Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 738 The Three Princes Disappear
The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
In the imperial study room,

From the large gilded tripod came bursts of fragrance; the finest ambergris floated in the imperial study, refreshing the mind and bringing a calming atmosphere.

outside the window,

It was still raining and windy, with big raindrops falling from the sky and hitting the eaves, making crackling sounds.
And inside the house,
But it seemed quiet, with only the sounds of rain and wind echoing around.

Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong's calm words made Eunuch Yu, who was kneeling on the ground, tremble and kowtow again.

"Your Majesty, the three princes discussed it, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin said that the imperial court's special examination is to recruit talents. The world's selection of officials is not only based on academic knowledge, but also on the way of the saints. If a person has learned a lot, he can enter. In the end, that person, Su Wenliang, was allowed to enter."

"Haha, ah ha ha, great, it's good as long as he's in. It's an old matter, let it go. Dai Quan, remember to reward him. Back off and keep watching."

Emperor Wu suddenly laughed and put the tea bowl in his hand heavily on the table. He didn't expect that his son had grown up and could think about things. It was a good thing!

and,

Well said, that makes sense.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I remember."

Dai Quan responded quickly, then put his hands behind his back and waved vigorously, signaling to Eunuch Yu.
When Eunuch Yu saw the old ancestor's advice, he immediately kowtowed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. I will take my leave."

He quickly stood up and stepped back, leaving the imperial study and disappeared.

"Your Majesty, the eldest prince's words are well-reasoned and broad-minded, just like your Majesty's style. This matter will surely spread throughout the world and will be highly praised by the scholars."

"You always say nice things. The three of them are just newcomers and have a lot to learn."

Emperor Wu's face was filled with joy, but he didn't mean what he said. He didn't expect that the three princes could actually say such words. He gained something from his trip, but the matter of Marquis Jingnan's Mansion could not be resolved. His joy gradually faded.
Dai Quan beside him also noticed it.
"Your Majesty, are you worried about the Jingnan Marquis Mansion?"

"Well, this matter involves a lot of people, and I can do nothing about it, after all."

After all, it involved Changle Palace, so Zhou Shihong didn't say anything about it. But how could Dai Quan, who had always been by His Majesty's side, not know about these things?

"Your Majesty, this matter has been going on for a while. As long as no one mentions it, no one will get embarrassed. Although the candidate Su Wenliang is from the Marquis of Jingnan Mansion, if he passes the exam, he can be given an official position, so he will be sent away. If he fails, this matter will be treated as if it never happened."

Dai Quan's idea is neither good nor bad, but it has been delayed until no one in the world is interested in it. No one has mentioned it, so naturally no one will ask about it again.

Emperor Wu had a complicated look on his face and sighed. He could only do this. It was considered unfair to them.
"Please keep this matter under your watch and do not make it public!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand!"

Hanyuan Hall,
It is still proceeding step by step.

After Ning Bian sent Jia Lan away, he came back from the corner, came to Luo Yunhou, leaned down and whispered;
"My Lord, Young Master Lan has already received his examination number and entered."

"Well, what number?"

"My Lord, the number is number 16."

"understood."

Zhang Jinyu asked quietly, silently memorizing Jia Lan's test number in his heart. Although he didn't know how the papers would be graded later, in the end, all the results would come to him. With the test number as the positioning, he could finally get a feel for it. Rongguo Mansion was thinking well. Unless Jia Baoyu was really talented in writing, it would be difficult this time. He suppressed the thought in his heart and glanced at the hall. The candidates were also much more disciplined.

Of course, it was natural to find Big-Faced Baoyu in the crowd. You know what, among the crowd, Jia Baoyu's temperament is really different from others.

"How many examination numbers have been issued for this year's special examination?"

"My Lord, I just went to inquire and the examination numbers have been issued. There are 654 of them. The No. 1 side hall is full. The No. 2 side hall is currently being used to arrange for people to rest."

