Daming Palace, Danfeng Gate.
The queue to present treasures has been very long.
"Li Zhu'er, the palace invites you to come over."
"Here."
Li Zhuer was a Khitan boy who was captured by the Tang army when he was young. Because he was very handsome and could speak various languages, he was kept by An Lushan to serve him. He is already fourteen years old, but his hair is still tied into a bun, making him look like a child.
After receiving the order at this time, Li Zhuer quickly ran through the rows of soldiers and arrived in front of the Anlu Mountain horse.
An Lushan was extremely obese and needed four people to help him get off his horse.
Li Zhuer consciously stood beside the horse stool and bowed down. After a while, a soft ball fell on his head. It's very heavy, it's An Lushan's huge belly.
One of his duties was to put his head on An Lushan's belly, which was regarded as the third leg to support his big belly.
The attendants finally helped An Lushan off his horse, and Li Zhuer took his head out from under his belly and stepped aside.
Ahead, a red-robed eunuch came.
The obese An Lushan stepped forward nimbly, swinging his body from side to side, flinging his fat to both sides, like a spinning top.
"An Dafu is here so quickly."
"Oh, Duan Weng, you have to call me Hu'er and don't go outside. Hu'er misses you so much. He came a little faster. In order to see the saint earlier, Hu'er hurried all the way and lost a lot of weight. .”
"Hahaha, when Hu'er comes, Chang'an becomes lively."
The eunuch Duan Junheng was so amused that he laughed and was very happy.
With such a title, An Lushan's majesty as an envoy faded away, making him appear more comical and harmless.
Li Zhuer saw the right moment, took a box, and stepped forward to hand over the gift list.
An Lushan chuckled and said, "Hu'er will have someone deliver a little gift to Duan Weng's house."
"Thank you for your trouble." Duan Junheng smiled and stopped, reminding: "The saint was playing dominoes just now, so he will be summoned later."
"domino?"
An Lushan's round eyes widened, full of curiosity.
Duan Junheng said: "It's an interesting toy. The saint has been very happy recently."
"Hehe, here comes Hu'er, the most interesting plaything of the saint." An Lushan said, twisting the fat on his body.
Duan Junheng laughed again and asked people to send the birds, beasts and rare treasures into the forbidden garden first.
After the eunuch left, Zhang Lizhen rushed over for the interview.
"Big Mansion."
Although An Lushan was still smiling, he asked: "What's going on with the dominoes today?"
When he came to Beijing in previous years, the saints couldn't wait to see him...
~~
"Sage, Hu'er has arrived."
Gao Lishi leaned over and whispered a reminder.
Li Longji was touching a card with his eyes looking thoughtful. Suddenly his eyes moved and he put the card on the table without looking.
"What a fool."
Gao Lishi came forward to take a look, beamed with joy, and praised: "The saint's hand is really amazing!"
Li Niang's eyes widened, she was shocked at first, then sighed, curled her lips and said coquettishly: "My daughter finally won a little bit."
"Haha, when Hu'er comes, he brings me good luck with Hu's cards." Li Longji stroked his beard and laughed, "You go down first."
"Daughter, let's see what good gifts this Hu'er has brought."
Concubine Wu Hui was favored when Li Niang was born. It was rare for her to be with the saint since she was a child, and she had feelings for him. But she was obsessed with planning for her brother Li Heng, which was stupid and annoying.
She didn't mention this matter today, so Li Longji looked more pleased with her.
"Just watch it if you want, and don't talk any more."
While speaking, Li Longji glanced around and saw the documents handed over by Yang Hui, inviting the eunuch to present them to him.
Some facts can be seen clearly with just one glance.
As soon as Zheng Qian was convicted, the Ministry of Punishment had not had time to start the trial, and even the list of criminals had been drawn up. Pei Mian, who was also the censor and interviewer, was a deputy to Wang Xian. He was actually the spy of the East Palace. Take Zheng Qian away.
Both sides are well-calculated and executed skillfully. Unfortunately, something went wrong in the middle and the ugly appearance was exposed.
Only he still had doubts about Zheng Qian's manuscript, so Li Longji approached Gao Lishi and said, "Let Beiya ask clearly."
"Here."
"Call Hu'er!"
"Xuan! An Lushan, the governor of Fanyang and Pinglu towns, came to see..."
The game of cards has just stopped, Danfeng Palace has opened its doors, the treasure-presenting team slowly entered, and the palace city is bustling and festive.
There was a banquet in the Forbidden Garden, one wave after another.
~~
Dali Temple.
Du Hongjian was still trying to prove that Xue Bai went to Princess Xianyi's mansion on the day of the exam.
However, Li Daosuo, the Minister of Dali Temple, had temporarily withheld the verdict because of unclear evidence. He angrily scolded those who roared in the court and expelled them all.
