Rebirth after waste

Chapter 24

The emperor took out a booklet, read it while beckoning him to continue talking.

"Young Master Cui has now returned to his hometown Qinghe County, and is preparing to participate in the test."

The solution test is the state and county test.There are two sources of imperial examination candidates in the Jin Dynasty, one is students, and the other is village tribute.Those who were born in the capital and prefectural and county schools, but sent to Shangshu Province as test subjects are students; those who pass the prefectural and county examinations without going to the school, and then sent to Shangshu Province are called Xianggong, and those who enter Beijing from Xianggong are generally called Juren .

"I guessed it. He has been expelled from the Imperial College. If he wants to become an official, he has to go back to his hometown to take the exam." In a flat tone, "Which subject will he take?"

Lu Chuan said in a low voice: "Jinshi."

The emperor raised his eyebrows, finally showing a bit of surprise.After a long time, Fang laughed softly: "I guessed that he would not choose Mingjing. However, he is confident in taking the Jinshi examination at the age of 27."

The so-called Jinshi and Mingjing are the most popular examination subjects among scholars nowadays.Among them, Jinshi emphasizes poetry and fu, and Mingjing emphasizes scriptures and Mo Yi.Tie Jing and Mo Yi, as long as you are familiar with the biography and annotations of the scriptures, you can take the pilot test, and poetry and fu need to have literary talent.Therefore, compared with the Ming Jing, the chance of getting a Jinshi is much smaller. Nowadays, there is a saying that "thirty old Ming Jing, fifty young Jinshi".However, after Emperor Zhongzong, Jinshi subjects became more and more important. For example, most of the prime ministers were born as Jinshi. Therefore, even if it was difficult, many scholars would hang their beams and read at night with candles, hoping to get a Jinshi once.

"I was also surprised when I heard this. Mr. Cui is really ambitious." Lu Chuan said, "But then I thought that even His Majesty valued him, so he must have great talent. Maybe it will be announced next year. One day, you will really become the man in green riding a horse across the long street!"

In the Dajin system, green robes were given to Jinshi in Xinke, so the folks called him the man in green.What Lu Chuan said was quite optimistic about Cui Shuo.

"I really value him." The emperor said with a bit of solemnity in his tone.

On the booklet in his hand, it was clearly written, "The ministers and others seconded the Minister of Rites, requesting His Majesty to give up his restoration."The characters are in delicate lower case letters, but through the paper, he saw the official script that was written all over the walls of the restaurant that night.

That was written by Cui Rujing during the Shangyuan Festival four years ago.

At that time, he was still the Crown Prince of the East Palace. He went out to visit the Lantern Festival in a micro-clothes, but encountered a big bustle in the West Market.Standing outside the restaurant, he listened to the people around him telling him that the son who wrote the calligraphy was a student of the Imperial College, and he usually came here to drink most of the time.Today, during the Shangyuan Festival, the boss specially opened a jar of vintage wine, and asked him for a letter to pay for the wine.

He was surprised that most of the students of Guozijian came from aristocratic families, and they were self-confident about their identities, so they would leave pens and inks for a jar of wine?
Before he finished his thoughts, there was already a round of applause over there.He looked over, but saw that on the flat wall, "Zixu Fu" had already been completed, and it was full of eloquence, and what was on it was a rare and good ink book.

It can be seen from the act of asking for words that although the owner of the restaurant is a merchant, he is also an elegant person.Today is such a festival again, and there are many scholars in West Market, all gathered here at this moment, full of praise for the writing on the wall.Someone recognized the man who wrote the inscription, and blurted out: "Jun Rujing? Who am I to write such a good ink calligraphy? It turns out to be Cui Rujing from the Qinghe Cui family. No wonder."

Qinghe Cui, this is a surname he is familiar with.But Cui Rujing has never heard of him.So he understood that this Cui Rujing should be the offspring of the Qinghe Cui family.So he could go to the Imperial College to study, but he spent all day in the wine shop, writing inscriptions for merchants for a jar of fine wine.

