Oriole Line

chin, a burst of anger was already welling up in his heart.

"Okay, Wen Taochen has already brought it." Qi Dai said to Zhou Yudao, "The testimony is complete and the case file is in the book. It is reasonable to submit it directly to the Ministry of Punishment. However, this matter involves the Minister of the Ministry of Officials and the Da Sima Mansion. His Majesty's mean……?"

Zhou Yu waved his hand, and all the servants and hidden guards in the hall retreated one by one.There were only four people left in the hall, and Zhou Yu looked at the remaining three, Qi Dai, Pu Chen, and Wen Tao, who were supposed to be his close friends, but they had to confront each other in this way after all.He was unhappy, and even imagined being like the stupid kings in history who ignorantly exposed the matter, pretending that nothing happened, so that they would still be talking and laughing, drinking and eating meat at the New Year's banquet next year.

But in the end it won't work.

When Qi Dai handed him the case file last night, he couldn't believe it at all.He read the case file back and forth several times, interrogated Qi Dai until late at night, and finally believed what Wen Tao personally admitted in the case file.

In this world, the most difficult thing to do is the monarch and ministers, especially the monarchs and ministers who have shared weal and woe.

Zhou Yu didn't sleep all night, and said tiredly: "I have read the case file, Wen Tao, what do you want to say?"

Wen Tao glanced at Pu Chen out of the corner of his eye, and when he saw his dark circles and stubble, he turned his head unconsciously, and subconsciously stopped looking at him.He said seriously: "I did participate in the imperial examination fraud. Before the exam, I colluded with Zheng Yong, the official secretary. He sent a servant to give me the exam questions in advance, and promised to give me the top spot."

"Impossible." Pu Chen said firmly, "You won't do this kind of thing." He tilted his head and stared at Qi Dai, trying to see a clue from him that he forced Wen Tao to give false testimony clues.

Feeling his gaze, Qi Dai shrugged unmoved.

Pu Chen frowned, and turned his gaze back to Wen Tao: "With your talent, whether you get the test questions in advance or not, it doesn't make much difference to you. Your reasons can't convince me."

Wen Tao looked back at the past: "As you said, it doesn't affect me much whether I know the exam questions in advance. I didn't even open the exam questions sent by the boy."

"Then you were wronged?" Pu Chen blurted out.

Wen Tao said to him, "I have not been wronged. I accept Zheng Yong's test questions, it is just an attitude, an attitude of willingness to cooperate with the officials."

Pu Chen was stunned for a moment.He has always been thinking about the possibility of Wen Tao being wronged because he came from the Da Sima Mansion, but at this moment Wen Tao looked at him without fear, and clearly stated another possibility: to cooperate with the Ministry of Officials.His expression was so calm, exactly the same as when he was strategizing.Pu Chen couldn't help raising a question from the bottom of his heart that he felt a little uneasy at the beginning: Why did Wen Tao take the imperial examination?

Before he could think about it, Wen Tao had already continued: "The great families of the Jing Dynasty are at the end of their battle after His Majesty implemented the order for the family to occupy the land, and the bureaucracy, which originally held the important power of selecting officials, is about to lose power after the imperial examination system becomes more and more spectacular. Zheng Yong wanted to find a backer, and I wanted to find a pawn in the court, and we hit it off."

"Chess piece?" Zhou Yu was silent at first, but after hearing these two words, he suddenly asked, "What do you want to do in court?"

"It's all about self-protection." Wen Tao smiled, "Since ancient times, power ministers have never died well. I have far-reaching plans for Da Sima. We are far away in Wuchang, and there must be no one in the court. It is rare for His Majesty to change course and make a lot of positions in the court. Others If you can win it, the Da Sima Mansion can't win it?"

Although Zhou Yu had already read the case files, he was still deeply disappointed when he heard Wen Tao say it himself: "So, the Da Sima Mansion colluded with the Ministry of Officials to interfere with the imperial court's selection of officials through fraud? Is this also the reason for having a feast with the cheating Bingzhou candidates?"

"It's a little bit of acquaintance with people who will be officials in the same dynasty in the future." Wen Tao said lightly, "But Zheng Yong's vision is also a little bit worse, and some people who pretend to be fake are too obvious."

Zhou Yu shouted: "No wonder this government will never be clear!" He glanced at Pu Chen, who was still in shock and confusion, and sighed, "Well, Da Sima is Da Sima after all, and your master book is for you. It took a lot of effort to make this arrangement.”

Pu Chen's pupils slightly dilated: "I don't. I don't know about these things."

"Elder Sima probably doesn't remember." Wen Tao said, "Elder Sima himself said that if I enter the cabinet to pay homage to Prime Minister, Great Sima will often come to Luoyang to see me. If I am the only one in the court, I will be weak , How can I enter the cabinet to pay homage to the prime minister? I did not tell Da Sima about the details of the imperial examination fraud, but I always thought that we were connected. Since you allowed me to participate in the imperial examination, you naturally agreed that I was the Da Sima in the court It works." At this moment, Wen Tao, with a half-smile, stared at Pu Chen with a pair of peach blossom eyes, just like he stared at him many times before.

