696
Today's morning has been dragged on until the afternoon.
However, the Nangong family, which had been closed for many days to thank guests, welcomed a delicate guest before they could inquire about the results. Pei Yuanchen, Nangong Cheng's husband-in-law, was talking with Nangong Cheng in Nangong Mu's study at the moment. Of course, it is all about the fraud case.
The atmosphere in the study was a bit dignified.
"Father-in-law has always been upright, and if he leaks the topic, it is nothing at all," Pei Yuanchen said seriously, "There must be a possibility of turning around this matter!"
Nangong Mu, who was sitting next to Pei Yuanchen, smiled wryly and sighed. He couldn't be as optimistic as Pei Yuanchen, and neither was Nangong Cheng.
Pei Yuanchen is also a smart person, so he noticed it immediately, and asked tentatively: "Second uncle, eldest uncle, what's the inside story behind this matter?"
Nangong Mu and Nangong Cheng looked at each other, and then Nangong Mu said: "Yuanchen, this matter is too involved," with a deep sense of helplessness in his tone, "I know that you have recently contacted the courtiers to prepare for a performance. The Nangong family has made a note of your kindness, but you must not be impatient, this matter must be put on hold for a while... It is better to stop calmly first, and then see, if there is still a chance for things to turn around, you can try to help push it away Otherwise, don't even plant Jian'anbo Mansion in it..."
If there is still a chance for this matter to turn around, Pei Yuanchen pushes it to cater to the holy will. But if the emperor intends to use the Nangong family to quell the dispute, and Pei Yuanchen mobilizes the crowd, then the emperor may think that the Nangong family is forming a party for personal gain, gathering crowds to threaten Shengjia, and if it fails, it will also implicate the Jian'an residence.
Hearing Nangong Mu speak so seriously, Pei Yuanchen couldn't help thinking.
The Nangong mansion is a civil servant, but the Jian'anbo mansion is a nobleman, and the nobleman entered the official position under the shade of Meng, which has nothing to do with the imperial examination... If there is anything that involves both the civil servants and the nobleman, it is really absurd Countable, such as seizing the heir...
Thinking about it, Pei Yuanchen's complexion changed slightly, thinking about the three county kings, and thinking about the twists and turns of the crown prince...
This matter really needs to be handled carefully.
"Second uncle, my nephew understands." Pei Yuanchen solemnly agreed.
Nangong Mu showed a hint of relief on his face, and thought: Fortunately, my niece has found a good son-in-law.
Nangong Cheng also curled his mouth slightly, stood up, clasped his fists in a serious manner and said, "Yuan Chen, I'm counting on you, big sister!"
It was his duty to take care of his wife, and Pei Yuanchen was about to answer, when there was a sound of messy footsteps outside, mixed with a panting shout: "Second Master... Jin... Jin Yiwei is here... Jin Yiwei is here again!"
The three men in the study all looked condensed, and went out, but saw a young man running in a hurry, the young man saluted, and said anxiously: "Second Master, Eldest Young Master, Jin Yiwei is here!" , has been surrounded outside the mansion, saying that it will be searched."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a group of Jinyi guards walking towards this side not far away, and the leader was Lu Huaining.
Lu Huaining strode forward and politely clasped his fists at Nangong Mu: "Master Nangong Mu, I came here to search under the order of the emperor. I have offended you so much, please forgive me."
It's a disaster that can't be avoided, Nangong Mu sighed in his heart, now, Nangong Mansion is just a small boat in this turbulent sea, I don't know where it will drift, if one is not careful, a huge wave will hit, and the whole will be destroyed .
Lu Huaining looked at Pei Yuanchen again, and said, "Pei Shizi, the emperor has orders to temporarily seal the Nangong Mansion, so please come back, Shizi Pei."
Pei Yuanchen hesitated for a moment. The current situation seems to be extremely unfavorable to the Nangong family, so he should hurry back and discuss with his father.
Thinking of this, he bowed to Nangong Mu and Nangong Sheng, and then left Nangong Mansion under the leadership of a Jin Yiwei.
For the Nangong family, this wave of storms has just begun. At best, it can only be regarded as overcast clouds and strong winds...
Pairs and pairs of eyes from all the prefectures in the royal capital secretly watched the movement in Nangong Mansion, either watching, worrying, bewildered, gloating, or harboring malicious intentions.
Half an hour later, Lu Huaining left in a mighty manner with a group of guards in brocade clothes, and entered the palace again to report to the emperor in the imperial study.
After listening to Lu Huaining's confession, the emperor waved him away with a sinking face, leaving only the emperor and Eunuch Liu who was serving at the side in the imperial study.
The emperor couldn't hold his face any longer, and sighed helplessly.
It is said that the emperor is the son of heaven and the lord of the world, but who can know the helplessness of being an emperor...
