As time passed by, the Qianqing Palace was eerily quiet.
On the contrary, Emperor Jiacheng seemed to be in a good mood, so he called the servant to change tea for him. After drinking a cup of tea, he set his eyes on Xue Tingxiang, who had always been very quiet below.
Yes, very quiet.
It makes people almost unable to feel his existence, but it makes people feel very surprised. Why is he like that old monk who has been in meditation for many years when he is not too old next year
Emperor Jiacheng knew that the old ministers standing below were all trained for decades, but the young man in front of him might not be in his twenties yet
"I don't know where Xue Juren is from?"
Emperor Jiacheng's words made the eyes of the people below narrow. Xue Tingxiang didn't seem to notice these sharp edges, and replied, "In response to your majesty, the students are from Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi Province."
"Xia County in Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi? If I remember correctly, Shen Aiqing is from Xia County?"
Being named by His Majesty, Shen Xue naturally couldn't continue to pretend to be dead, pressing his heart full of thoughts, he stepped forward and said: "Go back to His Majesty, Wei Chen is indeed from Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture, but Wei Chen has been away from home for many years, and he is very concerned about his hometown. memory has been blurred."
Listening to his sigh, it seemed that some words were off topic, and everyone present knew what Shen Xue meant.
After being away from home for many years, even the memory of his hometown is blurred, so naturally he will not have anything to do with Xue Tingxiang. But you Shen Xue left home, but the Shen family is still in Pingyang Mansion. Xue Tingxiang was able to pass all the way and get four top titles in a row. Does it have nothing to do with your Shen family
Maybe this is not only the voice of Wu Ge, but also everyone present. As a result, no one spoke up, and Emperor Jiacheng just smiled.
"Seeing that Xue Juren doesn't seem very old?" Today's Jiacheng Emperor was deliberately strange. He used to be cold-hearted, but today he was like a woman in the market interrogating him endlessly.
"If you go back to His Majesty, the student is nineteen years old."
"Nineteen, he's a talented young man."
"Your Majesty praised it."
"But you have a wife? Seeing that you have a good appearance and a reputation, you must have many women you adore?"
How does this make people answer? Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang was also experienced, and the natural soldiers came to block the water and cover the soil.
"The student is married and has a son who is two years old."
"I've become a father!" Emperor Jiacheng sighed and asked again, "You have passed the exam at this age, and you still don't know who you are studying?"
Here comes the main event.
In fact, long before Xue Tingxiang entered the palace, his family background was investigated. Of course, this is a bit of an exaggeration, but at least Xue Tingxiang was a student of Lin Miao, a scholar from the middle school, but he was known to everyone.
This is also the main reason why many people have remained silent, as long as the court is involved, there is no simple matter. Black and white are unclear, and no one will actively stir into the muddy water. Without this self-consciousness, they would not be standing in this place today.
So when Emperor Jiacheng asked about this, everyone's eyes couldn't help but bet on him, with either playfulness, scrutiny, or malicious rays of light.
Wu Ge has been waiting for this, which is one of the reasons why he has been able to stay still. Since he can sit in this position, he naturally has some guesses about his current temperament.
Emperor Jiacheng hated the most when someone played tricks in front of him, so how should Xue Juren, who beat the Dengwen drum, answer this question.
"In response to Your Majesty, the student teacher is the former editor of the Hanlin Academy, who is now Lin Miao." Contrary to everyone's expectations, Xue Tingxiang's frankness was a little surprising.
"Lin Miao? Lin Sheren?" Emperor Jiacheng said with a somewhat unclear attitude.
"Exactly."
This conversation between you and me makes people a little confused. Shouldn't it be to refuse to admit it, or to deceive one or two is the right way. Does this person know what Lin Miao's identity is, and is not afraid that His Majesty will misunderstand
As for misunderstanding what? Who doesn't know how Lin Miao, a member of the middle school, rose to the top? The prince was ill, and Fu Youde was disgusted and abandoned. Before suppressing the Beilu family, no one of these people present had done it.
In fact, some are not deliberately suppressed, but some positions should be inhabited by the virtuous.
What is virtuous? Naturally, it is powerful, and there are many good positions occupied by Beilu. No one moved before, because Beilu was neutral, and because Fu Youde was the prince's teacher. But the crown prince can't do it, Fu Youde has fallen, and apart from Fu Youde, there are really no people in Beilu to be afraid of, so when people leave, the tea should be cold.
But no one expected that His Majesty would mention Lin Miao. This was a signal that His Majesty still had an old affection for Beilu. As for the old affection, it was worth considering. But if Beilu doesn't give up and wants to take the opportunity to stir up the water, this is a provocation to His Majesty, with his stubborn character, the result is needless to say.
These thoughts flashed through the minds of many people present, including Xue Tingxiang.
"Lin Miao? Lin Sheren is a close minister and is always by my side. Why haven't I heard of him?"
