Yang Ling hired a large carriage and placed everything on it. Zhang Yong, Liu Jin, and Ma Yongcheng, the three older eunuchs, accompanied the Crown Prince and his study attendants on the large carriage. The other younger eunuchs had no choice but to deign to follow behind the carriage, heading straight for Hu Guo Si Street.
Although Zhu Houzhao was bold enough to cause trouble, he was also worried that the Crown Prince's secret departure from the palace would be known by everyone. Therefore, on the way, he instructed Yang Ling and the Eight Tigers that they were the Crown Prince's study attendants. In any case, the common people did not know how many study attendants the Crown Prince had by his side. Today, he went to the Yang Family to welcome his colleagues to the capital and specially bought gifts for them. The several eunuchs all obediently complied.
After Yang Ling left, Young-niang felt her chest was stuffy. After eating a little, she found it difficult to swallow anymore. She went to the kang to rest for a while and then sat up to practice her breathing technique. She felt a lot more comfortable. She had just recovered when the brass ring on the door was knocked. She heard her husband calling her from outside, "Young-niang, quickly come and greet the guests …"
Han Youniang was surprised and happy. Why did her husband come back so early today? She hurriedly went out to greet him. She saw eight or nine people dressed like scholars standing outside the door, each of them carrying a lot of things on their shoulders and hands. Yang Ling came forward and said with a smile, "Young-niang, these are the study attendants of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. They are my colleagues. When they heard that I had just arrived in the capital, they specially bought gifts and came to visit."
When Liu Jin, Gu Dayong, and the others heard this, they all tried their best to put on a friendly smile on their faces, nodded their heads repeatedly, and said with smiles on their faces, "Yes, yes, we are all colleagues of Master Yang, and today we specially came to visit him."
The eight people's educational level varied. Some called her Madame Yang, some called her Little Lady. Qiu Ju and Wei Bin were young and grew up in the palace, so they did not know how to address Young-niang. They did not care that they were older than Yang Ling and simply called her sister-in-law of the Yang Family.
When Young-niang heard that they were colleagues of her husband, she did not dare to neglect them. She quickly welcomed them in. As soon as they entered the room, they quickly placed the messy things that Zhu Houzhao had bought. They found a place to sit and massaged their arms and legs. These people brought with them all kinds of gifts. There were even quartz-dyed window flowers, pickled vegetable jars, and gourds filled with oil with the Eight Immortals painted on them. As soon as they were placed in the room, the kang and the floor were everywhere.
Zhengde stood at the back of the crowd and was the last to enter. He was also dressed like a young scholar. He wore a green robe and a cloth scarf on his head. In his hand was a half-eaten 'Hu Lu Ping'. In a few steps, he skipped to Young-niang's side. He threw three hanging pearls and a bag of fine Xuan paper on the kang. With a grin, he said to Young-niang, "Young-niang Jiejie, I am also here."
Young-niang was startled. Seeing that he was still young, she could not help feeling surprised and curious. "Such a young scholar is also one of the Crown Prince's people?" She thought that this scholar looked somewhat familiar, but she could not remember when she had seen him. Yang Ling quickly stepped forward and said, "This … (cough, cough), is also my colleague. Niangzi, do you remember the Xiao Gongzi you saw at Hu Guo Temple the other day?"
Han Youniang exclaimed in surprise and delight. "I remember, I remember," she said, "Turns out the Xiao Gongzi is also the Crown Prince's study companion. Quickly come in."
Young-niang saw that this young scholar's age was similar to her third brother Man Cang 'er. She felt very close to him. She smiled and said, "Quickly come in and sit down. You are my husband's colleague, you should call me sister-in-law."
Zhengde only had one younger brother, but he died when he was young. Although the Zhu family had a lot of dragon children and dragon grandchildren, they were all driven out of the capital. Usually he really did not call other people sister-in-law. He tilted his head and thought for a moment. He felt that having a sister-in-law like Young-niang was not bad, so he happily changed the way he addressed her.
