Chapter 125
Academy of Learning.
When everyone is present, lock the door immediately.
The gong sounded, driving away Zhou Li's newly awakened sleepiness.
The servant brought a pot of tea, and Zhou Li poured two cups. She nudged Gongsun Nai beside her and asked, "Just now I saw the Fourth and Fifth Princes chatting happily with an old man. Is that the rumored Qiu Xuekao?"
The Hanlin Academy is a prestigious institution, and those who enter it are usually the top three in the imperial examinations and previous years' top scorers. It is said that the fourth prince's uncle is a Hanlin scholar, and the fifth prince's maternal family is the founder of Qiushan Academy. Qiushan Academy has educated countless scholars, and Qiu Wenda is even known as a "sage". The chief examiner of this imperial examination is also a member of the Qiu family, a member of the cabinet, and also serves as the examiner of the Imperial Academy.
Gong Yinai glanced at Zhou Li and said, "Yes."
"I thought he was an old scholar, but he seems to be quite kind to the Fifth Prince," said Zhou Li.
"Be careful with your words!" Gong Yinai frowned.
Zhou Li muttered, "Just the two of us chatting casually."
Gong Yinai picked up the book and ignored her. Zhou Li sat quietly and felt bored, so he walked around casually.
Once you enter the Academy, you have to wait for the test papers to be collected and marked before you can leave. You have to stay there for a few days, so everyone is prepared. Several gentlemen took out Go and started playing chess, while others were reading books and practicing boxing.
Zhou Li walked around and sat back down, pulling Gong Yinai's sleeve out of boredom, "Play chess with me."
Gong Yinai looked at the hand that was pulling at her sleeve, and she reluctantly put it down and asked, "Did you bring chess?"
Zhou Li blinked and said, "We have all the pens, ink, paper, and inkstone here. Let's take some."
Gong Yinai also felt bored sitting there, so he followed Zhou Li's wishes.
Zhou Li called over a servant and traced a grid on the paper with charcoal. She confidently said to Gong Yinai, "A gentleman never regrets his move. This time, you can't even regret it~"
Gong Yinai spoke cheerfully, picking up his pen and shaking his head, "You better not regret your move."
Gong Yifu is not very good at chess. Playing chess with him is like playing with a kitten or a puppy.
Watching chess is like watching people rushing around on the chessboard. Soon the white chess pieces were surrounded by black chess pieces. Zhou Li, holding the white chess pieces, screamed, "No, you can't play here!"
Too late!
A big white dragon was surrounded, leaving only small soldiers and crab generals.
Gong Yinai put down his brush and asked the players to play chess. Zhou Li pouted and saw that he had lost again.
She was obviously not as good at chess as Gong Yinai, but she chose to compete with Gong Yinai.
After playing a game, Gong Yinai said, "Okay, go play by yourself."
"No." Zhou Li was unconvinced and insisted on dragging Gong Yinai to play again. Seeing Gong Yinai's reluctance, she rolled her eyes and said, "Do you think playing chess like this is boring? Then let's add some trouble!"
"What to add?" Gong Yinai became interested.
Zhou Li said lazily, "Didn't you say last time that my village on the outskirts of the city was comfortable? Let's play two more rounds. If I lose both, I'll give it to you."
Gong Yinai was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Gong Yifu to gamble so big.
That farm is really nice, especially since it is located on the outskirts of the city, so no matter what you do there, it won’t be noticeable.
Gong Yinai had very little on hand, so she asked, "What do you want?"
Zhou Li looked at Gong Yinai with a smile. She pointed her finger at Gong Yinai's heart and said, "Your true heart."
Gong Yinai was stunned. Zhou Li spread his hands and said, "I was just kidding."
"That's it, let's bet on your jade pendant."
Zhou Li looked at the jade pendant hanging around Gong Yinai's waist. The water content of the jade pendant was not very good, but it was tied with gold thread by its owner with great care.
Gong Yinai looked down and saw the jade pendant her mother had given her.
She hesitated for a moment, then took it off and put it on the table.
"You like this?"
"The style is very special." Zhou Li said.
Gong Yinai chuckled and said, "Okay."
Because I am confident that I will not lose, and because people always have to look forward.
This jade pendant was given by the saint to his mother. I am afraid that the saint has almost forgotten that he once gave such a worthless jade pendant to a woman who was waiting for him.
This time, Zhou Li's eyes were focused and sharp while playing chess, but he still couldn't beat Gong Yinai.
That's natural. Gong Yinai doesn't usually show off her skills, but in fact she is the best chess player in the school. Even the prince can't beat her. She usually just restrains herself and gives in to them.
Zhou Li scratched her head and watched the white pieces connect together and swallow up half of the black pieces. The black pieces had been beaten to pieces. She put down her pen and sighed.
"I lost again."
"There's one more plate." Gong Yinai said.
Zhou Li waved his hand and said, "No, it's boring. My waist is sore from sitting here. Why don't we go play tossing pots? I'll take it as my loss and give you Zhuangzi."
For the prince of Southern Liang, giving a manor as a gift was like a piece of silver and was not worth mentioning.
