Chapter 371: The tribute court is deeply locked in spring and disappears
After a nervous night, the palace returned to peace, and I didn’t even know what was happening inside outside the palace.
Time flows through the fingers, and in the blink of an eye, it is the 30th day of the second lunar month.
It was about noon that Qin Lei woke up from his sleep and asked Ruolan who was serving him with a smile and said, "How long have I been sleeping?"
Ruolan smiled and said, "It's been ten hours."
Qin Lei stuttered, "I said why my head hurts. It turns out that I have fallen asleep and my head is flattened." Ruolan covered her mouth and chuckled, "You are going to do a big thing, so it's time to maintain your energy." As she said, she asked with a heartache: "You really have to wait for five days in a row?"
Qin Lei narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Don't worry, those weak scholars can hold on, but I can hold on." He laughed with Ruolan, got up, had another full meal, and asked Shi Gan to go out.
Ruolan ordered people to carry out five large food boxes from it and put them in the car. Qin Lei said strangely: "Where is this?"
"Your Majesty, you can't come out for five or six days. Take these foods with you, don't be hungry." Ruolan said seriously.
Qin Lei smiled bitterly and said, "The Gongyuan is not like other places. Except for the clothes on his body, all examiners are not allowed to bring in a slightest. Even the Lone King is no exception." Ruolan then waved her back and asked in a low voice: "What should I do if I eat? Is there a place to sleep?"
Qin Lei laughed and said, "Don't worry, I have never been an examiner, I don't know." After saying that, he squeezed at her, then left Qinghe Garden and went straight to the Xicheng Literary Office.
Halfway through the way, Shen Bing jumped up again. No matter where Qin Lei went, this guy could always find it.
"Lou Wanli's work and schedule is normal. Today, he still has the leisure time to walk the flower and bird market, and seems to be unaware of it." After the simple greeting, Shen Bing said in a deep voice.
Qin Lei nodded and said, "I understand, the old man will arrest him after the exam begins, and I guess he can't ask anything." Hu Chuanyi, who stole the questions, had already escaped fearlessly. If Lou Wanli was his accomplice, he would naturally not have the leisure to visit the flower and bird market. After thinking for a while, Qin Lei asked with a smile: "Come and sort out this matter."
Shen Bing nodded his head and thought to himself, "From the purpose of the people behind the scenes, it is nothing more than a shot of three birds with one stone. One is to blame Princess Shanyang; the other is to destroy the land and the third is to destroy the country's recruitment."
Qin Lei smiled and said, "There are four more people. If you succeed by chance, you can control these candidates; the fifth is that no matter whether you succeed or not, you will give the old man who is determined to create a Qingming situation."
Shen Bing pursed his lips and said, "It's really easy to plot. No matter whether this matter will be exposed or not, he will not lose money."
Qin Lei leaned his body on the back of the chair and curled his lips, "Just thinking about good things but forgetting one thing, he is destined to be unable to succeed."
Even Shi Gan, who was silently obedient next to him, couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter?"
With his thumb pointed at himself, Qin Lei smiled and said, "He forgot who was the examiner," and said, "I want to give me some eye drops, so I'll dig his eyes first...you continue."
Shen Bing's lips twitched and he quickly continued, "In Zhongdu, the only one who can do this is the Grand Marshal, the Prime Minister and the Prince, who can never escape these people."
Qin Lei smiled and said, "What you said is completely correct, but no one stipulates that people from China and the capital cannot do this."
Shen Bing said with a 'oh': "Princess Heyang?" Then he denied himself: "She has no reason, after all, Princess Shanyang is her real sister."
Qin Lei shook his head and said, "This woman does not need a reason for doing things... Of course, she has sufficient reasons this time, for example, she supports the prince instead of her elder brother; for example, Lou Wanli is used by the old man to supervise her power in Zhongdu; for example, His Majesty abandoned her, and I once humiliated her." As he said, he slapped his head and said, "It seems that she must be."
