Imperial City, April day. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Taihe Bao Palace, the scene of the imperial examination.

The Queen Mother walked out step by step from behind the curtain, slowly stepped down from the throne, and walked to Qin Siyang to stand still.

Directly in front of her, Li Chaochen knelt on the ground, not daring to move.

Reaching out and taking the scroll that Qin Siyang was holding in his hand, the Queen Mother took a cursory look at it.

"Well, that's a good answer," the Queen Mother nodded, put down the scroll, and continued, "But if you want to be the champion, you still have to rely on such an answer alone, it is still far from it." ”

"The grass people don't dare to expect to be far away. Li Chaochen lowered his head and replied.

"Then what do you want?" asked the Queen Mother in a cold voice.

Li Chaochen bowed again: "A piece of official seal, return to his hometown." ”

The Queen Mother snorted coldly: "How big is the official seal?"

Li Chaochen paused for a long time before replying in a low voice: "Seven products." ”

"The seventh grade is too low," the Queen Mother sneered, "It's just right to look at the first grade at the Yi Wai family." ”

Li Chaochen was startled, and replied in a trembling voice: "The grass people don't dare." ”

The Queen Mother snorted coldly again: "What about the emperor, what do you think?"

Qin Siyang was stunned for a moment, and replied, "Well, I also think that a product is the best." ”

The incredible answer made Ruoda's Taihe Bao Hall disappear into a strange silence.

Everyone can hear the Queen Mother's opposite. Everyone could hear that there was a lot of anger in the Queen Mother's words. No one guessed that since the dignified and handsome Queen Mother had such a big shelf in front of outsiders, even if she valued Li Chaochen's beauty and valued her princess to him, she would not openly violate the laws of her ancestors and judge people by her appearance in the imperial examination.

Therefore, according to normal thinking, anyone who receives the question just now from the Queen Mother will choose to oppose without hesitation.

No one expected that the emperor would be the opposite, and he would stupidly express his approval.

What is this messing with? Could it be that the emperor today is really a fool?

The tribute students present all secretly gasped for a while because of this sudden realization.

At this time, the queen mother, also due to excessive anger, her face changed from blue to purple, and then from purple to black. She took a deep breath, held her head high, and suddenly shouted, "What are you doing on your knees, get up, sit up for me and answer the questions." Today is the great hall of the great courtiers, and you are the future courtiers of my Great Zhou Dynasty. Give me a good answer to the questions, how can the court take the scholars, how can it be child's play. ”

The candidates were stunned for a moment, kneeling on the ground and looking at each other, but no one dared to move. Although it was the Queen Mother's words, it was also majestic. But now that the emperor and the queen mother are standing, they want them to sit down, who dares to move.

I was stunned for a long time, but no one dared to move. The anger on the Queen Mother's face was already on her face: "Don't get up to answer the question yet." The shouts resounded through the temple again.

Sun Jin, who was in the first row on the right, finally took the lead in answering the kowtow, got up from the ground and sat back on the small stool, picked up the pen and continued to answer the question.

When the other candidates saw this, they also sat back on the stool and continued to answer the unfinished questions.

After a while, in the big hall, only Li Chaochen was still kneeling on the ground and did not sit up. And beside him, Emperor Qin Siyang stood in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

The Queen Mother turned around and glanced at Li Chaochen, then looked at Qin Siyang and said sharply: "Your Majesty, please return to your throne." ”

Qin Siyang, who was stunned, came back to his senses and bowed his head and replied, "Yes." As soon as he took a step, Li Chaochen, who was behind him, bowed his head abruptly and said: "Back to the emperor, the grass people's text has been written." ”

Qin Siyang turned his head in shock, and before he could reply, the Queen Mother had already preemptively said: "The official of the Ministry of Rites has collected the papers." After saying that, he walked back and sat down behind the curtain without looking back.

The official of the Ministry of Rites, who was standing in a corner, hurriedly came over and collected Li Chaochen's scroll.

Seeing this, Qin Siyang also followed the Queen Mother back to his throne silently.

No one told Li Chaochen to get up, he didn't dare to sit up without permission, so he could only kneel like this. Up to the content of the hall, the other candidates have successively answered the questions and handed in the papers. The palace examination was fully over, and he sent the emperor and the queen mother away with the other candidates, and his feet that were already sore and numb moved a little, but he couldn't stand up for a long time.

Sun Jin was the first to see that he had a problem, and walked up to him and asked, "Brother Zifan, what's wrong?"

Li Chaochen smiled bitterly: "My feet are so numb that I can't move." As he spoke, he fell to the ground.

Sun Jin hurriedly stepped forward and squatted down to knead his feet for him. The candidates who had not left on the side also came forward one after another, laughing lightly or amusing or teasing or teasing or teasing Li Chaochen.

If it is really a human being, as the name suggests, it is extraordinary.

After the sunrise, the Queen Mother sat alone on a chair, and her eunuchs Gao Yueming and Zhao Sheng were separated.

"Hasn't Xinyi come yet?" asked the Queen Mother.

Gao Yueming bowed down and replied: "There is something in the master of ceremonies' mansion, please resign from the palace today, and I haven't seen you yet." ”

"What can happen in her house," the Queen Mother sneered, "like the mourning family, there is a widow, and the two daughters are married far away." Hmph, it's the uncle of the Ministry of Industry or the cousin of the Criminal Department who is looking for her. ”

"It should be Master Fang of the Criminal Department," Zhao Sheng continued: "I heard the guards at the palace gate say that it is the head of the Criminal Department who came to pick up the master of ceremonies. ”

"Is there anything important about the Criminal Department?" the Queen Mother frowned and said, "Fang Yuefei is in charge of the Criminal Department of Shaanxi Langzhong, is there any big case there?"

