Nightwatcher

"Xu Cijiu knew how to write nonsense poems. I could make him feel ashamed by just writing a few lines. If I hadn't presented poems for his cousin Xu Qi'an that day, the jade pendant that Ziyang Layman gave should be mine."

Zhu Tuizhi remembered the festival that day and cursed.

"Could it be cheating in the imperial examination?" Liu Ye asked tentatively.

"Nonsense!" The students of Yunlu Academy were furious when they heard this, and glared at him one by one.

The word imperial examination fraud emerged in Zhu Tuizhi's mind, as if he understood all the doubts in an instant, and reasonably explained the reason why Xu Cijiu was able to write a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation, "Huiyuan" in high school.

Immediately, Zhu Tuizhi shook his head: "Impossible. Poems are not articles. If you know the test questions in advance, you will have time to fully prepare. Brother Liu, I will let you take "Spring Scenery" as the topic, and I will give you three days to write it. A handed down work?"

Liu Ye shook his head: "I'm ashamed, I'm afraid I can't write it in three years."

He took a sip of the wine, showed a meaningful smile, and lowered his voice: "But, Brother Zhu, think about it, what if the person who wrote his poems was Yinluo Xu Qi'an?"

The atmosphere at the meeting was quiet, neither the students from Yunlu Academy nor the students from Guozijian immediately refuted. Instead, he thought about it carefully in his mind.

That's right, if it was Xu Shikui, if he could know the exam questions in advance, let alone three days, he might be able to write them in one day.

The farewell poem and the poem about plums, as well as the half of the poem that was sung before the "sacrifice" in Yunzhou, were all sitting in front of the battle.

The students of Yunlu Academy are even more reminded of the "Poetry of Encouraging Learning" posted on the wall of the academy's fame. According to the scholar of the academy, Xu Ning made a poem after ten breaths, which is amazing and brilliant.

"Hmph, how did Yingong Xu Qi'an know about the exam questions?"

Although he thought so in his heart, he would not admit it with his mouth, the student of Yunlu Academy asked.

"I don't know." Liu Jue waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's just a drunken talk, just a wild guess. But Xu Qi'an is a silver gong, and it's been rumored in official circles that Wei Yuan deeply trusts him."

He didn't go on.

After this episode, the students of Yunlu Academy lost their mood for drinking, and after sitting for a while, they got up to leave.

Liu Ye, who is good at communication, personally sent Zhu Tuizhi and others downstairs, and then took the initiative to pay the bill, and everyone dispersed outside the restaurant.

A quarter of an hour later, Liu Ye went back and forth and got into a carriage parked outside the restaurant.

Sitting in the carriage was a middle-aged man dressed as a rich man, with a jade wrench on his thumb, a plate of walnuts in his hand, and a teacup in his other hand.

"Officer Zhao!"

Liu Ye bowed respectfully.

The middle-aged man nodded, put down his teacup, opened the teacup upside down on the small tea table, poured a cup of tea, and said with a frown, "You smell like wine, let's have a sip of tea."

"Thank you, Manager Zhao." Liu Ye held the teacup in both hands, drank it in one gulp, and said slowly:

"I found out some things. According to the students of Yunlu Academy, Xu Cijiu didn't know how to compose poetry at all, and his level was poor. The song "The Journey Is Difficult" was probably written by someone else. Of course, neither did I. evidence."

The middle-aged man showed a satisfied smile when he heard the words, and said with a smile: "There is no need for evidence, this is enough."

In the outer city, in a yard planted with willows.

Daoist Jinlian, who had just swallowed the blood fetus pill, bathed in the warm spring sunshine, felt that his body was no longer cold and transformed into a yin, but there was still some yin energy in his body, which could be eliminated by another blood fetus pill.

"This physical body doesn't fit my primordial spirit. It won't take too long. Fortunately, the golden lotus is about to mature, and the lotus seeds can reshape my physical body. It's time for me to leave Beijing.

"Hopefully there will be no accidents then."

