Chapter 104 The Situation (2)
Li Xiaoxiao quietly slipped out through the back door, but she didn't go too far. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, flames shot up in the courtyard, waking up the neighbors. Everyone enthusiastically took buckets to the river to fill them with water to put out the fire. However, most of the houses were made of wood, and the fire was too fierce to be put out in time. They could only watch helplessly as several houses were burned to ashes.
Fortunately, the houses behind were prepared, and the fire did not spread to them.
The fire not only woke up the neighbors living nearby, but also alerted the yamen runners. Less than an hour after the fire started, a team of more than a dozen yamen runners arrived. They arrived too late; the house was already half-burnt down. Seeing that there was no way to save it, everyone gathered around to watch the spectacle.
The head constable immediately began asking, "When did the fire start? Where are the people inside? Have they been rescued?"
The plump neighbor, still shaken, said, "No, there's no one inside."
She had seen Zhang Li and his mother come by during the day, but luckily they left soon after arriving. They passed by the fat aunt's house on their way out, so she was sure no one was inside.
The constable breathed a sigh of relief and immediately asked, "Whose house is this? How did it suddenly catch fire?"
The plump woman said, "It seems the owner of this house is doing business in another state. No one lives here, so he rented it out. It's quite a coincidence that the family who rented this house just left yesterday afternoon. I wonder if the firewood in the stove was not extinguished, which is why it started burning."
The constable asked, "Who rented this house? Is there a record at the brokerage?"
The plump woman said, "I don't know if it was rented by a broker, but I know the person who rented the house. He's a scholar from Biyang County, and I think he's the magistrate's son."
The yamen runner's expression changed slightly: "The son of the magistrate of Biyang County?"
The plump auntie said, "Yes, during the day, the scholar's parents came to pick him up from school. There were nearly ten of them. Everyone saw it."
The neighbors who were watching all nodded. Magistrate Meng and his wife had come in two carriages, coming and going from the riverbank, and they had all seen it.
Since there were no casualties and only the house was burned down, the yamen runners recorded the situation truthfully and prepared to go back and report to their superiors.
Li Xiaoxiao remained hidden behind the crowd, observing the scene discreetly. The fire was set by Zhang Li and three others; otherwise, it wouldn't have burned so fiercely. One of them looked familiar to Li Xiaoxiao; he was Zhang's father, whom Zhang had brought with him on their first day.
They were indeed more than three people; they had other helpers.
This was actually a gang crime. Magistrate Meng was just a minor official, yet they sent so many people to deal with him. How many other gangs were doing the same thing in other counties of Dawu?
Thinking of this, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed.
Under the cover of night, she quietly slipped away from the crowd.
The constables who remained at the scene waited until the fire subsided before organizing the neighbors to scoop water from the river to extinguish it. After more than an hour, they finally put out all the fire.
It's a pity that a perfectly good courtyard was burned down to ruins.
By the time the yamen runner finished, it was already dawn. He hurriedly returned to the yamen, recorded the case, and sent it over. He thought it was just an ordinary house fire case, with no casualties and no involvement of neighboring houses. However, when the clerk who received the case file saw that the scholar who rented the house was Meng Guanqi, he immediately put the case file away and left.
As soon as Prefect Song arrived at the government office, he received this seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary case file. He read the file with surprise and asked, "You said that Meng Ying came in person to take Meng Guanqi away?"
The registrar replied, "Yes."
Prefect Song said, "You came to pick them up personally before the results were even posted?"
The registrar said, "I have inquired and it is indeed so. Moreover, not only Magistrate Meng came, but Madam Meng also came. They arrived in the morning and left together in the afternoon."
Prefect Song pondered, "Such an unusual situation must have occurred. Go and investigate whether Meng Guanqi showed any abnormalities during the provincial examination."
The chief examiner of the Ministry of Rites and the prefectural school's education director are currently working hard to grade the papers. The results will be released in twelve days. Normally, Meng Guanqi should have waited in Lin'an Prefecture until the results were released before leaving, but he left on the third day after the exam. It was Magistrate Meng and his wife who came to pick him up personally. Prefect Song knew something was wrong as soon as he heard this.
