Start with the humble bridegroom

Chapter 321 Zhang Xinzhi Didn't Take It?

As the setting sun hung to the west, the Gong students who handed in their papers left Wenhua Hall in twos and threes.

This is a very interesting phenomenon. Zhang Zhe originally thought that all Gongsheng students came out together.

It's not too early for Zhang Zhe to hand in the paper, because he weighed it for too long.Rubbing my cheeks and going back to review "Liu Hou Lun" is just a moment before and after.When handing in the papers, Gong Sheng stood up and saluted the examiners, and a courtesy officer would come over and paste the names on the papers with pieces of paper and take them away.

After handing in the papers, Gong Sheng can leave Wenhua Hall and go home by himself.

The three sworn brothers left together. Among them, Jiang Shangyang's article took the longest, and Huo Bangwei was the fastest to submit the paper.

The three left together, but they didn't know that the prince's eyes fell on Zhang Zhe vaguely.

It turns out that Zhang Xinzhi and this person are all the way!

The marking process of this World Palace Examination is quite similar to that of Zhang Zheyuan in the history of time and space. The crown prince and three assistant ministers who invigilate the examination will first review the papers, and pick out the best 6 papers from the tribute students for the emperor to review. The ranking after [-] will be decided by several of them after discussion.

From the 1 selected test papers, the emperor will select the top three or No. 20 of the second class, and the ranking of the rest of the 12 people will be decided by the crown prince and three assistant ministers.There are three people in the first class and [-] people in the second class. The remaining five volumes are the top five in the third class.

Since the emperor was still waiting to read the examination papers, the crown prince, Sun Gezheng and others did not dare to neglect, and started to speed up the examination papers after eating some meals at will.At this moment, the crown prince just got an article, the writing was extremely beautiful, the article was like a surging river, the crown prince only read a few hundred words and decided that it was Zhang Xinzhi's paper.

But when the crown prince finished reading this volume, he was a little unsure, because he knew that Zhang Xinzhi’s political tendencies revealed in his various articles from the beginning of the test were advocating great unification and the layman’s kingly way. In other words, Ya is an out-and-out hawk.

But this article has two very thought-provoking sentences: endure small anger and make big plans, raise your full strength and treat your poor.

This is clearly a suggestion to the court to accept it as soon as it is good.In the few articles that the prince has just read, almost all of them are about the sound of gold and iron horses. If this is really the article of Zhang Xinzhi, it means that this person has strong political sensitivity, and the prince can’t help but show love on his face The color of talent.

The prince wrote a "up" on this test paper, and when he was about to write the second "up", Jiang Shangyang's figure suddenly appeared in his mind, and the second "up" I can't write any more.

"Zhang Xinzhi has a very close relationship with this son~!"

The level of people who can enter the palace examination is naturally not bad, and there are 21 articles that are finally rated as "upper"!
Both Sun Gezheng and Li Danian looked at the crown prince and Gu Chiu with strange eyes.

There are 21 "upper" articles, but the article of Zhang Xinzhi is not included!

His Majesty said that he wanted to read that letter's article, so the three assistant ministers would not deliberately dismiss this person's paper.Even if there was something wrong with Zhang Xinzhi's paper, with the tacit understanding of the three of them, they would not suppress it deliberately, and would explain it directly.

Obviously, the problem lies with the prince.Zhang Xinzhi's article should have just been handled by the prince, and he was kicked out of the top [-] by him.

It is said that this is the first time for the prince to participate in the palace examination, and it is the opportunity for the prince to spread his kindness, but in the hands of the prince, only three "upper" articles were judged.

After reading these three articles, the three assistant ministers all praised Zhang Liangzhi's "retirement".As the three most shrewd elders in Dazheng, seeing that the prince's choice was not consistent with the aggressive attitude the prince showed His Majesty in the past, they already guessed the change in His Majesty's attitude.

Naturally, Zhang Xinzhi's article cannot be bad, and these assistant ministers have also seen Zhang Xinzhi's closeness with that Jiang Shangyang.Obviously, this is the prince's subconscious choice to suppress Zhang Xinzhi.

At this moment, the crown prince is also having a great headache. He is not stupid and has no intention of putting Zhang Xinzhi in the top [-]. Although he only gave one "top", according to the usual practice in previous years, he only rated three "top". Then there will definitely be three or four vacancies in the top [-]. At that time, they will be picked up from the "first" paper, and Zhang Xinzhi's paper will definitely enter the top [-] with the last few scores.

According to the usual practice, the top three will definitely not be selected from the bottom ten.

Four people read the volumes, and each person recommended five volumes.The prince originally thought that among the three assistant ministers, except for the first assistant who would definitely recommend five volumes, the second assistant and the second assistant should each give up one volume to himself, and only recommend four volumes at most.

