Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The fifteenth year of Jiazhao, March 15th, at sunset.

The teahouse opposite the Huang residence had a slow business after noon.

But in the elegant room on the left side of the second floor, a new face appears by the window every hour.

At both ends of the street below the teahouse, there were two fixed vendors, doing business listlessly and not attracting any attention at all.

But all the people passing by the Huang Mansion could not escape the sight of the two vendors.

When the setting sun cast a golden red glow, a thin servant holding a package in his hand knocked on the door of the Huang Mansion.

He spoke a few words to the doorman and then entered the Huang Mansion.

After only a short while, the servant walked out of the door, with his back slightly hunched and a piece of silver proudly tossed in his hand, which must have been the reward he had just received.

In a private room by the window on the second floor of the teahouse, a spy from the Magistrate's Court saw this scene and asked his companion, "Is that boy a clerk in some southern food store?"

Another person looked out the window and said, "The Southern Goods Store has delivered goods three times in the past few days. The first time was delivered by the lady in the store, and the next two times were delivered by this guy, that's right."

The man who was asking the question took out a charcoal pencil and wrote down in the notebook he carried with him that the southern goods store had made several deliveries recently, which was quite common and not worth mentioning.

It is now past sunset. According to past experience, no one would come in or out of the Huang Mansion after this time.

Moreover, Huang Hongcang has been resting at home since the past few days and has not gone out of the house these days. He will go to the Imperial Examination Hall on the evening of the 16th to wait for the start of the Spring Examination.

In the past few days, apart from a censor from the Censorate, there were no other guests visiting the Huang Mansion.

I don't know whether it was because Huang Hongcang was too serious and not good at socializing in official circles, so he had few friends and relatives, or because of his identity as the chief examiner of the spring examination, others were reluctant to talk to him as the examination was approaching.

In short, this situation made the people in the Magistrate's Court quite disappointed, because during this critical period, the less Huang Hongcang interacted with the outside world, the more difficult it would be to find any flaws.

As for the only censor from the Censorate who came to visit, Zheng Yingquan had his identity verified long ago. He was the censor Sun Shouan who had been commended by the current emperor for impeaching Jia Zheng for his love for the main hall of Rongguo Mansion.

However, this person had just gained the emperor's favor and was recommended to be an official in the Spring Examination. He was in the limelight, so Zheng Yingquan did not dare to act rashly. He just arranged people to keep an eye on his actions.

……

These two spies from the Court of Magistrates had received instructions from Zheng Yingquan that as long as Huang Hongcang entered the Imperial Examination Hall for seclusion, everything would be settled.

They just need to monitor and watch for another day and night. If they find any unusual movements, it would naturally be a good thing.

If everything goes well, then everything is fine. I have done my duty and my superiors will take care of the rest...

The two expected that tonight would be like any other night, mostly peaceful and uneventful.

They bought some food from the teahouse but did not dare to buy any drinks. Although they were sure that nothing would happen at the Huang residence at night, they would perform their duties conscientiously and take turns on night duty.

Without the emperor's order and without any reason, it is no small matter to monitor the chief examiner without authorization during the spring examination.

Even a man as arrogant as Zhou Junxing had many concerns in his heart. Zheng Yingquan naturally made careful arrangements, trying not to leave any loopholes.

If two spies sat in the private room on the second floor of the teahouse all night, it would be too stupid and even a fool could see that something was wrong.

After the two men left the restaurant, they entered a private house near the Huang residence, which was rented by the Magistrate's Court for spies to keep watch at night.

……

It seemed like nothing happened that night, and the two were a little bored, so they took turns resting and keeping watch as usual.

It was not until the night watchman's long and monotonous clapper sounds on the street outside indicated that the time had passed midnight.

Suddenly, the spy on duty at the Magistrate's Court heard a commotion coming from across the alley from the Huang residence. He listened carefully and could vaguely hear the sound of chaotic footsteps...

The Huang Mansion is not like those large mansions of wealthy and high-ranking officials. It is just a simple small courtyard with two entrances. Once there is any noise in the house, it will be easily noticed by outsiders.

What's more, it is midnight now, when everything is quiet and any movement will become unusually eye-catching and clear!

The spy on duty at the magistrate's court cried out inwardly that something was wrong and immediately woke up his resting companion. The two of them quickly rushed out of their residence and ran out of the alley.

I saw that the door of the Huang Mansion on the side had been opened, and screams and even sobbing were heard from inside.

Several servants of the Huang family rushed out of the Huang residence with lanterns in hand and ran in different directions.