Young-niang complied with a smile. She was preparing to boil water to make tea when Zhang Yong hastily stopped her. He chuckled and said, "Furen does not need to be so polite. In a moment Yang wants to invite his colleagues to a restaurant for a drink. We came to your house to sit for a while and then we will leave."
These people were really tired, but Zhengde was still full of energy. He ran around the house all over the place. Seeing some things that he had never seen in the Palace, he strangely called her sister-in-law at the top of his lungs. Ever since Young-niang came to the capital, she missed her family back home. Zhengde had delicate features, and his mischievous spirit was very much like her younger brother Han Man Cang. Young-niang also liked him very much, so she always patiently explained everything to him.
Later on, Zhu Houzhao saw the well in the courtyard. He saw that the wooden wheel was tied with a rope, and by twisting it in a wooden bucket, he could draw sweet and clear water from the well. Immediately his playful spirit was aroused. He listened to Young-niang's explanation of how to use the well, and saw that the Yang Family's water jar only had half a jar of water left. Immediately he excitedly twisted the water bucket by bucket and poured it into the water jar.
Liu Jin, Zhang Yong, and the others saw that the Crown Prince was doing this kind of rough work; they did not care about their fatigue and hastily rushed out to help. Zhu Houzhao was having the time of his life, how could he be willing to let go? He filled the water jar to the brim before he reluctantly gave up.
Several eunuchs had been standing by the well with fear and trepidation, afraid that something bad would happen to him. Seeing that he finally gave up, they were afraid that he would come up with some new idea to cause trouble. Hastily they seized the opportunity to bid farewell to Young-niang. The group of people went out of the courtyard. Yang Ling deliberately lagged behind. When they had gone some distance away, he turned his head toward Young-niang and said, "Young-niang, your complexion is very poor, your cheeks are flushed, are you feeling unwell? How about … I take you to see the doctor later?"
Han Youniang cheered up and said with a laugh, "How can my body be so precious? Husband, don't worry. Perhaps my stomach is cold and I'm not feeling well. I'll be fine after resting for a while. Quickly go and accompany the guests. Don't forget your etiquette. "
She patted the dust that fell from Yang Ling's shoulders as he carried the things and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince is really a strange person. Some of his attendants are almost grandfathers, and some are still children. They must be important people in the court, right? But I feel that they are not as dignified as husband. "
"That's right!" Yang Ling straightened his chest and looked back. Eight eunuchs and a little child. These were the nine great evildoers in history. Not mentioning him, just looking at his appearance, no matter how one looked at it, he was the most dignified.
He 'very dignified' smiled at his beloved wife and said, "Go back. If you are not feeling well, then rest. Don't tidy up the things first. In a few days, husband will buy a maid to serve you. My Young-niang should also enjoy her life. "
* * *
The General Examination was usually held in February of the second year of the provincial examination, so it was called the Spring Examination. At that time, all the scholars from all over the country would gather in the capital for a final struggle. The tragic situation was even more intense than the current college entrance examination. Because the Emperor Hongzhi was seriously ill before the New Year, and after the New Year, the Tatars attacked the border, so the Spring Examination was delayed until now. It was a full month late.
Today was the first day of the examination. The Ministry of Rites had to invite the Emperor, offer sacrifices to heaven, and worship Confucius. There were many complicated rituals, so the examination did not start early. Now there were still groups of scholars on the street rushing to the examination site at the school.
Zhu Houzhao saw the scholars carrying their bags and writing brushes and ink. He was curious and rushed to the school to see what was going on. Yang Ling knew that if he did not have enough fun, he would not be in the mood to do anything important. So he could only accompany him to the school with Liu Jin and the others.
