Chapter 122 Guarding the Imperial Tomb
After a few days, Ji Quan secretly returned to the capital with his men. Among the doctors he brought back was Mr. Bai from Jiangnan, who had previously treated Jiang Shen and Master Lin at the Dongling Academy in Sangcheng. He was also Ye Rushui's master and had taught him medical skills.
There is also an old man named Mr. Mo, who is as famous as Mr. Bai. Both of them are famous doctors known throughout the country.
In addition to these two old gentlemen, there were four or five famous doctors from other places. Although they were not as famous as these two old gentlemen, their medical skills were also highly praised in the surrounding area. These people were secretly sent to the palace to treat Prince Ning.
That night after sending the person into the palace, Ji Quan went to the palace to report to Prince Rui.
"If the Fourth Prince is really cured, he will be a great help to Your Highness in the future. Congratulations, Your Highness." Ji Quan congratulated.
The corner of King Rui's mouth curled up into a sneer, and he said, "If it could really be cured, it would have been cured long ago. Why wait until now? I think the treatment is just a cover."
"Your Highness means that the emperor has other plans?" Ji Quan speculated.
King Rui scattered some fish food into the pond, and a group of brightly colored koi swarmed in, snatching up the food and scattering it.
"Pay attention to this matter first, and make sure there is no mistake in the other matter."
Prince Rui looked at the brightly colored koi swimming in the pond, a sinister glint in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I promise I will never make any mistakes." Ji Quan bowed.
…
In the blink of an eye, the day of the palace examination arrived, and the emperor asked the prince to supervise the exam.
The hall was completely silent, with only the rustling sound of candidates writing furiously.
Some people were sweating profusely from thinking hard and kept wiping their sweat with their sleeves, while others were nervous.
Jiang Shen rarely paused after picking up the pen. Even if he paused, his ideas would flow freely after a little thought. His answers on the paper were very beautiful and fluent, without any corrections.
Xie Yun became more and more excited as he wrote, and a smile appeared on his face unconsciously, which was in stark contrast to the candidates on his left and right who were so nervous that they kept wiping their sweat.
Both of them were extremely focused, unperturbed by the outside world. When the prince's gaze fell on them, a look of approval flashed across his face.
Suddenly there was a clanging sound, it was the sound of a pen falling to the ground.
Although the sound was not loud, it was particularly harsh in the silent hall and suddenly scared the candidate next to him.
Pei Qian clenched his trembling right hand, stood up, and knelt on the ground. He spoke in a resounding voice, "I want to sue Jin'an Marquis Qi Wuhan for favoritism, for perverting the law, for treating human lives as worthless, and for abusing his power to kill me."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was surprised when he heard this, and the others were equally shocked.
Later, the news reached the emperor, who ordered Pei Qian to come over, while the crown prince continued to stay in the palace to supervise the examination.
"Your father came to me to complain before, and I have already punished Marquis Jin'an. Why are you so dissatisfied again? You chose this moment to protest your injustice. Do you want to ruin today's palace examination?"
The emperor's tone was not harsh, but rather elusive and difficult to understand.
Pei Qian raised his trembling right hand and accused Qi Wuhan of his evil deeds with grief and indignation. Although his hand had healed, it was left disabled and he couldn't even hold chopsticks. He had finally been able to hold a pen and write again, and he had finally passed the imperial examination. Now his old illness had recurred and he couldn't even hold a pen. He was afraid that he would never be able to recover in the future and would become a useless person. How could he be willing to accept this!
"Your Majesty, please do the deed for me and punish Marquis Jin'an severely." He kowtowed solemnly.
The emperor asked, "How severely do you want me to punish you?"
Pei Qian gritted his teeth and said, "Treat them as they have been treated."
"Do you want me to break one of his hands as well?" asked the emperor.
Pei Qian replied, "If he has endured what I have endured and can still forgive me in the future, then I have nothing to say."
"Then how can you be so sure that I will make the decision for you? Aren't you afraid that I will punish you for disrupting the examination room and make it impossible for you to pass the imperial examination in the future?" asked the emperor.
Pei Qian gritted his teeth and replied, "As long as Marquis Jin'an is severely punished, I am willing to bear the responsibility. It is up to Your Majesty to decide."
"You would rather die in glory than live in disgrace. You are a man of courage." The emperor smiled and waved his hand. "Then you can go back first. I will give you an explanation."
After Pei Qian retreated, his heart was still pounding. This time he was really determined to die together with Qi Wuhan. Even if he couldn't kill Qi Wuhan, he would make him lose a layer of skin.
