The capital, in the palace of the king of Wei.

King Wei was dealing with things in the study, and at this moment, the sound of Yu Hai saluting Princess Wei sounded at the door. When King Wei heard this, he frowned slightly, and immediately put away the letters on the table.

After a while, Princess Wei's gentle voice sounded at the door.

"Your Highness, can the concubine come in?"

"Come in." Although King Wei was a little impatient, he still let Princess Wei in.

Princess Wei made the kitchen stew tonic soup and specially sent it to King Wei to drink.

King Wei didn't like to drink soup, but every time Princess Wei sent soup, he would drink it. The reason why he drank it was not because this soup was sent by Princess Wei, but because this tonic soup was requested by Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao originally wanted to ask King Wei for a perfect tonic pill, but he didn't expect that Dr. Miao Jiang died in an accident. He didn't leave behind the prescription of the Ten Perfection Pills, and his descendants couldn't refine it. However, even if he left a prescription, his descendants would not necessarily be able to refine it. It is said that the process of refining the Ten Perfection Tonic Pills is very complicated and it is difficult to succeed.

Since he couldn't get the Ten Perfection Tonic Pills anymore, Zhao Yao got the recipe for medicinal diet tonic soup from somewhere else, and asked King Wei to drink tonic soup every day.

Zhao Yao gave the recipe for medicinal diet tonic soup to Princess Wei and asked her to supervise King Wei to drink tonic soup every day.

Although King Wei hated drinking tonic soup, he had to say that since drinking tonic soup, his body has improved a lot. Every winter and spring, King Wei was extremely susceptible to illness, but since drinking the tonic soup, he did not get sick much last winter.

Princess Wei knew that King Wei was busy, and after King Wei finished drinking the tonic soup, she left. Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind King Wei to pay attention to his body and rest early.

After Princess Wei left, Yu Hai walked in. He was holding a letter in his hand, a secret letter sent from Jiangnan.

King Wei took the letter from Yu Hai's hand and immediately opened it to read it.

Yu Hai saw that after King Wei read the letter, his face instantly turned cold, his heart couldn't help but tighten, and he cautiously asked, "Lord Wang, is something happening over there in Jiangnan?" He immediately thought that His Highness the Tenth was in Jiangnan, and his face changed dramatically and asked, "Could it be that His Highness the Tenth has an accident?" ”

"The tenth brother didn't have an accident, but he ......" Speaking of this, King Wei raised the corner of his mouth and sneered, "The crown prince and the acting king actually sent people to keep an eye on the tenth brother." ”

"The crown prince and the acting king, they are going to be unfavorable to the Ten Highnesses?" Yu Hai said in a panic, "Could it be that the Ten Highnesses accidentally discovered what they had done, and they wanted to kill the Ten Highnesses?" ”

"That's not true, they are afraid that the forbidden army of the eighth brother will find something wrong, so they have been secretly monitoring the tenth brother and them." King Wei thought of what the crown prince and the acting king were doing in Jiangnan, and his overly beautiful face was full of disgust, "They won't do anything to the tenth brother, once they do it to the tenth brother, it will be tantamount to exposing themselves." ”

When Yu Hai heard King Wei say this, his nervous heart that had just been suspended instantly returned to its original place.

"It's okay for His Highness the Tenth Highness to be fine." His Royal Highness Ten is fine, what is the prince angry about. He didn't dare ask.

"The tenth brother will arrive in Jinling in a few days, and let our people protect him at that time." Since Zhao Yao went to Jiangnan, King Wei's heart has always been up and down. Obviously, Zhao Yao has been fine, but he is always uneasy in his heart. "Jinling is the place where the prince and the Zhenguo Mansion are located, and they have done too many dirty things in Jinling, and it is inevitable that the tenth brother will not be involved for no reason."

"Yes, lord." Yu Hai saw that King Wei was very worried about Zhao Yao, so he hurriedly comforted him and said, "Lord Wang, Your Highness Ten will definitely be fine, and our people will definitely be able to protect Your Highness Ten." ”

King Wei listened, but just nodded his head.

Yu Hai looked at King Wei, struggled in his heart, and finally decided to open his mouth to remind King Wei.

"Lord, since the court started writing, you have never been to the princess's courtyard, do you want to take the time to sit with the princess?"