Some cities of Ming Destiny had built their own schools. The school was not only a place for the local scholars to study hard, but also a Temple of Confucius. The Temple of Confucius in the capital was naturally the largest school in the country. Zhu Houzhao and company came to the front of the Education Palace and saw four large words written in gold on the lintel of the door: "Exemplary Teacher of All Ages". In front of the stone bridge outside Pan Chi was a two-meter tall Forbidden Tablet: "All civil and military officials dismount from their horses."
No matter how high the officials were, they had to dismount from their sedan chairs and enter on foot when they arrived at the school. When scholars became high-ranking officials, they would come back to pay their respects to Confucius. It was like returning home in glory and showing off their progress. As for military officials, even if they were of the first rank and had the power to overturn the court, they would take a detour when they saw the words "school" from afar. It could not be helped. The old scholars in the school believed that half of the Analects of Confucius ruled the world and that the moral writings were unparalleled in the world.
Although the school was large, it could not accommodate all the scholars in the country. Now, three rows of wooden sheds were built along the walls of the school to serve as the examination site. The surroundings were covered with curtains and guarded by soldiers.
When Zhu Houzhao arrived, the bell and drum sounded and the examination had begun. Other than the scholars' families, servants, and some tea and snacks vendors, there was not a single scholar to be seen. Zhu Houzhao felt bored and saw a tea stall under a big locust tree. He walked over and sat down. Liu Jin hurriedly called the waiter and asked for tea, snacks, and melon seeds. He accompanied Zhu Houzhao and chatted under the tree.
Yang Ling looked at the sun and estimated it to be around ten o 'clock in the morning. He still had plenty of time to go to the Ministry of War. Yang Ling was relieved. He informed Zhu Houzhao and slowly walked west along the Pan River. He wanted to see how the candidates looked like when they took the Stereotyped Essay Examination. But the curtains were too tight and there was a guard every few steps. Yang Ling felt bored and was about to turn back. Suddenly, a candidate carrying a bundle brushed past him and went straight to the curtained examination door. The candidate was sweating profusely. He raised the examination paper and said anxiously, "Brother Bing, I'm late and went to the wrong examination hall. Please let me in."
Yang Ling curiously stopped and turned around. There were four soldiers standing at the door. One of them waved his hand and said, "How can such an important event be delayed? If you are late, you will have to wait for another three years. We do not dare to let you in. "
The scholar was sweating profusely as he begged and bowed, "Dear soldiers, I have been studying hard for the past ten years just for this moment. To be honest with you, I was studying hard until midnight last night. Unfortunately, I bumped into a scoundrel on the way and was pestered by him. That's why I was delayed. Please help me."
Yang Ling looked at the scholar and saw that he was about 25 or 26 years old. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes. His skin was dark and he was tall and skinny. He wore a green robe and looked like a bamboo pole.
As he said this, he reached into his robes and took out all the taels of silver he had and stuffed them into the hands of the soldier. He smiled apologetically and said, "Brother Soldiers, please help me. I will never forget your kindness."
The soldier saw that the scholar had more than ten taels of silver and his eyes revealed a look of greed. However, there were many checkpoints in the examination grounds. Even if he passed this checkpoint, he would not be able to enter the examination grounds. He was just a soldier and did not have the authority to send him in. He could only regretfully throw the taels of silver back into the scholar's robes and shook his head, not saying a word.
Seeing this, the scholar was so anxious that sweat started to form on his forehead. He did not even bother to wipe it off and continued to beg for his life. The other soldiers saw that he did not want to leave and started to berate him. One of the officials from the Ministry of Rites heard the commotion and walked out. He waved his sleeves and said coldly, "Who is making a ruckus at the entrance?"
The official from the Ministry of Rites was just a small official from the Ministry of Rites. However, the scholar did not care about his status. He fell to his knees and shouted, "Your excellency, please save me. I was late and could not enter the examination grounds. Your excellency, please have mercy and let me in." As he said this, the scholar kowtowed as if he was pounding garlic. Yang Ling did not mind at first, but when he heard the thudding sounds of the scholar knocking against the ground, he was shocked and felt pity for him.
