Lamp Flower Smile

It was only one day in the autumn of Liang Dynasty, but the lawsuit about the dead man in the Gongyuan had already spread throughout the streets and alleys.

It is said that there was a poor Confucian scholar who lost his father in his early years and was dependent on his mother. The mother made a living by killing fish at a fish shop to support her son in his pursuit of fame. This son has a photographic memory and has put pen to paper. He was originally a top scholar, but he still failed to pass the exam after more than ten years. It wasn't until his mother passed away that the son got the news from nowhere. It turned out that many years of tribute work in Shengjing had been colluded by examiners from the Ministry of Rites and wealthy people, delaying his original fame!

The poor Confucian scholar was filled with grief and anger, so he drank poison and committed suicide in his dormitory. Before he died, he made a noise and alerted his superiors to conduct a thorough investigation. Only then did outsiders learn of the lawsuit.

But this Confucian scholar's life is over, and he will not be able to live in peace after his death. Officials from the Sentencing Court went to the Confucian scholar's home to conduct a search. When they met a neighbor from the street who came to help with the funeral arrangements, the two parties showed up and started fighting. Someone from the same year in the examination room had seen the dossier of this Confucian scholar’s ​​last performance of poetry. I don’t know who wrote the dossier on paper and scattered it everywhere on the street——

"It's a pity to be a Confucian who never tires of learning. His eyes are eager to study, and his hand is full of calluses when he is writing... No. 1 in the top ten. It is often difficult to become famous. Even if there are high-ranking officials, their temples have become silk..."

"It's pitiful to be young and strong, it's the right time to be poor and humble. My husband is old and sick, so how can I use wealth and honor for... I'm in a wealthy house, with a smelly baby in my body. She looks like a woman, with bright sorghum flesh..."

"Without a scroll in hand, without a military uniform on the body. In the twenty-first century, I have been granted a title, and my family has inherited the honors and seniority... When spring comes and the sun rises, how light and fat is it to serve as an emperor? In the morning, I will drink from the scholars, and in the evening, I will build a building..."

"Appraisal of titles to repay wine debts, heaping up gold to select moth eyebrows. Apart from the sensual appearance, the rest are ignorant... Mountain saplings and stream pine trees, the terrain is high and low. Since ancient times, there is nothing to do, and it is not the king who is the only one who is sad..."

Mountain saplings and stream pines, depending on the terrain!

This poem and poem were spread all over the place from Hanlin Academy to Rouge Alley overnight. In the Hualou Tea House on both sides of the Luoyue Bridge, the story and poem were made into opera excerpts and sung everywhere.

The officials of the Trial and Punishment Court want to arrest people, but the law does not punish everyone. Everyone is spreading the word and saying that they cannot arrest everyone in Shengjing at the same time - there are not enough cells in the Prison Department. Stay.

This poem was also sung in the palace.

The anger of scholars is inconspicuous alone, but together it is like a raging fire that is difficult to extinguish. Scholars from poor families in various academies gathered together to stop the censor's sedan chair in the street, and the censor's papers flew to the emperor's desk like snowflakes.

The emperor had already heard about the fraud in the imperial examination. Now that such a big scandal happened in the imperial examination, he felt humiliated and felt that he had been deceived and teased by his ministers. He was furious and ordered everyone to investigate the matter thoroughly. The minister of rites was immediately dismissed from his post and taken into custody. As I continued to investigate, I found the head of Fan Zhenglian, the detailed judge of the Criminal Court——

In Fan's mansion, everything was in chaos, and the maids and servants were crying together. Mrs. Zhao held Fan Zhenglian's arm tightly and said in panic: "Master, what is going on?"

The people who searched the house had arrived at the gate of the house, and King Ning personally ordered them to do it. There were still guests having a banquet in Fan Zhenglian's house, and the birds and beasts dispersed when he saw this scene.

The officers blocked the front and back doors and guarded them. The day before, Fan Zhenglian ordered his men to search Wu Xiucai's house in Miaokou to suppress the matter. However, in a short time, the position had been changed.

With his heart trembling, he approached Prince Ning who was doing the work and begged in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is..."

It's not yet to the point of ransacking your home, things can still turn around. Prince Ning was always a good old man, and when he heard this, he just consoled him gently: "Master Fan, don't be impatient. Your Majesty only asked Xiao Wang to check your family assets." While he ordered the people around him to check the accounts, he said to Fan Zhenglian: "It's just that Your Excellency must also go to the prison department with Xiao Wang. Don’t worry, Your Excellency, this is just a question. You have always been honest. Once the questioning is clear, I will definitely clear your name."