Emperor Jiacheng's voice was so soft that everyone couldn't help but hold their breath.
"Students don't know about this matter. If Your Majesty is curious, you should have asked the teacher."
This is a little disrespectful, but it made Emperor Jiacheng laugh: "I listened to what you said, and it seems that I have a grudge against your teacher?"
Xue Tingxiang's face froze for a while. After all, he was still young, how could he hide it in front of these old-fashioned people.
"Students don't dare to complain, the teacher is the student's mentor, so what you say and do is naturally for the good of the students."
There are too many meanings revealed in these words. What did Lin Miao say and do, make this small group of people so angry.
Yes, yes, it must be this person who told Lin Miao that his exam papers had been changed. As Fu Youde's successor, Lin Miao had just been promoted. Now is the time to keep a low profile, so naturally he will not stand out for a student.
This matter is too involved, and if you are not careful, you will be attacked in groups. Given the current situation in Beilu, you can't afford to gamble and dare not gamble. And this son is too young, and the young man is successful. It was when he was in high spirits that he suddenly suffered such a big disaster.
As for what the consequences would be, it was not within his scope of consideration. The young man was not born with such vigor and vigor, he was invincible.
Emperor Jiacheng's eyes flashed and he said, "This Lin Miao is so timid and afraid, I didn't see it..."
At this moment, Zheng Ancheng hurried in, holding a few papers in his hands, but he didn't pass through the hands of outsiders.
"Your Majesty, the old slave is fortunately not humiliated."
"Bring it up."
The test paper was quickly held in front of Emperor Jiacheng, and Zheng Ancheng broke the seal on it with his own hands. This seal is set by the Ministry of Rites, and the general examination papers will be returned to the Ministry of Rites after the inspection period has passed. After the Ministry of Rites has verified that it is correct, it will be sealed and archived.
The four exam papers were lined up and spread out in front of Emperor Jiacheng, with the red paper that Xue Tingxiang had just presented beside him. After seeing it, Emperor Jiacheng ordered Xue Tingxiang to write with ink and ink, and inspected the handwriting on the spot.
Xue Tingxiang took the pen handed over by the little eunuch and wrote on the tray held by the other eunuch. It was just a blink of an eye, and a line of small words was left on the fine rice paper.
The eunuch held it up and showed it to Emperor Jiacheng. Emperor Jiacheng only glanced at it, and his face suddenly sank.
There was no warning, and he didn't know what he saw to react like this.
"Show it to Xue Juren." Emperor Jiacheng's tone was unpredictable, and people couldn't tell what he meant, but his displeasure was obvious.
A group of several eunuchs came to Xue Tingxiang with one copy in hand.
The first thing Xue Tingxiang saw was his own paper, both Zhu Mo and Zhu Mo were there, and the homepage was indeed his name and place of origin, but when he opened it, he was stunned.
This Zhu scroll is actually his handwriting!
He swept across the ink scroll at a very fast speed, then looked at the red scroll again.
There is nothing abnormal on the scroll, and the content on the Zhu scroll is consistent with the ink scroll. He stretched out his hand to pick up the Zhu scroll, and turned it over to his back, with two dots and three crosses on it, the same as what he saw last time.
At this point, Xue Tingxiang knew what was going on almost without looking at Wu Wenxuan's examination papers.
Someone actually forged the two-point paper.
The paper cut to Wu Wenxuan was supposed to be his handwriting, but now it has been changed to a different handwriting, so don't think it must be Wu Wenxuan's handwriting. The exam paper that was supposed to be Wu Wenxuan has now been exchanged for him, although the content was not written by him, but the handwriting was his.
Good trick! No wonder Wu Ge was so calm, and it turned out that he had made several preparations!
As expected of the elder Wu Ge, who has been in the court for so many years, even today he dares not touch it easily!
"Impossible! How is it possible!" Xue Tingxiang looked lost in disbelief.
Yang Chonghua and the others looked at each other. Emperor Jiacheng's face was not good, but Xu Shoufu always sat quietly like an old monk, his eyelids were half drooping the whole time, and he didn't know whether he fell asleep or what.
Old Wu Ge waved his hand and asked someone to bring the exam paper to him.
Emperor Jiacheng nodded, and the eunuchs holding the exam papers walked over. Old Wu Ge also called Feng Chengbao, Fei Qian and others to come to see, and several people surrounded him.
Feng Chengbao said: "From these two papers and this trace, I can't see any clues. I don't know how Xue Juren explained it?"
Fei Qian also smiled and said, "Isn't Xue Juren kidding me?"
This hat is a bit too big. Xue Tingxiang is just a small lifter. Any of these senior officers can press him to death with a finger. Who dares to play tricks
But the fact is that there is no clue at all from the scroll surface, even if Xue Tingxiang is asked to check the handwriting, it can't prove anything.
"Xue Tingxiang, what else do you want to say?"
