[Red Mansion] Young Master Lin Yan

the next day.The prison of the Ministry of punishment.

For convenience, Shen Yuan wore the clothes of a servant today, but the beauty of his face could not be concealed, causing the jailer to look sideways and curious.Shen Yuan turned around and lowered his head.Lin Yan stretched out his hand to protect her behind her.

"This poor man has to look carefully. Is there something wrong with this jade plaque?"

Hearing the coldness in the tone, the jailer shuddered, came back to his senses, and hurriedly bowed his body to return the jade plaque, "No, no! Mr. Lin, please."

The temperature inside the cell is different from that outside.The weather at the end of April was already summer, but the prison was still gloomy and cold.Lin Yan frowned slightly, took off his coat and put it on Shen Yuan's shoulders.Shen Yuan folded his clothes and smiled.

The jailer led the way, and he kept flattering him: "Mr. Lin, don't worry, Mr. Shen is fine. All the things you asked to prepare before, the little ones will be prepared for Mr. Shen. His Royal Highness King Ning sent someone to report yesterday. , you were personally allowed by the emperor to come in for a visit. Little ones dare to embarrass you. Asking about the token is also a routine inspection, please don't be offended by Mr. Lin."

Lin Yan smiled lightly and did not speak, and arrived at Shen Yunzhou's cell in a blink of an eye.The jailer quickly opened the lock, and said with a smile: "Mr. Lin and Mr. Shen chat slowly, and I won't disturb the younger ones, so I will leave. However, there are rules in this prison, Mr. Lin, don't stay too long."

Lin Yan nodded and winked.Qiu Ming understood, held the jailer's hand and handed over a bag of broken silver that he had prepared, "Thank you so much, my little boy, I'll save wine for you and your brothers."

The jailer weighed it, tsk tsk, it's heavy enough!There was light in his eyes, thank you so much, bent over and backed out.

On this side, as soon as Shen Yuan entered the door, he called "Father", both eyes were red.He fell into Shen Yunzhou's arms and wept softly.

Seeing this, Lin Yan withdrew his feet just as he stepped in, took two steps back, stood at the corner outside the cell door, and did not go in to disturb him wisely.Four eyes looked at the structure of the criminal prison.

This place should be in the depths of the prison cell of the Ministry of Punishment. It is very clean and different from the mess that passed by before. Although it is still cool, there is no dampness.The left and right cells are also separated by some distance, relatively independent.There are bare walls on three sides of the room, but the slate bed is covered with thick quilts, and next to it is a small square table.There is an oil lamp on a few, the lamp oil is sufficient, and the fire is bright.Even the pen, ink, paper and inkstone are also available.

The conditions are a bit rough, but they are okay.In particular, Shen Yunzhou's complexion was as usual, and Lin Yan heaved a sigh of relief.

Thinking about it, they are all officials of the imperial court, and they have not been convicted yet, so the jailers dare not be disrespectful.Especially on Shen Yunzhou's side, not only the Shen family but also Lin Yan took care of it, and Situ Yue was specially sent to speak.Now that the capital is full, there is probably no one who can speak better than Situ Yue.Even Situ Ling is not as good as him.Who made him the most sacred heart!

"Okay. Dad, isn't it all right? Why are you crying, you're old enough, and you're not afraid of Yanzhi's jokes."

Shen Yuan turned his face away, a little ashamed.Only then did Lin Yan get the spare time to come forward to salute, "Uncle!"

Shen Yunzhou responded in a low voice, and the two sat down.Shen Yuan opened the food box, and took out the prepared meals, as well as a jug of good wine.

"These are all made by my mother herself. There are also some changes of clothes, which are also prepared by my mother. My mother told me to tell my father that everything is fine at home. Please don't worry about my father."

Shen Yunzhou took a sip of wine, but he didn't really believe this, "Where's your grandfather?"

Shen Yuan froze, and Shen Yunzhou sighed softly, "Your grandfather is old, and he has often committed some problems since last year. This time when he heard that I was imprisoned, his blood would inevitably surge in desperation. You are hiding it from me, I can probably guess it. It's all because of my unfilial piety."

Shen Yuan hurriedly said: "Grandfather is sick. But the emperor ordered the imperial physician to come to see him every day. After taking the medicine, he is much better."

Shen Yunzhou breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Lin Yan and said: "You want to see me, and now you have seen me. After this meal, you can go, and you don't need to move anymore. After all, the jailers in the prison are not so good. If you are ignorant, you will not treat us badly."

Does this mean that they don't care?

Lin Yan frowned, "Uncle, I have a solution. I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yunzhou's eyes were sharp as a knife, "On the day of the accident, I sent someone to send a letter to your father, have you read it?"