It wasn't difficult to investigate. The yamen runners who supervised the examinations at the examination hall were people drawn from their own yamen. The registrar went back and asked around, and he found out immediately.
The registrar was stunned for a long time before he hurriedly went to report to Prefect Song: "Your Excellency is right, Meng Guanqi has really run into trouble."
Prefect Song hurriedly asked, "What happened? Tell me in detail."
Although he and Magistrate Meng were forced to make peace due to the strong intervention of the Meng family, the two just couldn't get along. When he heard that Magistrate Meng's most valued son, Meng Guanqi, had problems with the imperial examination, he naturally wanted to see him make a fool of himself.
The imperial examination was a path where mistakes were absolutely unacceptable. The provincial examination was held every three years, and even the slightest mishap would result in failure, requiring another three years to retake it.
Meng Guanqi was arrogant and proud. Tang Xuezheng, the academic director of Lin'an Prefectural School, personally invited him to study at the school, but he didn't even glance at it. Instead, he went to Wanshan Academy in Luzhou. Although Wanshan Academy had become a well-known private school in Dawu in recent years, what did it have to do with Lin'an Prefecture if he passed the imperial examination with top honors? If he really achieved glory, that would be a slap in the face to him and the prefectural school.
The registrar said, "The proctors said that Meng Guanqi had no problems in the first and second rounds and finished the exams smoothly. However, he was almost late for the third round. Moreover, he didn't prepare a single drop of food or water in his book basket. Meng Guanqi seemed to be drunk. He was wearing the wrong shoes and was swaying as he walked. Many candidates in the examination hall noticed this and thought he was going to faint on the spot."
Prefect Song's eyes lit up: "Did she faint later?"
The registrar said, "No, it seems he woke up after walking around for a while, sat down and finished the exam, but when the yamen runners were patrolling, they found him completely soaked, as if he had been pulled out of the water. He finished the exam wearing his undergarments, and after the papers were collected, his servants took him away."
Prefect Song asked in surprise, "It didn't rain on Mid-Autumn Festival, so how come he was soaked to the bone?"
The registrar said, "The yamen runners were quite puzzled. It turned out later that it was his sweat that had soaked his clothes."
Prefect Song said, "Could it be that he is ill and is sweating after taking medicine?"
The registrar said, "That's what I guessed too, otherwise why would he have almost been late?"
Prefect Song lamented, "This young master Meng is really something. How could he be so careless? The provincial examination has three sessions, and the third session is the most important one: the policy essay. If you fail the policy essay, you will be rejected. He fell ill at such a crucial moment. It's truly a matter of fate." His words were nice, but he couldn't suppress the schadenfreude in his smile.
The registrar also smiled obsequiously and echoed, "Yes, Meng Guanqi fell ill in such an important examination, so he must have failed to make the list. Magistrate Meng must have heard about this, which is why he hurriedly brought his whole family to take him back."
Prefect Song smiled and said, "No wonder they didn't even wait for the results to be posted. It seems there's no need to wait."
Prefect Song stood up: "Let's go. Have someone prepare some of the best food. We'll take them to visit Lord Liu of the Ministry of Rites, who's working hard grading the papers. They have to release the results before the end of August; they must be exhausted."
After leaving the small courtyard by the river, Li Xiaoxiao found an inn to sleep in for the night. The next morning, she found a delivery cart and went back to Biyang County together.
She didn't go back to the backyard, but went directly to the county government office to find Magistrate Meng: "Your Honor, I'm back."
Magistrate Meng was overjoyed: "Good, you're finally back. If you hadn't come back, Qi-ge'er would have gone out to look for you against all advice."
Li Xiaoxiao forced a smile, but couldn't manage to force it.
Magistrate Meng had never seen her like this before, and his heart skipped a beat: "Has something happened?"
Li Xiaoxiao glanced around and whispered, "Something big has happened."
Magistrate Meng stood up: "Let's go back to the study and talk. Qi-ge'er has been waiting for news of you. He'll be very happy to know you're back."
The two returned to the study together, where Meng Guanqi was practicing calligraphy.
