The queue to present treasures has been very long.
"Li Zhu'er, the palace invites you to come over."
"Here."
Li Zhuer was a Khitan boy who was captured by the Tang army when he was young. Because he was very handsome and could speak various languages, he was kept by An Lushan to serve him. He was fourteen years old, but his hair was still tied into a bun.
The horns look like a child's.
After receiving the order at this time, Li Zhuer quickly ran through the rows of soldiers and arrived in front of the Anlu Mountain horse.
An Lushan was extremely obese and needed four people to help him get off his horse.
Li Zhuer consciously stood beside the horse stool and bowed down. After a while, a soft ball fell on his head. It was very heavy, and it was An Lushan's huge belly.
One of his duties was to put his head on An Lushan's belly, which was regarded as the third leg to support his big belly.
The attendants finally helped An Lushan off his horse, and Li Zhuer took his head out from under his belly and stepped aside.
Ahead, a red-robed eunuch came.
The obese An Lushan stepped forward nimbly, swinging his body from side to side, flinging his fat to both sides, like a spinning top.
"An Dafu is here so quickly."
"Oh, Duan Weng, you have to call me Hu'er and don't go outside. Hu'er misses you so much. He came a little faster. In order to see the saint earlier, Hu'er hurried all the way and lost a lot of weight.
."
"Hahaha, when Hu'er comes, Chang'an becomes lively."
The eunuch Duan Junheng was so amused that he laughed and was very happy.
With such a title, An Lushan's majesty as an envoy was weakened, making him appear more comical and harmless.
Li Zhuer saw the right moment, took a box, and stepped forward to hand over the gift list.
An Lushan chuckled and said, "A little gift, Hu'er will have someone deliver it to Duan Weng's house."
"Thank you for your trouble." Duan Junheng smiled and accepted it, reminding: "The saint was playing dominoes just now. He will have to wait until later to summon you."
"domino?"
An Lushan's round eyes widened, full of curiosity.
Duan Junheng said: "It is an interesting toy. The saint has been very happy recently."
"Hey, here comes Hu'er, the most interesting plaything of the saint." An Lushan said, twisting the fat on his body.
Duan Junheng laughed again and asked people to send the birds, beasts, and rare treasures into the forbidden garden first.
After the eunuch left, Zhang Lizhen rushed over for the interview.
"Big Mansion."
Although An Lushan was still smiling, he asked: "What's going on with the dominoes today?"
When he came to Beijing in previous years, the saints couldn't wait to see him...
~~
"Sage, Hu'er has arrived."
Gao Lishi leaned over and whispered a reminder.
Li Longji was touching a card with his eyes looking thoughtful. Suddenly his eyes moved and he put the card on the table without looking.
"What a fool."
Gao Lishi came forward to take a look, beamed with joy, and praised: "The saint's hand is really amazing!"
Li Niang's eyes widened, she was shocked at first, then sighed, curled her lips and said coquettishly: "My daughter finally won a little bit."
"Haha, when Hu Er comes, he brings me good luck with Hu cards." Li Longji stroked his beard and laughed, "You go down first."
"Daughter, let's see what good gifts this Hu'er has brought."
Concubine Wu Hui was favored when Li Niang was born. It was rare for her to be with the saint since she was a child, and she had feelings for him. But she was focused on planning for her brother Li Xuan, which was stupid and annoying.
She didn't mention this matter today, so Li Longji looked more pleased with her.
"Just watch it if you want to, and don't talk too much."
While speaking, Li Longji glanced around and saw the documents handed over by Yang Hui, and invited the eunuch to present them to him.
Some facts can be seen clearly with just one glance.
As soon as Zheng Qian was convicted, the Ministry of Punishment had not even had time to start the trial, and even the list of criminals had been drawn up. Pei Mian was also the censor, the interviewer and the judge, and they were all deputies around Wang Xian. He was actually the spy of the East Palace.
Take away Zheng Qian.
Both sides had good plans and were skillful in doing so. Unfortunately, something went wrong in the middle and their ugly behavior was exposed.
Only he still had doubts about Zheng Qian's manuscript, so Li Longji approached Gao Lishi and said, "Let Beiya ask clearly."
"Here."
"Call Hu'er!"
"Xuan! Fan Yang, the governor of Pinglu Town, An Lushan, came to see you..."
The game of cards has just stopped, Danfeng Palace has opened its doors, the treasure-presenting team slowly entered, and the palace is bustling with joy.
There was a banquet in the Forbidden Garden, one wave after another.
~~
Dali Temple.
Du Hongjian was still trying hard to confirm that Xue Bai went to the Princess Xianyi Mansion on the day of the exam.
However, Li Daosuo, the Minister of Dali Temple, withheld the verdict for the time being because the evidence was unclear. He angrily scolded those who roared in court and expelled them all.
