readx;?readx; Chapter 371 The Tribute Courtyard is deep and the spring is gone

After a stressful night, calm returned to the palace, and the outside didn't even know what was going on inside. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Time passed through his fingers, and in the blink of an eye, it was the thirtieth day of the second lunar month.

At about noon, Qin Lei woke up from his sleep and asked Ruolan who was waiting on the side with a smile: "How long have I been sleeping?" ”

Ruolan smiled, "It's been ten hours. ”

Qin Lei smacked his tongue and said, "I said that my head hurts, it turns out that I have flattened my head." Ruolan covered her mouth and chuckled: "You are going to do something big, and you should cultivate your spirit." Saying that, he was distressed and asked, "Do you really want to stay up for five days in a row?" ”

Qin Lei squinted his eyes and smiled: "Don't worry, those weak scholars can hold on, and the master can hold on," and Ruolan laughed and got up, and after a full meal, he was about to call Shang Shi to go out.

Ruolan ordered someone to take out five large food boxes from inside, and they were about to put them in the car, Qin Lei said strangely: "Where is this?" ”

"Lord Wang, you can't come out for five or six days, bring these foods, don't be hungry." Ruolan said seriously.

Qin Lei smiled bitterly: "The Tribute Academy is not like other places, except for the clothes on the body, all the examiners are not allowed to bring in a single bit, even the Lone King is no exception." Ruolan waved back the person and asked in a low voice, "What about eating?" Is there a place to sleep? ”

Qin Lei laughed and said, "Don't worry about it, I haven't been an examiner either, I don't know." After saying that, he squeezed his eyes at her, and left Qinghe Garden and went straight to the Yamen of the Xicheng Rite Department.

Halfway through, Shen Bing jumped up again, no matter where Qin Lei went, this guy could always be found.

"Lou Wanli's work and rest are normal, and today he actually has the leisure to walk the flower and bird market, and he doesn't seem to know it." After a simple salute, Shen Bing said in a deep voice.

Qin Lei bowed his head and said: "I know, the old man will arrest him after the exam, and it is estimated that he will not be able to ask anything." "The thief Hu Chuanyi has absconded in fear of crime, if Lou Wanli is his accomplice, it is naturally impossible to have leisure to visit the flower and bird market. After thinking for a while, Qin Lei smiled and asked, "You come to figure out this matter." ”

Shen Bing nodded and took the order, and said in a deep voice: "From the perspective of the purpose of the people behind the scenes, it is nothing more than to kill three birds with one stone, first, to blame Princess Shanyang; Second, the whole building collapsed for thousands of miles; Third, the destruction of the country. ”

Qin Lei said with a smile: "Fourth, if you are lucky, you can use this to control this group of lifters; Fifth, whether it succeeds or not, it will give a loud ear scraper to the old man who wants to create a clear situation. ”

Shen Bing pursed his lips and said: "It is indeed a good calculation, no matter whether this matter will be exposed or not, he will not lose his capital." ”

Qin Lei leaned back in the chair and pouted: "Just thinking about a good thing, but forgetting one thing, is doomed to be unable to succeed." ”

Even Shi Kang, who was silently obedient on the side, couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter?" ”

Pointing his thumb at himself, Qin Lei smiled and said, "He forgot who the examiner was," and said with a sneer: "If you want to give me some eye medicine, gouge out his eyes first...... You continue. ”

The corners of Shen Bing's mouth twitched, and he hurriedly continued: "In Zhongdu, the people who can do this are nothing more than the Tai Lieutenant, the Prime Minister and the Prince, and they can't escape these people. ”

Qin Lei smiled and said, "What you said is completely correct, but no one has stipulated that people outside the capital can't do this." ”

Shen Bing said 'oh': "Princess Heyang? Then he denied himself: "She has no reason, after all, Princess Shanyang is her own sister." ”

Qin Lei shook his head and said, "This woman doesn't need a reason to do things...... Of course, this time she had good reasons, such as that she supported the crown prince, not her own eldest brother; For example, Lou Wanli was used by the old man to supervise her forces in the central capital; For example, His Majesty abandoned her, and I used to humiliate her. He patted his head and said, "In this way, it must be her." ”

Shen Bingxin said: "You are too presumptuous. Hearing Qin Lei smile irresponsibly: "Of course, others are also suspicious, as for who is behind the scenes, please ask you Shen Dusi to investigate." After speaking, he threw Shen Bing, who looked helpless, out of the car.

