Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 629: People’s Hearts Are All Unpredictable

May 13th, at sunset, in Xiuchunfang, west of Shenjing City.

In a guest room of a villa in the alley, the smell of alcohol filled the air. The setting sun outside the window was as red as blood, shining on the man leaning against the desk, casting a distorted shadow.

On the desk was a piece of snow-white paper, covered with ink and words. Next to it was a copy of Liu Jichuan's Writings, and a half-new blue-covered booklet.

The cover of "Liu Jichuan's Writings" was brand new, but it had deep creases and the corners of the book were curled up, indicating that it had been frequently read recently.

The man raised the wine jug in his hand and drank the last bit of wine. He looked at the snow-white paper on the table with bloodshot eyes, his eyes full of hesitation and jealousy.

After failing the exam, Zhou Yan wanted to leave Beijing and return home. However, before leaving, his cousin came to visit him and said something that was like a bolt from the blue to him.

Many days have passed, and Zhou Yan's cousin's words that day echoed in his ears all the time, making him fall into infinite frustration, anger, and unwillingness...

"Brother, you may not know that the day before the imperial examination, the Hongxing Southern Goods Store on Yongzhu Street was raided by the Magistrates' Court, and the owner and his wife and the shop assistants were all imprisoned in the Magistrates' Court.

Although the government did not make the matter public, the truth could not be concealed under the watchful eyes of the public.

The shop owner and his wife were arrested because they sold alligator meat to Huang Hongcang of the Ministry of Rites, which was poisoned. Mr. Huang was poisoned and dying, so he was unable to serve as the chief examiner of the imperial examination.

I also learned about this by chance that my brother's friend Wu Liang somehow heard about the news and after the southern goods store was closed down, he rushed to the nearby area to inquire about the matter.

My brother is a man of talent and wisdom. I don’t need me to tell you what will happen next; you will definitely guess it.

Wu Liang must have learned that Lord Huang was poisoned and could not fulfill the honor of being the chief examiner.

I believe that my brother must have read the blue booklet circulating in the market. The candidate for the examiner listed in it, who has an official position and qualifications similar to Huang Hongcang, is none other than Xu Liangxiong.

If a person like me with little talent and knowledge can think of this, then Wu Liang, a distinguished scholar, must be able to think of this as well.

I remember that last month I had a drink with my brother, and my brother once told me that Wu Liang's teacher was an old acquaintance of Xu Liangxiong, and had introduced Wu Liang to Lord Xu in a letter.

Brother happened to be there and was able to pay a visit to Lord Xu with Wu Liang, and even received advice from Lord Xu on the topic..."

……

Every word his cousin said seemed to penetrate into his heart, full of bewitching power, pulling him into the dark and gloomy abyss...

Zhou Yan was able to pass the imperial examination and was not a stupid person. He carefully considered his cousin's words and found them to be very logical and reasonable. Although he had some speculations, they must be the truth!

Wu Liangding learned by chance that Huang Hongcang had been poisoned the day before the imperial examination, and deduced that Xu Liangxiong might be the person who would take over as the chief examiner.

Before Zhou Yan thought about the imperial examination, he and Wu Liang passed by Xiao's Bookstore on Wenhan Street, and Wu Liang bought a copy of "Liu Jichuan's Writings".

Because Xu Liangxiong highly praised Liu Jichuan's "Retreat from Retreat", the titles he proposed for the two of them were also closely related to the article.

At that time, I also advised Wu Liang that since the imperial examination was approaching, he should think more about the questions proposed by the chief examiner Huang Hongcang and not waste time on Xu Liangxiong, who was irrelevant.

Now I think about how ironic I am...

Zhou Yan was hurriedly depressed and jealous. He didn't expect that Wu Liang had such a great opportunity, but his fate was so decadent that he missed such a great opportunity.

Wu Liangding unexpectedly learned of the unexpected change the day before the imperial examination. He guessed that Xu Liangxiong would take over as the chief examiner, so he spent the whole night trying to figure out the topic proposed by Xu Liangxiong and Liu Jichuan's "Retreat from Thoughts".

Zhou Yan even asked someone to go to Xiao's bookstore and buy a copy of Liu Jichuan's Writings to carefully read the article "Retreat from Reflection".

The more he read "Retreat from the Past", the more difficult it became to control his inner regret and jealousy.

Because he found that Liu Jichuan's "Retreat from Thoughts" was closely related to the topic proposed by Xu Liangxiong at the beginning and the theme of the essay in the imperial examination.

Moreover, the policy essay question in the third round of the imperial examination was completely taken from the "Tuisi Ji" with slight evolution and compilation.

If I could carefully read and study Liu Jichuan's "Tuisi Ji" before entering the imperial examination, I would be able to write an excellent policy essay, and passing the imperial examination would be a piece of cake.