Lin Yan shook his head with a dazed expression.He remembered the letter, and Lin Ruhai said two words after reading it - "Sure enough".Lin Ruhai didn't show him what was written in the letter.He thought that what he was talking about was just a guess about the students making trouble, so he didn't think much about it.But since Shen Yunzhou asked that, it must not be that simple.

Shen Yunzhou turned to look at Shen Yuan, "Yu'er, you go out first."

Shen Yuan opened his mouth, and was about to refute, but met Shen Yunzhou's gaze, but he didn't say anything, but when he got up, Lin Yan grabbed his wrist, "Uncle, let Junior Sister stay. Junior Sister is smart, and many things are probably better than We men think more delicately. Besides, if you don't explain it to her, how can she be at ease? How can auntie be at ease?"

Shen Yunzhou glanced at him, but didn't insist anymore.

But Lin Yan called Qiu Ming to tell him, "Go outside and watch!"

Qiu Ming left, and Lin Yan poured a glass of wine for Shen Yunzhou.Only then did Shen Yunzhou speak, "You have never been an official, and you have only been in the capital for three years. Do you know how many of the officials in the court are from the south and how many from the north?"

Lin Yan paused, and the hand that poured the wine shook, and the wine spilled sporadically in two or three o'clock.He slowly withdrew his hand, as if he had guessed what Shen Yunzhou was about to say.

Shen Yuan doubted: "Father means that this incident is not just a dispute between North and South students, but also a faction between North and South!"

Lin Yan took a deep breath, "Not only, but also the emperor!"

Shen Yunzhou sighed, "In the two scientific examinations, the difference in the level of the students from the north and the south can be seen. In addition, the north has continued to rule the land and disasters have continued, and the south has become more prosperous. Officials in the central and southern departments of the DPRK have become the best. This is not what the emperor wants to see of."

The art of the emperor lies in balance, especially the center of imperial power is in the north, and the south must not be allowed to dominate.

Lin Yan put down his glass, "There are 23 chief and deputy examiners and accompanying examiners in this imperial examination, 16 of whom are from the southern faction, and Mr. Du is the mainstay. If all these officials are in trouble, it will be a major blow to the southern faction. Furthermore, although there are only seven members in the northern branch, which is not a large number, uncle is included."

"In today's world, no matter the court or the market, everyone knows that the emperor attaches great importance to the Shen family. If the Shen family is included, no one will think that this is the situation that the emperor set up from the beginning. They just think that it is an accident that no one expected. .”

No wonder!It's no wonder that the number of people admitted to the north in the list is less than one-tenth!That is, no matter how big the cultural gap between the North and the South is, it will not end there.Such a result, even if the southern faction is too thoughtful, it is impossible to achieve it.But there is one person who can do it.That is the Holy One.

"Your majesty... Your majesty is planning to abandon the Shen family?" Shen Yuan's face became pale, she gritted her teeth, "No, now that the students from the north and the south are making trouble to this extent, it is difficult for the emperor to clean up the mess. If it was really the emperor's actions, he How could you put yourself in such a situation, and how could you put the whole world in the midst of rumors."

After she finished speaking, her face changed again, and she thought of it in an instant.

"Someone saw the opportunity and intervened! In this way, it can also be explained that it is only necessary to re-read the examination papers, increase the number of students from the north, and push the crime to the examiner, so as to appease the hearts of the people in the north and even improve their own prestige. , to win over a group of northern gentry. But at this juncture, no useful articles can be found, which has brought the emperor's plan to a deadlock."

"It can also explain why things that were clearly kept secret leaked out of the palace. Even the students from the south were incited to fight with the students from the north. Some people didn't want the emperor to get what he wanted. Did the south notice something and refused to retreat, or was it something else? Someone has other thoughts?"

Shen Yuan trembled all over, the more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.

Shen Yunzhou just looked at Lin Yan, "Now do you understand why I don't let you or your father take care of me? It's just that Ruhai didn't listen to my words!"

Lin Yan smiled wryly, "Uncle should know that it is impossible for me or my father to let us stand by and watch."

Shen Yunzhou slapped the table angrily, Lin Yan was startled, and hurriedly stood up to listen to the training.

"You can't take care of this matter, and you can't take care of it! The factions in the north and the south have been fighting for so many years, how much do you know? Now that it has reached this point, no one is willing to give in! Not to mention, there is also the emperor's scheme in the middle , and I don’t know if there are any dirty thoughts of the dark forces! Do you know how deep the water is here?

Your ancestral home is Gusu, which should have been from the south.But since your great-grandfather became a marquis, several generations have been living in the capital.Both you and your father have registered permanent residence in Kyoto because of this.After so many years, your branch is not prosperous, and you are far away from the southern branch, so it should be classified as the northern branch.But it happened that your father went to Jiangnan, and his tenure lasted for more than ten years.It is different from the forces in Yangzhou, Gusu.

