In the end, Qin Dewei was able to escape unscathed, because tomorrow there will be a grand ceremony in the Golden Palace, and Qin Dewei, as the imperial examiner, must attend.
Therefore, Zeng's father had to take the overall situation into consideration, so as not to leave traces on his stepson, which would cause an eyesore at tomorrow's ceremony and damage the dignity of the court.
The next day, the palace gates opened wide in the early morning, and all kinds of people took their seats early.
The official ceremony was held in the Fengtian Hall, and all the new scholars lined up outside the hall to wait for roll call. This was what Qin Dewei had experienced when he won the top prize.
Before the grand ceremony, the emperor would first visit the Huagai Hall, which is the middle one of the three main halls. He would also open the top three test papers in the Huagai Hall, finally determine the candidates and rankings of the Three Tripods, and then write them on the gold list on the spot.
Fourteen record readers, including Qin Dewei, were all in the Huagai Hall at this time, waiting together for the birth of the Three Tripod Armor.
Qin Zhongtang, who was bored while waiting, suddenly said to Yan Song next to him: "Mr. Yan Ge, do you want to make a bet with me? Bet on who will be the top pick?"
When others heard this, they were a little surprised and did not understand why Qin Zhongtang suddenly made a bet.
Yan Song ignored Qin Dewei's "provocation". As the cabinet actually governs, only a fool would make such a bet with Qin Dewei.
There is no benefit in winning. Others think that it is natural for a cabinet minister to win the first prize. There is nothing to be proud of in winning against a young man like Qin Dewei. But if he loses, it will be very humiliating.
As long as I don't fight, I am invulnerable. What can you do to me?
Yan Song remained silent, but Xu Zan, the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, asked Qin Dewei with great interest: "What kind of gambling method is this?"
Qin Dewei said: "I bet that the number one scholar is Shen Kun from Huai'an, and I asked Mr. Yan Ge to bet that the number one scholar is Pan Sheng from Shaoxing. Since Mr. Yan Ge doesn't dare, let it go."
Yan Song snorted coldly, "What do you mean you don't dare? It's just not worth it!"
In fact, there are others who want to jump out and accept this bet, but they are afraid that Qin Dewei will say "you are not worthy", so they simply don't ask for trouble.
After a while, Emperor Jiajing appeared. This was the first time Emperor Jiajing appeared in public since the prisoner ceremony at Fengzhou Victory, but he talked about another thing first.
It turns out that there was little snow and water in the north, including the capital, last winter, and there has been no rain since the beginning of spring this year, so the spring drought is about to begin.
When Emperor Jiajing mentioned the spring drought, all the ministers present took it seriously.
For an agricultural society, this is definitely a worrying event. If there is a drought in the spring, the situation of the summer harvest can be imagined.
At that time, the government had no taxes and the people had no food, which affected the stability of the whole society. I don’t know how many refugees rebelled, all starting from droughts and poor harvests.
Just when the ministers thought that Emperor Jiajing had rarely discussed state affairs with his courtiers in the past two years, they suddenly heard Emperor Jiajing issuing an edict on the spot:
"I have been praying day and night in the palace, and I will set up a thirty-six-day altar in Chaotian Palace to pray for rain. You ministers should not ignore it, and you must set up an altar at home to pray for rain!"
The ministers were immediately secretly disappointed. It turned out that the emperor did not want to discuss government affairs with the ministers, but made a request directly.
Of course, for the ancients, praying for rain was not a superstition, but a simple belief. It was normal to pray for rain when there was a drought.
It’s just that Qin Zhongtang is a bit of a villain. Did Emperor Jiajing want to popularize Taoism by praying for rain?
It is true that ministers are ordered to set up altars to pray for rain, but whoever wants to worship Buddha is really worshiping at the wrong temple. After so many years of training, no one should be so stupid, right?
After the monarch and his ministers finished talking about the spring drought, they started the business of today, first opening the test papers with their rankings marked.
The first and third place is also commonly known as Tanhua. After taking it apart, the name shown is Gao Gong; the second place is also the second place. After taking it apart, the name shown is Pan Sheng.
You don’t need to take it apart to know that the number one winner is Shen Kun from Huai’an!
Qin Dewei was not surprised by this result. He had even expected it. Otherwise, why would he dare to provoke Yan Song to make a bet just now?
Although Shen Kun was originally the number one scholar in modern science in history, Qin Dewei did not determine it rigidly based on history.
After all, history also has a butterfly effect, and it will change more and more. If you think that the number one scholar in another historical time and space will definitely be the number one scholar in this time and space, that is definitely dogmatism.
Therefore, if the time traveler still wants to "foresee the future", he must find out the operating rules behind things.
Emperor Jiajing will personally read the articles of the top three candidates and decide the ranking of the Three Tripods.
In history, Shen Kun was selected as the number one scholar, which shows that his articles were deeply appreciated by Emperor Jiajing. This is the operating pattern behind the matter.
