Chapter 412: Extra 03 Demon Queen (Second update)
Chapter 412 Extra 03 Demon Queen (Second update)
Gu Jue: "..."
Shen Qianchen: "..."
The night breeze was blowing, carrying the laughter of some passers-by in the distance, and the wild cat hiding deep in the alley meowing twice.
These tiny sounds made the surroundings even more silent and empty.
The middle-aged man took another step closer to Gu Jue. There was only four steps between the two sides. Gu Jue still stood there motionless, with an unclear expression.
The middle-aged man's eyes were always scanning the surroundings with vigilance, and he continued: "Young Master, Han Chuang has been studying hard for ten years, all in order to one day be named on the gold medal list. As long as you can know the test questions in advance, I believe that with your 'ability', you can win the Jinshi. That's a no-brainer."
"Young Master, this is the first imperial examination after the new emperor ascends the throne. Jinshi are the emperor's disciples. The new emperor will definitely look at these first batch of Jinshi in a different light. Especially the young master is still young and is about the same age as the new emperor. When he enters the court, he will be subject to The new emperor is important and has a bright future.”
The middle-aged man spoke eloquently and began to paint a bright future for Gu Jue.
Gu Jue finally moved. This time, it was his turn to take a step towards the middle-aged man, and asked in a calm tone: "How come you have the test papers that you can test?"
For a middle-aged man, the other person's approach is tantamount to a heartbeat.
Done! The middle-aged man thought proudly in his heart, put on an inscrutable look on his face, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, sir, there will definitely be no problem with the paper. We have our own way."
Gu Jue stared at the middle-aged man steadily, as if he was considering whether what he said was true or false. After a moment of silence, he said again: "There will be three exams. The papers for these three exams..."
"We have all the questions for the three exams," the middle-aged man said confidently before Gu Jue finished speaking, "I guarantee that your wishes will come true."
"This price..." Gu Jue's eyes flashed, as if hesitating, but also seemed to be aloof and self-possessed.
The middle-aged man was not surprised by the false aloofness of these scholars. He pointed three fingers with his right hand and said: "Three thousand taels."
Gu Jue stared, the expression on his face unchanged. He pondered for a moment and said slowly: "This is not a small amount of money. How can I believe that the test questions you gave me are fine?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, looked around cautiously again, then waved to Gu Jue, moved his face closer, and whispered: "These test questions were obtained through the queen's natal family, so there must be no problem."
Gu Jue: "..."
Shen Qianchen: "..."
Shen Qianchen also heard this sentence. She was originally looking at the two lotus lanterns in the basket, but now she couldn't help but look towards the middle-aged man and raised her eyebrows slightly. She tried her best to keep her face straight, and began to regret that she had not put on the mask just now.
Gu Jue chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement: "Okay."
After a pause, he asked again: "What about the test questions?"
When the middle-aged man saw that Gu Jue wanted to buy, his smile became more attentive, and he said cheerfully, "Young master, pay me a deposit of one hundred taels today. Ten days later, at three o'clock in the hour, it will still be here, and I will take it." Come over with the exam questions, and the master will pay the balance at that time.”
Gu Jue took out a one hundred tael silver note from his wallet and handed it to the other party.
After the middle-aged man checked the banknote, he gave Gu Jue a bamboo plaque with an orchid carved on it as a certificate for the meeting ten days later, and then asked: "What's your surname, sir? I don't think you are a local, right?"
"My surname is Yin, from the Yin Shang Dynasty." Gu Jue replied, "I am from the North and from Bingzhou."
"Young Master speaks Beijing very well, but I'm still different from us Beijing residents." The middle-aged man casually greeted, and then cautiously explained, "Young Master Yin, remember to bring a guide with you in ten days."
Gu Jue agreed as if nothing had happened.
He knew in his heart that if the other party was really selling test questions, then these people would definitely not sell all the test questions to candidates in the same place. Otherwise, once the results of the general examination come out, all the top candidates would be concentrated in one place. , by then even a fool will be able to see what is wrong with it, and it will inevitably cause students all over the world to question this examination.
The person selling the topic is cautious.
Gu Jue watched the middle-aged man leave quietly, then lowered his eyes and looked at the bamboo sign in his hand. The bamboo sign was only half the size of a hand and was flipping flexibly between his slender fingers.
His fingers were agile and strong, fast and dexterous, as if the bamboo cards were part of his fingers, and finally he held them in his palm.
Seeing the middle-aged man walking away, Shen Qianchen took two steps forward, walked to Gu Jue's side, and asked, "Is this test paper real?"
Gu Jueyun smiled lightly: "We will know in ten days."
He didn't let the secret guard follow him, for fear of alerting the enemy. After all, to him, being defrauded of a hundred taels was nothing. If someone really leaked the information, it would be a major case that shocked the court and the world.
Shen Qianchen tilted his little face and smiled: "It seems that this time I will try something interesting."
Gu Jue put away the bamboo sign, then took Shen Qianchen's free hand and said with a smile: "Let's go."
