Chapter 53

Lin Nanjie said to Wang Zhongcheng: "You are joking, sir. I can't know this in advance."

Wang Wenhe looked at Lin Nanjie and saw that he had clear eyes and a sincere attitude, so he was almost convinced.

Lin Nanjie asked again: "How do you want to deal with this matter?"

Wang Wenhe thought for a moment and said, "Don't panic yet. Write down the names of these candidates and wait until the three exams are over and the review results come out before confirming them one by one."

Lin Nanjie's eyes lit up: "Master Wang has made a good plan. Once the examiner's review results come out, we can catch them all in one fell swoop."

Wang Wenhe pondered for a while, and the more he thought about it, the colder his back felt. It would be good if this matter was discovered during the examination. If it was discovered only when the list of successful candidates was posted and announced to the world, it would probably cause an uproar in the court. The emperor attached great importance to this imperial examination. If the examiner participated in cheating, he would be demoted at the least and exiled or beheaded at the worst.

If Lin Nanjie had not discovered it in time, the consequences would have been unpredictable, and he might not even be able to keep the black veil around his neck.

Fortunately, we discovered it in advance and were able to prepare in time to catch all the people.

Actually, it was all thanks to Lin Nanjie.

Wang Wenhe said: "This matter still needs to be reported to the emperor."

Lin Nanjie nodded repeatedly.

Wang Wenhe cleared his throat uncomfortably again: "Thank you for your hard work these past few days. Thanks to your sharp eyes, you caught the cheating this time. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous."

Lin Nanjie said quickly: "Although I have doubts, I cannot determine whether they cheated or not. I am afraid that I am overthinking. This matter is thanks to Lord Bai and Lord Wang's sharp eyes and hatred of evil. They were able to prevent the disaster in time and return a fair and just imperial examination to all candidates in the world."

Wang Wenhe was slightly moved by what he said.

Yes, it is a fair and just scientific examination.

How many poor scholars in the world studied hard, and their only hope was the imperial examination, which was like a single-plank bridge. If even the imperial examination could not be guaranteed to be fair, what could they use to apologize to the world!

Wang Wenhe was born in poverty and could best understand the plight of these scholars.

He even speculated that if Lin Nanjie discovered that the examinees had colluded with the examiners to cheat, he could just not tell them and wait until the results of the imperial examination came out before reporting it to the emperor alone. At that time, he could not only gain the emperor's confidant, but also eliminate dissidents, remove these ministers one by one, and install people who would benefit him.

But Lin Nanjie didn't do that. He told him everything honestly, which made Wang Wenhe feel more complicated.

Lin Nanqi: "Lord Wang?"

Wang Wenhe came back to his senses: "You go back first, I will report this matter to the emperor and I will definitely handle it properly."

Lin Nanqi finally felt relieved: "That's good."

The nine-day imperial examination was over. The examinees, who had been eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in the Gongyuan for nine days, came out one after another, each of them looking pale and with sore backs.

Lin Nanjie's duties as the supervisor of the examination hall have come to an end.

As soon as Lu Chengzhou came out, he supported Lin Nanjie, his eyes were dull and he looked listless.

"It's been nine days since I last took the exam! It's really a miserable life. I'm starving to death. I need some wine!"

Lin Nanjie and Si Nanhao supported him in silence. Lin Nanjie exposed him without hesitation: "There were nine days for the exam, and you slept for four days."

Lu Chengzhou was surprised: "Did I sleep that long?"

Lin Nanjie resisted the urge to roll his eyes: "You slept for two days in the first game, and for one day in the second game. You are the one who slept the most in the whole Gongyuan."

Si Nanhao couldn't bear to look at it: "After all, it's an imperial examination, at least take it seriously. Not everyone can take the exam."

Lu Chengzhou: "Let's go! Let's go have a drink!"

"Where are you going?" Lin Nanjie asked.

Si Nanhao touched his chin and said, "Let's go to Chunfeng Mingyue Tower. After the imperial examination today, many candidates are going to compete in poetry. Why don't we join in the fun?"

Lu Chengzhou looked at Si Nanhao with a sly smile: "Oh, is there a girl you know?"

Lin Nanqi also showed an expression of understanding.

Si Nanhao blushed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I want to see Mr. Lu's literary talent."

A few people went to Chunfeng Mingyue Tower together. Lin Nanjie suddenly felt as if someone was looking at him from behind, and turned back with a sense of understanding.

The streets next to the Gongyuan were crowded with students who had just finished their exams. Some had smug looks on their faces, some had sad faces, and some had lifeless eyes as if they had been drained by three exams.

Lin Nanjie looked around but couldn't find the person.

"What are you looking at?" Si Nanhao patted his shoulder.