He was completely certain that the reason Wu Liang was able to make it to the top of the list was because he had this kind of advantage. Otherwise, with his talent, he would never have achieved such a success!
During these days, Zhou Yan has read Liu Jichuan's writings countless times. Every time he reads "Tuisi Ji", the regret and hatred in his heart will increase.

He and Wu Liang had originally agreed to have a small gathering the day before the imperial examination, but that day he had a drink with his cousin and accidentally drank too much, and missed the appointment with Wu Liang.

He also thought that if he had not broken the appointment that time, perhaps Wu Liang would have informed him of the Huang-Xu exchange in time.

Or maybe Wu Liang wanted to make a fortune by hiding this matter and never told him...

Whatever the outcome, it is still unknown.

However, after the imperial examination, he met Wu Liang outside the Imperial Examination Hall. Wu Liang never mentioned this matter, but it was absolutely true, which made Zhou Yan feel more resentful.

Wu Liang's talent was only on par with his, but Wu Liang used deceitful and tricky methods to gain fame and official career, while he himself acted honestly but still failed.

He was dissatisfied and felt that God was unfair. He had studied poetry and books for more than ten years, but had to endure such a terrible result. He was unwilling to accept it!

……

His cousin seemed to be quite indignant about this matter and advised him not to give up and to report the examiner Xu Liangxiong and the candidate Wu Liangxing for cheating.

Encouraged by his cousin, Zhou Yan wrote a complaint in anger, but he became hesitant after writing it.

Since he was able to pass the imperial examination, his knowledge and insight would not be too bad. The imperial examination has always been a major event for the court and the country. Once cheating in the imperial examination is exposed, it will cause a huge disturbance.

As a commoner, I have to confront a second-rank official like Xu Liangxiong. No one can predict what the risks are...

Just when Zhou Yan was hesitating and drinking to drown his sorrows, footsteps were heard outside the door, and a young man in luxurious clothes walked in leisurely.

As soon as he walked to the door, he smelled a strong smell of alcohol in the room. He frowned in disgust, but immediately calmed down and walked in.

After entering the room, he just glanced at Zhou Yan, and when he saw the Xuelang paper covered with words on the desk, his eyes lit up, as if he had found a treasure, and picked up the paper and read through it carefully.

He quickly read the petition and praised, "Brother, you are indeed a talented candidate. This petition is clearly written, the narrative is detailed, and every word is full of righteousness. I admire you very much."

Zhou Yan looked hesitant and said in a somewhat uneasy tone, "My dear brother, cheating in the imperial examination is a serious matter. I failed this time. Will I be criticized if I report others for cheating?"

Upon hearing this, the young master frowned slightly, then straightened his face and said, "Brother, why do you have to say that? My brother and I are both scholars, and the imperial examination is the lifelong achievement of students like us.

My brother has read many books by sages, so he knows what the ancient sages said: A gentleman is open and honest, while a villain is always worried and concerned.

Nowadays, there are wicked people who defile the great ceremony of the imperial examination of our dynasty, commit fraudulent acts, and cleverly seize official positions and fame, causing a man of real talent and knowledge like my brother to fail the exam.

This is intolerable. You and I are both Confucian disciples and descendants of the orthodox teachings. If we know what is happening and sit back and do nothing, then we are not ashamed of reading the books of the sages. "

The young man saw that his passionate words did not seem to impress Zhou Yan much, and the hesitation was still evident on his face.

He couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous in his heart, and continued: "Brother, you should know that the imperial examination is a grand ceremony for the court to select talents, and it has always been valued by the emperor and all officials.

The government and the public have always hated cheating in the imperial examinations. My brother has witnessed it and knows the inside story, so he should take the lead and expose it.

My brother, if you do this righteous deed, your reputation will spread far and wide within a few days and you will become famous.

How many candidates who studied as hard as my brother did, but failed to pass the exam due to cheating, they all cheered for my brother..."

The young man spoke carefully, passionately, and clearly, which aroused Zhou Yan's passion.

He thought that although he failed the exam, he could become famous in the scholar community because of this event, which would be another good story...

The young master continued, "I told my father about my brother's matter the day before yesterday. My father is an important official in the court and has always been highly regarded by the emperor.

When my father heard about what happened to my brother, he was also filled with indignation. As long as my brother was willing to do such a righteous act, my father would definitely not stand idly by!
Once cheating in the imperial examination was exposed, scholars all over the world would be in an uproar, and even the original examination list would be banned and re-elected. With my brother's talent, he might not be without a chance.

My father once said that if my brother reported the fraud, he would be a hero to the country and a role model for scholars all over the world.

The imperial court must have given him some rewards, or granted him an official position, or even granted him a place in the imperial examinations, but it is unknown...