This remark is heartbreaking!Pu Chen was like thunder, he did say this sentence, but it was not what Wen Tao explained.He quickly flashed through Wen Tao's every move in the past few months in his mind.According to Wen Tao, he has been planning how to show his skills in the court since he decided to participate in the imperial examination at the New Year's banquet.He himself is single and weak, even if he is proud of his literary talents, it is difficult to become powerful, so he took advantage of Zhou Yu's abolition of officials because of the aristocratic family's occupation of land and preparations for the imperial examination.The others who participated in the cheating in the scientific examination were the children of the rich and powerful families of Bingzhou, and the rich and powerful families of Bingzhou... Could it be that Wen Tao had come into contact with these children of the rich and powerful families of Bingzhou when he and Xiang Hu shared the land in Jinyang?Had his plan begun since then?If that's the case, his mind is too far-reaching, so far-reaching that it scares him.

wrong!Pu Chen thought again that Wen Tao had obvious doubts when he first got the list. His expression at that time was obviously not like he knew in advance, and he also bluntly said that the children of Bingzhou aristocratic families on the list did not seem to be talented. generation.Not only that, before the exam, he also rescued a poor boy and lived in the mansion for a month.If Wen Tao had colluded with the children of the aristocratic family in Bingzhou in advance, why did he go to rescue the poor family who had never met before?

Pu Chen felt his head was in a mess, many things didn't make sense, and he couldn't see clearly what Wen Tao wanted to do.The reason given by Wen Tao is plausible but difficult to justify.But if this is not the case, why did Wen Tao admit that he participated in cheating in the scientific examination?

Pu Chen and him looked at each other for a moment, and the doubts in his heart grew bigger and bigger. He was desperately looking for the most unreasonable part of this whole thing.

There was a strong wind outside the hall, and a thought suddenly flashed in Pu Chen's mind. He stared at Wen Tao and said, "Since you have put so much thought into thinking about me, why did you confess so easily in Sijian Pavilion? Isn't that You, Wen Tao."

Boom!There was a thunder outside the hall, and it rained like a torrential rain.

Qi Dai's eyes became sharp at this moment.

103, 103.

Pu Chen stared at Wen Tao, Wen Tao's pupils were slightly dilated, and he remained calm.

"Da Sima, are you looking down on our Sijian Pavilion's method?" Qi Dai said, he turned his gaze to Zhou Yu who also showed a little doubt, and explained, "Go back to Your Majesty, go back to Da Sima, Wen Tao is in Sijian The confession was made because he voluntarily took Miao Jiang’s herbal medicine Jianzhen San, and after taking it, it was like falling into a dream, answering every question. These confessions have been checked one by one after Wen Tao fell into a dream.”

"You gave him to drink this kind of thing!" Pu Chen's veins twitched, "Miaojiang people's voodoo techniques are actually used in torture techniques, Qi Dai, you are really omnipotent!"

Qi Dai was unmoved: "Grand Sima, there are many people who are ordered by the imperial court to be interrogated by our Jiange. Jianzhen San was made by the great witch of Miaojiang, and it will not cause any harm to people. Because the number is scarce, it is not enough Everyone can use it. Besides, Wen Tao, he took it voluntarily."

The evil fire rose in Pu Chen's chest, and he shouted: "Then how do you prove that Wen Tao was not bewitched by Miao Jiang's technique?"

"I can prove it myself." Wen Tao interrupted the increasingly tense dispute between Pu Chen and Qi Dai.He said to Zhou Yu and Qi Dai, "Can Your Majesty and Qi Sijian let me explain to Da Sima in private?"

Qi Dai glanced at Wen Tao, and said to Zhou Yu: "Wen Tao is a member of Da Sima's mansion, since Wen Tao requests so much, your majesty might as well..."

"Okay, I'm sure." Zhou Yu thought for a long time, sighed, turned around and glanced at Pu Chen and Wen Tao in the hall, and disappeared with Qi Dai outside the hall gate.

As soon as Zhou Yu left, Pu Chen grabbed Wen Tao and said, "What did they do to you?"

Wen Tao was easily pulled over by Pu Chen like a feather, but there was no interface.

"As I said, no one can dirty you if the dirty water in the hall is dirty." Pu Chen clasped Wen Tao's shoulders tightly.

"Can't you see, Apu?" Wen Tao pushed Pu Chen as hard as he could, and looked directly at him, "Jianzhen San was taken by me voluntarily, so what I said just now is true. I participated in the imperial examination fraud It's true, I betrayed you, and it's also true that I betrayed the Da Sima Mansion."

"I don't believe it." Pu Chen shook his head slightly, "Did they trick you, or something else? I heard that there are many such things that control people's hearts in Miaojiang. Don't be afraid, I will guide you Go back to Wuchang, I won't believe them."

"Wuchang? Where can I go back to Wuchang?" Wen Tao let go of Pu Chen's hold on his hand and said, "I betrayed you, the Da Sima Mansion, and it has nothing to do with the witchcraft in Miaojiang. I betrayed you because of you It is no longer useful, because the Wuchang Army you have been relying on for a long time is about to fall apart."

"……What do you mean?"

Wen Tao stood where he was, with a smile on his face, as if he was particularly captivated: "Don't you always know what kind of person I am?