Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 603 Chaos arises
Avoiding the crowd, Qian Ning immediately said to Yang Dan, "Now that things have escalated to this point, does the Prefect intend to suppress it himself?"

"Why don't you come with me to see the Emperor and ask him how to proceed?"

Upon hearing Qian Ning's suggestion, Yang Dan immediately and astutely countered, "Then what about the parade ceremony for the top scholar?"

Qian Ning said nonchalantly, "We'll just wait a bit."

Yang Dan frowned and said, "How can important matters of the court be arbitrarily suspended because of the nonsense of a few people? Wouldn't that set a precedent for these people to coerce the court?"

Qian Ning retorted, "Otherwise what? Does Prefect Yang intend to defy the doubts of hundreds of students and force Tang Gao and the others to perform the horse-leading ceremony? If Tang Gao discovers anything later, isn't Prefect Yang afraid of disgracing his ancestors' name?"

Yang Dan remained silent for a moment, then said calmly to Qian Ning, "Nothing can be found out. This was the first-class result set by Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe, and none of the examiners objected. The result cannot be changed."

Upon hearing this, Qian Ning seemingly casually advised, "With things in such a mess right now, it's good to have an excuse to avoid it for the time being. Getting involved now might not be a good thing."

Upon hearing Qian Ning's words, Yang Dan decisively refused, saying, "Commander, go and report back. I haven't finished my business yet."

Qian Ning was somewhat disappointed when he realized he couldn't persuade Yang Dan.

He said, “In that case, I will go and report back to His Majesty. To avoid any trouble, Prefect Yang should immediately send some more yamen runners. If there are not enough yamen runners, go to the Five Cities Garrison to call for more.”

Yang Dan said, "Thank you for the reminder, Commander."

Qian Ning didn't linger and led his Imperial Guards away.

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, who had been keeping a close eye on things, quickly came over to ask how to proceed after Qian Ning left.

The prefectural magistrate had always admired the three Yangs, and Yang Dan had always regarded him as a confidant, so he briefly recounted what had just happened.

Upon hearing this, the prefectural magistrate couldn't help but stamp his foot and sigh, "Your Excellency should have followed Qian Ning's advice and consulted His Majesty first. Otherwise, if things escalate, Your Excellency will be caught in a dilemma, and how will you handle the situation?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Dan stroked his already graying beard and sighed, saying, "If I were to yield to the opposing voices and interrupt the court's rituals, it would be disloyal."

"It would be unwise for me to offend the Emperor, the Grand Secretary, many ministers, and the three newly appointed Hanlin scholars for an outcome that is destined to remain unchanged."

"So be it, I'm caught in a dilemma."

The prefectural magistrate smiled bitterly. If even Prefect Yang was in a dilemma, how could he, as the prefectural magistrate, possibly have an easier time?

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture could only hope that Qian Ning, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, could bring the Emperor's decree as soon as possible, so that we wouldn't have to suffer like this.

Yang Dan smiled upon hearing this, showing a clear understanding of the situation. "Don't have too high hopes."

"When Qian Ning left, he said 'reporting back.' Strictly speaking, his job was finished after he escorted the imperial edict to the left gate of Chang'an and posted it. What happened afterward was none of his business."

"That guy is very slippery and can't be relied on at all."

The prefect was even more bitter, but he could only follow Yang Dan back to the front of the ceremonial guard.

As soon as the commotion started, Yang Dan stepped aside to discuss something urgently with someone, which gave the scholars who were surrounding him a glimmer of unrealistic hope.

When Yang Dan returned, the scholar named Yue Xi stepped forward again and loudly proclaimed, "We beg Your Excellency Yang to uphold justice and restore a bright and clear world to the land."

As soon as Yue Xi said this, those who echoed his sentiments also responded from afar.

The yamen runners who were stationed on the perimeter to keep the people at bay were somewhat afraid of the noisy and crowded crowd.

Last year, a stampede occurred at the Chang'an Left Gate.

Upon seeing this, Yang Dan immediately rebuked, "If you have such an open mind, why don't you go to the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, or the Censorate to file a complaint? Why are you here blocking the imperial procession?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Xi braced himself and said, "This place is also under the jurisdiction of the Prefect, so it is not unreasonable for the Prefect to take over its administration."

Yang Dan chuckled coldly and said, "Since that's the case, then I'll take your petition and submit it to the Three Judicial Office first thing tomorrow morning. How about that?"

Yue Xi was speechless for a long while before angrily saying, "Why must the Prefect protect such a despicable person?!"

Seeing that Tang Gao and the other two looked displeased, he directly questioned them, "Why haven't you apologized before the world! Don't you feel any shame?"