Therefore, as long as Qin Dewei can send Shen Kun's article to Emperor Jiajing, there is a high probability that he will be selected as the number one scholar by the emperor.
Although everyone present was not surprised by the result, they all looked at Qin Dewei.
Because everyone thinks of Qin Dewei's bet with Mr. Yan Ge just now. Did Qin Dewei know the result in advance?
Yan Song originally didn't care about being the number one scholar. It was just a false reputation.
Being the number one scholar means that you are famous today and will become famous later, but it does not mean that you will do well in official circles in the future.
But Mr. Yan Ge was very worried at the moment and even fell into deep self-doubt.
After the test papers were sent to the emperor, the emperor did not summon the ministers, so even Yan Ge Lao did not know the results. But why could Qin Dewei predict the results in advance?
There are only two reasons, either there is an unknown communication channel between Qin Dewei and the emperor, or Qin Dewei's level of speculation about the emperor far exceeds that of Yan Song.
No matter what the reason is, it threatens Mr. Yan Ge's ability to survive, which is enough to make Mr. Yan Ge unable to sleep well tonight.
Only Qin Dewei was secretly amused. The idea of proposing a bet was just an idea. It was considered to be the maximum use of "information resources".
As long as it is heard by others, regardless of whether Yan Ge Lao fights or not, he has already lost.
Anyway, after others hear the content of the bet and look at the final result, they will naturally think of many things that can enhance their reputation.
After that, the Golden Palace Biography Ceremony continued. For the new scholars, this may be a very exciting moment, and their lives have reached a climax.
But for the old-timers in the officialdom, this ceremony only happens every three years, so they won’t be excited about it at all.
After the roll call was completed, the gold list was carried out of the right gate of Chang'an and hung up. The ministers who participated in the ceremony completed their tasks and dispersed like birds and beasts.
But it is said that the gold medal was hung outside the right gate of Chang'an, and naturally millions of people looked up to it. Among them, civilian politicians were also indispensable for analysis. The capital was most in need of such people.
"It can be seen from this list that among the current imperial court, Qin Zhongtang, who holds the top prize, is the most powerful, followed by Senior Yan Ge and Xu Tianguan third!"
"That's nonsense! Do you even understand Chaotang? The second person on the list is from Zhejiang, and his relationship with Mr. Yan Ge is limited, so Mr. Yan Ge will not use all his strength to praise him, so he falls to the second place! When it comes to power, naturally it is still
The cabinet is strict and the boss is the biggest!"
There are all kinds of discussions, and they are like this every time. With these voices of discussion, the Xinchou Ke Examination in Jiajing for 20 years has gradually become a thing of the past.
During the Chuanlu Ceremony, Emperor Jiajing ordered all ministers to pray for rain for the spring drought. Regardless of whether they understood it or not, the ministers generally followed it.
In fact, in today's unscientific society, praying for rain is often a kind of politics, as anyone who has watched "Struggle in the New Ming Dynasty" knows.
Praying for rain is not only for God to see, but also for superiors and the common people to see. The purpose of praying for rain is not just to ask for rain, but often also includes various purposes such as setting up characters and blaming others.
Therefore, after Emperor Jiajing issued an order to the courtiers to pray for rain, some ministers immediately took active action. It didn't matter whether it rained or not. The most important thing was to make some noise to let the emperor know.
Of course, Qin Dewei did not need to be too active in this matter. As a favored minister with a stable status, he could not afford to use such actions to gain the emperor's attention.
And if this kind of thing goes too far, even if it can make the emperor look at it differently, it may be negative in public opinion. What kind of thing is it to use "dance to impress" to please the emperor?
Therefore, Qin Dewei just needs to follow the crowd when it comes to praying for rain, and does not need to think about outstanding performance. Of course, he still has to prepare for what should be prepared, and he still has to fool around for what should be fooled.
The hardware arrangement for setting up an altar is good, but Qin Zhongtang has to think hard about the software. For example, should he hire a professional Taoist priest to fill the scene?
After careful consideration, Qin Dewei went into the place where Tao Xiangu practiced. Since he had such a Taoist priest at home, he didn't need to use it in vain, and he didn't have to spend money to find someone else.
"Fairy aunt, there has been a drought in the capital for a long time, and all the courtiers are ordered to pray for rain." Qin Dewei requested: "I don't understand the art of praying for rain, so I would like to ask the fairy aunt to give me some guidance.
At the same time, sit with me and cast spells together to pray for rain! Fairy lady, please rest assured that I will not let outsiders easily disturb us in this pristine place where the altar is."
Is praying for rain serious? Tao Xiangu frowned and said, "Who do you think I am?"
Qin Dewei said doubtfully: "What's the problem? Did Fairy Lady misunderstand something?"
Tao Xiangu said angrily: "What Pindao is studying is the avenue of immortality, and what he is investigating is the mystery of life and death, not those magic tricks that pretend to be gods and ghosts!
If you want to find a Taoist priest to help you pray for rain, then you’d better ask someone else!”
"Don't worry about anything. The fairy is worshiped at home, so why look for someone else? Fairy, just pray for rain with me!"