A quarter of an hour later, the convoy arrived in front of the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites.

The refreshed Koji Yanwu was waiting in front of the door, and when he saw Qin Lei coming down, he hurriedly greeted him respectfully: "Weichen greets the prince." ”

Qin Lei laughed and said, "Gong Qi is polite. The two of them can be regarded as a friendship of common adversity, naturally different from others, looking at each other and smiling, and entered the yamen hand in hand.

After entering the lobby, he sat down for tea, and looked at the new second-grade purple robe of Koji Yanwutuan, Qin Lei smiled and said: "It's strange to say, they are all second-grade dresses, why do you look at you more magnificent than in the first month?" ”

The two of them know the roots, and Lu Yanwu is not hypocritical with Qin Lei, and he said with a smile: "At that time, he was just a minister of scattered ranks, scattered ranks, and was placed idly by others, even if he was a first-class member, he was not magnificent." ”

Qin Lei also nodded with a smile on his face: "I can't imagine that in just over a month, the Duke of Koji will become the secretary of the Ministry of Rites and the future master of the hundred officials, which is really gratifying." ”

Lu Yanwu smiled sincerely: "Since the Qingcui Villa of Xiangyang Mansion, my subordinates have handed over the honor and disgrace of the future, and even the life of the family, to the prince, so I won't thank you." ”

Qin Lei looked outside the door, Shi Dang nodded at him, knowing that all four were controlled by the black-clothed guards, so he sighed: "When I promised you the respect of the prime minister, I also said that it would take ten years, but I never imagined that it would be realized in only one year." ”

Lu Yanwu's breathing suddenly became short, and he asked nervously: "Is the prince saying that his subordinates will be in the middle book?" ”

Qin Lei shook his head and smiled: "That's Wen Yanbo's bandit's den, what are you going to do there?" ”

The second monk of Liyan Wuzhang was puzzled and said: "If you don't go to Zhongshu, what kind of prime minister can you talk about?" ”

Qin Lei said with a smile: "Not only will we not go to Zhongshu, but we also have to let Wen Yanbo take the initiative to come out." As he spoke, he revealed: "Gu and Your Majesty have discussed properly, and the Cabinet will be formally established around April, and there will be five cabinet ministers to jointly assist Your Majesty in handling internal and external affairs, and you are one of them." ”

Ko Yanwu was curious: "What are the powers and responsibilities of this cabinet minister?" ”

Now is not the time to talk in detail, Qin Lei just told him first, let him have a number in his heart, and then smiled lightly: "In the future, there will be no prime minister in Great Qin, only cabinet ministers." ”

Lu Yanwu suddenly said: "It turns out that the cabinet minister is the future prime minister. "Xin said: 'It seems that Your Majesty does not want a second Wen Yanbo to appear and divide the power of the phase.' Then he smiled happily: "The name and power of the first assistant have changed a lot over the past thousand years, and it doesn't matter what it is called. ”

Qin Lei nodded, and said softly: "I will reveal this to you in advance, mainly to tell you, hurry up and re-elect the Ministry of Rites for me, in order to avoid prevarication and selfishness, all cabinet ministers must resign from the original department." ”

As was customary, as long as he was not a minister who had been dismissed, he could recommend a successor to the emperor when he left office. Of course, it is the emperor's business whether to use it or not, but if the emperor does not have a favorite candidate, it will be used as a very important reference.

