Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Shenjing, on the outskirts of the northern city, the firearms supervisor's workshop.

Since the construction of the firearms workshop, it played an important role in the war against the Jurchens and has become an important military center of the Shenjing.

When the development of the breech-loading musket began at the end of last year, Emperor Jiazhao dispatched 300 elite imperial guards to strengthen the guard and protection of the firearms workshop.

Lookout towers were built around the workshop, and all suburban residences within two miles of the workshop were relocated and resettled by the Qinian Mansion.

Any disturbance within a few miles of the workshop would be discovered by the lookout tower.

Under Jia Cong's leadership, the workshop's internal management became increasingly rigorous.

All kinds of craftsmen employed in the workshop were selected from all over the country by the Firearms Inspectorate. They not only had to have superb skills, but also had to have a clean family background and no bad deeds. Their immediate family members also moved to the capital with them.

All kinds of firearms in the workshop were divided into different construction departments by Jia Cong according to different technical requirements, and the construction work in each department was not connected to each other.

The assembly of all firearm accessories is carried out by a dedicated person, and the division of labor is very clear and detailed.

It can be said that every craftsman in the workshop has his own specialties, but they are only good at some skills in making firearms, with the exception of Jia Cong, the director of the Firearms Department.

This talent coordination model can prevent the leakage of workshop firearms skills to the greatest extent possible.

If someone wanted to steal the secrets of the Firearms Bureau, they would have to bribe all the craftsmen in each department of the Firearms Bureau, which is basically impossible.

At this moment, gunshots continued at the shooting range inside the firearms workshop.

Two workshop craftsmen held breech-loading rifles and fired continuously at a wooden target in the distance. Someone next to them counted: "Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven..."

The chief inspector of the Firearms Department Jia Cong, the deputy inspector Liu Shizhen, the manager Guo Huai, the gunpowder maker Hong Yongtai, the iron casting maker Chen Ran and other workshop craftsmen were all watching the shooting effects.

When the voice announcing the number of shots stopped at thirty-four and thirty-seven, the faces of the two craftsmen in charge of the test firing were half blackened by the gunpowder smoke.

The reason for stopping shooting was that the firing pins of the two guns developed cracks or deformation due to continuous high-intensity shooting.

However, after the gunfire stopped, everyone present looked delighted. After nearly half a year of hard work, they finally had a relatively satisfactory result.

Deputy Supervisor Liu Shizhen said to Jia Cong: "Sir, this batch of newly forged firing pins fired thirty rounds in a row without any malfunction, which meets the construction requirements you put forward."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "If the firing pin can support thirty shots without any failure, it has considerable practical usability.

Moreover, in actual combat, it is rare to fire thirty rounds continuously. There will be a pause during the shooting, which allows the barrel and firing pin to rest and cool down. The actual number of rounds that can be supported will be more than thirty.

When musketeers went into battle, each carried a few firing pins as replacements, so that the continuous firepower of the breech-loading rifle could be guaranteed.

At this stage, the breech-loading rifle has been successfully built. I have already drafted a memorial yesterday and will submit it to His Majesty as soon as possible to request credit for you all!"

……

As soon as Jia Cong finished speaking, the craftsmen on the scene cheered. He had witnessed the power of the breech-loading rifle with his own eyes. The court would definitely reward generously for anyone who could make such a sharp firearm.

Jia Cong said to Liu Shizhen: "Now the military situation in Datong border town is frequent, and the remnant Mongols are harassing us more and more. The Ministry of War has repeatedly increased the military preparations for the nine borders.

Now that the breech-loading rifle has been successfully manufactured, the news has been reported to the palace. His Majesty will most likely place high hopes on it, so our firearms workshop will not be able to relax.

The forging of standardized firing pins must be accelerated for reserve, and the quality must not be lower than the batch used today.

According to the sample gun assembly and grinding standards, breech-loading gun components will also begin mass production.

Deputy Inspector Liu will calculate the quantities of various raw materials needed. I will report to the Ministry of Industry and His Majesty so that this matter can be completed as soon as possible."