Yang Dan shouted angrily, "Insolence! Guards! Drive these people away and stop them from blocking our way!"

Those who came with Yue Xi showed no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, they took the opportunity to push forward.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Pei Yuan quickly led Yun Buxian and the others to move further away.

The streets of Chang'an's Left Gate alone were packed with people, a dense crowd comparable to a popular tourist attraction in later times.

If things really get out of hand, with so many people here, a stampede could be a serious matter.

After finally squeezing their way out of the crowd, Yun Buxian quickly said, "Chief, there's a fortune-telling and tea stall up ahead. We can see the same thing from there."

Pei Yuan didn't try to be tough, letting Yun Buxian make arrangements, and squeezed out of the crowd to walk towards the tea stall.

This fortune-telling stall was rather shabby, carried on a shoulder pole. At one end of the pole was a rattan chair tied to it, and at the other end was a kettle for boiling water to make tea.

After Pei Yuan left, Yun Buxian didn't stand on ceremony. He took out some silver and chased away the middle-aged man who was trying to solicit business. Then he ordered his men to keep watch on both sides.

Having witnessed what had just happened, Yun Buxian asked Pei Yuan with some curiosity, "Commander, Yang Dan has no connection with us, so why would he step forward to help Tang Gao?"

Pei Yuan admired Yang Dan's actions to some extent and said directly, "Because he is a smart man."

Looking at Yang Dan, who was being besieged by the increasingly agitated candidates, Yun Buxian couldn't figure out where this man's intelligence lay.

Qian Ning, who ran away as soon as he sensed the situation was not good, is probably more like a smart person.

Pei Yuan advised Yun Buxian, "When you're an official, you can do stupid things, but you can't do wrong things."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that Yang Dan is stuck here and has made a mess of things. He hasn't done anything wrong from beginning to end."

"He was simply following the rules of the imperial court and honestly performing his duties."

After thinking for a moment, Yun Buxian said, "I'm afraid that Yang Dan's reputation will be greatly damaged after this incident."

Pei Yuan sneered, "What use is reputation? It's not those guys in front of us who don't even have official positions who will decide Yang Dan's future."

Yun Buxian had already learned the whole story of this recent major event from Chen Xinjian.

He said to Pei Yuan somewhat cautiously, "Commander, other matters are one thing, but the matter of the green bamboo slips should only be known to you and the three of them. Now that this matter has been brought up, wouldn't it discourage Tang Gao and the other two?"

Pei Yuan chuckled and said, "You don't actually think Yue Xi is one of my people, do you?"

Yun Buxian quickly replied, "This subordinate dares not."

Pei Yuan didn't have much of an opinion on Yun Buxian's reservedness.

After all, Yun Buxian has been subjected to many setbacks, so it's normal that she doesn't dare to act as casually as Chen Xinjian.

They will naturally get along better over time.

Pei Yuan didn't mind giving Yun Buxian a little pointers, and then explained to him, "The current situation seems to indicate that the Emperor has taken action. Just wait and see, the best is yet to come." As the two were chatting, they suddenly heard a commotion from the crowd.

Pei Yuan quickly stepped onto a chair and looked ahead.

It turned out that the yamen runners that Yang Dan had summoned from Shuntian Prefecture had arrived.

As soon as these additional yamen runners arrived, they immediately began to drive away the scholars and commoners who had gathered to watch.

Seeing this, Yue Xi was not afraid at all; instead, he encouraged everyone to push back together.

Just then, from where the constables had come, a group of burly men in plain clothes rushed over.

As soon as these guys appeared, they shoved the candidates forcefully.

When the Eastern Depot agents mixed in with the candidates saw that things were getting chaotic, they simply started throwing punches wildly.

Those burly men in plainclothes were the ones Qian Ning had arranged to escalate the conflict.

Seeing that he hadn't even made a sale yet, but had been attacked by the other side first, he was furious.

Before coming here, they said they were going to be the villains and beat people up, but now they've become the victims?

Qian Ning's men immediately slapped him back.

The slap seemed to be a signal, and the newcomers rushed into the crowd like wolves, indiscriminately beating people.

Many people, seeing that the spectacle had spread to them, hurriedly scattered.

Some who were slow to dodge got slapped in the face.

The people who were hit were all a little stunned. What the hell?

Some people, their cheeks burning with rage, grew increasingly angry and, taking advantage of the chaos, retaliated with a kick.

Those who were far away had no idea what was happening. Some of the candidates, their emotions stirred, were even cheering loudly and crowding inside.

The situation outside the Left Gate of Chang'an deteriorated rapidly.

