On the afternoon of February 21st, the first exam ended.
Xia Jingyun was like a released prisoner, waiting for someone to unlock the small door of the cell. Like a zombie, he carried his luggage from the cell to the door, and then walked out of the Gongyuan.
Everyone in the Hou Mansion hurriedly came forward to greet him, and then sent him to an inn not far away that he had rented in advance.
Of course, Baiyunbian also received the same treatment. He was greeted and escorted by his own book boys and guards.
When they arrived at the room, the two of them swept away the delicacies prepared by Feng Xiuyun in advance. They didn't even bother to wash up. They wiped the food with their mouths and fell asleep directly on the bed, as if the food was poisonous.
The imperial examinations these days not only test knowledge, but also physical strength and will.
Everyone had experienced or knew this firsthand, so no one rushed them. There were only two guards each guarding their master, and the rest sat silently in the lobby waiting.
It's not that the Marquis of Jiang'an couldn't afford an inn, but Xia Jingyun said that it was difficult to raise a son. Such inns close to the Gongyuan were scarce, so they tried not to take up too many resources.
At the same time, he also asked the Hou Mansion to subsidize the inn owner to allow him to list the hotel at an affordable price. This move quickly helped Xia Jingyun gain a good reputation after being explained by the innkeeper.
After Bai Yunbian found out about this, he looked at the banknote he was carrying, and while feeling melancholy, he learned another trick.
More than two hours later, when Xia Jingyun rubbed his eyes, yawned, and woke up from complete exhaustion, it was already dark outside.
A quarter of an hour later, Xia Jingyun was sitting naked in the bathtub that had been prepared early. Feng Xiuyun silently helped him rub his back and wash his hair.
"Have we reached this point? Are there any steps we have forgotten?"
Xia Jingyun showed doubts seriously and teased the person behind him.
Thinking that Chen Fugui was still guarding the door for safety and confidentiality, Feng Xiuyun's face turned red, he put more weight on his hand, and pinched it silently.
"Oh, you are trying to murder your husband!"
"Don't make trouble, let me tell you something serious."
With that said, Feng Xiuyun told the latest developments of Qin Yuwen's assassination case.
"Prince?"
Xia Jingyun also put away his joking expression, rubbed his fingers and started thinking.
"This incident suddenly caused a commotion in the city. It is obvious that someone is adding fuel to the flames. Among the many forces in Zhongjing City, the ones who least want the prince to continue to be in power, except for your majesty, are the British Duke and us. Since we have not taken any action, the biggest suspects are That’s the British Duke.”
"The Prime Minister's civilian faction is also possible, but they themselves are sitting on the mountain watching the situation. Their motivation for taking action is not strong. They may just stand by and watch."
"Your Majesty asked the prince to preside over the trial and also held a public trial. This is obviously a murderous act. It not only created an unavoidable dilemma for the prince, but also revealed his dissatisfaction with the prince to everyone."
"The funny thing is, there are so many people in so many directions, and maybe no one cares about whether the prince is the real murderer. It's just like me back then, they hope I am and need me to be."
Xia Jingyun analyzed a few words to himself in a very soft voice, then got up, dried his body, put on his clothes, and hid the big pendulum.
The so-called gentleman hides his weapons in his body and waits for the time to move.
Now is not the right time to use it.
He turned to look at Feng Xiuyun, "Help me invite Mr. Su here. And since it's so late, you should go back and rest first."
Feng Xiuyun hummed, but she didn't force it. Not to mention that the sword hadn't been sheathed yet and the villain hadn't yet been subdued. It was assumed that the two had already merged into one. At this critical moment, she couldn't do anything to spend her energy with her. things.
So she just said, "Don't do it too late. You have to rest tonight and have to pay tribute to the Courtyard again tomorrow."
That tone was like that of a well-informed lady sending her husband off to his concubine's room.
A moment later, Xia Jingyun saw Su Yuanshang in the room.
Su Yuanshang took out a few pieces of paper and said, "Miss Feng should have told you about the matter. Although the most important exam has been completed, your rest time is still precious. Let's make a long story short. What's next? Three days, do you have any ideas?"
Xia Jingyun took it and scanned it, which contained relatively detailed information from all parties in the past three days.
While looking at it carefully, he said: "Pick two clues about the prince that we have in hand, which are relatively hidden, but have not been known to Hei Bingtai, and reveal them to Hei Bingtai to add more water to the situation. fire."
"Then, pay attention to the people of the Prince's line. If there are people who want to leave, we should not fight, but we should keep track of their lists and movements. These wallflowers may be able to be used by us at critical moments in the future."
