"Jing … Jingya,
Lao San!
Lao San!
Don't go yet!
Stand! "
Niu Jizong sat in the tent stupidly and listened to the secret.
There was too much information.
He was dizzy from listening to it.
After leaving the tent, he hurriedly pulled the Jia Lian to find an empty space to stop.
He was just planning to have a good talk with the Jia Lian about which side to take among the princes. Who would have thought that the Jia Lian had already placed a bet.
He even pulled in the eunuchs from the inner court!?
Moreover,
The Emperor actually acquiesced to it!?
What did this mean?
The Emperor favored the Qin Wang.
The Qin Wang would become the Crown Prince in the future???
But it also seemed like the Emperor sent the eunuchs and Lao San to lurk around the Qin Wang.
Monitor his every move!
What … what the f * ck is going on here?
Looking at Niu Jizong holding his huge head in distress, he thought hard.
The Jia Lian burst out laughing.
"Alright,
Don't think too much. "
She grabbed him by the neck.
"You have me for everything.
"
The Jia Lian patted him on the back of his head.
He changed the topic and said, "You have time to think about this.
You might as well think about which battalion you want to take.
I plan to divide the eight thousand soldiers into four battalions: Heavenly Assassin, Heavenly Spear, Heavenly Shield, and Heavenly Bow … "
Niu Jizong didn't mind and let him change the topic. He only reminded himself in his heart that he must work hard. He must not disgrace the reputation of his ancestors. He must protect his family and brothers!
Back at the drill ground, with the He brothers and Gao Kegong there, nothing unexpected happened.
Many soldiers who were physically weak or had slight heatstroke were properly arranged by Ran Feng and the other guards.
There were only about eight thousand people left on the drill ground. More than two thousand people were eliminated.
The Jia Lian called for a stop and let the eight thousand people on the drill ground rest for a while.
He asked Ran Feng and the others to take out the archery targets and bows that they had already prepared.
From these eight thousand people, two thousand people with outstanding archery skills were selected and sent to the Heavenly Bow Unit.
It took him an entire day.
Jia Lian had just finished arranging the soldiers of the Heavenly Assassins, Heavenly Spear, Heavenly Shield and Heavenly Bow Battalions.
At the same time, he also made arrangements for the captains of each battalion.
Heavenly Slaughter Unit Lieutenant Lin Han, Heavenly Spear Unit Lieutenant Ran Feng, Heavenly Shield Unit Lieutenant Niu Jizong, Heavenly Bow Unit Lieutenant Chi Cang.
During this period, the Jia Lian used the "Subordinate Panel" to remove all the spies and spies that were obviously planted by other families.
For the next month or so, the Jia Lian devoted himself wholeheartedly to the military camp.
In addition to teaching the Proud Blood Fighting Spirit, Iron Prison Law, and other mental cultivation methods and spear techniques, the Jia Lian also trained the soldiers of the four battalions according to the tactics invented by Li Chengen in the Heavenly Strategy Secret Manual.
The Heavenly Spear, Heavenly Shield and Heavenly Bow Battalions worked together in battle, with each troop having about fourteen men, led by their respective team leaders to patrol the area.
During the battle, whoever attracted the enemy's attention would go to the back and cover for each other, advancing and retreating freely. The power was amazing and extremely domineering.
When they had familiarized themselves with the change of formation and were able to use it freely, the Jia Lian returned home to rest.
At the end of February, the Lin Family had already married the Duke Rongguo's first daughter from the Rongguo Mansion. The Jia Lian also went back once to support Jia Min and carried her to the flower bridge.
Other than that time, the Jia Lian did not return home again. In any case, Emperor Wen Of Zhou had recently instructed Dai Quan to hand over a lot of official work to Feng Zizhi. Feng Zizhi was so busy that he did not have time to return home.
At this time, it was already March, the day of Emperor Wen Of Zhou's examination.
The entire capital was filled with students wearing soapy scarves and long gowns, entering the capital for the examination.
"Tsk!
Little Brother, you didn't see how bad that Second Brother's complexion was!
Yesterday, he went to the Lin Mansion to discuss the classics with Brother-in-law. Today, he's lying in bed, saying he's sick!
Haha!
I think it's a mental illness!
This illness won't heal for at least a month or two! "
The Jia Xie was enjoying his tea. As soon as he knew that the Jia Lian had returned home, he immediately asked someone to prepare a carriage for him.
