Ning Shuo was taken away by the official, and he didn't know if someone had greeted him in advance. He was only taken to ask a few questions, and then he was put in the prison.
Now that it's autumn, it's hot outside, but it's damp and cold inside the prison. He has a broken leg, and he's still in pain when he arrives here. Ning Shuo couldn't care about this, his eyes were full of panic and fear.
Naturally, he did not dare to confess the people behind him, but fortunately, he was not interrogated many times. The only thing that made Ning Shuo panic was that he didn't know how long he would stay in this cell and when he would be able to go out.
Now that the leak of the question has been discovered, I don't know if it will affect him.
Ning Shuo thought a lot for a while.
The prison was very quiet, except for the sound of the chains shaking from the movements of the prisoners in the other cells. Ning Shuo also saw a mouse running over from the outside, and his hair stood up immediately, but the prisoner on the opposite side seemed to see nothing. Hearing his exclamation, he didn't even lift his eyelids.
Soon, the prison door opened, and someone came in from outside. The man was wearing a black cloak and a hood, covering his face. He went straight to the door of Ning Shuo's cell and stopped. Ning Shuo was stunned for a while, and immediately rushed over, "Sir!"
The voice of the person who came was hoarse: "Don't be loud."
Ning Shuo quickly closed his mouth, looking at him cautiously.
He asked in a low voice: "Sir, what happened? The exam questions were changed temporarily, and someone reported it, and the official took me to jail..."
"Don't panic, as soon as the time is up, I will send someone to rescue you." The black cloak said: "Just remember, don't expose us, if someone finds the person above, even me I can't protect you."
Ning Shuo responded quickly, and said hopefully, "Then when can I go out?"
"When the leak is over, you can go out."
Ning Shuo nodded, and then quickly asked, "Then, will this leak of the imperial examination involve me?"
"What are you afraid of?" Hei Cloak said, "If you can help me accomplish something, you will naturally benefit from you. Wouldn't it be better than going somewhere to be a seventh-rank sesame official?"
Ning Shuo, he didn't know what to say for a while.
"Then I can't be an official?"
"When the affairs of the adults are completed, then, no matter what official you want to be, the adults will reward you."
Ning Shuo's expression improved.
"You remember, no matter what, you can't publicize this matter. If it affects the adults, let alone an official, you may not even be able to get out of this prison. You have taken all the benefits. Is it comfortable? If you are obedient and do what we say, you will get more things in the future."
Ning Shuo nodded again and again. A lot of the money he got from selling exam questions went into his pockets, and it was replaced by his jujube red horse and Ning Qing's jewelry, so that he could live the same life as before after the Ning family split.
If he was allowed to spit out the silver, it would be a big problem for him.
"It's good that you know. When this leak is over, the adults will naturally compensate you well."
Ning Shuo responded, watching the man in the black cloak walk out, the door of the prison slowly closed, and he moved back to the depths of the cell, but his heart was half settled.
…
Ning Nuan struggled again and again, but took out the pen and paper again and wrote a letter to King An.
This time Xiangtao didn't say anything, and her eyes were full of sympathy as she watched the letter disappear into the doorway.
"Miss, if An Wang asks you to go out to see him, will you agree, Miss?" Xiang Tao said nervously: "If An Wang sees you, I don't know what to do."
Ning Nuan: "What's the matter?"
Xiang Tao thought for a while, but couldn't say why.
"He doesn't dare." Ning Nuan said, "If he had this idea, he would have written a letter to force me."
"Then what does King An want to do?" Xiang Tao asked.
What does An Wang want to do? Chu Fei's letter was quickly delivered, and what he wanted to do, he said clearly in his heart.
The letter asked Ning Nuan not to refuse the things he sent in the future. Only if Ning Nuan agreed, would he tell her about the leak of the imperial examination. And when he sent things in the future, he would also use Ning Lang's name so that no one would notice.
After Ning Nuan read it, she only felt funny in her heart.
Even Xiang Tao came over to take a look, and felt speechless: "His Royal Highness An Wang has worked so hard, just want the young lady to agree to this?"
Not to mention that Wang An wrote that kind of content in the letter, and now he finally got the opportunity to threaten their young lady, but only let their young lady agree to this kind of request. To be someone else... No, there is no other person, it is really hard to impress their young lady.
"Miss, do you want to agree?"
"If the things are received, they may not be able to pass the mother's test, which is another matter." Ning Nuan wrote the letter and said, "Just let him deliver the things, but if you don't accept them, that's our Ning family's gatekeeper. He doesn't listen to me."