Priest Jinlian prayed in his heart.

"Da Lang, then, that girl doesn't seem to be a Dafeng person."

The son of the concierge Zhang thought about it, and described it: "It's an ugly girl with black skin and blue eyes. Her hair is also ugly, with curly hair."

number five? !

Damn, why did she come to my house? Daoist Jin Lian asked her to come? Then does she know that I am number three?

Daoist Jin Lian asked him to help find No. 5 instead of No. 3. It can still be covered up by "No. 3's grade is too low".

But in the early stage, the ninth rank to the seventh rank are all spicy chickens, and the sixth rank Confucianism can copy other people's skills, so they have considerable combat power.

From Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan's point of view, although No. 3 Xu Cijiu is extremely smart, but when it is really needed, his cousin Xu Ningyan, who is tough and powerful, is more reliable.

It seems that Xu Qi'an is the only one absent from work today, nodding his head and saying: "I see, after I ask for leave, I will go back home with you."

After asking for leave, Xu Qi'an sat on horseback and trotted towards the Xu Mansion, while Xiao Zhang, the son of the concierge Lao Zhang, trotted beside him.

Two quarters of an hour later, they arrived at Xu's Mansion not far from the Yamen. Xu Qi'an handed over the reins to Xiao Zhang and went straight into the mansion.

As soon as he entered the outer courtyard, he saw the cooks walking towards the inner courtyard with plates of hot dishes, steamed buns, and rice.

"Da Lang is back." The cooks breathed a sigh of relief, and while talking, they turned their eyes to the inner courtyard:

"A girl came to the house and said she was looking for you and asked what was the relationship with you. She couldn't explain clearly herself, and she couldn't understand nine out of ten sentences."

Nine out of ten sentences were hard to hear. Number five's Southern Xinjiang accent was a bit heavy. Xu Qi'an complained, and entered the inner courtyard with the cook, and heard Xu Lingyue's gentle voice from the inner hall from a distance:

"Miss Lina came all the way from southern Xinjiang, why are you looking for my elder brother?"

"I'm not here to find your elder brother, I'm here to find a few friends and practice casually." A voice with a heavy accent sounded, speaking half-baked official dialect.

But the sound is like a silver bell, crisp and sweet, very nice.

"That means you don't know my elder brother?"

"do not know."

In a few words, I found out the details. This girl doesn't look very smart, and it has nothing to do with her elder brother. Xu Lingyue warmly entertained Lina.

My aunt sat on a chair not far away, frowning slightly, and looked at Lina with a little hostility.

This foreign woman really knows how to eat. In half an hour, she ate the family's three-day ration. If it is converted into silver, it will be worth a few taels, right?

This is because my aunt specially asked the cook to prepare some rice noodles, steamed buns and vegetarian dishes. If there are big fish and big meat, how much money will it cost?

Who can afford such a girl.

"Miss Lina? What are you doing at my house?"

Xu Qi'an stepped on the threshold, looking at the little pretty girl from southern Xinjiang with a look of surprise. Compared with the pale face that was injured yesterday, she now has a ruddy complexion and bright eyes, as if her injuries have healed.

"Daoist Jin Lian asked me to come to you and said that I will stay with you during the time I'm in Beijing. Thank you Master Xu for saving your life."

Lina quickly put down her chopsticks, swallowed the food, and looked at Xu Qi'an generously.

She thought that when she came to the capital, the person who received her would be Taoist Jinlian, No. 3, or No. 4 and No. 6. Unexpectedly, she ended up living in a strange man's house.

Daoist Jin Lian had already told her about yesterday's incident that Lina knew that this handsome young Yin Luo was her savior.

Since he is a trusted friend of the Taoist priest, Lina also trusts him unreservedly.

She called me Master Xu, not No. 3. Xu Qi'an stared at Lina for a moment, unable to see the clue from those clear and innocent green eyes.

Why did Daoist Jinlian arrange her by my side? What is the meaning of this?

The old silver coin did not discuss with me before doing this. Judging from my experience in dealing with the old silver coins, if there is a prior discussion, there is no plan.