After the palace examination, Xie Yun and Jiang Shen decided to go to the Marquis' Mansion to report the news first. The Crown Prince also sent someone to the Marquis' Mansion to report the news to Qi Wuhan, asking him to make preparations early.
When Xie Yun and Jiang Lan came over, it was already dark. Qi Wuhan had already received the news. He met with the two of them alone, gave them some instructions, and then sent someone to send them back.
In the evening, Qi Wuhan did not tell Jiang Lan about this matter, as he did not want her to have a sleepless night.
He told her after breakfast the next day. After hearing this, Jiang Lan was about to go find Pei Qian to settle the score, but Qi Wuhan hugged her. He told her not to worry and that he could handle it.
In the morning, Qi Wuhan went to the palace, but the emperor did not see him.
The emperor asked Eunuch Liu to tell him to have a good talk with Pei Qian, and it would be best if they could settle it privately.
Two days later, the story of Marquis Jin'an abusing his power to cut off someone's hand spread more and more among the students. They said that he not only broke the person's hand, but also left him disabled. He was extremely vicious and despicable. They also said that he liked to bully others by taking advantage of his power and cutting off people's hands and feet was a common thing. Some students even wrote an article to criticize him at length, making his reputation among the scholars in disgrace. They criticized him and attacked him.
I don’t know how many people are behind this and fanning the flames.
He stayed in the mansion and didn't go anywhere, not even to the military camp. He just accompanied Jiang Lan in the garden to look at flowers and fish, turning a deaf ear to the rumors outside. Naturally, it was even more impossible for him to go to the Duke's Mansion to bow to Pei Qian.
The weather has become warmer, and the peach tree planted by the pond is full of buds. The buds on the branches have bloomed, and their reflections on the water are very beautiful.
Qi Wuhan had a blanket laid under the tree and held Jiang Lan in his arms while fishing, making her feel safe and not worried about falling into the water. She had now overcome her fear of water, especially when she was held in his arms, without any fear at all.
"I think the fish has grown fat. I'll ask the kitchen to cook it later."
Jiang Lan was also a little craving for fish soup, so Qi Wuhan asked someone to tell the kitchen to make fish soup for lunch.
At this time, Ling Feng came over to report: "My Lord, the Emperor has summoned you to the palace."
Jiang Lan's heart skipped a beat and she frowned.
"It's okay, I'll be back soon." Qi Wuhan comforted gently.
Jiang Lan nodded and hummed. When he stood up, she reached out and held the corner of his clothes. She smiled and reminded him, "Then you have to come back early, otherwise there will be no fish soup to drink." Qi Wuhan leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "Okay, I'll be back early."
"Let's go." he said.
Ling Feng turned around and followed him.
Jiang Lan watched him walk away until his figure disappeared in the corridor. The uneasiness in her heart gradually grew stronger, but she suppressed it and comforted herself that everything would be fine and not to think too much.
......
After Eunuch Liu brought Qi Wuhan into the Imperial Study, His Majesty asked him, "Do you know what people are saying about you outside now?"
Qi Wuhan replied, "Those scholars are simply too pedantic and easily instigated. I will just ignore them, and Your Majesty doesn't need to pay any attention to them either."
The emperor smiled and said, "Didn't I ask you to go to the Duke's Mansion to settle this matter privately? Did you go or not?"
Qi Wuhan replied truthfully: "I didn't go."
"Why not go?" asked the emperor.
Qi Wuhan replied, "I have nothing to say to those scoundrels."
"Well, you are stubborn, and I can't force you." The emperor changed the subject, "In that case, then you can go guard the imperial mausoleum."
Qi Wuhan replied, "Then I will go there tomorrow."
"You go alone." said the emperor.
Qi Wuhan apologized and said, "I know I was wrong. Please calm down, Your Majesty."
"Now you know you were wrong. Weren't you so stubborn just now?" the emperor said with a smile.
Qi Wuhan replied, "I truly know I was wrong. Your Majesty, it's fine if you ask me to guard the city gate."
"I want you to stay out of the spotlight. I will transfer you back after this matter is over. Don't bargain with me here. This matter has been decided. I will give you one day to go back and arrange your family affairs. You can leave tomorrow." The emperor waved his hand, leaving no room for maneuver.
"Your Majesty, may I ask what crime Pei Qian should be charged with?" Qi Wuhan asked.
The emperor said, "I have disqualified him from the palace examination and he is not allowed to enter the government for ten years."
......
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