The dust on the afternoon of the fourth day of the first month of March left an indelible mark in the hearts of the people of the capital.

The yellow sand began to be blown from the beginning of noon (11 o'clock at noon) until the end of the day, and it took three or four hours to scrape. When the wind gradually decreased, the capital up and down, suddenly, has been covered with a layer of yellow sand.

Even in the courtyard of ordinary small households, half a shovel of soil is also swept out, like a large courtyard house of the powerful family, and the small half car of yellow sand can be made up of a small half car. This is a later story, so I won't mention it for the time being.

When Cao Hao returned home from the household yamen, the wind and sand had not stopped, and the consequence of coming back from the sandstorm was that his face was full of sand.

It wasn't until he returned to the house, bathed and changed his clothes, that Cao Hao was more comfortable.

Fortunately, in this Kangxi Dynasty, sandstorms are out of phase and are not encountered in a hundred years. Otherwise, just like the later generations, it would be really unbearable to have a sand scene all spring if there is nothing to do.

"E, the birthday gift of the Wanshou Festival has arrived, is it sent to the Internal Affairs Office in a hurry?" Chu Yu saw her husband change his clothes and asked.

"There is still half a month, let's put it in the treasury first, and wait a few days to see the limelight of other mansions." Cao Hao thought about it and replied.

Kangxi's preferences are becoming more and more figurative, and this annual longevity ceremony is also a time to test people's hearts. Following the crowd will make people feel uncaring; Highlighted, the gun shot the first bird, but I don't know which one to offend.

Chu Yu took a towel, helped Cao Hao dry his hair, braided his hair, and said, "The fifth uncle, the second old lady is setting up wine in the east courtyard, and the old lady has already brought God to bless them, and asked me to wait for the master to come back, and I will go over together." ”

Cao Hao listened, looked at the table clock on the ground, and said, "It's not early, let's go over." ”

The wind outside has stopped, only the shoes fall to the ground, and the dust raised at the feet witnesses this "anomaly".

The east and west mansions are connected by corner gates in the middle, but there is no need to detour to the front yard.

When Cao Hao and Chu Yu arrived at the corner gate, there was already a mother-in-law from Zhaojia's house waiting here.

"Big man, big lady, our old lady made the old slave wait for a long time." The woman smiled and leaned over.

Cao Hao waved his hand and told the mother-in-law to get up, and the husband and wife went to Zhaojia's yard.

* Mega Yard, upper room.

The female dependents were in the inner room, Cao Fu and her nephews were in the outer hall, and there was laughter inside and outside the house.

Although the wind and sand blew evil in the afternoon, in the eyes of women and children, this God's business is not something that mortals can worry about, and it is better for each family to take care of each family.

It's Cao Fu's side, who only listened to Xiaoman's good news, and only listened to the follow-up before the Ministry of Rites, knowing that the wind was too strong and scraping the list off.

His heart was already boundless joy, listening to a few nephews babbling about the imperial examination, patiently answering the children's questions, and not feeling bored at all.

Tianyou is ten years old this year, he is a lot taller, and he has inherited the good looks of his parents, and he is much more handsome than Hengsheng and Zuo Cheng.

In addition to the uncle on the list, Mengshi Qian Chen Qun is also on the list, Tianyou said: "Fifth uncle, Mr. has also passed the exam, is it just like the fourth uncle, he wants to go to other places to be an official, and he will not return to our house in the future?" ”

Cao Fu nodded and smiled: "Your husband is a great talent, and he should be hit." With his talents, even if he can't get the first class, he will be the second class, and most of them stay in the capital and enter the Hanlin Academy. ”

When Tianyou heard this, he couldn't help but smile.

When Hengsheng and a few of them heard the previous master, they said, "I haven't seen Mr. for a long time, can I go and say hello to Mr.?" ”

This one said, "My husband lives outside the city, but it is far away, and my father-in-law will not allow us to go." ”

While talking, I heard a maid say: "Big master, big wife! ”

It was Cao Hao and his wife who arrived, and Cao Fu and the children got up and met the two.

