Tyrant Reborn

In the past few days, because Xue Ruyu is pregnant, I often go to Xifeng Palace to see him, and I live alone in Panlong Palace as I said at the beginning. Naturally, I have neglected Zhuo Wenjing, so there are rumors inside and outside the palace again The queen fell out of favor.

This time I was silent, and the queen mother was very happy with my change of heart, and she didn't ignore me like before. Of course, in this way, she would not get sick from time to time.

At the same time, Xue Qing's illness in the court was finally healed, and he came to the court, and more and more people came and went to congratulate him.I sat on the high dragon chair and looked at them indifferently. I didn't say anything, but I just rewarded the Xue family with some things, which made people flatter their family even more.

On this day Zhuo Lun and Wang Xing played a performance, and the matter of the palace examination has been prepared, I nodded and said that it will proceed as usual.

After retiring from the court, I returned to the bedroom. After returning, Yuan Bao handed me a secret report after retiring all the servants in the palace.

The secret book was sent by Zhuoran from Nanjun. He said that he had not met the person in the painting in Nanjun these days, and he had never heard of him when he searched secretly. Moreover, he had visited the third brother's palace at night, and there was no one in it. This person……

After reading the scriptures, I remained silent.

Could it be that Chen Jianguang has the ability to travel through the sky and hide from the earth, otherwise how could he not be seen?Or is he in the capital at all, what's more, he is in this palace?

Thinking this way, I then denied my guess. Although I didn't know him in my previous life, I can't forget his figure in this life. Naturally, I can tell who belongs to him at a glance. So where is this person? where?There are still ten years before that accident, could it be that he is really not there now?

Frowning and thinking for a long time, I didn't have a clue, and my heart was even more disturbed. After burning the folder, I stood by the window and remained silent.

After a long time, I sighed and said, "Tomorrow, I will deliver an order to let Zhuoran return to Beijing."

Yuan Bao responded, and then said in a low voice: "Long Live Lord, it's late at night and the dew is heavy, let's rest."

I hmmed but didn’t move. The weather today is not good. The bamboo outside the temple was blown by the wind, and the moon and stars could not be seen in the sky. It was a bit cold to be blown by the wind. Suddenly, I shivered. .

Yuan Bao moved aside and said nothing.

With the cold wind blowing through my fingertips, I whispered, "Queen... how is he these days?"

"Going back to Lord Long Live, I heard from the servant of Jiaotai Hall that the queen is reading in the hall these days and rarely moves around. The eldest prince often goes to pay her respects, but the servant has never seen the queen with his own eyes, so this is not certain."

Glancing at him, he said, "Find a chance to take a look, and don't let the queen mother and concubine Ru know about it."

"The servant understands." Yuan Bao said.

After hearing what he said, I sighed again, then turned around and said, "Go down, I'm tired."

Yuan Bao hurriedly helped me to the side of the bed, ready to call someone to serve me, but I stopped him, Yuan Bao said: "Master Long Live, it's a cool night, please close the window."

"It's okay, just drive it." I said lightly, "Go down and rest, I'll be alone for a while."

Only then did Yuan Bao go down, and after they left, I lay on the bed and listened to the roar of the wind outside the hall, and I couldn't tell what it was like.

After a long time, I closed my eyes and fell into a drowsy sleep. The cold wind blew all night, and the next day was the palace exam, and it started to rain thinly.

As the saying goes, after an autumn rain and a cold, sitting in the court hall, I just feel a little uncomfortable. Yuan Bao wants to send the imperial doctor to see, but I stop it. It is during the palace examination. Is it a palace examination without the emperor's auspices?So what's the point of this test...

When it was announced that the examiner was coming to meet, I sat on the dragon chair and watched the scholars who were slowly gathering in the center of the hall to take part in the palace examination. After saluting, I waved them to flatten.

There are more than a thousand candidates for the triennial year, but it is a pity that only thirty can stand on this high hall, and among the thirty are talents, not many of them.

Eye contact, when I saw Xue Xun, I smiled. I have read his articles, his literary talents are outstanding, and his insights are also very unique. Among other people, I value Pang Wen from Jinzhou more. According to the investigation, he is a concubine from a poor family, but he works very hard. The palace examination was delayed from last year to this year. Because of his poor family, he has been painting for others for a living. Later, Zhuo Lun learned that he became a disciple of his family.

If nothing goes wrong in this imperial examination, there must be someone between him and Xue Qing who will be the number one scholar in this year's gold department.

Thinking of this, I smiled, took the tea that Yuan Bao handed over, took a sip, and then said lightly: "In the past, the palace examination was just about talking about poems and interpreting the Four Books and Five Classics, which is meaningless. How about it, today's palace examination, Let me tell you a story, and then all the lovers speak out what is in your heart, whoever speaks well will be the number one scholar?"

After saying this, all the civil and military officials standing in the hall looked at each other, and I smiled lightly and said, "What? Do you have any opinions? Wang Aiqing, the official minister, tell me."

Wang Xing stood up and said respectfully: "I feel that the palace examination is to select talents, and the emperor has a unique style. I don't have any objection to this behavior."

After hearing this, I nodded and said: "Since there is no objection, then I will start telling this story."

This story is actually a very interesting one that I heard in the days after my death.It is said that in the counties under the jurisdiction of a certain prefecture, one county is the poorest and has not paid taxes every year, and the other county is the richest, sending a lot of money to the national treasury every year.