In this situation, the only way to protect yourself is to be neutral and not to participate in factional struggles.Your father has been in Beijing for two years, how much effort it took to keep the Lin family out of party struggles.At this time, if one kicks in, there is no guarantee that he will not be pinched by the two sides.What's more, you are still a candidate in this year, and you are the number one scholar in the limelight!

Although I am in prison, I have received news from you, and I also know that students in the south are making more trouble than in the north, and they are targeting you!You are the first to bear the brunt!Therefore, everyone can take care of this matter, only you, the Lin family, can't take care of it! "

Shen Yuan tugged at Shen Yunzhou's sleeve, "Father!"

Shen Yunzhou was slightly stunned, his face softened, and seeing Lin Yan's respectful appearance, he felt that his anger was so unreasonable.They were all for him, but he even scolded him.

"sit down!"

Lin Yan took his seat again, and Shen Yunzhou was irritable, he knew it.Moreover, what he said seems to be exhortation, but which sentence is not for the sake of the Lin family.

He looked at Shen Yunzhou, "Uncle's words are reasonable, but when a man is alive, there is nothing he can do. Uncle, do you think that we can't handle it well?"

The vortex caused by the struggle between the North and the South has a huge chain effect, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty were shocked. This is a fact.

Shen Yunzhou was taken aback, and stared blankly at Lin Yan.Lin Yan laughed, "Uncle doesn't want to hear my idea."

He took out the square-folded paper from his pocket, opened it and pushed it to Shen Yunzhou along the table.There are four words written on it, which is the north-south division list.

Shen Yunzhou opened his mouth, and his eyes flashed brightly.

This……

The division of rankings between the north and the south, the way of imperial examinations throughout the ages, is to unify the proposition, the unified examination, and the unified release of the rankings. There is absolutely no such thing as separate rankings.This is simply unheard of, unseen.Therefore, no one thought about it.But once this method is in front of them, everyone can see that it is a good way to solve the current North-South dispute.

Shen Yunzhou looked up at Lin Yan, and instantly understood that he had thought of a solution a long time ago, but he didn't come up with it, because he wanted to offer his advice in exchange for credit.

He chuckled and pushed the paper back.

"I understand what you mean. It's just that I can't play this strategy."

Lin Yan frowned, "Uncle, the emperor may not want to treat the Shen family..."

Shen Yunzhou cut off his words, "You also said that it is not necessarily true, that is to say, you also guessed it. The emperor asked me to take the side exam. It is true that he wanted to conceal the North-South balance, but it is hard to guarantee that he is not trying to suppress the Shen family. mind."

Lin Yan opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Shen Yunzhou said again: "Even if not, the Shen family should know how to retreat bravely. This is a good opportunity."

"Father! This incident is so big that it is out of control now. Even if it is resolved, the examiner will have to pay a price to appease the public anger. But those with eyes and hearts will know that the examiner is innocent and has no damage to his father's reputation or the Shen family. It is an opportunity to step down. But there is only one thing, how does father know that the emperor will not...not..."

She was afraid that the emperor would kill him cruelly.

Shen Yunzhou held her hand, "You think too hard about the emperor. The emperor is not a tyrant, let alone has the habit of killing. And even if he really intends to suppress the Shen family, he still doesn't want to kill the Shen family. At most It’s just a dismissal from office. It just so happens that I’m leaving my armor and going back to seclusion, and your two uncles can also join one. Even your two elder brothers can come back.”

Shen Yuan relaxed a little, as long as his life was safe, the Shen family could not afford to retreat.A prestigious family like the Shen family is used to seeing sudden changes in the situation, and has experienced several declines and comebacks.

Shen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, and laughed, "Father said that it was because of his brother that he couldn't go home. I don't know how chic they are outside with their sister-in-law in the name of studying abroad! The second brother wrote to me last time, What I like the most is such a happy life, no one is pulling his ears to force him to enter school and become an official."

Shen Yunzhou snorted coldly, Shen Yuan lowered his head and sneered.The atmosphere instantly relaxed.The father and daughter gently exposed the matter.But Lin Yan understood in his heart.Throughout the ages, there have been many families of emperors and masters, why did the Shen family end up here.Before the Lin family had such a big momentum, Shen Yunzhou was still a popular candidate to be the next Minister of Rites!

But there happened to be a Lin family.The relationship between the two is so close that they could almost become a family.But the Lin family was powerful and couldn't retreat, so only the Shen family could retreat.Shen Yuan also knew this, so he deliberately talked about his brother to divert his thoughts.

How could Lin Yan not understand such intentions.He laughed and poured another glass of wine for Shen Yunzhou, "Uncle, it's inconvenient to stay in prison for a long time. Do you have anything else to order?"

"This strategy cannot be played by me, nor should it be played by the Lin family."

