"The Emperor has a decree and has opened the key."
A sound came from inside the palace gates. Cui Zhaoquan, Xie Zhi, He Yuduan, Qian Wei and others entered along the palace gates. At this time, the sky was full of cold stars, the dawn moon was like a hook, and the sky was not yet bright. They were just walking along the avenue. There were eunuchs about ten meters away, carrying palace lanterns, which cast a faint silver light along the way.
When these important ministers stepped into a main hall, they saw guards surrounding them. They all stood like nails, standing with their swords pressed. A chill hit their faces and made the important ministers freeze up and even slow down their steps. .
As soon as you enter, you will see two-meter-high silver candle lanterns, a pair separated by a few meters, standing on both sides. The candles are covered in glazed hollow covers, and their ghostly eyes are blinking at the people who come in.
More than a dozen ministers stepped into it and looked at each other in silence.
In the past, people who were always arguing due to different political opinions at the court meetings all fell silent at this time. No one who could stand here chose to stand out at this time.
"Snapped!"
There was a soft crackling sound from the flames. Zhao Xu, who was standing in front of the candle lamp, lowered his eyes motionlessly. He could feel that the gaze from the highest place was scanning everyone.
Especially on yourself, staying for a long time.
"Your Majesty, you are suspicious!"
Zhao Xu's mood was far less calm than his expression, but as the chief assistant, he was used to being calm in everything he encountered. He was also used to obeying the emperor's will and adhering to principles.
No matter how strange this matter is, this is what I have to do.
"Send Luo Pei to see you." A deep voice finally sounded, and the eunuch left in response.
Among the people who have come, some are not important ministers of the cabinet, and some do not know what happened yet, but judging from what is happening now, they know that something terrible has happened.
And those who already know what happened have raised their hearts.
When Su Ziji was allowed to enter the hall, it was about a cup of tea after Luo Pei had entered. As he entered, the morning breeze brought in caused the candlelight passing by to sway slightly.
When the great grandson came in, his footsteps were very soft and his attitude was respectful, but even though he was calm and humble, he still seemed to be full of energy despite his youth.
The emperor, who was sitting high on the top, was looking down at the young man who came in. He seemed to be lost in the darkness and could not distinguish his joy or anger.
But Su Ziji knew that the emperor must be in a bad mood now, so he broke the emperor's game and brought unexpected changes to the emperor.
If I am just acting as the king, I am afraid that the emperor will have an order immediately, just like the prince of Linhe County, and even the king of Qi, I will kill him alive.
But unfortunately, the emperor trapped himself and made himself a grandson.
Dealing with an acting king is completely different from dealing with a grandson.
"...I heard that two people named Yu Lu and Fang Xi reported the leaked questions. I felt that this matter was not trivial. However, the Spring Festival is a national talent promotion ceremony. I am the examiner and I don't want to have more contact with the candidates. There is no way to avoid the suspicion of Guitian Lixia, so Liang Yuyin was sent to gather with Yin Tanping, the governor, to investigate..."
The examiner Luo Pei, who was standing in the middle to report the matter, was stunned when he heard footsteps coming from behind.
Su Ziji calmed down and approached and saluted: "Sun Chen has met the emperor."
"...Without courtesy, I will grant you a seat." The person sitting above was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Su Ziji saluted again. After the eunuch moved a handful of pieces, he walked towards the emperor's servants and at the same time raised his eyes to look up.
Now that he was closer, he could clearly see that the emperor sitting on it had much looser cheek muscles than before, his eyes were dark and gloomy, and his face was pale and even blue.
"...The two adults sealed off the hotel, searched the Juren who were present at the time, and searched Zhang Modong for the test questions on the spot. They immediately asked the Chief Assistant, Mr. Zhao, and then Mr. Zhao ordered the Gongyuan to be closed, and a total of fifty-three exams were held in the hotel. There are actually thirteen people in the room with exam questions!"
Luo Pei paused and continued: "Then we searched three nearby hotels, with a total of two to three hundred papers, and found thirty-one more manuscripts with exam questions."
"Your Majesty, the test questions were leaked on a large scale. The evidence is conclusive and it has been confirmed that it is true."
"The Linhua County Juren Yulu and Fang Xi who have made meritorious reports are not just clinging to them randomly. I also ask the emperor to allow them to go to the palace to talk about this matter!"
The emperor sat on it, his face gloomy, but he had to say: "In that case, let's send the two of them into the palace to answer the question."
Outside the main hall, a cool breeze blew.
It was the first time that Yu Lu and Fang Xi entered the palace. The armored guards on both sides, with swords and swords, made them both feel uneasy.
Especially Fang Xi, before meeting Su Ziji, he was a somewhat dissolute person. It was not until he met Su Ziji that he seemed to have changed his luck and started to read books. From being laughed at in private, to becoming someone who would be seen by others. People who read books.
These changes only took a few years.
He thought that it would be a shock for his former friend to become a grandson. He never thought that one day he would encounter such a major incident as imperial examination fraud and be summoned to the palace to appear in front of the emperor and cabinet ministers. , tell the whole story clearly!
Father, did you ever think that your son would still be in such a situation?
Yu Lu's thoughts were different from Fang Xi's. His thoughts were more careful. He had long realized that he and Fang Xi were probably involved in something terrible.
But the matter has come to this, and only by obeying the grandson's instructions can we save ourselves.
"Yu Lu, Fang Xi, the emperor asked you to go in and answer." At this time, a young eunuch came out and said to the two of them.
Yu Lu and Fang Xi did not dare to delay and walked into the main hall.
The palace has a psychological oppression on people from its architecture. Just walking into the majestic and majestic hall makes you subconsciously breathe softly.
Under the flickering candlelight, the people standing inside and the people sitting above came into view.
But how dare the two of them look at it? They had no choice but to walk in. A gaze fell on them as soon as they entered the hall.
I don’t know if it was their misunderstanding, but when my eyes fell on them, I felt a chilling atmosphere!
Both of them could not help but tremble slightly, gritting their teeth to keep from losing their composure.
"Yulu (Fang Xi), the son of Linhua County, has met the emperor. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor." The two of them did not understand the etiquette of meeting the emperor, and were only briefly taught by the eunuch while waiting. It was unclear where he stopped, where he knelt down, and what he probably said. Other than that, it was completely unclear, so he looked terrified and his voice was a little trembling.
On the high seat, the emperor looked at it coldly and suddenly asked: "Yu Lu, Fang Xi, I ask you, the large-scale leak was last year. Since you knew it in advance, why didn't you report it to me?"
There was no emotion in this sentence, but the cabinet ministers standing on both sides subconsciously raised their heads and glanced at the emperor. These people became increasingly uneasy.
The emperor's attitude is wrong.
Although there is nothing wrong with asking this question, it gives people the feeling that something is really wrong. However, this is not the first time I have felt this way. The last time I asked my grandson to write a seven-step poem.
Unexpectedly, this disturbing feeling reappeared just after so long.
(End of chapter)