Gong Yinai chuckled. She grabbed the jade pendant beside the table, stood up and said, "Don't move."
Zhou Li lowered his head and saw Gong Yinai hanging the jade pendant on him.
She moved her rings and bracelets, and Zhou Li asked, "Didn't I lose?"
Gong Yinai curled her lips slightly: "This is a gift for the loser."
"Isn't this very important to you?"
Otherwise, Gong Yinai would not hang it on her body every day. As a prince, she must like this old thing very much if she hangs it on her body every day.
"It doesn't matter now."
Gong Yinai stepped back, knocking the jade pendant against his purse, which surprisingly complemented each other.
Zhou Li turned his waist left and right, and he really liked it.
"Thank you. I'll leave the manor's servants to you as well. They're all from our Nanliang Palace. If you don't like them, you can just send them away. Hongying is the housekeeper now, and I'll let her know."
Gong Yinai pursed his lips and nodded in response.
She is indeed short of manpower now. Although she has no worries about food and drink in the palace, she does not have any money on hand. This business also requires money to run the servants.
After hesitating for a moment, Gong Yinai wanted to ask Liu Yingzi, but then he thought about who she was asking as. Brother or friend? Neither was appropriate.
But when he heard that Hongying was the housekeeper of Gong Yifu's household, Gong Yinai felt happy again.
She must have some status in the Prince of Nanliang's Palace, otherwise the housekeeper power would not be given to her.
The Palace of the Prince of Nanliang is one of the few families with a quiet backyard, which is actually better than marrying the prince.
Zhou Li went to play tossing pots.
When I was tired of playing, I came back to drink tea and stayed in the Xuezhi Academy for three days before I started marking the test papers.
What they see are the papers that have already been copied and transcribed. Only after the scores are given can the original papers be evaluated. On this basis, those with neat handwriting in the original papers will get extra points. Those with damaged original papers or ink spots will be picked out in the first round of transcription.
Zhou Li and his group were the first to see the test papers. While the chief examiner was still struggling with the selection of the third, second and top scorers, they sorted the remaining names according to the test papers A, B, C and D, sealed them up, and would send another copy to the palace when the results were announced.
When Zhou Li saw the name of one of her subordinates, she paused, let the words dry, and handed it to the clerk.
The top three examiners were selected and sent to the Saint for consultation.
After being released from the Academy, Zhou Li felt like he was released from a cage and saw the light of day again. He stretched and invited Gong Yinai to visit his house.
Gong Yinai had just come out of the Academy of Sciences. The names of the officials he had on hand matched those on the list, and he was anxious to recruit these talents to serve the prince, so he directly refused.
Zhou Li shook his head. He had originally wanted to help Gong Yinai, but it seemed there was no way. He was afraid that she would suffer imprisonment.
In the thirty-fifth year of the Qing Dynasty, an official went to the imperial court with blood splattered on the drum, complaining that the imperial examination was unfair. A top-ranking student cheated in the examination, and the prince was involved. The emperor was furious, and blood flowed like a river.
The crown prince was imprisoned, and all those who had contact with the imperial examination candidates were thrown into prison. The sixth prince, Gong Yinai, was confined in his own palace.
Zhou Li went to see Gong Yinai with food, and heard the sound of the flute before he entered the Wende Palace.
The desolate sound of the flute drifted away with the north wind. Winter was approaching and the weather was cold. Zhou Li had already changed into thick clothes.
There were guards on both sides of the Wende Palace. When they saw anyone entering or leaving, they would block them with guns.
The servants brought by Zhou Li went to negotiate. When they heard that it was the prince of Southern Liang, the guards communicated with the servants in a low voice, and the servants came forward to reply.
"Prince, they said only the prince can enter."
Zhou Li nodded and the guards let him pass.
Wende Palace is located on the side of the Imperial Palace. Zhou Li seldom comes here because of its remote location. It takes a long time to walk from the palace gate to the school, and then it takes a long time to walk around half of the Imperial Palace from the school to Wende Palace.
It felt even more desolate when I came in today. The tree at the door was covered with yellow leaves and no one had swept them. When Zhou Li stepped on them, they made a crackling sound.
The sound of the flute has not stopped, coming from the inner courtyard.
Zhou Li walked through the corridor and entered the backyard, where he met Gong Yinai under a dead tree with all its leaves fallen off.
The clothes she wore were dusty, and looked like old, worn-out pieces. She looked like a floating leaf, playing the flute with her eyes closed.
Zhou Li made some noise, and Gong Yinai turned his back to her and said, "Uncle Chen, I'll be in the house soon. It won't be too cold."
"It's me." Zhou Li said softly.
Gong Yinai was stunned and slowly turned around to see Gong Yifu carrying a large basket and placing it heavily on the stone table in front of her.
"It's really not easy to see you." Zhou Li complained.
She untied the basket, which contained the medicinal herbs and cotton clothes that were missing from Wende Palace, as well as some food wrapped in oil paper.
"This is all prepared by Hongying. She said you might be short of something."
Gong Yinai's throat was dry and he couldn't speak.
At a time when everyone is avoiding each other, Gong Yi Fu actually dares to come and see her. Isn't he afraid of being implicated by her?
