Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The capital, the Dali Temple.

Before noon, Dali Temple Minister Wei Guanyao had already returned to his official residence. He flipped through the copied impeachment memorial in his hand with a solemn expression.

Originally, the morning court in the palace started at Chenshi every day and ended at Sishi.

But today in the Fengtian Hall, the censor Sun Shouzheng suddenly impeached the imperial examination fraud, shocking the court and completely disrupting the rhythm of the morning court.

The current emperor was no longer in the mood for government affairs and called for the court to be adjourned early, an hour earlier than usual.

Wei Guanyao was an old minister of the Jiazhao Dynasty and had always been highly regarded by the Emperor. Therefore, he often came before the Emperor and had a good understanding of the Emperor's temperament.

There have always been major cases of cheating in the imperial examinations. For the sake of the people's hearts and minds and the stability of the government, the emperor will be ruthless and will severely punish anyone involved without any leniency.

He thought of the moment when the emperor left his seat and retired from court, and saw Xu Liangxiong kneeling in the court, his eyes filled with gloom and anger, which was chilling.

Wei Guanyao knew very well that the emperor was planning to kill him!
Moreover, the emperor did not follow the legal practice and refer the case of cheating in the imperial examination to the three judicial departments for investigation. Instead, he let Zhou Junxing of the Court of Inquiries be responsible for the investigation, and the Dali Temple was only an assistant.

Everyone inside and outside the court knew Zhou Junxing's reputation as a cruel official. If he were to take charge of a major case of cheating in the imperial examinations, it would surely implicate a wide range of people, setting off a bloody storm with unpredictable consequences.

In the fifteen years since the Jiazhao Dynasty, there has never been a major case of cheating in the imperial examinations. What happened in the court today has touched the sore spot of the current emperor.

This is to use Zhou Junxing as a sword, to establish authority through strict laws, to deter evil, to serve as a warning to others, and to prevent future generations from daring to overstep the line when facing the talent selection ceremony!
At this time, a figure swayed at the door of the government office, and a young official in his twenties came in. He had a handsome appearance and a capable look.

When he saw Wei Guanyao, he asked, "Sir, please summon me. What do you want me to do?"

When Wei Guanyao saw the visitor, his expression eased slightly and he said, "Hongbin, something big happened in the morning court today. Censor Sun Shouzheng wrote a letter to impeach the chief examiner Xu Liangxiong for cheating in the examination."

The man who came was none other than Yang Hongbin, the chief of Dali Temple. He had collaborated with Jia Cong to crack a major case of the Water Conservancy Bureau in Jinling and was promoted to the sixth rank chief of Dali Temple for his merits.

In recent years, due to his outstanding achievements in solving cases, he was promoted to the fifth rank after being evaluated by the Ministry of Personnel. He is a capable person valued by Wei Guanyao, the Minister of the Dali Temple.

Although Yang Hongbin's promotion speed was not slow, his fifth-rank official rank put him outside the court sequence, so he did not know about today's morning court.

But he was also a man of noble character, so he knew that cheating in the imperial examinations was a serious matter. After hearing what Wei Guanyao said, his expression changed.

Wei Guanyao handed the handwritten impeachment memorial to Yang Hongbin and said, "The emperor has issued an oral order that Zhou Junxing of the Magistrates' Court will be in charge of the investigation, and the Dali Temple will send personnel to assist.

You are a smart man in the yamen. This is a serious case of cheating in the imperial examination. I have asked you to coordinate and assist in handling this case. This is Sun Shouzheng's memorial. Do you think you can find any clues?"

Yang Hongbin took the memorial, quickly read it twice, thought for a moment, and said, "Sir, if what Sun Shouzheng said in his impeachment memorial is true, and not just speculation.

Although I am unable to determine whether Xu Liangxiong deliberately cheated, according to the old man in the bookstore, Xu Liangxiong and the candidate Wu Liang had visited and interacted with each other before the imperial examination.

The so-called topic proposal and the topic setting for the imperial examination are all related to the "Retreat from Retreat". Based on this alone, Xu Liangxiong cannot escape the suspicion of leaking the examination questions! "

Wei Guanyao smiled slightly and said, "Hongbin has a sharp eye. Xu Liangxiong will definitely be unable to extricate himself this time. I don't know how many people will be implicated.