If there is no prior discussion, there must be deep meaning.

So Xu Qi'an asked: "What else did the Taoist priest tell you?"

Lina took a bite of the steamed bun, and said vaguely: "Master Jinlian said that you are his best friend he met in the capital, so I can just stay at home with peace of mind."

Swallowing the steamed buns, she said angrily and aggrieved: "The priest said that I can eat too much and cannot support me."

Ah, Xu Qi'an's face was dull, so the reason why Jinlian sent her to me was because she was too hungry to support her?

This is really an unassailable reason. For the same reason, No. 6 who lives in a nursing home and No. 4 who relies on old friends for food and lodging cannot afford to support the little pretty girl from southern Xinjiang.

Damn it, it feels so bad to be treated as a big dog. People are floating in the rivers and lakes. Either you whore for nothing or me for nothing. Retribution Xu Qi'an sighed: "That's how it is."

"Ahem!"

My aunt coughed hard, showing her sense of presence as a housewife.

But Xu Qi'an ignored her, and said to himself: "Okay, I'll let someone arrange a room for you right away."

"Xu Ning Banquet!!"

My aunt screamed angrily, got up from the chair, pinched her waist, and glared at each other angrily: "I'm your aunt, you, don't you think about discussing it with me?"

As he spoke, he glanced frequently at the messy dining table, and told his hapless nephew that this girl was a bottomless pit.

Xu Qi'an hesitated for a moment, her aunt's consideration was very reasonable, the price in the capital is expensive, this girl can eat so much, it is really a waste of money.

Moreover, my luck has changed recently, instead of picking up money, I changed to accumulating reputation, and then, Wei Yuan deducted my salary again.

"Brother, did you forget the chicken essence?"

At this time, Xu Lingyue opened her mouth, and she made a calculation for Xu Qi'an: "The salt transport office in the capital issued two thousand catties of salt tickets last year, and made a profit of five thousand taels, of which the elder brother took 10% and got five hundred taels. Yin Zi, you have never asked Si Tianjian to come back.

"I asked the officials of the Yanyun Yamen that the imperial court plans to open at least ten workshops this year to make chicken essence, and when the settlement is made at the end of this year, it will be an unimaginably huge fortune.

"So, our family has no shortage of money."

Xu Lingyue's "salt ticket" refers only to chicken essence. Now chicken essence, like salt, has become an important strategic material of the imperial court. It was born last year, and it cannot be mass-produced, but after expanding the production scale this year, the profits are immeasurable.

If you don’t tell me, I really forgot that it must be that bad old man in the prison who blocked the chicken essence, so that I can’t remember it. He wanted to cheat me for money.

Xu Qi'an was pleasantly surprised to find that he was actually Papa Ma in this era.

Lina didn't understand at all, but she thought it was amazing. She came all the way from southern Xinjiang to the capital, and knew what a copper plate could buy, and what a penny could buy.

At the same time, I also know how difficult it is to earn money.

Subconsciously, she looked at this "Master Xu", with pure admiration in her eyes, just like a little girl seeing her neighbor's elder brother ironing instant noodles, wearing jeans, with a decorative iron chain hanging around his waist, at home Hip-hop dancing in the yard.

"Why didn't I know about this?" Aunt asked suspiciously.

"Don't you know, aunt? I asked Lingyue to tell you." Xu Qi'an looked at his sister.

Xu Lingyue looked bewildered: "Mom, maybe you forgot."

My aunt opened her mouth and was speechless. She wasn't sure if she had forgotten, and she had no impression of such a large "profit".

At this time, Lina asked with an adoring tone, "May I ask Mr. Xu's name."

This way of questioning was something she learned when Dafeng wandered around the world.

"Xu Qi'an!"

"Xu, Xu Qi'an" Lina tilted her head, thought for a long time, and suddenly screamed: "You are Xu Qi'an, didn't you die in Yunzhou?"

Aunt and Xu Lingyue looked over suspiciously.