The magistrate of a poor county has been in that poor place for five years, and that place is still very poor. The magistrate of a rich county has been in that place for five years, and that place is still very rich. Therefore, wolves in poor counties have never been corrupt. It's wrong.

When the two took office for six years, the magistrate entered Beijing as an official and planned to recommend a subordinate official to be the magistrate. When the poor county magistrate and the rich county magistrate learned that, they both went to the magistrate hall, each talking about his political achievements, and one talking about his own county. The family is rich and well-off, with considerable taxes and money every year. One says that he is honest and honest for the people. Although the people under his rule are poorer, everyone stays open at night and does not pick up things. There has never been any dispute.

"In this way, if you were the prefect, which one would you choose as your next successor?" After telling the story, I asked.

The following testers all looked at each other, Xue Xun and Pang Wen also frowned and remained silent.The faces of civil and military officials were not very good either.

"Whoever has made up his mind can step forward and answer." I chuckled lightly and said, "I will reward you for what you say is good, and I will not punish you for what you say is not good."

As soon as I said this, two people came forward and recommended the poor county magistrate as an official, I said: "Why?"

"Returning to the emperor, because although the poor county magistrate is poorer, the people's customs are simple, no stealing, no robbery, and the poor county magistrate is not corrupt. In the hearts of my ministers, he is naturally more qualified to be the magistrate than the rich county magistrate. .”

Several people chimed in.

I nodded and said: "As Aiqing said, the poor county magistrate is indeed qualified, but has Aiqing thought about it, the so-called not closing the door at night and not picking up lost things is because they have nothing to pick up, and there is nothing to grab. If the poor county magistrate Sitting in the position of the magistrate of the rich county is not without corruption. If it is really good for the people, how can you covet the position of magistrate? Furthermore, as a parent official of a county, the people under the rule live without enough food and clothing What does the county magistrate want him to do? If he is given a magistrate to do it, wouldn’t a magistrate have to live a life of hunger and poverty?"

"This..." Several testers looked at each other and didn't know how to answer.

I shook my head and said, "You guys step back, do you have any other opinions?"

A few testers hesitated, willing to recommend the rich county magistrate. The reason was that although he was corrupt, his rule was rich, and the tax money handed over to the treasury was not worth mentioning.

I listened and nodded and said: "That's true. As the saying goes, when the water is clear, there will be no fish. The officialdom is naturally the same. So you think that if you govern the rich, you can take money, get promoted, get rich, and you can use tax money as a reward." My own... If I gave you this magistrate to do it, then are you planning to learn from the rich county magistrate who cleared the magistrate's hundred thousand snowflake silver for three years?"

"I don't dare." The few examinees who stood up hurriedly knelt down in horror.

I smiled and said, "It's okay, get up, it's just a story. What do the rest of you think?"

One of the examiners suddenly knelt down and said: "Qizou the emperor, I have never been a magistrate, so I dare not speak casually about this matter." Several people then knelt down and agreed.

I was silent for a while and said: "You are afraid that I will punish you if you say something wrong. After ten years of hard work, I finally came to this Golden Luan Palace, but I never thought about being the magistrate. It's really a pity. Let's step down."

Only Xue Xun, Pang Wen, Zhang Qi and Wang Zhou stood at the end.

I glanced at the four of them and slowly said: "The four love ministers neither agree to choose the poor county magistrate nor push the rich county magistrate far away, and they don't feel that they are incompetent. What do the four love ministers think?"

Several people looked at each other, Xue Xun took a step forward, Pang Wen and the other three knelt down, Xue Xun said in a low voice: "Qizou the emperor, the selection of officials in my court is determined by the emperor, and the magistrate has no right to go up and say." Who is right and who is wrong, therefore, Weichen and others dare not discuss this matter indiscriminately."

After hearing Xue Xun's words, I stood up and clapped my hands and said with a smile: "Very good, the selection of officials is determined by the emperor? Come, draw up an order, and announce it to the world from now on. The second is the second place in the list, and Zhang Qi and Wang Zhou are tied for the third place, all of them are Tanhua. The four of them are given a three-day parade on horseback, and three days later they will be given a banquet in Qionglin Court."

As soon as I finished speaking, Zhuo Lun stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, since my reign, there has never been any talk of parallel exploration of flowers. This seems to be against regulations."

"Didn't the number one scholar just say that being an official is what the emperor decides to do, so this time I say that there is one, and of course I'm not going to be an example." I said lightly, Zhuo Lun was silent for a while, and in response, the others also hurriedly saluted , When I was about to announce my retirement, I saw Zhenyuan Hou Yanzhizhang. He was standing there very ordinary. The imperial examination, but I admire him very much, so bring him with you on the day of Qionglin Banquet. Retire." After finishing speaking, I left, leaving behind a stunned speech.

When I left the hall, I was in a very happy mood. I felt very comfortable for a while, and the discomfort in the morning seemed to have disappeared.

For a long time afterwards, others thought that I was warning civil and military officials, and the emperor had the final say on everything. Then one day, I ran into Xue Xun. He hesitated for a long time and asked me how the story ended. , That's when I really looked him in the eye. I thought that no one in this world wanted to ask this question, but Xue Xun asked... and he was the only one who asked.