Liu Shizhen smiled and replied, "Don't worry, sir. I will sort out the quantity of raw materials tomorrow, and the construction of components will be arranged immediately.

I heard that the results of the palace examination will be posted on the 15th. Your Excellency has won the first place in the Spring Examination. You will most likely be ranked in the top class in the palace examination. You may even win the honor of being the first in the world. I would like to congratulate you in advance."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Brother Liu, you are too kind. Although I was lucky enough to win the title of first place in the imperial examination, I dare not hope to be the top scholar. It is enough for me to win the title of Jinshi."

The two chatted for a while. Liu Shizhen always admired Jia Cong's ability in the research and development of firearms, which was unique and beyond the imagination of previous generations.

Therefore, when Jia Cong first took up the post of Director of the Firearms Bureau, he was only a juren. Liu Shizhen was not only much older than him, but also a jinshi from the imperial examination. However, he sincerely submitted to him and was willing to be his subordinate.

Now seeing that he had taken the imperial examination in spring, he was able to win the title of top scorer even though his paper was copied with his name covered. This was all thanks to his real talent.

Originally, I was one step ahead in the imperial examination, but now his achievements in the imperial examination have far surpassed mine. He is truly capable of doing what others cannot.

Fortunately, Liu Shizhen was already accustomed to Jia Cong's various peculiarities, and could only sigh that he was a natural genius and could not be judged by common sense.

Although Jia Cong was extremely talented, he had no bureaucratic habits and treated his subordinates and colleagues with sincerity, which made Liu Shizhen feel that it was a rare blessing in the officialdom to have such a superior.

……

The capital, the magistrate’s office.

Yang Hongbin, along with two followers, hurried to the magistrate's office.

He was well versed in torture and knew that a lot could happen in the torture room within an hour, which was enough time for Zhou Junxing to take control of the situation, and the Dali Temple thus lost the initiative.

Not only did the candidate Wu Liang submit an impeachment memorial to the Censorate, alarming the emperor, but he was also reported this morning. He has already been put to death and it is likely that there is no way to save his situation.

Given Zhou Junxing's harshness and tyranny, he would not have the scruples of not punishing the literati and officials.

The weak candidate had never suffered any hardship. As long as he was tortured, there was nothing he could not get to confess.

As soon as he entered the main hall of the Magistrate's Court, Zheng Yingquan, the chief clerk of the Magistrate's Court, rushed over after hearing the news.

Yang Hongbin said: "I am Yang Hongbin, the chief of the Dali Temple, and I have cooperated with the Court of Inquiries to investigate the case of cheating in the joint examination in accordance with the oral instructions of the emperor and the order of the Dali Temple.

This morning, I was ordered by the Dali Temple to question the suspect Wu Liang in the fraud case. I heard that he has been taken away by your court, so I came to ask where Wu Liang is now! "

Zheng Yingquan felt a chill in his heart when he heard Yang Hongbin's cold and aggressive words.

He had heard of the name of Yang Hongbin, the chief of Dali Temple. Yang Hongbin was quite famous in Dali Temple and was not someone who could be easily fooled.

Zheng Ying said, "The suspect Wu Liang was reported by this year's imperial examination candidate this morning. He is now in the criminal chamber of the Magistrate's Court, and Lord Zhou is personally interrogating him."

Yang Hongbin's face changed slightly, and he said, "According to the imperial decree, the Dali Temple and the Magistrates' Court are jointly handling this case. I want to go to the criminal room to listen to the trial. Please lead the way!"

……

The magistrate's office and the criminal department.

The room was dark and damp, filled with a strange smell of mold and burnt odor, as well as a lingering smell of blood...

Because he had signed his confession, Wu Liang was taken down from the rack and sat slumped in a chair with a depressed look.

His clothes were torn and his body was covered with messy whip marks and blood, but the two serious branding wounds on his waist and back had been casually covered with medicine.

Although Zhou Junxing tortured him severely, Wu Liang was the main culprit in this fraud case and he must be kept alive.

