Chapter 244: Nian Zheng
There was great chaos on the day of the Autumn Examination, and only the Nian family lost someone.
The bandits drew their swords and rushed towards Nian's house.
Nian Zhaoyun was in Tongjiang Academy, his wife and children were in the farm, and Nian Zhaoqian lived with his wife in his father-in-law's house. In the huge Nian family, there were only Madam Nian and Nian Zongben.
Those bandits hacked Nian Zongben to death and abducted Madam Nian. When Nian Zhaoyun returned, the sky seemed to have fallen.
While he was thankful that his wife and children were no longer with him, he was also crying for the tragic death of his old father.
In his mind, there is a big difference between dying of illness and dying without a complete body.
Funerals occurred one after another in the Nian family.
The third wife took the initiative to persuade Nian Zhaoqian to go back.
"He was your father after all, and he's gone. Why keep getting angry? Sheng'er will be going to the capital soon. She'll be a lady-in-waiting to His Majesty. It's not good for people to laugh at her family discord."
"I think the princess means that Tongjiang Academy and the Nian family will be handed over to my aunt in the future. You have to go back and help look after them. Don't let your second brother monopolize them."
After hearing this, Nian Zhaoqian moved back to the Nian family.
When the two brothers met, they looked at each other coldly and didn't speak. They each occupied a room and lived in peace.
After Nian Zongben was buried, news came from Jianzhou.
The court sent Prince Rui to suppress the bandits, and Madam Nian was also found and sent to Princess Liang.
The turmoil in the Nian family is finally over.
On September 15th, the results of the autumn examination were announced.
There were twenty new successful candidates, and the top scorer among them was Mo Yu.
Nian Sihua also made the list, ranking just at the bottom.
Nian Sheng was not on the list.
"Mo Yu is truly a prodigy," Nian Sihua said excitedly. "She's never been to school, only learning to read and write from her stepmother. When she arrived at Zhuoxi Academy, I showed her the essays from previous autumn examinations, and she was able to write essays that were just as good as those from Tongjiang Academy."
Not only was she excited, the entire Jiangnan region and even the dynasty were in an uproar.
Even the emperor personally took charge of it.
And Qu Ling was, of course, reported to the Censorate.
It was said that she acted on her own initiative and allowed the woman to enter the Imperial Examination Hall.
The emperor lightly let the matter go after saying that Princess Jia'an's merits and demerits offset each other's faults by quelling the riot in the Imperial Examination Hall.
Some people are happy, while others are skeptical.
Especially the students who failed the exam in Jiangnan, they thought that their places were taken by Mo Yu and Nian Sihua.
Yangzhou posted the articles of the two people, each word was full of gems and insights, but the voices were largely missing.
Some people still refuse to accept.
It was secretly said that the emperor was promoting women's rule, and the government leaked the exam questions in advance and asked someone to write for them.
Don't say this casually.
Yu Liang was furious and ordered people to investigate those who spread the rumors.
He will punish those who leaked the test questions and cheated in the imperial examination by beheading them. No official in Yangzhou, big or small, will be able to escape.
But the more they investigated, the more they felt that the government was guilty.
At this time, a notice was posted in Zhuoxiyuan.
On September 25th, Princess Jia'an held a Luming Banquet at Tongjiang Academy to celebrate the new successful candidates.
In addition to the fixed seats, the princess set aside another hundred seats for candidates taking the autumn examination and another hundred seats for the people of Yangzhou.
The seats of the candidates are arranged in order of their ranking. The first 100 candidates who failed to pass the exam will be selected after the 20 candidates who passed the exam are eliminated.
The seats for the common people are selected based on their place of origin, with one person being drawn every fixed number of people.
If a child under fifteen years old or an elderly person over sixty years old is selected, he or she can be accompanied by a female family member. If there is no female family member at home, someone sent by the government will accompany him or her.
No one felt it was unfair.
The whole city of Yangzhou was immersed in joy.
The people who were selected were of all kinds.
Everyone in the streets and alleys was talking about this feast, as if the gleam of swords and blood on the day of the autumn examination had never existed.
In the Liang Wang Mansion in Jianzhou, Nian Zheng was in a daze holding the invitation sent from Yangzhou.
