Donggong Ce [Rebirth]

Since the selection of scholars by the Ministry of Rites in the previous dynasty was scheduled in April, every spring rain wets the willows, and the capital becomes lively.

Students from all over the county gathered in the capital.

The spring test lasted six days and was held in the Academy of Literature under the Ministry of Rites.

According to the usual practice, the emperor will not be present, and the important ministers of the internal history, Shangshu, and Menxia will take turns to preside over the spring examination.

In the 23rd year of Qingde, it happened to be Xie Yong's turn.

On the first day of the spring test, there was a heavy rain.A student who was late was stopped outside the door. In desperation, he imitated the elegant deeds and wrote a spring rain poem on the spot.

Shang Shuling Xie Yong didn't raise his eyes, and directly asked the guards to throw him out.

On the first day, only a few people were late, and on the second and third day, the number of people who were late gradually increased, from a few people to a dozen people.

In the Wenshuyuan, the rain was pouring under the eaves, and the venue was silent, and the noise from afar could be heard.Xie Yong was on the main seat, motionless like a mountain.

More than one student wailed outside the arena, his voice was like a wave.Some students were restless and quietly looked up.

Shang Shuling was at ease, as if nothing happened outside.

After a while, Xie Yong suddenly opened his eyes.At the same time, some students who were near the door looked back in surprise.

It is not allowed to walk around in the examination room at will, and the guards can only patrol from a distance.And the person standing at the door at this moment obviously does not belong to this group.

Xie Yong got up slowly, walked in front of the visitor, greeted with a smile: "Master Sheng."

The short and thin middle-aged man smiled on the surface: "Thank you, sir."

Xie Yong said leisurely: "Master Sheng is not serving in front of the imperial court, why did you come to Wenshu Academy?"

He took over the duties of proctor.In the past few days, both Sheng and Wei should stay in Chaolu Palace.

Xie Yong's eyes moved, and he sized him up a bit.

Sheng Jiangliu didn't take his official uniform and official seal, so he hurried here to do something.

Sheng Jiangliu laughed so hard that the students next to him felt hairy and their pens trembled.

"You know that there is a shortage of people in the three counties in the southeast. Your Majesty is very anxious, hoping to produce a few good seedlings. I am here to share your majesty's worries. Thank you for your busyness. I will take a look."

If Xie Yong believed this, he would be in vain for 20 years.

But Xie Yong smiled kindly: "Mr. Sheng, please do as you please. Come and serve tea to Mr. Sheng."

But how could Sheng Jiangliu let him go away, "Thank you, sir."

Xie Yong turned his head slightly.

Sheng Jiangliu also smiled kindly: "Be careful where you step."

The two old ministers talked and laughed at Yan Yan, and the sword flashed in secret, which made the students next to them jump in fear.

Immediately, a strange atmosphere filled the examination room.

The chief examiner was smiling on the top, and Mr. Sheng who killed him halfway sat beside him, holding a tea bowl and kept sneering.

Spring exams continue.

It rained harder and harder without getting tired.

There are noble Han people in the field.The children of the gentry are accompanied by book boys, and even if it rains heavily, their clothes are still dry and tidy.The children from poor families are different. Some lucky ones can still support the answer papers when their clothes are wet. The unlucky ones are drenched on the road, sitting in the field and being blown by the cold wind, and their faces are pale from the cold. Take care of the answer sheet.

A sneeze sounded like a trigger, followed by non-stop sneezing and coughing.

Xie Yong ordered the guards: "Go and get the clean clothes and distribute them."

The guards quickly fetched the clothes, and Sheng Jiangliu watched coldly.

Suddenly, he seemed to see something, suddenly got up, and shouted: "Thank you, sir!"

Xie Yong also stood up, his peaceful eyes suddenly focused on a certain candidate.

There was a dead silence.

The skinny examinee who was stared at by the two important ministers panicked. His clothes were already soaked, and he scratched them with his left hand, staining them with ink.

