Chapter 880: Imperial Examination
Tang Ning did not let Prince Ji go alone, and dispatched two officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to accompany him. She allowed Prince Ji the right to go to the six ministries. When he was about to leave after receiving the order, she stopped him and told him not to forget the fact that Prince Hui's family had been removed from the royal family. This showed her pettiness and vindictiveness to the extreme.
Prince Ji left with his errand speechless and mixed feelings. When he left the palace, he found that it was already dawn.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, are you okay?" The guards at Prince Ji's mansion were so excited that their eyes turned red when they saw him come out.
What happened in the palace last night has been leaked. The news that Prince Hui and the aristocratic families conspired to rebel and were captured by the Queen has spread throughout the capital. Several princes and dukes of the royal family have been released from the palace, but Prince Ji was the only one who was left in the palace.
The guard's eyes were red. "Last night was dangerous. I heard that the prince was almost in danger by Prince Hui and his men. Did Prince Hui and his men hurt you? And the Queen, did she take her anger out on you because of Prince Hui's affairs..."
"Okay, what are you making such a fuss about?"
The noise had been going on all night, and now the string of words ringing in his ears made Prince Ji feel a pain in his head.
After he stepped onto the carriage, he said unhappily, "If the Queen takes her anger out on me, do you think I can get out of here in one piece?" Leaning against the carriage, he rubbed his brows, "The Queen isn't His Majesty, how could she kill so recklessly..."
The endless chattering in his ears paused, and Prince Ji looked up and saw the look on the bodyguard's face, which was too pale to be retracted. If you looked closely, you could see a hint of fear.
Prince Ji frowned and asked, "What's that expression on your face?"
The man opened his mouth and whispered, "Last night, hundreds of people died on Donghu Street. Many also died in the four suburban camps and the Beijing Patrol City Defense Office. When the Black Armor Guards surrounded and killed the remnants of the Beiling rebels, they discovered many hiding in the residences of court officials and nobles. All those connected to them were killed without a single survivor."
"I heard that before Prince Hui and his men forced the palace, they ordered the siege of Rongsheng Academy and many of the court officials' residences in the capital. Those who were hiding in front of Prince Hui and pretending to be subservient were fine, but almost all those who conspired with him to rebel were killed by the Queen's order. Not a single one of the loyalists from the aristocratic families and Prince Hui's palace remained, and their bodies and heads were piled up at the entrance of East Market Street."
The queen did not put those people in jail, nor did she give them any chance to reform and start over.
Anyone who was related to Beiling, conspired with King Hui, or dared to resist the Black Armor Guards would be killed with one word.
kill!
He secretly took a look. The number of people who died last night was too numerous to count. The corpses and heads had almost piled up into several high mountains, with no end in sight. The entire East Market Street was dyed red with blood. Even from a distance, one could still smell the pungent smell of blood, which made people feel nauseous when they got close.
The bodyguard's face turned pale when he thought of the scene he had seen. "Several adults living near the East Market were terrified when they passed by. Prince Cheng and his men even fainted on the spot. The Empress is truly ruthless..."
Prince Ji listened to the words of the person beside him, looked at his fearful expression, and thought of the queen who had just laughed with him in the palace. He felt a chill on his spine, and at the same time, he felt a sense of certainty in his heart. If the queen was not a decisive and ruthless person, how could she dare to use herself as bait and, together with His Majesty, use the country as a trap to lure everyone into it.
Now that everything has been exposed, and the northwest battlefield is not over yet, she naturally has to use King Hui's rebellion to intimidate everyone with absolute strength and kill them until they dare not have any more thoughts.
Prince Ji pursed his lips, remembering the Queen's joking words to him. He restrained his expression and said, "To deal with those who plot rebellion, we must use thundering means, otherwise there will be no peace in the capital."
"But……"
The bodyguard whispered, "I heard that the Queen sentenced everyone in Prince Hui's palace to death, and even the noble families were not spared. Will the Queen purge the royal family because of Prince Hui?"
Prince Ji said calmly, "Don't worry. The Queen has already ordered me to escort the grain to the northwest."
The bodyguard opened his eyes wide: "You?"
How could the Queen...
The man was extremely surprised. He never thought that the Queen would let her prince go to the northwest at this time. He opened his mouth and said, "Prince, is there a trick here?"
"What can this prince do now that is worthy of the queen's deception?"
Prince Ji curled his lips. Besides...
He touched his chest. When King Hui thought he had gained the upper hand by forcing the emperor to abdicate and wanted him to join forces with them to plot against the queen, he had Liang Guangyi feed him a poison unique to the aristocratic family so as to force him to give the queen the poison of Red Beauty Withering. Now, it seems that the poison was not given by the aristocratic family, but by the queen.
The Queen dared to let him go to the northwest. On the one hand, she was sure that he was not that stupid and wanted to find a helper for Xiao Yan. On the other hand, she was absolutely sure that even if he really didn't know the consequences and suddenly had some thoughts that he shouldn't have, she could control him at any time.
The Queen is not that naive.
Prince Ji raised his lips and smiled, without any resentment in his heart.
If the Queen had really treated him completely without reservation just because he was called "Uncle Ji" and out of so-called blood relationship, she would have been eaten to the bone long ago.
"Okay, let's go back. I need to wash up and have a lot of things to do."
Prince Ji looked at the willow trees with swaying branches on the street. The warm spring morning light shone brightly on people, and his eyes were like the rising sun, filled with the hope of his long-cherished wish being fulfilled.
…
In the Imperial Study, after Prince Ji left, Tang Ning discussed the remaining matters with Cao Dejiang and others.
In addition to the treatment of those involved in the rebellion, matters related to the war in the south and the northwest battlefield, more importantly, the positions in the court that have been vacant will be replaced by new officials from the aristocratic families, and many officials who followed the trend last night will also be demoted and replaced.
If Wei wants to be strong, it is not enough to win at the border, the court should also have some fresh blood.
Tang Ning discussed directly with Cao Dejiang and others, and brought up the matter of the special examination that had been mentioned earlier.
"This time, we'll focus on the capital and the surrounding areas of Yonglin, Lucheng, and Yuanyang. We'll pilot the plan agreed upon with Your Majesty. The examiners for each region will be Lord Huo, Elder Cheng, the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of the Central Chancellery. The exam papers were already finalized before Your Majesty left the capital."
"The Black Armored Guards will escort the adults and the exam papers to various locations for a temporary exam. The top 30 students will then be brought to the capital for a re-examination alongside the students selected from the capital. The initial exam in the capital will be presided over by Prime Minister Cao and Prime Minister Liang."
"Because this is our first time, and we've been a bit rushed, there are bound to be many omissions. I hope you can rigorously review it and make sure no one exploits any loopholes. After this year's pilot, we'll gradually refine the rest of the process and then roll it out to other provinces in the next two years."
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