Ever since Li Xiaoxiao returned, he has been restless and unable to calm down even at home, so Magistrate Meng punished him by making him practice calligraphy to calm his mind.
He has been writing for two days.
Upon seeing Li Xiaoxiao return, he immediately dropped his pen and ran out, exclaiming with joy, "Xiaoxiao, you're back?!"
Li Xiaoxiao was taken aback. She had only been back a day late, yet he was so happy?
But seeing how happy he was, she couldn't help but smile too, and her heavy mood improved considerably.
Seeing the two children grinning at each other, Magistrate Meng coughed and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
As soon as Li Xiaoxiao sat down, she poured herself a large cup of tea. After drinking it, she took a breath and said, "I heard some terrible things, and a terrible conspiracy."
Magistrate Meng and Meng Guanqi exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious: "Tell me slowly."
Li Xiaoxiao then recounted the entire conversation between her third aunt and Zhang Li to the father and son, word for word.
After hearing Li Xiaoxiao's words, both Magistrate Meng and Meng Guanqi fell silent.
After a long pause, Meng Guanqi said, "So, this scheme was designed by a third party, with the aim of causing the Third Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince to fight each other so that he could reap the benefits?"
Li smiled and said, "That sounds like it."
Meng Guanqi said, "Their goal is to make me fail the exam, and then my father will be so angry that he will lose his mind and lead the Meng clan to join the Crown Prince's faction to deal with the Third Prince."
Li Xiaoxiao nodded.
Meng Guanqi found it unbelievable. He looked at Magistrate Meng and asked, "Father, what do you think? If I really fail the exam, will you do this?"
Magistrate Meng pondered for a moment: "Even if I don't do it, I will inevitably have a knot in my heart. If I encounter an opportunity to take advantage of the Third Prince's misfortune, I will not hesitate."
Meng Guanqi sighed, "This is probably what the person behind it wants to see. His goal is to make the Third Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince fight each other."
Li Xiaoxiao said, "I don't understand this, but from what Third Aunt and Zhang Li said, it seems like if these two princes fight, the emperor could wipe them both out. By the way, how many sons does the emperor actually have vying for the throne?"
Magistrate Meng and Meng Guanqi were immediately speechless. The emperor was in his prime, and with a crown prince already established, even if other princes had plans to seize the throne, they couldn't let anyone see it openly! As for their plans behind the scenes, how could they, in Biyang County far from the emperor's reach, possibly know?
Meng Guanqi coughed: "On the surface, there should only be the Third Prince, but we don't know how many are behind the scenes."
Li smiled and said, "Then let me ask you a different question: How many adult sons does the emperor have?"
Magistrate Meng could answer this question: "His Majesty has six princes in total: the eldest prince, the crown prince, the third prince, the fourth prince, the fifth prince, and the crown prince's younger brother, the sixth prince, who is being raised by the Empress. Four princes have reached adulthood. The fifth prince is fourteen years old this year, and the sixth prince is even younger, only thirteen. The other princes have all left the palace to live in their own residences after getting married. Only the fifth and sixth princes still live in the princes' quarters in the palace and have to go to school every day. The princes who can contact the court officials and participate in the struggle for the throne are probably among the princes who have already left the palace to live in their own residences."
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Then the person behind that is one of the First Prince, Fourth Prince, or Fifth Prince?" With so many people, who knows which one it is?
Magistrate Meng pondered for a moment: "The eldest prince has an ailment on his face and is not allowed to succeed to the throne according to the law, so his suspicion is less. However, His Majesty intended to enfeoff him several years ago, but he has become accustomed to a life of luxury and has been dragging his feet on leaving the capital. If a prince were to win him over and promise him that he would not have to go to his fiefdom, he might be willing to help him."
The Third Prince is the one in the open, while the maternal families of the Fourth and Fifth Princes wield considerable power in the court, and their mothers are also favored, so none of them can be ruled out.
If it weren't for Meng Guanqi's involvement in the imperial examination, Magistrate Meng would never have been sitting here analyzing the current political situation. But the hand behind the scenes had its eye on him, trying to find a way to bring the Meng family into the fold, leaving him with no choice but to accept it.