Lin Nanqi turned around quickly and said, "Nothing."

The three figures gradually walked away. Li Chengzhen lowered the bamboo curtain on the second floor of the teahouse and went down with Wang Dehai. Li Chengzhen looked in the direction where they were walking away and asked, "Where do you think they are going tonight?"

Wang Dehai smiled: "This... I don't know, Mr. Lu just finished his imperial examination, and he probably went to a place to drink. Young people like to be lively."

Li Chengqian nodded and raised his eyebrows: "These young men have studied hard for decades just for this event. It is indeed worth celebrating."

Wang Dehai asked someone to pull the carriage to his front, opened the curtain and let Li Chenghuan get on the carriage. He sat in the front and continued, "Every time the imperial examination is over, it is the most lively. Many restaurants will hold poetry competitions to let these talented people enjoy themselves."

"There are even people who set up private bets to see which player will win the first prize."

Li Chenghuan leaned back in the carriage, relaxed, and asked lazily, "Which restaurant is the busiest?"

Wang Dehai thought for a moment and said, "It should be the Chunfeng Mingyue Tower."

Li Chenghuan: "This name sounds familiar."

Wang Dehai explained: "It is the Chunfeng Mingyue Tower where Miss Xu Lanyin is. Many young men will go to Chunfeng Mingyue Tower to drink and sing songs with the girls after they finish their exams. A night of spring is worth a thousand gold!"

Is a night of spring worth a thousand gold?

Li Chengqian gently stroked his chin with his fingers, his eyes thoughtful.

"In this case, I should share the joy with the people."

Wang Dehai was horrified: "Your Majesty, it's dangerous outside the palace. The Chunfeng Mingyue Tower is a place where all kinds of people gather. Let's go back to the palace."

"What Eunuch Wang said makes sense. Your Majesty, please think twice!" The coachman suddenly spoke, startling the two of them.

Wang Dehai pointed at the driver, his eyes almost popping out: "Commander Ao... Commander Ao? Why are you driving the car?"

Ao Jingchuan took off his hat and revealed his true face: "Wherever the emperor is, I will be there. I swear to protect the emperor's safety to the death."

Li Chengxuan sneered: "Liao Baifan has planted people there, so how can it be a dangerous place?"

His words were irresistible: "Turn around, let's join in the fun."

***

Lin Nanjie and his group arrived at Chunfeng Mingyue Tower. They came late and the private rooms were already booked, but they didn't mind and just picked a seat in the lobby and sat down.

Almost everyone around was a student who had just finished an exam. When they saw a few people sitting down, they all started whispering to each other.

Si Nanhao joked: "Other people are scholars and gather in groups of three or five, but we have a half-baked son, a barbarian, and a eunuch."

Lin Nanqi and Lu Chengzhou laughed out loud.

Lu Chengzhou poured wine with ease: "No one should blame anyone!"

Lin Nanjie usually doesn't like to drink, but today he drank a lot.

After drinking a little wine, the Mingyue Tower became bustling with people and it was very lively.

At this moment, a graceful figure walked out of the stage slowly, raised her slender hands, and struck the gongs and drums. The lively scene suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at the woman in the middle.

The woman said, "Tonight the poetry contest at the Chunfeng Mingyue Tower officially begins. The winner will get the prize of Mingyue Tower."

Lin Nanqi put down his wine glass: "It's Miss Xu."

Si Nanhao had already looked at Xu Lanyin and said hesitantly, "Do you think it's too late for me to learn to write poetry now?"

Lin Nanqi, Lu Chengzhou: "..."

Many people in the audience were attracted by Xu Lanyin, and Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "This time, we will compete in poetry, two people will compete, one poem every seven steps, and the person who fails will leave the stage and be replaced by the next person, until the last person wins. The prize is the painting "Spring Walk on a Mountain Path" by the great painter Mr. Bai Shi."

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience was instantly excited.

Mr. Baishi is a great calligrapher and painter of the time. His paintings are worth a fortune, and "Spring Walk on a Mountain Path" is a good omen. All the candidates are eager to try, hoping to win a good start for themselves.

The one on the left side of the stage came up first, opened his folding fan with a "swish", and took seven steps confidently: "I'll go first! Spring brings prosperity everywhere, and I remember the flowers in February the most. It's a pity that there are so many things in the world, and the good gardens and pavilions are far away."

His voice was smooth, without any pause, and he finished a complete poem in one go. The people below immediately applauded and shouted, "Brother, you did a great job!"

Another person came up to the stage from the right: "I'm here to challenge you, brother!"

The man took only five steps and the poem was ready: "Red fragrance and purple calyx are bitter, who seems to have the fragrance all to himself behind the curtain? I wonder if it is the beautiful lady in green skirt, drunkenly wearing thick and light makeup near the south eaves."