Zhou Li took a breath and asked, "I came to see you, don't you even have a glass of water?"
"Uncle Chen!" Gong Yinai called out, "Look, tea!" She was now eager to know what was happening outside!
The two of them sat in the palace.
There was only one servant left in the spacious hall.
Zhou Li looked at him and shook his head. After all, Gong Yinai was still a prince. When would the habit of flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak be changed in the palace?
Gong Yinai asked, "The Crown Prince..."
Zhou Li shook his head at her, "The Crown Prince was ordered by the Sage to reflect on his mistakes in the Eastern Palace, and Qiu Xuekao, the chief examiner, was executed."
Gong Yinai's eyes were blank, "Dead..."
"Not yet. He's still in jail."
Gong Yinai's lips trembled. "How could this happen? The Crown Prince has never formed a clique for personal gain, and it's impossible for him to do such a thing!"
Zhou Li looked at her with a sigh, "Don't you understand yet?"
"What?!" Gong Yinai's eyes revealed confusion.
Zhou Li said, "Someone set up a trap to harm the prince, and you were simply implicated."
Gong Yinai instantly thought of the third prince.
She gritted her teeth and asked, "Is the King of Nanliang back?"
"My father?" Zhou Li shook his head. "It's too late."
"Gao You made his own decision at the palace, claiming he did it all and confessing the proceeds of his corruption. The Gao family has been imprisoned. The Third Prince has closed the door and refused to see guests. He is upholding justice and letting the Saint deal with the Gao family."
Gong Yinai sat down, never expecting that the third prince could be so cruel as to use his own uncle to dethrone the crown prince.
This major case of cheating in the imperial examinations completely offended the scholars and basically lost the hearts of the people of the world.
Zhou Li sighed, "The Saint finally relented and didn't announce it to the world. He simply confiscated the Gao family's property and gave Gao You some dignity, saying he died of illness. As for you, you should be released in a few days. After all, you were assassinated, and the Saint will compensate you."
"Gong Yinai." Zhou Li said, "I'm leaving."
Gong Yinai looked at Zhou Li blankly and asked, "Leave? Where to?"
Zhou Li pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve pocket. "This is the deed to the farm outside Beijing that I promised you." She smiled and said, "My father was incompetent and was punished to guard the border. Naturally, I have to go with him. Mother was worried and wanted to follow us, so Hongying is the only one left at home."
"I don't know anyone else in the capital, so please help me take care of the house."
Things have changed and people have changed.
Gong Yinai felt uncomfortable and frowned in suppression.
Zhou Li said to her, "I know you're good at painting, but this is the first time I've heard you play the flute. Why don't you play a piece for me today?"
The long flute was placed next to Gong Yinai. She picked up the flute and played it silently. The tune was sad and desolate.
Zhou Li laughed and said, "Xiao Liu, read more history books and military books when you have free time. It won't do you any harm. You will have to rely on yourself in the future."
When people leave, the tea gets cold, and Gong Yinai holds the long flute tightly.
The final winner turned out to be the reckless Third Prince.
Thinking of the humiliation he had suffered, Gong Yinai let out a long breath.
She still has a chance.
Gong Yixiang, the final winner will not be you.
Winter goes and spring comes, grass grows and birds fly.
The tightly closed door of the Nanliang Mansion suddenly opened. Just after the New Year, the Prince of Nanliang returned to the capital to report on his work on behalf of his father.
Zhou Li shook off the snowflakes on his cloak, handed it to the butler, and asked, "Is there any news in the capital recently?"
The housekeeper laughed and said, "Your Highness, you don't know that the biggest news in the capital is that you single-handedly repelled the barbarians. Everyone says you are a young hero!"
"Nonsense!" Zhou Li laughed, "How can things in the north spread to the east?"
The steward said, "The Saint saw the battle report and praised you personally!"
The King of Southern Liang was transferred to the northwest. The Tatars in the north and the barbarians in the west were ready to make a move. In previous years, they would come to plunder in winter, but this year there was no movement. The King of Southern Liang was afraid that something was wrong, so he went to investigate personally. The base camp was empty. Unexpectedly, the barbarians suddenly invaded. It was the Prince of Southern Liang, Gong Yi Fu, who led the troops himself and beat the barbarians so that they fled. Then he went north to support the King of Southern Liang, defeated the Tatars in the north, and let the northern border have a good year.
When the battle situation reached the capital, the emperor was greatly pleased and bestowed upon Gong Yifu the title of "Young Hero".
Zhou Li shook his head and laughed: "You're not talking about me, do other people have any news?"
The housekeeper looked around, asked the servants to leave, and then said, "The Third Prince is in great favor in the palace. I heard that the Emperor intends to depose the Crown Prince!"
Zhou Li frowned.
As soon as I came back, I encountered something big.
"Where is Hongying?" Zhou Li looked around, wondering how the system controlled Hongying since she had not been in the capital for the past six months.
Upon hearing the lady's name, the housekeeper couldn't help but ask, "Sir, although you and the Sixth Prince are close friends, and you asked him to look after the mansion when you left, aren't you and the lady too close?"
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