Hearing that Qin Lei asked him to consider a successor, Lu Yanwu smiled bitterly: "The butt hasn't been hot yet, and I have to move the nest again." ”

Qin Lei said angrily: "As soon as the big competition passes, you will have to sit on the cold bench for three years, and be careful of diarrhea." ”

Ko Yanwu hurriedly laughed and said: "My subordinates are so emotional, I have become a Shangshu for a while, and I can be regarded as having my resume together, and I will not panic in the next step." ”

Qin Lei nodded and said: "It is precisely this reason that gives you this period of Shangshu career, in addition to allowing you to gather some contacts, is also for this." He asked, "Who do you think will take over?" ”

Lu Yanwu smiled and said, "Lord Wang, what do you think of Li Guangyuan?" "He has become a fine character, and it is natural to speculate on his intentions.

Sure enough, Qin Lei smiled and said, "Yes, he is a third-grade official, and his official reputation is good, and he happens to invigilate this spring festival again, I think it's okay." ”

Koji Yanwu smiled knowingly: "Then the subordinates will recommend him." ”

When this was said and done, the sun was already setting in the west, but it was now long and it was still early before dark.

The two of them got to the point, Qin Lei asked in detail about the situation of the Tribute Academy, and Lu Yanwu guaranteed the vote: "As soon as the labor and equipment have been prepared, you just have to ask for the test questions, and the lower officials will enter the Tribute Academy first." After speaking, he took out the official seal of the Ministry of Rites and the customs defense of the promotion officer, and stamped it in the blank space of Qin Lei's chapter document, and Qin Lei also took out his own proctor and sealed it.

The so-called customs defense is the meaning of the temporary official seal, which is generally only granted to temporary official positions, such as the examiners and promoters in this competition.

Coupled with the two deputy examiners Guan Fang and the garrison Guan Fang, a total of six seals, Qin Lei took the medallion back into his arms, got up and said, "It's not too early, I'm going to get the exam questions." So he went out of the Ministry of Rites with Koji Yanwu, one went to the palace, and the other went to the tribute courtyard.

Qin Lei traveled all the way, just when Shen Shi arrived at the imperial study, Emperor Zhaowu had already put a box wrapped in yellow satin on the imperial case, and waited for Qin Lei to fold it. He personally got up with the box in both hands and stood still in front of Qin Lei.

Looking at this son who made him the most proud, Emperor Zhaowu said in a deep voice: "You know my expectations for this Spring Festival, don't spoil the country's talent ceremony for the sake of a little favor." ”

Qin Lei said: "Father, please rest assured, as long as the sons and ministers are here, they will definitely give the scholars a fairness." ”

Emperor Zhaowu smiled with relief: "I am naturally relieved of you, I remember you once said: 'Great Qin is a country to others, but to our royal family, it is both a country and a home; Others harm the country, maybe for their own small family, but our royal family does not have the slightest reason to harm Daqin. Such a long, unrhymed passage was hard for him to remember.

However, Emperor Zhaowu's concern is not unreasonable, because at this time, only the bribe-taker is held responsible, but the bribe-giver is considered to be the weaker party, and the "Great Qin Law" will not be investigated, because those candidates who bribe can still participate in the Spring Festival in the name of justice.

Although the Wen family failed and could not provide strong protection for the high-ranking officials and wealthy gentry, there must have been some of the key officials such as the eighteen-room examiner, the marking officer, and the transcription officer. If Qin Lei, the invigilator, did not have some means, those high-ranking officials and rich gentry could still easily cheat, and they would go to the court and participate in the palace examination in a grand manner.

If it is the last person to reach the first place, there is not much difference from the list of bribes, it is tantamount to slapping Emperor Zhaowu in the mouth, and it may even smash the imperial power that he has just mastered...... The pressure in Emperor Zhaowu's heart can be imagined.

Qin Lei said solemnly: "Never do anything that harms the country, this is also the code of conduct for your sons." ”

Emperor Zhaowu nodded approvingly, and said in an inaudible voice: "My country, the country of yours, remember to remember!" After speaking, he handed his hands forward and said, "Let's try it." ”

Qin Lei's heart trembled violently, gritted his teeth to suppress his excitement, and nodded solemnly. took the yellow box in the hands of Emperor Zhaowu, and said in a deep voice: "Please wait for good news from my father, and my sons will retire." After speaking, he withdrew from the imperial study with the imperial master Zhanwen behind him.

From the moment he got the test questions, Huangfu Zhanwen would take the Imperial Forest Army to ensure the safety of the test questions and not be leaked.

