The requests of these scholars not only caused Consort Rou's face to turn pale with fright, they also stunned the many courtiers behind her.
Using the imperial examinations as the only way to select officials …
How could these people think of such a thing!
It was simply wishful thinking.
The courtiers looked at the scholars kneeling on the ground, and their gazes instantly became sharp. The scholar kneeling on the ground said without a change in expression: "Since Consort Rou has come out, you must have made preparations for us commoner disciples to make our requests. We commoner disciples have studied hard for decades, bearing the hopes of our entire family, just to obtain scholarly honors. My old father, in order to support this commoner's studies, didn't dare to treat his illness, and had no food to eat. When he finally received the news that I had become a tribute, he was overjoyed and couldn't sleep at all. But I didn't think that my decades of hope would be destroyed in a single night. "
"This consort will investigate this matter for you," Consort Rou reacted and frowned, "It's just how to select officials, it has nothing to do with this matter."
"How is it unrelated!" The scholar said firmly, "The imperial court opened the imperial examinations to recruit talents. Dare I ask Consort Rou, it has been almost ten years since the imperial examinations began, has there been a commoner disciple who passed the imperial examinations and became a fifth-rank official?"
As the scholar spoke, he took out a scroll from his sleeve and spread it on the ground: "These are the non-aristocratic officials who passed the imperial examinations in the past ten years. Consort Rou, please take a look at what they are doing now. Currently, the imperial court is controlled by the aristocratic families, and the situation is very precarious … "
"Impudent!"
An official suddenly shouted, "How can a brat like you speak nonsense outside the palace gates? Men, drag him away!"
The soldiers heard this and stepped forward. A few tall students immediately stood up and shouted: "What are you doing? Are you planning to silence us and seal our mouths? You dare to do it but don't dare to speak? Consort Consort Rou, is this the justice you want to seek for us? "
When the students asked this, the soldiers didn't dare to move. They sized up Consort Rou. Consort Rou coughed lightly: "This is a serious matter. Everyone, please stand up. We will deal with it one by one."
"Then what does Your Highness plan to do?"
The leading scholar chased after them relentlessly. Consort Rou hesitated for a moment, then heard the student say, "Your Highness, don't tell me you're planning to coax us into the palace first, and then make your next move after you've pacified us?"
Consort Rou did mean that, but she didn't know what to say after being exposed by the scholar.
She pondered for a moment and finally said, "This Consort knows that you don't trust me, but this Consort can't make the decision for such a big matter. When I was young, my father sold me into the palace for two taels of silver. I've suffered all the hardships you've suffered. In fact, because I'm a woman, I've suffered even more than you. "
After Consort Rou said this, the crowd was slightly moved. The scholar fell silent. Consort Rou took a deep breath and personally helped him up: "Don't worry, if this Consort can give you justice, this Consort will give you justice even if it costs me my life. All of you, stand up first. In a moment, I'll go with His Royal Highness Prince Su to the Inspectorate. All of you go together. We'll deal with your grievances one by one. We won't be perfunctory. "
Consort Rou's identity was Consort Rou's greatest weapon. Her words, coupled with her red eyes, made it seem like it was your fault if you didn't believe her.
That scholar still wanted to say something, but the scholar next to him agreed. When the scholar who was leading the crowd saw this scene, he hesitated for a moment. In the end, he still allowed Consort Rou to help him up. Consort Rou comforted them and then had people lead these students to the Inspectorate.
After comforting the students, Consort Rou brought Prince Su and the officials back to the Imperial Court. Consort Rou had Li Cheng repeat what had just happened. Under Consort Rou's guidance, Li Cheng stuttered and finished speaking. Li Ming was silent and didn't say anything.
Everyone was waiting for Li Ming's response.
The most important part of this matter was no longer the matter of the students being replaced, but the matter of the students saying that they wanted to change the officials.
For these students to suddenly appear here, it was obvious that someone had instructed them to do so. If everyone was still guessing that this was an internal struggle between the officials of the imperial court, at this moment, they had no choice but to suspect that these people were arranged by Li Ming.
Li Ming had been suppressing the aristocratic families for more than ten years. From the time he put Pei Lizhi in an important position, opened the imperial examinations, worked hard to promote people from humble families, and even doted on Consort Rou and conferred the title of Prince Su, he had been suppressing the aristocratic families.
Today, these scholars' suggestions seemed to be seeking justice for the aristocratic families, but in the end, the one who benefited the most in the Imperial Court was Li Ming.
