People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1829: A pseudonym, eternal obscurity

In the Ganlu Palace, Yang Xiuyan sat slumped on the ground with a grim look on her face.

Shangguan Wan'er stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, what should we do about what happened tonight? Should we banish this girl to the cold palace?"

When she heard the word "cold palace", Yang Xiuyan looked up in horror.

Even though she was not from the main branch of the Yang family, she was familiar with the word "cold palace". If she really went to the cold palace, she would be living a life worse than death.

"The daughter of the Yang family was sent to the cold palace as soon as she entered the palace." Li Xuan shook his head slightly and said, "I don't want to dismiss all the officials from the Hongnong Yang family yet."

"Your Majesty!" The other six Yang women who entered the palace with Yang Xiuyan immediately knelt on the ground with terrified faces.

They were all daughters of Hongnong Yang family, and their status was even higher than Yang Xiuyan. However, because the queen wanted to suppress the Yang family, she allowed these legitimate daughters to enter the palace as maids.

If the emperor really wanted to punish the Hongnong Yang family, then families like theirs would also be punished, and severely punished.

"Don't worry." Li Xuan shook his head gently, his eyes fell on Yang Xiuyan, then he looked up, glanced at the other six people, pointed at the most beautiful woman among them, and said, "You, come here."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Meir, Yang Meir!" Yang Meir stepped forward cautiously.

Hearing this name, Li Xuan nodded calmly, pointed at Yang Xiuyan, and said, "Go, take off all the gold ornaments on her head and her wedding dress."

Yang Meier was stunned for a moment, then immediately bowed and said, "I obey your order."

Yang Meir walked in front of Yang Xiuyan, half-knelt down, and whispered, "Mother Yan, I'm sorry."

As she spoke, Yang Meir gently took off all the gold ornaments on Yang Xiuyan's head and her wedding dress.

Yang Xiuyan, wearing only a pink skirt, was still kneeling on the ground, looking pitiful and a little confused.

Li Xuan looked at Yang Meir and said, "From now on, you are no longer Yang Meir, you are Yang Xiuyan.

You were the one who was worshipping heaven and earth with me outside before. All of you come here and help Yang Chongyi change her clothes."

"Yes!" The other five Yang women were slightly stunned, then immediately bowed, and then walked over quickly to help Yang Meir change all her clothes and headdresses.

Li Xuan walked in front of Yang Xiuyan and said calmly, "From this moment on, you are Yang Meier. You are no longer the real Chongyi. I and Chongyi will take good care of your parents and your brothers."

"Get up, Yang Meir. You will serve me by the bed tonight." Li Xuan's last words. Yang Xiuyan, no, Yang Meir's face turned pale instantly.

A moment later, the new Yang Xiuyan was already sitting in front of the bed with a pretty face. It must be said that they were both daughters of the Yang family and looked very similar.

"Bring me the wedding wine." Li Xuan looked at Yang Xiuyan and whispered, "I can't bow to heaven and earth with you anymore, I can only drink you another cup of wedding wine.

If you are willing, you can sit on the bed and worship the moon with me later, and that will be the end of the ceremony."

"I obey your order." Yang Xiuyan's face was full of shyness, and then she carefully drank the wedding wine with Li Xuan.

Today, she suddenly became one of the nine concubines. Even if she didn't use her own name, she knew that she would have wealth and glory in the future.

Yang Xiuyan couldn't help but look at Yang Meir beside her.

Will this sister be able to take back this identity in the future?

"Don't let your imagination run wild. Come, I'll help you undress..." Li Xuan leaned forward slightly, then reached out and took off the wedding dress that Yang Xiuyan had just put on, then pounced forward...

Yang Meir stood beside the bed with a pale face, her mind in a daze!
How did she become Yang Meir? How did she become an ordinary maid? And her own sister just replaced her.

After a long time, the blushing sound from the bed finally stopped.

