Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 615: Your Majesty, I feel so wronged
"drive!"

"Drive, drive!"

"Hurry up, keep up."

On the official road outside the north city of Beijing,
The motorcade was not moving slowly. It kept going all the way, which saved a lot of time compared to when we went there. After all, the entire team and the wives of civil servants were still a little flustered.

In order to get out of trouble as soon as possible, Zhang Jinyu rode horses and carriages wherever she could stay on the official road, so she was not tired.

Arriving at the city gate,
The convoy finally slowed down, and the ladies who had been bumping along the way breathed a sigh of relief.

Just out of the city gate,
The Queen Mother ordered the ladies of each palace in the capital to go back and rest. Today's events should not be made public. Zhang Jinyu asked Duan Hong to lead his troops back to the camp outside the east city gate to rest.

As a result, the North City Gate, which was originally crowded and crowded, became much empty after a while.

Zhang Jinyu saw that the people were almost gone. The Queen Mother and her husband were escorted back to the palace by the Forbidden Army and the people from the Imperial City Department. She wanted to leave secretly, but before she could take a few steps, she was stopped by the people from the Imperial City Department.

"Your Majesty, your humble position is that of Ma Mengquan, the minister of Fusi, Sibei Town, Imperial City. Following the Queen Mother's decree, I asked you to follow me into the palace."

And inside the car,
The Queen Mother had been sitting calmly in the car, unmoved. After seeing everyone outside dispersed, she stretched out her hand,

Ma Mengquan cupped his fists and whispered back,
"Back to the Marquis, Eunuch Yun sent someone from the palace to send a message that Your Majesty wants to summon the Marquis."

The Queen Mother had just received the note, her hands shook a bit, she took a deep breath, held her concentration, spread it out steadily, and looked at the words on it,
The prince lived in seclusion outside Yangzhou City. He had a son in the south of Beijing, and many of his old followers mingled with the Taiping Sect.

Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother raised the corners of her mouth and sighed,

Zhang Jinyu was a little speechless. She had been busy all morning. Although she was not very hungry, she was still tired. She shouldn't go back to her home and have a good sleep. There were so many things.

After finishing speaking, he handed the note to grandma and explained;
"Send this matter to Eunuch Zhou and ask him to investigate. Be careful."

"Yes, Master,"

"Master, for the next step, the eldest princess has agreed on how to do it."

There are not many words, but it is written clearly. His son Zhou Yongxiao is still alive and has a son. Gradually, his eyes blurred with tears.

"Yes, Master,"

The old mama cautiously opened the curtains and looked outside. Only the accompanying Imperial Army and Marquis Luo Yun were following not far away. Then she lowered the curtains, took out a round note from the hidden cover in her sleeves, and spread it out. Then he handed it over.

"Bring it here."

The old nanny knew that since the Queen Mother had agreed, she would definitely find a way. However, the situation in the court was strange and the eldest princess and her family were involved in many things. How could they return to the capital safely?

"Oh, there is a way. That girl has been suffering for so many years and has been left a widow. The Ai family looks pitiful. Although the Supreme Emperor is in good health now, he is not as good as before after all. I heard that all the princes have always wanted to come to Beijing to die. Fulfilling filial piety is not the same for a daughter."

"understood."

The old nanny read the note and understood what the Queen Mother meant. After reading it, she folded the note again, stuffed it directly into her mouth, and swallowed it.

"It's okay. I've had my long-cherished wish for many years. Now I know the result. I didn't expect it."

Looking at the thrifty thing of Beizhen Fusi in front of me, well, Ma Mengquan is also an acquaintance. He is dressed in black clothes and black armor, carrying a long sword and a short crossbow. The people behind him are all in the same attire. This is a promotion.

"Master, you."

Zhang Jinyu suddenly realized that it was His Majesty who summoned him. No wonder, she nodded, clamped the horse's belly, and chased after her. When she got close to the Queen Mother's carriage, she slowed down.

"What, you have to go into the palace. Doesn't the Queen Mother need to go back to rest?"