"Also, if there is no major change in the direction of the wind in the next three days, we can use the great change in the court situation and the imminent downfall of the prince as an excuse to find those people we have always wanted to find, and then use emotion and reason to find them. We hope that we can bring them under our command. Let Mr. Gongsun handle this matter, and Mr. Su can accompany us if it is convenient."
"Oh, the last one, let Lu Yi help find a wandering Taoist. It doesn't matter what the origin is. As long as it can be used, is obedient, and looks like the immortal Taoist can bluff people."
Su Yuanshang heard that the previous ones were all normal. He couldn't help but widen his eyes when he heard the last one, but he didn't say much and nodded in agreement.
Then the two deduced some other things, and finally said goodbye and left when the night was too dark.
In the afternoon of the next day, Xia Jingyun was carrying a large bag again, went through numerous inspections, and was locked up in a cell.
And the storms outside are still surging.
The prince, who was forced out of the East Palace by an edict from Emperor Chongning, came to the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment and summoned the heads of the three parties to gather together.
Except for Xuanhu, the leader of Heibingtai who looked calm, the other Ministers of the Ministry of Justice and Jing Zhaoyin were secretly complaining.
You said that if His Highness asks you later how your investigations have been recently and whether you have gained anything, how should they answer?
Said, Your Highness, thanks to your great blessing, we have made great progress, and we will soon confirm that the real culprit is you?
Or, Your Highness, don’t worry, we will work hard to investigate and strive to find evidence as soon as possible that the real culprit is not you?
But fortunately, maybe the prince also knew his current situation, so he didn't ask him. He just sat on the stage and said: "The descendants of the Qin family are also royal relatives. The eldest son of the Qin family was killed. My father The emperor was furious and ordered Gu Gu to personally supervise the investigation. The three of them must handle the case seriously, find out the truth, live up to the expectations of the emperor, bring justice to the Qin family, and bring peace to the world, do you understand?"
The three of them had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"Okay, I won't say much more. Let's go about our business. I'll wait for your news!"
After the three of them retired, the prince sat alone in the hall. The spring sunshine slanted through the door from under the eaves and fell on the open space in front of him, making his eyes even more dim and unclear.
And these three people really "lived up" to the prince's warning. After going down, following the clues they had uncovered, they conducted an intensive investigation and dug out a lot of evidence of the prince's plot to deal with the Qin family.
Seeing that the case was basically clear, people's hearts began to move, driven by interests.
Many people who originally thought of taking refuge under the prince's wing for a longer-term future plan began to voluntarily leave the prince's party.
At this time, Gongsun Jing, in accordance with Xia Jingyun's request, went to find Guanglu Qing in the court, hoping to win over this person who Gongsun Jing thought was very promising.
When he came to the door and stated his interests, the other party thought for a moment and seemed to agree.
"Indeed, if there is no owner of the East Palace, the imperial court will become a fight between the three factions of Concubine Shu, Concubine De, and Prime Minister of Qin. Concubine De's current strength is indeed extraordinary, although Concubine Shu has the power of the entire Xungui Group. Backing up isn’t necessarily that easy to defeat.”
Gongsun Jing was overjoyed and nodded quickly, "Yes, if we can get Mr. Jiang to join us again, we will be even more powerful, and the chance of winning will be even greater! Before, the future was uncertain, and we couldn't force it, but now the future is bright , it is very safe, Mr. Jiang no longer has to hesitate!"
"But." Guang Luqing looked at Gongsun Jing, "If I have to choose a safe path, why don't I join Prime Minister Qin?"
"Ah?" Gongsun Jing was stunned.
"Look, once the prince fell, the three pillars of the court stood up. Concubine Shu and Concubine De competed for the throne, and Prince Linjiang and Prince Jiaodong competed for the throne. But it is impossible for Prime Minister Qin to sit on the throne. He just led the civil servants He is a self-contained faction, just waiting and watching to protect himself in this situation. His way out in the future must be to end up at the critical moment when the two sides are fighting to the death. If he helps Concubine Shu, Concubine Shu will win, and if he helps Concubine De, Concubine De will win. So then As long as I take refuge with Prime Minister Qin, I will at least be safe in the future, not to mention becoming rich and powerful, and I may even get some benefits."
Gongsun Jing was dumbfounded. He didn't expect such a train of thought.
He opened his mouth and stuttered twice, and finally said: "But if you do that, what good will it do? It is said that wealth and honor can be found in danger. If the king of Jiaodong County becomes king in the future, do we need to say more about Master Jiang's wealth and glory?"
Guang Luqing smiled and said, "The official world is dangerous. Since there is a way not to take risks, why should I seek wealth and honor in danger? I am grateful to Mr. Gongsun for thinking highly of me. I am ashamed of myself."
After picking up the tea cup, Gongsun Jing had no choice but to leave.