Cui Qiao, the Minister of Rites, looked solemn and threatened to sue the saint. Yang Xuan, his disciple, was so angry that he beat the court officials in front of the court.
They are all human beings in purple robes. They look very majestic, but in fact, they don't want to get into trouble at all.
So what if Yang Xuan hits someone?
The nephew of a noble concubine, who only qualified for the imperial examination, was taken to the court for investigation. After suffering such a huge injustice, if he didn't fight back, wouldn't he lose his innocence and cuteness as a young man?
"Hahaha, I have a stomachache, as expected of you."
Yang Xuan left Dali Temple, patted Du Wulang on the shoulder, and laughed proudly.
"I heard that you were the one who took the lead in making trouble in Chun Wei, and you were the one in Qiu Wei. You are very capable in this regard. You will be my deputy from now on!"
"well."
Du Wulang knew in his heart that if he got too close to such a stupid son who was lucky enough to be a sycophant, his reputation would be ruined in the future. Oh, he would be beaten to death by his grandfather later.
He had no choice but to politely avoid it and turned around to look for Xue Bai.
In the distance, Xue Bai was actually talking to Wang Zhi. The two looked so close that Du Wulang was stunned.
…
"What did you just say to Wang Peipei?"
"He is so worried. How can he care about the annual exam?"
Du Wulang looked back and asked, "Why is he worried?"
"It's really annoying if something happens to my subordinates." Xue Bai responded casually, "Let's go to the Imperial College."
"Okay, Xue Shitou."
Du Wulang happily followed Xue Bai and babbled: "Did you know? This year's Qiuwei is so troubled, who cares about the Jingzhao Mansion Examination? They are all watching the Imperial College New Year's Examination. From now on, we will talk about Jingzhao The head of the government will only know that it is you, Xue Shitou."
"What's the point of getting rid of your head? If you want to be the top scholar, you have to be the number one scholar."
"You are really." Du Wulang shook his head and said: "People have to be satisfied. This time I won the first place and are famous. Take your time."
Xue Bai didn't think so.
Passing the annual exam was part of the plan. I took a lot of risks this time, and the rewards will come next.
Before arriving at the Imperial College, Xue Bai turned into a secluded alley.
Two figures followed quietly.
"Mr. Lang."
"No one is following, right?"
"You can rest assured, Mr. Lang, when we do our work."
Xue Bai nodded and said: "Pei Mian has been used completely and can be eliminated. He knows too many secrets about us."
Lao Liang and Jiang Hai's eyes lit up and looked overjoyed.
"It's a pity that Yang Hui was incompetent and taught Pei Mian to escape."
"Just give us a chance to avenge our brothers with our own hands!"
"Can you find him?"
"Please Sir, tell me."
Xue Bai waved to Lao Liang and spoke in a low voice.
"Pei Mian went to the East Palace last night. The Right Prime Minister's Office followed this clue but found no one. It shows that the direction is wrong. Just now I talked with Wang Xian and speculated that Pei Mian mobilized the post horse in the name of the judge who was the envoy to interview in the capital. , quickly left Chang'an."
Lao Liang said: "Shall we follow this clue to investigate?"
"No."
Xue Bai said: "I guess Pei Mian hasn't left yet. He made a few feints and waited for others to think he had escaped before secretly leaving Chang'an. Just keep an eye on Li Jingzhong. No matter how long it takes, when this matter comes to an end, Li Jingzhong will definitely Go find Pei Mian."
"Understood, we are most familiar with the Eastern Palace. We can find things that others can't find."
"Okay, have you been having trouble lately? Is it going well for your nephew to enter the private school?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Lang, everything went smoothly."
"Go ahead."
~~
Beiya.
Chen Xuanli frowned and glanced at the two manuscripts on the case.
Back then, he had witnessed the case of three common people with his own eyes and did not want anyone to mention the old incident again.
In today's case, although Zheng Qian who wrote the manuscript was ungrateful, the person who made the anonymous report was not well-intentioned either.
Just as I was thinking of this, someone reported: "General, Jinwu Guard patrol envoy Guo Qianli said he has clues to report."
"Guo Qianli?"
Chen Xuanli thought to himself that that fool had been demoted to the rank of street patrolman now. He was still so ignorant of the rules that when something happened, he would not go to the South Yamen to report it, but would come to the North Yamen.
"Let him in."
After a while, Guo Qianli strode towards this side, scratching his forehead and picking his nose from time to time as he walked.
Chen Xuanli shook his head and cursed: "You have so little potential."
"General, I found out something. I don't know whether I should say it or not."
"Come in."
Guo Qianli looked around and murmured: "The Longwu Military Office is so impressive. Alas, what does the Jinwu Guard look like?"