Xiang Tao suddenly realized, and when she saw Ning Nuan finish writing the letter, she couldn't help but feel more sympathy in her eyes.
Chu Fei did what he said, and as soon as Ning Nuan responded, he immediately told her the cause and effect of this incident.
When Ning Shuo was studying in Jiangzhou, he met a person by chance, and by chance, he started to help that person and got a lot of benefits. He returned to Beijing this time for Qiu Wei, but he didn't expect that people he knew in Jiangzhou would also come all the way to the capital, contacted him again, and handed over the exam questions to him so that he could sell them to those candidates in the capital.
Therefore, Ning Shuo just used the excuse of an old friend from Jiangzhou to come to Beijing, and he ran outside every day. Those exam questions were sold all over the capital, and almost all the playboys in the capital who had no shortage of money bought exam questions from him.
Chu Fei also said in his heart that a few days ago, Zhu Hanshan came to him with a question, and he learned about the leak of the question, and then told the emperor about it. Now Qiu Wei's question has already been changed. . Those who bought the test questions were angry, so they blocked Ning Shuo after leaving the test room, beat him, and broke his leg.
As for Ning Shuo's arrest, it was also a secret that he sent someone to tell. He spread the news among the scholars, and those scholars were filled with righteous indignation, and it spread to the point where it is now.
Ning Nuan read the letter over and over again, but didn't dare to keep it for a moment, and burned with fear.
Watching the white paper turn to ashes in the copper basin, she patted her chest and said to Xiang Tao, "You can't tell anyone about this."
Xiang Tao obediently complied, she just didn't see what was written in the letter.
Ning Nuan never imagined that this matter was actually related to several princes. In the letter, Chu Fei didn't explicitly say that he obscured the people behind the scenes, but in what he wrote, he vaguely hinted at who the people behind Ning Shuo were. .
Ning Nuan's heart was pounding, she couldn't sit still, and hurriedly went to find Jiang Yunlan.
"Mother." Ning Nuan closed the doors and windows of the house and drove the servants away before asking nervously, "Mother, I ask you something, you must tell me honestly."
Jiang Yunlan was puzzled and replied, "Ah Nuan, as long as your mother knows about it, she will tell you everything."
"Our family..." Ning Nuan bit her lip, lowered her voice, and asked hesitantly, "Now that all the princes are adults, there are many supporters in the court, Dad... Dad, does he support anyone behind the scenes? "
Jiang Yunlan was surprised: "A Nuan, why are you asking this?"
"Mother, tell me, does Dad have any?"
"Your father doesn't have it." Jiang Yunlan didn't hide it, she told her everything: "Neither my father nor I dared to get involved in this matter, it's just A Nuan, why did you suddenly ask about this?"
"It's King An, he told me about the leak." Ning Nuan frowned and said, "King An said that my cousin is secretly working for a certain prince, and I'm worried that he will be involved in the matter of seizing the heir. Inside, it will also affect our family."
Jiang Yunlan was startled, and immediately asked, "Then did King An say, who is Ning Shuo helping?"
Ning Nuan shook his head.
"I discussed it with your father before, the second room, the second room..." Jiang Yunlan hesitated for a while, then raised a finger to signal to her: "Don't tell anyone about this, there is no relationship with the second room. We said that this is what your father and I guessed. Ning Qing wanted you to marry Liu Gongzi, which was also to win over your father. A Nuan, don't worry, my mother will handle the affairs of the second room this time. We and them will be left clean."
Ning Nuan was relieved.
…
Ning Shuo was in prison, and he didn't know what would happen in the future. There was no news about Ning Shuo's result, and the second room was in chaos.
The old lady sacrificed her face and went to intercede for her precious grandson, but this matter was of great importance, and Ning Shuo was a key figure. And the second lady tried her best to help Ning Shuo, for fear that he would have a bad life in the cell.
There was a lot of commotion about the imperial examinations, and the rankings would be released in half a month, but all the candidates were uneasy. In order to appease the examinees, the emperor gave an order, and the officials interrogated Ning Shuo overnight, and then posted a notice saying that the exam questions had not been leaked, and sent someone to spread the word among the examinees, saying that they would believe that the emperor would Do them justice.
All the candidates were nervous, but Zhu Hanshan was the most calm, and so was the Ning family. When I wish Han Shan had a good rest and the Ning family's affairs came to an end, Jiang Yunlan followed what she said and asked the Ning residence chef to cook a table of good dishes, and wished I wish Han Shan could pass the exam this time.