When King Wei heard Yu Hai say this, his eyes suddenly became sharp, and his tone became cold: "The princess asked you to say that?" ”

Yu Hai hurriedly shook his head: "No, the princess has never told the slave maid about this, but the people in the palace saw that you didn't go to the princess's courtyard for a long time, thinking that you and the princess were not on good terms." He hurriedly reminded again, "You also know that those people in the princess's courtyard were arranged by the crown princess. ”

King Wei understood what Yu Hai meant, and his cold face softened a lot.

"During this time, the whole capital is busy with the imperial examination, how can I have time to fall in love." When it comes to the imperial examination, King Wei's heart is full of admiration for the emperor, "The imperial examination made by my father is really a sharp knife, which is fiercely inserted into the hearts of the family. ”

"The emperor is really powerful, he actually came up with such a trick as the imperial examination to deal with the family." As long as you have a little brain, you know how powerful and amazing the imperial examination is. "Now whether it is a family or a child from a poor family, as long as they study, they can take the imperial examination. As long as you are talented, you can stand out in the imperial examination, and then you can become an official. It's a great idea to kill two birds with one stone. ”

"The real power of the imperial examination is that it breaks the monopoly of officialdom and affects the court." King Wei said with a smile, "Of course, it also affected the status of the family. As long as the imperial examination continues for a long time, the status and influence of the family will become weaker and weaker, and the literati students from the bottom will change their fate through the imperial examination and become a new force, a force that can oppose the family. ”

"The children of the family no longer have the privilege to be officials directly, and they can participate in the imperial examination with scholars from the bottom of the family, which is completely dependent on their own ability." The more Yu Hai said that he admired the emperor in his heart, "This is a fair and just opportunity for all scholars in the world." ”

King Wei said in a deep tone: "It depends on whether there will be favoritism and fraud in the imperial examination. If someone cheats, the result is still unfair. ”

"Lord Wang, didn't the emperor decree that if a candidate cheats in the imperial examination, he will be disqualified from participating in the imperial examination, and he will not be able to participate in it again for the rest of his life, and he will not be able to be an official for the rest of his life." During this period, the emperor successively issued many decrees, all of which were related to the imperial examination. "If an official engages in favoritism and is immediately beheaded for public display, his family will be exiled, and his descendants will never be able to sit for the imperial examination and become officials. The slave felt that the ministers did not dare to cheat. ”

"Those people can't do anything." King Wei thought of the prince's ministers, and his eyes were full of contempt, "They are willing to take risks for the sake of power, glory and wealth." ”

"Don't they want to live?" Yu Hai was stunned, "The emperor is not a soft-hearted person, if those people really dare to cheat for personal gain, the emperor will really kill them." ”

"Of course, in this year's imperial examination, they don't dare to do anything." When King Wei thought of what had happened during this time, he only felt that the family was ridiculous.

Since the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, when the emperor announced the imperial examination, of course, the families could not sit still. Although the emperor said that no one could stop or oppose the imperial examination, and if anyone stopped or objected, they would be punished for treason, but the families were still not afraid of death and sent some people to test the emperor.

These people are not descendants of the family, but a side lineage, or several generations, they came out with many scholars to oppose the blocking of the imperial examination, these scholars are from the family, some from the official eunuchs, and some from the poor people's families.

These scholars from poor families joined the opposition because they were bought, and because they were threatened.

Jing Zhaoyin immediately arrested these people and interrogated them strictly, asking them who was behind the scenes. These people are very hard-mouthed, and no matter how they are tortured, they will not confess to the mastermind behind the scenes.

The students who were threatened and bribed obediently confessed.

The emperor had decreed before, since someone had the audacity to prevent the opposition to the imperial examination, it was necessary to have the courage to bear the consequences.

Except for those who were threatened to participate in the opposition and be exempted from capital crimes, all the others were beheaded, and they were very "ceremoniously" beheaded at the entrance of the vegetable market for public display.

The families and the students who made trouble didn't expect the emperor to come to the real thing, and they said that they would cut off their heads. The troublemakers regretted it before the beheading, and they wanted to confess, but it was too late.

Even if they confess, they will be beheaded. Also, it doesn't matter if they confess or not. Who is the mastermind behind them, the emperor knows very well in his heart.

The ministers, who originally wanted to use this incident to put pressure on the emperor, saw the emperor cut off the heads of scholars, and without blinking their eyes, they knew that the emperor's attitude was very tough.

Once again, the emperor warned his ministers that if any of them dared to prevent the imperial examinations, it would be more than just beheading.