The two went to Shishahai to put out river lanterns as planned.
When they arrived, many people were already standing along the river, and they were all setting off river lanterns.
Under the moonlight, the river surface was sparkling, with small lotus lanterns floating on it. As the swaying river water drifted into the distance, the wicks burned with clusters of flames, illuminating the surrounding river surface...
Thousands of lotus lanterns reflect the sparkling water below. At a glance, they are more dazzling than the stars in the night sky, adding a gorgeous scene to this Chinese Valentine's Day night.
People on the river bank were either admiring the river lanterns or putting their hands together to make wishes. Some were lovers and couples, some were relatives and friends, and some were families. Everyone had a smile on their face.
Shen Qianchen picked an open space nearby and took Gu Jue to squat by the river. The first thing he did was to light the two lotus lanterns with a fire stick.
One for her and one for Gu Jue.
The two carefully placed the lotus lantern on the river...
The river surface is rippling, and the small lotus lanterns are swaying back and forth on the undulating water, drifting farther and farther with the water, like shining gems...
Shen Qianchen also made a wish with his palms together, then hooked one of his little fingers with Gu Jue's, and stood side by side on the bank to admire the river lanterns.
Occasionally, she gently hooked his little finger, and the two little fingers were wrapped around the hook, as if making some kind of silent promise, and as if she wanted to hook the other person's heart into her heart forever.
So does he.
There was no curfew tonight, and there was a lantern festival in the capital. Many people wanted to party all night long, but Shen Qianchen and Gu Jue had no intention of doing so. Shen Qianchen never allowed Gu Jue to stay up late. Seeing that it was almost time, she pulled out. Follow Gu Jue on his way back.
The two of them strolled all the way back, chatting, admiring the lanterns, and occasionally smiling... It seemed that they had not walked for a while before they arrived at Chang'an Avenue.
Chang'an Avenue is also very lively tonight, with bright lights and huge crowds of people, because there is also a Chinese Valentine's Day candlestick on the Meridian Gate Square in front of the palace, and many people go there to enjoy the lanterns.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Ahead, bursts of drumming suddenly came, one after another, like bursts of thunder, continuous, spreading from one end of Chang'an Avenue to the other, and the passers-by on the street also heard it. I don't know who shouted at the top of their lungs: "Someone is beating the drum!"
As we all know, there is a Dengwen drum outside the right gate of Chang'an, which has been continued from the previous dynasty to this day. According to Daqi regulations, if the Dengwen drum is beaten, the relevant officials must immediately accept it and report it to the emperor.
The purpose of setting up the Dengwen Drum is to allow officials and people to beat the drum to express their grievances directly to heaven. However, in order to prevent unreasonable and malicious petitions from the people, the laws of Daqi stipulated that those who beat the drums of the Dengwen drum should first use the imperial staff for thirty years to serve as a warning to others.
Because the conditions for beating the Dengwen drum are harsh, few people dare to risk their lives. Most of those who beat the Dengwen drum are really wronged, so they take the risk.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sound of drumming continued, and a commotion ensued on Chang'an Avenue. Passers-by on the street rushed to leave, and gathered together excitedly to discuss:
"Hey, do you know who is going to beat the drum?"
"This man must be too courageous. He is not afraid of being beaten to death with thirty sticks!"
"Hey, if I wasn't forced to do this, who would be beating the drum?"
"That's right! Let's go and watch the excitement."
“…”
The more these passers-by talked, the more they felt that there must be some grievance on the part of the drummer, and there was a lot of fun to be seen today.
The crowd on the street was in a commotion. Hundreds of meddlers swarmed in, swarming like waves toward the right gate of Chang'an. They rubbed shoulders and made the whole street more and more crowded and noisy.
Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen looked at each other, with a hint of interest on their faces.
This man was beating the drum on the Chinese Valentine's Day. It seemed that he might be an unjust case of "Snow in June"!
Gu Jue first put a magpie mask on Shen Qianchen, then put a mask on himself, and said with a smile: "Come on, let's take a look too."
The two of them walked forward along with the flow of people, walking leisurely and leisurely.
After a while, the square outside the right gate of Chang'an was already crowded with people, and everyone stretched their necks to look in the direction of Dengwen Drum.
Finally, the drumming stopped.
"I was wronged!"
A middle-aged woman wearing a sky-blue cloth skirt stood beside the Dengwen drum holding a mallet and shouted excitedly. There was no jewelry on her body, and there were a few patches on her skirt. She looked like He is a person from a poor family.
The judge who was guarding the Dengwen Drum had his head as big as a bucket. He cleared his throat and said kindly: "Tiffany Yang, if you have such a problem, you can hand a sign to the palace to the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother." Why should she be here? If you beat the Dengwen drum here, isn't this just offending the new emperor? !
The onlookers originally thought that the drummer was an ordinary woman, but unexpectedly she turned out to be a concubine, and they couldn't help but burst into an uproar. Isn't the concubine supposed to be a high-ranking wife? How come she is dressed worse than an ordinary commoner!