Lin Yan nodded, "Uncle, don't worry, I will find a suitable candidate."

"Are you going to hand it over to King Kang?"

Lin Yan was taken aback for a moment, and replied: "Yes!"

Shen Yunzhou was stunned for a while, then drank the wine in the glass, "That's fine!"

He also said: "The north-south ranking can solve the conflict between the north and the south, but it is unprecedented that the top three in the first class are all the students of the Imperial College. Now rumors and doubts are everywhere. Such turmoil is not fair, and it will not be good for your future official career. Have you ever thought of a way to deal with it?"

"Uncle, don't worry, I have plans."

Only then did Shen Yunzhou nod, "Then it's all right. Go back!"

"Yes!"

Lin Yan got up to say goodbye, and led Shen Yuan out.Walking to the jailer's resting place, I heard three or five yamen servants chatting.

"Who is that kid next to Lin Zhuangyuan? He has thin skin and tender flesh, and looks so good-looking! I saw that Lin Zhuangyuan was protecting him!"

"It's more than protecting! It's also very considerate! It's colder inside the prison than outside, so Lin Zhuangyuan took off his coat and put it on for others."

"Hey, Lin Zhuangyuan is famous. I've heard it many times, but I never heard that he has a habit of raising rabbits!"

The prison chief slapped the jailer on the head, "Idiot! What kind of a rabbit is not a rabbit! Didn't you see that he was full of makeup and pierced ears? He was obviously a woman!

I don't even think about who Lin Zhuangyuan came to see!It was clear that she was the eldest daughter of the Shen family, Lin Zhuangyuan's future daughter-in-law!What kind of families are the Lin family and the Shen family? If you ask them to listen to this at 01:30, I don't think you will know how you died! "

The man was dumbfounded, and when he turned around, he saw Lin Yan and Shen Yuan standing behind him, his legs gave way in fright, and he knelt down, "Lin... Mr. Lin, Miss Shen, the little one didn't mean it! The little one is talking nonsense! "

"Pa" gave himself a slap, "It's all petty nonsense! You adults have a lot of knowledge, and you don't have the same common sense as petty."

The gossip of ordinary citizens is human nature, Lin Yan is not so stingy.He turned to look at Shen Yuan, Shen Yuan just smiled.Lin Yan protected her to leave, and Qiu Ming was two steps behind, "Get up! Our uncle and Miss Shen are both easy to talk and don't want to care about it. But you should also pay attention to what you say, don't be ignorant. You should know what to say If you can speak out, you can’t say anything!”

The Yacha responded with a smile again and again, sweating a lot.

The gate of the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.Just as Lin Yan came out, he bumped into the servant next to Liu Shangyuan.

"Uncle Lin, the third master of our family knows that you are coming to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice today, so he specially asked the servants to come here to look for you. If you have nothing urgent, you can find a place to hide around here. In short, don't cross Suzaku Street now."

This is a bit confusing to say.

"what happened?"

"Uncle Lin didn't know that Ye Tanhua had someone set up a platform in front of the Zhuangyuan building, and invited all those who doubted his talent and learning and thought he was better than him to compete on the stage. The Zhuangyuan building is the only place to go back to Lin's mansion. There are a bunch of people over there now, if you go and let people see you, you will inevitably be dragged up.

Our third master said that poetry and fu are not your specialty.Ye Tanhua made it clear that she was well prepared and was looking for her own strengths.You can't use your own weaknesses to attack others' strengths.Therefore, our third master tells you to bear with it, and he will open another stage tomorrow to invite you to join us. "

"Where is your third master now?"

"At Qingya Bookstore."

Qingya Bookstore is the Liu family's own business.It is only 200 meters away from Zhuangyuan Building.He is not good at poetry, but Liu Shangyuan is good at it.In such a situation, he believed that based on his understanding of Liu Shangyuan, if he showed great skills, he would not be at a disadvantage even if he was not as prepared as Ye He.

But if Liu Shangyuan came to power, the top three went to the second, and he was left as the number one champion, which would be even more unfavorable for him.Liu Shangyuan didn't want to put him in such a situation, so he would rather avoid the bookstore and wait for him to figure out a solution together.

Feeling warm in Lin Yan's heart, he said with a smile: "Go and ask your third master, he has a plan. If he has it, let's borrow Ye He's place."

"Huh?" The boy was a little confused.

Lin Yan said again: "You just talk to him like that!"

The boy agreed and ran away.Lin Yan turned around and told Qiu Ming, "Send Junior Sister home first."

Seeing Shen Yuan's worried face, he said: "Don't worry, although I'm not good at poetry, it's not that I don't know poetry."

Shen Yuan smiled, took off the coat he was wearing and handed it back to Lin Yan, "I believe in brother."

The author has something to say: In the next chapter, let's go smash the scene.