Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 784 The Time is Almost Here
In front of the Meridian Gate,
Paper money was floating in the air, white flags were erected, and in the overcast sky, the wind blew, sweeping the paper money to the ground and rolling it up into the sky. Combined with the identity of the outsider, it seemed even more confusing.
Many of the onlookers did not know what was going on. When they heard that a Taoist had ascended to heaven, many of the common people, the timid ones, actually knelt down and kowtowed and prayed. The brave ones did not dare to watch openly and hid away.

As a result, the originally quiet streets became noisy, and the guards in front of the Meridian Gate looked unhappy. Why did they encounter such troubles today? But due to their duty, they did not dare to leave and just stood there, waiting for people from the palace to come.

At this time, Jia's mother also put down the drumstick of Dengwen Drum, took a breath, and lamented in her heart that she was old and useless, and could not even play a few beats.
Seeing the fire on the ground, he walked over, put the front end of the mallet into the fire, and set the wrapped cloth on fire. He returned and, in the puzzled eyes of the crowd, pressed the drum. As soon as the leather touched the fire, it immediately caught fire.
After a while,
The flames engulfed the report drum. Not only were the Jia family members horrified, but the onlookers and the imperial guards were all a little surprised. Only the captain of the imperial guards felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. It was better to burn it so that no more trouble would happen in the future. He turned his head and ignored it. When his subordinates saw it, they seemed to understand and tacitly turned a blind eye.
The eldest wife, Lady Xing, the second wife, Lady Wang, and Wang Xifeng, who were kneeling in front of them, were all terrified and looked ahead in disbelief. This was because the drum for reporting had been burned.
Wang Xifeng really didn't expect that the old lady, who was always thoughtful, would do such a thing. She wanted to persuade her, but unfortunately, the fire had already started, and the wind helped to fuel the fire. The flames were embedded in the sky. She was afraid that only the gods could come to save her.

Looking at the old lady Jia's mother, there was a look of relief on her face. It was this drum that had cut off the inheritance of the Jia family. How could it be kept?

I don't know whether it was because of her thoughts or because of her enlightenment, but after the burning was over, Jia's mother's strength suddenly returned.
Wang Xifeng was a little worried when she saw this, so she quickly stood up and helped the old lady up.
"Old lady, please go back to the car and take a rest. The people should be out soon."

"Okay, take a break."

I thought Grandmother Jia would scold her, but unexpectedly, she turned around and got on the carriage under the care of the first and second wives, which made Wang Xifeng swallow the words of comfort she wanted to say. She took a few steps back, touched her round legs again, and knelt on the ground again.
that's it,
Although the Dengwen Drum was large, unfortunately water and fire were merciless. Once ignited, a raging fire broke out, illuminating the darkness in front of the Meridian Gate like a sacred fire.

Such a shocking scene suddenly made the people behind him blindly follow, kneeling on the ground and kowtow three times in order to pray for blessings.

On the second floor of the wine shop,
The eldest son Li Chaosheng was also a little horrified. He had never thought that the old lady of Rongguo Mansion would have such courage to directly light the drum for reporting.

Looking at the fire, muttering to himself,
"My fellow brothers, people often say that women are inferior to men, and that men are responsible for the outside world while women are responsible for the inside world. But now it seems that women are just as capable as men, and women also have such a heroic side. As long as the old lady is here, the wealth of the Jia family will not be shaken at all."

The eldest son spoke, and the three people's faces changed.

Especially the hot-tempered Master Yang, although he was shocked, he was not convinced. Isn't this just unreasonable? He didn't know how the palace would deal with it.
"My Lord, although you said that, you can't let others' prestige extinguish your own ambition. You are all women, and you can't go to the court. How can you compete with us? I don't know what the palace thinks about the current situation."

What Master Yang said made sense. The disputes in the court were all obvious. No matter how powerful the women of the Jia family were, they could not attend the court. As for those who had established their own family, there was only Jia Cunzhou in the court. Jia She, who inherited the title, was not qualified to enter the palace unless he attended the grand court meeting, so there was no need to worry.

"Yes, eldest son, Senior Brother Yang is right. No matter how prestigious the old lady of Rongguo Mansion is, she cannot attend the court after all. The only one left in the court of Rongguo Mansion is Jia Cunzhou. The rest are all mediocre. Among the younger generation, only Jia Lian leads the army, and he relies on the relationship of in-laws and old friends."