Everyone was speculating about Li Ming's intentions, but Li Ming only took a sip of tea and didn't say anything before leaving the Imperial Court.
After the Imperial Court was dismissed, Pei Wenxuan quickly looked at Li Rong. Li Rong didn't even look at him and directly walked out of the Great Hall.
Pei Wenxuan panicked. He turned and walked quickly, wanting to follow Li Rong, but before he walked out of the Great Hall, he was stopped by a eunuch. The eunuch said in a low voice, "Daren, His Majesty wants you to go."
Pei Wenxuan stopped in his tracks. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He nodded and said, "I'll go now."
In this way, Li Rong had already walked far away.
Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong's back. A moment later, he walked out and saw Su Yongqing standing at the door.
Pei Wenxuan didn't pay attention to his mood. The moment he passed, Su Yongqing suddenly said, "That Wen Xingzhi is one of your people."
Wen Xingzhi was the person who had complained today. Pei Wenxuan heard Su Yongqing's question and only smiled. "What is Lord Su talking about? I don't understand."
As he spoke, he walked out.
Pei Wenxuan went to see Li Ming. Li Rong had just walked out of the Imperial Palace when she was stopped by Li Ming's people.
Li Ming's people asked her for the Inspectorate's official seal. She didn't hesitate and directly threw out the official seal she had prepared. She shrank back into the carriage and said coldly, "Let's go."
The carriage left the Imperial Palace. Li Rong felt her surroundings become quiet. She sat in a daze. After a while, she slowly came back to her senses.
She leaned back in her seat, feeling a bit tired.
Previously, when she asked Pei Wenxuan about these scholars, he deliberately changed the topic. At that time, she knew that Pei Wenxuan didn't want her to participate in this matter. He should be planning something she didn't like.
Now, although she didn't understand his specific thoughts, she roughly understood his thoughts.
At this time, he wanted to change the official system.
The matter of changing the official system was something they had fought over for many years in her previous life.
She liked being recommended by aristocratic families because the most important thing about being an official was not having high knowledge, but being able to do things. The imperial examination system produced a large number of scholars every year, but those scholars didn't know anything other than reading. Occasionally, there were a few smart ones, but most of them had bad intentions.
If they learned both civil and martial arts, they could be of use to the imperial family. These children of poor families, from the moment they started studying, they wanted to be an official. This meant that being an official was destined to be a business for them. Therefore, after they took office, they would be corrupt and take bribes.
But Pei Wenxuan loved the imperial examinations. Even if the people selected from the imperial examinations were not suitable for being an official, Pei Wenxuan didn't care.
Because he cared more about being impartial.
Even if this method was not suitable, it was the best way to ensure fairness.
Pei Wenxuan wanted to change the official system at this time, of course, it wasn't for fairness.
He had his reasons, but he didn't tell her.
So much so that he deliberately hid them from her. No matter how many times she told him to trust her, he still didn't believe her.
Li Rong laughed mockingly. She closed her eyes and thought about Pei Wenxuan's next move. What exactly was his plan … …
Li Rong thought for a moment and finally decided that she had to ask him personally.
When Li Rong thought of this, she lifted the curtain and turned to the person outside the curtain and said, "Go to the new residence. Tell Cui Yulang to come to the new residence to find me."
The residence she bought next to Pei Wenxuan's residence was finally settled. She put it under someone else's name, and it was almost ready to move in.
After she moved to the new residence, she casually found a rocking chair in the room and lay down.
She slept for a little while before she heard the announcement outside that Cui Yulang had rushed over.
When Li Rong saw him rushing over, she raised her head to look at him and asked, "How was it?"
"Your Highness," Cui Yulang was a little anxious, "those scholars actually want to change the official system. Did you know about this?"
When Li Rong heard this, he nodded and said, "I know."
"Then why didn't you inform this humble official earlier?" Cui Yulang adjusted his tone and tried to be patient, "Consort Rou accepted a case today. When she came back, she scolded me. If I didn't handle it well, I would have failed at the last step."
When Li Rong saw that Cui Yulang was anxious, his expression didn't change. He picked up his teacup and asked absentmindedly, "What did you say to her?"
"Just like I said before," Cui Yulang saw that Li Rong was calm and her expression relaxed, "I told her about the scholars' complaints and told her to use this matter to establish her authority for the Bureau of Investigation. I also analyzed His Majesty's intentions with her and made her believe that His Majesty wanted her to accept this case. Only then did I coax her to go over."