The lanterns in their hands swung wildly in the inky black night, and the dazzling light cast an unstable halo on the gloomy street.

The candle in the lantern flickered violently, as if it would go out in the next moment. In the endless darkness, it conveyed a palpitating panic and fear...

……

On March 16, the fifteenth year of Jiazhao, it was not yet the hour of Mao.

The palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Meridian Gate.

It was a chilly spring day, the sky and earth were dark, and the air was filled with a bleak and chilly air.

A large number of officials attending the morning court gathered outside the Meridian Gate waiting for the palace gate to open.

Many officials had lanterns hanging on their carriages, and the twinkling lights of fire dotted the dark and cold early morning.

Among the waiting officials, some were familiar with each other and chatted quietly to pass the boring waiting time.

As one of the six ministers, Minister of Rites Guo Youchang had many acquaintances among the officials, and many people came up to him to talk and greet him.

However, the Minister of Rites, who was always polite and courteous, responded to the greetings of his colleagues in a perfunctory manner and seemed absent-minded, which made colleagues who were familiar with him feel a little strange.

When the cannon sounded in the palace, the tall and heavy Meridian Gate rumbled open, and the officials who were attending the morning court passed through the spacious gate and entered the palace one after another.

Since the morning court of the Great Zhou Dynasty was held in the Fengtian Hall, almost all officials marched in the same direction.

Only the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang walked out of the group of officials alone and went in a completely different direction from the Fengtian Hall, which immediately attracted the attention of many officials.

There were even officials who kindly called out to him from behind, reminding him that he was going in the wrong direction, but more officials noticed something was wrong. How could Lord Guo, who had attended court sessions for more than ten years, have gone in the wrong direction?

Guo Youchang not only turned a deaf ear to the reminders and comments of his colleagues behind him, but he even walked faster and faster, and finally jogged without caring about his manners.

This was indeed an unusual act for an elderly Grand Master who was in charge of the patriarchal clan laws and rituals of the court.

The strange behavior of Guo Youchang caused some sharp-minded officials to speculate that this Grand Master of Rites must have encountered a big event, otherwise he would not have behaved so abnormally.

Moreover, Guo Youchang parted ways with them and headed in the direction of Qianyang Palace, where Emperor Jiazhao lived and handled government affairs...

……

When the officials attending court arrived at the Fengtian Hall one after another, the discipline officials from the Ministry of Rites were already waiting outside the hall gate, supervising the officials' etiquette for attending court and entering the hall in their respective ranks.

The officials entered the hall and stood in line, waiting for a long time. When they saw that the time for Emperor Jiazhao to attend court had arrived, the golden dragon throne was still empty.

During the more than ten years since Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, he was considered the most diligent emperor in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

For more than ten years, except for routine holidays, the daily morning court session was almost always held rain or shine, and there were very few cases of delays in the court session.

The unusual situation at today's morning court caused many officials on duty to whisper to each other. When the discipline officer of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward to stop them, the slight noise in the Fengtian Hall was barely quelled.

However, many astute officials, seeing the abnormality of the morning court, could not help but think of the Grand Master of Rites who had behaved in the same strange way when they entered the Meridian Gate just now.

And vaguely guess whether there is a subtle connection between the two...

A quarter of an hour had passed since the normal time for the emperor to attend court, when a sixth-rank eunuch appeared in the Fengtian Hall.

Among the officials who lined up for the morning court, only a few recognized this eunuch, Yuan Jing, the eunuch on duty in Qianyang Palace.

Yuan Jing walked to the right side of the dragon throne, took a step forward, and sang to the ministers below the steps: "The emperor has ordered that the court be adjourned today, and all officials shall return home!"

After these words were spoken, even though there were disciplinary officers from the Ministry of Rites supervising the officials' words and deeds, the officials on duty could not help but make a slight noise.

Fortunately, they were now in the Fengtian Hall. The officials who entered the court were somewhat cautious. They just whispered to each other at first, then they gathered their composures and left the Fengtian Hall in order.

And those officials who were originally sharp-minded and had already made some speculations became more and more certain that something big must have happened today, which was why the emperor had to temporarily adjourn the court.

Thinking about the incompetent behavior of the Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites, this major event is most likely related to the Ministry of Rites...

……

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

Guo Youchang, who had just entered the Meridian Gate and behaved abnormally, was standing quietly in front of the imperial desk.

He lowered his head slightly, and a thin layer of sweat could be seen on his forehead. It was not known whether it was due to the haste with which he had just entered the palace, or because the matter he was trying to report was too involved.