In fact, the emperor didn't believe that Nangong Qin dared to cheat for personal gain in Enke, and he also wanted to keep Nangong Mansion!
Nangong's family is the head of the Shi Lin, he was originally selected by him to assist Xiaowu, and Nangong Yu is Xiaowu's companion, getting along with Xiaowu day and night, the two of them are brothers and sisters. The emperor can imagine that if there are no accidents, after Xiao Wu successfully ascends the throne in the future, Xiao Wu and Nan Gongxin will surely spread a good story about the relationship between the monarch and his ministers, and the future generations will be beautiful...
But now, the situation has come to this point, and the Nangong family is in danger...
If something really happened to the Nangong family, what would Nangong Yue, the eldest concubine of Prince Zhennan who is far away in southern Xinjiang, think
The Zhennan Palace has always been a knot in the emperor's heart. Originally, Nangong Yue married into the Zhennan Palace. With Nangong's family in the capital as a buffer, it is inevitable that the Zhennan Palace will be scruples...
However, these officials kept making troubles again and again, which caused turmoil in the court and the whole court. The trouble was too big, and it reached the point where the emperor couldn't suppress it even if he wanted to.
Thinking about it, the emperor's eyes were gloomy, and he rubbed the tangled brows, feeling a dull pain in his forehead.
The imperial examination is to select talents for the country. For those literati and students, it is also an opportunity to change their destiny. If the fraud incident this time cannot be calmed down and the people of the world cannot be given an explanation, it will chill the hearts of scholars all over the world... In the end, it will shake the hearts of the people and affect the government.
The consequences could be disastrous!
Now the situation is getting more and more tense. If he doesn't control it, it will be a catastrophe for Dayu and shake the foundation of the country.
If he wanted to suppress the resentment and injustice in the hearts of the court and the students, he could only sever his wrists—
Only by sacrificing the Nangong clan!
Although it was a pity, there was nothing he could do.
As an emperor, the most important thing is the way of balance!
In just one cup of tea, the emperor's complexion changed several times, from hesitant to making up his mind until now.
At this moment, a small servant walked into the imperial study room, presented the notebook with both hands respectfully, and said that Nangong Qin Gang in the prison had submitted the notebook.
An excerpt from Nangong Qin? ! The emperor's expression was a bit complicated, thinking that he had made a decision just now, and was about to tell the little servant to put the book aside, but the little servant continued: "Your Majesty, Mr. Nangong said that he can prove that he can get a scholar in this subject. It's fair to…”
The little servant held the bag high, not daring to look up at the emperor's face.
The emperor's eyes sank slightly, he hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Send it up for me to have a look."
The waiter first handed the book to Eunuch Liu, and then Eunuch Liu presented it to the emperor's imperial case.
After the emperor opened the booklet, he only took one look, but his pupils shrank slightly, and his expression became a little subtle. Even Eunuch Liu, who claimed to know the emperor fully, couldn't see through the emperor's happiness and anger at this moment.
It was quiet in the imperial study, and the little servant naturally knew that the emperor was in a bad mood because of the recent fraud case, so he waited tremblingly, not even daring to take a breath.
After a while, the emperor closed the booklet casually, and ordered to Eunuch Liu beside him: "Huairen, pass on the order, saying that the palace examination for the present subject will be held in three days, and the answer sheets of the palace examination will be transcribed by several senior scholars and announced in the Gongyuan." …”
"Yes, Your Majesty." At the same time as he responded, Eunuch Liu inevitably showed a little surprise on his face. He didn't expect that the fraud case had not yet reached a conclusion, but the emperor wanted to hold a palace examination at this time, which seemed to be putting the cart before the horse. I don't know what Nangong Qin's book wrote that made the emperor move this idea...
The corner of the emperor's mouth curled slightly, and he continued: "Although the general examination has ended, the palace examination has not yet started. I can actually give it a try whether the students on the list have real talents and knowledge. Those students will suspect that the chief examiner is cheating. Do you suspect that I am greedy for profit?"
As long as the palace examination is held, it will be clear whether those students cheated in the Enke general examination, and the turmoil among the court and scholars can be calmed down, and their mouths can be blocked!
Eunuch Liu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took orders to retreat.
Eunuch Liu served the emperor closely, so of course he saw all the entanglements of the emperor in the past few days. It's all a great blessing!
The emperor was left looking down at the paperwork on the imperial case, and murmured, "Since the fraud case came out, no civil or military man in the Manchu dynasty could give me advice. In the end, it was Nangong Qin..."
The faint voice of emotion disappeared in the imperial study room in an instant...
The emperor made a decree, and the students kneeling in front of the palace gate started a commotion again, whispering to each other.
As the saying goes, if it is a mule or a horse, you will know when you pull it out for a walk!
