Emperor Que Shaohua

Luo Pingyuan only felt the excitement and excitement in his heart, and Xuan Mei said: "Then we will have a showdown. If Xiaoxiao comes here, I must teach them how powerful it is. Emperor brother, from your point of view, will Wei Wuze be able to do so by then?" To Los Angeles?"

"Without certainty of victory, I don't think he will show up." King Jing slowly shook his head, "Wei Wuze has an intelligence network, and he will use this advantage to let Pin Wutang and Jin Tiesi rush ahead as much as possible to consume our team However, he himself is still hiding in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is most beneficial to contain Langhuan from the rear." Langhuan's power is now mainly distributed in the northern region, Jiangnan, and Xiaoxiang, through Xieji Tea House in Luocheng and Huaibi in Jinling Zhuang Liaison, supporting each other in the north and the south.However, if they were to face a united enemy, it would appear to be a bit scattered. Moreover, apart from the rebellious You Ming and Zhuan Jin, the remaining Langhuan Ten Orders still needed to be further integrated.Heng Dao and Ling Xu are in the northern border, relying on Cangshan Yunbao. If the battle goes smoothly as expected, they should be able to return to Luocheng together with Xuanshuang; Bizhuang maintained the balance through the mediation of Qibi and Elegy, and the response of Xuanshuang's subordinates stationed in Xiaoxiang.

Even if he didn't turn his head, he could still feel the disappointment on the emperor's brother behind him.Luo Pingyuan has been looking forward to finding Qingluan's whereabouts. It is an unhealed childhood scar, almost a heart disease.

He said softly: "Bingyuan, do you know why Wei Wuze didn't go back to Kunlun in recent years, why didn't he go to Luocheng, but chose to stay in Jiangnan?"

Luo Pingyuan thought for a while and said: "It should be to expand the power of the Kunlun Mansion from the Central Plains to the south of the Yangtze River, and he wants to deal with Langhuan, but that's it?" He felt that King Jing's voice was still calm, but it seemed He was more emotional than before, as if he wanted to say something important to himself, but he hesitated, hesitating to speak.He suddenly became nervous, as if something was about to come out, he blurted out, "Brother Huang, have you already found out where Wei Wuze is hiding?"

Luo Yanhua didn't move, still staring out of the window, King Ning only saw his slender back, and after a while he said slowly: "All these can be said to be Wei Wuze's purpose. He doesn't want to see Yu Zhou's martial arts sect stop. Going to war is no longer a mess, and I can't stand Langhuan recovering his vitality, and being respected by his martial arts comrades like in the past. Therefore, he himself has rarely appeared in the past few years, but he has already transferred a considerable number of capable subordinates to Yuhang and Jinling. Moreover, they instigated and bewitched in many ways, and tried every means to cause disputes, among fellow martial artists, and even within Langhuan, so there are always turmoil in the south of the Yangtze River." He was silent for a moment when he finished speaking, when Luo Pingyuan thought he would not continue, Only then did he continue to say: "I've been tracking people down, but Wei Wuze's hiding ability is very high, and he killed a few of his subordinates instead. Last month, I received a message that a secret guard saw him by the West Lake in Hangzhou." After tracking down the traces, although he was quickly eliminated and disappeared, he saw a woman with Wei Wuze, judging from the description, it should be Qingluan."

Luo Pingyuan stood up, and the moment he heard the last sentence, he felt the blood all over his body rush to the top of his head, and then slowly flow back to his original position, he took a deep breath, but he didn't know what to say.He was thousands of miles away from Suhang, even if he stretched out his hand as hard as he could, it was impossible to pull Qingluan back from his clutches and let her stay in a safe place.

"Brother Huang, does Qingluan look okay? I haven't seen her since then?" Even though he tried his best to control it, there was still a trace of tremor in his voice.