Luan Gongfu also agreed. If you think about it carefully, only the Rongguo Mansion still has some ambitious people. As for the Ningguo Mansion, they are all not up to standard. Although Jia Rong is also on duty as the Dragon Guard, unfortunately, he has no say. Now that he is in prison, his identity must have been deprived.

Even Sun Boyan, who was following behind him, followed suit.
"Young Master, what the two brothers said just now is absolutely right. Even if Old Lady Shi is still wise and powerful, at her age now, it is unknown how many more years she can live. As you know, the situation in the capital is unpredictable. At that time, without the old lady's care, it is still unknown what will happen in the future."

This is also what Sun Boyan said from the bottom of his heart. Since the favor is still there and the nobles cannot be easily controlled, he may have to fight for it among the civil servants and gain a firm foothold in the south of Beijing and the south of the Yangtze River. Then, in the court, their Li party will have a place to settle down. If the eldest son enters the cabinet as a minister, he will be invincible.

Li Chaosheng suddenly felt anxious. What Senior Brother Sun said made sense. It was not only about the old lady of the Jia family, but also about himself. His father was already over 60 years old and approaching 70. Who knows when he will die.
Who can protect themselves at that time?

The scene in front of the Meridian Gate might not be a favor left by the Jia family. It seems that I have to tighten my grip on entering the cabinet.

"What the three brothers said is good, but the three brothers, some things are not in the court, but outside the court. Although the younger generation of the Jia family is incompetent, the old lady is very experienced. No one can match the ambush of relatives and old friends. Wang Ziteng of the Wang family, Song Daichun, the son of Dongping Marquis Duan Kaihua, and General Dingxi Duan Wenyuan are the matchmakers of the old lady. Not to mention the old friends, General Dong'an Yang Shixiong, General Xuanwei Ling Yuantao, etc., even if it is Luoyun Marquis, there are relatives, who dares to act rashly."

Even if the officials in the capital didn't know how serious this matter was, Li Chaosheng, who had been in the officialdom with his father for so many years, had already found out the key points clearly. The Jia family seemed to be in turmoil, but in fact it was as stable as Mount Tai. The two old dukes left a lot of affection for them.
The other three people looked a little unhappy after hearing this. How could they not know what was going on?

Suddenly, Sun Boyan laughed out loud.
"Young Master, two senior brothers, this matter is not our turn to take care of. If anyone should take care of it, it should be Lu Wenshan and Gu Yichen. Why are we in such a hurry? We should find a way to contact Luo Yunhou and gain a foothold first. If my guess is correct, Lu Wenshan should have communicated with Lord Zhuang, the governor of Jiangnan."

It was related to the layout of Jiangnan. When they heard that the old fox Lu Wenshan wanted to intervene, Yang Shaoshi and Luan Gongfu's faces turned pale. They were not afraid of the military officials making trouble, but they were afraid of the civil officials making trouble behind their backs. In the end, it was good enough for Gu Ge Lao to just stand by and watch.

As for that old fox Lu Wenshan, we can only deal with him as he moves.
"Brother, your words are from the bottom of my heart. I will keep them in mind. We should make the first move now and keep an eye on the movements of Lu Wenshan and Zhuang. It is impossible that there will be no loopholes."

"Yes, eldest son."

In the attic,
Everyone reached an agreement, but outside the building, the crying continued.

Hanyuan Hall,
Zhang Jinyu's face also looked a little unwell. Although the sound of the drum had stopped, the crying sounds coming from outside the palace were clearly audible, and seemed to be getting more and more intense.

The three princes were also suspicious and ate in silence without making a sound. Bai Guangju, the Marquis of Xiangyang, was thoughtful and put down his bowl and chopsticks. He also lost his appetite.
"My Lord, it looks like something has happened."

Zhang Jinyu rolled his eyes and didn't even look at him. Isn't this nonsense? Unless he is deaf, he can't hear it. Those who can hear it feel that something is wrong.

If it was the emperor's body that could no longer bear it, there should be cries and bells and drums coming from the north, to let the world know.

Since it came from the south, it must have been made outside the palace. If it was outside the palace, who would be so bold as to come to the palace gate and cry?
Zhang Jinyu thought about it over and over but still had no clue. He would never have thought that the Jia family, who had always been like cowards, could be so bold.

