[Red Mansion] Let's listen to a general's order

As soon as he entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, after Chang Zhenggong saluted, he tremblingly took off the black veil from his head and prostrated himself on the ground, "Your Majesty! The old minister is incompetent and has delayed state affairs. Your Majesty, please ask your minister to beg for his bones and return to his hometown."

Emperor Wen of Zhou wore a thin outer robe, and his heart skipped a beat.

Although he had expected that something serious must have happened when Chang Zhenggong entered the palace at this time, but it was so serious that he would retire from office!It seems that there is really a big problem in the test!

"What happened?" Zhou Wendi said in a deep voice.

Chang Zhenggong handed the two boxes in Dai Quan's hands, and told the story in detail: "The green box is the cheating information found from the candidates, there are [-] copies in total; the red box is It is the test questions of this subject that have not been opened yet, issued by Weichen, sealed and issued after being reviewed by the Ministry of Rites."

"When I discovered the leaked questions, I didn't dare to say anything, so I had to rush out five more test questions, and the same examiner selected three of them, and distributed the papers for the candidates to take the test. The minister brought the cheating materials and the original test questions into the palace. .”

While listening to his narration, Emperor Wen of Zhou tore off the seal of the Ministry of Rites on the red box and took out the examination questions inside.Then, he picked up a cheat sheet and looked it over carefully.

The more he looked at it, the more ugly his face became, and an unknown torch was burning in his heart.

Although there are only [-] copies of the cheat sheet, if it is really a leak, there are probably dozens or even hundreds of candidates who have recited the answers to the prepared test questions in advance!

"Crack!" With a sweep of his hand, he swept everything on the table to the ground. Zhou Wendi Longyan said angrily, "Check! Dai Quan! Before going to court tomorrow, I want to know who dares to be so bold!" This is the right to grant Dai Quan, or should I say, Dongchang's right to run amok.

"Yes, the old slave obeys." Dai Quan bowed, a cold light flashed in his eyes.

After his anger calmed down a bit, Emperor Wen of Zhou said to Chang Zhenggong who was still prostrate on the ground with a pleasant face: "This matter has nothing to do with Aiqing. Aiqing handled it very well. As for the matter of begging for bones, don't mention it again. I still want to love you." You have to work for a few more years, love you and go back to preside over the test first!" Chang Zhenggong has always been a loyal royalist, he handled things upright, and won the trust of Emperor Wen of Zhou.

Seeing that Emperor Zhou Wen trusted him so much, Chang Zhenggong was so moved that he burst into tears, wishing he could do nothing for the emperor.

This night is destined to be a sleepless night.

With the consent of Emperor Wen of Zhou and under the supervision of Dai Quan, the spy agency of Dongchang, a behemoth, was fully operational.

Emperor Wen of Zhou is going ruthless this time!

It is a major matter for the country to seek talents for the country, and he will never allow anyone to put their hands in it!

According to the rules, after the Tribute Academy is closed and locked, no one is allowed to enter except for the expelled candidates.The Dongchang fans could not directly go in and strictly interrogate all the examinees one by one, but they could send all the candidates who were expelled with the cheat sheet and all the relevant people who had contact with them in the past few days to prison for torture.

In the middle of the night, countless people were broken into by Dongchang's fans, and they were taken away to prison regardless of 21 or [-]. The sound of wailing and screaming resounded throughout the capital.Whether it was the mansions of ordinary people or high-ranking officials, Fanzi took people away ruthlessly, causing most of the capital to light up, and the servants of each family sent letters and ran around.

Under the three trees, there is nothing you can ask for.

Soon some people couldn't stand the torture and confessed everything. With the leader, there will naturally be others who will confess.

The fans gathered all the confessions they had signed and pledged and handed them over to Dai Quan.Coupled with the analysis of the news that the fans have received from various places in recent days, the answer is obvious.

In the beginning, it should be the prince. The head of the party’s etiquette department peeked at the test questions and told the prince. The prince leaked the questions to a few of his confidants who had sons in the game and sold the test questions to a few wealthy people from Jiangnan. Give a child.The palace servants placed by the King of Jin in the East Palace found out about this, and he passed the news to Jingtai.Jingtai took advantage of the situation to extract the test questions from the mouths of those who knew the test questions, and sent people to spread them without any trace, and at the same time revealed the matter to Chu Wang Li Tianlang.

After discussing with King Ning, Li Tianjin, the King of Chu decided to hold back for the time being, and then expose the matter after the test results, so as to bring the prince down in one fell swoop!The imperial examination is the way for literati to get promoted, and no one can allow it to be manipulated arbitrarily. Even if the prince is the most orthodox heir of Confucianism, this time the clean flow and public opinion will not help the prince.

