Survival countdown

Yin three quarters.

Wende Hall.

The lights were brightly lit, as bright as day, and the eunuchs, maids of honor and imperial guards performed their duties, and the atmosphere did not dare to take a breath.Three quarters of an hour ago, the imperial concubine led a group of eunuchs and maids in a mighty manner, and knelt outside the door to plead guilty.Was called into the palace, not knowing what the imperial concubine said, Emperor Yuanshou was suddenly furious, and ordered the imperial army to drag out the imperial concubine's personal eunuch and beat her to death outside the palace.

At this time, King Qin entered the palace overnight and knelt outside the Wende Palace. No matter what the eunuch beside Emperor Yuanshou asked, he only said: "My son is guilty, please punish me!"

Others didn't know it, so the eunuch guessed a thing or two when he thought about the attack on the East Palace before, thinking that the mother and son were really interesting, and they pleaded guilty one after the other.

"My lord, you should get up first, don't kill your slaves." The eunuch begged for mercy.

The king of Qin said stubbornly: "Unless the emperor sees me, I will never be able to kneel down."

The eunuch had no choice but to say, "Wait a minute, this servant will report to His Majesty."

King Qin: "Please trouble your father-in-law."

The eunuch came into the palace to report the details, only to see Emperor Yuanshou's face was full of frost, and he snorted coldly: "You mother and son are well-behaved, and they are in collusion to force me with the front and back!"

The imperial concubine kowtowed to the ground with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, I beg you to learn from me. The concubine is eager to love her son, and she wholeheartedly hopes that the son will become a talent. I really don't know that Ye'er dared to pervert and commit the crime of treason behind the concubine's back. The concubine couldn't sleep, and was heartbroken. , I also thought about covering up the crime for Ye'er, and then persuading him to follow the right path, but the concubine is His Majesty's wife, or His Majesty's subjects, and she is a girl from the Duke's mansion. My ancestors were soldiers and horses all their lives. How can you destroy the century-old foundation of the great scene because of your own selfishness?"

"As the saying goes, children are debts. Ye'er made a big mistake. As a mother, I also have the crime of improper discipline. The concubine resigns from the position of emperor and concubine. I can't bear to be in charge. I hand over the golden seal and ribbon, but I beg your majesty to forgive me." Ye'er dies."

Emperor Yuan Shou's eyes were cold, and he looked at the woman kneeling on the ground coldly, without saying a word for a long time.

The imperial concubine felt apprehensive, and cold sweat broke out from her temples.

There was a dead silence in the hall, and after a while, Emperor Yuanshou shook his sleeves and scolded: "Call that disobedient son in!"

The eunuch quickly summoned: "King Xuan Qin——"

When the King of Qin entered the palace, he immediately knelt down and shouted: "My son is guilty!"

Before he could finish speaking, he glanced at the figure of the imperial concubine from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but wonder why the mother and concubine were also in Wende Hall in the middle of the night?Could it be that the father knew the truth earlier and was questioning the concubine mother?

The more King Qin speculated, the more frightened he became, and he heard the indifferent voice of Emperor Yuanshou above his head: "Tell me, where did your crime come from?"

The King of Qin quickly kowtowed and said: "My son is not strict in his rule. He listens to slander and disobeys his brothers—"

"The king of Qin is a clique of friends, engaged in selfishness and fraud, murdered the East Palace, disregarded human life for his own selfishness, disregarded the great fortune and foundation, embarrassing the responsibility, unworthy of being a prince and grandson, please descend the crime!"

Qin Wang followed his uncle Zheng Chuzhi's advice and pleaded guilty for the least crime, but he was interrupted by his most trusted and respected mother and concubine before he finished speaking. Can't get back to God.

He knew that his mother and concubine were killing their relatives righteously-why was he the one who was sacrificed?Isn't it because of his mother and concubine and Zheng Guogong's mansion that he engaged in selfish fraud, meddled in the Jiangnan examination room, and amassed money wantonly?He fights for the throne and fights against the crown prince everywhere, isn't it the concubine mother who wants him to sit in that position?

Isn't he the most valued prince by mother, concubine, grandfather and uncles?

Emperor Yuanshou asked in a deep voice: "Third son, is what your mother and concubine said true?"

The King of Qin looked at the imperial concubine, slowly lowered his head, and no longer screamed and acted: "Everything that the concubine mother said is true."