The man waving the fan raised his hands and bowed: "I admire you, I admire you."

The Chunfeng Mingyue Building was decorated with lanterns and lights, and the lobby was packed with people because of the lively poetry competition. The people in Beijing wanted to see the grandeur of the Chunfeng Mingyue Building and the elegance of the masters. After three rounds of drinking, the poetry competition became more intense.

Lin Nanjie suddenly saw a curtain on the second floor swaying slightly, and was surprised.

[Huh? The eldest princess is here too? ]

It was too late when Li Chenghuan heard these words in his heart. He opened the curtain and met Li Yunluan's eyes.

Li Yunluan's wine glass almost fell to the ground. She quickly picked it up and said in a weak tone, "Your Majesty?"

Li Chenghuan didn't expect to meet an acquaintance here, and it was his elder sister. He touched the tip of his nose and said, "What a coincidence, my elder sister is here too?"

Li Yunluan put the wine glass on the table and smiled in a disguised way: "Yes, I heard that the poetry competition here is full of talented people, so I came here to relieve my boredom. What is this, Your Majesty?"

Li Chenghuan sat down opposite her and said, "I am here to have fun with the people."

Hearing this, Li Yunluan breathed a sigh of relief: "Have fun together, have fun together. Your Majesty, please try these fruits. They taste good."

Li Chenghuan took the opportunity to pinch one and put it in his mouth: "It's really good."

After the brother and sister exchanged awkward greetings, they sat in a private room on the second floor and watched the lively poetry competition going on downstairs. Many people had already gone on stage to compete, and those who stayed behind were all masters of poetry, and their poems flowed fluently and eloquently.

Li Yunluan pointed to Jiang Hanwen on the stage and said to Li Chengqian: "This young man is very impressive and has defeated many people. It is said that he is the son of the Jiang family in Jiangnan."

Li Chenghuan looked down, glanced at Jiang Hanwen, and then his eyes fell on Lin Nanjie. Lin Nanjie sipped his wine and looked at the poet on the stage. He didn't know how much he drank, his face was a little red, and his eyes were full of excitement.

Lin Nan poured the wine into the wine pot, and the pot of fruit wine was empty. He was about to call someone to get another pot of wine, but suddenly he felt like he was being stared at when he left the Gongyuan today.

He looked around in vain, searching in vain. Just as he was about to give up, he was stopped by someone.

At some point, Jiang Hanwen came down from the stage and walked to their table: "Gentlemen, on such a beautiful day, why don't you compose some poems to liven up the atmosphere?"

Before they could say anything, Jiang Hanwen did not give them time to refuse and said, "Look at me, I actually forgot that one of you is an eunuch and the other is a member of the Imperial Guard, so you naturally cannot write poetry. Cousin, what about you?"

Lu Chengzhou grabbed the wine glass, his face slightly flushed from drinking, and raised his head slightly to look at Jiang Hanwen: "Not interested."

Jiang Hanwen laughed and said, "Cousin, are you scared?"

"Afraid?" Lu Chengzhou sneered, "What do I have to be afraid of? It's just that I prefer drinking to writing poetry."

The people around him started to make a noise, "Isn't this the son of Minister Lu? He started drinking as soon as he sat here. Could it be that he didn't do well in the examination and is drinking to drown his sorrows?"

"That's true. I sat next to him during the exam and he slept for several days in a row. He definitely had no chance of making the list."

"What a pity that Minister Lu gave birth to such a fool."

Lu Chengzhou looked a little unhappy: "Why are you bringing up my dad?"

Si Nanhao's hand was already on the hilt of the Xiuchun Knife.

Lin Nanqi gave Si Nanhao a calm look, approached Lu Chengzhou, and whispered, "The princess is here too."

Lu Chengzhou's expression suddenly changed, revealing a pure expression, and his eyes widened: "The eldest princess? Where is she?"

"On the second floor, diagonally behind you."

Lu Chengzhou was silent for two seconds: "Come on! Who's afraid of you!"

Si Nanhao held Lu Chengzhou back and said, "Don't be impulsive. It will be embarrassing if you can't write a poem!"

However, Lu Chengzhou waved him away, threw away his wine glass, and strode onto the stage.

Jiang Hanwen lifted his skirt, stood on the stage gracefully, and said with a warm smile: "As an elder brother, I naturally have to give in to my cousin. How about this, I write one poem every seven steps, and you write one poem every ten steps?"

Offstage, Si Nanhao looked nervous: "Can he do ten steps? He slept for four of the nine days of the exam!"

"I will go and tell the Minister to send someone to capture him."

Lin Nanqi grabbed Si Nanhao and said, "Wait, let's take a look first."