Oriole Line

On the small case, there are warm wine and a few snacks, and only a few palace servants are left in the room to wait on them.

Pu Chen and Zhou Yu were sitting close to each other, drinking venison while eating, and they drank several cups in a short while.Wen Tao has a bad stomach and can't drink too much, so he picked a few snacks on the table and tasted a few mouthfuls, the taste was soft and sweet, like the taste in Guangling Academy in the past.In Guangling, Wen Tao suddenly remembered that Qi Dai was coming today, so he asked, "When will brother Sijun arrive?"

"By the way, I haven't seen him in the court for the past few days, is he still in the official department?" Pu Chen didn't restrain himself after drinking.He and Wen Tao are not usually in Luoyang, and after Zhou Yu ascended the throne, they had no interaction with Qi Dai.

Zhou Yu didn't answer, drank a glass of wine by himself, smiled slightly and said, "Sijun is no longer Shang Shu, but Si Jian."

"Si Jian? What is Si Jian?" Wen Tao read through literature and history, but he didn't remember having such an official position.

Suddenly, the door of Lijingtai palace opened, and a voice said loudly: "The mirror is the mirror. The mirror is the mirror of all officials."

"Sijun, you're here." Zhou Yu got up and walked in front of the visitor.The visitor was wearing a black cloak, which was covered with snowdrops. Zhou Yu naturally and familiarly took off the cloak for the visitor, handed it to the palace servants, and followed every move of the visitor with his eyes.Under the cloak, the man was wearing a narrow-sleeved black dress and a black official hat, which made his face paler. He said in a voice that only he and Zhou Yu could hear: "Don't worry, everything is going well." Then he turned to Pu Chen He Wentao smiled and said, "Wentao, Da Sima, you are here."

It was Qi Dai.

Wen Tao was shocked.Qi Dai used to like to wear white especially in the Guangling Academy, but when he entered the imperial court, although he occasionally wore other colors, he always wore the big-sleeved shirts worn by scribes, showing his grandeur.Today, he was dressed up in an indelible black, inexplicably reminiscent of an unsheathed sword.

Qi Dai smiled brightly, and that smile rippled away like the spring light in March, offsetting the three points of hostility on his body, as if he had changed back to Qi Shangshu who used to be the Qingfeng of Jiyue.

"I'm late, and you don't wait for me." Qi Dai said in a joking tone, but the object of his joke was not others, but the current day.Pu Chen couldn't help narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Okay, I'll punish myself with three glasses." Qi Dai's joke worked well for Zhou Yu, and after drinking three glasses of wine in a row, Qi Dai's smile deepened a bit.

Pu Chen and Wen Tao looked at each other, it seems that there have been earth-shaking changes in the palace in this year.The so-called Si Jian is said to be the mirror of all officials, but it is actually the emperor's eagle claw that monitors the activities of all officials. It has been there in all dynasties, openly or secretly, but they did not expect that Qi Dai would take on this role.Pu Chen didn't know much about the relationship between Zhou Yu and Qi Dai. Thinking about it now, Qi Dai had already secretly detained the family members of all the officials and decided the overall situation of the court. Could it be that since then, Qi Dai has already Are you doing these things for Zhou Yu?Pu Chen was startled, and happened to give Wen Tao a dazed expression, and Wen Tao quietly mouthed "Ye Chi".Pu Chen suddenly remembered that on the night of Renzi's change, Ye Chi held 9 soldiers and horses in Beimang Mountain and planned to fight against it, but was assassinated that night, and the murderer's whereabouts are still unknown.The matter was settled later, and his [-] horses also surrendered to Zhou Yu.Now it seems that this matter is very suspicious, seven out of ten it has something to do with Qi Dai.

"Wen Tao, you used to like eating these things the most, why are you restrained today?" Qi Dai noticed that Pu Chen and Wen Tao exchanged glances as if no one was watching, and after a little thought, he came to Wen Tao with a few pieces of barbecue.

Wen Tao is not used to being close to others, subconsciously dodged to the side, only then remembered that he and Qi Dai were very close in the Guangling Academy, this move was undoubtedly out of character, so he raised his glass in return and said: "Sijun, long time no see .”

Qi Dai's smile faltered, and Zhou Yu's eyes had drifted over there, and he said loudly: "I have always heard from Sijun that Wen Tao and Sijun were at the Guangling Academy at the beginning, and Wen Tao was at the top. , I want to start a course to obtain a scholar, the first imperial examination is very important, Wen Tao must come to participate!"

"Imperial examination?" Pu Chen and Wen Tao said in unison.

Zhou Yu smiled and said: "Exactly!" This time Qi Dai was away for a few months, secretly visiting various prefectures, in order to cooperate with the special envoy of the imperial court to inspect the aristocratic family's land occupation order.This time the imperial court was able to find out the fake field records of some big families in advance, all thanks to Qi Dai and his subordinates' secret investigation and support.Now that everything is in order, Qi Dai slowly returns to Beijing.As soon as this matter is over, the imperial examination will really be put on the agenda.The idea of ​​the imperial examination was mostly discussed between Zhou Yu and Qi Dai, and it was never mentioned with Pu Chen before. Today is a rare opportunity, so Zhou Yu opened the chatter box, telling them the idea of ​​the imperial examination and the preparations for the scientific examination after the spring. .The more he talked, the more excited he became, and he danced while drinking.