Cui Qiao, the Minister of Rites, had a solemn look on his face and threatened to sue the saint. His disciple Yang Xuan was so young that he beat the court officials in public.
They are all human beings wearing purple robes. They look very majestic, but in fact, they don't want to get into any trouble.
So what if Yang Xuan hit someone?
The imperial concubine's nephew, who only qualified for the imperial examination, was taken to court for investigation. If you don't fight back after suffering such great injustice, wouldn't you lose the innocence and cuteness of a young man?
"Hahaha, I have a stomachache, as expected of you."
Yang Xuan left Dali Temple, patted Du Wulang on the shoulder, and laughed proudly.
"I heard that you were the one who took the lead in making trouble in Chun Wei, and you were the one in Qiu Wei. You are very capable in this regard. You will be my deputy from now on!"
"well."
Du Wulang knew in his heart that if he got too close to such a stupid son who was lucky enough to be a sycophant, his reputation would be ruined in the future. Oh, he would be beaten to death by his grandfather later.
He had no choice but to politely avoid it and turned around to look for Xue Bai.
In the distance, Xue Bai was actually talking to Wang Zhi. The two looked so close that Du Wulang was stunned.
…
"What did you just say to Wang Peipei?"
"He is so worried. How can he care about the annual exam?"
Du Wulang looked back and asked, "Why is he worried?"
"It's really annoying if something happens to my subordinates." Xue Bai responded casually, "Let's go to the Imperial College."
"Okay, Xue Changshou."
Du Wulang happily followed Xue Bai and babbled: "Did you know? With this trouble in autumn this year, who cares about the Jingzhao Mansion Examination? They are all watching the Imperial College Examination. From now on, we will talk about Jingzhao The head of the government will only know that it is you, Xue Shitou."
"What's the point of getting rid of your head? If you want to be the top scholar, you have to be the number one scholar."
"You really are." Du Wulang shook his head and said: "People have to be satisfied. This time I won the first place and are famous. Take your time."
Xue Bai didn't think so.
Passing the annual exam is in the plan. I took a lot of risks this time, and now it’s time to reap the rewards.
Before arriving at the Imperial College, Xue Bai turned into a secluded alley.
Two figures followed quietly.
"Mr. Lang."
"No one is following, right?"
"Lang Jun can rest assured that we are doing our work."
Xue Bai nodded and said: "Pei Mian has been used completely and can be eliminated. He knows too many of our secrets."
Lao Liang and Jiang Hai's eyes lit up and looked overjoyed.
"It's a pity that Yang Hui was incompetent and taught Pei Mian to escape."
"Just give us a chance to avenge our brothers with our own hands!"
"Can you find him?"
"Please tell me, Mr. Lang."
Xue Bai waved to Lao Liang and spoke in a low voice.
"Pei Mian went to the East Palace last night. The Right Prime Minister's Office followed this clue but found no one. It shows that the direction was wrong. Just now I talked with Wang Xian and speculated that Pei Mian mobilized the post horse in the name of the interview envoy of the capital. , quickly left Chang'an."
Lao Liang said: "Shall we follow this clue to investigate?"
"No."
Xue Bai said: "I guess Pei Mian must not have left yet. He made a few false moves and was waiting for others to think he had escaped before secretly leaving Chang'an. Just keep an eye on Li Jingzhong. No matter how long it takes, when this matter comes to an end, Li Jingzhong will definitely Go find Pei Mian."
"Understood, we are most familiar with the East Palace. We can find things that others can't find."
"Okay, have you been having trouble lately? Is it going well for your nephew to enter the private school?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Lang, it went very smoothly."
"Go ahead."
~~
Beiya.
Chen Xuanli frowned and glanced at the two manuscripts on the case.
Back then, he had witnessed the case of three common people with his own eyes, and he did not want anyone to bring up the old incident again.
In today's case, although Zheng Qian who wrote the manuscript was ungrateful, the person who made the anonymous report was also unkind.
Just as I was thinking of this, someone reported: "General, Jinwu Guard patrol envoy Guo Qianli said he has clues to report."
"Guo Qianli?"
Chen Xuanli thought that that fool was now demoted to a street patrol. I still don't know the rules. If something happens, I don't go to the South Yamen to report it, but come to the North Yamen.
"Let him in."
After a while, Guo Qianli strode towards this side, scratching his forehead and picking his nose from time to time as he walked.
Chen Xuanli shook his head and cursed: "You have so little potential."
"General, I found out something. I don't know whether I should say it or not."
"Come in."
Guo Qianli looked around and murmured: "The Longwu Military Office is so impressive. Oh, what does the Jinwu Guard look like?"