If the Queen Mother was still in a bit of trouble before, but since the Supreme Emperor passed out of coma, there are always words coming to her, openly or covertly, saying that the vassal kings from all over the country want to return to the capital to fulfill their filial piety. This means one thing, the Supreme Emperor's coma has long been resolved. As soon as the news spread, the eyes of the vassal kings were always staring at every move in the capital.

I'm not afraid that they have no ambition, I'm just afraid that they don't have any thoughts. It's still a chance for my son.

"The Queen Mother is wise, but this old slave has also heard that the tribute convoys from the vassal kings from all over the country are now approaching the capital. I think the opportunity is not far away."

"Well, the capital should keep an eye on it."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

inside the car,

Zhang Jinyu knew nothing about the Queen Mother's secret discussion.

Riding the horse was boring, and gradually fell behind. As the Queen's carriage drove abreast, Queen Jiang asked Chunhe to lift a corner of the curtain, and her eyes followed the bright light in the corner and looked outside. After all, it was bustling outside the palace.
"Chunhe, did you see anything strange today when the Queen Mother was offering incense?"

After watching it for a while, I felt it was boring. Looking back, I felt a lot of confusion.

"Go back to your Majesty, when I followed you in, I checked the incense burner and the incense offerings. I found nothing. There were even fewer furnishings in the back hall, which I could see at a glance. So I am incompetent and can't see anything fishy."

Chunhe followed the empress's instructions carefully, that is, to pay careful attention to every move of the Queen Mother, especially to observe who she came into contact with. But today was completely different from what she thought. There was no shadow of the eldest princess.

"It is indeed strange. The ambush outside is also strange, and the incense burning in Jing'an Temple is even more strange. That's all. If you don't understand it, don't think about it. If the Queen Mother gets the news, she will definitely have some backup plans."

The Queen looked a little ugly and had a headache thinking about it. She could only wait for the Queen Mother's subsequent actions. She glanced outside the car and saw Luo Yunhou nibbling on the cake that Marquis Luo Yun had taken out from nowhere. This boy.

As the motorcade moved forward, the palace grounds came into sight.
When the eunuch father-in-law came to pick him up, Zhang Jinyu swallowed the cloud cake in one gulp, took out the water bag, opened the lid and took a sip, and then got off the horse with satisfaction.

"Master Hou, this way."

At the palace gate,
Eunuch Yun had already led people to wait there. When he saw the Marquis arriving, he went up to greet him. However, he was extremely surprised to see the Marquis covered in blood and with arrows hanging on his body.
"Master Hou, are you okay?"

Zhang Jinyu rubbed the water at the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, grinning, pretending to be uncomfortable.
"It turns out it's Eunuch Yun. He's doing fine, but he can't die."

"Would you like to find an imperial doctor to diagnose and treat the Marquis?"

Eunuch Yun was really worried. If the Marquis left the root cause of his illness, his godfather would not tear him apart.
Zhang Jinyu quickly shook his head. If he could get the imperial doctor to come over and take a look, wouldn't the secret be revealed? He finally endured the smell of blood all the way.

"It's okay. The wounds have been bandaged. It's important to see His Majesty. A few minor injuries are insignificant." After saying that, Zhang Jinyu stepped into the palace gate. No imperial guards came to ask about the waist badge. It seemed that he had given it to him in advance. Dead.

Eunuch Yun had no choice but to stomp his feet and could only follow. Eunuch Yun led the group, and after turning countless turns, they arrived at the Yangxin Hall.

Zhang Jinyu's face straightened, and he got down to business. He fiddled with his clothes, which looked a bit messy. Eunuch Yun, who was leading the way, didn't notice it and only said,
"Master Hou, we're here."

With the sound,

Zhang Jinyu did not stop, and went directly into the inner hall of Yangxin Hall. Once inside, she knew the way, so she went straight to the imperial study. When she got to the door, she took a deep breath, and did not wait for Eunuch Yun to pass the message. The words burst through the door.

Stepping into the imperial study room,
Zhang Jinyu walked quickly for a few steps, reached the center of the study, knelt down on the ground, and cried,
"My lord, Zhang Jinyu came to see Your Majesty. I almost missed your Majesty's meeting."

