The results came soon from Dongchang.
After notifying Zhu Youtang, Xiao Jing personally came to the cabinet duty room and invited Liu Jian out. After the two talked outside for a while, Liu Jian returned to the duty room.
"How is it?" Xie Qian went over to ask.
Liu Jian shook his head: "I have sent people to Keqin's house and the Hanlin Academy, but found nothing useful."
Xie Qian laughed and said: "That's right. How could such a thing leave any paper evidence? No matter how you look at it, it looks like it was made out of nothing."
The general meaning is that there may be something, but the evidence is difficult to find.
Liu Jian looked at Li Dongyang, who had been sitting silently, and asked, "Binzhi, why did you bite Keqin so hard in the court today?"
This is what Liu Jian is most concerned about.
Liu Jian waited until Dongchang had completed the investigation and was sure that Cheng Minzheng would not be investigated again before asking Li Dongyang.
It can be said that the reason Liu Jian only stood in an ambiguous position and said he had no opinion before was that the views given by Li Dongyang made him unpredictable.
Normally, Liu Jian could just say that there is no need to investigate. It's a bit ridiculous not to mention it in advance. Even if there is really such a thing, where can he find the evidence?
Isn't this the rise of jail for no reason?
Li Dongyang looked very cautious and said: "If I said that some of those questions have been swirling in my mind and I have thought about them as questions, would you agree with my view of pursuing them?"
Xie Qian smiled and said, "Don't laugh at me. How is this possible?"
Originally, Xie Qian only thought that Li Dongyang was joking.
But looking at Li Dongyang's expression carefully, the smile on Xie Qian's face froze.
Li Dongyang's serious face didn't seem like he was joking.
Liu Jiandao: "If this is really the case, Binzhi, you should check the people around you."
Li Dongyang picked up a copy of "Zhongyong Annotations" on the table, showed a dog-eared page to Liu Jian and Xie Qian, and then said: "I only read this two days ago."
"this……"
Xie Qian went over to take a look.
The chapter that Li Dongyang turned over corresponds to the topic "A gentleman is neutral and does not rely on anything" in the second part of the examination questions presented in the main hall. In other words, the content that Li Dongyang read a few days ago actually appears in that article that is said to be written by Cheng. On the examination questions given by Min Zheng.
Liu Jian looked very serious and said, "Who else has been to the cabinet in the past few days?"
Xie Qian recalled for a while, shook his head and said: "Keqin has never been here. Logically speaking, even if you read this page, you may not be able to answer the question you have in mind. Binzhi, do you really want to ask this question?"
"I guess so."
Li Dongyang did not give an accurate answer.
The examiner hasn’t decided yet, and I haven’t even decided what the questions will be.
As a result, there was someone behind the scenes who helped him come up with the questions.
It came out very appropriately, in line with his expectations.
Liu Jian sighed: "No wonder you said those words in front of your colleagues, but it is also easy for His Majesty to think that you are guarding against Keqin. Speaking of which, his career has not been going well in recent years..."
Li Dongyang may not really want to fight Cheng Minzheng to the point of life and death.
Because Li Dongyang himself had already joined the cabinet, even if he was a little dissatisfied with Cheng Minzheng in terms of erudition, it would be difficult to compare with him in the future. As a cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, he probably knew that he had to let go of his prejudices.
Xie Qian said: "Will someone... calculate the question?"
"Um?"
Liu Jian and Li Dongyang looked at Xie Qian at the same time.
Xie Qian tried to analyze: "Look, there was a lightning strike from the sky earlier, which caused the Qingning Palace to catch fire, and then there was the earthquake in Xinye, Henan..."
The implication is that Zhang Zhou did this.
Liu Jian shook his head: "What's the point? Even if someone really has that magical power and can figure out the problem, he shouldn't publicize it everywhere. What's the benefit to him?"
Originally, Xie Qian was just using his imagination to make a hypothesis, which he almost believed.
But after listening to Liu Jian's words, Xie Qian's illusions were instantly extinguished like a basin of cold water.
Li Dongyang seemed very upset, mainly because his thoughts in his heart were discovered by others. He looked very anxious. He said: "Who can understand people's hearts? It seems that next year's exam will not be too easy. Even if no one answers the questions, Public opinion outside will not give up either.”
…
…
The person who leaked the question was naturally Zhang Zhou.
This is the simplest, most direct and most effective way Zhang Zhou could think of to change the direction of next year's conference.
Anyway, the butterfly effect has already started, and the questions for next year’s general examination are basically not guaranteed. It’s better to release the questions from the real historical Hongzhi 12th year’s general examination before the effect expands... I’ll give you some advance questions. , as long as the issue has arisen and been discussed by the DPRK and China, the issue is no longer an issue.
Zhang Zhou didn't understand why he had to do this at first.
But after he finished it, he thought about it and realized that he had to do it.
because……
He is too high-profile now. Historically, it was Tang Yin and Xu Jing who were involved in this case. It is likely that because of his high profile, those who competed with him will easily turn their jealousy on him, and they will also get involved in it.
Don't expect the emperor's favor.
Is Cheng Minzheng worthy of the emperor's appreciation? That was the emperor's mentor, and the emperor had been protecting him from beginning to end.
What happened in the end? Didn't he die from cruel torture in the imperial edict?
The king of hell is easy to deal with, but the devil is difficult to deal with.
So far, he has not had any interaction with the civil service group, and the civil service officials will not regard him as one of their own... When encountering such a big matter as a vend problem, the civil service officials are likely to use public opinion to treat him as an alternative. The scholar was led into the ditch.
