Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 559: Beat the drum of Denwen

The long street on the east side of the palace,

Carriages continued to pass by in a hurry, and there were also many unsuspecting officials who came in groups of three or three. Especially the young officials in the capital, who had been waiting impatiently for a long time, opened the curtains and looked out anxiously. Go, but outside the Meridian Gate, many officials have already arrived, got off the carriage, and gathered around talking.

"Everyone, why are you here? But where did you hear the news?"

"Brother Wang, what are you trying to do? Since everyone who can come is notified by someone, even if they come later, they still can't understand it when they get here."

"That's right. We can only tell how the people of Liubu Tang are acting. The news about Ningguo Mansion has been spread all over the streets and alleys of the capital today. I don't know whether it is true or not. It's too weird."

"Who says it isn't?"

Several people were leaning together and talking,

The same goes for the officials who came from behind. They exchanged greetings with each other, and then a few familiar people quietly gathered around. Then they looked at no one around, and just there, they talked about how weird and dangerous today's events were. He is more worried about changes in the political situation, and even more worried about his future promotion.

I thought that all the people who came here were civil servants, but I never thought that Xiangyang Hou Baiguang lived outside the Meridian Gate with Feng Ziying and other young warriors.

He was fair and aboveboard. After following several Yan Guan, he got off the carriage and walked over with Yan Guan. Of course, he was not wearing armor, but all in official uniform. The Marquis of Xiangyang himself even tied his hair in a bun. He looked gentle and elegant. You would think that he is a man of martial arts, and the people leading behind him are also dressed in the same attire.

The Marquis of Xiangyang and the others came here because the government of the country sent someone to convey a message. They specifically told them to go to the Meridian Gate outside the palace to see what these civil servants were doing. After all, the affairs in the palace were related to the entire noble family. Although King Beijing and Prince Dongping took action before His Majesty, how could those civil servants with noses sharper than dogs not know about Ning Guo Mansion? They would definitely use this as an excuse to take the opportunity to attack.

At the southern intersection, a large number of carriages came. When they arrived not far from the intersection, a large number of officials got out of the carriages.

Bai Guangju secretly thought, here we come.

He kowtowed, then got off the carriage alone with a determined look on his face.

So after Xiangyang Hou Bai Guangju received the letter, he hurriedly led many noble disciples and followed the procession of civil servants on the street to the outside of the Meridian Gate. He watched many civil servants muttering to himself and others. Where had Feng Ziying seen her before? At this scene, I asked in a low voice,

"Master Hou, what's going on? Isn't the matter at noon settled? Why are they all gathered here?"

Bai Guangju didn't care about the eyes of those civil servants. They were just pawns and nothing to worry about. The talents of the Civil Service Department Liubu Hall made Xungui frown, and they were all too old.

Bai Guangju shook his head slightly, pointed to the Meridian Gate, where more and more civil servants were gathering, and sighed,

Although today's events are dangerous, we must grasp it well. No one in the entire capital will know about it. With a reputation, as long as you survive this test, you will definitely achieve something.

"Yan Cong, I have everything to do with you. Just go over and beat the Dengwen drum as hard as you can. The louder the better. It's best if everyone in the capital can hear it. As an official, you have the character to die for the study of saints. Don’t be afraid of hardships, there are some things that a teacher cannot say in front of others,”

I already have countermeasures. There are still seats at Dali Temple and the Inspectorate. After this matter, you can choose a place and go in first, but remember, be strict with yourself and never lose it. Civilian decency. "

"It's like being an official, especially Beijing officials. Many Beijing officials are mediocre and do nothing in their lives. They have no future. As for the speaking officials, there are more people. They are all young and talented people. If you want to make a difference among them, As a result, you must be outstanding and have a reputation.

"Hey, Ziying, look at it, these people came here just because they got the news. Otherwise, they would have thought about coming here in the panic. It must be the officials of Liubu Hall who have taken action, but I don't know who is taking the lead."