"Pingyuan, Qingluan is still alive, that's all I can tell you. Whether she is doing well or not, so what if I know?" Luo Yanhua said quietly, he finally turned around, Luo Pingyuan was in There was a hidden pain in his eyes that he couldn't completely hide, "The time has not come, we can't go to Jiangnan to find her, with Wei Wuze's gloomy and cunning, even if we go, the situation will be the same as now. The cunning rabbit still has three caves , the only way to force Wei Wuze out is to gradually eradicate the wings of the forces and force Wei Wuze to a field where the mountains and rivers are exhausted."

He watched Luo Pingyuan's expression of urgency and confusion, and tried to keep his voice steady: "Pingyuan, I understand that you want to rescue Qingluan earlier, I just want to say, don't worry, some things seem to be too much Choices, in fact, are intertwined. Only by distinguishing the order and untying each link one by one can we really solve it. If we mess up the cause and effect before and after, maybe we will never have a chance to start over. So we interrogated Ji Tinghui, But no matter what you can find out, don't be impatient, okay?"

Luo Pingyuan froze for a moment, then slowly sat down.He suddenly thought of the words Nalan Yu said in Huangjue Temple: "No matter if you are compared with the current King Jing or His Royal Highness, you are still far behind." Indeed, he thought that he had calmed down. I have worked hard and achieved a lot, but compared to the goal I want to achieve, I am still far behind.He wants to benefit the world, but also wants to make up for the shortcomings of his early years, perhaps because he is too urgent and greedy.After the Huangjue incident, I should have learned more lessons.

King Jing once asked why he chose to return to Los Angeles, and he replied that as a prince, he could do more for the country and the people.At that time, he didn't understand that with power comes responsibility. Every decision and every step of action is related to the livelihood, safety and even life and death of countless people.

"Okay, Brother Huang, I understand." He whispered.He picked up the teapot and gently filled the teacup of King Jing on the table, "Do it one by one, I don't worry."

Luo Yanhua sat down and picked up the teacup. The younger brother in front of him lowered his eyes slightly, looking a little sad, making one want to pat his head.But he just used the lid of the cup to slowly scratch open the tea leaves floating on the top, and took a sip slowly.

"It won't be long, just like the Liao people are eager to win, and they don't hesitate to spend more than half of the country's troops in this battle. Once the situation is formed, it will develop faster and faster." He said, in fact, perhaps compared to Ping Yuan, he should It is the more urgent one, how much time do you have?Even if it is Xi Minghua, it is difficult to tell him the answer.The only thing that reminds me of this is every sickness and weakness and the inescapable fatigue of the body.

"It won't be long." He repeated it again. At this moment, a letter from his cousin Jiang Wanli appeared in his mind, describing the bright moon on the broken bridge by the West Lake, the six dynasties Wang Xie in Jinling, and the vast mist of Taihu Lake. , "If it goes well, maybe in a year or two, we will be able to make the trip."

In the Fengtian Tribute Academy, for the ranking of the 70 Xinke Gongshi, the positive and negative chief examiners and the twelve examiners have spent two days in repeated weighing and debating. The next three hundred or so are all designated as fellow Jinshi, and they are also available immediately after the list, but only if they enter the second class, will they be eligible to reach the top of civil servants in the future.When encountering disputes and differences, the examiners often have to fight for their own recommendation papers. The deputy examiner has a greater say, but the final decision-making power is in the hands of the examiner Li Furen.

At this time, there are still three days before the announcement of the list, and the rankings of the top three and Jinshi and the bottom twenty of the second best have basically been arranged. The closer they are to the front, the more intense the emotions and debates among the people.Sometimes it is necessary to blush for the sake of which of the two test papers with similar levels is better.Although according to the examination system, the rankings of the general examination are not the final rankings, but can only be determined after passing the palace examination; but everyone knows that usually, except for the top few of the first and second grades, the rankings of the rest of the people basically change up and down. Move one or two, there won't be many gaps or surprises.

Li Furen looked at the last stack of answer sheets in front of him. He could predict that in order to rank the top fifty, he would have to fight for at least one day.These are normal conditions. To his surprise, the review process has not yet ended, but the emperor seems to be impatient. Yesterday he ordered someone to inquire about the progress, and today he even sent Fu Jianchen, a scholar in the imperial study, to order him to take the current course The list was brought back to the palace.