He finally remembered that before the age of seven or eight, his mother and concubine didn't like him, because he was a concubine, which made his mother and concubine almost die of dystocia.Compared with him, the mother concubine prefers the sixth brother who gave birth naturally and is intelligent.If Zhao Yuzheng hadn't taught him how to win the favor of his father and imperial concubine in order to win the favor of his mother and concubine when he was not eight years old, I am afraid that he would not have been as filial as his mother and son these years.

Seeing that he took the initiative to admit his mistake, Emperor Yuanshou, who had long been intent on killing but did not want to leave a notoriety for murdering his son, turned pale: "I know that you are interested in the Liu family in the assassination of the East Palace. But other than that, have you ever done anything else?" thought?"

"My minister dare not! Before that, my minister had made an appointment with the crown prince, Zhao Sanlang, Zhao Silang and others in the outskirts of the court, knowing that the crown prince is not in the East Palace. Although my minister is stupid, I dare not kill my brother..."

Speaking of this, King Qin choked up.

Emperor Yuan Shou observed his expression carefully, and he couldn't see how he couldn't see it in his heart. He showed a grateful expression on his face, and when he talked about King Qin's sincerity and truth when he was young, he was very fond of him. People's hearts are changeable, and they are no match for power and power.

The words were full of the disappointment of an ordinary father to his son, and the disappointment contained the expectations and love of the past, which made King Qin feel remorse and couldn't help murmuring, "My son knows his mistake".

Emperor Yuanshou turned his back and said, "Go to Zongzheng Temple and plead guilty to the ancestors."

"My son takes orders."

***

At the sixth quarter of Yin time, the sky was bright, and the palace was full of courtiers' cars, and all the officials dismounted from their horses or sedan chairs and walked inside.

And there is a towering drum at the gate of Nanjie Drum Division outside the main gate of Miyagi, which is the Dengwen drum that can appeal to the emperor for grievances.

The man in black said: "Chen Shidao is innocent, but Mrs. Liu will criticize and slander the rumors that Mrs. Liu came from the East Palace, which may damage the reputation of the East Palace, so no one will stand up to prove Chen Shidao's innocence. Both Mr. Chen and Mrs. Liu are insignificant in this case." Little pawn, unless you go to knock on the drum and sue Chen Shi for not being strict in governing the family, miserably being ungrateful, and only giving his servants a small monthly salary, so that his subordinates accept bribes from traitors, and help traitors enter the house to steal imperial examination questions."

At the end of the speech, Zhao Baiyu, who is as smart as Zhao Baiyu, understood in an instant. He looked back at the man in black for a moment, took three steps back, bowed his hands and saluted: "Thank you, Prince, for your help!"

Huo Jingtang was not surprised, hooked his index finger to the black cloth and pulled it down, revealing only a slightly curved, light-colored corner of his lips: "When did you guess my identity?"

Zhao Baiyu: "You said when you sued Mr. Wulang."

Huo Jingtang didn't care too much: "It's quite early."

When Zhao Baiyu raised his eyes, Huo Jingtang pulled back the black cloth, met Zhao Baiyu's puzzled eyes and said, "I heard that we meet before marriage, but not after marriage."

Zhao Baiyu: "..."

Huo Jingtang put his hands behind his back: "What are you doing in a daze? Go ahead, I will take care of everything."

These words are as attractive as the gold medal for avoiding death. Zhao Baiyu knows that something big will happen, and Huo Jingtang may not risk his life to save him, but it cannot be denied that his promise at this moment is reassuring.

Since he was born as a human, Zhao Baiyu has been walking alone, with no one walking in front of him, and no one behind him to support him, and he still has to do his best to protect the only relatives and friends, tirelessly, and can't stop.

To be honest, shameless and self-pitying, Huo Jingtang is the only person in this life who has made the journey forward and the back way for Zhao Baiyu, and before that, he used Huo Jingtang as a nightmare material for two years .

Zhao Baiyu was quite embarrassed, mainly because he faced the bloody murder case not long after he took office as a magistrate in the Kyoto Prefecture, because the official could only touch the corners of the case, and mistakenly thought that Huo Jingtang escaped legal accountability by relying on his power , is even more fearful.

The Dengwen drum is two meters high, the drum body is bright red, the drum skin is yellow and tight, and there is a thin layer of dust under the drum frame.

Zhao Baiyu picked up the drumstick, raised his arm high, and slammed on the drum head to make a loud 'bang'.

At the beginning of the Dajing Dynasty, in order to win over the hearts of the people, Gaozu issued a special decree, requiring the emperor to immediately deal with the case of knocking on the drum and complaining of grievances no matter how big or small the case was.