Under torture, Wu Liang was forced to confess and sign, but he was not relieved. Zhou Junxing did not give him a chance to breathe and wanted to dig more out of him.

Before the imperial examination, due to the appearance of blue-covered booklets on the market, the candidates preparing to take the examination would contact each other and visit the candidate examiners, which became a common practice. Naturally, there was room for something to be written about.

Wu Liang and Xu Liangxiong have been implicated in cheating in the imperial examinations, but there are countless candidates and officials associated with them.

In Zhou Junxing's opinion, a major fraud case with only two main culprits is not only unreasonable, but also inconsistent with the situation, and even more inconsistent with the great achievements of the Magistrates' Court that shocked the government and the public...

……

When Wu Liang heard Zhou Junxing suddenly mention Lin Zhaohe, he was shocked. He knew very well that even if he had cheated in the imperial examination, it had nothing to do with Lin Zhaohe.

Zhou Junxing's words clearly meant to implicate Lin Zhaohe. Only a few days after he and Lin Zhaohe arrived in Beijing, Lin Zhao moved to his cousin's villa.

Because Lin Zhaohe studied hard at home, Wu Liang rarely interacted with him afterwards, and he did not publicize their relationship in front of others.

Therefore, the two of them were both candidates from Hangzhou Prefecture and were close classmates. Not many people knew about this. How could Zhou Junxing reveal it all at once?
Wu Liang knew clearly that it would be difficult to resolve the situation he had fallen into, so why bother implicate his good friend?

He quickly said, "Although Lin Zhaohe is my classmate, we haven't had much contact since we came to Shenjing. He has nothing to do with this matter."

Zhou Junxing sneered, "You won't cry until you see the coffin. Someone reported that when you went to pay a visit to Xu Liangxiong, you invited Lin Zhaohe to go with you.

Although Lin Zhaohe moved out of Hongxiang Inn afterwards, you two had a banquet at Chunhua Tower before the end of the imperial examination, and you took the opportunity to reveal Xu Liangxiong's proposed topic to him.

Lin Zhaohe and you did the same thing. They studied Xu Liangxiong's topic proposal in advance and familiarized themselves with the topic of the imperial examination essay. That's why both of you passed the exam!"

Wu Liang felt a chill down his spine when he heard this. Could it be that this cruel official in the Magistrates' Court was possessed by a ghost? How could he know so much about his background...

He and Lin Zhaohe were having a banquet at Chunhua Tower. There were only the two of them at the time and no one else knew about it. Why did this person know so much?

And what he said just now almost revealed half of the truth at that time.

That time when he and Lin Zhaohe were drinking at Chunhua Tower, he did show Lin Zhaohe the proposed topics he had collected, including Xu Liangxiong's.

At that time, Lin Zhaohe just glanced through it and didn't seem to take it seriously. I asked him to copy a copy so that he could take it back and study it, but he politely declined.

Lin Zhaohe even advised him not to be too obsessed with these proposed questions, and to study hard on the classics before the exam, which was the way to invincibility.

Wu Liang thought of the past and felt extremely regretful. Now he felt that Lin Zhaohe's words made a lot of sense.

Lin Zhaohe's unusual calmness and caution in the face of the topic made him feel inferior...

He thought of the fact that he had passed the provincial examination in Zhejiang Province and had extraordinary talent. Even without the convenience of formulating questions, he might be able to pass the imperial examination.

It is because of the desire to take shortcuts that today's disaster has come to this. Now that things have come to this, why should I involve my classmates and close friends?

He said: "My Lord, Lin Zhaohe did not have a private dinner with me, and he never knew about Xu Liangxiong's topic, so please don't wrongly accuse him.

The person who reported it must be framing me at random, so don’t trust him easily.”

Zhou Junxing smiled coldly and said, "Wu Liang, at this point, you still want to make excuses. If you don't want others to know, then you better not do it..."

……

At this time, Zheng Yingquan, the chief of the Magistrates' Court, walked into the torture chamber and glanced at Wu Liang, who looked terrified and hesitant. He said, "Sir, Yang Hongbin, the chief of the Dali Temple, was ordered by the Dali Temple Minister to assist in the investigation of this case. He will be in the torture chamber to listen to the investigation and is now waiting outside the torture chamber.