"Oh, by the way," King Ning remembered something again, "The Minister of Rites has pleaded guilty and is being held in prison. You are also temporarily detained, so there is no need to worry."

His voice was gentle, with a smile on it, but it was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and Fan Zhenglian was unable to recover for a long time.

The Minister of Rites has actually confessed his crime!

How could it be so fast?

He and the Minister of Rites have been colluding secretly over the years. Once the Minister of Rites gets in, how can he be alone? Also, why is it the Department of Prisons and not the Court of Trial and Punishment? Prince Ning said he was only detained, but the implication behind his words was that Fan Zhenglian’s good days were over!

He raised his head and vaguely saw a golden ladder in the void gradually shattering into a piece of dust, like a heavy coffin lid that hit his head hard.

"Master, master——"

Zhao's panicked cry came from behind.

Fan Zhenglian's eyes turned white and he fainted.

…

After a candidate at Shengjing Zigong College committed suicide by taking poison, new news came one after another.

First, it was discovered that the Minister of Rites was secretly colluding with the family of the Qiuwei examinee, and openly cheated on the exam in the Gongyuan. The Minister of Rites was imprisoned. Later, even the famous "Fan Qingtian" from Shengjing was also brought out.

It is said that Fan Qingtian, the detailed judge of the Court of Punishment, colluded with the Minister of Rites to enrich his own pockets through the Autumn Tribute Ceremony.

Fan Zhenglian had a good reputation in Shengjing. When the news came out, most people refused to believe it.

In the medical clinic, Du Changqing was moving in the wooden plaque outside the door. The sky was gloomy and it was going to rain.

He said, "Fan Qingtian, the person in charge of the prison, has reached out to the Gongyuan. He is quite capable." He then asked Lu Zhuo, "Didn't you go to his house to deliver medicine to his wife before? Why?" Didn’t you see that he was such a beast?”

Lu Tong said: "True incorruptibility has no reputation, and those who give it a reputation are greedy."

Du Changqing rolled his eyes: "I don't understand."

He put the wooden plaque on the cabinet, took a look at the felt curtain inside, and approached Lu Yan: "By the way, what happened to you and Rongrong?"

Lu Tong followed his gaze and saw that the felt curtain hung motionless between the courtyard and the inner shop. She pursed her lips and said nothing.

Xia Rongrong always avoids Lu Zhu these days.

When there were no patients in the hospital, Xia Rongrong would still do embroidery work in the shop and talk to Lu Zhuo by the way. These days, when Lu Zhuo was sitting in the restaurant, Xia Rongrong and his servant often ran outside. When they came back, it was already late, and they didn't talk to Lu Zhuo much.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she was avoiding Lu Yan, and even Du Changqing noticed it.

"Did you two quarrel?" Du Changqing looked at her suspiciously, "That's not right, you don't have the temper to quarrel with others."

Yin Zheng passed between the two of them, pushed Du Changqing aside, and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Du, please don't ask about my daughter's family's thoughts, you don't understand."

Du Changqing said "heh" and said, "I'm too lazy to ask." He greeted Acheng to go back, and before leaving, he told Lu Zhuo: "It will probably rain at night. Keep the doors and windows closed and be careful of the medicinal materials getting wet."

Lu Zhu agreed. After Du Changqing left, he closed the door of the hospital and returned to the hospital.

It was already time to turn on the lanterns, and it gets dark early in autumn. The lights were on in Xia Rongrong's master and servant's room, and a bit of yellow fell through the window on the stone floor in the courtyard.

Lu Zhen returned to his house.

Yin Zheng was rummaging through the box for the clothes Lu Zhuo would wear when going out tonight. Autumn in Shengjing came too early, and it seemed to get cold overnight. I haven't had time to make autumn clothes yet, but I feel that the old clothes in the cage are too thin.

Lu Tong stood in front of the small Buddha cabinet, facing the white porcelain Guanyin statue, looking for some incense and burning it.

In the dimness, the burning incense flickered like the eyes of a ghost in the grave. She inserted the incense into the niche cage.

Yin Zheng finally found a silk-colored cloak, unfolded it in front of the lamp and shook it a few times. Then she looked at the dark sky outside the window and sighed: "It's going to rain again."

Lu Chen stared at the Guanyin statue in front of him and spoke softly, whether to himself or to others: "Isn't it good to rain? It rains on the leaves of the phoenix tree in the middle of the night... I like rainy days best."