"Ziying, who told you that today's matter has been resolved, but it has just started. We met in court, but we are still arguing in private. Have you heard anything about the Ningguo Mansion in the capital?"

Although Lu Wenshan's words were somewhat utilitarian, they were also spoken from the bottom of his heart. Yan Cong looked firm, nodded vigorously, and knelt down in the car.

"Teacher, if the student understands, he will not disgrace the teacher. The student is no worse than Shen Zhongxin."

Bai Guangju's words were a little heavy, and the period of calm was too brief. Everyone knew the intentions of those civil servants to seize power. However, since the founding of the Dawu Dynasty, the country has been established by force, and the nobles have been in power to this day. Although most of the power has been distributed, the military power has remained firm. Holding it in hand, civil servants can only handle government affairs locally, and other matters depend on Wu Xun's attitude, which continues to this day.

After His Majesty succeeded to the throne, he activated civil servants, which led to a series of seizures of power. Logically speaking, His Majesty should continue to put pressure on the nobles, but why has his attitude suddenly changed in the past two years? There is quite a bit of confusion among the civil servants. I can't understand the situation of civil strife.

suddenly,

However, the in-laws of Ningguo Mansion are all over the court and the public, and they will definitely fight to the death. At that time, I am afraid that there will be big disturbances in the court. However, since I have no official position and my reputation is not good, I can only accompany the Marquis of Xiangyang to come here to watch. Extremely useless.

Feng Ziying watched the officials in front of her gather in a circle, especially the young officials, who all impassionedly denounced Jia Zhen's ridiculous behavior in Ningguo Mansion. She was shocked that they were about to attack Ningguo Mansion.

He walked towards the Meridian Gate and listened to the drum. It was on the right side of the Meridian Gate and was guarded by the imperial guards.

Feng Ziying scratched her head. Could it be that the rumors about Ning Guo Mansion in the capital were about Ning Mansion's Jia Zhen raising alchemists? The people's rumors about having noses and eyes were just like the truth. Feng Ziying scoffed. They were all rumors. Who could believe it?

Lu Wenshan touched the jade slip in his hand and said,

"Master Marquis, I heard that I heard it, but it is just a rumor among the people. It is made up by the people. How can it be taken seriously!"

"Mr. Ge, what should I do?"

Xie Zian from the Ministry of Personnel had already arrived at the carriage and asked softly. Lu Wenshan in the carriage shook his head,

"Wait, wait until the drum sounds, and then go to the Meridian Gate with me to cheer for Yan Cong."

"Yes, Mr. Ge."

moment,

It was quiet inside and outside the car. Only Lu Wenshan knew in his heart that this was an opportunity for Yan Cong to make a name for himself, and no one else could do it.

At this time, Yan Cong was approaching the Meridian Gate with his head held high and his steps forward. His every move obviously attracted the attention of many officials from the capital, who were all whispering about who this person was.

Bai Guangju stood not far from the Meridian Gate and could see clearly that the person who came was quite young, with a proud look and a firm expression. It looked like he was not from the ministry. He had a tough face. Why did he come here alone? Feng Ziying didn't even know this person, but his temperament stood out among the crowd, which was indescribable.

"Master Marquis, who is this person? Does he still want to enter the palace alone?"

Feng Ziying's question seemed a bit contemptuous. How could His Majesty meet him because he was ill? Xiangyang Hou Bai Guangju was even more suspicious. Although this person was familiar to him, he seemed to have seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember.

"I don't know him either, but I seem to have met him once. Since I came here, I must have a purpose. Let's take a look and talk about it."

While talking, Yan Cong had already arrived outside the Meridian Gate.