Although the emperor's decree did not completely satisfy the students, it calmed them down a lot. Most people felt that this might be a solution.
Whether there is any cheating will be known after the palace test!
The students scattered away in twos and threes. Not long after, the crowded palace gate became empty again...
The news of the emperor's decree to continue the palace examination quickly reached Han Lingfu's ears, including the fact that the students who had gathered around the gate of the palace had dispersed.
Hearing this, Han Lingfu, who was drinking tea, froze and almost dropped the celadon teacup in his hand.
Obviously, he had arranged everything well, and it was only a matter of one breath, but he did not expect such an accident to happen!
Why did the emperor suddenly think of holding a palace examination on the cusp of this storm? !
Originally, he was thinking that Zhu Yushi would take advantage of the victory in the court hall tomorrow morning to formally convict Nangong Qinxieti of cheating, making him and the entire Nangong family completely unable to turn over, but he did not expect that the winning ticket was in his hands It's out of control...
Han Lingfu's hand holding the teacup exerted a little force subconsciously, his brows were deeply furrowed, and he was so angry...
Xiao Lizi looked at Han Lingfu's forehead with blue veins throbbing, and said cautiously: "My lord, what should we do now?"
Han Lingfu put down the tea gu, took a deep breath, calmed down a little, and said, "Who is the current Ke Huiyuan?"
Xiao Lizi hurriedly replied: "Huang Hetai is a member of Jingzhou, he is an idiot. Here is an article he wrote before, my lord, do you want to read it?"
Han Lingfu gestured to Xiao Lizi to bring this person's article.
The article is about tax reduction. In the article, Huang Hetai praised the former emperor and the present for creating this prosperous and prosperous world. He suggested that the bad governance of the previous dynasty should be used as a mirror of governance. The demise of the previous dynasty was mainly due to excessive taxes and excessive exploitation of the people. Now the imperial court should reduce taxes and reduce the burden on the people.
The rhetoric is gorgeous, but it has nothing to say, avoids the important and ignores the trivial, and does not fundamentally analyze how to reduce taxes, the impact and disadvantages of the tax reduction on the court, and how to solve subsequent problems...
Han Lingfu only read half of it, and then put the article aside. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a sarcastic arc.
This person is really an idiot, if he hadn't known the exam questions in advance, let alone Huiyuan, it would be impossible for him to get the title on the gold list.
As long as this Huang Hetai goes to participate in the palace examination, he will definitely make a fool of himself in front of his father, then the essays written by this person in the palace examination will become ironclad evidence, and Nangong Qin can't escape "fraudulent favoritism"!
Thinking about it, Han Lingfu felt better, and ordered Xiao Lizi to serve him with pen and ink.
Seeing that the master was in a good mood, Xiao Lizi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and skillfully prepared his pen and ink.
After pondering for a while, Han Lingfu wrote a letter to the second imperial brother Han Lingguan in a vigorous effort. The letter contained only a few sentences, which was to ask Han Lingguan to wait for the palace examination, let Zhu Yushi take advantage of the victory, and make sure to put the Nangong family to death.
Han Lingfu read the letter paper again, curled up his mouth triumphantly, and was about to let Xiao Lizi dry the ink, but when the words came to his mouth, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated two beats, and a strange cold feeling surged from his heart As if his internal organs had been soaked in ice water, his body trembled violently...
"boom!"
The teacup in his hand fell from between his fingers, fell to the ground and smashed into countless pieces, hot tea and broken porcelain splashed all over, and the study was in a mess.
It was only then that Xiao Lizi realized that something was wrong with Han Lingfu. He was still sitting behind the desk, but his face was as pale as paper, his fingers were shaking like chaff, and his breathing was heavy and long like a cow's panting...
"Hoo-hoo-"
With the sound of heavy breathing, Han Lingfu's forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Xiao Lizi was in a hurry, and asked nervously: "My lord, what's wrong with you? But what's wrong with you?"
Han Lingfu is a martial arts practitioner and has always been in good health. Seeing his sudden weakness, Xiao Lizi panicked, "Your Majesty, this servant is calling for the imperial physician..."
"Wait... wait!" Han Lingfu called out to Xiao Lizi with almost all his strength, his robe was already soaked in cold sweat. Xiao Lizi didn't know what was going on, but Han Lingfu knew it well.
Ever since he became suspicious a few days ago, he secretly poured out the soup that Bai Muxiao made for him. One day, two days, three days... His body became more and more uncomfortable, and he often felt sick in the middle of the night. Waking up with a start, heart palpitations, unable to fall back to sleep...
In fact, he already had the answer in his heart, the answer that made him unbelievable and heart-wrenching, but he always held a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping that he was wrong.
Now, there is no room for him to escape anymore!