He gloated, "I'm afraid that when he saw the streets full of young students coming to take the examination, he remembered that he was almost 30 years old and yet he couldn't even pass the exam. His heart felt very stifled, so he pretended to be sick!"
It was the face of a small person.
"I'll say!
Do you think it's fun to look at Second Brother all day long? "
Although the Jia Lian did not like Jia Zheng, he did not have the spirit of a Jia Xie, who was happy that he was not doing well. All day long, he persevered and devoted himself to making trouble for Jia Zheng.
If he had this free time, he might as well think of ways to make a name for himself and his wife.
"Interesting!
How can it be boring!? "
The Jia Xie blurted out without thinking, "Seeing that he's not doing well, I'm happy."
In his previous life, he had taken the blame for his Second Brother, a hypocrite, and had ended up working himself to death. In this life, no matter what, he had to take revenge.
"Do as you wish!"
The Jia Lian really did not know what to do with his unambitious brother.
"After you moved out, Hu 'er missed you very much. That stinky brat Jia Lian has been crying and rolling around. It's so annoying.
I'll bring them both over tomorrow! "
"Alright.
"That's great!"
Jia Lian clapped his hands. From morning till now, his brother had always said something that was pleasant to listen to.
Jia Xie said sourly, "In my opinion, that stinky brat Jia Lian kisses you more than he kisses me!
It looks like you're his father! "
Although, because of the memories from his previous life, he did feel a little bit of anger towards Jia Lian, who had married a woman from the Wang family and always ran errands for his second son, he swore that it was only a little bit.
The Jia Lian was happy and probed, "Brother!
Why don't you let me adopt Lian 'er as my son?
"
The Jia Xie agreed without thinking and blurted out, "Okay!
I've long found this little brat an eyesore. Take him away, take him away! "
He spoke very fluently.
But very quickly, the Jia Xie refuted his previous words, "No, no!
You haven't married yet. How can you have a son so quickly!
People who don't know will think that you're impotent! "
"No, no!"
In the end, he shook his head regretfully and lamented that he could not give away a son.
He did not know what he was thinking. Suddenly, he looked shocked and nervously moved in front of the Jia Lian, "Brother, you … you … you can't be … impotent, right!?"
"Brother!"
The Jia Lian paused and thought a lot. With a heavy face, he said, "Brother, what if … what if I can't give birth to a son?"
"Brother!"
That was an earth-shattering sentence!
"Clang!"
The teacup in the Jia Xie's hand suddenly fell to the ground.
To the Jia Xie, the Jia Lian's words were undoubtedly a tacit admission that he had some kind of strange disease that was self-evident among men.
"How can this be!?
Did you hurt yourself on the battlefield last year?
Or was it Second Brother who hurt you??
Could it be that you're still young and have not been enlightened??? "
The Jia Xie held the Jia Lian's hand with tears in her eyes and asked incredulously.
The Jia Lian deliberately sighed heavily, "Sigh …"
"In short, I will never be able to give birth to a son in the future."
He was telling the truth, without any exaggeration.
What a joke!
If you were a man, would you be able to "give birth" to a son?
It's normal that you can't give birth.
"What … what is going on?"
The Jia Xie was as anxious as an ant on a hot nest, walking around in circles.
"Have you seen the imperial physician?
What did the imperial physician say?
I remember that a few years ago, the second son of Li Guo Gong's family had a bad body. In the end, they used all kinds of means to invite a godly doctor. After three doses, he immediately came back to life. It was amazing!
Brother will go and inquire for you now! "
The Jia Xie suddenly knew this shocking secret. He was extremely anxious and couldn't wait any longer. He immediately jumped up and impatiently asked someone to prepare a carriage to go to Li Guo Gong's residence.
"Don't embarrass yourself!"
Now that you're rushing to inquire about this, are you planning to openly tell others that you have an unmentionable disease!?
The Jia Lian's eyes clearly revealed this layer of meaning.
Not knowing whether it was the potential of the Jia Xie in his anxiety, the Jia Xie actually understood this layer of meaning.
"Do you really think that your brother is a fool?
Naturally, I will tell others that my second brother is a dignified scholar. He is too shy and embarrassed, so he can only ask me, his big brother, to inquire about it. "
There were many scholars who were dressed like beasts. They were women, so going in and out of brothels was not a big deal. After going to many brothels, they would eventually meet a tiger. It was only natural that they would be infected with some kind of hidden disease.
The Jia Lian had to admit that at least in the aspect of slandering and framing his second brother, the Jia Xie had a unique talent, or perhaps it should be called inspiration.