"And then?"
As Li Rong drank his tea, Cui Yulang frowned, "She went to the imperial court to accept the case and took Prince Su to the Bureau of Investigation. Before she left, she whispered to me that I had caused her death. Your Highness, "Cui Yulang was quite uneasy," What should we do? "
Consort Rou could investigate the case of the substitutes for the imperial examinations, but she didn't dare to interfere with the official system. These scholars were so insatiable that it was normal for Consort Rou to be angry with Cui Yulang, the person who gave her the idea.
Li Rong held her teacup and thought. After a long time, she slowly said, "It's fine as long as she has tasted the sweetness."
Cui Yulang was stunned. Li Rong only said, "This play was arranged by His Majesty. If Consort Rou is willing to accept it, His Majesty will appease her."
"Consort Rou, this person, thinks too highly of His Majesty." Li Rong smiled, "If His Majesty is willing to appease her, there is no harm."
Cui Yulang listened to Li Rong's words. He thought for a moment and finally nodded.
Li Rong told Cui Yulang about the follow-up for a while, then had someone send Cui Yulang away.
Afterwards, she had dinner in the residence. When night fell, she had Zhao Chongjiu find the Pei Estate's housekeeper.
The Pei Estate's housekeeper was Pei Wenxuan's confidante. When Li Rong said that she would come over, the housekeeper immediately went to the wall to set up a ladder. After clearing out the people, he welcomed Li Rong in.
He knew what Li Rong meant to Pei Wenxuan, so he didn't ask any questions and directly led Li Rong to the bedroom.
Li Rong was a little tired, so she simply lay down on the rocking chair in the bedroom and closed her eyes to rest. She instructed the housekeeper, "When she comes back, lead her directly to the bedroom."
The housekeeper replied respectfully. Li Rong waved her hand and said, "You may leave now. I'm tired."
The housekeeper led everyone out, leaving Li Rong alone in the room without a light.
She waited for Pei Wenxuan. When night fell, Pei Wenxuan finally came out of the palace.
Li Ming had a long discussion with him. Today's events had developed beyond his and Li Ming's expectations, so they had to make other adjustments.
There were many things to do, so Pei Wenxuan couldn't leave. However, his heart was still worried about Li Rong. He hurried back to the residence and didn't let the gatekeeper inform the housekeeper. He walked directly to his bedroom.
When the gatekeeper saw that he came back in a hurry, he hurriedly sent someone to inform the housekeeper. However, before the housekeeper could see Pei Wenxuan, he had already entered the bedroom.
When he reached the door, he was still instructing Dong Ye to prepare a carriage. He whispered, "I'll change my clothes and go to the Princess Estate."
Dong Ye nodded. Pei Wenxuan pushed the door open and entered the room.
There was no light in the bedroom. Pei Wenxuan was too lazy to light it again. Under the moonlight, he groped behind the screen and grabbed a set of clothes that he often wore. He began to take off his clothes and prepared to leave.
However, just as he unbuckled his belt, he heard a cold female voice in the room, "Where do you plan to go?"
Pei Wenxuan's movements stiffened. He quickly looked up and saw a woman sitting on a rocking chair. She was like a beautiful seductress depicted in books. She had her eyes closed as she slowly said, "I've been waiting for you all day."
As she spoke, Dong Ye stood at the door and whispered, "Gongzi, the carriage is ready. We can leave at any time."
When Pei Wenxuan heard this, he immediately turned around, "I'm not going."
Dong Ye was confused, "Ah?"
As they spoke, the housekeeper arrived at the door and saw Dong Ye standing there. The housekeeper whispered, "Gongzi went in?"
Dong Ye nodded. Before the housekeeper could explain, Pei Wenxuan calmly said, "You can all leave. I'm going to sleep."
Dong Ye and the housekeeper looked at each other. In the end, it was Dong Ye who reacted and replied, "Yes."
The sound of footsteps could be heard outside. Pei Wenxuan held his coat in his hands. After a while, he finally moved.
He slowly put down his coat and tried to find a topic to talk about, "You … why are you here?"
"I have a lot of questions. I want to ask Lord Pei to answer them."
Li Rong's voice was very soft. When it fell on Pei Wenxuan's heart, it was like a knife cutting through it.
"I hope Lord Pei will not be stingy with your guidance."
