The queen must start from the head

Chapter 99 The Battle of the Temple
At midnight, a drunken middle-aged man emerged from a tavern in the imperial city.

He opened his eyes in a trance and couldn't see the road, and walked holding on to the wall, humming a tune in his mouth, "I miss you Wang Ergou. If you have nothing to do, drink some wine. Play Pai Gow when you are free. May everything go smoothly in your life." Not everyone can have it...".

Wang Ergou was heading for his own home. In order to take shortcuts, he had to walk some quiet and narrow alleys.

As he walked, he found that something seemed to be blocking his front. Just as he was looking up in a daze, a few big knives surrounding him with shining silver light suddenly woke him up.

"How many, how many good men, do you want some money to buy drinks?" His usually slippery tongue seemed to be knotted at this time. His right hand trembled and he untied the money bag from his waist, and then held it respectfully with both hands. Offer.

Among the five men in black around him, no one reached out to take the money bag.

A few drops of cold sweat flowed silently down Wang Ergou's forehead. He was already terrified. These uncles with knives didn't even want money. Maybe they wanted his life. ?
Before he could think too much, one of them tapped the back of the knife with his hand and said, "There is a saint who lives in the western suburbs of the imperial city. Do you know that?"

Seeing the other party's question, he nodded repeatedly, "I know, Mu Sheng, all the people in Northern Qi know about it."

"Then if I ask you to use your old profession to write a book to throw dirty water on this Prophet, will you do it?"

"This..." Just as Wang Ergou's eyeballs started to roll, a flash of saber flashed, and the pants on his lower body fell to the ground immediately.

"Don't try to fool people, just say do it or not?"

Feeling the coldness of his lower body, Wang Ergou put on a bitter face with a smile uglier than crying, and said, "I will do it, I will do it, gentlemen, if you have any request, I will do it."

At this time, a man in black asked his companion, "Brother, have you read what this man wrote? How is his skill? Can he really tarnish Na Mulian's reputation?"

The elder brother in black nodded and said, "Since I have found him, I am sure of it. Before Mu Lian was consecrated, there were many big figures in the imperial city secretly carrying out a 'Mu Lian plan' in private. Splashing dirty water on Mulian, tarnishing her reputation, and making her detested and ridiculed by the people of the world is one step in this plan. At that time, the person in charge of doing this was the one in front of us."

Hearing this, Wang Ergou laughed dryly and said, "What's the 'Miemu Plan'? That's the business of a big man, what has it to do with a small man like me...".

Before he finished speaking, an irritable man in black put a knife on his neck and asked in a low voice, "Brother, he said that he was not the one who poured dirty water on Mu Lian. Are we going to find him?" Wrong person? Do you want to..."

Hearing this, the elder brother in black also looked at Wang Ergou suspiciously, and said to himself, "Is it really a mistake? Forget it, what we are going to do must not be leaked. Since we made a mistake People, then make him..." Before he could say the word "drop" at the end, Wang Ergou, who felt his neck had been slashed, was already pale with fright.

He quickly interrupted the other person's words and said, "It's me! That person is me! I was the one who slandered Mu Lian's reputation in the first place!"

He was so eager to admit it, but the person who put the knife on his neck didn't believe it. He only heard the latter say in a vicious voice, "Who knows if you are greedy for life and afraid of death now, and confessed under a false name? Tell me carefully, when you How did you pour dirty water on people!"

Wang Ergou found that the knife on his neck seemed to be a little deeper, and his intestines were almost green with regret.If I knew that he had admitted it from the beginning, why should I doubt the origin of these people?Now I have to speak with a knife to my neck, alas!

Next, Wang Ergou told the whole story of how he poured dirty water on Mu Lian. It was nothing more than writing articles about the other party's background and women's virtues, exhausting all kinds of imagination and slandering him.

Some of the things said in the middle were vague, and some of the men in black were cautious, and they insisted on asking him where the source of some real news came from, otherwise he would not accept it.

To say one thing is to say, to say two things is to say that there are too many lice and it is not ticklish, Wang Ergou simply poured out all the things he knows, and even which bookstores in the imperial city publish his writings. The book, and the amount of the embellishment fee is clearly explained.