Cui Rujing in that room finished writing the words, ignored the people who were talking to him, picked up the altar of fine wine as a reward, went to the window and drank it by himself.He glanced at the writing on the wall again, walked up to him, and said with a smile: "Good wine is hard to find, may I ask you, can I give you a glass?"

Cui Shuo looked up, stared at him for a moment, then smiled slightly: "Good wine is hard to find, and friends are even harder to find."

Later he thought, perhaps from the very beginning, Cui Shuo knew his identity, and it was not accidental that he would allow him to sit down.But he doesn't care about these, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they are not the focus of his concern.

The important thing is that that handsome and unrestrained man, when they talked about the rigid and corrupt government, said two words lightly.

"New Deal."

That night, they sat in the crowded West Market, drinking by the moonlight until the restaurant closed.

When he laughed and bid farewell, Ji Xun knew that one day in the future, this man with deep chest but depressed will become his most capable helper.

After that night, for three years in a row, they never saw each other again.He is a willful and willful new king, and he is a romantic and unrestrained scholar. That night, under the moon and moon, he pointed the country, as if it had never happened.

Until two months ago, Cui Shuo handed over the memorial to impeach the left minister Zhou Shitao.

At that moment, he understood the ambition he had been holding back for many years, and he hadn't hidden it from that drunken, pen-like man.

He must have heard that the emperor favored the deposed empress again, and the empress dowager intends to restore her niece as empress, and there will be a fight between the courts soon.The old school officials who were originally bundled together may be divided because of this matter.

He was the first to light the fire.

Ji Xun knew that the Queen's mother secretly incited the courtiers who belonged to the faction in order to restore the throne.He was not surprised, back then he was not interested in Yunniang, and the queen mother arranged her to be his princess, now that he has finally moved his mind on her, she will naturally seize this opportunity.However, although she is the empress dowager, she did not provide much assistance in the court. If Zhou Shitao had not been impeached, it would have been impossible to gain the upper hand at the beginning.

He didn't stop her.

After waiting for so many years, he finally found this opportunity to open a gap among those courtiers so that he could sneak in.

Everything in the court was under his control, but Yunniang was an accident.

He thought of Gu Yunxian's slightly lowered, gentle and quiet side face, and the fragrance of non-orchid and non-musk on her body, and it was difficult to distinguish the taste in his heart.

In fact, at the beginning, he didn't connect Yunniang with the situation in the court.He was really attracted to her.However, ever since he pampered her again, he knew vaguely that things would develop like this.He didn't know how he felt about her now, the only thing he was sure of was that if it was her now, he wouldn't mind making her queen again.

his queen.

He was very curious about how many surprises the woman he ignored before could bring him.

While in a trance, there was a sudden noise outside.Lu Chuan frowned, but saw his apprentice He Jin come in through the curtain, knelt down and saluted: "The lady Zhenjieyu of the Cheng'an Palace sent someone to bring a plate of dim sum to His Majesty, saying that the lady made it herself."

Lu Chuan reprimanded: "Confused, His Majesty is dealing with government affairs, can anyone disturb me? Just put it away first."

He Jin was scolded, and said aggrievedly: "I said so, but the one who came to deliver the things was Miss Bai Yu, the female official in charge of Cheng'an Palace. She said that the empress ordered to hand it over to His Majesty."

Lu Chuan was taken aback when he heard the words, and looked at the emperor hesitantly.But seeing the smile on his lips shrinking slightly, after thinking for a while, Fang said: "Let her in."

After Bai Yu came in, he made a grand ceremony and handed the food box in his hand to Lu Chuan: "This servant is ordered to bring your majesty the green peach cake made by your mother."

Lu Chuan opened the food box, and saw a few pieces of bright red pastries on the translucent white jade plate, made into the shape of peach petals, which looked very cute.

Lu Chuan tasted a slice carefully with silver chopsticks, changed a pair of chopsticks, and presented the jade plate to the table.