Because the palace gates were locked last night, unless there was a major change that would have overthrown the country, there would be no way for me to open the palace gates and enter the palace alone to report on matters.

Guo Youchang did not dare to sleep all night. He waited until the early morning when he entered the palace for the court session, and then rushed to the Qianyang Palace to report on affairs.

In fact, when he arrived at Qianyang Palace, Emperor Jiazhao had already set up the ceremonial guard and was about to go to Fengtian Palace to hold court.

If Guo Youchang had not been granted the grace of walking in the palace, he would have been too late to stop the imperial carriage.

After hearing Guo Youchang's urgent report, Emperor Jiazhao's face changed drastically, and he immediately decided to adjourn the court for the day. Behind the imperial desk, Emperor Jiazhao was holding something in his hand and reading it carefully.

He asked in a stern voice, "This medical record says that Huang Hongcang suddenly fainted last night and lost consciousness. The doctors who examined him said that his old illness had relapsed, and some said that it was an invasion of external evil.

The words are confusing and there is no consensus. What is going on? "

Guo Youchang replied: "After midnight last night, a servant from the Huang Mansion suddenly sent an urgent report to the emperor, saying that Mr. Huang had a sudden emergency, his face was pale, he was unconscious and was not aware of anything.

Because Minister Huang was the chief examiner of this year's Spring Examination, the accident happened two days before the examination. I was well aware of the seriousness of the incident, so I summoned two officials from the Ministry of Rites and rushed to Huang's house overnight.

At that time, the Huang family was in a state of chaos. The two famous doctors from the capital were invited to examine Mr. Huang's condition. They only used acupuncture and ginseng soup to keep him alive, but they could not determine the cause of the disease. "

Emperor Jia Zhao asked sternly, "Huang Hongcang is suddenly critically ill. Has the news spread? Today is the 16th, and the day after tomorrow, the 18th, is the day to enter the Spring Examination.

Once the thousands of candidates taking the imperial examinations learned that something unexpected or unclear happened to the chief examiner before they entered the examination room, the imperial court would lose face.

When it comes to that kind of situation, it will definitely cause a stir and bring about criticism, which will cause a big incident!"

Guo Youchang said hurriedly: "Your Majesty is right to be concerned. Since the accident happened to Mr. Huang in the middle of the night, it did not alarm too many people.

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Huang Hongcang's daughter was quite sensible and quick-witted. She knew that her father, as the chief examiner of the Spring Examination, had a special status. If something happened to him suddenly before entering the examination room, it would definitely cause trouble.

Therefore, she did not report to the authorities immediately, but arranged for her servants to invite a famous doctor for help overnight, and sent another servant to report to me, saying that I was a senior official in the Ministry of Rites and asked me to go to the Huang Mansion to handle the matter.

I, along with two officials from the Ministry of Rites, arrived at Huang's Mansion and comforted Huang Hongcang's family. I stayed at Huang's Mansion until dawn before entering the palace to report the news.

Before I left the Huang Mansion, I left two officials from the Ministry of Rites to stay in the mansion. Miss Huang also sealed the front and back doors of the Huang Mansion, and the two doctors and family members were not allowed to enter or leave.

Therefore, the news of Mr. Huang’s accident must not have been leaked yet.”

Emperor Jia Zhao heaved a sigh of relief and said, "My dear minister, you have done a very good job. Huang Hongcang has a serious character and has raised an outstanding daughter.

However, for this year's spring examination, the chief examiner and co-examiners will have to go into seclusion in the Imperial Academy at sunset on March 16th, and the examination will begin on March 18th.

Huang Hongcang, as the chief examiner of the imperial examination, attracted much attention. But the night before he entered the closed-door retreat, he suddenly suffered an acute illness and passed out. Lord Guo, don't you think this is strange?"

Guo Youchang heard the chill in Emperor Jiazhao's words and felt a chill in his heart.

In fact, when he rushed to Huang's house last night and saw Huang Hongcang unconscious and his life or death was uncertain, he felt something was strange.

Not only was this emergency strange and fierce, but it also came at a very opportune time. This was to destroy one of the three main examiners of the Spring Examination before he entered the retreat hall...

However, as the Grand Master of Rites, Guo Youchang had a strict mind for etiquette and rules, and spoke cautiously and wisely. He was only a civil servant in the Ministry of Rites, not good at judging cases and investigating, so he would not speak speculatively in front of the king.