Ning Bian was also a little surprised. In just this morning, half of the people had arrived, and judging from the situation, there were at least a thousand of them. If the Marquis hadn't had a sudden idea, even though Hanyuan Palace was large, it really couldn't accommodate all those people.

"Oh, there are so many people, doesn't that mean the number will exceed a thousand?"

The eldest prince Zhou Ding was obviously a little surprised. There were thousands of people here alone, and there were several times as many people in the Imperial Examination Hall.
"Yes, Lord, if this happens, you can imagine the pressure on the Imperial Examination Hall. I wonder if Lord Nan can handle it."

The second prince also took a deep breath. With so many people here, if anything happened, the court would lose face.

Zhang Jinyu saw that the three princes were worried and comforted them;
"Your Highnesses, don't worry. I've been to the Imperial Examination Hall. Although it's simple, it has everything you need. There are also many examination halls, which can accommodate the students who come to Beijing to take the exam. Besides, Lord Nan is a highly respected university scholar, so this matter won't be difficult for him."

Zhang Jinyu was not flattering Nan Da. When it comes to the imperial examination, if the civil servants claim to be second, no one dares to claim to be first. The internal and external systems are almost all based on rules. There is just one thing. In this first exam, maybe some students will get excited and report the reselling of exam questions. This is something he had not expected. Maybe this incident will mess up the plan and disrupt the important event of the special examination. The court and His Majesty will lose face.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jinyu could no longer sit still. After all, the imperial examination last year had been a mess for the examinees, and the court had lost face. Although there were a few scapegoats, it was only to make up for it, so there was this special examination.
Now that the exam questions have not been released, even if some candidates bought the exam questions like I did back then, and found that the questions are different, they will just feel that they have been cheated, but they will not really make a fuss. Even if they do, they will only sue those who lied about selling the questions for fraud. It will be difficult for them to falsely accuse the court.
Thinking of this, Zhang Jinyu secretly said in his heart that this was bad. This matter was not anticipated in advance, but as the chief examiner, he could not leave the moment the students entered the examination room, so how could he meet the emperor?

When I was anxious,
Looking at the three princes around him, they were sitting there drinking tea boredly and had eaten most of the cakes on the table. Aren't they just idlers?

Zhang Jinyu's eyes lit up.
"My Lords, I have something important to report and I need your help."

"Oh, what made Lord Luo Yun so serious? Tell me slowly."

The eldest prince Zhou Ding was a little confused when he saw the solemn look on Marquis Luo Yun's face. He was fine just now, why was he so nervous now? Could it be that something happened again? The other two princes also sat up straight and looked around, but they didn't see anyone causing trouble.

"My Lord, is there something important you want to say?"

The second prince Zhou Long lowered his head and asked in a low voice, with excitement still on his face.

The third prince was no exception. He stuffed the cake in his hand into his mouth, rubbed his hands on his body, and came over directly.

"My Lord, have you found someone causing trouble? Where is he?"

"Your Highnesses, please be patient. This matter is urgent and the news must not be leaked."

Zhang Jinyu tried to appease him first, and was also thinking about what to say. His Majesty also knew that the test questions had been leaked. In that case, it would be better to speak frankly and see how His Majesty would solve it.

"Your Highnesses, I have something important to tell you. I need you to go to the palace to meet His Majesty in the Yangxin Palace and ask His Majesty for the exam questions. Please be careful."

"That's not right, Marquis Luo Yun, as far as I know, the questions for the provincial examination have already been decided and will be issued tomorrow. Why do we have to do this today?" The question was clearly asked. Although the Third Prince was young, he had a general understanding of the imperial examination. The test questions were only issued when the examination started on the day. It was obviously against the rules for Marquis Luo Yun to ask for the test questions now. Was there another explanation?
The eldest prince Zhou Ding and the third prince Zhou Long were both suspicious. How could Marquis Luo Yun be so reckless in doing something that was obviously against the rules? Could there be another hidden secret? The two looked at each other and suddenly, their expressions changed drastically, "The test questions have been leaked!"