The left hand does not hold the pen, where does the ink come from?

The thin candidate suddenly collapsed, crying bitterly, ran two steps in front of Xie Yong, but was stopped by the guards.

Xie Yong sighed softly: "Take him out."

The examinee who cried bitterly and begged for mercy was taken away by the guards, who soon reported back and found handwriting on the inside of his clothes.If it wasn't for the wet hem of the clothes, it wouldn't have gotten on his hands, let alone be discovered.

Sheng Jiangliu sneered, watched the guard walk away, and then sat down slowly.

He glanced at it, stared at it, and almost jumped up again.

Is he old and dim?

Why are there more than ten people with ink stains on their left hands? !

Sheng Jiangliu's throat rolled, and he wanted to leave subconsciously, but was stopped by Xie Yong: "Master Sheng, please stay."

Xie Yong could clearly see his shocked expression, and Xie Yong expected him to frown unwillingly.

The Sheng family is suspicious by nature, and so is Sheng Jiangliu, who is the head of the family.The emperor once said in person that if Sheng Jiangliu was not too sensitive and suspicious, Xie Yong would not necessarily be in the position of Shang Shuling.

Sheng Jiangliu said slowly: "Master Xie, you are exercising the authority of the chief examiner, the old man should retreat."

Xie Yong smiled kindly.

He likes the suspicious and cautious reaction of the Sheng family.

"Mr. Sheng speaks seriously. It was Xie's oversight that he was not found out before he entered the venue." Xie Yong made a gesture of invitation, "This is a big matter, please stop Mr. Shan and investigate with Xie. In this way, Xie also has an explanation to His Majesty."

Sheng Jiangliu didn't know what Xie Yong meant.

Isn't it because he is afraid that he will sneak away to sue the emperor?

Sheng Jiangliu sneered and returned a gesture of invitation.

The two important ministers led the guards and carefully checked all the way.I don't know if I don't check, but at the end of the count, there are still four or five.

Xie Yong showed a shameful expression, and pleaded guilty in front of Sheng Jiangliu again and again.

Sheng Jiangliu didn't have time to take into account his posture, and kept glancing at the candidates.

Only four or five?

Impossible, that's only half of it.

Is Xie Yong confused, or is he dazzled?

Sheng Jiangliu had a bad feeling, but he couldn't tell or find out.

Based on his many years of experience in the imperial court, Xie Yong, an old man, definitely has a plan waiting for him.

However, no matter what it was, after the spring exam, Xie Yong relinquished his duties as the chief examiner and returned to the court, where he was met with the expected criticism.

The emperor's face was not good-looking, and his voice was cold: "Xie Qing, are you convicted?"

Xie Yong repeatedly pleaded guilty, with a look of mourning.It was rare for the ministers to see him so downcast, so they couldn't help but look at him twice, with different expressions.

Shang Shuling Xie Yong was fined by the emperor for two months' salary, and returned to the mansion to contemplate behind closed doors for half a month.All the officials snickered, just waiting to see how Xie Yong would be punished.

But the emperor punished not Xie Yong, but Ping Wang Fengyuan.

On the early morning of the third day when Xie Yong went back to the mansion to think about his past, the emperor threw the confession letter at Feng Yuan's feet, and scolded Feng Yuan bloody.

The people who were arrested by Xie Yong were more or less related to Feng Yuan.

Feng Yuan lost all face and gritted his teeth bitterly.

He was indeed angry, but it wasn't those people who committed foolishness and fraud, but Xie Yong's behavior.

The emperor was scolding Xing's head, Feng Yuan coldly replied: "Father's words are wrong. As far as I know, these people were not the only ones who cheated that day, and the eighth brother also had a share. Father only scolds my son, forgive me Can't be convinced."

The eyes of the courtiers turned in an instant, and the eighth prince was not stage-frightened: "Brother Sanhuang is empty-handed, he should show evidence."