"Fu Shidu, as you can see. The ranking of this subject has not yet been determined, and the names of the four hundred tributes are still sealed in the lacquer. Over the years, there are rules for the examination, and the names cannot be opened before the end." Li Furen is not concerned. He said unhurriedly, he was already known for his uprightness, but seeing that he was trying his best to add chaos to the palace, his face darkened, and he cupped his hands and said, "I wonder if His Majesty has a decree to remove Li from the post of chief examiner? If not , then please reply to the palace, I don’t dare to break the rules, and I will enter the palace to plead guilty when I finish tomorrow.”

"Scholar Li speaks too seriously," Fu Jianchen said with a smile on his face, cupping his hands, "Since His Majesty entrusts you with a heavy responsibility, how can you not be suspicious at all, and will not force you to disobey the rules. Master Li is busy, and the next The official waited outside, and when the matter is over, how about returning to the palace together? This is because the Holy Majesty is thirsty for talents, and my lord should be sympathetic."

When he said this, it was like spring breeze and rain, and the tense atmosphere immediately eased. Li Furen thought in his heart that it turned out that the emperor couldn't wait and ordered someone to urge him, with a smile on his face: "It's the official who spoke recklessly. How dare you not?" By decree? Xueshi Fu invited the outside to watch tea."

This episode did not affect the emotions of the examiners. When Fu Jianchen went out, the hall was once again caught up in the hot discussion of the rankings. The two doors were closed, and no one heard anything outside the window.

Fu Jianchen, however, was pacing around. He had also been an examiner three years ago, and he was quite familiar with the Gong Yuan, so he easily found a signing room where more than [-] documents were placed.Before the examination of the papers was finished, all the fallen papers were piled up in piles on the desks and shelves. After a few days, when the list was released, they would be sealed and transported to the Ministry of Rites for archiving.

Fu Jianchen seemed to think the room was nice, so he sat down leisurely.Naturally, there were scribes in charge of guarding, but Mr. Fu was a close minister of the emperor, and he had received the imperial edict. Although he saw him slowly flipping through the scrolls, no one stopped him, and he even served tea and snacks graciously.

For a whole day, Li Furen ignored the existence of the imperial envoy, and when it was time to light the lamp, he saw Fu Shidu pushing the door in with a smile on his face: "My lords have worked hard, may I ask how the progress is going?"

Only then did the master examiner realize that he had been slow to wait for him, so he said: "Master Lao Fu has been waiting for a long time, and there are only the top fifteen left. After dinner, it will be roughly settled in a few hours."

The dinner time has long passed, but everyone is concentrated, and they feel hungry at this moment.Master Li said: "My lords, you can go to eat for a while, and come back in an hour to continue." Then he turned to ask Fu Jianchen to have dinner with him.

"Very good, it's rare for me to have a chance to talk to Mr. Li." Fu Jianchen said happily, he saw a stack of answer sheets in the middle of the examiner's desk, and said: "I think this is the top fifteen in this subject. I'm a little curious, I don't know if it's close to the water, so I can see it first?"

"Please." Li Furen said indifferently, since it has been decided, it is not too much to show it to others now.

All the examiners have already dispersed, and there are only two people left in the hall.Seeing Fu Jianchen's focused expression, he lowered his head and flipped through the pages one by one. Thinking of the beautiful articles selected by hard work in the past few days, he couldn't help but feel a little more satisfied on his brows.Although the dinner was already set, he was not in a hurry to rush, but said: "Jenke has also calculated a few good policy theories, and the conception and structure are all good. I am afraid that the order of the first five will take some hesitation, and maybe we need to invite them. Your Majesty's Holy Judgment."

Fu Jianchen only had time to look at the ten lines, and when he turned to one of them, he saw that the handwriting was elegant, elegant and flexible. When he read it again, it was one of the theories that the emperor asked him to read. The person who wrote the article should be named Zhao Mian. The words are complicated in the past.