"Your Highnesses, this matter is too secretive. When Your Majesty and I were strolling in the West Market, someone pretended to be a Taoist priest and secretly sold the exam questions, but we have never caught the mastermind. I wanted to use this opportunity to find the mastermind, but I just thought that this was a big mistake. If someone takes this opportunity to cause a scene in the exam hall, cheating in the imperial examination will be a big case, and the court will lose face. So I thought, before the exam questions are issued, I can change the questions and deal with the provincial exam first. So, I beg Your Highnesses to help me."

The three princes were stunned. It turned out to be a case of cheating in the imperial examination. Who was so bold as to openly sell the examination questions? This was a matter of life and death. The three knew that the matter was serious, and their expressions were solemn, without the playful expression they had before.

The eldest prince Zhou Ding asked in a deep voice,
"Does Marquis Luo Yun have a solution?"

"Your Highness, of course there is. They changed the questions before they were distributed. Those students who bought the questions can only regard it as being cheated. Even if they cause trouble, it is only their own fault. If the trouble gets out of hand, they will be punished. After all, buying and selling exam questions is a serious crime. I don't think anyone would be so unwise."

The method Zhang Jinyu suggested was not a well-thought-out one. It was just a temporary solution that he came up with out of a hurry. It was a last resort. I didn't know what other methods Your Majesty could use to resolve this matter, so I added another sentence.
"Your Highness, when we get to His Majesty, please ask His Majesty whether this method is feasible. If it is, please prepare the test questions. If not, please tell me how to do it."

This is not considered as cheating the three princes. After all, it was His Majesty who asked them to come, and he is just making the best use of them. As for what may happen in the future, we will talk about it later.

Seeing Marquis Luo Yun speaking so seriously, the three princes all clasped their fists and replied;
"Please rest assured, my Lord, I will take care of this matter."

The eldest prince Zhou Ding knew that this matter should be dealt with sooner rather than later, so he stood up and was about to leave, but the second prince beside him pulled his sleeve.

"Brother, don't worry. You'll be too conspicuous in this outfit. We've brought a few eunuchs with us. Call them over and change their clothes. We'll go over quietly. Let them sit here and rest for us."

Good idea,
Seeing the method that the unimpressive Second Prince came up with, Zhang Jinyu praised him in his heart. The Second Prince was indeed smart. He could even think of this method. He was just thinking about how to send the three people out in front of everyone. Now that the eunuchs were gone, it would not attract other people's attention.

Seeing that the three princes had completed the discussion, Zhang Jinyu deliberately stood up. In order to avoid suspicion, he pretended to take a few people from Ning Bian to patrol the palace and look around.

The three princes who stayed here did not leave in a hurry, but looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to this place, the eldest prince Zhou Ding waved to the eunuch in charge of the palace not far away.

The eunuch who had been waiting there for a long time came over quickly when he saw His Highness summoning him, and asked with a look of joy:

"My Lord, what do you want me to do?"

"You, go to the big tent and find three eunuchs, and each of them bring an extra piece of clothing like the one you are wearing. Hurry up."

"Yes, Master,"

The eldest prince Zhou Ding was afraid that the servant didn't understand, so he pointed at the clothes on the eunuch in front of him.

The eunuch in charge didn't understand, but didn't dare to ask any more questions. He nodded, turned around and walked away, holding an umbrella and heading towards the big tent in the rain. Fortunately, the rain was much lighter at this time and the yard was not slippery, except for some water in the low-lying areas. The bluestone road was still the same as before.

After seeing the people leave, the third prince Zhou Long swallowed his saliva and asked;
"Brother, second brother, can we do this? Look at that damn eunuch, he is so hesitant, I don't know if he can take us out."

"What are you afraid of? He's just a servant. If he dares not take you, just follow him."

The second prince Zhou Chong was very excited. This was his first time sneaking into the palace. He didn't know if he could get in. He had never worn eunuchs' clothes before. Seeing the two men's impatient looks, the eldest prince Zhou Ding smiled and shook his head.

"Be careful when you leave, don't let those censors see you, otherwise, you won't know what kind of trouble you'll get into. You all saw what they said just now, they are so unreasonable."

