Zhang Ruoxi looked at Meng Gurao, who was covered in blood, and rushed over crying, "Master Meng!"
Meng Gurao recognized her: "Miss Zhang, why are you here?"
Zhang Ruoxi stood in front of Meng Gurao's prisoner car like a madman: "Lord Meng is an honest official, who dares to come up!"
Outside the Imperial College, tensions flared as scholars, with nowhere to vent their anger, continued to spar with the infuriated populace. This was truly unfair to those who had passed the exam without cheating, and the people were furious, desperate for an outlet.
The scholars and the common people began to push and shove each other, and it was about to turn into a fight.
Several scholars with ulterior motives rushed forward and attacked Meng Gu Rao, tugging at his sleeves, throwing stones, and some even holding sticks.
These individuals, having repeatedly failed the exams, are deliberately stirring up trouble, hoping to escalate it. Some people make a lifelong career of causing trouble for others, seemingly feeling a sense of accomplishment the more unfortunate others are, and the bigger the commotion, the greater their sense of achievement. Inflaming the students' emotions is the goal of these people.
A man actually rushed past the guards and rushed towards the prison van waving a wooden stick.
Although the wooden sticks hitting the prison van couldn't hurt Meng Gurao, it was a naked humiliation to him. Some people began throwing stones and branches.
The man hit Zhang Ruoxi with a stick, and she was so frightened that she threw herself on the prison van to block the stick.
A stick hit Zhang Ruoxi's shoulder hard, and she felt the pain penetrate her bones, but she still gritted her teeth and stood firm. In her eyes, Lord Meng would not tolerate any infringement.
Finally, chaos broke out and the students began to swarm forward. The man with the wooden stick was stunned for a moment, then rushed forward again, waving the stick. Zhang Ruoxi turned around and started fighting with him.
With a whoosh, something flew through the air. With a bang, it hit the wrist of the man holding the wooden stick.
It turned out to be a stone. The scholar holding the wooden stick loosened his grip and the stick fell to the ground.
Zhang Ruoxi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly picked up the wooden stick and hit the student hard in the face. After just a few hits, the stick in his hand was grabbed by someone.
Zhang Ruoxi looked up and saw that it was her husband Linghu Yunlong.
It turned out that Linghu Yunlong had rushed over with a team of palace guards under Zhao Huan's order. Linghu Yunlong was shocked to see someone beating his wife.
"Let me do it!" Linghu Yunlong took the stick from Zhang Ruoxi and hit the scholar with it, sending him flying more than ten meters. If he hadn't put all his strength on the scholar's back, the scholar would have vomited blood and died on the spot.
Everyone only saw a figure flying out across the sky. The scholar was hit by the stick and flew away. He only felt the wind whistling in his ears and thought to himself: My life is over.
After flying straight out for more than ten meters, with a "bang!", its back hit a dirt wall heavily, knocking a big hole in the wall.
The scholar only felt a splitting pain in his back, but fortunately he slowly got up and it turned out that he was not seriously injured.
Zhang Ruoxi looked at Linghu Yunlong, who had descended like a god from heaven, and felt a sudden sense of relief. Leaning on her husband's broad shoulders, she felt that no matter how big the problem, he would be able to handle it.
Linghu Yunlong held his wife in his arms, kicked out with two consecutive kicks, and kicked the scholars who rushed towards Meng Gu Rao's prison car away one by one like kicking a ball.
How could these weak scholars be a match for the world's number one swordsman? Zhang Ruoxi felt as if she were falling into a cloud, her husband holding her and spinning around. The scholars around her screamed and flew away, their hearts filled with admiration for their husband.
Finally, no scholar dared to rush forward from Meng Gurao's side. Everyone was completely stunned by the divine general before them. They forgot about fighting and the scholars retreated in fear.
Linghu Yunlong then gently put Zhang Ruoxi down and asked softly, "Are you okay?"
Zhang Ruoxi covered her injured shoulder and shook her head happily, smiling sweetly at him. Only then did Linghu Yunlong feel relieved.
Linghu Yunlong pushed out with both palms, and with a "bang!", the prisoner cart that Meng Gurao was sitting in was smashed to pieces.
The crowd had never seen such a scene before, and they all made way. Zhang Ruoxi cried with joy, and she was proud to have such a heroic husband.
A guard had already thrown the shackle key over, and Linghu Yunlong reached out to catch it. He opened the wooden shackle around Meng Gurao's neck and said, "Master Meng, you have suffered."
Meng Gu Rao was shocked: "What are you doing?"
Linghu Yunlong smiled softly, "Your Majesty sent me here. He said that the fault of this imperial examination was his. I cannot let you, my wise ministers, take the blame for His Majesty any longer."
Linghu Yunlong untied the wooden shackle from Meng Gurao, and the guards beside him helped Meng Gurao down. Linghu Yunlong stood on the prison cart that had been shattered by his own palms, and pulled out another imperial edict from his sleeve: "I obey your order!"
The crowd knelt in unison once again to receive the decree. Linghu Yunlong continued, "I failed to exercise due diligence in my personnel selection, leading to the leak of the official test questions. This incident has nothing to do with the chief examiner. The scholars have studied for ten years for today's fame. However, the examination was unfair, and I have failed the scholars of the world. I hereby issue this edict of self-repentance. I urge all students to put the people of the world first, and personal fame second. For those who are dedicated to serving the people, willing to stand up for them, and aspire to make a difference for the Song Dynasty, the examination will be re-held on the third day of next month. All students who took the examination should re-register at the Imperial College. Each person will receive two taels of silver to cover their food and lodging for the next few days."
The emperor's edict shocked everyone. A self-criticism edict was something the emperor wouldn't normally issue unless it involved a major policy error. But Zhao Huan actually issued one for this particular imperial examination, demonstrating how much the emperor valued these scholars.
The blame ultimately fell on the emperor himself. What complaints did the students taking the exams have? Even if they did, they could only blame themselves for their bad luck. The emperor had already admitted his fault for these students, so what else could you expect?
Zhao Huan was actually forced to do so. He truly valued this imperial examination. He knew how much a rare talent meant to the Song Dynasty. He had intended to use this examination to select a group of talented individuals and retain those with real talent and dedication.
In a broader sense, a good talent can often influence the revitalization of a country. But he never expected that the imperial examination questions would be leaked. How could he not be angry?
In order to retain these talented students and prevent them from abandoning the exam in anger, Zhao Huan had no choice but to issue a self-blame edict so that these students could take the next exam.
The examinees finally dispersed, and a crowd of people surrounded Linghu Yunlong. They tossed him up, caught him, tossed him up again, caught him again. People were thanking Linghu Yunlong for saving Meng Gurao, thanking this dog emperor.
After Meng Gurao took over as prefect of Kaifeng, the crime rate in Bianjing dropped by nearly half. The families of the royal family and high-ranking officials kept a low profile, and no one dared to bully the common people. They all knew that Meng Gurao, the Kaifeng prefect, was unfaithful to his relatives. Even if you were a royal relative, you'd be unlucky to fall into his hands.
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