Since then, there has been no one in the capital who has taken the lead in making trouble against the imperial examinations.

Seeing that this trick didn't work, the families had a plan in their minds and thought of another trick. They intend to do something in the implementation of the imperial examination, so that the imperial examination cannot be carried out smoothly.

The emperor had long expected them to do this, and soon found out some people who did not do well in the imperial examinations. Most of these people are the people of the crown prince, the people who are acting for the king, and the people of the king of Han who are far away in the fief.

Of course, all of them were beheaded.

This morning, the emperor unceremoniously drenched the blood of the dog scolded by the crown prince and the acting king. also said that if the prince didn't want to be the prince, he could abolish him immediately. There is also a acting king who does not want to be a prince, he can belittle him as a concubine.

The crown prince and the acting king did not expect that the emperor would be so angry that he wanted to abolish them, so they were naturally afraid. In the past, when the emperor was angry, he would never say anything to depose them in the court.

Zhenguo Gong and Xuanping Marquis were also scolded by the emperor. When the emperor scolded them, he didn't give them face at all, and they were bloody, and they were so ashamed that they wanted to find a crack in the ground to get into.

When the other ministers saw that the crown prince and the prince of Zhenguo were scolded by the emperor, how could they dare to oppose this matter again.

The ministers actually knew from the beginning that the emperor was serious about the imperial examination, but they didn't expect the emperor's attitude to be so strong. In recent years, the emperor rarely got angry, and rarely cut off the heads of officials, so that the ministers forgot that the emperor was a ruthless man.

In the previous dynasty, the status of the ministers of the family was very high, and the emperor did not dare to say that the crimes of the family would be punished immediately, let alone easily cut off the heads of the ministers of the family. The emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not as threatened by the ministers of the family as the emperors of the previous dynasty.

The emperor had long wanted to eliminate a group of officials, and it just so happened that they themselves had given the handle, so the emperor naturally would not miss such a good opportunity and serve them in one pot.

The families will not give up because of this, and they plan to use their hands to sabotage the imperial examinations at the local level.

The emperor can manage the capital, but he can't manage all the places. The mountain is high and the emperor is far away, and if the local yamen moves some hands and feet, the emperor will definitely not know.

The fact that the families wanted to sabotage the imperial examination at the local level was also in the emperor's calculations, so after the examination questions of the imperial examination were completed, the emperor would send Qin messengers to various places to monitor. In addition to the Qincha, there were also other ministers of the imperial court who went to various places to preside over examinations, invigilate examinations, and review examination papers. In addition, the examination papers of the imperial examination will be escorted to various places throughout the process. After that, these soldiers will stay in the local area and be responsible for maintenance and inspection.

Before the imperial court began to write, the emperor and He Xiang not only discussed the content of the imperial examination, but also discussed how to deal with the intrigues of the family.

They had long expected that once the imperial examination was implemented, it would inevitably encounter all kinds of opposition from the family. In order to make this year's imperial examination go smoothly, they have made all the preparations.

In addition to these, the emperor also sent dragon guards to various places to monitor the every move of the local yamen.

The existence of the dragon guard, except for the emperor knowing, no one else knows, even He Xiang and their henchmen and ministers don't know. He Xiang thought that the dragon guard was the secret guard who followed the emperor, and was only responsible for protecting the emperor's safety, and did not do anything else. Actually, there are a lot of things that the Dragon Guardian does. It is their job to protect the Emperor, and they will also find out the news.

The reason why the emperor can know a lot of things is because the dragon guards can find out a lot of unknown news.

The Dragon Guard existed before the Emperor ascended the throne. In the beginning, they were formed by Prince Yiyong. Back then, when fighting the country, because the Zhao family was from the grassroots, unlike the families who had their own sources of information. The families have their own fine works, but the Zhao family does not.

If the Zhao family wants to win in the war, they must have their own meticulous work. As a result, Prince Yiyong decided to form a fine work belonging to the Zhao family.

Prior to the founding of the Great Zhou, these works were superficially like scouts, and no one else noticed their anomalies. After the establishment of the Great Zhou, the emperor reorganized this fine team and made them unknown dragon guards.

When they heard the name "Dragon Guard", they knew that the only object they were protecting was the emperor. They did not belong to any department, were not at the disposal of anyone, and only listened to the emperor.

