Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 734 Enemies Gathered and Envious
In Hanyuan Hall,

Zhang Jinyu looked at the sky outside with a gloomy face. It didn't rain earlier or later, but at this moment, it rained heavily.
No one was allowed to stand outside the palace. Only his personal guards were still standing in front of the gate in their straw raincoats. Fortunately, he had already eaten breakfast. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be able to light a fire at this time.
The three princes around him also had unhappy expressions on their faces. They had just been complaining about the taste of the food, but now, hearing the "tick-tick" sound of the heavy rain outside,

I am really thankful. If I hadn't eaten just now, I don't know when I would have my next meal today. The rain outside doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon.

At this time, Lord Chu Nian, along with a number of inspectors, stood in the hall, looking at the rainy fog outside, and walked over and said;
"Greetings to the three princes, and to the Marquis. My Lord, I will lead the people over. It will take a long time to check them one by one. It's just that the rain is too heavy, and those who are queuing will suffer."

Chu Nian sighed, remembering that when he was taking the imperial examination, he heard many examiners say that they were afraid of rain during the examination. Firstly, those candidates who were not prepared would be easily caught colds if they were caught in the rain. Secondly, the luggage of the unprepared people would get wet, and the food inside would be almost inedible. How could they survive the three days? In addition, it was cold on rainy nights, and those who could endure it really couldn't bear to watch it.

Therefore,
Chu Nian's worries were all on the Imperial Examination Hall. How could so many people find shelter? Fortunately, there was still half a day to prepare, to check for omissions and make sufficient preparations, so that they could be prepared for any eventuality. Those who were afraid that they could not make it would have to return home and try again three years later.

Zhang Jinyu frowned. It was raining so hard that they had to queue up outside. It was really disrespectful to them. Some people were weak and would not be able to take the exam before catching a cold in the rain. If someone could not hold on and lay on the ground, making a fool of himself, it would be a slap in their face. After all, they were in the palace and they still had to save face.

"Master Chu, let me ask you something. What if we put all the examinees, as long as they come, in the Hanyuan Hall for inspection, and then give them a note after they pass the inspection, and let them go directly to the back hall to rest, and then wait until tomorrow to take the unified examination."

This was the solution Zhang Jinyu had come up with, which was to provide a place for the examinees to hide from the rain, and to replace the people who were being examined in the tent with those who were being examined in the hall. However, the specific method needed to be arranged by Chu Nian.

Hearing the Marquis' words, Chu Nian's face was full of complexities. If it was in the Imperial Examination Hall, the rules of the past years could not be changed. Even if it was snowing heavily, they had to wait outside. Marquis Luo Yun was indeed an open-minded person. As for this method, after looking at the empty hall, he knew that people could be arranged. The two corner gate corridors were also feasible.

"Your Excellency is kind, and examiners have never broken the rules. You are the only one who dares to speak out. What you just said seems to me feasible. There are corridors on both sides of the main hall connecting to the back hall. Check in the corridors, and those who pass will be given a test number and go to the back hall to rest. Those who have problems will be detained directly to avoid being seen by outsiders."

Chu Nian pointed to the entrances to the corridors on both sides of the hall. Zhang Jinyu agreed with this and thought it was a good idea. He then looked at Minister Shen Zhongxin who had just walked into the hall. He was almost the last one to arrive last night.
"Sir Shen, you came so late last night, which is not like your usual style. Fortunately, Marquis Xiangyang and Lord Chu Nian chose you to bet with me. If I hadn't guessed wrong and it was a tie, they would have been in trouble."

Zhang Jinyu secretly glanced at Shen Zhongxin's face. He was still calm as usual, not like the person who argued with reason in the hall that day.
Shen Zhongxin walked in calmly, put away his umbrella, shook off the rain on his sleeves, and then saw the three princes behind Marquis Luo Yun. Why are the three princes here? Is it at the order of His Majesty or the request of the Marquis? They came late last night and didn't know many things. At that moment, he bowed to them.

"Greetings to the three princes and all the lords. I am ashamed of myself for coming here late last night because of the affairs in the ministry. Today, I apologize to all the lords. Please forgive me, sir."