When Wang Ergou finished talking dryly, the five men in black looked at each other and smiled, knowing that what the headmaster explained this time had been completed.

Immediately afterwards, one of them knocked Wang Ergou unconscious and held him under his arm. The five of them drove along a hidden path under the moonlight.After confirming that no one was following them, these five people quietly entered the western suburbs, and after a flash of ripples somewhere in the Wushuang faction, their figures disappeared completely.

The next morning, the sun rose as usual.

The children of rich families may still be sleeping soundly on their beds, while the poor families have begun a busy day. In the palace of Northern Qi, today's morning dynasty has already begun.

"...Since the Song Kingdom retreated, our 30-strong Northern Qi army has also completed its retreat, and there has been no movement along the border."

"Okay, order the border guards to strictly guard the pass. If there is any change in the neighboring country, report it immediately."

"Your Majesty Qizuo, this year's cold winter has come, and the Ministry of Households has calculated the inventory of grain warehouses in various places, and found that the gap in food and payment collected due to the war with the Song Dynasty this summer has not been filled. Once there is a food shortage in a food shortage area, I am afraid it will cause public resentment. I implore Your Majesty to allocate official rations to replenish the granaries of cities that lack food."

Li Tianming, who was sitting on the throne, after listening to the report from the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, nodded in agreement and said, "This is a plan for the Qing family to prepare for a rainy day. It is related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. I am ready to report it."

After the Hubu Shangshu retired, no one played for the time being, and the neatly lined up civil and military officials fell into a moment of silence.

The monarch looked around at the ministers under him, and asked slowly, "Is the Minister of Rites here?"

As soon as the words fell, a civil servant in a navy blue official robe came out of the crowd with a jade wat in his hand.

"Report to Your Majesty, the minister is here."

"I ask you, now that the provincial examinations in various parts of Fucheng have already ended, why hasn't the list of scientific examinations for the February examination next year been announced?"

It is the country's major plan to select talents through the imperial examination.Therefore, as soon as the monarch asked this question, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites kowtowed in fear, "It is true that the admission list for the scientific examination has been released, but it has not been reported to His Majesty, but there is a reason for the incident, and I hope His Majesty will allow you to report it."

"I will listen to you, my widow."

"This..." There was hesitation in the letter of the Ministry of Rites. He turned his face slightly and glanced at the prime minister standing in front of him on the right. Things have nothing to do with themselves.

"This is because the officials have not been able to make a decision on the choice of one person on the list, so they dare not report the list to His Majesty."

"Oh, who is it?"

"Return to Your Majesty, it is Mu Sheng."

Mu Sheng is Mu Lian.When all the civil and military officials present heard the name, they seemed to explode and began to talk about it.

A military officer was very surprised and asked a civil servant next to him, "When did this Mu Sheng take the imperial examination? Is he still on the list?"

He only heard the other party reply in displeasure, "Should have taken the exam at the Zhennan City Tribute Academy in August this year, and even took the additional exam for the Hundred Arts newly added by His Majesty. I heard that he got the leader of the Twelve Arts. Lord Shang The list mentioned may refer to this."

"I see." The military officer nodded like a chicken pecking rice.Although Mu Sheng is a daughter, in terms of martial arts cultivation, she is already one of the top people in the Northern Qi Kingdom. I don't think she can also make achievements in the arts. It is really amazing!
"Cough cough", at the top, after the monarch coughed a few times, the people below quickly understood, and everyone became quiet.

I only heard the monarch say, "Mu Sheng went to Zhennan City to take part in the rural examination, which was agreed by my widow. I also know that Mu Sheng won the top of the Twelve Dao Arts, but I don't know how Mu Sheng is ranked on the list? "

Because the time when Qiu Wei releases the list is the season of golden osmanthus fragrance, this list is also called Guibang.

Hearing this, many people perked up their ears curiously, waiting for the next words from Minister of Rites.

"Mu Sheng, she, her high school Jieyuan, is the top of the list!" The Minister of Rites, who was kneeling on the ground, was cruel, closed his eyes, and finally said what was in his mouth.