"Congratulations to Little Five." Cao Hao was also in a good mood, and said to Cao Fu with a smile.

Chu Yu also followed and said congratulations, but Cao Fu was a little embarrassed and said, "It's all luck." ”

Cao Hao said a few more words to the child, and then with Chu Yu, the two of them, together with Cao Fu, went into the back room to greet Zhao Jia's family.

Zhao Jia's and Li's two kangs sat and talked about homely things, and the others sat or stood beside them, and the room was full of flowers.

Because Jinghui and Su Xin were also on the side, Cao Hao, the eldest uncle, was not good to stay in the back room for a long time, and after seeing the Li family and the Zhaojia family, he came out with Cao Fu.

In the back room, Zhao Jia's voice was loud, and he was already talking about the reception and wine.

Three years ago, the concubine was hit by Tanhua, and the son-in-law fell into the first place, which was the most embarrassing thing for the Zhaojia family. Now, her youngest son is half a step away from the gate of Jinshi, how can she not be happy?

In addition, in the past few years, the Cao family has not had any happy events, and the two mansions have been silent for a long time, and she also wants to take advantage of this lively and lively.

Cao Fu was a little helpless, and complained to his cousin in a low voice: "Since I got the news from below, our old lady has been talking about it." There is also a test in the palace, and now it is Zhang Luo, and it is a joke for nothing. ”

When Cao Hao heard this, he remembered what Jiang Jian said in the afternoon about "unstable lifting", and asked: "In your room, do you see that there are candidates who are inappropriate?" ”

"Candidates are inappropriate?" Cao Fu listened, a little strange, and said: "There is nothing inappropriate, there are people who want to take it privately, and they were searched out by the messenger before they got off." It's just that I'm right, there is an empty house, I don't know if it's because of other delays, or if there is something forbidden, anyway, there is no end. Speaking of this, he paused and said, "Big brother, when Zhang Shilang was on patrol, my younger brother saw him...... I still remember seeing him when I was a kid...... Now it's old...... I heard that he is not happy now, and the uncle has told him a few times, and he feels guilty......"

This is talking about Zhang Boxing, which involves old cases.

Cao Hao also heard his father mention it in his early years, but because the Kali case involved the Li family, Cao Yin had no choice but to watch from the sidelines, knowing that Zhang Boxing was wronged, and he did not speak for him.

On the surface, he was concerned about the Li family, but in fact, Cao Hao knew that there was only one person in the world who could make his father go against his original intentions, and that was the one on the dragon chair.

Cao Yin and Kangxi monarchs and ministers have lived for most of their lives, how can they not know the emperor's fear of Han officials.

Zhang Boxing's defeat was not in the-for-tat confrontation with Kali, but in the burden of "fame".

Thinking of this, Cao Hao secretly rejoiced, fortunately, his father resigned from the errand of Jiangning weaving before his death, otherwise the father and son would inherit it, and the fate of the Cao family would be very bad.

If the capital is said to be a waterhole, the dragon is full of tigers, and the bottom is not visible; The Jiangnan officialdom is an oil pot, cooked in flames, greedy, and the scale is very difficult to grasp.

"Above the officialdom, how can you do everything as you like? You are also getting older, and now you are about to enter the officialdom, you must remember one thing, on the premise of protecting yourself, it is a great goodness to make a difference. Greed is mad, and desirelessness is rigid. This greed is not only for money, but also for fame. Kali was greedy for money and died, while Zhang Boxing was greedy for fame and lost his king's heart, all of which are lessons from the past. Cao Hao thought for a moment and said to Cao Fu.

Cao Fu listened, pondered his cousin's words, and his eyes gradually cleared.

Cao Hao had a smile on his face, but he still had hidden worries in his heart.