As Li Rong spoke, he looked up. His bright eyes were sharp under the moonlight.
She looked at Pei Wenxuan who was standing in front of her. She was just like the politician in her memory. She was cold and calm. She clearly looked as harmless as a rabbit, but she would always inadvertently reveal her fangs.
She was fully prepared and waited for Pei Wenxuan's answer. After a short silence, Pei Wenxuan suddenly moved.
He walked to the bed and squatted on the ground. He dug around on the bed.
Li Rong frowned, "What are you doing?"
Pei Wenxuan ignored her. She heard a noise in the room. Pei Wenxuan pulled out an ancient-looking washboard from under the bed.
Then he carried the washboard back, patted the dust off it, and placed it in front of Li Rong. His expression was calm. He lifted his clothes and knelt down in front of Li Rong.
Li Rong was shocked. Then he looked at Pei Wenxuan and said calmly, "Punish me. Don't talk to me like that."
"I admit to what I did. Yes, I want to change the official system."
"I know that Su Yongqing wants to use this case to make things difficult for the Crown Prince. With the Crown Prince's temper, he will eventually accept this case. Once the Crown Prince accepts this case, he will lose regardless of whether he advances or retreats. Therefore, I found His Majesty in advance and told him about this case. Then I discussed with him and decided to use this case to change the official system. "
Li Rong frowned. Pei Wenxuan looked as if he was facing death calmly and explained the situation clearly, "The scholar who spoke today is one of my people. This was arranged by me. His Majesty and I have discussed it. Today, I will take the initiative to accept this case. Then, I will say in the imperial court that I will be fully responsible for this case. Then, these scholars will complain and request to change the official system. His Majesty will force the Crown Prince to accept the case. If the Crown Prince doesn't accept it, I will stand up and accept the case. At that time, the Crown Prince's people will fully support me in accepting the case. I will take the opportunity to make the court officials promise that I will be fully responsible for this case. After I get the court officials' promise, I will leave the palace to accept the case. Then, with His Majesty's support, I will carry out this case. "
"You're messing around!"
Li Rong slapped the armrest, "You let them make these requests today. Even if I give you a few hundred years, you won't be able to do it!"
"I know," Pei Wenxuan immediately replied, "Therefore, His Majesty's and my real request is not to abolish the recommendation system. We just want the scholars from this imperial examination to have a good place to go. I will first make an outrageous request and then work with them. When my real request is made, it will be much easier for them to accept. "
"This way, His Majesty will not keep an eye on the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince will not fall into a dilemma of whether to accept the case or not."
"Secondly, His Majesty will definitely have conflicts with the aristocratic families if he implements the imperial examination system. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. His Majesty will become the enemy of the aristocratic families and the aristocratic families will be more tolerant of the Crown Prince. His Majesty's health will last for at most two years. The rise of a humble family will not be so fast. Su Yongqing's plan is to force the Crown Prince to lose the support of the aristocratic families step by step. What we need to do is to let the Crown Prince continue to maintain the support of the aristocratic families without being controlled by them. The simplest way is to create a common enemy for the Crown Prince and the aristocratic families. "
"Thirdly, I hope that when His Majesty is alive, we can solve the conflict between the aristocratic families and the imperial power. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will have a stable court. I know that you want His Highness the Crown Prince to be a wise ruler and leave a good name in the history books. But someone has to wield the sword. If it's not the Crown Prince, then it's His Majesty. "
Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan speak. She lowered her head and did not speak.
Pei Wenxuan saw that she did not speak and his heart was a bit stuffy. But his expression was calm as he only said: "I know you will not agree. You never thought that the imperial examination would be able to select someone useful, so I did not tell you. I was afraid that you would stop me. "
"I know you mind me hiding this from you, but if I had to do it again, I would still hide it. If you want to punish me, then punish me. "Pei Wenxuan's voice paused. After hesitating for a moment, he softened his tone," After the punishment, stay here tonight, okay? "
Li Rong did not speak. She quietly looked at him.
Her silence was his death by a thousand cuts. Pei Wenxuan could not help but feel regret. What was he fighting with her for?
But what was done was done. He could not do anything about it. He could only kneel on the ground, straighten his back, and be in a deadlock with her.
After a long time, Li Rong tiredly said: "Pei Wenxuan."
"I'm not unhappy that you are pushing for the imperial examination." She looked up at him and said in a low voice, "I'm worried about you."
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