Gao Yueming and Zhao Sheng glanced at each other, and finally Zhao Sheng lowered his head and replied: "Hui Niangniang, I heard that it was a master in the Shaanxi Governor's Mansion who died overnight inexplicably. ”

"Governor of Shaanxi?" the Queen Mother frowned, "Who is it?"

"Back to Niangniang, Shaanxi Governor Wu Youjing, the words are clear. Gao Yueming replied.

"What origin?" the Queen Mother then asked.

"This-" Gao Yueming couldn't answer, so she had to look at Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng pondered for a while, and replied: "I heard that this Wu Youjing was originally a poor child, and he was born as a second-class jinshi in the second year of Emperor Qingyang. ”

"Hmm. The Queen Mother nodded and did not ask any further.

Zhao Sheng hesitated for a moment, and then said, "This Wu Youjing—"

"What?" the Queen Mother stared at Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng bowed his head again and said: "It is said that Concubine Heyun is an old acquaintance. ”

"Old knowledge, what kind of old knowledge?"

"Wu Youjing and Concubine Yun Taishang are from the same village and grew up together since childhood. ”

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows: "You mean childhood sweethearts." ”

"Yes. Zhao Sheng responded.

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment when she listened.

The hour had slipped into dusk, and Fang Xinyi, who the Queen Mother had ordered someone to pass on, came to Cining Palace.

"What's the matter with Niangniang's anxious transmission of Xinyi?" asked Fang Xinyi with her hand down.

Although it was a question, there was no need to ask, Fang Xinyi also knew what the Queen Mother was sending her for. Early this morning, in the examination room of the Taihe Palace, the emperor made a farce, and she heard it when she didn't return to the palace.

The Queen Mother raised her eyes slightly, and said slowly: "Have you heard about today's palace test?"

"The minister has heard a little," Fang Xinyi replied, "I heard that the emperor is infatuated with that tribute student Li Chaochen and wants to make him the champion." ”

"This emperor, what kind of fainting. The Queen Mother gritted her teeth and said, "It's only been a few days, and he has made such a thing happen to the mourning family, disappearing all of a sudden, and suddenly becoming obsessed with men, what does he want?"

Fang Xinyi stood quietly aside, listening to the Queen Mother's grievances for a long time before asking, "Does Niangniang really have the heart to marry the fifth princess to Li Chaochen?"

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows: "Marrying Jing'er?" Hmph, what is this nonsense. Yes, the mourning family likes Li Chaochen's appearance very much, and wants to get closer to him. But so what? He was born in poverty and had no background, so wouldn't it be a misfortune for Jing'er to marry her. ”

"Who is the mother?"

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows slightly: "Zhen'er is the fourth princess, and if you want to marry, you will marry Zhen'er first." ”

"Fourth princess?" Fang Xinyi nodded clearly, "Indeed, the fourth princess is more suitable." ”

The fourth princess, Qin Sizhen, was born by the first emperor Ning Concubine, and her mother's background is not thick, she is gentle, quiet, virtuous, and safe.

The Queen Mother looked at Fang Xinyi and said, "What does Xinyi think the emperor will think?"

"Your Majesty?" Fang Xinyi thought for a moment, "Does Niangniang care about the emperor's thoughts?"

"He is the emperor. The Queen Mother snorted coldly.

Fang Xinyi looked at her eyes and said, "Isn't what Niangniang wants most about driving the emperor, so why care about what the emperor thinks?"

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows: "The mourning family doesn't care, but those ministers care." ”

Fang Xinyi smiled softly: "Even if that's the case, why should the lady bother, wouldn't it be better to let those ministers be completely disappointed in the emperor?"

"Utterly disappointed?" the Queen Mother was surprised.

"Yes," Fang Xinyi nodded, "Judging from the emperor's current situation, he is not a woman, but he is a very good man. went down to pick draft girls, and most of the emperor wouldn't like it. Most of the ministers will continue to play the book and blame the emperor in this matter. As a result, the estrangement between the monarch and the minister will inevitably deepen. Niangniang, why don't you take this opportunity to win over the emperor. ”

"Wooing the emperor?" the queen mother sounded a little fresh.

"Yes," Fang Xinyi nodded again, "The emperor is afraid of Niangniang, this is obvious. And Niangniang has been restricting the emperor's freedom and monitoring the emperor's every move. All these made the emperor afraid of Niangniang, but also deepened his resentment towards Niangniang. Therefore, the emperor must feel extremely depressed in his heart. He was isolated and didn't have anyone to talk to in the palace. Last time, he liked Gao Ningyuan, who sang the song, but because of the relationship between the five princesses, he had to transfer it to the sixth prince. So, this time—"

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows, stared at Fang Xinyi and said, "You mean that in this matter, let the mourning family let the emperor go?"

Fang Xinyi smiled softly: "Yes." But Niangniang can't be too clear about the emperor, Niangniang still wants the ministers to see on the surface, you want the emperor to go to the good, but the emperor doesn't listen, Niangniang, you can't, this is the emperor's willful will. ”

"So—" the Queen Mother mused.

Fang Xinyi then said: "Go down, Niangniang might as well put some recitals in the open for the emperor to approve himself, Niangniang doesn't have to care, and don't accuse the emperor of being wrong, give the emperor some real freedom." Among the six parts, Niangniang doesn't have to think about mastering them all, it doesn't hurt to enlarge half of them and give them to the emperor to manage, Niangniang only needs to grasp one of them. ”

The Queen Mother was stunned, thought for a while, and said, "Are you talking about the head of the six departments?"

"Yes. (To be continued.) )