Not to mention others, it is those imperial historians, because of this yellow sand, they have to chase the wind and catch shadows, and they began to look for "sinners".

God "warns", no one dares to put the fault on the emperor, it is necessary for the minister to carry the black cauldron, I don't know which unlucky guy will catch up with this ...... * Andingmen, Prince Yong's mansion, living room.

The seventh elder brother came to pass on the oral message, and the fourth elder brother knelt down to listen, and only after saying "the minister's decree" did he stand up.

Kangxi has already issued an order to order the third elder brother and the fourth elder brother to lead the other six people to grind the original papers.

Although it is now the world of the Aixinjue Luo family, the emperor rules the country, not relying on the clan relatives, nor relying on the force of the Eight Banners, but on the scholars.

The imperial court cherishes face and will not make a big deal about the "imperial examination fraud case"; Kangxi also loves fame, and he doesn't want to leave a "mediocre" mark in the history books.

Today's department will take the exam, and it will be strictly investigated, so as to calm the hearts of the world's children.

"It's just me and the third brother? What about the seventh brother? The fourth elder brother heard that he was taking the lead with the third elder brother, and he was a little puzzled: "The seventh brother happens to be in charge of the Ministry of Rites, why didn't Huang Ama order the seventh brother?" ”

The seventh elder brother smiled bitterly: "The test is presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and now that there is a trouble, my younger brother is also responsible." Huang Ama is already open to the net without asking the guilt, how can he allow me to meddle in this matter? It's not just me, the number of people who will test the original paper at this grinding meeting, and there is no one in the Ministry of Rites. ”

When the fourth elder brother heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned.

This shows that the imperial father is not only suspicious of several main exams, but even the whole department of etiquette is also suspicious.

The seventh elder brother ran for an afternoon, not to say anything, and he didn't eat half of the water and rice, and after passing the will, his stomach was already "cooing".

Seeing this, the fourth elder brother said, "The seventh brother hasn't eaten yet?" That's it, I'm just done. ”

When the seventh elder brother heard this, he just wanted to say that he was not polite, and he would go back to the house first, but when the words came to his lips, he remembered the fourth elder brother's sacrifice to the mausoleum last month, and thought that he had been rejected and asked for a seal, so he changed his words vividly and said with a smile: "Since this is the case, I will bother the fourth brother." But I have to bother the fourth brother to pour some water first, and let the younger brother wash the sand on his face......"

* The next time, when Cao Hao arrived at the yamen, he heard the head of the hall come to pass the word, and the fourth elder brother was invited.

When Cao Hao arrived at the room where the fourth elder brother was working, several waiters had already arrived and were standing there, listening to the fourth elder brother.

Cao Hao stepped forward, saluted the fourth elder brother, and retreated to Zhang Boxing's head.

The fourth elder brother was looking up at Cao Hao, and just happened to see Zhang Boxing standing and shaking, frowning and ordering: "Show Lord Zhang a seat!" ”

The hall master standing on the side, after listening to the instructions of the fourth elder brother, brought a small stool and put it behind Zhang Boxing.

Zhang Boxing said "don't dare" repeatedly, and finally sat down carefully under the gaze of the fourth elder brother.

"The two Shangshu haven't arrived yet? Urging people? The fourth elder brother waited impatiently and ordered to go down.

Before the words fell, I heard the footsteps of "kicking", and the two Shangshu came together.

Seeing this, Zhang Boxing got up from the stool. The fourth elder brother waited for the two Shangshu to see the courtesy, and asked someone to press their seats as well, and Zhang Boxing sat down again.

"This king has obtained the emperor's will, and he will go to the Ministry of Rites to polish the original papers of the Jinke Examination, and it is estimated that it will take a few hours of effort, and the errand in the yamen will temporarily bother you adults." The fourth elder brother said.