Li Xiaoxiao's expression was strange: "My lord, what are your plans for the future? Are you planning to join the Crown Prince's faction?"
Magistrate Meng was taken aback: "Why would you ask that?"
Li smiled and said, "They've long used you as a stepping stone to the Meng family. If one plan fails, they'll probably come up with another. What are your plans, sir?"
After pondering for a long time, Magistrate Meng said firmly, "We will not take sides. I have always followed the Doctrine of the Mean and only serve the court and the people. Let whoever is interested in these merits of supporting the emperor fight for them. I am just a small magistrate and cannot disrupt the overall situation of the court."
Li Xiaoxiao felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.
Magistrate Meng had official business to attend to, and knowing that his son probably had something to say to Li Xiaoxiao, he pondered for a moment and said, "What happened today must not be told to a fourth person besides the three of us, understand? Making wild guesses about royal secrets is a capital offense." Especially when it is such a major matter concerning the struggle for the throne.
Li Xiaoxiao and Meng Guanqi responded in unison, and Magistrate Meng then left the study.
As soon as her father left, Meng Guanqi immediately asked, "You seemed relieved just now. Did something happen?"
Li smiled and said, "Just now I was afraid that you would say something like that I wanted to become a disciple of the Crown Prince and serve as his henchman."
Meng Guanqi shook his head: "My father dislikes these petty and scheming things the most. He never schemed or plotted when he was in the capital. Now that he is far away from the central government and in Biyang County, it is even less likely that he would do so."
Li Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, the adults don't like to scheme and plot, otherwise I would have resigned and left. We have different paths and cannot work together."
Meng Guanqi was taken aback: "What did you say? What do you mean by 'those who walk different paths cannot make plans together'?"
Li Xiaoxiao sighed and said, "I told you long ago that my biggest ideal in life is to live a carefree life, but if you want to participate in the struggle for the throne and join the Crown Prince's faction, how many bloody battles will you have to go through? I definitely won't follow you."
Upon hearing that she was leaving, Meng Guanqi was struck dumb, his mind went blank, and he looked at Li Xiaoxiao in shock and confusion.
Li Xiaoxiao was startled: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Meng Guanqi looked at her, her voice sounding like it was about to break: "You're leaving? Didn't you promise to protect me forever?"
Li Xiaoxiao shook her head vigorously: "No, no, I'm not leaving! Didn't the master not choose this path? If he doesn't do something that could cost him his life, I don't have to resign!"
Meng Guanqi felt deeply hurt. When did she have such thoughts? How could she leave?
He unconsciously reached out and took her hand: "I won't let you go. Wherever I go, you have to follow me."
His appearance was so strange, like a chick that had just been abandoned by its mother hen, with a pitiful look. Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a little affection for him and coaxed him, "It's okay, I'm not leaving now. I was just saying 'if'! But now it's proven that I didn't misjudge you. We adults aren't the kind of people with big ambitions. We're fine as long as we live our lives step by step."
Meng Guanqi looked at her earnestly: "Xiaoxiao, I want you to witness the day I pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi..."
Then I will marry you in a grand and glorious ceremony.
His gaze remained firm and unwavering.
Li Xiaoxiao felt his gaze suddenly become as hot as fire, making her heart pound and her whole body feel helpless.
What was this feeling? She felt flustered, nervous, and yet there was also a sliver of anticipation, making her heart swell with excitement.
She never imagined she would have such an awkward moment. She chuckled twice, her eyes darting around, but she didn't dare look at him.
The fair-skinned and handsome young man had eyes as clear as water, even looking at a dog with deep affection. However, as he looked at her like that, she inappropriately worried that he might think her skin was a little dark since he was staring so intently at her face.
I should have listened to my wife and not gone out to sunbathe so often.
No, she's been living in Lin'an Prefecture for almost a month now. Afraid of disturbing his studies, she hasn't been running around. She should be a little more tanned than when she was farming, right?
Ugh, how come he's so fair-skinned? It makes her feel a little inferior.
Looking at their clasped hands, one's skin was as smooth as cream, the other like roasted wheat; they looked quite harmonious, it's a pity they were switched!