He replied, "It was indeed too coincidental that Lord Huang had an accident the night before entering the Pass. Although I have doubts in my heart, I have no solid evidence and dare not speak nonsense in front of His Majesty."

Emperor Jia Zhao nodded slightly and said to Guo Lin who was standing beside him: "Pass on my oral order and have Xu Kun, the commander of the Jinyiwei, arrange plainclothes personnel to closely guard the Huang residence and prevent any news from leaking.

It was ordered that Wang Shilun, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and Chen Mo, Minister of Personnel, should enter the palace immediately to discuss the matter of the chief examiner of the spring examination, and Guo Aiqing should also stay to participate in the discussion.

Order the Dali Temple to immediately send out agents to investigate the matter of Huang Hongcang to see if there are any evildoers who are plotting to harm the imperial officials!"

After hearing the Emperor Jiazhao's instructions, Guo Lin immediately turned around and left the hall to do his business, but before he reached the hall door, he was stopped by the Emperor Jiazhao.

He thought for a moment and said, "Guo Lin, there is no need to report this to the Dali Temple first. Let Zhou Junxing of the Magistrates' Court be responsible for investigating this case. Go to Huang's house to inquire immediately and do not make it public!"

Guo Youchang, who was standing by, felt a chill in his heart when he heard that Emperor Jiazhao would not use the Dali Temple but would use the cruel official Zhou Junxing in the Secret Court.

Guo Youchang was a pure civil servant, so naturally he had no good feelings towards Zhou Junxing, a notorious cruel official. If such a cruel official were allowed to intervene in civil servant affairs, the consequences would be unpredictable.

He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Huang Hongcang is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a third-rank official, and the chief examiner of this spring's imperial examination. He is well-known in the scholar-officialdom.

If Huang Hongcang met with an unexpected accident this time, it was indeed someone who secretly plotted to murder an important official of the court. This is a serious matter. I think that letting the three judicial departments investigate this case can demonstrate the uprightness and deter the evildoers. "

Emperor Jiazhao listened to Guo Youchang's report without any expression on his face. He was of course very clear that it was not surprising that an orthodox civil servant like Guo Youchang had no good feelings towards the Court of Inquiries.

He said calmly: "Although what Mr. Guo said makes sense, we have to make decisions in an emergency. Before the chief examiner entered the retreat hall, he suddenly showed up unexpectedly. The suspicion of conspiracy is obvious.

The Dali Temple and other three judicial offices act according to laws and have complicated rules. Once they intervene, if Huang Hongcang encounters something unexpected, the news will leak out quickly.

The situation is urgent now. Before the Spring Examination, no more incidents can occur, so as not to disrupt the talent selection ceremony. Let the secret detectives of the Magistrates' Court intervene, so that they can act conveniently and control the situation..."

……

The capital city, the office of the Magistrates, and the official residence of Zhou Junxing.

Last night, two spies from the Magistrate's Court discovered that something happened at the Huang residence around midnight. Because the Magistrate's Court was investigating the matter secretly, the two spies dared not show their faces and just kept a close watch in secret.

First, Huang's servants invited a doctor into the house at night, and then even the Minister of Rites entered Huang's house late at night. They realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately reported to Zheng Yingquan.

Zheng Yingquan was horrified when he heard the news. The strange development of the situation was completely different from the plan of the Magistrates' Court...

He strictly ordered the spies of the Magistrate's Court to monitor the situation secretly and not to intervene or reveal any trace of the Magistrate's Court's secret investigation into the matter, so as to avoid getting into trouble.

On the other hand, he immediately reported back to Shangguan Zhou Junxing...

That night, the candles in the official residence of the Magistrate's Court stayed lit until dawn. Zhou Junxing stayed awake all night and his eyes were red from staying up all night.

Originally, he found out through special channels that Wu Liang, a candidate from Hangzhou Prefecture, and Zhou Yan, a candidate from Huizhou, had visited Huang Hongcang. Out of friendship, Huang Hongcang gave them some advice on how to write a topic.

Afterwards, Wu Liang and Zhou Yan kept the matter secret, and Huang Hongcang was eventually chosen as one of the chief examiners of this year's Spring Examination.

Zhou Junxing was overjoyed to know about these secrets of the imperial examinations. He even used special channels to obtain the proposed examination questions that Huang Hong had given to the two candidates and that the two had kept secret.
According to his speculation, Huang Hongcang and the two candidates acted in secret, which might lead to cheating in the spring examination.

Therefore, although he arranged people to monitor the actions of these people, he never alerted them and just waited for Huang Hongcang and the two candidates to safely enter the Imperial Academy to take the exam.