Everyone in the Dragon Guard has special skills, and these skills are unknown to outsiders. The secret guard sent to protect Zhao Yao is also a dragon guard. They are the best of the Dragonguards. Even if the King of Chu and the King of Wei did not secretly protect Zhao Yao, with these four secret guards alone, they could protect Zhao Yao from failing.

Sun Doudou, who was guarding the Dongnuan Pavilion, was startled when he saw the mysterious appearance of the Dark Guard Armor. He muttered in his heart, what is the identity of this person, every time he appears inexplicably. Moreover, this person never needs to be notified when entering and leaving the Chengguang Palace. It was also very strange that he had only seen this person in the Chengguang Temple, and had never seen him anywhere else.

Sun Kui saw the Dark Guard Armor appear, and he immediately woke up after being napping. Every time the Dark Guard appears, it must mean that something big has happened.

The Dark Guard sent a secret letter and handed it to Sun Kui. Sun Kui took it and brought it to the emperor with both hands.

The emperor took the letter and looked at it, and then chuckled: "This stinky boy is quite alert. "What is written in the letter is that Zhao Yao found out that the crown prince and the people acting for the king were doing things in Jiangnan." He is worthy of being my son. ”

Sun Kui saw that the emperor said this with a proud and proud face, and he was very curious in his heart, what His Royal Highness Ten had done in Jiangnan.

The Dark Guard asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, what should I do next?" ”

"Don't meddle in the affairs of Jiangnan, continue to let them keep an eye on it." The emperor instructed, "As for Xiao Shi's stinky boy, let them follow well." ”

Dark Guard thought for a moment and asked, "If His Royal Highness Ten interferes in the affairs of Jiangnan, what should he do?" ”

"Xiao Shi, that stinky boy is very clever, unless he is forced to get involved, he will never meddle in meddle in things." The emperor still understands the younger son's temperament better, "If the stinky boy is unlucky and gets involved, then let him make trouble, and see how far he can go." ”

The Dark Guard was stunned by what the Emperor said. Although his complexion did not change, a strange emotion welled up in his heart.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say before that you shouldn't startle the snake, if His Royal Highness the Tenth is involved, he will definitely startle the snake."

"The prince and the second child didn't take Xiao Shi in their eyes, and Xiao Shi won't startle the snake no matter how much trouble he makes."

"But if this happens, the Ten Highnesses will be in danger." With the means of the crown prince and the acting king, they will never let go of the Ten Highnesses and let the Ten Highnesses come back from Jiangnan alive.

"This stinky boy's life has always been too comfortable, and it's time for him to know what danger is." The emperor held a book in his hand and tapped the palm of his left hand gently, "Tell them that when Xiao Shi's stinky boy is in danger and can't save himself, they will save Xiao Shi again." ”

The Dark Guard replied respectfully, "Yes." ”

"You should also keep an eye on the imperial examination in Jiangnan." The emperor's tone suddenly became very serious, "I will never allow the officials in Jiangnan to sabotage the imperial examination. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Emperor had nothing else to order, so he waved his hand at the Dark Guard and motioned for him to retreat.

After the dark guard retreated, that night, the four secret guards guarding Zhao Yao's side received the emperor's will.

"The emperor said that he would only save His Highness when he was in danger and could not save himself, if His Highness was injured, what should I do?" The tone in which he said this was somewhat lively. However, because his face was covered, his expression could not be seen, but from his tone and smart eyes, it could be seen that he was not a dull and rigid person.

"If His Highness is seriously injured, but there is no danger to his life for the time being, can we save him?" The tone in which he said this was a little low, and his exposed eyes were not shocked.

These two questions were asked to the leader of them. He was silent for a long time and said, "We still do what the emperor wills." ”

"Boss, do you mean that we have to wait until His Highness has only one breath left?"

"Boss, what if His Highness has only one breath left, but something suddenly happens in the process of saving him?"

"Big brother, let's save His Highness when he is injured." The dark guard, who had a somewhat lively voice, said, "I am reluctant to let His Highness have only one breath left. ”

Zhao Yao, who was asleep, suddenly felt a chill, he shivered unconsciously, and he subconsciously stretched out his hands to hug himself tightly.

Yesterday, when I coded words, I was suddenly too sleepy, so I lay on the table and said for a while, I was going to sleep for half an hour, but I didn't expect to fall asleep directly on the table, and I didn't wake up until more than two o'clock in the middle of the night, so I didn't update it yesterday.

In the end, I still ask for a monthly pass!

(End of chapter)