The truth was already in front of his eyes.
"My lord..." Xiao Lizi hurriedly supported Han Lingfu's crumbling body, looked at his master worriedly, always felt that his illness was not simple...
Han Lingfu took a few breaths, gritted his molars, and said, "Quickly, go and ask Imperial Physician Liao to come over..."
"Yes, my lord." Xiao Lizi responded, and hurried out of the study, ordering a guard to quickly invite Imperial Physician Liao over quietly.
The guards led away, and Xiao Lizi went back to the study. The ominous premonition in his heart became more and more intense: Imperial Physician Liao was familiar with the prince, and since the prince ordered to call Imperial Physician Liao over, he just didn't want his illness to be recorded by the imperial hospital. …
My lord, what is the reason for his illness? !
For Han Lingfu, the waiting time became so difficult. He felt as if he had never felt so uncomfortable all over his body. There seemed to be countless bugs biting him in his limbs and bones, which made him wish...
His nails dug deeply into the palm of his hand, and his teeth almost bled.
"My lord, how about my servant helping you to rest on the Arhat's bed..." Xiao Lizi suggested cautiously.
Han Lingfu shook his head, his body was so uncomfortable that he almost shrank...
After a stick of incense, Imperial Physician Liao finally came panting with a medicine box. Just as he was about to salute, he heard Han Lingfu say with difficulty: "There is no need to be too polite, just take a look for me!"
Physician Liao saw Han Lingfu's pale face, so he immediately obeyed, sat on a round stool next to the desk, and stretched out three fingers to feel Han Lingfu's pulse...
The study room became quiet, and Xiao Lizi wiped the sweat off Han Lingfu's forehead with a white towel from time to time. After the most uncomfortable moment, Han Lingfu seemed to have recovered a bit, but his face was still pale without a trace of blood, and his breathing was heavy...
Under Han Lingfu's gloomy abyss-like gaze, Imperial Physician Liao's complexion changed slightly, and after repeated pulse testing, he blurted out in surprise: "Have you ever taken Wuhe ointment recently?!"
For a moment, there was a dead silence in the study, so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling could be heard.
Wuhe ointment? ! It's really Wuhe ointment!
Han Lingfu was horrified, he didn't know whether it was panic or resentment...
How dare she, how would she, how could she!
Han Lingfu clenched his fists subconsciously, and after a while he ordered Xiao Lizi to offer a reward and send away Doctor Liao.
After being locked in the study for another quarter of an hour, Han Lingfu felt a little better again, so he suppressed the discomfort and hurried back to the inner courtyard, and then went straight to the Xinghui courtyard.
"My lord."
Bai Muxiao got up to greet her with a smile. She was wearing a moon-white silk gown with plum, bamboo and chrysanthemum, and a loose bra on her head. She looked as beautiful as ever, as if she had never changed...
However, in Han Lingfu's eyes at this moment, he felt as if he had never known this woman before!
Han Lingfu couldn't bear the anger he had suppressed all this time, and asked sharply, "Say! What kind of soup did you give this king?"
Han Lingfu stared at Bai Muxiao with red eyes, his face was a bit ferocious, not like the gentle and jade-like Prince Gong in his usual days!
Bai Muxiao was startled, and then smiled: "My lord finally found out!"
The smile is as bright as a spring flower, as if it is a no big deal.
She already knew that this matter would not be hidden for long, and since she dared to do it, she was not afraid that Han Lingfu would find out.
What's more, Han Lingfu only found out now, it's already too late!
"Snapped-"
The next moment, a loud slap resounded throughout the room, Bihen and Biluo gasped, but they didn't dare to go forward.
There was a bright red palm mark on Bai Muxiao's snow-white cheek, and even her cheek was slightly swollen.
"You bastard, how can I be sorry for you, you dare to harm me!" Han Lingfu was so angry that his face was livid, and the air pressure in his chest made him almost breathless, and all kinds of feelings rushed up in his heart.
Hate, anger, and even more heartbroken!
It was as if there was an invisible big palm tightly holding his heart in the palm of his hand.
Han Lingfu thought that he was not mean to Bai Muxiao, put her first in everything, loved her, pitied her, pampered her, treated her like jewels, for her, he did so much, sacrificed so much...
But she actually treated him like this, secretly gave him a fatal blow!
This woman is simply a wolf-hearted dog, wasting all his true feelings in vain!
How can a mere slap resolve the anger in his heart, he raised his hand and slapped it away...
If you don't guard against it the first time, if you don't behave well the second time, you will be a fool! Bai Muxiao sneered in her heart, how could he get away with it again, she twisted her body and avoided it.
She looked at Han Lingfu with contempt, and said, "Although it is said that people who make big things don't care about small things, no man who beats a woman can make big things happen."