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Lord Shen was actually able to give in. Zhang Jinyu was bored watching him like this, so he immediately ordered,
"Alright, courtesy is always welcome, especially from Minister Shen. Come, arrange for the examiners to take their positions. Move two screens to both sides of the hallway and check what the examinees are wearing there. The rest of you should maintain order."

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

Subsequently,

The inspecting officials were arranged to take their positions one after another. Even the several back halls had officials inside to watch. Yan Cong and his companions were assigned to the corridor to inspect the candidates together with Lord Chu Nian. On the other side, Lord Feng and Lord Meng were also there.
Outside the corridor,

So the latecomer Shen Zhongxin will be in charge.

After the arrangements were made, students came in trembling, their raincoats soaked by the rain. They moved tremblingly, and when they saw so many officials, they bowed and greeted them.
"student."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Shen Zhongxin.

"Go to the two sides of the main hall for inspection, collect your exam number, and then go to the back hall to rest. You are not allowed to stay any longer."

"Uh, yes, sir."

The newly arrived students bowed their heads and clasped their fists, then followed the instructions and headed toward the corridor.

The three princes behind Zhang Jinyu were a little confused. The eldest prince Zhou Ding couldn't help but quietly approached and asked,
"My Lord, why didn't Lord Shen talk to that candidate and explain it clearly?"

"Yeah, no polite words."

The second prince Zhou Chong was also puzzled. He was just saying something, why was he being so shameless?

Zhang Jinyu's mouth twitched. Wasn't this question too stupid? Who would have the time to chat with a student?
"Your Highness, you should talk less and watch more, learn more. If it were you, with so many things going on today, how could you have the energy to chat with a student? Look outside, everyone is coming in."

Zhang Jinyu was afraid that the three princes might make mistakes, so he led them to the window on one side of the hall, and asked Ning Bian to move stools and chairs, and put some snacks on the table. Zhang Jinyu led the three of them to sit there and drink tea, and by the way, they could also look out the window. As for Xiangyang Marquis Bai Guangju, he volunteered today and brought his personal guards to guard the gate of the courtyard.

Zhang Jinyu had no idea of ​​the Marquis of Xiangyang's thoughts. He would rather go out in the rain than take the three princes with him. So, after Zhang Jinyu agreed, he did not ask any more questions. He took the three princes for a stroll, listened to the questions outside the hall, and pointed to the window.
The three princes looked over immediately after seeing this, and saw a large crowd of people, more than a hundred in number, swarming onto the bluestone road outside. A moment later, a large crowd of people squeezed in at the entrance of the palace. The three of them felt a little embarrassed when they saw the situation over there. It was indeed as the Marquis had said, there were too many people.
While many examiners were talking about the rules with the examinees in front of the hall,
Outside the palace gate,
Xue Pan and Jia Lan's carriage just arrived outside Chongwen Gate. Looking at the majestic Chongwen Gate, Xue Pan no longer had his previous arrogant look. After all, it was the palace, which was different from the outside world. Outside, Xue Pan pretended to be stupid and arrogant. It was nothing more than a fight. Even if he was caught and beaten, he would be released as long as he went back to look for the person who had committed the crime. But inside the palace, he was afraid that he would not be able to get out.

Looking at Jia Lan who was obedient beside him, he laughed;
"Lang'er, you must not cause trouble when you get there. There are many rules and taboos in the palace. Be careful in everything."

Jia Lan nodded obediently.
"Lan Er knows that she won't cause any trouble when she gets there,"

"Oh, that's right, don't cause trouble but don't be afraid of it. If anyone dares to bully you, be sure to tell me and let him know how powerful your uncle Xue is."

He was so excited when he said this, and it was obvious that he was intoxicated. The two maids beside Jia Lan rolled their eyes. Only Jia Lan believed it and nodded seriously.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped and the driver shouted,
"Master, we're here,"

"So fast."

Xue Pan was startled when he heard this, and quickly lifted the curtain to look outside. He saw a busy flow of people and vehicles in front of the palace gate. Rows of carriages had already been packed. Fortunately, there were imperial guards blocking the way outside, leaving a path open. Otherwise, there would be no room to step.
"Lang'er, put on your bag, let's get off the bus. You hold the bag in your arms and put it under your raincoat so it doesn't get wet."