At this time, Li Xuan's voice sounded again: "Don't worry, I will have someone tell your parents about this. They are very understanding and will definitely understand which one is the most suitable for their daughter."

Yang Meir's heart broke instantly.

……

"What? He's dead." Li Xuan put one hand on the imperial desk, looked at Li Zhaode and Wang Yinke with a cold face, and cursed with gritted teeth: "What do you two do for a living? You are the leaders of the secret guards, and you let someone die like this."

"Your Majesty, last night I followed the plan and asked him to go to Qingyu Pavilion. After King Zheng left, I asked him to return to his residence with Cheng Ruoshui. Who would have thought that he would die inexplicably in the canal the next day." Li Zhaode bowed his hands with a solemn expression: "I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Li Xuan took a deep breath, waved his hands, and said, "Forget it, it's none of your business. His death was very sudden. He just had a reputation as being on par with Zhang Shuo, Yan Chaoyin, and Zhang Ruoxu, and he died suddenly. It seems that someone didn't want him to surpass the other three."

Cheng Ruokong was brought up by Li Xuan and was a Qilu scholar who was competing for the top spot in the imperial examination. But unfortunately, he should have had an outburst at the end of the month and then, before the imperial examination, he should have directly cursed the imperial examination as bullshit.

In this way, Li Xuan could take the test under a false name in the name of testing.

After this time, they will find a similar excuse next time and continue to hide their names. After three times, it will be a permanent ban.

However, Cheng Rukong died suddenly.

Li Xuan raised his head, looked at Li Zhaode and Wang Yinke and said, "Go and investigate, investigate secretly, mobilize the Secret Guards, Qianniu Guards, Jinwu Guards, Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice, Yongzhou Prefecture, Chang'an Wannian County, and the bad guys on the streets, go together and investigate.

Find out the reason, but don't make it public. Wait until the day of the scientific examination and hand the result over to Cheng Ruoshui."

Although Cheng Ruoshui is not a member of the Secret Guard, he served the Secret Guard this time, so Li Xuan will put him in the left and right street envoys of the Jinwu Guard. The left and right street envoys are the sixth-rank official positions, and Cheng Ruoshui will have no problem being a seventh-rank judge. Just endure it step by step.

Li Xuan raised his head and said, "Let Cheng Ruoshui go to the palace gate to make trouble. I remember he has a viscount on him, right?"

"Yes!" Li Zhaode bowed.

"We can make it easier for him to appear in front of Taiji Gate." Li Xuan smiled and said, "He is seeking justice for the death of his brother. This is an act of filial piety. Even if it violates the rules, it should be forgiven."

"Yes!" Li Zhaode immediately bowed.

"Tell Di Renjie not to worry about it anymore." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly. Everything should be quieted down. It all depends on the end.

If he can really pass the imperial examinations under an anonymous name in the future, then Li Xuan's control over the world will definitely be able to reach a new level.

Li Zhaode and Wang Yinke looked at each other, then solemnly bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

"Go ahead." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and the two left immediately.

After leaving the Liangyi Hall, Li Zhaode and Wang Yinke looked at each other with solemn expressions. They couldn't help but feel a little worried. Now that nothing has been done, the emperor has already determined the cause of Cheng Rukong's death. Is everything really that easy?

……

The ninth day of the second month, in the Liangyi Hall.

All the prime ministers, all the chancellors, all the ministers of the temples, the vice ministers, the junior ministers, the generals of the Jinwu Guards, the generals of the Qianniu Guards, the chief secretary of Yongzhou, and the Sima of Yongzhou were all standing in a solemn manner.

Li Xuan calmly handed the written imperial examination questions to Xu Lu, who stepped down from the steps and handed them to Lu Yuanfang.

Lu Yuanfang turned around and walked to Li Yiyan who was kneeling on the ground and handed him the imperial examination questions.