His Majesty has asked Zhou Junxing of the Court of Magistrates to preside over this fraud case. This man is known to the court and the public as a cruel official. I am worried that he will stop at nothing to gain the favor of His Majesty and may implicate many people.

You and I both come from a scholarly background, and cheating in the imperial examinations must be severely punished. However, if someone uses the investigation of cheating to implicate innocent people and escalate the situation, that would be a violation of the original intention and would hurt the virtue of the emperor."

Wei Guanyao took out a piece of paper and handed it to Yang Hongbin, saying: "The most important thing now is to arrest the Wenjin Gongshi Wu Liang as soon as possible and ask him about the whole story.

Candidates from other provinces who came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations lived scattered all over the capital, and it was difficult for ordinary people to know their addresses. However, before the examination, the candidates registered their residences with the Ministry of Rites to facilitate the announcement of the good news when they were on the list.

Before I left the palace, I specifically sought help from Lord Guo from the Ministry of Rites. He asked his subordinates to urgently look up Wu Liang's address, which he had just secretly sent to the yamen.

Moreover, the doctor in charge of the candidates' cases in the Ministry of Rites suddenly fell ill today and is currently on leave for treatment. It may not be convenient for others to check Wu Liang's address."

Yang Hongbin's eyes lit up and he said, "I understand. I will take people to arrest Wu Liang and bring him to justice, to prevent someone from getting there first and being blinded by greed and forcing him to confess and conceal the truth."

……

To the west of Shenjing City, Hongxiang Inn.

Yang Hongbin, accompanied by the Dali Temple runners, rushed to the inn with the arrest warrant and arrested Wu Liang.

Just now in the Dali Temple office, Wei Guanyao's words were clear: cheating in the imperial examination must be severely punished, but Zhou Jun should not be allowed to cover up everything and act arbitrarily.

Zhou Junxing of the Magistrates' Court has always been domineering and harsh. Although due to the power of Emperor Jiazhao, the civil servants of various government offices and the Magistrates' Court get along peacefully on the surface, they are mostly tit-for-tat inwardly.

If Zhou Junxing, in order to cater to the emperor's will, uses the investigation of the imperial examination fraud case as an excuse to implicate a large number of people and eliminate dissidents, the power of the Court of Inquiries will surely rise.

The sword in Emperor Jiazhao's hand was becoming increasingly sharper, and every civil servant in the court was inevitably in danger.

Whether it was the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang or the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple Wei Guanyao, they all shared the same hatred for the enemy when facing a possible unfavorable situation.

Otherwise, why would the doctor in the Ministry of Rites who was in charge of the candidates' cases suddenly fall ill?

Just now in the residence of the Dali Temple, Wei Guanyao spoke to Yang Hongbin, but he only mentioned the topic briefly and stopped there, leaving some things unexplained.

However, Yang Hongbin was well-known in the Dali Temple for his ability in investigation and interrogation. How could such a shrewd and capable person not hear the deeper meaning?

In the officialdom, the lips and teeth are interdependent, and the good and the bad cannot tolerate each other. Either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind. He knows this truth very well.

So, after getting the address given by Wei Guanyao, he rushed to Hongxiang Inn without stopping to arrest Wu Liang.

……

The innkeeper, the waiter and the police rushed into the inn, and all of them looked terrified.

Yang Hongbin said to his yamen runners, "Guard the front and back doors of the inn, don't let the prisoners escape, search all the rooms, don't miss any, call the innkeeper to question him!"

The innkeeper was brought to Yang Hongbin by the yamen runners and asked timidly: "Sir, our inn is a long-established brand. We have always followed the rules and never violated any prohibition.

I don't know what business you have for visiting our shop, but I have done nothing wrong."

Yang Hongbin asked, "I am here to arrest a suspect. There is a Hangzhou scholar named Wu Liang living in your store."

When the shopkeeper heard this, his face suddenly changed, and he said tremblingly: "My lord, you must arrest Mr. Wu..."

When Yang Hongbin heard this, his eyes widened and he asked with a serious expression, "What do you mean by that? Is there anyone coming to arrest him too?"