With a calm expression on his face, he continued to read the next copy, and said in his mouth: "It is true that the writing skills are extraordinary, and I should also congratulate Li Shenzhi, who has won many talented students."

No matter how serious Li Furen is, a smile can't help showing on his lips at this moment. The biggest gain of being the chief examiner is to become the teacher of this group of new Jinshi, and according to the practice of scientific examinations, students who take their own teacher will be destined for life Thank you and respect.It's just that this level of joy is not easy to show, he said with a little reservedness: "The four hundred Jinshi will soon be the emperor's disciples handpicked by His Majesty's imperial pen. Li has won His Majesty's trust, and he is the examiner. He just wants to be loyal to the emperor's entrustment," said Pointing to the piles of answer sheets on the table, "After three years of trial, now I am satisfied to see all the talents in the world here."

When Fu Jianchen came here today, he always had a pleasant face and smiled before saying a word. Hearing this, the gentle smile on his face suddenly disappeared, his expression turned serious, and he said coldly: "All here? What a big tone, still In my opinion, I’m afraid it may not be the case at all.”

Li Furen didn't guard against his sudden change of face, so he couldn't help being startled, and saw that the other party had slowly got up, and said in a deep voice: "Scholar Li is seeking talents for the country, fair and hardworking, forgetting to eat and sleep, and my subordinates have already seen it in person. However, there are so many volumes, and the subordinates made mistakes It’s hard to find out what’s going on, and it’s reasonable, so please take another step to speak.”

Only then did Li Furen realize something. Fu Shidu in front of him might have received the emperor's order to supervise the inspection of the files, and he was immediately displeased, but he thought that what he said seemed to mean something, as if he had really found the wrong place, and he came today Afterwards, he kept his affection for himself, so he endured it, and just snorted and said: "In this case, please go to the inner room for dinner, I want to see what Xueshi Fu has to say."

Entering the inner room specially for the examiners to rest, the furnishings in the room are plain and clean, the bed curtains are tidy, and it can be seen that they are all new and not old.On the table, there are pine nut tofu, fried bamboo shoots, white sliced ​​chicken, four or five dishes are simple and refreshing.

Seeing this, Fu Jianchen said: "I've heard a lot about Li Shen and know that he doesn't like luxury, and he acts upright. Today, seeing him talk and live in daily life, he really lives up to his reputation."

Li Furen thought he had a clear conscience, saw that he was not getting to the point, he sneered in his heart, and said with a blushing face: "I don't dare to take it as false praise, maybe Li is just putting on a posture for others to see, and I don't know if he is trying to gain fame."

"Does Master Li suspect that the official's words are insincere?" Fu Jianchen smiled slightly, "Back then, Taifu Zhang Yuandao went forward to remonstrate, His Majesty was furious, and decreed that the officials be expelled from the capital. The civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty dared to stand up and speak for Zhang Taifu Few. Mr. Li was the editor of the Hanlin Academy at that time, and his seniority was still young, but he joined several colleagues to write a letter to express his feelings. For this reason, he was demoted as an official in Yunyang Prefecture, and he was reinstated in three years. I hadn’t taken the exam at that time, But when I heard about this, I admired it in my heart. Even if I can pretend for a while, I can't pretend to be strong."

"Bachelor Zhang is the official teacher, and this is his duty." Li Furen said.He didn't expect that Fu Jianchen, a close minister of the emperor, dared to speak up about the old things in the past, and the implication seemed to be quite sympathetic to Zhang Taifu.For a moment, he was not sure whether he was from the heart, or he was tempting.

The two gave way to sit down, and Fu Jianchen took out a stack of files from his sleeve pocket at this time: "It seems that these articles have never been recommended to Mr. Li, but Mr. Fu thinks it is very desirable. My lord may wish to have a look at them." ?”