There is a difference between the Sixth Army of the North Yamen guarding the palace city and the Sixteenth Army of the South Yamen guarding Chang'an.
"explain."
"Didn't the Right Prime Minister's Office ask us to track down that person? Pei Mian, anyway, we are constructing the East Palace again. I found out that it is related to the unlucky guy who was captured by the general and sent to Beiya Prison. I didn't want to take care of this matter, so as not to be demoted again. He has resigned, alas, but the general also knows that the unlucky guy is locked up in Beiya Prison, and he is in exactly the same situation as I was at that time."
"Don't talk nonsense, just talk."
"What's the name of the unfortunate guy? I forgot about it."
"Zheng Qian, Zheng Sanjue."
Guo Qianli said: "Yes, Zheng Qian, the day before he was imprisoned, he met a man named Fang Guan."
Chen Xuanli took the imperial document and took a look at it, and said: "Prince Zuo Shuzi, the master of King Guangping, has been given an important position in the province, and is in charge of the renovation of Huaqing Palace."
"Zheng Qian arrived at Fang Guan's house at two o'clock in the morning. General, guess who else Fang Guan met before this?"
"I guess?"
Chen Xuanli glanced at Guo Qianli lightly, a little coldly, but he really guessed.
"Pei Mian?"
"General, can you guess this right?"
"Didn't Jinwu Guard find out this matter just after chasing Pei Mian?"
"Oh, yes." Guo Qianli said, "I'm surprised, it's such a coincidence. They met, and then Zheng Qian was taken away, and then Pei Mian took him out of the Criminal Department and escaped."
"What do you think?"
"I said Zheng Qian is an unlucky guy, just like me back then."
Guo Qianli is not a person who hides and tucks in. He tells as much as he knows.
Then there was a new guess about the matter.
Pei Mian was the secret chess player in the East Palace, and Fang Guan was in charge of liaison. The two contacted each other that day and burned a secret letter. Afterwards, Fang Guan met Zheng Qian again and asked not to let Xue Bai pass the New Year's exam. Zheng Qian refused and stepped on unburned paper before leaving.
Maybe someone in Fang Guan's house reported the matter to Youxiang Mansion. Fang Guan and Zheng Qian were good friends, and the manuscript might have come from Fang Guan. The Ministry of Punishment then took Zheng Qian for interrogation, not only to deal with the East Palace, but also to Find out why Pei Mian met Fang Guan.
When Pei Mian learned of this, he hurriedly took Zheng Qian away, but Yang Hui happened to be watching him. He thought he had been exposed, abandoned Zheng Qian, and fled overnight. His subordinates were at a loss and asked Zheng Qian to confirm that he did not know what was going on in the East Palace, so they threw him back home.
In this way, the major issues in this case are reduced to minor issues.
It should be noted that the sage did not want to punish Zheng Qian, who was a master of poetry, calligraphy, and painting, but that the inside story of the three common people's case was not allowed to be mentioned again. If Zheng Qian was really punished, it would make the matter worse, so it would be better to blame it entirely on Pei Mian.
The evidence is complete, consistent with the facts, and the explanation is reasonable...
Chen Xuanli walked a few steps, then suddenly looked at Guo Qianli and asked, "Do you want to go back to Beiya?"
"think."
Guo Qianli's eyes widened and he nodded without hesitation.
"General, I think too much!"
~~
In the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, Li Linfu had a gloomy face, full of displeasure.
Only then did he realize that Pei Mian was actually from the East Palace, and he immediately understood many things. No wonder he had often had trouble dealing with political opponents in recent years.
Fortunately, it was discovered at this time. If we continue to pursue it, we can severely defeat the East Palace.
It's a pity that Yang Hui was too ignorant and handed the evidence directly to the emperor without first coming to the Prime Minister's Mansion for discussion. The list of criminals was pulled open like a fig leaf, revealing the ugly state of the Right Prime Minister's Office.
However, this prince-in-law has always been such an uncontrollable, arrogant fool.
"Right Prime Minister, Du Wei wants to see you."
"What is he here for?"
Li Linfu pondered, suddenly thought of a possibility, and ordered someone to be brought here.
Du Wei will soon become the son-in-law of the right prime minister, but he doesn't even have a chance to meet him in person, so he can only salute outside the screen.
"Tell me, who asked you to come."
"My father-in-law, it's my brother Du Youlin who asked me to pass the message on my behalf."
"Whose words are you passing on?" Li Linfu said calmly: "Du Youlin is not qualified to talk to me yet."
Du Wei was a little embarrassed, so he simply spoke frankly.
"It's Shangzhuguo, Doctor Yinqing Guanglu, his servant, the salt and iron envoy..."
"If you want to be my son-in-law, just position yourself accordingly."