The shopkeeper said, "An hour ago, a large number of officers came to the Judicial Court and said that Mr. Wu had committed a crime and had been arrested. Even the kerchief on his head was taken away..."

Yang Hongbin's face changed drastically when he heard this, and he asked sternly: "It turns out that they are from the Magistrates' Court. They arrested Wu Liang an hour ago. If you deceive me, you will be sued!"

The shopkeeper was so frightened that he fell to his knees and shouted, "My lord, even if I had the courage of heaven, I would not dare to deceive my superior.

Judging from the ivory tags on the clothes worn by those people, they are indeed officials from the Magistrate's Court. They often walk around the market. I have been running an inn all my life, so I would definitely not have mistaken them.

I have run this shop for two generations. Over the past few decades, the police have come twice to arrest people. I was scared to death. How could I dare to tell a lie..."

Yang Hongbin was good at interrogating people, observing their words and expressions, and exploring their hearts. As soon as he saw the shopkeeper's face, he knew that he was not lying.

……

At this time, the yamen runners who searched the guest rooms of the inn returned without finding anything. The whole inn was in a commotion, and many guests gathered in the store to check what was going on. Yang Hongbin asked two guests who looked like scholars, and found out that they were both successful candidates in this year's imperial examination.

A scholar in his thirties said, "My lord, what the shopkeeper said is absolutely correct. Just now, Wu Yiwen from Hangzhou Prefecture was indeed taken away by the people from the Magistrates' Court.

We are all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and the imperial court treats scholars and officials with respect. Originally, we, the same year, would never allow the minions of the Magistrates' Court to act so recklessly.

But the person leading the team to arrest people today is Zheng Yingquan, a sixth-rank official of the Magistrates' Court.

He said that Wu Liang was involved in cheating in the imperial examination and stealing fame, and was reported to the Magistrates' Court this morning. The chief examiner of the Spring Examination, Lord Xu Liangxiong, was also involved.

We heard that the incident was about cheating in the imperial examination, so we did not stop it. May I ask, Your Excellency, is this true? "

When Yang Hongbin heard this, he cried out in his heart that something was wrong. An hour ago, the morning court in the palace had not yet ended. Logically speaking, the Court of Inquiry should not have arrested anyone so quickly.

Why was it such a coincidence that someone filed a complaint with the Magistrate's Court today, allowing the other party to arrest the person first.

Yang Hongbin often investigates cases and sees a lot of evil and shady things. He can't help but feel suspicious and thinks that something is fishy, ​​but at the moment he has no evidence at all.

Moreover, the Tuishuyuan was so ruthless in its work. There were still more than a thousand candidates stranded in the capital. How could the Tuishuyuan find Wu Liang's residence right away after receiving the report...

……

At this time, Yang Hongbin was full of frustration. He responded to the scholar's question casually: "The matter of cheating in the imperial examination is very serious. The government is still investigating and has not yet confirmed the authenticity.

You are the current imperial examination candidates, so you should consider the overall situation and not spread rumors without the government’s explicit notice.”

The middle-aged scholar looked strange, "My Lord, it's too late for you to say this. The man who just came over from the Magistrates' Court acted in a grand manner and loudly announced Wu Yiwen's crimes to everyone around him.

If it weren't for this, my classmates and I would have been cautious and would not have let them take people away so easily.

This matter is known to everyone. In addition to the 300 tribute scholars, there are thousands of failed candidates in the city. Cheating has always been a concern for scholars.

I’m afraid that before sunset, this matter will spread all over the city…”

When Yang Hongbin heard this, he felt cold all over. Zhou Junxing of the Court of Magistrates lived up to his reputation as a cruel official. His actions were ruthless and fierce, which attracted people's attention.

Now that the suspect's confession has not yet been determined, his men have deliberately spread rumors, spread public opinion, and stirred up a storm. This fraud case is likely to be a difficult one...

Yang Hongbin instructed the foreman of the yamen runners who were traveling with him to return to the Dali Temple immediately to report the situation to the temple chief. He himself took two followers and went directly to the Inquisition Court.

……

The capital, the magistrate's office, and the criminal chamber.

A bucket of cold water poured over his head woke Wu Liang up from his coma.

Half a month ago, he was very proud of passing the imperial examination.

