Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 774: The End of Dengwen Drum
Hanyuan Hall,
On the last day of the scientific examination, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.

Many examinees were no longer as lazy as they were in the previous two days, and were concentrating on answering the questions. Only Zhang Jinyu was sitting at the entrance of the hall, holding a large bowl of mutton soup, a naan, and pickled vegetables, and he started to eat them with big mouthfuls.
Zhang Jinyu also asked his personal soldiers to quickly tidy up the equipment in the courtyard. Otherwise, when the gates opened in the afternoon and the candidates came out, it would be embarrassing to see the mess.

"My Lord, please eat slowly. The day is still long. It won't be long before everything is packed up. The horse manure and other things have also been collected and buried under the tree in the east."

Zhang Jinyu had just swallowed a mouthful of mutton and was chewing it in his mouth. When he heard Ning Bian's words, he hadn't swallowed it yet, and he couldn't spit it out, so it got stuck in his mouth. He glared at him fiercely, and after swallowing it reluctantly, he took a mouthful of naan bread smoothly.

"It's done. You're still eating, and you're putting horse shit in your mouth. Are you going to eat it or not?"

"My Lord, I am very happy. Once the Dragon Gate opens, I will send someone outside to order some wine and food for you. It will be good to change your taste."

Ningbian had eaten it a long time ago, but no matter how good the mutton is, after eating it for a few days, who wouldn't get sick of it? That's why he said this.
Zhang Jinyu's mind moved, it seemed like a good idea, but how could it be so extravagant?

"You only know how to eat. Later, you can go buy some cooked food with your badge. It's too conspicuous to order food. In addition, take this,"

After saying that, he handed over a water bag behind him.

Ning Bian took the water bag and shook it. There was no sound of water inside, so it was obviously empty.
"My Lord, please wait a moment. I will give you some water."

"Wait a minute, what's the hurry?"

Zhang Jinyu grabbed Ning Bian who was leaving in a hurry and ordered;
"It's not water. Go over to the house. There are several carts of wine. Open a jar of wine and fill it up."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

I don't know if it was a sudden impulse or I was just greedy, but I remembered the wine sent by His Highness, so I thought of it as a celebratory drink in advance. With this thought in mind, I drank the broth in the bowl in one gulp and handed it to the personal soldier beside me.

Looking into the hall, several senior officials were no longer sitting as usual. When it was their turn, they were patrolling around with their men.
Not waiting for a moment,
Ning Bian came back with the water bag. Coincidentally, the three princes knew that today was a very important matter, so they did not sleep any longer. After dinner, they also led people to the entrance of the hall. Seeing Luo Yunhou sitting there, they greeted him with a smile.

The eldest prince Zhou Ding came closer and bowed before Zhang Jinyu got up.
"The little king has met the commander-in-chief,"

Zhang Jinyu cursed inwardly, how could he resort to such tricks? Seeing that he had not yet finished eating the naan in his hand, he stood up without thinking about anything else and returned the gift.

"Your Highness is too polite. How dare I accept your courtesy?"

"Alas, Lord, you are wrong. I was here yesterday. Cough."

Thinking of what happened last night, the eldest prince Zhou Ding immediately stopped talking. This was a confidential matter and he must not talk nonsense. He coughed and paused for a moment, then patted the third prince Zhou Long and asked him to bring some tables and chairs.

He sat down at the entrance of the palace. As soon as he sat down, a eunuch came to serve him, bringing tea and water and placing cakes on the table. Looking at the delicious food on the table, Zhang Jinyu's mouth twitched. This place was like a sieve, everything leaked in. It must have been arranged by His Majesty.
The second prince was not hesitant either. He reached out and took one and put it into his mouth. He saw a water bag on the table, took it, opened it, and poured the water into his mouth.

Zhang Jinyu was thinking about something, and before he could stop her, he saw the second prince spurt out the liquid.
"Ahem, what's going on? There's wine in it."

Not to mention his neck and clothes, the Third Prince on the opposite side suffered an unexpected disaster. A mouthful of wine sprayed all over his face. The remnants of the cake and the wine stained his upper body.
"Your Highness is being reckless. Someone, please send the Second and Third Princes back to wash up and change their clothes."

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

The two princes were so angry that they had no choice but to get up and follow the eunuch back to the tent. Before leaving, they cursed angrily;
"Hurry up, you dog slave,"

"Yes, it is Your Highness."