Feng Yuan sneered: "Master Xie didn't expose you that day, shouldn't he be in collusion with you?"

The eighth prince replied coldly: "Brother San Huang said that strangely. Mr. Xie has always acted aboveboard, how could he let in so many cheating candidates at once. Could it be that Brother San Huang threatened Mr. Xie behind his back?"

When Feng Yuan heard him praise Xie Yong, his heart became even more angry, and he was even more sure that he had something to do with Xie Yong, "If you beat him up, where can you ask Brother Wei to find evidence?"

The two were suspicious of each other and accused each other back and forth.Even if the Eighth Prince knew that his subordinates were indeed committing foolish and fraudulent actions, he couldn't just admit it and insist on not letting go.

Feng Yuan looked like he was about to tear him apart, the Eighth Prince laughed angrily, and poked his wound: "Brother Three Emperors went to the southeast in private before, and he had an enmity with Tianyi Society, and now he is stretching out his hand to the Spring Examination, wouldn't he be punished by Emperor Father?" Are you confused?"

Feng Yuan was furious: "You!"

A voice suddenly sounded from the top of the head: "So you still have my father in your eyes?"

Feng Yuan gouged out the eighth prince's eyes bitterly, and said no more, the eighth prince returned with a sneer.

That day the court meeting broke up unhappily, when Sheng Jiangliu and Wei Mingcheng came out of the palace gate, they even glanced at each other meaningfully.

The dispute between the two princes spread throughout the capital, and even the daughters of the Sheng and Wei families gradually lost contact with each other.

At the beginning of spring, the big drama in the capital has just begun.

People with a heart pinch their fingers.

King Yan, who was recalled to the capital by an imperial edict from the emperor, was almost here.

After the heavy rain, the sky and the earth were as clean as washing. On the official road to the north of the capital, several dilapidated carriages came slowly.

These carriages were so dilapidated that passers-by couldn't bear to look at them, and they went straight to some dilapidated house that swollen their faces to pretend to be fat.Even, the two cars following behind exuded a faint musty smell.

A group of carriages drove slowly to the city gate. The gate guards thought they were coming to seek refuge with poor relatives, so they ordered the first carriage to be led to a corner, ready to check.

The guard opened the curtain of the car, and there were several ferocious men sitting inside. He was startled, "Who are you?!"

As soon as he shouted, the rest of the idle soldiers surrounded him, thinking that someone was provoking him.

The sturdy man in the coarse cloth clothes in the carriage handed over a token, which was heavy and glittering with gold.

"Still pretend..."

The soldier cast a contemptuous look.They have never seen any royal relatives in the capital, riding in such a broken car, and using such a good token, they can tell it is a counterfeit at a glance.

He was illiterate, so he asked carelessly, "What is this? Master Bing can't understand, read it."

The sturdy man said in a deep voice, "This is King Yan's chariot, so hurry up and back away."

The soldiers suddenly burst into laughter, "King Yan? I'm still King Gong, go and go, don't pretend, here's the document."

The car in front got into an argument with the soldiers, and the noise got louder and louder.In the second car, Xie Gui glanced at Feng Zhang.

Fengzhang is very knowledgeable, and his attitude is much more respectful than before, "Read it, can you change it?"

Xie Gui sneered: "It's all here, Your Highness wants to retreat?"

Feng Zhang was a little confused.

Xie Gui must have a better way, but he chose the earth-shattering one...

Why he couldn't help teasing Xie Gui at that time.If I had known it earlier, I would have spoken out about the strategy of sowing discord.

For the sake of bearing grudges, the Xie family is really not easy to mess with.

Xie Gui turned his face away a long time ago, not wanting to look into his smiling eyes.

His Royal Highness King Yan sighed deeply, then took a deep breath and let out a mournful cry.

"Father—my son has come to plead guilty—but why can't you enter the capital—"