This foreign girl claimed to know Xu Qi'an, but she didn't know about her resurrection, so why did she come to the house?

"Take a step to speak."

Xu Qi'an pulled Lina out of the side hall, stopped at the edge of the flower garden, and explained:

"I'm not dead, Li Miaozhen made a mistake. Well, I'm actually a peripheral member of the Tiandihui. Although I don't have the corresponding fragments of the Earth Book, I know everything about you."

"No wonder Daoist Jinlian asked me to come to you." Lina smiled happily, and easily believed Xu Qi'an's words without any doubts.

It's so good to deceive Xu Qi'an and said seriously: "This is a secret, you can't reveal it to the outside world, not even inside the Tiandihui."

"good!"

Lina smiled sweetly and nodded vigorously. She was very bright when she smiled. It was hot in southern Xinjiang. Lina's complexion was a healthy wheat color, but from the perspective of Dafeng, who advocates fair skin and beauty, this is a little black skin.

"Go and eat."

How nice it would be if everyone in the world was as innocent and innocent as Number Five. Xu Qi'an looked at the bouncing and lively back, feeling sincerely.

He still has a lot of things to ask Number Five, such as how she knew that it was Number Three who picked up the money, not a friend out of thin air.

Don't worry, people with simple personalities are usually more stubborn, and they will definitely keep it secret if they say it is confidential.

But cannibalism is soft, and when she eats at home for a few more days, as long as she has a conscience, she will know that prostitution for nothing is wrong.

cabinet.

Wearing scarlet robes, Wang Zhenwen leaned over his desk to review the papers. He had already sat for two hours, went to the toilet a few times in the middle, and devoted the rest of the time to his official duties.

The cabinet is equivalent to the emperor's personal secretary, with great power, much higher than the six ministries.

The imperial court's large and small memorials, and even the suggestions made by the people to the emperor, were collected by the general secretary, who reported it to the emperor for review, and then handed it over to the cabinet.

The cabinet is responsible for drafting the opinions on handling, and then the supervisor of ceremonies will submit the opinions to the emperor for a final decision on how to deal with them, and finally the six ministries will proofread and issue them.

In the reign of Emperor Yuan Jing, the Minister of General Affairs directly forwarded the memorial to the cabinet, and the cabinet drafted the opinions on how to deal with it, and finally handed it over to Emperor Yuan Jing.

A process is omitted in the middle.

This is because Emperor Yuan Jing believed that the extra process in the middle hindered him from practicing Taoism.

It is precisely the process omitted in the middle that is the most tricky. Because in this way, what Emperor Yuan Jing saw was only the excerpts that the cabinet let him see.

Of course, although Emperor Yuan Jing was not a good emperor, he was an emperor who was good at using power. In order to curb the excessive power of the civil servants and the overhead of the imperial power, he thought of a way to get the best of both worlds.

This method is called "Wei Yuan".

From the perspective of the general situation, the various parties and Wei Yuan's party are in dire straits. In terms of a small structure, the fighting between the various parties was fierce.

Emperor Yuan Jing sat firmly on the Diaoyutai, responsible for maintaining balance and practicing Taoism with peace of mind.

Wang Zhenwen opened the last memorial, and after reading the above content, he pondered and sat quietly for a long time. Then, take out a note, write down your suggestion, and stick it on the memorial.

After all this is done, it happens to be scattered at dusk.

In the evening, Xu Lingyin's life-and-death enemy was added to the dining table in Xu's residence.

Xu Lingyin loves and hates this "sister" who was born in the sky. She loves it because after the "sister" came, the food at home increased several times.

I hate it because this big sister eats too much

With such a small mouth, I couldn't eat her at all.

Second Uncle Xu looked at Lina with a sullen face, and turned to ask his nephew, "Is she from the Southern Xinjiang Gu clan, from the Li Gu Department?"

Lina raised her face from the bowl, with rice grains on the corner of her mouth, and said crisply: "I'm from the Department of Power Gu, how does Second Uncle Xu know?"