Attracting the attention of the guards, Yan Cong reached out and took out the bright yellow memorial from his arms, held it high in his left hand, and shouted,

"Strict obedience to the officials. If you have something important to report to your Majesty, Ningguo Mansion deceives you and ignores you. It causes trouble in the capital. You should be punished!" As soon as these words came out,

In front of the Meridian Gate, which was still noisy, it immediately became silent. All the officials looked at the young figure in disbelief.

Yan Cong shouted again,

"The Ningguo Mansion did not respect the holy order, supported alchemists, cast spells to disrupt the sky, and even damaged the dragon veins of the capital and turned the earth dragon over. How could such a traitor be safe? Although Yan is a humble official, as a public official, even though You can't do it for nothing, and Yan Cong will never let such people who bring disaster to the country and people continue to cause trouble in the capital."

After finishing speaking, he strode towards the Dengwen Drum, which was located at the east end of the Meridian Gate. Under the horrified eyes of everyone, he took the drumstick with his right hand and smashed it down with all his strength.

The Marquis of Xiangyang never expected that since the new emperor ascended the throne, no one dared to touch the Dengwen drum, but someone would actually sound it.

Immediately shouted,

"Wait a minute, hold on!"

However, Yan Cong had no choice but to fire the arrow when it was on the string, so he hit the drum hard, once, twice, three times.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The drums were beating loudly, and the officials outside the Meridian Gate were stunned. They couldn't believe that a humble official dared to beat the drum. It was really shocking. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

As the drums sounded, the guards of the Forbidden Army were stunned and at a loss. The captain on duty immediately shouted,

"What are you still doing in a daze? The drums are playing and the tuba is accompanying them."

"Yes, Captain."

The Imperial Guards below quickly lifted up the brocade cloth of the large trumpet on the side, and then a row of people stood behind it, and they mustered up enough energy to blow hard.

"woo"

The loud sound resounded in the sky above the palace and spread throughout the capital.

South street corner,

Lu Wenshan, who was sitting in the carriage, heard the sound of drums and trumpets and immediately opened his eyes.

"It's time! Let's get out of the car."

"Yes, Mr. Ge."

At this time, Lu Wenshan got off the carriage, followed closely by a group of officials, and headed towards Chongwen Gate in the palace.

In front of the Meridian Gate,

Feng Ziying looked at this scene and asked anxiously,

"Master Marquis, who is he? How dare he beat the drum? What should I do? Also, what this person said about Ning Guofu deceiving the emperor is really nonsense. If he is not just raising a Taoist priest, why is he causing trouble in the capital. "

The Marquis of Xiangyang was also a little confused at this time. He never expected that Leng Touqing would go to beat the Dengwen drum. He calmed down and looked at the memorial in his hand. It was obviously not an impromptu move, but must have been premeditated.

The civil servant was about to take action. When he turned around and wanted to ask Ziying something, he saw a large number of officials coming from the south. The leader was none other than Lu Wenshan, the Minister of Civil Affairs. This man was the leader of the southern civil servants and his origin. hands, trouble.

After the drums and trumpets sounded,

A royal censor came quickly to Denwengu, wiped his sweat and asked,

"Who are you drumming for?"

Yan Cong took a deep breath, put the mallet on the table, held the memorial in both hands, and replied,

"I am one of the six ministries who have strictly obeyed the officials. I am suing Jia Zhen of the Ningguo Prefecture. I deceived the superiors and deceived the subordinates, causing harm to the country and the people. This is extremely disrespectful. Please check it with the Royal Censor!"

"this,"

Censor Zhong Yugu's hands were trembling a little, and he couldn't speak clearly. After all, if he accepted the memorial, this huge relationship would be cut off. Ning Guofu was the backbone of the nobles in the capital, and old relatives and friends were spread throughout the government and the public. This was a surprise. Touqing poked a hole in the sky and was not afraid of being smashed to death.

When Yan Cong saw the memorial that the censor had not taken over, he sneered slightly.

"Master Yushi, why don't you accept the memorial? Is there something unspeakable, or do you dare not accept it?"