Sure enough, Sun Gezheng recommended five volumes, Li Danian recommended four volumes, plus three volumes recommended by himself, a total of twelve volumes

But Gu Chiu judged nine "upper" in one breath!
This has led to the fact that there are already 21 "upper and upper" volumes, and there is no need for supplementary recording at all.Prince has a headache!
Gu Chiu also had no choice. During the proctoring process, except for the prince, the three of them wandered around the examination room several times, and they had already memorized Jiang Shangyang's handwriting.And Jiang Shangyang's paper just fell on him!
In the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, the courtier who understands His Majesty the most may not be Gu Zhe, but he must be the one who understands "Jiang Biao"'s urination best.

After all, Jiang Shangyang is still a little younger, and his articles are only between the best and the best.

Gu Zhe's ass determined his head, and he recommended four articles that were equal to or slightly worse than Jiang Shangyang's articles at one go.

Even if the crown prince questioned the chief assistant, he must protect Jiang Shangyang's article!

He didn't expect that Zhang Xinzhi's article was actually rejected!

The chief assistant, Sun Gezheng, didn't make a sound, Gu Zhe looked at the sky, only Li Danian and the crown prince were left flirting with each other.Because Li Danian is a firm supporter of the prince.

Sure enough, in the end it was Li Danian who saved his face, wrote down two copies of Gu Zhe's recommendation, and quietly found Zhang Xinzhi's paper from the prince's papers.

"The old man is old after all. I only read half of this paper and accidentally lost it in the prince's paper, which made the prince difficult."

He picked up a pen and wrote the word "上" next to the word "上" written by the prince.

The three of Zhang Zhe left Wenhua Palace and did not go home immediately, but found a restaurant to drink together.Only because Sanqi came to meet him on the way, did he know that there was an unexpected guest at home.

He Linggu went down the mountain again to visit Zhuchi Xiaoyuan!
This woman, Zhang Zhe, has never met her before, but he also knows that she has a lot of opinions on him. I heard that she is not moral, and he also dislikes such women. In order not to make Meng Xiaowan caught in the middle He simply had dinner with Jiang Shangyang and Huo Bingcheng outside.

Because Meng Xiaowan's husband will return home at any time, He Linggu cannot stay in Zhuchi Xiaoyuan overnight, and she will definitely leave before dark.

After eating a few chopsticks, Jiang Shangyang put down his chopsticks, and asked with some concern: "Second Brother, do you really think that the imperial court intends to negotiate a peace?"

"I think this is likely to happen," Huo Bingcheng took over the conversation for Zhang Zhe, "When I left Wuling, all the counties and counties were counting the grain stored in Changping warehouse. The rain continued for more than half a year. Countless seedlings were drowned in the field, some trees near the water were soaked and their roots were rotten, mushrooms were everywhere in the mountains and plains, and every few days it was heard that someone had eaten poisonous mushrooms by mistake. If a county can harvest one-twelfth of the previous year's autumn harvest this year, it is God's mercy."

"Then the elder brother's article is also about the remaining time for judging the situation?"

Huo Bingcheng shook his head and smiled: "I just take the story of Liu Hou repeatedly returning to South Korea. If the aspirations are not broken, things will be accomplished. Probably not off topic!"

"What is the purpose of the third brother's argument?" Seeing that Jiang Shangyang was a little nervous, Zhang Zhe asked him.

"The younger brother's theory is about Liu Hou respecting Confucianism and advocating the rule. At that time, the crown prince Liu Ying was weak. Although Liu Hou was hidden, he did not change the national rule. He recommended Liu Ying to be assisted by the great Confucian merchant Shangshan Sihao, so that Liu Ying's position could be preserved. The younger brother said It’s about praising him because he respects the elders and the young Xiangguo, but is that inappropriate?”

Zhang Zhe frowned when he heard Jiang Shangyang's argument.Jiang Shangyang is still young after all, and lacks a certain sensitivity to politics. Although the views of respecting the elders and the young and assisting the country can please the prince, even the prince would not dare to praise it openly after reading this, because in the end it is up to the emperor to decide whether the article is good or not. It's decided, the prince needs to avoid suspicion!
Besides, the country has already been established, and it seems a bit outdated and obsequious to talk about this kind of thing.

"Maybe I shouldn't be too carefree before, just take some time to talk about current affairs with Brother Jiang." Zhang Zhe hid his thoughts, and only comforted him, "The third brother's argument is good, and it should have a good result!"

The restaurant where they ate wine had four floors, and the wing room where they ate wine was on the third floor, and the fourth floor here was not open to outsiders.

At this moment, in the only room on the fourth floor, someone was speaking angrily.