Our spy at Hongxiang Inn reported that Yang Hongbin had brought people into the inn with the intention of questioning Wu Liang, but the people had already been taken away by us."

Zhou Junxing sneered and said, "I know Wei Guanyao will make some moves. His moves are quite fast, but not as fast as ours!

They have already lost the initiative, if they want to have a hearing, let him come in and listen."

Zheng Yingquan went out for a while, and Yang Hongbin quickly entered the torture room with two followers. When he saw Wu Liang covered in wounds and blood, his face changed slightly and his mood instantly became heavy.

He said, "Lord Zhou has great means. Within an hour of the court session in Fengtian Hall, the suspect of imperial examination cheating was arrested and even severely punished. I really admire him!"

Zhou Junxing spoke sarcastically to Yang Hongbin, seemingly oblivious.

He smiled grimly, "Mr. Yang, you are too polite. Imperial examination cheating is an outrage to both humans and gods. Before I even left the court, someone reported Wu Liang's cheating to the Court of Inquiry.

Now that the Magistrates' Court has learned of this matter, they naturally cannot sit idly by and will bring Wu Liang to questioning according to the complaint. After I leave the court, I will immediately interrogate him personally."

Zhou Junxing handed a few documents in his hand to Yang Hongbin, his expression showing the coldness of someone who was in charge of a strategic plan.

He said, "This is the written complaint, Wu Liang signed the confession, Lord Yang, please have a look, and report to Wei Siqing after returning to the yamen."

After reading Wu Liang's confession, Yang Hongbin sighed inwardly. Everything in the confession was clear and logical, and there was no flaw to be found.

It describes that Wu Liang paid a visit to Xu Liangxiong before the exam and received his advice on topic writing. He learned that Xu Liangxiong would be the next chief examiner. He studied Liu Jichuan's "Retreat from Retreat" and took the exam by writing and selling topics.

The contents of the confession were extremely consistent with the impeachment memorial submitted by the censor Sun Shouzheng, and the details were even more detailed than those in the impeachment memorial.

Yang Hongbin was shocked. The censor Sun Shouzheng was no ordinary person. He figured out the whole thing exactly based on circumstantial evidence.

The methods used by the Magistrates' Court were even more fierce and swift. The Lord Temple Minister had been on guard against them and his reaction was swift, but he was still a step behind the other party.

Was it that Zhou Junxing was too smart, or was there something else fishy about this matter? Although Yang Hongbin had his doubts in his heart, he could not find the flaw at all.

……

Zhou Junxing said: "Although I tortured Wu Liang, I did not force him to confess. It is very easy to find circumstantial evidence for the things in his confession. Lord Yang is an expert in investigating cases and he will know it at a glance."

After listening to Zhou Junxing's words, Yang Hongbin remained silent.

He was an expert in detective interrogation and knew that this confession was extremely important, without any mistakes or omissions and difficult to refute.

He glanced at Wu Liang, who looked terrified, and felt a little regretful. This new scholar was finished.

Yang Hongbin read the proclamation document carefully again, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Zhou Junxing said with a teasing look, "The person who reported this is the failed candidate in this year's exam, Wu Liang's good friend Zhou Yan!"

Yang Hongbin was awed. The whistleblower himself failed the exam and was filled with jealousy. He killed his friend who was on the list. Although his character was despicable, his motives were clear...

When Wu Liang, who was standing by, heard Zhou Yan's name, his face turned pale and endless fear and anger surged in his eyes.

"Brother Baokun, why did you report me? I even confessed to him, why did he want to harm me? Why did he want to harm me?"

Zhou Junxing laughed coldly: "Now you should know that people's hearts are unpredictable. Why bother to hold on? Say everything you need to say. Not only will you suffer less physical pain, but you can also save your life!"

Yang Hongbin, who was standing by, had a cold look in his eyes. He was also an expert in torture and knew that Zhou Junxing deliberately revealed the name of the informant as a way to manipulate people's minds.