"There's nothing wrong with my body."
The Jia Lian decided to be honest.
The Jia Xie half-believed and half-doubted, "Then why did you say that you can't give birth to a son?"
"Yes."
"I don't like women, and I already have someone I want to spend the rest of my life with."
"Yes."
The Jia Xie's mouth was wide open, "…"
"Who … Who is it?"
"Yes."
His face changed as he recalled the man that his brother had been fooling around with the most. "Could it be the Niu Jizong!?
Or the head of your bodyguards, the one surnamed Ran?
Bah bah bah!
My brother wouldn't have such a strong taste!
Could it be the one surnamed Chi?
That one surnamed Chi looks clean, so he's a good one … "
"Don't make wild guesses. You've seen him before. It's Feng Zizhi."
The Jia Lian appeared to be calm, but in fact, he was closely watching the Jia Xie's expression.
"Is it Changdu Feng?"
The Jia Xie remembered Feng Zizhi's outstanding charm. No wonder her brother didn't like others. She couldn't help but nod.
"Did you refuse the marriage for him that night?"
"Yes."
"It's partly because of him."
"Yes."
The Jia Lian threw out a piece of news. "His Majesty and Master also know about this."
"Yes."
"They also agreed?"
The Jia Xie was surprised. Although she had only seen Emperor Wen Of Zhou's leniency towards the Jia Lian on the night of the palace banquet, she could tell from his attitude that night that Emperor Wen Of Zhou didn't seem like someone who would condone the Jia Lian not marrying.
There were three ways to be unfilial, and having no children was the worst. Moreover, the imperial family valued status the most. No matter how good Changdu Feng was, he was only an inner servant. How could the Emperor allow them to be together?
"En, I drank tea."
Daughter-in-law also drank tea.
"Then … Then find a good day to pour a cup of tea for me and your sister-in-law to drink!
Also let Hu 'er and Lian' er recognize her. "
The Jia Xie easily relented.
The Emperor and Scholar Wang Yi wouldn't harm her brother. Since they had already recognized her, it didn't matter if he recognized that "sister-in-law"!
Moreover …
The Jia Xie smiled as she looked at the Jia Lian's tightly clenched fists under his sleeves and his particularly straight back. As long as her brother was happy, it was fine.
The Jia Xie, who had experienced life and death, had seen through many things. Her brother had died early in her previous life. In this life, he had earned back every day he lived. There were many things that she didn't need to be too calculative about. As long as he was happy, it was fine.
Son?
He had one!
What was the difference between his son and his brother's son?
At worst, he would work harder in the future and have two children in three years. He would adopt a few more children for his brother.
"In any case, Lian 'er quite likes Changdu Feng."
The Jia Xie expressed that she didn't have the slightest bit of discrimination towards Feng Zizhi's occupation. She proudly said that in the future, she would be someone with a backer. It wouldn't be difficult for her to call a deer a horse and bully men and women. If anyone dared to get in her way, she could just ask the foreigners in Dongchang to put them in jail!
"That's good."
Seeing that the Jia Xie really didn't mind Feng Zizhi's identity as an internal servant in Dongchang, the Jia Lian heaved a long sigh of relief.
"Tonight, you tell Sister-in-law that we will find a time to serve tea with her later."
Although after the adoption, the Jia Lian and Feng Zizhi wouldn't really have the time to raise Jia Lian personally. She would still be raised by the little Chang Clan. However, in name, she had changed from a mother to an aunt. Thus, the Jia Xie had to personally persuade the little Chang Clan.
"Don't worry!
How can a woman like her have the chance to talk about such a big matter? You are my only biological brother. You are just a son. Why would I be unwilling to part with you? "
The Jia Xie said arrogantly.
The Jia Lian secretly laughed and raised his thumb to praise, "You are manly enough!
I only have one word for your brother! "
"Yes!"
"I'm convinced!"
The Jia Xie laughed so hard that his teeth could be seen and his eyes couldn't be seen. What kind of person was his brother?
He was a peerless ruthless person who had killed more than ten thousand Xiongnu people at the mere age of fifteen. He was a fierce person who had crippled the Crown Prince and the Tenth Prince's brother-in-law and cousin in front of them!
Even such a powerful younger brother had to admit defeat to him. He was truly incomparably mighty!
"In that case, there is no time to lose. Brother, you go back and discuss this matter with Sister-in-law!"