As the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Yang Dan, seeing the crowd so densely packed, immediately recalled the stampedes that often occurred outside the Left Gate of Chang'an, resulting in deaths.

He wasn't stubborn, and immediately wanted to lead Tang Gao and the others to hide inside the left gate of Chang'an to avoid the surging crowds.

Unfortunately, the crowd had already disrupted the guards' defenses.

Yang Dan didn't notice for a moment, but Tang Gao, who was just riding on horseback, was suddenly pulled off the horse.

Someone cheered, "We've caught the top scholar!"

Although most of those who joined in the commotion were clueless, and the main troublemakers were just venting their emotions, there were indeed some bad guys among them.

Qian Ning knew better than anyone else what these three guys had.

He had already laid an ambush, intending to expose their evidence in public.

The agents under Zhang Rui, the director of the Eastern Depot, also had very clear objectives.

When the barbarians saw that someone had captured Tang Gao, they immediately rushed over, trying to seize Tang Gao while also capturing Huang Chu and Cai Ang.

Seeing that none of the three first-class soldiers managed to escape and were all pulled off their horses, Yang Dan felt both angry and terrified.

Seeing the frenzy of some commoners and scholars, Yang Dan realized that someone must be instigating this from behind, and those who actively caused trouble were doing so for specific interests.

Yang Dan immediately felt a sense of crisis. If it were just ordinary people, Yang Dan could try to use his official authority as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture to suppress the situation.

But these guys aren't ordinary citizens anymore!
It had only been a short time since the incident in which Ma Shun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was killed at Zuoshun Gate under the pretext of public outrage.

Yang Dan immediately shouted in a panic to the soldiers guarding the left gate of Chang'an, "Quickly rescue the three Hanlin scholars! Otherwise, the Emperor will be furious and will surely punish them."

The soldiers of the Golden Guard who were guarding the left gate of Chang'an were also a little scared when they saw the commotion.

They were trembling with fear, hiding behind the other newly appointed scholars, listening to Yang Dan's harsh words, and could only reluctantly move forward.

As they approached, the soldiers of the Golden Guard were all taken aback.

But then they saw that the three Hanlin scholars were being fought over by countless people. While these people were fighting amongst themselves, they also took the opportunity to help Tang Gao and the others take off their clothes.

Tang Gao, Huang Chu, and Cai Ang, three bookworms, had never experienced anything like this before. They clutched their collars, looking as helpless as quails.

The soldiers of the Golden Guard noticed that the groups of people scrambling for the three Hanlin scholars didn't seem to have any intention of harming them; they were just fighting to strip them of their clothes.

The soldiers of the Golden Guard all had a strange thought: what's wrong with the atmosphere in the capital lately?
Before they could ponder further, someone suddenly shouted, "Found it!"

As he spoke, he raised a green bamboo stick high in his hand.

Perhaps realizing that they all shared the same goal, both sides stopped fighting at the same time, and then several large hands reached out to touch the trembling Huang Chu and Cai Ang.

Soon, two more people raised their bamboo skewers high.

Yue Xi, who was just stirring up trouble, suddenly appeared out of nowhere again.

He shouted excitedly, "Caught red-handed! Caught red-handed!"

Many people joined in the shouting, adding to the momentum.

As the bad guys in the crowd achieved their goal and stopped causing trouble, the chaotic crowd at Chang'an Left Gate, drawn by curiosity, gradually turned their attention to Yue Xi.

Yue Xi loudly recounted to the crowd how the treacherous Jinyiwei had given these three people green bamboo slips, and how they served as tokens to ensure the three of them achieved the highest rank.

Yue Xi excitedly waved the green bamboo slip in his hand and said to the gathered scholars, "This is Tang Gao's slip. Come, let's see what's written inside?"

Then, in full view of everyone, Yue Xi destroyed the slightly damaged wax seal, untied the binding rope, and revealed a single character written on the green bamboo stick: "Jia!"

As if he had finally caught his prey, Yue Xi excitedly shouted to everyone, "It's A! It's A! Our champion was already guaranteed first place before the palace examination!"

Then Yue Xi took another slip of paper and dragged Cai Ang, who was only wearing his undergarments and was filled with shame and indignation, overwhelmed with shame and indignation.

He then showed the indignant crowd the bamboo slip bearing Cai Ang's name, and publicly destroyed the slightly damaged wax seal, pulling off the binding rope to reveal the words inside: "Bing!"

Yue Xi shouted, "Our third-place scholar is a third-place scholar!"

He didn't waste any more time and directly showed everyone the token he had taken from Huang Chu.

When the characters inside were revealed, it was indeed "乙" representing the second-place finisher!

(End of this chapter)