"Brother Bai, this is obvious. They have even cried in front of the palace gate. How can something not happen? Guess who is so bold?"

Zhang Jinyu's question not only made Bai Guangju frown, but also made the three princes swallow less slowly. They were all thinking about the court officials and who had the problem.
Unfortunately, the four of them were silent for a while, knowing nothing.
Just thinking,

A voice came from behind.
"My Lord, Master Chu Nian has come to report that the exam time has come. Should we start collecting the papers?"

Zhang Jinyu suddenly came back to his senses, looked at the sky, it was overcast and he couldn't tell what time it was, so he asked,

"What time is it now?"

"Replying to the Marquis, it's the end of the hour,"

Ning Bian remembered the time and quickly replied,
Zhang Jinyu couldn't help but wonder, the dragon gate was wide open, it wasn't the afternoon, there was still an hour left, what was going on?

"Didn't they say that the Dragon Gate will open at 5 p.m.?"

Seeing Luo Yunhou's doubts, Bai Guangju smiled and explained;

"My Lord, the Dragon Gate opens at 3 p.m., but the collection must be done in advance. Otherwise, if we collect the collection at 3 p.m., there won't be enough time."

As soon as Xiangyang Hou started to explain, Zhang Jinyu suddenly realized. Yes, there are exams to take, and test papers to collect and organize, so naturally they can't go out at the same time. Well, the earlier the better.

"Have all examiners enter the hall, prepare to collect the papers, organize them and keep them, then open the dragon gate, wait for the candidates to leave, and then directly mark the papers."

In one night, nearly 200 censors, each of whom only had to review six papers, could finish the task. Even if they changed the papers three times, it would only take a dozen papers, so one night would be enough.
"By the way, kill all the pickles and yellow sheep that we brought, and give each of you a bowl of sake. Eat and drink your fill, and don't work too hard at night." This was Zhang Jinyu's reward for them, but when he said this in front of the three princes, they still opened their mouths wide and looked at him in surprise.
Zhang Jinyu ignored the three of them and stood up, pulling Xiangyang Hou into the hall.

at this time,

There were four examiners in a row, standing there staring at the candidates. Their postures were different. Some had already put down their pens to check their name cards, some had not finished writing yet but were writing quickly, and some had already finished writing and were sitting there. They were all in different states.

Zhang Jinyu led his men to the high platform in a hurry. Several deputy examiners were already waiting on the platform. When they saw the Marquis arrive, they all bowed.
"My Lord, the time has come."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, everyone."

Zhang Jinyu returned the greeting, then turned to face the many examinees below the stage and shouted;
"Please stop writing. The time for the provincial examination has come. Put down your pen and wait."

As soon as the words fell,
All the examinees in the room dared not to obey, put down their pens and sat there. Zhang Jinyu glanced at Jia Lan in the front row and Jia Baoyu in the middle. The two had different expressions. Jia Lan seemed to have a plan in mind, while Jia Baoyu looked indifferent, obviously he did not do well in the exam.

The other people had the same demeanor. It seemed that there were quite a few people who were just filling in the gaps.
"Start collecting the papers according to the seat numbers,"

Zhang Jinyu waved his hand.

The examiner on the side began to collect the papers one by one according to the numbers. Since the poetry paper had been collected, he only collected the two essay papers. That was also done quickly. After a while, the examiner arranged the collected papers on the empty table on the high platform.

After seeing that the cleanup was completed, Zhang Jinyu spoke to comfort him;

"This year's provincial examination is over. All students can just go back and wait for the news. I have good news for you. One is that the number of admissions this year has increased greatly, and second-class essays may also be on the list. In addition, the court should have other rewards for those who rank first on the list. As for the top three, they are rare in the world, so wait for good news."

Zhang Jinyu also kept the secret. If it weren't for the internal minister Dai Quan, who secretly told him, Zhang Jinyu would still be in the dark. It was unheard of that one could be granted an official position if one passed the top three in the provincial examination.

But after saying this, how could the candidates below sit still? They were extremely excited. Those who did well looked at the stage eagerly, while those who did not do well beat their chests and stamped their feet in deep regret. Such great wealth had slipped away from them, especially this time, the test questions of the special examination had been changed, and they were not that difficult. However, precisely because of this, the difficulty lay in the fact that it was not difficult. Therefore, it was extremely difficult to break free from the addiction.