When Li Furen read it, it was the examination papers that he had been dealing with every day for many days, and there were five copies in total.Three of the papers have a word 'luo' circled at the beginning of the paper, and next to it is the surname of the examiner, indicating that they were directly sentenced by this examiner; the other two were recommended by the examiner, and were sentenced by the deputy chief examiner Wang Jichang. never seen it.

The mark made by Wang Jichang made him frown. He didn't study some small movements of the deputy examiner, but it didn't mean that he didn't notice it at all.

After picking up the top answer sheet and browsing it for a while, his expression changed a little.Even with a hasty glance, he can tell with his eyesight that the name is well-written, the writing is concise and solid, and the writing is brilliant. How could such an answer sheet not be recommended by the examiner, and not even a reason was given?He almost suspected that his eyes were dazzled, so he re-read it from beginning to end for a long time before putting it down, and went to the second copy. This one was written by Wang Jichang. Although it was not as stunning as the previous one, it was correct in purpose and rigorous in its rules. , from the perspective of the examiner, it can be ranked second.Wang Jichang was more cautious than the examiner, and wrote down the words "the views on breaking the question are outdated and not worth taking" as a reason.

Li Furen looked through the next three copies again, and found that the situation was roughly the same, all of which were inexplicably rejected.His face was angry for a while, and turned pale with shock for a while, and finally even the hand that flipped the paper couldn't help shaking.He was angry that his subordinates played tricks and neglected their duties right under their noses; he was surprised that Fu Jianchen found so many gems from the files in one day, how many other similar situations were there?If the emperor was furious and blamed, the primary responsibility should still be borne by the chief examiner, and presiding over the Boshinke examination by himself would soon turn into a disaster.

Fu Jianchen sat by the side and remained silent all this time. Then he opened his mouth and said, "Master Li thinks, how should we deal with this matter?"

Thousands of thoughts flashed through Li Furen's mind for a moment. He has an upright temperament, but it is not unreasonable to be an official. and Fu Jianchen's return is particularly important, since he has already seen the problem, why should he talk to himself alone?

He looked up, and there was not much expression on the other person's face, but his eyes were sharp, as if trying to penetrate his heart.At this moment, Li Furen felt that the young and ambitious civil servant in front of him was not inferior to the few famous officials he had seen in his life.

He could no longer be underestimated. Putting aside all kinds of distracting thoughts in his mind, he left his seat and cupped his hands and said, "I will ask Fu Shidu to tell His Majesty the truth. This is due to my lack of strict supervision and almost missing talents. I am ashamed. Now Xin Ke I dare not submit the list of candidates, and there are still thirty hours before the list is released, Li Mou immediately supervised all his colleagues to search the papers and make up the rankings, and he will enter the palace in two days and return to order, and let His Majesty order it."

"It seems that Mr. Li and the officials have the same views, so it's the best." Fu Jianchen sighed slightly, got up and returned the courtesy, "Scholar Li don't need to blame yourself and worry too much, this fault is not caused by you, it is just a negligence. But now it is a blessing for the imperial court to be able to remedy it in time. Now that I have found out, I will naturally take care of it in front of Your Majesty."

Fu Jianchen left after dinner and went back to the palace.Li Furen's mind has calmed down quite a bit at this time, but he is just a little puzzled. Although the two are ministers in the same palace, their seniority is different and they have not had much friendship in the past. Wind?

Fu Jianchen saw his confusion, and said with a smile before saying goodbye: "Scholar Li doesn't need to worry about it, I am also entrusted by others. Zhang Taifu passed away in Beijing in the past, and you speak for him. There are always people who are grateful for your affection. .”

Half a moment before reconvening a group of examiners to start reviewing papers, Li Furen was still sitting in the living room where he had lived for more than a month.It has been a long time since he recalled the years when he was exiled to serve as a foreign minister. Although he did not regret writing a letter for his teacher, he kept silent since then, and deliberately avoided the emperor's taboo no matter whether he wrote poems or articles.

Unexpectedly, a tinge of shame arose in his heart, he always felt that Fu Jianchen's farewell cup was not facing him, nor was it facing the palace, but towards the northwest, a certain direction that he was not sure about.