Just when Gongsun Jing left Guangluqing's house, the Qin family, which was originally the center of the matter but was suddenly ignored by everyone, welcomed another guest.
Looking at Qin Sichao, who was standing elegantly in the hall, the head of the Qin family felt helpless and forced a smile and said, "My nephew, what do you want to learn from me when you come here?"
Qin Sichao said seriously: "When you are a minister, you solve your problems for the king; when you are a son, you share your father's worries. Although I don't think there is anything wrong with my father's background, I might not be able to have a separate branch in the future, but since my father has this long-cherished wish, my nephew I have no choice but to shamelessly ask again, how was the discussion between Uncle Shi and the elders of the Qin family?"
The head of the Qin family was not particularly capable of handling matters. Hearing this, he could only say with a guilty look on his face: "We haven't agreed on a result yet!"
Qin Sichao shook his head gently, "It's been more than ten days. Are you trying to coax me into treating me like a three-year-old child?"
Just when the head of the Qin family looked embarrassed, Qin Sichao said again: "Now what His Highness the Crown Prince has done has gradually come to light. The first thing is whether the Qin family can withstand the counterattack of the entire East Palace faction. This is what Uncle Shi needs to consider. Secondly, there will be a big change in the court situation. How will the Qin family deal with it? My nephew's proposal is that cooperation will benefit both sides. I am even willing to visit several times for this and beg in a low voice. I hope Uncle Shi can give me a clear answer. , the Prime Minister’s Office must be prepared for what to do next.”
The head of the Qin family secretly thought, aren't you making things difficult for me?
While he was hesitating, an old but steady voice sounded outside the door, "I'll give you this answer."
The old head of the Qin family walked in and looked at Qin Sichao, "We have different ways of doing things, and it is not a good thing to force them to come together. I sincerely wish your father-in-law to create a separate branch for the Qin family, and I also think he will be able to do it." host."
Qin Sichao looked at his firm eyes, stood up, bowed seriously, turned and left.
Watching Qin Sichao leave, the head of the Qin family walked to his old father and said worriedly: "Father, even if you refuse, don't say such harsh words, if this will offend someone."
The old head of the family turned around and glared at him, "Do you think you won't be offended if you refuse nicely?"
He leaned on crutches and looked out the door, "When the situation changes, when you have chosen a side, you must hold on tightly and don't let go. Don't think that you can ride on the wall and have both sides, otherwise the final result will definitely be falling to death." , no one will help me!"
——
February 24th, afternoon.
After another three days of exams, Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian walked out of Gongyuan again.
This time, the two of them felt much more relaxed than before, because this time they mainly tested various types of official documents, which they were both familiar with.
Although Xia Jingyun didn't have much contact with him before, with Su Yuanshang, a big boss who is proficient in this field, and so many officials around, he has already become very familiar with it.
The process was almost the same as last time. Xia Jingyun freshened up and met Su Yuanshang in the room again. This time Gongsun Jing was also there.
After listening to the latest situation they told, Xia Jingyun pondered for a moment, looked at the summary of the latest news from Lu Yi in his hand, and said: "Mr. Gongsun, tomorrow, you find a suitable person, not an important minister in the court, but someone who If you are qualified to write a letter, let him write to His Majesty, saying that the case has been under investigation for a long time and requesting that the case be heard publicly as soon as possible.”
Gongsun Jing asked in surprise: "Is this useful?"
Xia Jingyun nodded and said: "I want to see His Majesty's true attitude. If His Majesty really thinks as everyone guessed, then he will definitely agree. Originally, his decree included a public trial."
Gongsun Jing then asked in confusion: "What if the central committee discounts the memorial but does not bring it up?"
Xia Jingyun looked at Su Yuanshang in tacit understanding and smiled slightly, "Then we also tried out the rest."
"Okay, I'm going to take the final exam tomorrow. If everything goes well, the public trial will start on the 28th, and I can just make it in time."
Su Yuanshang said with a smile: "I won't let you catch up. Don't forget, you were the number one suspect!"
Xia Jingyun chuckled, "Then let's make more detailed preparations."
Everything was exactly as Xia Jingyun expected. Gongsun Jing found a suitable petty official to submit the memorial, and the memorial was delivered to Emperor Chongning's desk without any hindrance.
Emperor Chongning ordered that on February 28, the prince would preside over the trial and the case would be heard in public at the Ministry of Punishment.
Thunder rose from the ground, shaking the elite circles at the top of Beijing.
Four thousand words is considered the minimum amount of updates today.
I'll think about it for a while and try to add another chapter.
The long preparation is finally coming to an end. It’s not easy to tie up all kinds of threads. Try to achieve a higher degree of completion.
or2
(End of chapter)