There is a difference between the Sixth Army of the North Yamen guarding the palace city and the Sixteenth Army of the South Yamen guarding Chang'an.
"explain."
"Didn't the Right Prime Minister's Office ask us to track down that person? Pei Mian, anyway, we are constructing the East Palace again. I found out that it is related to the unlucky guy who was captured by the general and sent to Beiya Prison. I didn't want to take care of this matter, so as not to be demoted again.
He has been employed, alas, but the general also knows that the unlucky guy is locked up in Beiya Prison, and he is in exactly the same situation as I was at that time."
"Don't talk nonsense, just say it."
"What's the name of the unlucky guy? I forgot about it."
"Zheng Qian, Zheng Sanjue."
Guo Qianli said: "Yes, Zheng Qian, the day before he was imprisoned, he met a man named Fang Guan."
Chen Xuanli took the imperial document and took a look at it, and said: "Prince Zuo Shuzi, the tutor of King Guangping, has been given an important position in the province, and is in charge of the renovation of Huaqing Palace."
"Zheng Qian arrived at Fang Guan's house at two o'clock in the morning. General, guess who else Fang Guan met before that?"
"I guess?"
Chen Xuanli glanced at Guo Qianli lightly, a little coldly, but he really guessed.
"Pei Mian?"
"General, can you guess this right?"
"Didn't Jinwu Guard find out this matter just after chasing Pei Mian?"
"Oh, yes." Guo Qianli said: "I'm surprised, it's such a coincidence. They met, and then Zheng Qian was taken away, and then Pei Mian took him out of the Criminal Department and escaped."
"What do you think?"
"I said Zheng Qian is an unlucky guy, just like me back then."
Guo Qianli is not a person who hides and tucks in. He tells as much as he knows.
This led to a new guess.
Pei Mian was the secret chess player in the East Palace, and Fang Guan was responsible for liaison. The two contacted each other that day and burned a secret letter. After that, Fang Guan met Zheng Qian again and asked not to let Xue Bai pass the New Year's exam. Zheng Qian refused and left before leaving.
I stepped on some unburned paper.
Maybe someone in Fang Guan's house reported the matter to Youxiang Mansion. Fang Guan and Zheng Qian were good friends, and the manuscript might have come from Fang Guan. The Ministry of Punishment then took Zheng Qian for questioning, not only to deal with the East Palace, but also to
Find out why Pei Mian met Fang Guan.
When Pei Mian learned that, he hurriedly took Zheng Qian away, but he happened to be targeted by Yang Hui. He thought he had been exposed, abandoned Zheng Qian, and fled overnight. His men were at a loss, and after questioning, they confirmed that Zheng Qian did not know what happened in the East Palace, so he sent him to the east palace.
Throw it back home.
In this way, the major issues in this case are reduced to minor issues, and the minor issues are eliminated.
It should be noted that the saint did not want to punish Zheng Qian, who was a master of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He wanted to prevent people from mentioning the details of the three common people cases. If Zheng Qian was really punished, it would make the matter worse. It would be better to blame Pei Mian entirely.
On the body.
The evidence is complete, consistent with the facts, and the explanation is reasonable...
Chen Xuanli walked a few steps, then suddenly looked at Guo Qianli and asked, "Do you want to go back to Beiya?"
"think."
Guo Qianli's eyes widened and he nodded without hesitation.
"General, I think too much!"
~~
In the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, Li Linfu's face was gloomy and full of displeasure.
Only then did he realize that Pei Mian was actually from the East Palace, and he immediately understood many things. No wonder he had often had trouble dealing with political opponents in recent years.
Fortunately, it was discovered at this time. If we continue to pursue it, we can severely defeat the East Palace.
It's a pity that Yang Hui was too ignorant and handed the evidence directly to the emperor without first coming to the Youxiang Mansion for discussion. The list of criminals was pulled open like a fig leaf, revealing the ugly state of the Youxiang Mansion.
However, this prince-in-law has always been such an uncontrollable, arrogant fool.
"Right Prime Minister, Du Wei wants to see you."
"What is he here for?"
Li Linfu pondered, then suddenly thought of a possibility and ordered someone to be brought here.
Du Wei will soon become the son-in-law of the right prime minister, but he doesn't even have a chance to meet him in person, so he can only salute outside the screen.
"Tell me, who asked you to come."
"My father-in-law is my brother Du Youlin. He asked me to pass the message on my behalf."
"Whose words are you passing on?" Li Linfu said calmly: "Du Youlin is not qualified to talk to me yet."
Du Wei was a little embarrassed, so he simply spoke frankly.
"This is the Shangzhu Kingdom, Doctor Yinqing Guanglu, his servant, the Salt and Iron Envoy..."
"If you want to be my son-in-law, just position yourself accordingly."