"In this way, all talented and learned scholars in the world can be used by me, and the court will no longer be controlled by the aristocratic family. This clear and bright world can finally be realized in my hands!" Zhou Yu's eyes were shining, and he patted Pu Chen shoulder, "Da Sima, what do you think?"

"Sure enough!" Pu Chen couldn't help being deeply moved after hearing this.He fought against Beiyan, launched a palace change, and finally assisted Zhou Yu to take the throne, all for the sake of a Qingming court and a revitalized Dajing Dynasty.He naturally knew that the disadvantage of the aristocratic family was serious illness, which affected the court.Today, the foundations of the aristocratic family - the farmland and the food town have been disintegrated. If the imperial examination can become a big trend, the people who will stand in the court in the future will no longer be just the children of the aristocratic family, but all the people of insight in the world.

Seeing that Pu Chen agreed so much, Zhou Yu was in a good mood.He opened the sliding door wide and walked to the terrace of Lijing Terrace.At this time, the moon was in the middle of the sky, the snow had stopped, the whole Luoyang Palace was covered with silver, and the bright moonlight reflected the towers.Not only Luoyang Palace, it seems that the whole world is immersed in the moonlight, which makes people feel refreshing and open.

"This is the world of great scenery!" Zhou Yu praised, and his words turned into white mist.Qi Dai didn't know when he took a mink fur cloak and put it on for Zhou Yu.They stood side by side, overlooking the entire Luoyang Palace, and the backs that stood side by side suddenly made Pu Chen feel a little emotional.When he turned his head, he happened to catch a trace of the look in Wen Tao's eyes that he hadn't had time to put away.

Pu Chen's heart sank suddenly.When Zhou Yu mentioned the imperial examination system just now, his attention was all on the imperial examination system itself, which was naturally a vision that made his blood boil, but only now did he realize that he was not a bystander in this matter. This matter is actually related to one person, Wen Tao.

Wen Tao was born in a poor family with outstanding literary talents, so he was the most suitable participant in the imperial examination system.He relied on his own appreciation and favor to become the director of the Da Sima Mansion, but Pu Chen knew that Wen Tao's talent was not limited to this. If such an opportunity was placed in front of Wen Tao, would he want to go?Pu Chen reminisces about the look in Wen Tao's eyes just now. In his impression, the last time he saw such brilliance in Wen Tao's eyes was before Renzi's change.In his heart, he was probably also waiting for such an opportunity, an opportunity that he could not give to prove himself in front of the world.

Pu Chen suddenly felt a bit of bitterness rising from the bottom of his heart.

86, 86.

It was past midnight when we got back to our residence.Pu Chen screened the palace people away, and dragged Wen Tao into the bed curtain with the smell of alcohol.Wen Tao was unprepared, he was already thinking about it today, and drank some wine, he was not Pu Chen's opponent at all, he only felt that the bed curtains in Luoyang Palace were extraordinarily thick and oppressive.

Pu Chen grabbed him from behind, his actions today were more brutal than in the past, just as Wen Tao was about to speak, he grabbed Wen Tao's neck, rubbed his fingers on his welts, but pressed his palms hard against his. Throat, don't let him speak.Wen Tao knew that he must not fight him hard today, so he planned to make a fool of himself, but Pu Chen didn't recognize his flattery, and Pu Chen stared at him in the dark, like a lone wolf in the wilderness. Mysteries seem to be gone.Wen Tao inexplicably felt guilty. When he was guilty, his eyelids would droop slightly. Pu Chen seemed to sneer lightly. After finishing, he turned over heavily and turned his back to Wen Tao.

Wen Tao has never been treated like this before, and his heart is full of doubts.He settled down, looked at the lines of Pu Chen's neck for a while in the dark, concentrated his thoughts on today's banquet at the Lijing Terrace, and tried to piece together all of Pu Chen's emotions.

Finally, he seemed to have grasped a very faint light spot that had always existed in the darkness.His voice came clearly: "Did you regret it?"

Pu Chen remained calm on the surface, but his heart was already turned upside down.Seeing that he didn't respond, Wen Tao stretched out his left hand, passed it under Pu Chen's armpit, and stopped on his chest.Pu Chen wanted to move his hand away, but immediately realized that it was Wen Tao's injured left hand. He was afraid that his attack would not be serious, so he had no choice but to let Wen Tao move.

Wen Tao raised the corners of his mouth in the dark, some things are like habits engraved on his body, and these habits have gradually become some kind of instinct of the body.Pu Chen sighed a long time and said, "You are the one who is guilty." This time when he came to Luoyang, Pu Chen felt very strange.Obviously he came here only a year ago, when he was wearing wedding attire, and he was in high spirits to change the world.But when he came this time, he suddenly felt that he was an outsider. This was Zhou Yu's world. He wanted to take the imperial examinations and recruit talents from all over the world. His complacency made Pu Chen feel envious from the bottom of his heart. .

Wen Tao's fingers curled up slightly, and his cool fingertips touched Pu Chen: "I don't regret it." Wen Tao's voice was very low, but a little stubborn.

Pu Chen said: "You have no regrets, but you want to take the imperial examination, which is Zhou Yu's imperial examination."

Pu Chen hit the nail on the head, Wen Tao was hit