Then, he wiped his face with his sleeves and squeezed out a few tears. It looked like he had been greatly wronged.

This scene,
Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong and Eunuch Dai both saw it. Seeing Luo Yunhou's "tragic appearance" was real or not. Zhou Shihong was greatly moved, how could it be like this? It's not that the thieves were just a small number of people who were caught. Fish?

"I love you for your dignity, your authority, and your seat."

"Yes, Your Majesty,"

Dai Quan winked at Xiao Yunzi, who had arrived belatedly in front of the imperial study room, and Xiao Yunzi quickly brought a stool from outside.

Zhang Jinyu couldn't go too far by borrowing a donkey from the slope.
"Thank you, Your Majesty,"

He was not polite when he got up, took the stool, and sat down immediately.

Whether he touched the wound or didn't pay attention when he reached out, the wound on his left arm suddenly hurt, making Zhang Jinyu grin.

"I've seen the injuries. Do you still want to call a doctor?"

Emperor Wu saw the situation just now and asked with concern.

Zhang Jinyu shook his head,
"Back to Your Majesty, the wounds have been taken care of. Nothing's wrong. I'm just a little tired. Just rest for a few days. I'm sorry to worry Your Majesty."

"You just don't know the danger, and you don't dodge the ambush. You also let your men fight back directly. Tell me the truth, are those people really the thieves of the Taiping Sect?"

Although Emperor Wu was worried, he felt that there was something fishy in his heart. People from the Taiping Sect were so pervasive that they could make careful arrangements for such an urgent matter as the Empress Dowager's offering of incense. Then the court had no secrets at all. If there were too many problems, there would be more doubts.

Zhang Jinyu obviously didn't realize that His Majesty would ask such a question. Did he answer truthfully or as he said before? But when he thought about this wound, he couldn't hurt it in vain. He also wanted to know who was the mastermind. If he encountered it in the future, how could he do it? To avenge this arrow,
After thinking clearly, he looked at His Majesty's face and said slowly,

"Your Majesty is wise. At that time, I, together with General Dong from Hexi County and General Peng from Hedong County, saw the corpses of the Nanshan ambush soldiers and confirmed that they were rebels from the Taiping Sect from the south of Beijing. The arrows they used were blunt arrows that could break armor. The ability is average, but it is still very lethal against unarmored soldiers. "

After Zhang Jinyu finished speaking, he pulled off an arrowhead from his body. Dai Quan stepped forward quickly, took the broken arrowhead and fumbled with it. What the Marquis said was true. They were all made in a private workshop. He turned around and put the arrowhead on On the desk.

Zhou Shihong's eyes also moved accordingly. The workmanship was rough and rusty. It was almost unmaintained. It was indeed not an arrow in the army. But when Marquis Luo Yun said this, could there be something fishy?
"Then what did you find?"

"Your Majesty, there should be no doubt. When the ambush was firing arrows, I ordered my subordinates to fight back. The vanguard battalion led the troops to counterattack the hillside. Who would have expected that those people did not want to fight, and retreated directly into the back mountain and disappeared, leaving behind corpses. There was still one living person, and I found out after interrogation that they, the Taiping Sect members, were caught by officers and soldiers, brought from the south, and then shot and left behind. Unfortunately, before the story could be finished, they died. "

Zhang Jinyu was quite helpless and cut off the clues at the critical moment.

Emperor Wu squinted his eyes and carefully recalled Luo Yunhou's words. If Luo Yunhou did not lie, the dying man was captured from the south of Beijing by officers and soldiers. Who were those officers and soldiers, and how did they go all the way north to the capital? The people involved are definitely not simple. They have been in trouble for a while. Logically, they should be investigated thoroughly. After all, it was an assassination. But when I think about the current situation, I still have to suppress it for the time being and take the overall situation into consideration;

"Dai Quan, let the secret guards inspect it carefully, and don't make any noise. Tell the outside world that it was the Taiping Sect's bandits who did it, and they have been wiped out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Looking at the miserable-looking Marquis Luo Yun again, he suddenly felt a little funny in his heart. He didn't expect Marquis Luo Yun to have such a side, which is extremely rare.