The Jia Lian took advantage of the fact that the Jia Xie had been fed a big bowl of bewitching soup and was disoriented. He quickly pulled him up and pushed him out.
"Okay!"
The Jia Xie was happily pushed out of the mansion. He took on the responsibility of persuading the little Chang Clan to adopt his youngest son and happily returned to Rongguo Province.
The setting sun was like blood. As the sun set in the west, the imperial palace's gate was slowly closed by the imperial guards.
Suddenly, there was a rush of horse hooves and a loud shout.
"Wait!
I have an urgent matter to see the Emperor!
Don't close the gate! "
Not far away, there was a galloping carriage rushing over from the street at a very fast speed.
This kind of situation immediately alarmed the imperial guards at the palace gate. A gatekeeper immediately came over and said, "It is forbidden to make noise in front of the palace gate!
Who is it?
Why are you stopping us from closing the gate? "
"Stop!"
As soon as the carriage stopped, an old man wearing a dark red official robe embroidered with a golden pheasant impatiently got off the carriage.
"This official is the chief examiner of today's examination, Chang Zhenggong. I have an urgent matter to report to the Emperor!
Please help me inform the Emperor! "
Chang Zhenggong took off the waist token on his waist and handed it to the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper looked embarrassed, "I can't make the decision on this matter. Please wait here first."
"I will go and ask for instructions."
It was already late, and it was time to lock the gate. As a small gatekeeper, he did not have the authority to let people in or out.
"This is an important matter. Please inform the Emperor as soon as possible."
Chang Zhenggong took a bag of broken silver from the coachman and stuffed it into the gatekeeper's hands. He said with a serious expression.
The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment and solemnly refused, "This is my duty. Daren, there is no need to be like this."
It wasn't that he didn't want to accept it, but this Chang daren's identity was special. If he accepted it, he was afraid that something big would happen.
Moreover, this old official who was clean actually stuffed money into his hands. He was afraid that something big had happened.
Thinking of Chang Zhenggong's identity as the chief examiner of today's examination, the gatekeeper trembled. He did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly ran to inform the eunuch on duty.
The eunuch on duty was also very clever. He quickly let the gatekeeper bring the person into the palace. He himself turned and ran to the Prefect Eunuch Zhang Min to inform the Head Eunuch.
When Zhang Min saw that the waist token was Chang Zhenggong's, he immediately jumped up and said, "Quickly lead Chang daren to the Yangxin Palace Hall and wait outside. I will go inform the Old Ancestor."
"Old Ancestor."
"Old Ancestor, Chang Zhenggong requests an audience with the Emperor. It seems that he has an urgent matter to report."
Zhang Min respectfully said.
Although he was the head eunuch of the inner court's twelve eunuchs, he did not dare to be impudent in front of Dai Quan.
In the Ceremony Supervisor's office, Dai Quan's expression was calm and collected when he heard this news.
Before he could say anything, Yuan Shun, one of the four head eunuchs, asked curiously, "Why did that Chang daren come to the palace instead of invigilating the examination?"
The inner court's twelve eunuchs were headed by the Ceremony Supervisor. Within the Ceremony Supervisor, other than the head eunuch Dai Quan, the four head eunuchs had the most power. Even the head eunuchs of the other eunuchs would speak politely to them.
Wang Hong, the head of the four head eunuchs, said in a sharp voice, "Something big must have happened. Chang Zhenggong can't handle it and can only go to the palace to ask for instructions from the Emperor!"
His tone did not have the slightest respect for Chang Zhenggong.
"Chang daren has been an official for more than forty years and has weathered many storms. He is a steady person. What big thing could happen?"
The other head eunuch, Chen Fang, knew the reason why Wang Hong hated Chang Zhenggong, but they were all head eunuchs. All kinds of open and secret struggles were inevitable. Wang Hong did not get along with him and had recently suppressed him a few times. Naturally, he would stand on Chang Zhenggong's side.
Chang Zhenggong was the Imperial Censor of the Left of the Imperial Censorate. He was in charge of the entire group of Imperial Censors.
In the past, when Wang Hong had gained power, his sons and nephews had run amok in the local area. They had bullied men and seized women. Because of Wang Hong's power, the local officials could only swallow their anger.
Who knew that the sons and nephews would push their luck and bully the local officials. In his anger, the local officials sent all the evidence of the Wang family's crimes to his former head eunuch, asking the head eunuch, who was not afraid of power, to make a decision for him.