"How did this happen?!" This person spoke with a southern accent, and his elegant appearance was completely shattered by the other party's words, "The rebels of the Su family went to the country against the master, and the whole family was beheaded by the king's own order. I am the Crown Princess of Wu State!? Leaving aside the blood feud, it is just that Su’s name is engraved on the gate of Jinling City as a record, and he is an irrefutable second minister. How can a guilty person marry my Crown Prince of Wu State?"

Sitting opposite this person was Hou Chaoqing, the Secretary of the Eastern Palace.

Hou Chaoqing just smiled lightly: "What Luo Shi said is inappropriate!"

"The Su family was originally the only servant my emperor accepted when he was the king of Zhou. His Majesty sent him to the south of the Yangtze River and worked hard for [-] years before the Su family became prosperous. The Su family is my Dazheng. My lord, why do you say that you are against me? Besides, Wu Guo wants to end the hostility with Da Zheng, but still regards my Da Zheng hero as a bandit, I wonder how much sincerity Luo Shi said is true?"

"My lord Hou, the peace negotiations in this country are naturally sincere, and the rest of the terms are easy to negotiate, even the matter of indemnity and land cession is not unnegotiable, but this matter is really difficult to follow! It's nine years old, but I heard that the Su family is only twenty years old, this, this is not suitable! Why don't you ask your lord to be gracious and give a royal daughter, and I will do my best to turn it around."

"Hehehehe," Hou Chaoqing shook his head unhurriedly, "The Su family is the only servant of our emperor, and he treats her like a child. He is the lord first, and then the village lord. Now he is going to be the county lord. I heard She has learned talents and is as beautiful as a fairy. If the scholars in the south of the dynasty knew that she was a matchmaker made by the official, they would be accused by thousands of people in the south of the Yangtze River. Such a beautiful woman, even the six kings and queens can do it. Luo Shi just pays back, don't rush, hehe, don't rush."

When Luo Zhou heard Hou Chaoqing's understatement, he knew that this was probably one of Zheng Guo's bottom lines.But Nasu?Thinking about it, Luo Zhou felt chills down his back.The royal family of the Zhao family in the state of Wu didn't know the truth about what the Su family did back then, and Luo Zhou was one of them.The massacre of the entire family of the Su family was not only because the Su family was secretly Zheng Chen.

Regarding the beauty of Su Mingyan mentioned by Hou Chaoqing, Luo Zhou would not think that Hou Chaoqing exaggerated it on purpose.Just because the beauty of Su Mingyan's biological mother was the source of Su's disaster.

Although King Wu Guoxian has a full harem, he has always coveted the Nasu Deng family.In the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year, the first queen ordered the officials and family members to meet, but after Su Deng entered the palace, he was bullied by the former king.Su Deng's family was staunch, and died by touching a stone. The previous king took the initiative to desecrate Su's family, and the king's army raided Su's family, just in time to find out Su's secret.

The Luo family has been the personal guards of the Zhao family for generations, so Luo Zhou knows this matter clearly.How dare he promise to make Su Mingyan the crown prince's concubine?If such a woman full of hatred is allowed to enter the forbidden area of ​​the enemy's heart, it will be no wonder that nothing happens in the future!
"Since the king of Wu has the generosity to negotiate a peace, he must also have the capacity to accommodate the Su family! Otherwise, how can we Dazheng believe in the sincerity of Wu Guo?" Hou Chaoqing was about to reach out for the teacup, and it seemed that he was going to serve tea to the guests, " Presumably, with the sincerity of your country, it will definitely resolve Su's daughter's knots. Otherwise, how can my emperor comfort the ministers who have made meritorious deeds, and how can I persuade the generals of the Southern Expedition?"

Seeing that Hou Chaoqing was about to fetch a teacup to see off the guests, Luo Zhou hurriedly stopped his hand.

He took a deep breath, and began to repeatedly weigh the consequences of Su's daughter going to Wu in his heart.

In fact, it doesn't matter if Su's daughter becomes the crown princess, as long as she doesn't give birth to a son, half of Zheng Guo's plan will be lost.But Luo Zhou was afraid that Su's daughter was really scheming, and he knew the prince of his country too well.This prince has almost no resistance to beauty, let alone the daughter of the Su Deng family who was crowned the most beautiful in the Wu Kingdom.

But when Luo Zhou thought of the dark news sent from China two days ago, his heart was filled with sadness.

It's not that he doesn't know that Zheng Guo actually wants to end the war at this time, but what Wu Guo lacks more than Zheng Guo is time.The successive major events that happened in Wu State made Wu State no longer have the capital to continue the stalemate against Zheng State.

After the state of Wu lost Zhaoyang County, the capital barrier, it suffered heavy losses one after another.

One of them is that Wu Guoyi thought that there was something wrong with the Chen family's army in Gancheng.