In front of everyone's eyes, Xue Tingxiang's face was as if he had opened a dye shop, and the colors were amazing.
After a few moments, Xue Tingxiang knelt down with a plop and said: "Your Majesty, everything the student said is true. If the student deliberately lied, what would be the explanation for the red scroll in the student's hand. As for why this is the case now, the student does not know. , I hope Your Majesty will learn from you."
"This vermillion scroll is your handwriting. It doesn't seem to be difficult to fake it."
Wu Ge Lao finally spoke up, but it was a fatal blow to kill someone. If this crime falls, Xue Tingxiang, as Xue Tingxiang, first beats Dengwen to make a big taboo, then gathers a crowd to make trouble, and even tries to deceive the king to make a grandstanding, no matter how he will end up dead without a place to die.
"Your Majesty can test the students of the school, and the articles made by the students themselves can be recited." Xue Tingyan's face was ashen, and he was still struggling.
"Xue Juren is a bit laughable and generous to say that. Who knows that after the test, Xiaomo will post it. If you can memorize the article, what can you prove?"
Yes, nothing can be proved. It can be said that it was deliberately memorized after seeing Xiaomo.
All eyes were on Xue Tingxiang, seeing all kinds of colors flashing on his face, including despair, horror, discouragement, etc. In the end, everything was silent, and there was no need to ask anyone for help from beginning to end.
A flash of disappointment flashed in Emperor Jiacheng's eyes, and he was about to say something when Xue Tingxiang spoke up again.
"The student still has evidence."
"What evidence?"
"Students didn't want to say that, after all, it's about the future of their friends, but now—" He paused and said with difficulty: "Someone deliberately set up a situation to frame the students who were going to take the exam, let them be coerced by them, and deliberately failed, in order to achieve great benefits.”
"Xue Juren, do you know what you're talking about?"
"Your Majesty, what the students say is true, if it is false, the sky will be thundered. And this matter has been rumored in private for a long time, but the students dare not say it and have nowhere to say it. And the reason why students dare to be so sure is because The person who suffered this was a friend of the student…
Xue Tingxiang erased his intentional stalking, and turned into an unintentional encounter with Wang Xiu, who was extremely depressed, and learned the specific situation from Wang Xiu's mouth. And because Wang Xiu is now a rat crossing the street and everyone shouting, he took in the other party's affairs.
"...Wang Xiu didn't intend to expose this matter. After all, there are many reasons for this matter and his lack of integrity. In addition, he knew that the other party was too powerful, and he was afraid that he would lose his life and could only swallow the bitter water he made himself. The students here are begging Your Majesty. , don't blame Wang Xiu, he is also ignorant of world affairs, so it is only when he is framed."
After speaking, Xue Tingxiang lay on the ground and stopped moving.
"good very good!"
At this point, Emperor Jiacheng, who had always seemed to be somewhat indifferent, finally looked up.
Maybe he wasn't like that on the surface, he just did it on purpose to catch some fish. It's just that what he said at this time is obviously beyond his imagination.
I thought it was just someone who was interested in favoritism, but I didn't expect such a shocking thing to happen.
It was rumored in private, but no one dared to say it. Why? ! Naturally, it was because the other party showed too much power that everyone dared not speak out. And this private gambling surname is not a matter of one or two days, otherwise why even ordinary people are involved.
Maybe Xue Tingxiang didn't say it in such detail, but the few words he said were enough to make Emperor Jiacheng think a lot.
"This matter is simply appalling, Your Majesty must investigate it thoroughly!" Xu Shoufu, who remained silent for a long time, finally spoke.
"I actually used the imperial examinations for personal gain, and used it for profit! Your Majesty, the old minister, as the Minister of Rites, has the responsibility of oversight, and I hope your Majesty will be punished." Old Tan Ge knelt down tremblingly.
Xu Shoufu sighed to Emperor Jiacheng: "I still hope that His Majesty will learn from him. Who knows that Tan Shangshu is dedicated and dedicated to the court. Due to limited energy these years, the Ministry of Rites has been neglected for a long time." This is a fact, and everyone knows it.
"This matter must not be tolerated." March stood up and said.
"It has to be thoroughly investigated."
Several pavilion elders who had not spoken for a while stood up one after another, including Yin Nian, Minister of Punishment, Wang Chongyao, Minister of Dali Temple, and Jiang Cheng, Minister of General Affairs.
Except for Wu Gelao and Shen Xue.
Shen Xue was stunned for a moment, and then stood up hurriedly. Old Wu Ge followed with an embarrassed expression.
Following the order, Emperor Jiacheng's personal guards were dispatched one after another, and they brought Wang Xiu back all the way. The other groups went to the dark gambling nest located in the Yaowang Temple, and they would test the chief and deputy examiners and those fellow examiners. 's mansion.
For a time, the capital was turbulent, and the situation was unknown, which actually put all the officials in the DPRK in danger.