That head eunuch was not afraid of Wang Hong, a palace eunuch. Together with several imperial censors, he wrote a report against Wang Hong, detailing all kinds of crimes such as allowing his sons and nephews to run amok in the local area. His words were sharp.
Wang Hong was so scared that he knelt to Emperor Wen Of Zhou to beg for forgiveness, saying that since he entered the palace, he had no contact with his family and that his family's actions had nothing to do with him.
In the end, Emperor Wen Of Zhou sentenced the Wang family's son to be beheaded. Moreover, he ordered Wang Hong to be caned twenty times and demoted to a little eunuch who swept the streets.
His sons and nephews had to pay compensation, but he himself had to lie in bed for more than two months. Most importantly, he had been in the palace for many years. After finally making a name for himself with great difficulty, he was demoted to a palace sweeper.
How could Wang Hong not gnash his teeth in hatred towards that head eunuch?!
And that head eunuch at that time was the current Imperial Censor of the Left — Chang Zhenggong.
Wang Hong was shrewd and could keep his composure.
In any case, he was once an eunuch who had entered the Imperial Study Hall to learn how to read and write. Slowly, he stood out from the palace sweeper and rose through the ranks again. Even Dai Quan took a fancy to him and brought him into the Ceremony Directorate. From an ordinary court eunuch, he was slowly promoted to the head of the writing eunuchs.
"What can happen in the exam?"
Wang Hong smiled viciously and said, "It's nothing more than a fire, an epidemic, fraud … the exam has just started. The first two items shouldn't be so fast. I think there must be a case of fraud!"
"What?"
"What case of fraud?"
Dai Quan finally opened his mouth and said, "Who said there was a case of fraud?"
His faint tone carried a strong sense of majesty.
Wang Hong heard Dai Quan's displeasure. Although he felt that he had lost face, he did not dare to talk back to Dai Quan. He could only smile and say, "Didn't the exam just start? The head examiner has already entered the palace, right?"
"What?"
"You're quite well-informed. How did you find out why he entered the palace so quickly?
Dai Quan smiled benevolently, but his voice was so cold that it made people feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave. He said indifferently, "Did you plant someone by his side, or did he report it to you?"
"Yes."
The three eunuchs all lowered their heads. As the one who started the conversation, Wang Hong could only carefully smile and say, "Old Ancestor, we were just guessing because we were bored."
Planting someone by a second-rank court official's side, he was just a palace eunuch, not a Dongchang factory manager. He did not dare to bear this accusation.
And he could not bear the accusation of having an affair with a foreign official!
"Then keep your mouths shut!"
Dai Quan looked coldly at the three eunuchs and said mercilessly, "This is the Ceremony Directorate. Is this a place where you can talk nonsense!?
You are really becoming more and more unruly! "
"Yes."
The three of them did not care about their dignity as eunuchs and hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy, "We know we were wrong. Old Ancestor, please forgive us this time!"
Zhang Min also retreated to the side, as silent as a cicada in winter as she watched Dai Quan's anger.
Dai Quan said mercilessly, "Slap yourselves thirty times. If you do it again, you can go to the Disciplinary Department to learn the rules."
"Alright."
The three of them finally let out a sigh of relief. After thanking Dai Quan, they knelt down and slapped themselves, not daring to hold back.
Dai Quan sighed disappointedly and said, "You are all people of status. Logically speaking, I should not punish you like this, but you are really becoming more and more unruly!"
"Alright."
"Learn more from Yan Nian. Listen more and speak less. Be honest and prudent."
After saying this, Dai Quan did not look at them and asked Zhang Min to leave. He went to Yangxin Palace Hall to report to Emperor Wen Of Zhou that Chang Zhenggong had entered the Palace.
These words made Wang Hong and the other two eunuchs glare at Feng Zizhi, who was sitting calmly on the side and handling official documents.
Wang Hong and the other two eunuchs rarely shared a common enemy and ostracized Feng Zizhi, the new eunuch appointed by the Emperor.
There was only one piece of cake in the Ceremony Directorate. It was already very fierce for the three of them to fight over it. Now there was one more person to fight with them. How could they not ostracize Feng Zizhi?
Feng Zizhi turned a blind eye to the three jealous gazes. On the surface, he was casually handling official documents, but on the inside, he was laughing coldly.
The Crown Prince, Prince Jin, Jingtai, He Ziyu … he, Feng Zizhi, would not let a single one of the people who had harmed him go!
His thin lips curved into a cold arc, and his eyes were filled with a hatred that could never be dispelled.