After they left, only the eldest prince, Prince Jin Zhou Ding, and Marquis Luo Yun were left sitting there.

"My Lord, how sure are you of what happened last night?"

Zhou Ding's face straightened and he lowered his head and asked.

Zhang Jinyu looked at Prince Jin suspiciously. What did this mean? Was His Majesty worried and coming to investigate again? No way.
"Your Highness, I am not sure, but I am just preparing for a rainy day. The battlefield is ever-changing, and who knows who will win or lose."

Zhou Ding frowned slightly at the ambiguous words. The Marquis was so confident last night, why did he change his mind today?

"If it is true as the Marquis said, then the court needs to send troops quickly."

This time it was Zhang Jinyu's turn to raise an eyebrow. His Highness was testing him.
"Your Highness, please speak frankly. I am all ears. Do you have any instructions?"

"Well, there is no order, but I think that what the Marquis said makes sense, and the court should be prepared. If the Marquis leads the army to war, as the commander-in-chief, I would like to ask the Marquis to take me with you. Since I was a child, my dream has been to gallop on the battlefield and lead the army to fight. If possible, I will ask my father for permission."

King Zhou Ding of Jin, I don't know if he is being daring or if he really has this ideal. He listened to the conversation between Marquis Luo Yun and his father last night, and his blood was boiling. He had never been to the battlefield, so maybe he could go and see it for himself, so he made the remarks just now.
Zhang Jinyu took a sip of the tea bowl, and when he heard the ideals of His Royal Highness Prince Jin, the water in his mouth could not be recovered in one breath, so he spat it out.
He opened his eyes wide and looked at the young eldest prince Zhou Ding, muttering to himself, at his age, he already has his own ideas. Is he trying to get his hands on military power? Or is someone giving the prince of Jin an idea to seize the initiative? Who could it be?
I thought about the servants in the mansion, the eunuchs, the guards, the palace maids, or the imperial guards. If there really were any, I couldn't keep them.

"Your Highness, I dare to ask you a question. Who suggested you to go with the army? Or did someone advise you? As the saying goes, the battlefield has no eyes. Arrows and swords don't care whether you are a general or a commander. Even if the prince is well protected, with hundreds of thousands of troops, there is chaos and anything can happen."

Then he brought up the matter of the former emperor's prince supervising the army on the front line.
"In the previous dynasty, several princes followed the army to go to war. Some died in battle, and some died in unclear circumstances. I don't need to explain the dangers, but Your Highness should understand."

After a few words, they were extremely threatening. Zhang Jinyu's eyes were always fixed on the prince. There was a bit of fear in his eyes, and his words were a bit stuttering.
"Reply, reply to the Marquis, I didn't hear anyone say anything, but I saw how powerful the Marquis was last night, and how many hundreds of thousands of troops followed him, so I was eager to go to the battlefield to see it for myself. So today, I found an opportunity to ask the Marquis, is it possible?"

Zhang Jinyu stared at the eyes of the Grand Prince and looked at him carefully. He did not intend to dodge. It seemed that it was not someone who instigated him, but it was really what he wanted. This matter was not impossible. Although having a prince following him was a burden, it could make His Majesty and the court feel at ease. Not to mention that those arrogant soldiers in the south of the capital were defeated and full of anger. He would kick them back.
"There is no rush for this matter. Your Highness should think about it carefully. After the examination is over and you leave Hanyuan Hall, if Your Highness has really thought it through, you should go to His Majesty to explain the situation. If the Emperor agrees, I will naturally agree."

This is called retreating to advance, pushing the matter to the emperor, going if he is allowed to go, and returning if he is not allowed to go. In this way, we can also know what his majesty is thinking. After all, the entire Beijing camp is the last fighting force of the court in the Central Plains, and we cannot feel at ease in anyone's hands.

I think it would be better if nothing goes wrong in southern Beijing. Wang Ziteng is well-versed in the art of war. If his combat power is off the charts, we may be able to defeat him in one battle.