In addition to Prince Edward and Jingtai's participation in leaking the questions, Fanzi also tortured a few exam questions with cheat sheets that a wandering Taoist priest sold them.It is said that this wandering Taoist knocked on their door in the middle of the night and sold test questions at a price of 5000 taels per person.However, for this wandering Taoist priest, the fans searched everywhere and found nothing. They almost thought that these actions were collusion to lie.If it wasn't for Feng Zizhi's perceptiveness, seeing that these candidates all lived in a place called Tongfu Inn, he learned that Tongfu Inn was actually the property of King Qi, and found out that "Wandering Taoist" It turned out to be the retainer raised by King Qi on Zhuangzi!

King Qi also did this out of desperation. He is not as good as the prince who has the rewards from Emperor Wen of Zhou and all kinds of filial piety from his disciples, and he can often spend a lot of money; he is not as good as King Jin who has the support of Jingtai. A large sum of money was arrested in the transaction; naturally, it was not as good as the Shanxi merchants behind the king of Chu, who provided countless money and food.King Qi has always followed the route of keeping a low profile and biding his time. Even to win over courtiers, he can only choose upright officials and small officials of the fifth or sixth rank. They are very poor.If he wants to support people and win over all the officials, he must have money. This time, he resolutely made the move with the intention of having the crown prince at the front and himself being able to fish in troubled waters behind the scenes.

"Good! Good! Good!" Emperor Wen of Zhou looked at the thick stack of confessions and smiled angrily.

"This is my good son!!!"

"Dai Quan, draw up an imperial edict. The sons involved in the incident will be deprived of their merits, and they will be hit forty times. They will not be allowed to take the imperial examination within three generations. Zhu Hongdao, the head of the Ministry of Rites who leaked the questions, ransacked his home, exiled the men to Yanmen and sent them to the army, and sent the women to the Jiaofang. manage."

"Other officials involved in this matter, you can do as you please!" Dai Quan had been the chief eunuch for many years, and Emperor Wen of Zhou believed that he could handle these powers and their proportions well.

After saying that, Emperor Wen of Zhou burst into a burst of blood in his chest, his throat was slightly sweet, and he spit out a mouthful of blood, which stained the dragon robe on his chest and the confession on the table red.

"My lord! Come here! Hurry up..." Dai Quan's face turned pale with fright, and he even dropped the brush in his hand. He hurriedly helped Emperor Zhou Wen, and raised his voice to call for the imperial doctor.

"Don't!" Emperor Wen of Zhou firmly grasped Dai Quan's hand, holding his breath and said, "Dai Quan, draw up an imperial edict."

"My lord..." Dai Quan wailed.

Emperor Wen of Zhou said emphatically, "I said, draft an imperial edict!"

Dai Quan had no choice but to pick up the pen again.

"Following the imperial edict of Chengyun, the prince said: The prince has lost his morality, acted against Hongde, and temporarily shut himself up in the East Palace to reflect on his mistakes. Without being summoned, he is not allowed to enter the palace."

Emperor Wen of Zhou asked Dai Quan to draw up five copies of a similar imperial decree, which were given to the prince, king Jin, king Qi, king Chu and king Ning respectively, and ordered King Rui, King Jing, King Qin and King Kang to enter the palace to serve the sick .

"You privately send someone to send an edict to He Qi, asking him to supervise the movement of soldiers and horses inside and outside the capital for me. In addition, an edict was sent to the fifth-rank Zhaolie General Jia Lian for his meritorious service in training the new army, and he was reinstated as the deputy commander of the Imperial Army. "

After explaining everything, Emperor Zhou Wen fell down in relief.

"My lord! My lord!! Come here! Tell the imperial doctor! Tell the imperial doctor!!!"

Zhou Wendi's decree and ordering the crown prince, Jin Wang, Qi Wang, Chu Wang and Ning Wang to contemplate their mistakes behind closed doors immediately caused an uproar among the officials in the court.

"I don't believe it! It must be you, an eunuch, who falsely preached the imperial decree! I want to see my father!!" The prince's face changed drastically. Hearing what kind of words "the prince lost his virtue, acted against Hongde", he closed his doors and thought about his mistakes first. If I come again, I am afraid that the prince will be abolished!

"His Royal Highness, the Emperor ordered you to return to the East Palace immediately and contemplate your mistakes behind closed doors. Please forgive me for offending you." Dai Quan ignored the Crown Prince's accusation, and signaled the left and right guards to "invite" the Prince back to the East Palace immediately.

The prince's eyes were fixed, his face straightened, and he said sharply: "Gu is the prince! The prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty! How dare you be rude to Gu!?"