Brother, a real man must act decisively and not hesitate. Many things in this world are done for the sake of justice. Don’t let the opportunity to gain fame slip away easily…”

Although the young man's previous words were passionate and righteous, they did not impress Zhou Yan much.

But the words said at the end, such as closing the list for re-election and reporting cheating in the imperial examination, will definitely be rewarded by the court, and even given an official title and a degree in the imperial examination.

However, it touched Zhou Yan's innermost desire, igniting his ambitions and evil thoughts instantly, sweeping away his previous concerns and worries...

…On May 13, the imperial city under the night sky looked a little more solemn and gloomy than it had been during the day.

The three chief examiners of the Spring Examination, Wang Shilun, Chen Mo and Xu Liangxiong, walked out of the gate of Qianyang Hall one after another.

Four eunuchs holding lanterns led the way for the three of them. The bright, flickering lights wandered along the long corridor.

The light from the lantern could only illuminate an area within a distance of ten steps. Anywhere further away was pitch black, as if swallowed up by the majestic and spacious imperial city.

The distance from the Qianyang Palace to the Meridian Gate leading out of the palace is quite long. Wang Shilun and Xu Liangxiong are both in their prime and can still handle the journey, but Chen Mo is in his sixties and has a hard time walking.

The four eunuchs leading the way often slowed down after walking a long distance to give the elderly Chen Mo a chance to catch his breath.

When the three of them left Chengtian Gate and were less than a hundred steps away from the palace gate, the night watch drum sounded in the palace. It was just after the hour of Xu, and the three of them heard the sound of Chengtian Gate being locked behind them.

Today, the three of them entered the Qianyang Palace to report to Emperor Jiazhao the review and ranking of the 300 palace examination papers, and discuss with the emperor the final candidates for the top three.

The emperor did not need to worry about the ranking from the sixteenth place in the second class onwards, and the three chief examiners basically followed the opinions of the eighteen examiners.

The main discussion in Qianyang Palace tonight was to determine the top eighteen candidates for the palace examination, and the top fifteen candidates for the second class had already been basically determined.

Therefore, the emperor and the three chief examiners needed to discuss the six candidates for the first place, and finally choose those three as the top three.

How to select the top three candidates in the imperial examination is not just a matter of talent and writing skills, but more of a weighing of pros and cons and the needs of the overall situation.

Perhaps the three chief examiners each had their own thoughts, but after two days of weighing the pros and cons, Emperor Jia Zhao had already made up his mind.

Therefore, by the time things were settled, the three examiners were still able to leave the palace before the palace gates were locked.

……

By the time the three of them arrived at the Meridian Gate, the carriage servants from their respective houses had already been waiting for a long time.

Xu Liangxiong looked a little depressed. He said goodbye to Wang Shilun and Chen Mo first, then got on his own carriage and left.

At this time, the area outside the Meridian Gate was empty, with no one else except the carriages and servants of the two families.

The huge lantern hanging on the city gate tower cast a hazy light, illuminating the empty space below the tower with shadows and exuding an obscure meaning.

Wang Shilun watched Xu Liangxiong's carriage go away and said, "Lord Chen is an old minister of two dynasties. He has extensive experience and insight. He knows everything about the vicissitudes of the world and the depths of the court.

I know that Jia Cong has a special status. He has the talent of a top scholar, but he is not suitable to be a top scholar. However, Lord Chen recommended him in front of the emperor, which makes me a little confused. "

At this time, the four eunuchs holding lanterns to lead the way had already returned to the palace.

Chen Mo did not reply immediately. Instead, he put his hands behind his back, bent his waist slightly, and walked a few steps as if he was strolling in the garden. Wang Shilun followed him casually.

Whether intentionally or not, the two of them moved away from their carriage and servants...

The Meridian Gate was deserted, the night wind was blowing, and the official robes of the two men fluttered in the wind.

Chen Mo said: "The current emperor has profound strategies and a dictatorial mind. He knows very well who should be included in the first class.

I recommended Jia Cong as the top scholar. Whether His Majesty approves or not does not require anyone else's opinion, but His Majesty asked Hongren for his opinion.

The emperor had already made up his mind that Jia Cong was extremely talented and capable of both civil and military affairs. The emperor would definitely use him. How to show his favor to him and use him properly depended on his heart.

There are some things that Your Majesty cannot say, and can only be said by us, your subjects. The reply given by Your Majesty yesterday was very appropriate.

Since some things are difficult to avoid, I just said it first, took the initiative, and strived for the best result under the will of the emperor. It is a good thing for others, for myself, for the emperor and for the ministers. "

In the darkness of the night, Wang Shilun bowed slightly to Chen Mo and said, "Junior, please accept my instruction."

He then asked, "Mr. Chen, what do you think of Xu Liangxiong?"