The emperor stared at the pastry in silence for a while, and picked up a piece of silver chopsticks when everyone was a little apprehensive.

Seeing that he had eaten, Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief.Before he had time to be happy, he heard him say lightly: "Go back and tell your mother, don't think so much all day long, and you won't sleep well at night if you think carefully. I remember everything I said, so I don't need her to remind you."

It sounded like he was concerned, but his tone was a bit bad.Bai Yu raised her heart again, and wanted to say something, but the emperor had already ordered: "Okay, I have received the things, you can step back."

After she went out, the emperor sat in that position for a while, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Jing Fushu, she was probably a little anxious.

He raised his head, just in time to see that the golden gilt cauldron was still emitting white smoke, and the fragrance permeated the study, making him miss the woman who used this incense.

"Go, tell Mrs. Gu to come over."

Half an hour later, Gu Yunxian was not summoned to Dazheng Palace, and the emperor went to Changxin Palace instead.At the same time, the news that the Empress Dowager's condition suddenly worsened spread throughout the Six Palaces.

After listening to the imperial physician's report, he stood there silently, clenched his right hand into a fist, as if trying to squeeze it into his flesh.

"The Empress Dowager has been ill for a long time, and it is difficult to recover. The sudden improvement recently is just an illusion, and it depends on her heart. Now that the condition is getting worse, it is due to the exhaustion of mental energy... I am afraid..."

He heard his own voice as cold as ice: "The improvement in the past few days was only due to a breath of heart? You can't see such a thing, how did you become this imperial doctor?"

He reprimanded the imperial physician, but he hated himself even more in his heart.If he hadn't renewed his interest in Yunniang and gave the empress mother hope, why would she have lost her mind about the restoration?Or maybe he didn't focus on the affairs of the court, and paid more attention to the physical condition of the Queen Mother. How could he be confused by her temporary improvement and cause today's catastrophe?
Hearing his tone, several imperial physicians were silent, and repeatedly accused: "I am incompetent, capital punishment, capital punishment!"

"It's a capital crime." He chuckled suddenly, "If there is anything wrong with the Empress Dowager, you can atone with your lives."

His tone was light, but the indifference in his words made everyone tremble in fright.

Turning around, he looked at the figure kneeling outside the east hall, frozen like a stone statue.From the moment he entered Changxin Hall, she knelt there without moving a single bit from the beginning to the end.

He walked to her side: "Yunniang."

She looked up, her eyes were full of confusion, as if she had fallen into a terrible nightmare.He was extremely depressed in his heart, but when he saw her expression, his heart suddenly ached.

"Cousin..." She gripped the hem of his robe and whispered.Her hands are so hard, the joints are slightly white, it seems that otherwise it can't stabilize the heart that has nothing to rely on.

"Third sister." Unconsciously, he followed her and changed her address, "Don't worry, the queen mother will be fine."

She looked numb, but a tear fell quickly.

An hour ago, she was originally by the Queen Mother's side, reciting Buddhist scriptures to her softly.But suddenly, she fell down in front of her, and she couldn't wake up no matter what.

Then the imperial doctor came and told her that the queen mother came to this point because of excessive effort and exhaustion.

Everything is like a repeat of the nightmare of the previous life.

It's her fault!It's all her fault!

If it wasn't for her, the queen mother wouldn't be exhausted, and she wouldn't suddenly get seriously ill!She had already killed her once, and after going round and round, she would kill her a second time!
She shouldn't have come to her, she was wrong!

Looking at the expressionless but tearful woman, he slowly knelt down and embraced her in his arms.She leaned on his chest, smelling the familiar breath on his body, and felt heart-wrenching sadness.

He hugged her tightly, letting her cry silently on his shoulder.The surrounding palace people knelt on the ground, and no one dared to look up at them.He looked at the sunset in the distance, and suddenly understood clearly that in this palace, and even in the whole world, only this woman in his arms was like him, who worried about their mother wholeheartedly.

At this moment, only their minds are connected.

(End of this chapter)