Once these people really committed fraud, the Magistrates' Court would be able to gain the upper hand and use the secret questions prepared by Huang Hongcang as evidence to uncover a major Spring Examination fraud case in one fell swoop.

The Spring Examination is the end of the imperial examination and has always been regarded as a major event for the country and a grand ceremony for the nation. Emperors of all dynasties have regarded the Spring Examination as a top priority.

At the same time, all kings hated cheating in the imperial examinations and would rather kill the wrongdoers than let them go.

Once the Court of Judges uncovers the cheating in the Spring Examination, it will surely shock the world. Given the current emperor's fierce temperament, he will definitely not show any leniency.

At that time, there will be blood and gore, and all officials will be terrified. The power of the Court of Inquiries will increase greatly, which will make people inside and outside the court tremble again, and will greatly increase its weight in the heart of the emperor.

Even though Huang Hongcang and the two candidates did not reveal any major flaws in their spring examination papers.

But as long as those two candidates finally passed the exam, Zhou Junxing used the fact that Huang Hongcang had privately drafted the questions as evidence to instigate others to file a complaint, causing disturbance.

By that time, things had developed. By comparing the test papers of the two candidates with the proposed questions, and by tailoring sentences and words and making far-fetched connections, wouldn't it be possible to find flaws?

A person's literary thoughts must have a common thread. In ancient times, there was a saying about literary inquisition. First determine the result and then find the cause. No one can escape it...

Even if Huang Hongcang and the two candidates did not commit any actual fraud, as long as rumors spread, officials would be in an uproar, and thousands of failed candidates would cry out for justice, the situation would get out of control.

At that time, even if the emperor values ​​Huang Hongcang very much, in order to calm the storm and restore the dignity of the court, he might have to be like Zhuge Liang who shed tears and executed Ma Su!

A major case of cheating in the Spring Examination, which has not yet happened, has been planned by Zhou Junxing with meticulous care and murderous intent at every step. The Court of Judges has intimidated all officials, and the emperor's trust has been increased. Success is just around the corner!
However, they did not expect that when the time came, Huang Hongcang, who was the cause of all things, suddenly met with an accident and could no longer serve as the examiner.

This made Zhou Junxing's tremendous strength seem to hit a ball of cotton.
It even gave him a strange intuition that there seemed to be a hidden force behind this matter, cutting off the source of the trouble at the critical moment...

Of course, this was just a random thought that came to him after he was trapped and his mind was in disarray, and it was completely unfounded...

……

This night was an extremely torturous process for Huang Hongcang's family.

For Guo Youchang, who was the first to learn of Huang Hongcang's accident, it was also an agonizing night as he was unable to report it to the Empress because the palace gates were locked.

For Zhou Junxing, who was full of viciousness and dared to go against the world in order to build an undefeated career for his family, it was also a difficult night.

All these things can only be described as a strange irony of the unpredictable world...

Zhou Junxing waited until almost the morning hour and rushed to the Meridian Gate to attend the morning court as usual. He was very anxious, but he had to pretend to be normal while mixing with the officials entering the palace.

When the eunuchs in the palace announced that the emperor would take a day off, everyone else was speculating, but Zhou Junxing understood that Huang Hongcang's matter had alarmed the current emperor...

But faced with such drastic changes, Zhou Junxing, who had always been good at taking advantage of the situation, was at a loss as to how to proceed.

When he returned to the official residence of the Magistrates' Court, he soon received the first imperial edict from the palace, ordering the Magistrates' Court to send personnel to Huang's house to inquire and secretly investigate the unexpected critical illness of Huang Hongcang, the chief examiner of the Spring Examination.

However, Zhou Junxing was not interested in the matter and just asked Zheng Yingquan to handle it.

Now, all his plans have come to nothing. It doesn't matter to him whether Huang Hongcang has a hidden illness or is being plotted against.

Just as Zhou Junxing was losing interest and sitting in the official residence in a state of depression, he didn't know how much time had passed. The sky outside the house gradually became louder, and suddenly he heard hurried footsteps outside the official residence.

The messenger from the academy came to report, and the palace sent a eunuch to summon the second imperial edict to the examiner.

Zhou Junxing quickly composed himself and hurried to the main hall of the Magistrate's Office to receive the order from Emperor Jiazhao.

He estimated that the Spring Examination was approaching and something had happened to the chief examiner. This second imperial edict was probably also related to the Spring Examination... (End of this chapter)