Seeing that her eyes were darting around as if she were a little shy, Meng Guanqi was very satisfied, and a smile couldn't help but appear in his eyes.
It's good that she knows how to be shy. He doesn't need her to figure it out right away. Being happy like this is the best version of her. They are both still young, and they have plenty of time.
He released Li Xiaoxiao's hand and suddenly remembered something incongruous: "Xiaoxiao, why are you so opposed to us joining the Crown Prince's faction? The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, isn't it normal to want to serve him? If he's willing and dares to accept us, more than half of the officials in the court will join his faction. Why don't you think it's a good idea?"
Li Xiaoxiao said in a deep voice, "My intuition tells me that the Crown Prince might not be able to hold onto this position."
Meng Guanqi was taken aback and reflexively covered her mouth: "You can't say things like that!"
He then whispered, "Why do you think that?"
Li Xiaoxiao could only whisper, "Don't you find it strange? There was an air of certainty in Third Aunt's and Zhang Li's words. They seemed to think that as long as the Third Prince and the Crown Prince fought, they would both be severely injured, and then their master would reap the benefits. But the Crown Prince is clearly the heir apparent, the one the court officials support. How could he be easily defeated? And even if it's a mutual defeat? Unless he has an absolutely reliable backer, a backer that can completely defeat the Crown Prince and prevent him from ever getting back up, how could the heir apparent of a country be so easily dealt with?"
Following her train of thought, Meng Guanqi realized that someone who could strike the Crown Prince so decisively that he could never rise again—could it be that he exclaimed, "You mean the Emperor? Does he have the Emperor's support behind him?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "I don't know, but they are so sure. I have a feeling that the Crown Prince is in danger, so it is not a good thing to join his side. We should stay away from him."
She looked at Meng Guanqi with a serious and earnest expression: "My intuition is very accurate; it has saved my life several times."
Meng Guanqi thought she was referring to her encounter with danger in the flood, and nodded blankly.
Thinking of Gu Shanzhang's analysis of the current situation, and considering the Emperor's concerns about the rumors that the Crown Prince "possessed dragon energy," and his own initial suspicion that the person spreading the rumors might be the Emperor's bedmate, Meng Guanqi felt that Li Xiaoxiao's idea might be correct.
With this mysterious person stirring up trouble behind the scenes, the Crown Prince's life is bound to be filled with bloodshed, and he could face utter ruin if he's not careful.
Their family members have little influence, so there's no need for them to take such a risky thing.
The days passed peacefully like flowing water, and before we knew it, it was the end of August, and the results would be released the next day.
Prefect Song learned of the list a day earlier than the other scholars. He couldn't believe his ears: "What did you say? Say it again?"
The registrar whispered, "Meng Guanqi has won, ninth place."
Prefect Song's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "How is this possible?"
The registrar said, "It is absolutely true. The examiners, including Lord Liu, have checked and verified the papers repeatedly. There are five signatures on the list, so there is no way we would dare to forge it."
Prefect Song said, "Didn't you say he was so ill he almost fainted that day? How could he possibly have passed away?"
The registrar said anxiously, "That's what the yamen runners said. I don't know why he did so well on the exam."
Prefect Song said, "Could it be fraud? Did he impersonate another candidate?" Upon hearing this, even he couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head. That was absolutely impossible.
With layers of strict supervision and inspection, who would dare to do such a thing? Moreover, Magistrate Meng had not even come to Lin'an Prefecture during the provincial examination, so how could he have helped him to commit fraud?
If there was no fraud, then it's true. Meng Guanqi ranked ninth despite not having any food or water for a day and being sick.
The registrar whispered, "Provincial Magistrate Tang is in a bad mood. He said that such a good student should not be given away to Wanshan Academy for nothing..." As soon as he finished speaking, he wanted to slap himself. Why did Meng Guanqi go to Wanshan Academy? It was inseparable from the prefect in front of him. How could he be so confused?
Prefect Song's gaze sharpened, and he said coldly, "What do you want to say?"
The registrar broke out in a cold sweat and quickly bowed, saying, "It was my mistake, sir. Please forgive me."
Prefect Song shouted, "Get out!"
The registrar scrambled out of the room.
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