Zhu Hanshan just came out of the academy that day, and saw the Ning family carriage waiting at the door. As soon as he saw him coming out, he immediately greeted him.
"Young Master Zhu, this time I'm going to Ning Mansion." The servant who was driving the car said eagerly, "Madam said, congratulations to you that I missed it last time, I must congratulate you this time."
This has been said for a long time, and Zhu Hanshan did not refuse. After getting on the carriage, he asked, "I saw Ning Lang's cousin earlier, and it seems that Ning Lang's cousin also participated in the autumn festival. What happened after that?"
"Young Master Tang was taken away, Young Master Zhu, don't you know? His leg was broken when he came out of the examination room that day. The next day, an official came to arrest him. He has something to do with him." The servant sighed, "You don't know, Young Master Zhu, originally our old lady was expecting Young Master Tang to pass the exam, but now it's better, he didn't even participate in Qiu Wei, let alone fame. "
The servants of the Ning family were also shocked by this change.
Previously, everyone thought that Ning Shuo was the most outstanding person in the Ning family. There was a Ning Lang who did nothing and went to Qingzhou to study in order to escape Qiu Wei. After seeing the entire Ning family, only Ning Shuo was the best. Who knew that Ning Shuo would be thrown into prison when he turned his head, and he didn't know what to do in the future. Maybe he would never be able to participate in the imperial examinations again. Not to mention the importance of this matter, whether Ning Shuo can come back safely is a question.
The young master of the third room has not yet grown up, and going around in circles, he still has to rely on the incompetent Ning Lang of the big room.
Zhu Hanshan nodded, indicating that he knew.
When the carriage arrived at Ning's house, this time Madam Zhu was still waiting at the door, and when she saw him coming back, she immediately greeted him.
"Grandma, be careful." Zhu Hanshan hurried over to help her.
I wish the old lady very happy: "Mrs Ning said that this time is to congratulate you in advance for your success in the exam. She also said that after the list is released, she will come again to congratulate you, and she also said that she will go to the biggest restaurant in the capital to congratulate you. Woolen cloth!"
Zhu Hanshan: "How can you trouble Madam Ning so much?"
"I don't mind being troublesome." Jiang Yunlan said, "As long as you don't refuse, I'll be happy."
Zhu Hanshan thanked him again, and everyone walked to the table. The table was already full of various delicacies, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat. It was very rich.
Grandma Zhu said happily: "Mrs. Ning came to ask me what you like to eat. Look, these are all specially prepared for you by Mrs. Ning."
Seeing that Zhu Hanshan opened his mouth to express his thanks again, Jiang Yunlan quickly said, "If you want to thank him, write to Ning Lang next time. He asked us to thank him."
Zhu Hanshan could only close his mouth and hold back his gratitude.
It just seemed that God couldn't get along with Zhu Hanshan. Not long after they sat down this time, someone came outside again. It was the second lady who came to look for the old lady.
Seeing their lively congratulations, the second lady was jealous, and she said bitterly, "My son is in prison, and I don't know what the outcome will be. Mrs. Jiang, are you happy in your heart?"
Jiang Yunlan immediately rolled her eyes in an indelicate manner, causing the second lady's blood to surge, and she felt even more headache.
"Your son is in prison, what does it have to do with me? Now I am celebrating Zhu Hanshan, do you recognize him? He is our friend of Lang'er, the most learned person in Qingshan Academy, this autumn season, he will definitely be able to If you win the top prize, wait until next year's spring, the palace exam, maybe you can even get three yuan!"
Zhu Hanshan was embarrassed by what she said, lowered his head and put down his chopsticks.
But these words made the second lady even more excited.
In her mind, it was what her Ning Shuo deserved. But now the fact is that Ning Shuo is in prison, and she doesn't know what will happen in the future. Maybe she won't even be able to take the imperial examinations in the future. Looking at Jiang Yunlan's proud appearance, she almost fainted.
Just as she was about to have a seizure, Jiang Yunlan quickly reminded her, "There are still outsiders here, so be careful to let others see the joke and embarrass Ning Shuo."
The second lady was so angry that she had to hold back.
She blushed so hard that she glared at Jiang Yunlan angrily, but she was still thinking about what was on her mind, and hurriedly went to the backyard to find the old lady.
Jiang Yunlan thought to herself: She did the right thing by putting the celebration banquet outside the restaurant.
If I let the second family collide a few more times, this joy will be washed away.