"As for you kid, go back and have a good rest. I promised you to recuperate, and everything can be postponed. After Wang Ziteng leads the army south, Enke will be held in the capital. Because there are so many people, I will add an examination room. Hanyuan Palace Order Deputy field officer, as the chief judge, please go over and supervise, you understand."

Zhang Jinyu was stunned when he heard this, and secretly didn't understand that the imperial examinations were the exclusive domain of civil servants. If the nobles intervened, those people would have to fight hard, and whoever they loved would go.

"Your Majesty, have you remembered wrongly? I am Wu Xun. This Enke trial has always been presided over by civilian officials. How can I be qualified? Besides, the scholars of Nanjing University are very talented, and there are many talents in Wuying Palace and Hanlin Academy. There is no need for me, even if it is used, Mr. Nan will definitely not agree. "

Emperor Wu raised the corners of his mouth, smiled, and asked,

"How do you know Mr. Nan doesn't agree?"

"Uh."

Zhang Jinyu was asked, could it be that Mr. Nan agreed? No, if he were a civil servant, the imperial examination would definitely be killed. The imperial examination was presided over by civil servants. If he opened his mouth and let those nobles participate, he would not say anything. There are so many things going wrong, and the civil servants are drowning in their words and writings.

I have no choice but to ask one more question,
"My lord, I wonder what your Majesty wants?"

"What do you mean? Grand Master of Wuying Palace, Mr. Nanda has already agreed that you will be the presiding officer of Hanyuan Palace and the companion of the Marquis of Xiangyang. When the date is set, you will go to invigilate the examination. Don't be careless."

Emperor Wu had something to say. The test questions for the provincial examination had been leaked to confirm. The test questions for the general examination and the palace examination had not yet been released, so they had to find out.

Zhang Jinyu couldn't believe it. Mr. Nan, the scholar of Wuyingdian University, might have gone crazy and actually agreed to let himself serve as an examiner. Damn it, it couldn't be His Majesty who set me up, right?
After thinking about it, I also felt that His Majesty would not be so bored. This is not a trivial matter. Although I know that there is fraud in the scientific examination, it is obvious that someone is really behind it. As for who leaked the examination questions, it is unknown, and it is rare. A person of high authority.

No matter how you look at it, it's a trap. It seems that you can't decide whether to jump or not. However, whether the so-called chief examiner has the right to mark the test paper and who passes and who fails, isn't it just him who has the final say? In this case, tsk tsk!

That’s a good thing!

"Your Majesty, I'm so grateful that I'm afraid that if the news gets out, the civil servants will make a fuss. If an official comes to beat the drum, won't he lose his face?"

Seeing Luo Yunhou's exaggerated movements and covering his face with his hands, Emperor Wu was quite unaccustomed to seeing him. Why did this boy put on such an airs and ask for face? Where can I give him any face?

"You kid, you actually want to lose face. Tell me what you want."

Looking at Emperor Wu's half-smiling expression, Zhang Jinyu knew that His Majesty already knew his purpose in his heart, and his face was a little embarrassed. But when he thought about it, he was also thinking about Dawu's imperial examination. Why was he embarrassed? He grinned cheekily and said,
"Your Majesty is wise. I have bowed and died for the sake of the imperial examination that will last for generations to come. I would like to ask, since I know that there is fraud, can I make the decision to change the test questions temporarily? Or during the test, Re-write the questions, and also, does the minister have the right to review the examination papers?"

I said so much in one breath, but I was still thinking in my mind whether that sentence was correct, and whether I said the wrong thing after bowing to the essence. I can't seem to remember clearly.

The Martial Emperor Zhou Shihong, who was sitting on the Dragon Throne, looked at Luo Yunhou in a rare sight. He sighed, said something silently, bowed and died, which was really embarrassing for this boy. If those civil servants had such awareness, how could they have cheated!

(End of this chapter)