Hearing this, several sitting officials got up and said, "Don't dare! ”

The atmosphere in the room was a little strange, Zhang Boxing's expression was slightly sluggish, and several other people also had different expressions, only Tian Congdian looked at his nose and nose, and he didn't know what to think.

The so-called grinding of the original volume is to check the scholars on the list one by one.

Cao Hao's heart was heavy, he was not afraid of anything else, he was afraid that his cousin would be implicated for no reason. Regardless of whether there is really someone "cheating" in this subject, but at this point, the two princes and two scholars come forward, and they always have to make a splash.

At this time, ordering someone to investigate thoroughly can certainly temporarily appease Juzi and give Juzi an explanation, but it is also a kind of fueling the trouble.

Not to mention the move of the pilot test, I am afraid that the people who fell to the top will see such an arrangement of the imperial court, and they will become more and more determined that there is a "fraud" incident and is about to make trouble.

After the fourth elder brother finished explaining the errand of the household department, the next time, together with the third elder brother and several other officials appointed by the holy decree, a total of eight people, went to the Ministry of Rites to read the papers.

Cao Hao comforted his cousin and told him to be honest at home and not to go out to socialize; While staring at the front door, there were a few guild halls with a lot of people.

On Qian Chenqun's side, Cao Hao also made a special trip to Xiaoman to say it. Qian Chenqun is a native of Zhejiang, and he is widely famous among scholars, and he knows more relatives and friends, so Cao Hao is afraid that he will be implicated.

His hunch was right, on the tenth day of the first month of March, the seventh day of the Ministry of Rites, the excitement of the crowd finally couldn't hold back, gathered more than 50 people, and blocked in front of the deputy chief examiner of the examination and the left deputy capital Yushi Li Fu.

It was also this Li Fu who was unlucky, among the four examiners, only he lived in a rented room outside the front door. The rest of the people were all Kangxi's important ministers, and they graced the mansion in the inner city.

In the inner city, there are people from the Yamen who are the infantry army, as well as people from the Inspectorate, patrolling back and forth, and the scholars do not dare to block the Shangshu Mansion to make trouble.

After all, those three, Zhang Pengxi, the secretary of the ministry, are holding the future of everyone in their hands, who dares to offend. The remaining household department Shangshu Tian Congdian, known as the "Iron Mask Imperial History"; Zhang Boxing, the head of the household department, was a well-known Qing official.

This persimmon picks a soft pinch, Li Fu is young and has shallow qualifications compared with the three, and when he was the examiner of the Jiangnan Township Examination in his early years, there were also rumors of "cheating in the field", so the boundless anger of the first person burned on his head.

* Front door, grassland ten alleys, Li house.

A wooden gate that is not thick holds two worlds inside and outside the Li Mansion.

Outside the gate, dozens of lifters "bumped" and slapped on the gate, shouting Li Fu's name; Inside the gate, several housekeepers of the Li family, all with wooden sticks in their hands, stared at the gate deadly, for fear that the lifters outside would rush in.

Li Fu was wearing an official uniform and stood in the courtyard, his face was terrifyingly white.

Seeing that the gate was slapped with a "creak", the housekeeper finally couldn't help it, and when he came to Li Fu, he whispered: "Master, this gate is not strong, and there are more and more people outside...... I'd better take refuge in the backyard, sir......"

The Li Mansion is rented in a three-entry courtyard, and the third is occupied by the two young ladies of the Li family who have not left the cabinet, so there is no back door like other people's homes.

The housekeeper's meaning was to ask Li Fu to go out from the backyard over the wall.

Li Fu listened, was silent for a long time, shook his head, and said in a deep voice: "I won't go, I am worthy of ......"

At the mouth of the alley, the figure swayed, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually moved away.

"Hahahaha!" Brother Jiu's laughter was wanton, and he was gloomy for a few days, and finally the rain passed and the sky was clear: "Go, go and tell Gu Na that kid, stare over there, be smart......"

(To be continued)