Princess Jia'an was going to hold a Luming Banquet and invited her to attend.
The person who delivered the invitation said, "If the princess is unable to spare the time, the princess will come to Jianzhou in person."
In other words, she couldn't avoid meeting Qu Ling.
Nian Zheng thought that Qu Ling would die in the Imperial Examination Hall.
However, Qu Ling did not die, which was more in line with her imagination of the princess.
The people she wanted to kill, besides Nian Zongben, were the candidates from the Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall.
If Tongjiang Academy wasn't too far away, she would have killed everyone in the academy!
She hated most those hypocrites who were sanctimonious, talked about morality, and quoted sage books all the time.
Before Zhao Chongli arrived in Jianzhou, King Liang's health was not very good.
Since she married into the palace, Prince Liang's health has been getting worse day by day.
She had no son, and King Liang trusted her the most.
Her talent and strategy allowed her to move from the back house to the outer study step by step.
When the palace's staff gathered together, there was a place for her.
She reviewed many government affairs in the government office on behalf of King Liang.
Whether Princess Jia'an comes to Jiangnan or not, and whether Zhao Chongli shows up or not, she will rush into Yangzhou City on the day of the autumn examination.
"Prepare the sedan chair and go to the government office." Nian Zheng suddenly ordered.
The servant was surprised, "Princess, it's so late, are you really going to see Prince Rui?"
Pei Jingming was ordered to suppress bandits and command the troops in the south of the Yangtze River. He now lives in the official office of the Governor's Mansion.
"I'm a widow, what do I have to be afraid of?" Nian Zheng raised her eyebrows.
Pei Jingming's face, which made women infatuated, unconsciously emerged in her mind.
My heartbeat quickened slightly.
She covered her chest with her hand holding a handkerchief and said self-deprecatingly, Nian Zheng, oh Nian Zheng, the current situation is a matter of life and death, there is no room for anything else.
When the carriage arrived at the government office, Nian Zheng soon met Pei Jingming.
"It's so late, Your Majesty, is still reading the military newspaper?"
"Princess Liang, what's the important matter that brings you here so late at night?" Pei Jingming did not greet her.
Nian Zheng clenched her hands slightly in her sleeves and said with a smile, "The princess sent me an invitation to a banquet in Yangzhou."
Her eyes moved, with a hint of a smile, "May I ask, Your Majesty, what kind of person is the princess? Should I go to this banquet or not?"
Pei Jingming paused, "You know what kind of person the princess is."
"I just don't understand, that's why I came to ask the prince."
"Princess Liang, do you know why I didn't kill you?" Pei Jingming dropped the pen in his hand, his eyes gleaming coldly.
Nian Zheng’s smile froze on her face.
"I don't understand what the prince said."
"What you did wasn't very clever."
Pei Jingming rubbed his brows and leaned back in his chair. "You must remember the princess's kindness. It was because of her that you were able to survive until today."
Nian Zheng forced herself to remain calm and smiled, "Your Highness, I don't understand what you are saying."
"Don't understand?" Pei Jingming stared at her.
"You don't think that His Majesty gave you the title of Princess and allowed you to choose the heir to the palace because you voluntarily handed over the military power of the Prince of Liang's Palace, do you?"
Nian Zheng's breathing stagnated, and the fingers in her sleeves pinched her palms hard.
"Your Majesty appreciates your intelligence and ruthlessness, and he also sympathizes with the difficulties you have faced in reaching where you are today."
Pei Jingming's face was half bright and half dark. "Otherwise, Zhao Chongli would only be instigating rebellion at the behest of King Liang. I came to Jianzhou not to suppress bandits, but to lead the imperial army to quell the rebellion."
Nian Zheng felt a chill on her back.
"Princess Liang, in the face of the imperial power and the imperial guards, no conspiracy or trickery can stand the test. If His Majesty is in a good mood, he'll find a pretext to justify his actions. If His Majesty is in a bad mood and sends troops to raze the Liang Palace, you'll have no choice but to go to Hades to plead your innocence."
Pei Jingming took the invitation from her hand, opened it and took a look. "Of course you have to go to Yangzhou. Before you go, think carefully about what you can do for the court in Jiangnan."
"Don't make any plans in front of His Majesty and the Princess. For a wise man like you, I hope you live longer."
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