When the King of Wei saw the defense of several great bachelors, he was already so angry that his veins were bulging and his eyes were wide open with anger. He pointed at the bachelor who had just answered and shouted: "That's nonsense. I've obviously never changed this list... It's you... you guys They framed me with ulterior motives."
When King Wei reached the end of his sentence, he began to roar at the top of his lungs.
"Okay!" Emperor Han stopped King Wei and said, "In such an important matter as the scientific examination, as the chief examiner, how could you make such a low-level mistake? And you, the great bachelors, are also guilty of negligence."
At this time, Xu Bingde, Secretary of the Ministry of War, said: "The imperial examination is the top priority of our dynasty in selecting talents. Although the King of Wei committed such a heinous crime, it was mainly because these fellow examiners and bachelors did not play a supervisory and supporting role. So I ask your Majesty to forgive King Wei."
The Han Emperor had not yet begun to convict the King of Wei. Xu Bingde's words immediately put the Han Emperor in a dilemma. Although the King of Wei was not very smart, he could hear the implication of Xu Bingde's words. This rhetoric was not intended to save him from the siege. It was clearly pushing him into the fire pit, and it was nothing more than pulling the four old men together to take the blame. That’s all. But what Xu Bingde said made Liu Xu unable to refute.
Liu Xu looked at the Han Emperor with tears in his eyes, "Father, I am really unjust... If they tell me clearly about this, I will definitely not dare..."
Emperor Han looked at his highness's ministers helplessly, hoping that someone would stand up and give his son a step down. However, the more this time, the more silent the palace became, and all the ministers were silent.
At this time, Cui Hao, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, glanced at Prince Ning and knew that this was the right time, so he answered, "Your Majesty, I have something to say to you, Cui Hao."
"explain!"
"The reason why the imperial examination selects talents and allocates quotas according to provinces is for the sake of peace of mind, fairness and justice, and to eliminate cronyism. This time, the top three are all from the north. I am afraid that it will cause dissatisfaction among the southerners, and then the people will be divided. ah!"
Cui Hao's words made King Wei even more depressed. Although he did not directly state the crime of King Wei, he revealed the consequences that Emperor Han was most afraid of.
Just when the Han emperor was about to question Wei Wang Liu Xu, the imperial censor Du Zongting came up with this memorial.
Du Zongting endured it for a long time and did not dare to speak, but when he thought of the Queen Mother, he mustered up the courage to say: "Your Majesty, I feel that this scientific examination has caused such consequences, so it is better to think about how to deal with this matter first. Let’s appease the candidates from all over the country first, and as for King Wei’s negligence, it won’t be too late to make a decision after the matter is appeased.”
When Emperor Han heard Du Zongting's words, his frowning brows relaxed a lot at the moment.
Prince Liu Yan also quickly added respectfully: "Grandpa Huang, Lord Du is right. This time, the Nine Princes were all mistaken because of these rotten scholars. Now candidates from all over the country are gathering in the capital. If this matter is not dealt with in time, I am afraid that there will be It has delayed some candidates who are far away, so the top priority should be to rearrange the rankings of the top three in the first class of Jinshi."
When King Ning saw that the prince would open up for King Wei, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Emperor Han nodded with satisfaction, "What the prince said makes sense. I also read it last night. Among the original lists, there is no objection to the three people in the martial arts department. As for the three people in the Jinshi department, except for the same geographical area, the article was written It is indeed good, such as Lu Zuo and Lu Renxiang from Shanzhou. The other Gao Han from Puzhou is second. In this way, I think the third best person should be filled by the next one! What do you guys think? ?”
At this moment, Xun Yu knelt down and loudly reported: "Your Majesty, I have a word."
"Well! Lord Wei, please tell me!"
"I have met Lu Zuo and Lu Renxiang several times. They are actually brothers. This Lu Zuo is Lu Renxiang's biological brother..."
Before Xun Yu could finish his words, Emperor Han was shocked and angry. Then he slapped the handle of the faucet hard and said angrily: "How could this happen? Since we are brothers, why didn't we investigate clearly and make a hasty decision?" The two are the top three. Come here, take these bachelors to prison first and await trial."
After the Emperor of the Han Dynasty said this, several Jingua warriors dragged several bachelors down to the hall. King Wei was so frightened that his whole body was covered with sweat. He was trembling and speechless, so he could only kowtow and beg for mercy.
The Emperor of the Han Dynasty suddenly couldn't bear to see his ninth son, Liu Xu, in such a miserable state. However, it was difficult for the ministers to say at this level, "Liu Xu, how should I deal with you?"
The Han Emperor's words were full of helplessness and concern, and there was also a hint of hatred in his words.
It was still the prince Liu Yan who said calmly: "Grandpa Huang, my grandson feels that Uncle Ninth Prince is also being deceived by others, so I would like Grandpa Huang to be extra kind. After all, Uncle Wang is also of royal blood."
Emperor Han looked at his grandson Liu Yan with great satisfaction. He did not expect that as a prince, he would be so ambitious.
Standing aside, Prince Ning finally understood that this was not a plea, but that he had clearly seen the opportunity to show his courtesy to the emperor. So King Ning also reported loudly: "Father, in my opinion, this scientific examination is generally satisfactory. However, although there are some discrepancies among the top three, fortunately they have not filled in the results. Therefore, the ninth brother's guilt is not necessary. I am eager to make a conclusion. So now we have to draw up a separate ranking, and the best ones will fill in the rankings."
Emperor Han gently touched his raised beard and felt a little relieved, "You are absolutely right. All my dear friends, please get up first!"
All the ministers stood up in unison, knowing in their hearts that the Holy One might have calmed down some of his anger.
Then Emperor Han raised his head without saying a word, thinking about how to determine the name. Suddenly he remembered that the name Lu Zuo seemed to have been heard before, so he asked: "Who is this Lu Zuo? I seem to have heard someone mention it before." .”
Xu Bingde, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, even reported: "The reputation of Lu Zuo is now well-known in the capital. I heard a while ago that he can carry a cauldron and is as strong as General Xun!"
"Oh?" Emperor Han couldn't help but become curious. He had indeed heard of this name.
Xu Bingde continued: "And there are also rumors in the world that 'Xun Mou and Lu Zuo are the best in the world'!"
After hearing this, the Han Emperor laughed out loud at this ridiculous fallacy, "It is enough for me to have General Xun. This Lu Zuo is just a scholar and has not even held an official position, so he dares to compare with General Xun in our dynasty. It’s simply a matter of ignorance.”
People in the court also started talking, saying that Lu Zuo was too ridiculous.
Emperor Han then made a decision and said: "I have already decided that the top spot will be filled by Lu Renxiang, Lu Zuo's younger brother, Gao Han will fill the second spot, and the fourth spot will be filled by Lu Zuo this time. The results of the examination will be invalidated, and you will be allowed to take the examination again after three years. As for Wei Wang Liu Xu..."