"understood."

The two men put their raincoats in order, took their bags, and got off the carriage. The servants who followed them also gathered around them. Sheer wiped the rain off his face and

"Master, we will escort you first. We will leave after you enter the palace."

"Well, that's fine, Lang'er, let's go."

Xue Pan nodded. It was indeed unsafe with so many carriages around. He turned around and called Lang Ge'er, and then they walked over together. They passed several carriages and arrived in front of the palace gate. However, they saw many imperial guards gathered outside, driving away the escorting personnel.
Xue Pan saw it and ordered;
"Don't follow me, we can't get in. Lang Ge and I will go in. You just need to come on time in three days."

"Yes, young master, I understand. You go in first, and then we will leave." She'er was unwilling to leave. After all, the young lady had told her that she could leave only after she saw the young master go in. Xue Pan nodded and ignored them. He pulled Lan'er and entered the palace gate. It was said that the palace gate was wide and could be used to shelter from the rain, but the wind was a little strong and it was not suitable to stay here.
Following the bluestone road and the road surrounded by the imperial guards, I followed the crowd into the palace.
Only in front of the palace gate,
General Yu's cursing words came,

"Damn it, this horrible weather, what a coincidence, it's raining at this time, what a joke, I'm almost soaked through,"

The guard at the palace gate, Yu Dingzhi, was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat. He was accompanied by the lieutenant Sun Shan, who was also dressed in the same attire. The two stood outside the gate and directed the guards to drive away the crowd of candidates. However, they could not go too far. After all, those who could come to the palace to take the exam were the children of high-ranking officials. It would be extremely inappropriate if they bumped into things. He was afraid that his subordinates would not be careful, so he came out to command in person. In his heart, he might have been doing this for the people in the Imperial City Department to see.
"General, isn't it? It was foggy this morning, but how come it suddenly started to rain heavily? It's going to rain for a while. We can't just stand here and watch it. I'm almost soaked."

It was raining so hard that I couldn't even wear a raincoat. My clothes were soaked, not to mention my shoes, which were already soaked.

"First, deal with the current work. After more than half of the candidates have entered, another group of brothers will take over. Go back and change clothes and take a rest. Now, I will keep an eye on everyone. If anyone makes a mistake, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Yu Dingzhi's face darkened and he said sternly,

"Yes, General."

Sun Shan's mouth trembled, and he agreed reluctantly. Today, he was in bad luck.

Seeing the chaos outside, he suddenly became angry and cursed;
"What are you doing? Drive all those people away. No carriages that have dropped off students are allowed to stop."

He shouted and led his men over. When he saw someone who didn't listen to him, he kicked him without mercy. After a while, the space in front of the door became much emptier, which made Yu Dingzhi take a few more glances.

that's it,
People coming and going enter in an orderly manner.
At this time, Xue Pan had already brought Jia Lan into the courtyard. Looking at the large tents on both sides of the courtyard gate and the guards, he felt relieved. The Marquis was indeed powerful. The marching tents were moved in. He had also seen those tents before. After all, he had seen them when he was in Jiangnan and remembered them in his heart. With the personal soldiers of the Marquis, Xue Pan walked with his back straightened.
Follow the road and walk towards Hanyuan Hall.
Unfortunately, there were so many candidates and they were walking fast that they could not avoid bumping into each other. Xue Pan was a bit stout and he was so happy that he walked fast and could not avoid bumping into people.
"Who is so blind as not to look at the road?"

A scolding sounded, and the voice was so familiar. Xue Pan stopped and looked at the person in front of him, but the sky was gloomy, and the water vapor was rising. He couldn't see clearly because of the hat.
He wanted to yell at her, but Jia Lan beside him accused him of something.

"Please forgive me, brother. The road is slippery and I have to be careful. Please forgive me."

Seeing this, the person in front wiped the water off his face, turned around and walked in without saying anything, leaving Xue Pan in a dilemma. When had he ever suffered such a loss? However, he just looked at Jia Lan.
He shook off his sleeves and followed him into the hall in the rain.