Who is your second uncle! Xu Pingzhi snorted coldly.

During the Battle of Shanhaiguan that year, he personally experienced the great battle and witnessed the terrifying physical strength of the barbarians of the Li Gu Department. Their characteristic is that they can eat.

It is not uncommon for a strong Li Gu tribe to eat a cow in one day.

Back then Wei Yuan never captured members of the Ligu tribe, they killed them directly to save food and grass.

"Brother, let me tell you something." Xu New Year said suddenly.

"I knew you had something to do, and I didn't let go of my brows. Tell me." Xu Qi'an replied to his cousin while grabbing meat with Lina.

"Miss Wang will invite me to swim in the lake tomorrow." Xu Nian said vigilantly.

"What do you think?" Xu Qi'an pondered.

Xu Nian let out a 'huh', put down his chopsticks, and said disdainfully: "There are two reasons, one is out of personal enmity, and he wants to find a place for the niece of the Ministry of Justice.

"Either Wang Shoufu didn't want to let me go, and he secretly suppressed it."

"Then which possibility do you think it is?" Xu Pingzhi continued.

Xu Nian thought about it, and said with regret: "Although I may become Wang Shoufu's confidant in the future, I won't be missed by him so much. I think Miss Wang is trying to play tricks."

Hearing this, Xu Lingyue put down her chopsticks with a serious face: "Second brother, you are not good at dealing with women, I will let you go"

She quickly glanced at Xu Qi'an, and changed her words: "Although people don't know about those messy fights, women still know women best."

Xu Nian laughed at the elder sister's IQ, "Who said I must go? It was Ms. Wang who invited me to swim in the lake, not Wang Shoufu. In this case, unmarried men and women are unmarried. It would be unseemly to swim in the lake together. I just refuse." .

"The law of war says that when the enemy advances, we retreat. They are weak, so don't overwhelm them."

Not bad, the handling is okay Xu Qi'an nodded: "You have already decided, why are you still asking me?"

The family ate and talked, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

The next day, Emperor Yuan Jing finished his meditation, studied the scriptures for half an hour, took the bait, and then rested his mind for a stick of incense, and the morning class was over.

At this time, he will take some time to review the memorial, and it will not take too long, because the cabinet has already prepared the "draft", and he only needs to approve the red.

The first notebook he opened was the memorial of the newly-appointed Zuodu Yushi. The content was to impeach Zhao Tingfang, a scholar of Dongge University, for accepting bribes and leaking questions to Xu Xinian, a student of Yunlu Academy.

The book also cites evidence that in the provincial examination, the student's poems belonged to the fourth class (the lowest is the fifth class). How could it be possible to write a masterpiece handed down like "The Journey Is Difficult".

Seeing this, Emperor Yuan Jing didn't care at first, poetry is not an article, and if the article leaks the topic, it is of a very serious nature. Poetry is lighter, even if you know the test questions, you find it harder to find a poet than to get the test questions.

But then, it was mentioned in the memorial that Nai Xuezi had a cousin who played the silver gong of the yamen, named Xu Qi'an.

As we all know, Xu Qi'an is the chief poet of Dafeng.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Yuan Jing's pupils became sharper, but he did not express his opinion, and then he took off the "draft" of the cabinet, which stated the cabinet's suggestion:

"Imperial examinations have been the most important thing since ancient times to select scholars and talents for the imperial court. Fraud in imperial examinations cannot be tolerated. I hope your majesty will strictly investigate."

Emperor Yuan Jing pondered for a moment, picked up his pen, and wrote red.

PS: Thank you for the reward of "Cut off the retrained coyote" from the Silver League, and "SeanGhoust" for the reward of 190,000. Leader of "mady". The leader of "Shangxian Qitian" offered a reward. The leader of the "Nine Masters of the Buddhist System".

The bosses love you so much, I am very grateful, and I will definitely repay you with a blast.

In addition, I would like to ask a weak question for Xu Bai: Are the bosses rewarding me, or the little mare?