Seeing the resolute and aggressive expression of the young man in front of him, Yushi Zhong Yugu's expression was extremely bad. In this moment, the movement here may have already alarmed the government and the public, that's all.

"Since you have beaten the Dengwen drum, there is no way to reject it. I am Zhong Yugu, the censor, and I have been guarding this place for many years. Although no one has come here, today, since you have beaten the drum, you will definitely not forget your duty. After waiting for this, I collected the papers and handed them to His Majesty for the purpose of holding a court meeting."

After explaining the words, he immediately took the paper into his hand, gave a salute, and hurried back to the ministry hall to look for Mr. Cao, the official censor of Shangguan.

The rest of the people were waiting quietly outside Chongwen Gate, waiting for the court meeting. The leader was Lu Wenshan, stroking his beard and smiling without saying a word. It was done.

Ningrong Street,

Zhang Jinyu was riding a horse, still thinking about how to have dinner at Rongguo Mansion. Wang Xifeng's meaning was self-evident. It must be the old lady who wanted to inquire about Ningguo Mansion. It was okay. She could still talk about it, but Jia Zhen's Temperament, it is extremely difficult for him to admit his guilt. Although he is not a good person, his stubborn refusal to admit his guilt is quite admirable.

When Wang Gonggong saw that everyone around him was hunting for demons, he was not in a hurry. He wanted to go back and report to the minister, and then discuss the next step. While the two were thinking about it, they came from the direction of the imperial city. There was the sound of drums and the sound of a tuba, getting closer and closer.

Zhang Jinyu raised her head and looked in the direction of the palace. What's going on? It's almost time for dinner. Why are you still beating the drums and playing the tuba? Is there anything else?

Wang Gonggong was also puzzled. Why were the drums and horns so familiar? But he couldn't remember it for a while. Xiao Yunzi behind him asked in a low voice,

"Dad, my son heard the sound of trumpets and drums coming from the direction of Meridian Gate. He has never encountered it before."

"What came from the Meridian Gate, did you hear it correctly?"

The prince suddenly thought of the Dengwen Drum outside the Meridian Gate. The sound of the drum must be accompanied by the sound of the trumpet, but the Dengwen Drum is not a trivial matter. No one has dared to knock it for many years, so it has been forgotten until now. Now it sounds, There must be something shocking.

"You stay here and keep an eye on it. Send extra manpower to continue searching for the demon. The Za family and the Marquis will enter the palace immediately and prepare for the court meeting. I don't know who knocked the drum, so it's not the right time."

The prince didn't know who was beating the drum. The sun was setting in the west, and only the afterglow hung over the west city. It was a good time to hold a court meeting at this time.

"Master Marquis, Master Marquis, something big has happened, something big has happened. Let's get ready and prepare to enter the palace immediately to attend the court meeting!"

Zhang Jinyu was frightened by Eunuch Wang. She was just thinking about where to have dinner in the evening and wanted to go meet Li Wan for a hangout, but Eunuch Wang put her in a bad mood. Also, what time was it? Yes, I'm still thinking about the court meeting. What do you think?

"My lord, I remembered it wrong. I just came out of the palace. You said you were going to attend the court meeting. How can you attend the court meeting at night? Maybe you got dizzy and forgot about it!"

Seeing that the Marquis looked unhappy, the prince knew that the Marquis had misunderstood. He also thought of the young lady in the Rongguo Mansion who had invited the Marquis to have a meal. Knowing that the Marquis had good things to do, he hurriedly replied,

"Mr. Marquis, you misunderstood. How dare the Zajia family tease Mr. Hou? There must be no court meeting in the evening. It's just that the court has special exceptions. For example, just now, Mr. Hou heard the sound of drums and tubas coming from the imperial city. sound,"

Seeing that Wang Gonggong was serious, Zhang Jinyu was a little unsure. Is there really a court meeting at night?

(End of this chapter)