Shen Bing thoughtfully: 'You are too conjecture.' He heard Qin Lei laughing irresponsibly, and said, "Of course others are suspicious. As for who is behind the scenes, please ask Shen Dusi to check it out." After saying that, he drove Shen Bing out of the car with a helpless look on his face.
A quarter of an hour later, the convoy arrived in front of the Ministry of Rites.
Qu Yanwu, who was refreshed, was waiting in front of the door. When he saw Qin Lei coming down, he quickly greeted him respectfully: "I welcome the prince."
Qin Lei laughed and said, "You are polite, Gong Tuo." The two of them were a friendship of hardships, so they were naturally different from others. They looked at each other and smiled and entered the yamen hand in hand.
After entering the lobby, Xu sat in tea and looked at Qu Yanwucu’s new second-grade purple robe. Qin Lei smiled and said, “It’s strange, they are all dressed in second-grade clothes. Why do you look at you much more grand than in the first month of the year?”
The two knew the roots and bottom of it, and Qu Yanwu was not hypocritical with Qin Lei. He smiled and said, "At that time, he was just a minister of scattered ranks. He was placed in scattered ranks and was placed in scattered ranks. Even a first-rank official was not as arrogant as a first-rank official."
Qin Lei nodded with a smile on his face and said, "I didn't expect that in just over a month, Mr. Kuo became the Minister of Rites. The future officials and officials are really gratifying."
Qu Yanwu smiled sincerely and said, "Since Qingcui Villa in Xiangyang Prefecture, my subordinates have handed over their future honor and disgrace, and even their lives to the prince, so I won't say thank you."
Qin Lei looked outside the door, and Shi Gan nodded to him, knowing that everyone was controlled by the black guards, so he sighed: "When you promised you the Prime Minister, you said it would take ten years, but you would never expect it to be realized in just one year."
Qu Yanwu's breathing suddenly became rapid and he asked nervously: "Does the prince say that his subordinates will take over the Secretariat?"
Qin Lei shook his head and smiled, "That's Wen Yanbo's bandits' nest, what are you going to do?"
Monk Qu Yan Wu Zhang Er couldn't touch his head and said, "If you don't go to the Secretariat, what prime minister can you talk about?"
Qin Lei laughed and said, "Not only will we not go to the Secretariat, but Wen Yanbo will also come out on his own initiative." He said, "I will discuss with Your Majesty with you. The cabinet will be officially established around April. Then there will be five cabinet ministers to help Your Majesty deal with internal affairs and external affairs. You are one of them."
Qu Yanwu said curiously: "What are the powers and responsibilities of this cabinet minister?"
Now is not the time to explain in detail. Qin Lei just told him first, so he could make him realize it. He smiled faintly and said, "In the future, there will be no prime minister in the Qin Dynasty, only cabinet ministers."
Qu Yanwu suddenly said, "It turns out that the cabinet minister is the future prime minister." He thought to himself, 'It seems that Your Majesty does not want a second Wen Yanbo to appear, and he has divided the power of the prime minister.' Then he laughed happily and said, "The name and power of the prime minister have changed a lot for thousands of years, so what is the name does not matter."
Qin Lei nodded and said softly: "I revealed this to you in advance, mainly to tell you, hurry up and choose the Minister of Rites for me again. In order to avoid shirking responsibility and selfishness, all cabinet ministers must resign from their original departments."
According to convention, as long as the minister who is not a dismissed minister can recommend a successor to the emperor when he leaves office. Of course, whether to use it or not is the emperor's business, but if the emperor has no candidate for his favorite person, he will use it as a very important reference.
Listening to Qin Lei asking him to consider his successor, Qu Yanwu smiled bitterly and said, "I haven't had a hot butt yet, I'm going to move my nest again."
Qin Lei said angrily: "After passing the competition, you have to sit on the bench for three years and be careful of diarrhea."
Qu Yanwu quickly smiled and said, "I am so moved by this. After all, I have become a minister of the court. I have collected all my resume. I will not feel nervous when I am the slaughter and the assistant."