There was another uproar in the court hall.

Many civil officials in the DPRK were all pale, and some people who had heard the news were expressionless at this moment, and Prime Minister Bi Yingbi, who was the leader of the literary world and the pillar of the literati, still stood at the front of the crowd with an old god.

Military officers reacted differently.There were those who admired Mu Sheng's both civil and military skills, some who were sneering at the civil society, and some who had a keen sense of smell. They faintly felt that what was said in the court today might cause an unexpected uproar.

It turned out to be the top of the list?
Li Tianming was also taken aback.Although others didn't know about it, he knew very well that Mu Lian had encountered all kinds of difficulties during the exams at the Zhennan City Gongyuan.It stands to reason that the chief examiner who reviewed the examination papers could not have allowed Mu Lian's examination papers to pass the primary selection, so why did he become the top of the list?

At the beginning, Mu Lian participated in three exams, and each of them used tricks, so the monarch had no way of knowing.However, right now he is standing on the same boat as this Mu Sheng, and there is absolutely no reason to cheat his teammates.

After he figured this out, he asked the Minister of Rites to get up and told him that since the list had already been released, he could just order all the prefectures and cities to announce the candidates for the list according to the information on the list.

Minister of Rites promised to step down and return to his original position, heaving a sigh of relief.

At this time, Prime Minister Bi Ying suddenly came out and bowed to the monarch, "Qizou Your Majesty, I want to impeach Mr. Shuqu, Minister of the Ministry of Rites! As we all know, since the founding of the Northern Qi Dynasty, no woman has ever been able to take the imperial examination." , let alone top the list! A woman in Mu Lian district, who is only in her twenties, how could she write Xie Yuangong's splendid essays? I have reason to suspect that some people played favoritism and cheated in the matter of Mu Lian winning the first place! My lord is so blinded by his interests, I am afraid that he is also involved in it! I ask your Majesty to investigate this matter strictly and set the court order!"

"You, you are just spitting blood!"

Mr. Qu, the Minister of Rites who had just returned to the queue, was sued by the prime minister when he was cold on the back.In a fit of anger, he jumped out directly, ignoring court etiquette, pointing his finger at the head of the officials angrily.

Hearing the prime minister's words, the monarch's expression was not good. Just after he said that Mu Lian had agreed to take the imperial examination, the prime minister jumped out and said that he did not follow the rules.The meaning in the other party's words was obviously aimed at the Minister of Rites, but in fact the point of the words was aimed at him, the monarch.

The fact that Mu Lian won the first prize made him a little bit hard to get off the horse for a while.

　certain day meeting

　　The King: A vicious murder of a doctor occurred this month. What do you think?
　　A civil official: The living are more important than the dead. The top priority is to take good care of the 95-year-old mother patient, comfort the emotions of the patient’s family, and stability above everything else...

　　A military officer: As you said, the doctor's life is not life?Today a person surnamed Sun can kill a doctor, and tomorrow a person surnamed Wang can kill a doctor, so who wants to be a doctor?I want you to work with your head on your belt every day, will you?
　　A civil servant snorted coldly: Vulgar!

　　Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice: The nature of this case is heinous, and the crime must be severely punished!

　　The Minister of Rites said: "The murderer, Mr. Sun, has an extraordinary background, and may be involved in a wide range of circumstances. This matter still needs to be discussed in the long run."

　　The prime minister finally said: I heard that this doctor was kind-hearted and loved by patients, but now he passed away unfortunately, which is embarrassing.

　　The prime minister didn't mention how to deal with it in his words, he just wanted to be a peacemaker.

　　When this matter reached Mu Lian's ears, the latter waved his hand and said, "It is only right to kill someone to pay for their life! Get my Sunset Knife!"

　　A certain grass has a feeling today:

　　There are often injustices in the world. If the matter is not related to you, you will hang up on it. When the disaster falls on your own head, how will you deal with yourself?
　　If there is any injustice in the world, he will beheaded with a knife and drunk. —— Gu Long

　　
　
(End of this chapter)