"Yang Cheng heard that the Ministry of Punishment had drafted a list of criminals and submitted it to the emperor. Some of them were salt officials under him. He confessed that he was very frightened and wanted to ask his father-in-law for a favor."
Li Linfu looked ugly.
The list came to the imperial court before anyone even started reviewing it. It was basically evidence of his crime, and even a shame. I don't know if Yang Hao's words were sarcastic or meant to set him back, but it was painful to hear.
"How is he doing?"
"Yang Wei originally planned to bring the three ladies of the country to plead guilty in front of the imperial concubine, saying that he did not handle the salt affairs well. Although he received a lot of tax items from Hebei, the Ministry of Punishment obtained evidence of guilt..."
"That's enough." Li Linfu scolded: "Who gave you the courage to show your true self and show your yin and yang?"
Du Wei had no choice but to apologize and said, "Shall my father-in-law listen to his true words, or shall he listen to his son-in-law's brief statement?"
"explain."
"Yang Zheng's intention is that he wants to take the two positions vacated by Pei Mian, the interview envoy and judge in the capital, and the imperial censor in the palace."
Although these two positions of power are not of high rank, they are both deputy positions of Wang Zhi, which are quite crucial. Once they are given to Yang Dang, it is equivalent to allowing Yang Dang to put his hands under Wang Zhi's armpits.
"Why?"
"If you don't give it to him, he will make trouble in front of the saint and use this incident to slander his father-in-law." Du Wei pondered and said, "If my father-in-law is willing to give it to him, then let the matter be settled and he can give him some positions of power."
exchange."
"Change?" Li Linfu was surprised.
"For example, the director of Dali Temple, the prince's concubine Zuo, the sect leader Shi Zhong, who is in charge of the renovation of Huaqing Palace...these are all important positions."
"Ah."
Li Linfu sneered.
As expected, it was not an exchange. None of these positions belonged to Party Yang. They all belonged to the East Palace, and they were the most critical positions in the East Palace.
But Yang Hao’s words really sounded nice.
Li Linfu was narrow-minded and rarely turned his enemies into friends. This time, he had no choice but to take advantage of the pain. After much deliberation, he could only agree.
"Tell them that I agree."
"Yes, father-in-law."
~~
The next day, the Imperial College dormitory.
Xue Bai took a long nap, and when he woke up, he was still lying there in a daze.
He actually wanted to know how the situation was progressing, but Li Longji, Gao Lishi, and Yang Yuhuan all warned him not to cause trouble again. This time he was taking the annual exam and had nothing to do with the case.
All we can do is wait.
Suddenly, the door of the dormitory was pushed open, and Du Wulang ran in with a roar.
"Look who's coming!"
Xue Bai looked up and saw Wei Shu and Su Yuanming, and stood up quickly.
"Students have seen sacrificial wine, Si Ye..."
"And me?"
Another person stepped into the dormitory, it was Zheng Qian, a doctor from Taixue.
Xue Bai held the ceremony again and solemnly said: "I have met Dr. Zheng, and I would like to congratulate Dr. Zheng on redressing his injustice."
Zheng Qian stepped forward, held his hand, and said: "Since you have passed the annual examination, you must do your best in the spring. If you fail and return to the Imperial College, I will no longer be able to teach you."
"Doctor is still demoted?"
"I am satisfied to be safe and sound." Zheng Qian smiled kindly, moved closer, and whispered: "Thank you very much. I will never forget this kindness."
Xue Bai smiled slightly.
A few people understood this kind of thing, so it was not convenient to say more at this time. After chatting for a while, the three Imperial College officials went to inspect other dormitories.
Du Wulang looked at their backs and said cheerfully: "Second son Qiu Wei, have you solved another big thing?"
"Second son Qiu Wei? You and Yang Xuan?"
"Hey, don't compare me with that fool, okay?"
Xue Bai looked at the sky and thought that since Zheng Qian was released from prison, Guo Qianli must have returned to the Sixth Army of Bei Ya. He didn't know if Yang Sui had fought for power or if Du Youlin could be promoted smoothly.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
"Let's go back."
He was in a good mood and decided to ask Du Youlin in person.
Thinking of this, I felt inexplicably looking forward to it.
"Let's go back."
Du Wulang was also very happy. This time he experienced another big event, and it was a time when he could have a good talk with the Xue family brothers and sisters.
After the two of them left the Imperial Academy, he was about to drive his horse westward to Changshoufang. When he looked back, he couldn't help but be surprised.
"Hey, why are you...going east? Are you going to my house?"
Xue Bai got on his horse and started driving.
Looking up, there is a bird's nest under the eaves not far away.
Although it was already autumn, it still reminded him of a poem he had written.
"Double flies under the eaves, the breeze is unique in spring."