Qin Lei nodded and said, "It is precisely this principle that I gave you a career as a Shangshu during this period, in addition to letting you gather some connections, it is also for this." He said, "Who will take over?"
Qu Yanwu smiled and said, "Prince, how do you think of Li Guangyuan?" He was a figure who became a spirit, and it was naturally no problem to guess the superior intention.
Sure enough, Qin Lei nodded and smiled, "Yes, he is a third-rank official, and his official voice is also good. It just so happens that he invigilated this spring exam again, I think it's OK."
Qu Yanwu smiled knowingly and said, "Then I will recommend him."
After talking about this, the sun was already west. Fortunately, it was long now and it was still early before dark.
The two of them got to the point. Qin Lei asked in detail about the situation of the Gongyuan. Qu Yanwu defended the ticket and said, "All the tools have been prepared. Just go and ask for the test questions. The officials will go to the Gongyuan to wait." After saying that, he took out the official seal of the Ministry of Rites, and asked the official to defend himself. He stamped the blank space of Qin Lei's memorial documents. Qin Lei also took out his own supervisor's guard and guarded him.
The so-called guardianship means temporary official seal, which is generally only granted temporary official positions, such as the examiners who were promoted to officials in this competition.
In addition, there were two deputy examiners who had previously had guards and guards, and there were six seals in total. Qin Lei then took the memorial back into his arms and stood up and said, "It's getting late, I'm going to get the exam questions." Then he and Qu Yanwu left the Ministry of Rites, one went to the palace and the other went to the tribute court.
Qin Lei walked all the way, and just as Shen Shi arrived at the imperial study room, Emperor Zhaowu had already put a box wrapped in yellow satin on the imperial desk. After Qin Lei asked him to fold it, he stood up with the box in his hands and stood in front of Qin Lei.
Looking at his son who was most proud of his eyes, Emperor Zhaowu said in a deep voice: "You know my expectations for this spring exam. Don't ruin the country's talent ceremony for some favors."
Qin Lei said seriously: "Father, please don't worry. As long as the sons are here, they will definitely give the scholars a fairness."
Emperor Zhaowu smiled and said with gratitude: "I am naturally relieved to you. I remember you once said: 'The Great Qin is a country to others, but to our royal family, it is both a country and a family. Others harm the country, maybe for their own small family, but our royal family has no reason to harm the Great Qin." Such a long and uncharacteristic words are hard for him to remember.
However, Emperor Zhaowu's concerns are not unreasonable, because at this time, only the bribers were held accountable, but the bribers were considered to be the weaker side. The "Law of the Qin Dynasty" will not be investigated, so those candidates who bribes can still participate in the spring examination with justification.
Although Wen's family failed and could not provide strong protection for the high-ranking officials and rich gentry, some of the key officials such as the 18th Room examiners, the reviewers, and the copying officials must have been bribed. If Qin Lei, the inspector of the supervisor, had no means, the high-ranking officials and rich gentry could still cheat easily, and walked to the court in a noble manner and participated in the palace examination.
If the last person who passed the exam was not very different from the list of bribery, it would be like slapping Emperor Zhaowu's mouth, and even shattering the imperial power he had just grasped... The pressure in Emperor Zhaowu's heart can be imagined.
Qin Lei said seriously: "Never do anything that harms the country, this is also the code of conduct of the son minister."
Emperor Zhaowu nodded in approval and said in an inaudible voice: "My country, since your country, remember it!" After saying that, he handed forward with both hands and said, "It's a good time to start the trial."
Qin Lei's heart trembled suddenly, gritted his teeth and suppressed his excitement. Zheng nodded. He took the yellow box from Emperor Zhaowu's hand and said in a deep voice: "Please wait for the good news for your father and wait for the good news. My son will leave." After that, he and Huangfu Zhanwen behind him withdrew from the imperial study room.
From the moment he got the test questions, Huangfu Zhanwen would lead the Imperial Guards to keep pace with him to ensure the safety and unrevealed test questions.