There was an anecdote in the previous dynasty that a farmer in Kyoto prefecture beat the drum and asked the late emperor to help him find the lost domestic pig. The late emperor laughed and really helped to find the pig. The emperor loves the people like a son, and the image of the harmony between the monarch and his subjects.

It is impossible to test whether the anecdote is true or false, but it can be seen that the imperial court has the heart for the people. Dengwengu has no class restrictions and no conditions, so that ordinary people have a channel to complain about grievances.

Zhao Baiyu speculates that in the later stages of history, there may be various harsh conditions for beating the Dengwen drum like some dynasties in the previous life. Thirty sticks, basically scare away ordinary people.

Withdrawing his divergent thoughts, Zhao Baiyu beat the drum firmly and forcefully, until the yamen who watched the drum hurried out, complained about his grievances to Da Nei, and then came to Da Nei to ask him to go up to the palace, in front of the emperor, In front of all the officials and princes, he sued his mentor.

***

On the vertical arch hall, all the officials were silent.

Huo Jingtang, the king of Lin'an County, truthfully reported the ins and outs of the fraud in the examination room, from the crown prince's nanny Liu Shi and the minister of the Ministry of Rites Chen Shidao's affair and missed questions, to the minister of the Ministry of Rites accepting bribes to help his son cheat and implicate the king of Qin and the young master of Zheng Guogong's mansion in colluding with the Jiangnan examination room. The Jiangnan examination hall was made into a mess, the scholars who worshiped the Confucian Temple were beaten and killed, and the case of accepting bribes of no less than 200 million taels in the past three years was laid out.

Baiguan thought it was just a small matter of cheating in the imperial examination. After all, it is nothing new. There will be one or two cases of cheating in almost every session. I thought the result was that the examiner was demoted and dismissed, and the candidates were never hired.

It was really unexpected that King Qin would be so bold.

It must be known that Jiangnan has outstanding people, and each imperial examination does not know how many talents it will send to the country. There is a land of vast resources and rich resources, and the annual tax can support half of the big scene. Therefore, the officialdom is complicated, intricate, and entangled. No one is not tempted, but no one dares Stretch your hand into the Jiangnan examination room, after all, there are too many eyes staring there.

Therefore, it is unbelievable that Qin Wang and Zheng You were able to control the Jiangnan examination room for three years before the incident came to light.

The prince bowed his head deeply, his face was both terrified and ecstatic, and he was afraid that he would almost be involved in a big case. Fortunately, the king of Qin might not be able to stand up again after this.

"...everything I said is true, and all witnesses and material evidence can be presented." After Huo Jingtang finished his last sentence, the hall fell into silence.

Emperor Yuanshou, who knew the truth earlier, listened to the statement again, still furious, but he didn't show it, his sharp eyes swept over all the officials in the court, everyone bowed their heads, and no one dared to meet his eyes.

The atmosphere was condensed, and there was no sound in the hall.

Emperor Yuanshou: "Comparisons are traitors, disrupt the examination room, kill people, steal money and pervert the law. This is my son, and this is my humerus minister! Chen Zhizhou, the chief examiner in the south of the Yangtze River, was still appointed by my own relatives to go to Jiangxi as a transshipment envoy. A big official in one side of the border does not benefit the people of one side, but colludes with the princes and grandsons to amass wealth and persecute the pillars of the court. What a country thief and ghost! It is a waste of reading the sages!"

Emperor Yuanshou couldn't hold back his anger as he repeatedly slapped the armrest of the dragon chair, "Prince, how do you deal with King Qin?"

The prince cupped his hands and replied: "My father, the imperial examination is a merit-based examination, a way to recruit talents according to their talents, and to recruit capable people from all over the world to serve the great scene. The lesson learned from the monopoly is that the imperial examination was formulated as a national policy. The great ancestors and grandfathers were eager to seek talents, and the corporals were courteous, so that the people of the world have the aspirations of the world, and there is a sign of prosperity in the present. Therefore, fraud in the imperial examinations should not be taken lightly Put it down. Although the third brother is a prince, if he breaks the law, he will be as guilty as the common people. It is only for the sake of Zheng Guogong's dedication to protect his family and the country, and also for the sake of the dedication and hard work of the third brother over the years. Royal father spared the third younger brother's death penalty."

This is a beautiful statement, not only emphasizing the importance of imperial examinations, but also setting off the absurd and unforgivable behavior of King Qin from the side, and interceding for King Qin from the perspective of Zheng Guogong's mansion, so that King Qin could not escape the crime of living and avoiding the death penalty, which hit Emperor Yuanshou's mind.