In this way, the examination questions that could determine the prime minister and the six ministers of the court in a certain period of several decades in the future fell into Li Yiyan's hands.

Li Yiyan did not open the test paper to read it, but in fact, he could guess that the emperor's test questions were 80 to 90 percent likely related to drought control.

Of course, the only people who knew about this year’s drought were important officials above the fourth rank in the court, and they would not leak these things out.

“Stand up, go and pay your respects to Tai…” Li Xuan had just said half of his words when a burst of shouting came faintly from the direction of Taiji Gate: “It’s unfair! It’s unfair…”

Li Xuan frowned and looked at Xu Lu: "Go and see what's going on?"

"Yes!" Xu Lu immediately turned around and left. Only half a minute later, Xu Lu, with a solemn expression and Cheng Ruoshui gritting his teeth, entered the Liangyi Hall.

Many people in the hall knew Cheng Ruoshui, but they never expected to meet Cheng Chubi's grandson here today.

Cheng Ruoshui, who was only sixteen years old, knelt down in the hall and kowtowed, saying, "I am Cheng Ruoshui, the son of Cheng'an County, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Li Xuan said indifferently: "Do you know that today is the day of the imperial examination? You directly blocked the Tai Chi Gate. If you don't tell me something..."

"Your Majesty, I have a grievance." Cheng Ruoshui took out a petition from his bosom and handed it to the eunuch beside him, then he said loudly: "My cousin Cheng Rukong was killed at home 20 days ago, and then pretended to be a robbery. The reason was that he might pass the imperial examination and block a group of people who wanted to make a fortune by this way, so they killed him."

"Betting on the number one scholar." Li Xuan took the petition, took a look at it, and his face darkened. He then handed it to Lu Yuanfang and said, "I know a thing or two about this, but in the past they just set up some obstacles and I would have just regarded it as a mistake. But today, they actually dared to kill someone!"

With a "bang", Li Xuan slammed his palm heavily on the table, gritted his teeth and said: "Qianniu Guards, Jinwu Guards, Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice, Yongzhou Prefecture, Chang'an Wannian County, all of you go arrest people for me, whoever is involved, arrest them."

"Yes!" The relevant people immediately stood up and bowed.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Jianzhi stood up and said with a folded hand: "Your Majesty, there are quite a few scholars who have participated in this and are even already in the examination room."

"Imperial Examination." Li Xuan suddenly laughed and shook his head, saying, "Recruiting officials is such a sacred thing, but it has become such a fame and fortune."

Li Xuan's words made all the ministers solemn.

"Left Prime Minister." Li Xuan turned to look at Lu Yuanfang, his eyes cold as he said, "I want to put an end to this matter completely, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, just close down all the gambling houses involved in the imperial examinations." Lu Yuanfang bowed.

"What if they go underground and kill people in secret in the future?" Li Xuan looked at Lu Yuanfang and pressed him, "What I want is a permanent solution."

"Your Majesty." Li Yiyan, the chief examiner of the imperial examination, suddenly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think the imperial examinations should be conducted with names kept anonymous. The Ministry of Personnel examination and the palace examination should all be conducted with names kept anonymous. This way, the world will be fair and clear, and there will be no more such dirty things."

The ministers in the hall looked at Li Yiyan with horror in their eyes. Did Li Yiyan know what he was saying?

Li Xuan sighed softly and said, "That's it, Su Baotong."

"I'm here!" Su Baotong immediately bowed and stood up.

"From the left and right guards, and the left and right leading military guards, immediately select experienced officials to do the work of covering up the truth." Li Xuan turned to look at the Minister of Personnel Lin Renji and said, "The people from the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for supervision. If anyone cheats, they will be arrested immediately."

"Yes!" Yun Hongyin bowed solemnly, his expression was very dignified.

He knew that something had happened that would affect the future for countless years.

But who can be blamed for this?
The one who killed Cheng Rukong?
Or those gambling houses?

(End of this chapter)