All the guards stopped and looked back at Dai Quan hesitantly.

Dai Quan frowned indistinctly.Indeed, as long as Emperor Wen of Zhou never abolished the crown prince's position as the crown prince, he would always be an incomparably noble crown prince under one person and above ten thousand people.

Seeing that Dai Quan and the others hesitated, the crown prince took a step forward and aggressively scolded: "Father is sick, is it possible that this son alone can't even pay a visit to the father!? You want to separate the father and son of the Tian Family Love! What should I do!?”

"Is it written in the imperial edict of the father that if you want to be isolated, you will return to the East Palace? Gu should go to see the emperor first, and do the best for the filial piety of the children!"

Leaving this sentence aside, the prince walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation without hesitation.

The imperial guards in front of him all retreated one after another, fearing that they would bump into the prince.

"You... trash!" Dai Quan scolded angrily when he saw how useless the imperial guards were.

Jin Wang, Qi Wang, Chu Wang and Ning Wang, the four princes who were also ordered to close their doors and think about their mistakes, all followed the prince to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"I don't know where the prince and the four princes want to go?"

At this time, Jia Lian was wearing an extremely exquisite black and red armor, with a long red pheasant tail fluttering in the wind, holding the fire dragon Liquan in one hand, standing in the middle of the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony like no one else, blocking the way for people to come. way to go.

"Jia Lian!" The prince said angrily when he was only a short step away from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"The last general has met the crown prince, lords, please forgive the late general who is wearing armor and cannot perform the full salute." Jia Lian bowed casually without any sincerity.

"Humph! Where is Gu going? Do I need to report to you, a little junior general!?" Right now, the crown prince is most anxious to check on Emperor Zhou Wen's condition, so he has no intention of dealing with Jia Lian, "It's not too late Step back quickly!"

"Although there is no decree, according to the emperor's dictation, the prince and the four princes should immediately go back to the mansion and contemplate their mistakes behind closed doors. Could it be that the prince and the four princes want to resist the order and fail to comply?" Jia Lian raised his sword eyebrows slightly. It seems to be very novel.

"A little fifth-rank general doesn't even have the qualifications to go to court, so you want to block Gu's way?" The prince knew that Jia Lian was here to stop him.

"The last general is not talented, and the emperor thinks highly of him. He decreed that he should be reinstated as the deputy commander of the imperial army and guard the palace."

"That's right, this is the emperor's order this morning." Dai Quan came out from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, proving for Jia Lian.

"I'm going to ask my father for peace and sickness, do you dare to stop Gu?" The prince wanted to be filial to the emperor, and no one could stop him while Emperor Wen of Zhou was in a coma.

"The final general only knows that the emperor ordered the prince and the four princes to go back to their residences and reflect behind closed doors. I don't know if it's the emperor or the prince?" Jia Lian asked back.

The prince was momentarily at a loss for words.He didn't talk to Jia Lian, he just walked around Jia Lian and continued to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.He didn't believe that Jia Lian really dared to block his way!

As he thought, Jia Lian did not stand in front of him.

however……

The prince's face changed drastically, and he scolded: "Jia Lian! Are you trying to kill the king!?"

Jia Lian smiled lightly and said, "The crown prince is serious. The last general only knows to be loyal to the emperor. It's just...the last general's king is the king's king, not..." The prince's king.

The prince's face was ashen, but he couldn't speak, all because a cold long spear was pointed at the front of his bright yellow clothes.

"you dare!?"

"The prince thinks Jia Lian is daring or not?" As a courtier, of course he would not dare to offend, but as Jia Lian, he dared to maim their brother-in-law and cousin in front of the prince and ten princes, but now he may not dare It is not impossible for Jia Lian to directly smash the prince to heaven, but the small "minor injury" allows the prince to stay in the East Palace for a long time and "think about his mistakes behind closed doors".

The crown prince glared at Jia Lian fiercely, but Jia Lian looked back unflinchingly.

After a long time, "Okay! You, Jia Jingya, are doing very well!" the prince said through gritted teeth.

"Jia Lian thanked the prince for his compliment." Jia Lian didn't change his face, as if the prince really appreciated him sincerely.

"Aren't you waiting to go forward quickly and escort His Highness the Crown Prince back to the East Palace? If something goes wrong, be careful of your heads!" Jia Lian passed the Crown Prince, and quickly entered the role of Deputy Commander of the Forbidden Army, directly issuing orders to the Forbidden Army.

"Promise!" Except for some of the soldiers who are meritorious officials, all the imperial guards are composed of carefully selected sons of good families. All of them are loyal to Emperor Wen of Zhou. They have a heart of respect for the prince, but compared to the emperor's The order is now not worth mentioning.Just now, they were afraid of hurting the Crown Prince, but now Jia Lian's "demonstration", a group of forbidden troops stepped forward and "invited" the Crown Prince to return to the East Palace with a straight face and respect.

