you doing!" King Wu ignored him, and the warriors naturally ignored him. It wasn't until he was picked up and pushed two steps that the prince regained his composure and screamed for injustice; King Wu did not hear him.
Several ministers were ordered to join forces to thoroughly investigate the prince's embezzlement case. Because the information given by the whistleblower was too detailed, King Wu's people investigated the prince without much effort. He was not unjust, and for many years he did not know how to get it from the Wu treasury. How much money did she get? From the time she left the capital, Wu Princess Bao had been trying to get money for her son from public accounts. After arriving in Wu, she became more and more brazen.
King Wu was furious. Only ten days later, he issued an order to depose the crown prince and abolish the princess. Before the government and the people of Wu could be surprised, and before all the officials could warn them, King Wu suddenly made his twelfth son the crown prince, and ordered the son to recognize Concubine Shen as his mother. .Any court official who has a suggestion will be beaten out.
On the same day, someone went to take the new crown prince to move. The child was five years old and was crying and unwilling to leave his mother. His biological mother, Ding, was just an ordinary beauty with a cowardly temperament and was not favored. The eunuch who passed the order advised Ding: "Your Majesty. It's a good idea to appease the prince. The prince wanted to give you a piece of white silk, but Empress Shen tried her best to stop it, saying that she wanted to accumulate virtue for the prince." Mrs. Ding was frightened and hurriedly comforted her son and persuaded him to go with the eunuch. The child refused. , still crying.
But just now a maid came, and she was surprised when she entered the door: "Hey~~ What's going on? Why is the young prince crying?" Then she said to the room, "Our queen is here."
Everyone recognized this maid and knew that she was with Concubine Shen. They were so frightened that they knelt on the ground. Mrs. Ding quickly held her son down and said, "Kneel down, kneel down quickly."
Concubine Shen walked in with a smile, looked around and said: "Everyone, please get up, there is no need to be polite." The young prince raised his head with tears in his eyes, his face full of grievances. Concubine Shen stroked his head, "Don't be afraid, prince. Your mother may be temporarily detained." Let me say a few words. It only takes a moment, okay?" Mrs. Ding hurriedly called for the wet nurse to take care of the young prince. Concubine Shen looked at the room for a few times and found that it was really small, so she led Mrs. Ding out. .Others dare not follow.
Arriving under a sycamore tree in the courtyard, Concubine Shen said to Mrs. Qingqie Ding: "Sister Ding, I was originally the daughter of a small official in another country. I also experienced changes in my family and was displaced. I thought I would be like that for the rest of my life... I was dreaming. I didn't expect to be favored by the prince. This life is enough. I knew that I was destined to have no children. I originally wanted to serve the prince, Long Yu, and after his death, I went to the nunnery to become a monk and live in peace for the rest of my life. I practiced with great concentration in front of the Buddha, so that I could meet the prince earlier in the next life. We met. Who knew..." She let out a long sigh, "Such an incident happened to the prince in front of me out of thin air. The kingdom that the prince has worked hard to build... the prince is so disappointed. He is the most difficult and suffering person these days."
Mrs. Ding was confused after hearing this and didn't know how to respond. She just lowered her head and said "yes".
Concubine Shen continued: "Sister Ding, don't worry, I have no intention of taking away your son. The younger prince will still visit Sister Ding every day and show his filial piety to her. When he inherits the throne in the future, my sister will still be the Queen Mother of Wu. I will only educate him. Son, let him always stay with the prince and learn some etiquette for entering and exiting. In the future, when he grows up, he will be more like the prince."
Mrs. Ding cried: "I don't want him to be a prince! Doesn't he have so many brothers? Can't he let others do it?"
Concubine Shen hurriedly said sternly: "You must never say these words again. Since the prince has chosen him, he must be outstanding. We are just foolish women. How can the prince have a lofty vision?" Ding was so frightened that she did not dare to say any more. Lower your head.
After saying a few more words, Concubine Shen ordered Ding to go back and comfort the prince. Concubine Ding reluctantly persuaded her son to go with the eunuch and Concubine Shen. Because Concubine Ding's courtyard was too small, what Concubine Shen and Concubine Ding said were clearly heard by all the eunuchs. , I must tell King Wu when I get back. King Wu was greatly relieved: "I married the wrong woman in my early years, but now I have a better outlook. I am not old yet." The eunuch was busy complimenting her for a while, and understood in his heart: Concubine Shen has won.
Concubine Shen was not only able to deal with the prince. The young prince was also sulking with Concubine Shen at first, and after only four or five days he called her "mother concubine". King Wu then chose an auspicious day to make Concubine Shen the principal concubine.
The trend of the state of Wu changed dramatically. The late prince was placed under house arrest in an unknown place, and the former princess of Wu was ordered to become a nun. The line of the late prince was in danger, and all the officials and junior officials from his mother's family, the Bao family, were wiped out. Except those who were far away in Shanghai. Third Master Bao and all the male members of the Bao family were imprisoned. King Wu ordered people to conduct a detailed investigation of the Bao family. He also sent people to chase him to Shanghai Port, but Third Master Bao was nowhere to be found.
When Chen Ruiwen saw that the Bao family was in ruins, he immediately tried to send a message to Concubine Shen, begging her to join forces. Concubine Shen knew that the king of Wu in the outer dynasty listened to Chen Ruiwen's words, so she replied with a smile and said: "Yes." The two then joined forces to install party members and eliminate them. Dissidents. Fortunately, neither of them are stupid. They know who can be used and who cannot be used. Therefore, they only remove the people who are the ancestors of the prince, and the new recruits are not idiots.
Although the late son and the Bao family were involved in many civil servants, they had no power to fight back when trouble came. Wu Guowei was led by the South American general Wei Ruoheng, and many of those who stayed in the country had a close friendship with him. Wei Ruoheng told his brothers in the early years He repeatedly warned and sent letters back home with the same words: the generals were only loyal to the prince and ignored others. No matter the prince or the other sons of King Wu, they could not win over the generals; all the generals knew that the prince was making money behind his back and were not willing to accept it. To win over. Therefore, although the former Crown Prince and the Bao family have hundreds of followers, they are all helpless against the soldiers. What's more, the Crown Prince himself doesn't know where he is, and he has no leader.
However, the King of Wu did not drive away his sons and kill them all. The prince's family was placed under house arrest, and soldiers were guarding them so that they could not leave the house. The same was true for Bao's family members. This matter was persuaded by Concubine Shen. She said: "Even if the prince is in trouble, with the prince and concubine, we will not leave the house. What are the kings and grandsons doing? The case of the Bao family has not yet been investigated, so how can we rashly touch the children of the family? Only after you have found out, can you act in accordance with the law to show your lord's sage." King Wu praised him more and more for his kindness and insight. An unusual woman.
When Chen Ruiwen heard about it, he was puzzled and sent someone to find Concubine Shen to find out: "Why do you keep that family?"
Concubine Shen said calmly: "There is also a third child in the Bao family. Although he is a playboy, he is even friends with Master Zhen Zangzhu. Not only does Zhen Zangzhu have the trust of the prince, he also comes from a green forest, has strong martial arts, and is good at flying over eaves and walking over walls. Besides, this The master who died was an old monk from a temple in the capital. The temple contained the late emperor’s edict of succession, which is unusual. Therefore, we cannot rashly attack the family members of the prince and the Bao family without catching Zhen Zangzhu.”
Chen Ruiwen was suddenly enlightened, and praised the case: "Women are not allowed to be inferior to men." But he was still confused: It has been more than a month since the Bao family's accident, why is Zhen Zangzhu still staying in Shanghai? Why didn't he come back to Jinling to dissuade him?