"Yang Wei heard that the Ministry of Punishment had prepared a list of criminals and handed it to the emperor. Some of them were salt officials under him. He confessed that he was very frightened and wanted to ask his father-in-law for mercy."
Li Linfu looked ugly.
The list came to the imperial court before anyone even started examining it. It was basically evidence of his guilt, and even a shame. I don't know if Yang Hao's words were sarcastic or meant to give him a step down, but it was painful to hear.
"How is he doing?"
"Yang Hao originally planned to bring the three ladies of the country to the imperial concubine to plead guilty, saying that he did not handle the salt affairs well. Although he received a lot of tax items from Hebei, the Ministry of Punishment obtained evidence of guilt..."
"That's enough." Li Linfu scolded: "Who gave you the courage to show your true self and show your yin and yang?"
Du Wei had no choice but to apologize and said, "Shall my father-in-law listen to his true words, or shall he listen to his son-in-law's brief statement?"
"explain."
"Yang Zheng's intention is that he wants the two positions vacated by Pei Mian, the interviewer of the capital and the censor of the palace."
Although these two positions of power are not of high rank, they are both deputy positions of the king and are quite crucial. Once it is given to Yang Dang, it is equivalent to allowing Yang Dang to put his hands under Wang Fei's armpits.
"Why?"
"If you don't give it to him, he will make trouble in front of the saint and use this incident to slander his father-in-law." Du Wei pondered and said: "If my father-in-law is willing to give it to him, then let the matter rest and he can give him some positions of authority. exchange."
"Change?" Li Linfu was surprised.
"For example, the director of Dali Temple, the prince's concubine Zuo, the sect leader Shizhong, and the person in charge of the renovation of Huaqing Palace...these are all important positions."
"Ah."
Li Linfu sneered.
As expected, it was not an exchange. None of these positions belonged to Party Yang. They all belonged to the East Palace, and they were the most critical positions in the East Palace.
But Yang Hao’s words really sounded nice.
Li Linfu is narrow-minded and rarely turns enemies into friends. This time, there was nothing I could do. Someone grabbed the sore spot, so after thinking about it, I could only agree.
"Tell them that I agree."
"Yes, father-in-law."
~~
The next day, the Imperial College dormitory.
Xue Bai took a long nap, and when he woke up, he was still lying there in a daze.
He actually wanted to know how the situation was progressing, but Li Longji, Gao Lishi, and Yang Yuhuan all warned him not to cause trouble again. This time he was taking the annual exam and had nothing to do with the case.
All we can do is wait.
Suddenly, the door of the dormitory was pushed open, and Du Wulang ran in with a roar.
"Look who's coming!"
Xue Bai looked up and saw Wei Shu and Su Yuanming, and stood up quickly.
"Students have seen sacrificial wine and business affairs..."
"And me?"
Another person stepped into the dormitory, it was Zheng Qian, a doctor from Taixue.
Xue Bai held the ceremony again and solemnly said: "I have met Dr. Zheng, and I would like to congratulate Dr. Zheng for redressing his injustice."
Zheng Qian stepped forward, held his hand, and said: "Since you have passed the annual examination, you must do your best in the spring. If you fail and return to the Imperial College, I will no longer be able to teach you."
"Doctor is still demoted?"
"I am satisfied to be safe and sound." Zheng Qian smiled kindly, leaned closer, and whispered: "Thank you very much. I will never forget this kindness."
Xue Bai smiled slightly.
A few people are aware of this kind of thing, so it’s not inconvenient to say more at this time. After chatting for a while, the three Imperial College officials went to inspect other dormitories.
Du Wulang looked at their backs and said cheerfully: "The second son of Qiu Wei, have you solved another big thing?"
"Second son Qiu Wei? You and Yang Xuan?"
"Hey, don't compare me to that fool, okay?"
Xue Bai looked at the sky and thought that since Zheng Qian was released from prison, Guo Qianli must have returned to the Sixth Army of Beiya. He didn't know if Yang Sui had fought for power or if Du Youlin could be promoted smoothly.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
"Let's go back."
He was in a good mood and decided to ask Du Youlin in person.
Thinking of this, I felt inexplicably looking forward to it.
"Let's go back."
Du Wulang was also very happy. This time he experienced another big event, and it was also a time for him to have a good talk with the Xue family brothers and sisters.
The two of them left the Imperial Academy, and he was about to drive his horse westward to Changshoufang. When he looked back, he couldn't help but be surprised.
"Hey, why are you...going east? Are you going to my house?"
Xue Bai got on his horse and started driving.
Looking up, there is a bird's nest under the eaves not far away.
Although it was already autumn, it still reminded him of a poem he had written.
"Double flies under the eaves, the breeze is beautiful in spring."
(End of chapter)