The official from the Ministry of Rites rolled his eyes and said coldly, "The Imperial Court is holding an examination to select talents to serve the country. You can even be late for such an important event. Do you think someone like you can enter the Imperial Court and become an official? Go back and study hard for a few more years. "
When the scholar heard this, he choked and fell to the ground, unable to get up. He could only kowtow continuously and could not even make a sound to beg for mercy. Yang Ling could not bear to see this and said, "Your excellency, he was only late by a quarter of an hour. There is no possibility of him cheating. Why don't you let him in? Your excellency is also a scholar. You should know that it is not easy to study hard. "
The official from the Ministry of Rites laughed coldly and glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. He said with disdain, "Who are you?"
Yang Ling said, "I am Yang Ling. I am also a scholar. A scholar has worked hard for half of his life and the only way to make a name for himself is to enter the examination grounds. This concerns his future. Your excellency, please have mercy and help him."
The official from the Ministry of Rites snorted and said in a strange tone, "What kind of place is the examination grounds? How important is the examination grounds? How can such a sacred and solemn matter be tolerated? "
Yang Ling looked at his disgusting face and suddenly thought of Zhang Haogu who was sent to the examination grounds by Dongchang's Wei Zhongxian in the 《Three Levels in a Row》. He had an idea. It is said that the guards run amok and everyone looks at them. I wonder if this token of mine is useful. Seeing that there was no one he knew, he reached into his pocket and took out the jade token. He held it in front of the official from the Ministry of Rites and said with a smile, "Your excellency, it is precisely because the examination grounds is the most important thing in one's life that I hope Your excellency can make an exception for me."
When the official from the Ministry of Rites saw the flying fish token in Yang Ling's hand, he felt a chill in his heart. The free and unfettered Imperial Bodyguards in the capital were most likely the bloodthirsty devils from the North Provost Commissioner. Any officer from this yamen would be enough to give a small official like him a hard time. Moreover, looking at the jade token in this person's eyes, he must be a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Bodyguard.
Since when did the Imperial Bodyguard start to take care of the examination grounds? They were considered to be people from the military and usually hated coming to places like the Education Palace. Could it be that … the Emperor had specially ordered the Imperial Bodyguard to investigate in secret? A slight delay is not a big deal. If this person were to add oil and vinegar to slander me in front of the Emperor, saying that I deliberately made things difficult for the scholars, then …
For a moment, the official from the Ministry of Rites was also sweating profusely. He stammered, "Mr Yang, I did not know Mr Yang's identity just now. I was impolite, really impolite. With Your excellency's word, there is nothing that cannot be done. I will personally send this scholar to the examination grounds. Your excellency, please rest assured. "
The tall and skinny scholar had been kneeling by the door, listening to the conversation between the two of them. Upon hearing this, his face lit up with joy and he quickly kowtowed, "Thank you, Master Yang, thank you, Master Examiner."
Even though he did not know what badge Yang Ling had, he could tell that he was a high ranking official since he was able to make the examiner's face change at such a young age.
Yang Ling cupped his hands towards the examiner and said, "If that is so, thank you." He then laughed at the scholar and said, "It is difficult to send you in, but it is even more difficult to pass the examinations. Whether or not you can make the great leap will depend on your own abilities."
He had done a good deed and was very happy. His feet floated as he walked towards the main entrance of the Education Palace. The official from the Ministry of Rites heaved a sigh of relief. With a lingering fear, he said to the scholar, "Quickly get up, quickly get up. I will send you to the examination grounds."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, Your excellency." The scholar stood up with tears streaming down his face. He turned his head and saw that Yang Ling was about to turn around the curtain. With a choked voice, he said, "Student Yan Song will never forget Mr Yang's help!"
Yang Ling had just turned around the curtain when he heard this. He tripped and almost fell into the river.
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