The carriage stopped at the door of the imperial study, and Huangfu Zhanwen took two lieutenants to follow Qin Lei to get on the carriage, and the remaining 100 Jinjia Imperial Forests got on their horses and closely guarded the carriage out of the palace. Outside the Chengtian Gate, there were two other teams of Imperial Forest Army waiting, and when they saw the carriage marked with special symbols coming out, these two teams of Royal Forest Army also followed behind, and set off towards Guozijian.

The eunuch was on the edge of the imperial city, and he arrived in the prison in less than a quarter of an hour. As early as ten days ago, the supervisors and doctors of Guozijian had been at home on vacation, just to not affect the spring examination in the Gongyuan.

And the soldiers of the half-battalion Royal Forest Army, after the teachers and students of Guozijian were on vacation, drove into Guozijian and surrounded the Gongyuan impenetrable. Coupled with the Royal Forest Army that is coming one after another today, in the next five days, there will be a full 3,000 elite Imperial Forest guards outside this small tribute courtyard, which shows how strong Emperor Zhaowu's determination is.

Even if he was guarded by the brigade of the Imperial Forest, Qin Lei still had to dismount with the box, and let Shen Wei and Zhao Chenghe, the two main and deputy garrison officers who were personally guarding the door, sign the guard, and then under the guidance of Huangfu Zhanwen, he entered the Tribute Courtyard, which had been locked for nearly twenty days.

I also met Li Guangyuan, Kong Jingde, and various examination officials such as the eighteenth room examiner who had been locked up since the day the hospital was locked. According to the regulations, since the day the candidates are announced, all the internal curtain officials must enter the Gongyuan and cut off all contact with the outside world until the end of the reading of the papers and the ranking can not see the light of day again.

In fact, it is said that Qin Lei should also come in, but the Great Qin system is extensive, and the invigilator is also the chief examiner, which means that Qin Lei is both the head of the inner curtain official and the boss of the outer curtain official. He took advantage of this loophole and insisted that he was an external curtain official, so he escaped the suffering of 20 days of imprisonment.

After greeting with a few adults, a group of examiners came to the lobby, where the incense case candlestick was set up early, and the portrait of Sage Confucius stood high in the stage, looking at everyone with a smile.

Under the leadership of Qin Lei, the examiners stood up according to their dignity and humility, and Kong Jingde came over with a copper basin and asked the examiner to clean his hands.

Qin Lei washed his hands with a pious face, put three incense sticks on the holy master, and led everyone to salute respectfully, only then did he open the yellow silk outside the box, revealing two royal seals with crisscrossed crosses, which were also stamped with the emperor's seal.

Qin Lei asked the two deputy examiners and the eighteenth room examiner to check together, and after everyone was sure that the seal was undamaged, he signed the documents on the side one by one.

Only then did he carefully open the seal, revealing three layers of sturdy iron boxes inside, which were used to store test questions, and each layer contained the test questions of an exam, and there was a lock on each of the three sides, attacking nine, three for each of the three examiners, one for each of the first, second and third floors. It can only be opened if three people get together.

Qin Lei took out a green key from his arms, opened the lock in the middle of the upper layer, Li Guangyuan and Kong Jingde also opened the lock, and finally opened the first layer and took out the first exam questions.

The printer who had been waiting for a long time quickly took over the exam questions and asked the scribe, who had the best handwriting among all the papers, to transcribe the exam questions on the engraving.

After the engraving was written, there were craftsmen who carved and printed it, and all of this was carried out under the noses of dozens of examiners such as Qin Lei, and did not leave the hall.

Dozens of workers worked through the night to engrave the print, and it was not completed until after the third watch.

Looking at the sky outside, the transcription officer and the printing officer lowered their heads and carefully checked each exam paper with the fragrance of ink, and used their own guard at the bottom of the qualified paper, put it into the test bag, and then sealed it with white paper, and finally sealed it one by one by Qin Lei and the two deputy examiners, which was considered to be completed.

By the time all the 1,700 questions had been printed, it was almost dawn outside.

Candidates, on the other hand, enter at dawn.