Seeing all the candidates showing various expressions, Zhang Jinyu opened his mouth again.

"The good news is that Hanyuan Hall and Imperial Examination Hall have each published their own lists. What I have said above is all for trial purposes. That is to say, there will be two A lists, two B lists, and two first places. So, you don't need to worry about not having enough places. All that is required is that you answer the questions well or not."

It was like adding fuel to the fire, which had already caused many candidates to feel ups and downs. Now that it was said like this, it was a huge loss.
It was Luo Yunhou's intimidation that made everyone dare not say anything. They could only sigh. Suddenly, someone raised his hand.
Zhang Jinyu saw it and nodded.
"explain,"

"My Lord, I am Chu Rulin, the student of the Imperial College of Beijing. May I ask you, since there are two lists, are the rewards from the court the same?"

This question also made everyone in the hall look over.

Zhang Jinyu stood on the stage and looked up. The person who asked the question was Chu Rulin, a native of Beijing. He couldn't be the son of Lord Chu. After all, there were not many people with the last name Chu. He secretly glanced at Lord Chu from the corner of his eye and saw that he looked nervous and wanted to say something but didn't dare to. He had no chance to escape.

"Haha, that's a good question. As you wish, the same reward, who can win it depends on their ability. All right, pack up your things and go back to rest. In three days, the list of Hanyuan Hall will be posted here, posted here."

Zhang Jinyu stopped talking. Normally, the list should be posted outside the Imperial Examination Hall, but since it was held in the palace, it should be posted at the palace gate. However, with so many people, how could they dare to disturb His Majesty's peace? Therefore,
Thinking of Shuntian Prefecture, Lord Xu had given me such a warm reception before, but I had nothing to give him in return. I might as well give him a heads up.

"After three days, you are not to come to the palace again. The list of Hanyuan Palace will be posted outside the Shuntian government office. When there is good news, come back."

With a wave of his hand,

Many examiners made way for him.

All the examinees, not knowing whether they had discussed it beforehand, all stood up and bowed, shouting;

"Thank you, Master."

This call was regarded as keeping the title of a teacher. Although Zhang Jinyu did not understand all this, when he saw many censors had jealous expressions on their faces, he knew it was a good thing. Now, he could also be a teacher. It was really, satisfying.

After thanking the emperor, the candidates packed their bags and waited in the courtyard. When the time came, the guard shouted,
"The time has come, the Dragon Gate opens."

With a creak, the door opened, and then the examinee found a way out. The imperial guards on duty outside had been waiting for a long time.

Same day,

Inside the Nancheng Imperial Examination Hall, the sound of gongs could be heard. All the examiners, inspectors, and examiners came together to collect the answers of the examinees in their respective areas.

Although there were many students, they had the convenience of the examination hall, so they collected the papers very quickly. After collecting the papers, they went into the warehouse and opened the door directly. Those who were closest to the examination hall packed up and left first. In this way, the first people to leave the dragon gate were the candidates from the Imperial Academy.

Some of them went out of the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall, waited for a while, waited for their friends to come together, gathered in twos and threes, and then returned to the inn together.
Just like that, thousands of candidates came out of the examination hall. In an instant, the streets and alleys of the capital city became lively. Wine shops, teahouses, restaurants and brothels were filled with people.

As for the funeral procession in front of the palace gate, some sharp-eyed people did see it, but unfortunately, they were all students from aristocratic academies. They knew how powerful it was, so they came out early and quickly hid back home.

Only Xu Changwen, who had just walked through Chongwenmen, was not only relieved by nature, but also realized it later and asked;

"Brother Gao, how could there be a funeral procession here? Even the drum for reporting the incident has been burned."

Gao Wen was behind him, rushing over. When he saw that Brother Xu's illness had recurred, he hurried over, pulled Xu Changwen's sleeve, and consoled him;
"Brother Xu, this is not our business, please don't meddle in other people's business. Look over there, is there anything we can do about it? Let's go."

Gao Wen could see clearly that it must be some noble family who came to the palace to appeal for justice. This was something that common people like them could ask.
They dragged Xu Changwen away by force.

The students who came out of the Imperial Examination Hall in the south, who came later, actually gathered around to watch. They were surprisingly bold and asked questions from time to time. As a result, a lot more people came, and it became very crowded and lively.

(End of this chapter)