Chen Mo looked serious, stroking his gray beard, and said, "Xu Liangxiong is a man of outstanding talent, shrewd and sharp, and can be considered a man of character, but he is too eager for success and impetuous, and lacks the spirit of justice, so he is not capable of planning..."

……

The capital, the magistrate’s office.

In the darkness of night, a knight on a fast horse came galloping to the gate of the government office. The knight dismounted, showed his badge to the captain of the Magistrate's Office guarding the gate, and walked straight into the Magistrate's Office without stopping.

Although it was already the hour of Xu, the lights were still on in the official residence of Zhou Junxing, the court official.

The knight on horseback, holding a badge in his hand, passed through the many doors of the Magistrates' Court and came to the door of Zhou Junxing's official residence. He bowed and said, "Your Excellency, the matter of Xiuchunfang has been settled. I have brought you a wax-sealed secret document for your review."

Zhou Junxing stood up suddenly, his eyes sparkling, and said, "Show it up!"

The man took out an arm-length bamboo tube from his backpack. Zhou Junxing checked the joint of the bamboo tube and found that the red wax sealing it was intact and there was a circle of seal on it.

He nodded slightly, and the man took a few steps back and left the office.

Under the candlelight, Zhou Junxing peeled off the wax seal on the bamboo tube and took out a paper tube from it. It was a piece of top-quality Xuelang paper with neat handwriting on it.

Zhou Junxing quickly glanced at the contents on the paper, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then it turned into a chilling and sinister laugh, revealing the arrogance of being in control of everything, and it echoed slowly in the government office.

He shouted to the captain on duty outside the door: "Come here, call Zheng Yingquan to see us!"

After a while, Zheng Yingquan, the chief judge of the Magistrates' Court, walked into the official residence and asked, "What do you want, sir?"

When it was time to leave the court today, Zhou Junxing sent down a message, asking Zheng Yingquan and others to stay in the court and be on standby, as if there was something important to deal with, but he did not specify what it was.

"Yingquan, something big is going to happen. Tomorrow when I go to the yamen, there is an important matter that I need you to handle. You must do it carefully and seize the initiative!"

……

On May 14th, the 15th year of Jiazhao, in the Earl’s Mansion, Jia Cong’s Courtyard.

Early in the morning, at 2:15 a.m., Jia Cong opened the bed curtain and stood up, and Wu'er, who was sitting on the couch beside him, also stood up.

While helping Jia Cong put on his clothes and tie his belt, he asked, "Third Master, you got up so early today. You usually don't get up so early when you go to the yamen."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "There is something important going on in the workshop outside the city today, so let's go over there later. If everything goes well today, we can relax for a while."

After hearing this, Wu'er stopped asking questions and just helped Jia Cong comb his hair and tie it into a bun. She knew that Jia Cong's job in the Firearms Department had many taboos, so she never asked too many questions.

After Jia Cong washed and dressed and had breakfast, he left the house before noon.

Some time ago, the firing pin of a breech-loading rifle was improved and forged, and it has been possible to fire 26 rounds continuously without breaking the firing pin. It is only one step away from being able to fire 30 rounds continuously without any failure.

Today the workshop will produce the latest batch of breech-loading rifle firing pins. It is said that the forging craftsman estimates that its texture is stronger than previous batches and it is very likely that it can fire thirty rounds in a row without any problems.

The construction of the breech-loading rifle, under the leadership of Jia Cong, has been going on for nearly half a year, and it may be finally completed and qualified in the near future.

Therefore, Jia Cong got up early recently, because it takes a lot of time to travel from the Earl's Mansion to the workshop outside the city, and he wanted to know the actual effect of the new batch of firing pins as soon as possible.

When his horse passed by the Meridian Gate, he saw that many officials had gathered there. At noon, the Meridian Gate would open and they would enter the palace to attend court.

Jia Cong is now a fifth-rank official and the chief of a department under the Ministry of Works, so he is qualified to attend court.

However, he was in charge of the affairs of the Firearms Bureau, and all matters involved military and national secrets, which were not suitable for reporting to the court. Therefore, except for the grand court meetings, he did not attend the daily court meetings.

He glanced at the officials attending court outside the Meridian Gate, then lowered the curtains and drove the carriage straight to the workshop outside the city.

The officials who were attending the court gathered at the Meridian Gate and chatted in groups of three or five, waiting for the Meridian Gate to open at noon.

Among the crowd, only Zhou Junxing from the Court of Magistrates stood solemnly. No official approached him to talk to him, and it seemed that no strangers were allowed around him.

But he didn't care at all, and his eyes looked at Gu Yingyang with a fierce look.

Not far from Zhou Junxing, there were seven or eight censors from the Censorate, including Sun Shouzheng, the seventh-rank censor of Yongzhou.

The censors around him were chatting with each other, and Sun Shouzheng would say a few words, but his words were a little absent-minded...

(End of this chapter)