The carriage stopped at the door of the Imperial Study Room. Huangfu Zhanwen and two lieutenants followed Qin Lei on the carriage. The remaining 100 golden armored imperial guards each boarded their horses and closely guarded the carriage out of the palace. Outside Chengtian Gate, there were two other teams of imperial guards waiting. Seeing the carriage marked with special symbols coming out, the two teams of imperial guards also followed behind and set out towards the Imperial College.
The Imperial College was right next to the imperial city and arrived in the prison within a quarter of an hour. As early as more than ten days ago, the Imperial College students and doctors had already been on vacation at home just to avoid affecting the spring exams in the tribute school.
The soldiers of the Imperial Guards also drove into the Imperial Guard after the teachers and students of the Imperial Guards on holiday, surrounding the Imperial Guards was airtight. In addition, the Imperial Guards who arrived one after another today will have 3,000 elite Imperial Guards outside this small tribute Guards in the next five days, which shows how strong Emperor Zhaowu's determination is.
Even though he was escorted by the imperial guards of the brigade, Qin Lei still wanted to dismount with the box in his arms, and let the two chief and deputy garrison officers, Shen Wei and Zhao Chengsi, who were guarding the door, pass by and sign. Only then, with Huangfu Zhanwen's follower, he entered the tribute courtyard, which had been locked for nearly twenty days.
I also met various examination officials such as Li Guangyuan, Kong Kyung Kyung, and the 18th Room examiners who were locked up since the day the hospital was locked. According to regulations, from the day the candidates were announced, all the inner curtain officials would enter the tribute school and cut off all contact with the outside world until the end of the papers and the ranking was ranked before they could see the light of day again.
In fact, Qin Lei should have come in, but the Qin Dynasty's system was extensive, so the inspector was allowed to serve as the chief examiner. That is to say, Qin Lei was both the leader of the inner curtain officer and the boss of the outer curtain officer. He took advantage of this loophole and insisted that he was the outer curtain officer, and then he escaped the pain of 20 days of imprisonment.
After meeting with several adults, the examiners came to the lobby, where the incense table candlesticks were placed in the hall. The portrait of Saint Kong was sitting high in Taichung, looking at everyone with a smile.
Under Qin Lei's leadership, the examiners stood by the superiors and inferiors, and then Kong Jingde brought a copper basin to ask the examiner to clean his hands.
Qin Lei washed his hands with a pious expression, put three incense sticks of incense on the Supreme Master, and saluted everyone respectfully. Then he opened the yellow silk outside the box, revealing two cross-shaped royal seals, with the emperor's seal on it.
Qin Lei asked the two deputy examiners and the 18th Room to check together. After everyone confirmed that the seal was not damaged, he signed it one by one on the documents beside him.
Then he carefully opened the seal and exposed the three layers of solid iron boxes inside. The iron boxes were specially used to store test questions. Each floor housed a test question, and there was a lock on each side, attacking nine. The three examiners each had three, one on one, two or three floors. Only when the three people gathered together could they be opened.
Qin Lei took out a green key from his arms and opened the lock in the middle of the upper layer. Li Guangyuan and Kong Jingde also unlocked the locks separately. Finally, they opened the first floor and took out the first test questions.
The printing officer who had been waiting on the side for a long time quickly took over the test questions. Please copy the test questions with the most skillful handwriting among everyone and write them on the carved board.
After the carved version was written, craftsmen were engraved and printed, and all of this was carried out under the noses of dozens of examiners including Qin Lei and did not leave the hall.
Dozens of workers engraved and printed them all night long, and the printing was not completed until after the third day.
Looking at the sky outside, the copywriter and the printing officer lowered their heads and carefully checked each test paper with ink fragrance, and used their own guards to the bottom of the qualified paper, put it into the test bag, and then pasted it with white paper to seal it. Finally, Qin Lei and the two deputy examiners used the seal one by one, which was considered complete.
After all 1,700 test questions are printed, it is almost dawn outside.
Chapter completed!