However, looking at the eldest prince in front of him, he thought that even if Emperor Wu of Han's trusted general, Grand Marshal Wei Qing, had achieved the highest position among military generals, with the tiger guards carrying the sedan chair, the imperial guards bowing their heads, and the emperor lowering his rank,

unfortunately,

In the end, he failed to persuade Emperor Wu of Han to change his mind, and killed the prince because of a witchcraft incident.
Just like the emperor emeritus, when he really kills the prince, he shows no mercy, the imperial family is the most ruthless. It seems that if Wang Ziteng loses, it is also a way out for the nobles. In this way, they can't be killed completely.
If you think too much, you will appear absent-minded.
Sitting cross-legged opposite him was Jin Wang Zhou Ding.
Seeing that the Marquis did not refuse, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin was delighted and responded.
"Yes, my Lord, I remember it,"

A moment later, in the middle of the yard,
He saw the other two princes who had left and walked over with a depressed look on their faces, and His Royal Highness Prince Jin immediately stopped talking.

At this time, at Chongwen Gate, the imperial guard commander Yu Dingzhi got up early and looked at the sky. It was clear and the haze of yesterday had been swept away.

"General Yu, today is the end of the imperial examination. Once the dragon gate opens and the examinees leave, we can go back and rest. It's been three days and I haven't even smelled a woman's scent. It's really uncomfortable."

Captain Sun Shan had a gloomy face and spoke without concealment. Thinking of the newly bought prostitute in the mansion, who had not yet been given a face, he felt hungry and uncomfortable. Before he could come to his senses, his helmet was slapped by General Yu, who cursed him;
"You kid, you keep thinking about unreliable things, thinking about women and wives. Go back home and think about it slowly at night. Although today is the last day, it is also the most important day. Don't suffer and endure hardships. Don't make mistakes at the last minute."

Yu Dingzhi has always been very careful and prudent. Even when he was lazy and drinking, he had arranged everything before being lazy. Therefore, he has been able to sit firmly in the city gate guards until now and even got promoted. This is because of his prudence.

"Don't worry, General. I was just complaining just now. I will complain when I get back. Besides, my family is full of mediocre women, unlike the Marquis, who has so many beautiful wives and concubines. If the Marquis can bear it, then I can't bear it."

Sun Shan sighed, as if he was looking for an excuse for himself, but this excuse made Yu Dingzhi's face darken. Is what happened in Luo Yunhou Mansion something you could have imagined?
"You are a man of few words. You can't just chat about Marquis Luo Yun's affairs. One day, you will be ruined by your mouth. Hurry up and let the brothers have a good rest. We will be ready after noon."

Yu Dingzhi was too lazy to talk anymore. He gave some instructions and led his men up to the tower, leaving Sun Shan alone. He touched his mouth, as if he had said too much.
Then, he turned and left.
Chongwenmen fell into silence again.
But they didn't know.

Outside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace,

A carriage came not far away and stopped at the corner of the street. Then the curtain opened and a Taoist monk with a fairy-like appearance got out of the carriage. Looking closely, it was none other than Jia Jing.
Jia Jing, dressed in his hat and robes, holding a Buddhist whisk and memorials, walked slowly towards the drum in front of the Meridian Gate.

Although there was only one person, he also attracted the attention of many people. After all, a few days ago, the Dengwen drum sounded, shocking the court and the public. Therefore, some people paid attention to the Dengwen drum in front of the Meridian Gate. In addition, the Imperial Envoy also arranged people here regularly, and the number of guards doubled.
today,

Jia Jing was wearing a Taoist robe and walking alone. He had already been noticed by someone. Someone at the tea stall on the corner of the street shouted,
"Look, there is a Taoist priest walking towards Dengwen Drum."

Just a shout,
The passers-by and the customers in the teahouse all looked up and saw a Taoist priest with an immortal look walking towards the palace.
Instantly, there were discussions among the crowd.
"Why would a Taoist go to the palace?"

"Who knows? There have been many strange things happening in the capital since the beginning of the year. I don't know if it's caused by evil spirits."

"You kid are talking nonsense. You dare to say anything. You are risking your life."

I don't know where the quarrel came from, but it attracted people to talk about it and watch the fun.

At a table in the tea stall, Luo Fei, the head of the Taiping Sect, squinted his eyes and carefully looked at the Taoist priest in front of him. He looked kind and familiar, and whispered;

"Captain Pan, I see you coming. Why do you look so familiar? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

A question made Pan Chaozuo, who was eating soup noodles opposite him, stop the bowl and chopsticks in his hand. Luo Fei felt familiar, so he must be someone he knew. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked over. He was wearing an elegant Taoist robe, and it was obvious that he was not from an ordinary Taoist temple. He took a closer look and his face changed.
Isn't this Jia Jing from Ningguo Mansion? Why did he come out?
"It's indeed an acquaintance, Jia Jing from Xuanzhen Temple outside the city. Why is he here?"