"Hmph!" Seeing this situation, the prince could only snort coldly and walk away.

Seeing that even the crown prince was "invited" back to the East Palace in this way, the four princes Jin Wang, Qi Wang, Chu Wang and Ning Wang who also received the imperial decree could only recognize current affairs as heroes, and they left gracefully.Of course, before they left, they each looked at the four brothers who stayed behind to serve the sick.

A storm seems to be suppressed temporarily, but many discerning people also know that this is only temporary, and a huge storm that is brewing is about to come.

For the next seven days, Emperor Wen of Zhou claimed to be sick and never went to court. Only four princes took turns to serve the sick in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.According to reliable sources, Emperor Wen of Zhou vomited blood and fainted on the spot because he was so angry and overwhelmed by the Crown Prince and others who leaked and sold the questions.After taking the pulse, the imperial doctor pulled out a large medical book. The conclusion was that Emperor Zhou Wen had worked hard for many years, his body was already weak, and he was old. This time, because of a mouthful of blood, his life was wiped out, and he was dying. Relying on various secret medicines in the palace to survive.

You Shitai said anxiously: "Your Highness, I must not wait any longer!"

"If the emperor wakes up, I'm afraid a new king will be established!!" He felt bitter at the moment. He is the prince's biological uncle, and he has already entrusted his wealth and life to the prince.If the prince still doesn't act, I'm afraid that if there is any accident at that time, hundreds of members of his You family will not be able to survive.

"Gu..." It's not that the crown prince doesn't understand this truth, but he just has a naive expectation that maybe the emperor will die before he wakes up and makes an order!

You Shitai winked at a servant who was snuggling beside the prince.

"Your Highness is kind, but I'm afraid that those princes have their own ideas. When they make a move, I'm afraid it will be thunderous. Your Highness won't have a chance to resist at that time, and the throne will be given away in vain. No matter what His Majesty's decision is, Xin Xin will go forward and retreat together with His Majesty." Yi Xin looked affectionate.

Hearing this, the prince was a little moved, but he still couldn't make a decision.

"Your Highness, in the past Tang Taizong Li Shimin killed his brothers and killed his brothers to get the throne. Who would say that he is not right now? The world will only praise his literary and martial arts, and open up a prosperous world! Now the emperor is seriously ill, and there are traitors around him It's His Highness Qing Jun's side, and it's time for Chao Gang!" You Shitai said earnestly, and winked at Xin Xin.

Whispering and sobbing, she said: "Now that the crisis is imminent, it's a matter of one shot. I only ask Your Highness to do something. If something cannot be done, I just ask His Highness to kill me. I don't want her to be bullied by others." A woman also needs to have a seven-point appearance. Even if she is a servant, I believe there will be people who like it.

Seeing Xin Xinlihua's rainy demeanor, the prince gritted his teeth and forced out a few words: "Forget it, even if you are notorious through the ages, Gu also recognizes it." He said it as if he would definitely succeed.

You Shitai was overjoyed, and immediately discussed the details with the prince.

It's just that the two people, who were discussing in full swing, didn't realize that the beautiful servant who had been snuggling up to the prince's side all the time, nodded slightly to a plain-looking palace man behind him, and made a secret signal.

This morning, the three palace servants took a pair of cards from the East Palace for different reasons and left the palace. After turning left and right, they respectively arrived at Dongchang, Prince Jin's Mansion and Prince Chu's Mansion.

"Hehe! The prince is in a hurry, but it's better to be in a hurry. The prince dispatches troops. Who knows whether he is following Tang Taizong's example or wants to kill the king!" As soon as King Jin received the news, Jingtai and his younger brother King Jing were secretly picked up. Enter Jin Wangfu.

King Jin asked, "Sixth Brother, how is Father's condition?"

"I saw with my own eyes that my father was seriously ill. He was as thin as a stick and was dying of illness. This is absolutely true." King Jing replied affirmatively.

Jingtai pondered for a while, and said cunningly: "Since the prince wants to kill the king and brother, we will push him away. Send people to spread the news to the residences of King Qi, King Qin, and King Chu. After they also send troops, we will Then the oriole will catch them all."

On this day, the capital, which seemed to be as prosperous as before, was undercurrents and murderous intentions hidden.

Only the soft and beautiful factory governor who was in the East Factory, holding the power and mobilizing all the fans in the capital area, was drinking tea gracefully under the light.

In Game of Thrones, if you're not the winner, you're dead. There's no middle ground.