He wanted to completely break down Wu Liang's defenses, so as to dig out more secrets from him and implicate more people...

Zhou Junxing said to the jailer: "Take him back to the cell and keep him under strict guard!"

Wu Liang was dragged away by the jailer, still yelling like a madman. He couldn't accept it for a moment, and was reported by his good friend, which put him in a desperate situation...

……

When Wu Liang was taken away, Zhou Junxing said, “Sir Yang, you have also read the confession. This fraud case involves a lot of people.

In addition to Wu Liang and Zhou Yan, there were five other candidates who visited Xu Liangxiong, and they were all suspected of cheating.

In addition, Lin Zhaohe, a candidate from Hangzhou Prefecture, had a close relationship with Wu Liang. Before taking the exam, the two had a private meeting. This person ranked third on the list of successful candidates in this exam, so he cannot escape the suspicion of cheating.

The imperial examination is a national ceremony for selecting talents and must not be tarnished. These people need to be arrested and interrogated.

As there are quite a few suspects, the Dali Temple will work with the Magistrates' Court to investigate this case. Please share the responsibility.

Lord Yang will be in charge of questioning Lin Zhaohe, and the rest of the people will be arrested by the Magistrates' Court. What do you think, Lord Yang?"

Yang Hongbin knew that Zhou Junxing had already taken the initiative. Although his actions of arresting the suspects had obvious intentions of implicating the suspect, they were still within the common sense of the case.

For now, he can only wait and see, and wait for an opportunity to act again...

……

East of Shenjing City, Hancheng Street.

Jia Cong's carriage returned from the workshop outside the city, passed the east of the city and returned to the Earl's Mansion.

Because the newly made firing pin of the breech-loading rifle passed the reliable test, the production of the breech-loading rifle, which lasted for nearly half a year, was finally completed.

Jia Cong had resolved an important matter in his mind and made arrangements for the follow-up matters, so he returned to the city and his mansion early.

Since May 15th was the day when the results of the palace examination would be announced, he planned to return home to rest and then go to the South Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites to check the list early tomorrow morning.

Although Liu Shizhen congratulated him in advance and said that he had the potential to be ranked first, Jia Cong was not obsessed with it.

Because he knew very well that among the current imperial examination candidates, his status was very special. Not only was he an official, but he was also a hereditary noble of the current dynasty. Many things about him could not be judged by common sense.

However, he is the top scorer in this year's imperial examination. Even if he does not rank first, the imperial court will still take his reputation into consideration and at least rank him in the top two classes. He will definitely be qualified to enter the Hanlin Academy.

For Jia Cong, several major events were going very smoothly at the moment, so he was in a very good mood when he left the firearms workshop today.

But after entering the city, they found that the atmosphere in the city was a little strange. As the carriage drove along, they saw the captains of the Magistrate's Court moving around, and their actions were aggressive.

When the carriage passed Hancheng Street in the east of the city, Jia Cong saw many yamen runners hanging around at the street corner. He felt more and more puzzled, so he asked Jiang Liu to stop the carriage and go to the street to inquire for information.

After a while, Jiang Liu came back and said, "Third Master, those runners are from the Dali Temple. I asked the nearby shops and neighbors and they said they came to arrest a candidate.

This Jinshi was named Lin, and he was the brother of a silk shop owner. He even ranked third on the exam list. The yamen runners said he was involved in cheating in the imperial examination, so they wanted to arrest him for questioning.

Jia Cong was shocked when he heard this. A Jinshi named Lin ranked third in the exam. That must be Lin Zhaohe, the top scorer in Hangzhou Prefecture. How could he be involved in cheating?
He thought of the activities of the Magistrates and the Academy Captains along the way, and he seemed to understand something...

At this moment, he saw a familiar figure at the intersection and quickly jumped off the carriage to meet him.

"Brother Yang, long time no see!"