The question made the two people around him a little surprised. Suddenly, Master Wanxiang spoke,

"Captain, Hall Master, there was news last night that the palace had convicted the Ningguo Mansion and had issued an imperial decree. As for what it said, I haven't found out yet. I think Jia Jing came here for this reason. Tsk tsk, I never thought that the Jia family, which was so powerful in the past, would also be in this situation."

The words are neither positive nor negative and clearly have a mocking meaning.

Captain Pan shook his head and sighed;

"As the saying goes, when the birds are gone, the good bows are put away; when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. The Jia family deserved the retribution for their crimes, and now it has come. I just don't know what kind of decree can make a monk come out of seclusion?"

"Of course, he must have been anxious because his title was taken away from him."

Luo Hall Master hated the officials of the imperial court the most, so he had nothing good to say about them. However, Pan Duzhu shook his head.
"That won't happen. Their dog emperor is very careful. Even if he kills the people of Ningguo Mansion, he won't touch the noble titles."

Captain Pan had a general understanding of the situation in the capital. He had asked Sect Leader Chu whether the title of Ningguo Mansion would be taken away, but Sect Leader Chu sneered and shook his head, saying that even if all the people in Ning Mansion were killed, the title would not be moved. If it was moved, the nobles would be in grief and the court would certainly be in turmoil.

While several people were discussing in private,
Jia Jing had already walked to the Dengwen drum. The bright red color was so dazzling. The drum head was wide and had been soaked in butter again, making it look brand new. Thinking back, everything in Ningguo Mansion was born because of it, so let it end because of it.
Without any hesitation, he took the drumstick and started hitting the drum head vigorously.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

When the imperial guards saw the Taoist priests coming to beat the drums, they were at a loss for a moment, but then they saw the leading captain shouting and blowing the trumpet.

Then, a row of imperial guards took out their horns and blew them together.
"Ohh Ohh ohh!"

The drums and trumpets sounded again,
The imperial envoy on duty was, by some strange coincidence, the imperial censor Zhong Yugu. He came over trembling with a pale face and asked:
"Who is so bold? Don't you know that the drum for reporting is only for officials of the imperial court? You are a layman, but you are so bold."

"Haha, Lord Zhong, how are you? I am naturally an outsider, but my status as the companion of the loyal prince and the imperial scholar has never been revoked, so I still have an official position."

Jia Jing had no fear at all. Seeing that Lord Zhong did not recognize him, he simply spoke first.

Zhong Yugu's face changed. He looked at the person who came. Who else could it be but Jia Jing? Why did he come? Thinking of the imperial edict that was printed in the palace last night, he asked with trembling lips,
"I have met Lord Jing. I wonder why Lord Jing is beating the drum to report his wrongdoings. Is there any grievance?"

Zhong Yugu had to call him "Sir". After all, Jia Jing was a third-rank civil servant in the Hanlin Academy, much more important than him, a mere censor.
"Yes, I have a memorial to present to the Emperor. Please pass it on, Sir Censor."

Without saying much, he handed the written memorial to Zhong Yugu, who took it back carefully. The bright yellow memorial seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, so he had no choice but to put it in his arms and hurried back to the palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
Emperor Wu and Prime Minister Li were still talking about the relationship between the monarch and his subjects. When they heard the sound of drums outside the window, followed by the sound of horns, their faces changed. Someone must have struck the drum to report the incident.

"Dai Quan, send someone to see who is so bold as to beat the drum again."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to take a look right away."

Dai Quan's face was gloomy. When His Majesty was a little happy, such a thing happened. He winked at Xiao Yunzi who was serving at the door.

Xiao Yunzi nodded, turned around and left.

Not long after he left, he saw Xiao Yunzi running back to the entrance of the imperial study. When Dai Quan saw him, he raised his eyebrow.
"Why are you back again?"

Xiao Yunzi bowed his head, hurried in and knelt down.
"Sir, the Imperial Censor Zhong Yugu has brought the memorial and is outside the palace. He said that the person who beat the drum submitted the memorial and was a Taoist priest."

"what!"

(End of this chapter)