A few days ago, he experienced the highest honor of a scholar. He was among the three hundred tribute scholars and walked into the Huangji Hall to take part in the palace examination.

As a student, after more than ten years of hard study, he finally got what he wanted and possessed all the glory that a scholar could get.

When the palace examination was over, he and many of his classmates walked out of the Huangji Hall. How happy he was at that moment.

He did not fail in the palace examination, and he was ranked at the top of the joint examination list. As long as the palace examination was over, he was destined to pass the imperial examination and might even be admitted to the Hanlin Academy.

He comes from a wealthy family, his parents are still alive, and now he has passed the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. Even if he does not become an official, his life will be extremely glorious and he will have no regrets.

Although among the candidates who took the palace examination, Lin Zhaohe, Jia Cong and others were more brilliant than him, Wu Liang only admired them and did not feel jealous at all, because he was already satisfied.

Even he himself did not expect that his life could be so perfect.

Since the palace examination ended, in these two short days, he sunk into a beautiful dream, feeling comfortable and satisfied beyond words.

Tomorrow is May 15th, the day when the results of the palace examination will be announced. Today he had planned to invite his classmate Lin Zhaohe to have a drink together and go to the east wall of the Ministry of Rites to see the results tomorrow.

He had thought about inviting Zhou Yan to drink together, but he was worried that he and Lin Zhaohe would trigger Zhou Yan's pain over failing the exam, so he decided to wait until Zhou Yan calmed down before inviting him...

Just when he was feeling confident about everything, the captain of the magistrate's court suddenly rushed into the inn, and all his beautiful dreams instantly turned into a life-gnawing nightmare.

The official in charge of the Magistrate's Court said that a candidate had reported that he had colluded with the chief examiner of this year's exam, Xu Liangxiong, to find out the purpose of the essay topics in advance and to cheat by selling the questions.

He did not cheat in selling the test questions, but when he found out the topic of the imperial examination essay, he felt guilty...

When the magistrate and the lieutenant escorted him out of the inn, all he could do was loudly protest his innocence.

However, the Magistrate's Court lackeys not only did not show any mercy, but also reported his crime of fraud to his peers present, making him lose face and feel that a disaster was imminent.

He was taken to the Magistrate's Court, where the chief judge interrogated him. He had no choice but to refuse to confess, otherwise he would be doomed.

Moreover, he firmly believed that he did not cheat by selling questions, nor did he bribe or collude with the chief examiner Xu Liangxiong. He just took advantage of the opportunity...

He was a scholar in the imperial examination. There was no actual evidence to convict him of a crime, so punishment was not imposed on scholars and officials.

However, an hour ago, an officer from the Magistrate's Court appeared in the execution room and things got completely out of control.

The other party ignored the regulations of the imperial court and brutally tortured him.

The beating left his skin and flesh torn, his robe stained with blood, and he fainted several times, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

However, the red-hot iron pressed against his back twice, and the excruciating pain, completely overwhelmed his will. He confessed everything and only asked for a quick death...

……

When the executioner held his hand and asked him to sign the confession, the great humiliation and despair made him faint again, until he was awakened by several buckets of cold water.

He came to himself and saw a face in front of him. He had a gaunt appearance and an elegant demeanor. He should be a sanctimonious civil servant.

But in Wu Liang's eyes, he was no different from a devil from hell. It was this man who ordered the use of torture. He was Zhou Junxing, the director of the Court of Magistrates.

At this moment, he took the signed confession and read it carefully several times.

He said gloomily, "Wu Liang, you just confessed that there were seven candidates who went with you to visit Xu Liangxiong and received his advice and suggestions on the examination questions.

But I looked at the names carefully and found that one person was missing. It has come to this point, and you are still hiding something!

The Magistrates' Court has the most skilled torturer in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The means you just experienced are really not worth mentioning. If you don't tell us everything, living is much more difficult than dying!"

The excruciating pain from the tortures made Wu Liang like a frightened bird. He quickly said, "I am not hiding anything. There are only seven of them, including me. There is no one else."

Zhou Junxing said in a deep voice: "Someone reported that Lin Zhaohe of Hangzhou Prefecture was your classmate and close friend, and you two were very close friends.

This person ranked third in the examination. If you hadn't leaked the examination questions to him, how could he have passed the exam..." (End of this chapter)