"Build the foundation for a hundred days, otherwise there will be no discussion!"
The courtiers prepared to pray for rain. After the palace examination, the examination season was over. The focus of the imperial court's work was on the imperial examination and gradually returned to normal.
Those jobs that were temporarily frozen due to the Chinese New Year and the imperial examination have also begun to restart.
For example, Duan Chaoyong, who was sentenced to prison for deceiving the emperor, is still in prison; another example is Wuding Marquis Guo Xun, who was implicated by Duan Chaoyong and imprisoned in the sky prison, but the trial result has not yet been found; and Guo Xun, who was imprisoned by Duan Chaoyong
The implicated commander Lu Binglu was also waiting for punishment after handing over Tiqi.
Duan Chaoyong's situation is most clear and clear. All the facts are there. He should be killed after the trial. He is just waiting for the emperor's edict.
However, the trial of Wuding Marquis Guo Xun has not yet begun, and there are no specific instructions from the superiors on how to determine the case. This has become the biggest concern of Mao Bowen, the Minister of Punishment, during this period.
Sometimes, Mao Shangshu really wanted to resign, but the job of the Minister of Punishment was very boring.
First, as a remnant of the Xia Party, he was caught between Mr. Yan Ge and Qin Zhongtang, and his living environment was difficult.
Second, due to the character of Emperor Jiajing and the constant fighting atmosphere in the court, difficult cases often fell into the Ministry of Justice. If they were not handled satisfactorily, they would surely suffer.
As a result, the job of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment is very difficult to do, and it is not an exaggeration to call him the most risky among the six ministers.
Even if you are tired of it, you still have to do the work, and at least show it in a formal way, so as not to be accused of "dereliction of duty" by a certain court again.
Therefore, Shangshu Mao still tried to interrogate Guo Xun, and since Guo Xun was the Marquis of Wuding, Shangshu Mao could only interrogate him personally.
Mao Shangshu asked tentatively: "Guo Xun, how did you collude with Duan Chaoyong? Can you recruit him truthfully?"
Of course, Guo Xun refused to admit this and defended himself: "I did have contacts with the alchemist Duan Chaoyong, but how can it be called collusion?
I had no idea about Duan Chaoyong's deception. Even I was defrauded of tens of thousands of taels of silver, so colluding with Duan Chaoyong was out of the question!
Besides, the interactions between Duan Chaoyong and I are extremely ordinary. There are too many interactions like this. Could it be possible that they are all collusions?
For example, I have a relationship with Mr. Yan Ge, and I have also sent gifts to Mr. Yan Ge. Could it be that we are colluding?"
Mao Shangshu: "."
I couldn't continue the trial for the time being, so I hurriedly withdrew from the court.
Then Mao Shangshu quietly went to Yan's Mansion at night, even if Mr. Yan Ge was not there, it was okay to see Yan Shifan.
For no other reason than to get a clear instruction from above, that is, how should Guo Xun be characterized? Only in this way can we grasp the appropriateness of the interrogation.
Yan Shifan shook his folding fan and asked: "How to treat Guo Xun? Have you asked Qin Zhongtang?"
Mao Shangshu replied: "I didn't go to Qin Zhongtang, and I know what he said without asking, so there is no need to ask him."
Yan Shifan asked curiously: "What do you think he would say?"
Mao Shangshu replied: "With Qin Zhongtang's nature, he must torture and interrogate the guilty, and then eliminate harm for the people, and kill if possible!"
Yan Shifan laughed and said casually: "In fact, the best way is to let Guo Xun fall ill and die suddenly in the prison! To avoid everyone being embarrassed!"
At this time, a servant came to report: "Commander Lu of the Jinyi Guards sent a message saying that the alchemist Duan Chaoyong has been released!"
Yan Shifan was shocked when he heard the news and quickly asked: "Who let Duan Chaoyong out?"
The servant replied: "It was the emperor's decree. When I heard that Duan Chaoyong asked for rain, the emperor let Duan Chaoyong go and let him have a try!"
Even as smart as Yan Shifan, it is a bit difficult to understand. What kind of psychotic mentality does the emperor have?
Yan Shifan felt that he was already more neurotic, but he did not expect that the emperor was more neurotic than himself!
It's not enough to be deceived once, you have to give the liar another chance? How can your emperor still trust a swindler who should be killed because of the solid evidence?
The situation was really a bit magical, and Yan Shifan couldn't help but fell into deep thought. Is the emperor so easy to deceive?
Have you been too skillful and reserved in the past? When faced with an arrogant person, maybe it would be better to be simpler and more crude?
Mao Shangshu couldn't help but ask: "What do you think?"
Yan Shifan came back to his senses, "What else can we look at? The most important thing to look at at this time is Qin Dewei!"
In fact, Yan Shifan had a vague hunch that if the emperor took too many drugs and went crazy, there would be more and more magical things in the future.
Please give me a monthly ticket! I’m having a hard time coming up with the layout, it’ll be ready soon!!