Concubine Yang ignored the judge, raised her gavel high, and struck the Dengwen drum hard:
"Boom!"
Concubine Yang made a sad face and continued to shout in a miserable tone: "I want to sue my stepson Gu Jin for being unfilial and unvirtuous. During the separation of the family, he defrauded a large amount of family property and money. I beg the emperor to seek justice for me!"
Concubine Yang complained pitifully, her eyes red.
These days, life in the Jingjun Prince's Palace has been really hard. After she invited her son Gu Ming to be knighted, she was like a bull in the sea. Gu Ming has never been able to seize the title.
Because 70% of the family property was given to Gu Jin when the family was separated, now the Duke of the County Prince's Mansion has not much property and money left. The family has almost no money to eat, and Princess Yang can only use her dowry. She continued to subsidize the government, and Gu Ming needed money to find someone to find a job, so even her dowry was almost finished.
At this point, they have no other choice but to make a desperate move.
Princess Yang secretly gritted her teeth and continued to beat the Dengwen drum with the drumstick, comparing her strength.
Seeing the crowd of onlookers gathering more and more, Concubine Yang stopped playing the drums again, and her voice was three points higher than before: "My stepson Gu Jin is related to the queen, and Gu Jin's wife Shen Wan is the queen's aunt. , the queen showed favoritism and deliberately protected and favored Gu Jin and his wife. Gu Jin was not the heir, but he took away 70% of the property of the county prince's palace. What's the law of heaven!"
As she spoke, Concubine Yang's eyes became even redder, and a layer of tears appeared in her eyes. Her body was shaking with anger, and she looked pitiful and helpless.
The nearby onlookers listened and watched, and could not help but sympathize with Mrs. Yang.
The so-called "heir" refers to the eldest son who has the right to inherit.
As an heir, he will inherit the title and property of his family, and also support his parents and elders, so it is natural for him to receive 70% of the property. However, Gu Jin split up the family and was not an heir, but he took 70% of the property. This is Some deception goes too far.
The state has national laws, and the family has family rules. Even if the relationship between stepson and stepmother is not as good as that between biological mother and son, Gu Jin has gone too far.
There were also some students who came after hearing the news and stood in the crowd. They also frowned in disapproval and whispered about it.
Obviously, since the queen was able to help her uncle get 70% of the family property, it must be because of the support of the new emperor.
"Brother Xuan, Brother Zhou, Brother He...you all saw and heard, right?" Li Juren stood with his hands behind his back, standing at the front of the group of candidates, with a hint of prescient complacency on his face, "This is how the new emperor is, Acting based on preference, blindly protecting the queen. "
"I remember that Emperor Xiaozong of the previous dynasty only favored Queen Sang and did not establish concubines. He also treated his relatives favorably because of Queen Sang and never restrained his relatives. As a result, the Sang family was unscrupulous and committed crimes many times, but they were safe and sound. Those who were harmed by the Sang family Nowhere to redress grievances.”
Speaking of the Emperor Xiaozong of the previous dynasty, the other students were all thoughtful.
This Emperor Xiaozong was not a faint emperor, but a good emperor who worked hard to govern, valued the virtuous, eradicated traitors, and abolished harsh laws. He also established the praised ZTE rule. The most criticized aspect of his life as emperor was that he sheltered and indulged his relatives. , almost impeccable in other aspects.
The new emperor, like the previous Emperor Xiaozong, had only one queen in the harem, and he only favored the queen.
Li Juren saw that they had changed their minds, sighed, and said: "Hey, in fact, the reason why Ji Yushi angered the new emperor was because he persuaded the new emperor to take a concubine in the morning. He was originally motivated by righteousness and loyal to the emperor. After all, whether in the court or in the harem, it is never a good thing for one person to be dominant. "
"Sure enough, something happened just two months after the new emperor ascended the throne. The queen's uncle actually got 70% of the property!"
As he said that, Li Juren looked at Concubine Yang in front of him, and shook his head sadly: "It's pitiful, the concubine even has patches on her clothes. I'm afraid she won't be able to survive this day, so she can only come here." Beat the drum."
The expressions of the other students were even more solemn, and several of them spoke one after another:
"Brother Li is right!"
"Relatives running rampant are a sign of disaster."
Most people think what Li Juren said is reasonable and well-founded.
If the emperor is really so unprincipled in protecting the queen and indulging his relatives, then if the relatives run rampant, the court will definitely be unstable. Since ancient times, have there not been many disasters caused by relatives? !
Concubine Yang also heard some of the discussions among the students, and she felt reassured, and thought to herself: It was indeed true to listen to what that person said.
The general examination will be held next month. Now the capital is full of students rushing to take the exam. When the students know this, they will be indignant and accuse the new emperor of being unfair. And Gu Jue has just ascended the throne and the throne is unstable, so he will definitely be worried. What these students think.
Because of the Chinese Valentine's Day Lantern Festival today, there are many people around here, so it's the best time to build momentum.
See you tomorrow morning~~
(End of chapter)