First, Chen Zhengxian, one of the generals of the Chen family, defected to Zheng State last year, leading to the fall of Zhaoyang; then, Chen Shanyao, the general of Zhu State, had an affair with Emperor Zheng. Although Chen Shanyao handed over the letter sent by Emperor Zheng, the smeared The traces made Wang Shang furious, so when the news came that Chen Zhengxian had surrendered to the enemy, King Wu immediately attacked the Chen family first.

On that night last year, the Jinling guards were severely injured, and the entire Chen family was destroyed, but Chen Shanyao, who was seriously ill, miraculously escaped.

This year, there have been continuous heavy rains in the south of the Yangtze River, waterlogging and flooding in various parts of Wu Kingdom, and the aristocratic families in various places have been unable to provide assistance. More than [-] civil unrest broke out successively, and even a few bandits of the people in the mountains and mountains have become commonplace.

However, the news that came the day before yesterday was even more shocking. Chen Shanyao suddenly appeared in Dongling County to unite the seven families to stand on their own, officially declaring rebellion. Four of the seven counties of Dongkaido have fallen!

The most urgent thing for Wu Guo now is to transfer the more than [-] Wu Guo elites who confronted Zheng Jun on the East Road to the hinterland to suppress the rebellion as soon as possible. The tens of thousands of soldiers confronting each other have begun to retreat south regardless.

King Wu sent the latest secret order to Luo Zhou: Negotiate peace at all costs!

The bottom line in the secret order is never humble.

The two counties of Xunnan and Chaoshan on the Xunjiang line facing each other on the east road can be directly ceded, and the two countries will be bounded by Zhaoxia Mountain again. Dongye County, both sides use Dongye County as a buffer zone.Money and food are easy to talk about, and brocade silk women can try their best to cater to them.

I just ask Zheng Guo to withdraw the three-way army, so that Wu Guo's more than 20 elites can all go south.

In fact, it is not impossible to accept the appointment of a daughter of Zheng Guozong's family as the crown princess.As long as Wu Guo calms down, a princess concubine will be abolished if she says she is abolished, but Zheng Guo wants to send Su's daughter here. He is afraid that before Wu Guo recovers, this Su's daughter will kill Wu Guodong Palace made all the chickens and dogs stay.

It is well known to all countries that the prince of Wu is incompetent, but the king of Wu survived with such a son.This is the foundation of the country, and he dare not gamble with the crown prince.

Hou Chaoqing watched Luo Zhou's expression change, and gently pushed away his hand indifferently, putting it on the teacup.And his next sentence broke through Luo Zhou's inner defense immediately.

"Emissary Luo is busy, so you might as well wait a little longer. I just heard that your country is very lively recently, but you want my 17 troops from Zheng Guosan Road to relieve the trouble?"

Luo Zhou's hand suddenly pressed on Hou Chaoqing's hand on the teacup, his voice was full of boundless bitterness.

"I don't know when Su's daughter will arrive in Beijing. My wife wants to meet with you first?"

"Hahahaha," Hou Chaoqing finally burst out laughing, "It's easy to say, easy to say, it just depends on my arrangement!"

"What about Su's daughter?" He Linggu was looking around in front of Meng Xiaowan's mirror, just now she had taken a fancy to Meng Xiaowan's other dress, "Junior Sister has seen her before, but she is prettier than Senior Sister?"

Meng Xiaowan had half a wild pepper in her mouth, it was so hot that it was sour, so she ignored her at all.

He Linggu looked at herself in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and said to herself: "She is famous in the south of the Yangtze River for her beauty, I'm afraid she can't compare with her, but if she compares her talent and learning, it's your husband." Maybe you can fight me."

Meng Xiaowan laughed immediately, and scraped her face with her fingers.

Shame or not! ?

"Why should I be ashamed?" He Linggu laughed, "But I don't know how to compare with him. Since I haven't compared before, then I'm not as good as me. You just look at how you didn't go home after the imperial examination today. It can be seen that you are trying to avoid me."

Meng Xiaowan smiled without saying a word, and He Linggu finally sighed helplessly: "I don't want to believe those articles, but they were written in a test! I can only compare myself with ordinary people, and I still hide your exile from far away." open it!"

"Senior Sister, let's talk about Su Mingyan, why mention my husband?"

"Yo!" He Linggu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked Meng Xiaowan up and down, "There is something wrong! Could it be that the daughter of the Su family had something to your husband when she was in Wuling?"

He Linggu thought that Meng Xiaowan would avoid talking about it, but unexpectedly, Meng Xiaowan nodded generously.

"Hey, I'm annoyed too. No matter how good or bad the girls in the county are, who doesn't fall in love with him? You know how many concubines I have in my family. One heart is with him, but he is as cold as iron."

He Linggu immediately pinched her junior sister on the face.

"Tell you to show off!"

(End of this chapter)