Even if the emperor wants to protect him, it doesn't mean he will be able to protect him.
If anyone gets involved, do you expect the judicial system of the Ming Dynasty to give him justice? The death of Cheng Minzheng and the downfall of Tang Yin's life are the best negative cases.
In the past two days, Zhang Zhou had no intention of thinking about the consequences of releasing the questions.
Because he has two more noble disciples here to "make trouble", namely Zhou Ying, the eldest son of Qingyun Marquis, and Zhou Tang, the eldest son of Chang Ningbo.
This pair of cousins.
They looked down on Zhang Zhou, but their aunt had an order and had to come.
Zhou Yingnian was already in his thirties, while Zhou Tang was younger, about the same age as Zhang Zhou. The two of them came directly to the door, without asking for apprenticeships. They just said they would run errands for Zhang Zhou... This is a nice way of saying it.
To put it bluntly, they were just here to follow Zhang Zhou, and they had to supervise wherever Zhang Zhou went.
The cousins arrived less than an hour before they went home, saying they would come back the next day.
It was very difficult to cope with the fortifications.
Zhu Feng was a little unwilling and pulled Zhang Zhou to complain: "Brother Zhang, you must remember my going to the northwest. You can't let anyone else go, not even that kid Zhang Lun!"
Zhu Feng was very afraid that the opportunity he had to make meritorious deeds would slip by.
Now even the Zhou family began to send people to Zhang Zhou's side. He realized that it seemed that Zhang Zhou could not be trapped without resorting to any means.
Zhang Zhoudao: "I will do what I promised you. As for the two relatives from my relatives...do you think I really want to greet them? If they come again recently, just say that I am preparing for the exam at home and have no time to entertain them. I will try it later." Let’s talk about it after it’s over!”
Zhang Zhou really didn't like this way of leading disciples.
It would be okay if I gave him some good seeds.
They are all a bunch of incompetent people who have trouble even mounting a horse. What can they do?
Zhang Lun's situation is considered to be the best among the few. He has been practicing martial arts since he was a child.
Because Zhu Feng was not the successor of the family, he had only practiced martial arts for more than a year, and he was not able to study at a level that could pass the county examination. As for the two brothers of the Zhou family... they were not from the Wu Xun family, but from the maternal relatives' family. Children, don't even expect to have any future.
Zhu Feng sighed: "Who told you that you are so capable? You are probably just like my father now, you want me and you to make a name for yourself. Do you think it will be easy for the children of these princes and nobles? It is difficult!"
"hehe."
Zhang Zhou sneered at his statement, "There are so many complaints about guarding Jinshan! You really should be born in a poor family to see if you still have such leisure time!"
…
…
Inside the palace.
On this day, Zhu Houzhao went to Kunning Palace to have a reunion dinner with his wife and his family of four.
After eating, Zhu Houzhao specifically asked his father to test his talents, and his son took the initiative to call his father to the side hall of Kunning Palace.
"What's up?"
As soon as Zhu Youtang saw this posture, he knew that his son had nothing to hold in his stomach.
With your boy's resistance to studying, you still take the exam voluntarily? Only your mother believes your lies!
Zhu Houzhao said: "Father, I went to Qianqing Palace yesterday and saw a sand table over there..."
"oh."
Zhu Youtang nodded, "So what? It's not just for fun, and you don't want me to give it to you."
Zhu Youtang always kept the sand table made by Zhang Zhou in the back hall of Qianqing Palace. He would go and study it when he had nothing to do.
Zhang Zhou marked it so clearly that Zhu Youtang also tried to imagine the possible battles in it with the mind of a coach.
My son will always go to Qianqing Palace when he has nothing to do, and it doesn't matter if he is seen.
Zhu Houzhao said: "I went back and compared the map of northwest China that Zhang Zhou drew for me, and found that it was a terrain map around Piantou Pass. Is there going to be a war?"
"What?"
When Zhu Youtang heard this, his head buzzed, and blood almost spurted out of his ears.
How did this brat know such a secret?
Someone must have revealed it to him!
Zhu Houzhao was like a little leopard, with a strange light exuding in his eyes: "My son also saw some marks on it, and he guessed that the Tartars might be coming soon, and my father wanted to make secret preparations and send troops." Surround them and annihilate them!”
Zhu Youtang said coldly: "Who told you?"
"Then your father just admitted that this happened?" Zhu Houzhao said reluctantly.
Zhu Youtang said: "Do you want to be punished? Answer my question!"
Zhu Houzhao said with a distressed look on his face: "No one told me. I just compared it with the atlas Zhang Zhou gave me. I don't believe my father!"
After speaking, Zhu Houzhao took out a book from his arms.
To be precise, it is a hand-drawn map.
It describes the situation in various places in the northwest in detail. It was painted by Zhang Zhou for him when he was in retreat. He originally asked Zhu Houzhao to take it back as a souvenir just because he liked these things.
Zhang Zhou did this because he felt that he had to rely on his sons to use troops in the northwest.
You can't rely on your father who is famous for his kindness and filial piety.
It's just that Zhu Youtang is not dead yet, and the passing of the throne is still a bit far away.
Who would have known that although Zhu Houzhao was only a child, he showed great talent for military affairs. Coupled with his enthusiasm and research, he just looked at the sand table in the back hall of Qianqing Palace and compared and analyzed it with Zhang Zhou's atlas. Guessed what Zhu Youtang has not revealed to the ministers yet...
(End of chapter)