It's no wonder that the eldest prince sighed. Just now, Lord Shen was speechless by an unremarkable censor. If it weren't for the Marquis's power, the student would have been kicked out. If they found out that he and others had sneaked out, there would definitely be an uproar.

"Brother is right. Those censors are so annoying. They feel like the whole world owes them something. It's better not to say anything."

The second prince's face froze. Those people were really like stones in a toilet, smelly, hard, and indestructible.

"Second brother, stop complaining and be careful. As long as Luo Yunhou doesn't leave, we can leave secretly."

The Third Prince looked around carefully again. Some of the examiners had gone to the back hall, and the rest were wandering around the main hall, not paying attention to this side. This was a good opportunity.

After a while,
From the side door of the corridor,

There were three young eunuchs, holding umbrellas and clothes, following the steward back. As soon as they entered the hall, they were pulled into the corridor at the corner of the hall by the three princes. Without waiting for the three to ask, they took off their coats, snatched the eunuch clothes from the three, and put them on their heads. The eunuch in charge was so scared that he knelt on the ground.
"Master, what are you doing? I dare not let Your Highness go out even if I die."

The eunuch in charge saw that something was wrong and said, "Your Highnesses, are you planning to sneak out? If something goes wrong, the lives of the servants will be in danger."
The eldest prince hurriedly put on his clothes, and just when he saw the servant beside him crying, he stretched out his hand and hit him, cursing;

"You little dog slave, what do you know? Tell them to change their clothes and go back to where they were just sitting. Don't move. Lead the way and take us to see the emperor. We have important matters to report. If you delay things, watch out for your head."

"this,"

Seeing the clothes of the three princes scattered on the ground, and then seeing the three princes already changed their clothes, I wondered if Marquis Luo Yun knew about it. If he didn't know, his head would be chopped off.

"Your Highness, does Marquis Luo Yun know?"

"Is that something you can ask? Just follow my instructions."

The second prince, Zhou Long, replied impatiently. Seeing that the three men were still not moving, he kicked them directly.

"You three dogs, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and put on your clothes!"

"Yes, master."

The three young eunuchs looked at the steward and when he nodded, they picked up the clothes on the ground and put them on. It was no wonder that their body shapes were similar, so they fit perfectly.
Seeing that they were all dressed properly, the three princes picked up the oil umbrellas on the ground and hurriedly walked out of Langfang. The one leading the way was the eunuch in charge. The four of them followed the corner of the wall and quietly walked out of the gate of Hanyuan Hall in the rain and fog.

Chengnan Gongyuan,

In front of the Dragon Gate, a long queue of examinees was lined up in the rain, waiting for inspection. Although ten check-up rooms had been opened, the number of people outside did not decrease at all. The officers in the Imperial Examination Hall also came out to maintain order. However, the large number of examinees squeezed together made the Wuying Palace Grand Secretary Nan, who was standing on the attic, look gloomy.

Behind him was Pei Shaoqing, the chief inspector. His official robe was already soaked through. He wiped the rain off his face and reported;
"Sir, in the past half day, there are already 2,300 students who have entered the Imperial College. There should be more than 2,000 students outside. It's just that the rain is too heavy and the traffic is unbearable. The examiners have hardly had a drop of water since early morning. The same is true for the examinees outside. Sir, do we need to let them go back for lunch and come back?"

Pei Shaoqing also had good intentions, because when he was patrolling, he found many people standing in the rain. Although they were wearing raincoats, their faces were pale from the cold and their bodies were trembling. If it lasted longer, they might be weak and unable to stand steadily.
Including the officials who were conducting rounds, three groups of people have been replaced. Many of the older ones are gritting their teeth and persevering. If I had known earlier, I would have asked for some younger officials, just like Luo Yunhou did.

"Shao Qing, time is running out. How dare you delay? If the inspecting officials can't handle it, they can be replaced every half an hour. As for the examinees, they won't leave even if you ask them to leave."

"That's true, eh."

(End of this chapter)