Arriving at the palace,

I saw people waiting in line inside. The line was so long that it seemed like they were going to go further in. I didn't know where they were being checked, but I just stood with the crowd.
happen,

Standing behind the person just now,

As soon as he stood still, the person in front of him took off his bamboo hat. He turned around and saw that it was the person who had bumped into him outside the temple before. He was standing behind him and cursed him angrily;

"It's really unlucky. Stand over there."

Xue Pan had just been holding back and not moving. Now he saw clearly who was standing in front of him. It turned out to be Yang Ming'an, the eldest son of Yang Shaoshi, the Minister of Guanglu Temple. As the saying goes, enemies become particularly jealous when they meet. Regardless of whether the venue is appropriate or not, Xue Pan's eyes immediately turned red and he cursed;

"Damn it, I'm giving you face,"

The vulgar abuse also made Young Master Yang dumbfounded, but the voice seemed familiar. Looking back, he saw the pair of eyes under the bamboo hat, which seemed to have been seen before.
"May I ask who you are, brother? Have we ever met you before?"

"Humph, what's wrong, Young Master Yang? Are you still playing dumb? You didn't even recognize your uncle Xue when he was standing in front of you. It seems that Young Master Yang only remembers eating and not being beaten."

Xue Pan snorted coldly and took off his hat. His rain-soaked face came into Yang Mingan's eyes. He was shocked. It turned out to be him, a member of the Xue family.
"Humph, who did I think it was? It turned out to be that wimp from the Xue family. How come you don't know how to behave when you see me?"

The sound of the two quarreling was particularly harsh in the quiet entrance of the hall. Many noble sons looked over here, especially Luan Yiqing, the son of Luan Gongfu, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Sun Huaizhong, the son of Sun Boyan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Seeing that something was wrong here, and that it was Brother Yang's business, they actually walked over.

Sun Huaizhong glanced at Xue Pan, who looked dissolute and obviously not a good person, and asked deliberately;
"Brother Yang, are you in trouble?"

"Brother Yang, who is this person? Where did this vulgar person come from?"

Luan Yiqing asked in an arrogant manner, which made Xue Pan, who was already angry, even more furious and cursed;

"Why, one dog is scared, so you called two more dogs over. Do you think Mr. Xue is afraid of you? You must be dreaming!"

The arrogant words were the same as always, making Jia Lan behind him look worried, not knowing what to do. The three people in front of him also changed their expressions. How dare they be so arrogant? Of course, this scene was also seen by the people around, and they subconsciously stepped back, trying to avoid them.

However, only Xu Changwen and Gao Wen, who were standing behind the others, saw it. They were both students of Qinglian Academy, so they were able to enter with their exam permits. When Xu Changwen saw that the students in front of him were quarreling, he wanted to come out and comfort them.
Just as he took a step forward, Gao Wen, who was behind him, quickly grabbed his sleeve. Seeing Xu Changwen looking back, he shook his head slightly and whispered,

"Brother Xu, wait a minute. These people are all sons of noble families. It is better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble. We must not provoke them."

Gao Wen looked at the young man in splendid clothes in front of him. He was not an ordinary official's son. He must be a high-ranking official in the imperial court of the capital. Therefore, for the sake of safety, he decided to let the inspector come and handle it.

But Xu Changwen pulled his hand back.

"Brother Gao, we are all candidates here together. How can we let a small matter delay our important task?"

Therefore,
Gao Wen was worried that Xu Changwen would walk over and clasp his fists.
"Gentlemen, we will go in and check right away. Please don't make a fuss over trivial matters. Please..."

"Who do you think you are? Get out of here,"

At this moment, Yang Mingan, who was so angry, could not listen at all. He only thought about the humiliation he suffered in Yanchun Tower that day. He even dared to slap himself in the face. When he thought of this, he felt a burning pain on his face, as well as the humiliation he felt when he was watched by the crowd.

He stared fiercely at Xue Pan in front of him and said with a pah sound,
"You are such a dog, you dare to cause trouble for me. No wonder you were walking fine but someone stepped on your foot. It turns out you did it on purpose."

"Damn it, I did it on purpose. Your uncle Xue doesn't like you."

How could Xue Pan lose his temper? He was already angry in the morning, so he cursed and slapped him.
(End of this chapter)