It was rare for the second lady to come here, but not for some simple matter. She stayed in the old lady's house for a long time before leaving, but she calmed down when she left, as if the matter had been resolved.
Sure enough, when Ning Yanting came back, he was quickly called by the old lady.
The old lady's meaning was to ask him to walk away, and then take out the money to get Ning Shuo out of the prison.
Ning Yanting said in disbelief, "Mother, do you know how important Ning Shuo is now? The issue of this imperial examination leak is of great importance. Now many people are watching, and all the candidates are waiting for one. In the end, Ning Shuo is the one who sells the test questions, he is the most important, if he is gone, how should this matter be investigated?"
The old lady was dissatisfied: "As his uncle, can't you even help with this?"
"Ning Shuo did it himself. If he told me a little bit, I could stop him. Mother, how can you ask me to help him?" Ning Yanting said, "If you are If you really want to save Ning Shuo, why don't you persuade him to let him confess the people behind him earlier, so that the matter can be resolved earlier, Ning Shuo will come out naturally?"
The old lady was even more dissatisfied: "How do you ask Shuo'er to confess this matter that has no shadow?"
"what?"
"Shuo'er must have been wronged. He has been in Jiangzhou, and he has never communicated with these people in the capital. How can he steal the exam questions? Besides, what does he do by stealing exam questions? I'll definitely be able to pass the exam. Besides, isn't this exam question leaked?"
"That was because someone discovered it in time and temporarily changed the exam questions!"
The old lady: "Then Shuo'er is even more innocent! Since the exam questions have been changed, the exam questions sold by Shuo'er are also fake. Why should they arrest him?"
Ning Yanting was disappointed even knowing that the old lady's heart was all on her younger brother's side.
He coldly refused: "Mother, don't mention it again, I won't help you with this matter. If you really want Ning Shuo to come out, you might as well hire him early."
The old lady's eyes widened, as if she didn't expect him to refuse so decisively. It's just that after the separation, her right to speak is getting smaller and smaller, not to mention that she has a daughter-in-law who talks back to her all day long. The old lady thought about it, but she didn't have any seizures.
She said, "Since you don't want to help, you have to get some money out."
"Silver? What silver?"
"Shuo'er is in the prison, where is the place where he can stay, his leg injury is not yet healed, and the guards inside don't know how to bully him. It will cost a lot of money to manage this. You have to rely on Shuo'er, what is the situation of the second family, you know, they don't have that much money, you will get the money." The old lady said it as a matter of course.
Ning Yanting almost laughed angrily.
He didn't want to say more, so he said, "I won't care about Ning Shuo, no matter what the second brother wants to do, even if it's a penny, I won't take it out. In the future, you don't want it. Tell me again."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and left without giving the old lady a chance to teach her a lesson.
The old lady almost lost her temper, and ordered Jiang Yunlan to be called over. All the money of the Ning family is in her hands.
Jiang Yunlan's eyes lit up when she heard the words, she immediately picked up the abacus, dialed it, and said, "According to what you said, old lady, it will cost so much money to save Ning Shuo, so I'm afraid it won't be enough to sell the house."
"Sell the house? What kind of house?" The old lady didn't respond for a while.
"If the second brother and the others are willing to sell me the place where they live, I will naturally be willing to give the money." Jiang Yunlan put away her chin and said, "But if you let me give the money in vain, I will not agree. "
"you… !"
"I understand what the old lady means, but what does this Ning Shuo have to do with my big room? All my money will be left to Lang Er and A Nuan in the future. Ning Shuo is not my own, who is he? If you are born, let someone pay the money and tell me what to do?"
The old lady raised her finger and pointed at her, her fingers trembling and she was speechless for a long time.
Jiang Yunlan said, "Ning Shuo earned a lot of money by selling the exam questions. Before the old lady asks me for money, why don't I ask the second family first, where did Ning Shuo hide the money?"
When the old lady was excited, she turned her eyes seriously and fainted. The maid next to her hurriedly took out the pills for her to take. After a long time, the old lady woke up faintly, but where is Jiang Yunlan's shadow in the room
The second lady came to make a scene again, and was finally ordered by Jiang Yunlan to drive out mercilessly.
Before the leak was resolved, Ning Shuo hadn't come out of the prison, Qiu Gui was fragrant, and the township exam was released.
I wish Hanshan won the first place and understands Yuan in China.
On the day the list was released, Jiang Yunlan asked people to buy firecrackers to set off, and the crackling sounded for a long time. Madam Zhu and Zhu Hanshan were also picked up by her from Zhujia Village, and their faces were full of joy.