But it fits Emperor Yuanshou's mind too well.

Emperor Yuanshou said expressionlessly, "Prince, don't you notice what your third brother is doing?"

The prince's heart skipped a beat, and he knelt down on the ground: "If my son knew about it earlier, he would have persuaded the third younger brother to rein in the precipice!"

Emperor Yuanshou: "I heard that the East Palace was attacked some time ago?"

Prince: "Yes. They are all well. Although they have captured two survivors, the teeth are too hard, so I can't ask anything."

Emperor Yuanshou: "Didn't it be handed over to Dali Temple?"

The crown prince trembled, and said cautiously: "According to the laws and regulations of Dajing, if there is no order, the suspect should be escorted to the Ministry of Punishment first, and then handed over to Dali Temple for review after interrogation. I thought I would transfer the case to Dali Temple within two days. "

Emperor Yuanshou didn't say a word, and said for a while, "The forbidden army on duty that day abided by their duties. They are commendable for their loyalty and bravery. They should be rewarded."

Cold sweat was already dripping from the prince's forehead, he became more respectful, his thoughts turned, and he wondered why Emperor Yuanshou mentioned the Forbidden Army suddenly, it could never be for rewards, why?

Guards on duty?Abide by duty?

"!" The prince came back to his senses immediately, breaking out in a cold sweat, but he didn't dare to say anything, he just buried his head lower.

Emperor Yuanshou warned the prince to stop suppressing his arrogance, and then asked Zhao Zaizhi, Lu Zhiyuan and Gaotong Zhiyuan, who were in charge of the prime minister, what their opinions were.

The three old foxes who have become officials naturally answered perfectly. How could they dare to convict the prince and grandson as a courtier?He said all the high-sounding words, but actually pushed the decision back to Emperor Yuanshou himself, and everything was centered on His Majesty's will.

"Remove the title and rank of the king of Qin, demote him to common people, and ban Zongzheng Temple. Take off the official uniforms of the chief examiner and fellow examiner Chen Zhizhou in the south of the Yangtze River, as well as the official uniforms of the chief examiner and fellow examiner Chen Shidao, etc., and be interrogated by Dali Temple. The crime is correct. Then all beheads will be beheaded to show the public! Officials involved in accepting bribes, big and small, and officials who have contacts with the King of Qin, whether they are Jiangxi Jiangdong or Beijing officials, will be dealt with strictly according to the law!"

All the officials were panic-stricken. Jiangnan is a large examination room. There are 50 or [-] examiners and co-examiners. There may be [-] or [-] people involved in accepting bribes. Adding the Beijing officials and others, I am afraid that hundreds of people will die. people.

Your Majesty is determined to catch cronies, shake mountains and shake tigers, and warn them veterans!

This is probably the biggest criminal case since the beginning of the Great King Dynasty.

"Huo Jingtang, you don't need to handle this case. I will leave it to Zhao Zaizhi."

Emperor Yuan Shou's tone was distasteful, as if he was dissatisfied with Huo Jingtang's position as Minister of Dali Temple.

Zhao Zaizhi and Huo Jingtang replied at the same time: "Yes." No matter how turbulent their hearts were, they would not show it on the surface.

"Is there anything else to play? If you don't have anything, you will retreat—"

Before the words were finished, the eunuch in charge of the drum department rushed into the hall and said loudly: "Your Majesty, people in Kyoto are beating Dengwen drums!"

"Who is Chen Heyuan?"

"Zhao Baiyu, a person from the capital, sued Chen Shidao, the servant of the Ministry of Rites!"

Zhao Baiyu? !

Sue Chen Shidao, who has been sentenced to death?

All the officials were in an uproar and whispered among themselves, Zhao Boyong's face was even more serious, showing disgust, which was extremely ugly.The crown prince showed surprise, his surname is Zhao?What does it have to do with Zhao Zaizhi?Huo Jingtang lowered his eyes, neither startled nor surprised, unmoved.

Emperor Yuan Shou frowned and asked: "Who is this? What is the relationship with Chen Shidao? Why sue Chen Shidao?"

The eunuch in charge of the drum department was very respectful: "Zhao Baiyu is the son of Princess Changping. He once studied under Chen Shidao's school. He wants to sue Chen Shidao for his lax governance, meanness and lack of kindness."

The son of Princess Changping...isn't Zhao Zaizhi the fifth son, Zhao Jiawulang?Studying under Chen Shidao's school——

He is the mentor of the imperial court, No. 1 throughout the ages!