Yang Hongbin turned around and saw that it was Jia Cong. He was a little surprised and said, "It turned out to be Yu Zhang. Why did you pass by here today?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Every time I go back to the city from the workshop outside the city, it is the shortest way to get back to the mansion from here.

Just now I passed by and heard passers-by gossiping that the Dali Temple was questioning Lin Zhaohe, a successful candidate in the imperial examination. Was he suspected of cheating in the imperial examination? "

Yang Hongbin knew that the Magistrates' Court was arresting people in a high-profile manner in order to publicize the situation and take advantage of the situation.

It won't be long before the whole city knows about this matter. As an official appointed by the court, Jia Cong will sooner or later know the root of the matter, so there is no need to hide it.

He said: "Yu Zhang, you don't know that this morning, the censor Sun Shouzheng impeached the chief examiner Xu Liangxiong for colluding with the current candidate Wu Liang to sell the test questions and cheat.

The emperor was furious and ordered the Court of Inquiries and the Dali Temple to investigate the case. The candidate Wu Liang had been questioned by the Court of Inquiries and had already confessed and signed a contract.

Because someone reported that Lin Zhaohe and Wu Liang were classmates and close friends, and had close contacts before the imperial examination, he could not escape the suspicion of cheating, so he was taken back for questioning.

But when they went to lock him up just now, his cousin said that Lin Zhaohe went to visit a friend in a neighboring county yesterday and would not return until tomorrow to check the list, so he came back empty-handed. "

……

After hearing what Yang Hongbin said, Jia Cong was shocked. Ever since the examination began, everything seemed calm to him.

Now that the palace examination results are about to be announced, cheating in the imperial examination has been exposed.

Jia Cong received daily instruction from Liu Jing'an and had heard him talk about the risks of the imperial examinations. Whenever a major fraud case broke out, it would most likely lead to a bloody storm and involve many people.

Liu Jing'an was a man who had experienced many ups and downs. In order to let his most valued young disciple pass through the Spring Examination peacefully and to prevent any trouble from happening, he asked Jia Cong to study behind closed doors and avoid causing trouble before his death.

Jia Cong had never expected that a major cheating case would break out before the results of the palace examination were announced. Now that he thought about it, Liu Jing'an really had foresight...

“Brother Yang, the imperial examination fraud must be thoroughly investigated, but Zhou Junxing has a bad reputation, and I am afraid that there will be many unexpected things when he is in charge of the investigation.

The Dali Temple is the judicial branch of the Three Judicial Departments, and Brother Yang is also an upright and strict person. When encountering a major case like this, he would correct it and avoid implicating innocent people."

Yang Hongbin said, "I understand Yu Zhang's intention. We have the same idea, so I will definitely act with caution.

Yu Zhang is the top winner in this spring's imperial examination, and Lin Zhaohe is right behind him, ranking third. Does Yu Zhang know this person?"

Jia Cong said: "Lin Zhaohe and I met once when we were taking the palace examination and we chatted with each other for a while.

Although we didn't know each other well, he was calm and composed, and was no ordinary person.

Hangzhou Prefecture was a place where the imperial examinations flourished in Jiangnan. Lin Zhaohe was able to become the top scorer in Hangzhou Prefecture. It goes without saying that he was extremely talented. I am afraid that if we look at the whole world, he would be one of the most talented people in the imperial examinations.

It is not difficult for such a person to pass the imperial examination. There is really no need for him to cheat and risk his future and reputation. This is unreasonable. "

Yang Hongbin nodded and said, "Yu Zhang's words are very reasonable. Someone has reported Wu Liang and implicated him. I will follow up on the case and try my best to mediate and avoid harming innocent people."

Jia Cong looked at Yang Hongbin's departing back and felt extremely heavy-hearted. He had thought that everything had been going smoothly recently, but suddenly such a big thing happened.

The imperial court had originally planned to announce the results of the palace examination tomorrow, but now a major cheating case has occurred and one of the examiners is involved, so the announcement of the results tomorrow will definitely be suspended.

In the next period of time, I am afraid that a storm is about to come. I don’t know how many officials and candidates will be implicated and killed because of this... (End of this chapter)