Yin Zheng was stunned for a moment, but Lu Chen turned around and picked up the cloak in her hand.

"Let's go."

…

The autumn rain at night is desolate.

The falling rain on the mountain weaves itself into a dense net between heaven and earth, covering the entire mountain top from top to bottom.

At the foot of Wangchun Mountain, someone was wearing a raincoat and walking on the muddy mountain road.

The cold wind blew on his face, stabbing like a knife. Liu Kun tightened his raincoat and his lips turned white due to the cold air in the mountains.

He didn't know why things turned out like this.

The whole family was still dreaming of "one skill, two talents", but overnight, their lives were turned upside down.

In the last scene of Qiu Wei, a student in the Gongyuan took poison and committed suicide. The commotion was so big that it attracted the attention of the court, and then it actually involved the scandal of collusion between the Ministry of Rites and the candidates to take the exam. All relevant persons were arrested and interrogated, including those in high positions.

Liu Kun couldn't understand why he was just a poor scholar. How could he create such a big battle and pull so many people off at the same time?

All the family's belongings, 1,600 taels of silver, which they had scrimped on, had been wasted. What was even more frightening was that Liu Zixian and Liu Zide were also taken away by the guards.

The case brought out the radish and the mud. Not only Liu Zide was arrested for taking the exam in the Gongyuan, but also Liu Zixian’s early Qiuwei results were found out. I heard that the account books of the Minister of Rites’ Mansion were found out, and I don’t know how many households there were. Bad luck.

Liu Kun didn't care about other families' misfortunes, he just wanted to save his sons.

Liu Kun originally wanted to ask Fan Zhenglian from the Criminal Trial Court for help. After all, Fan Zhenglian was the one who handled the matter of taking the exam. Unexpectedly, news came this afternoon that Fan Zhenglian had also been taken away.

Seeing that the situation was not good, his wife Wang Chunzhi became anxious and worried about her two sons. She rushed to the government office to plead for mercy, but was temporarily detained on the pretext of causing trouble.

Seeing this, those who used to compliment them immediately changed their faces and wished they could disassociate themselves from them immediately. Liu Kun couldn't find anyone to help him. Just when he was desperate, he received a letter.

The letter was jammed in the yard. He opened it and read it. It said simply that there was a way to rescue his two sons, but he had to come to the foot of Wangchun Mountain at midnight tonight. The other party wanted something. Leave it to him.

Liu Kun didn't know who wrote this letter. Now it was too late for everyone to avoid his family. His family had no other relatives in Shengjing. Liu Kun did not suspect that the Master had evil intentions. Now his whole family was imprisoned and they were in poverty and had nothing to gain from.

He only guessed that this letter might be a back-up left by Fan Zhenglian. How could such a big official like Fan Zhenglian be captured without any help? Someone must have prepared other escape routes in advance. You must know that between the two of them, there is another obscure backer that has never really shown up - the Grand Master's Mansion.

Thinking of this, Liu Kun's face turned a little red.

It must be like this, he thought silently in his mind several times, not knowing whether to convince others or himself.

With such random thoughts, the mountain road at his feet became increasingly muddy, and he found that at some point he had reached a large open space among shrubs and thorns.

No, it’s not right to say it’s an open space. There were countless earthen lumps bulging densely in the tangled grass, like countless silent figures in the darkness, staring at him coldly and strangely.

The raindrops hit him on the face, and Liu Kun suddenly shuddered and came back to his senses.

This is a mass grave.

Like a blow to the head, Liu Kun woke up completely.

How did he end up at the mass grave?

Looking at the cold graves everywhere, he suddenly felt a little afraid. He was about to leave when footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

Liu Kun was startled, turned around suddenly, and saw a snow-white shadow gradually coming from behind a raised grave not far away.

The shadow looked thin and light, blurry in the night rain, like an unreal painting floating in the air. Liu Kun felt that his legs were shaking, and his whole scalp began to feel numb.

Bai Ying stopped in front of him.

It was raining heavily, and a cold wind was blowing from the tangled grass. Occasionally, there was the low cry of unknown beasts in the distance. The earth from the graveyard was mixed with the fishy smell of corpses, which was particularly disgusting.

He didn't have the courage to look up at the monsters or ghosts on the opposite side. He only looked down at his toes. As he looked at them, he gradually realized something was wrong.

Under the weak light of Huozhezi, a long and strange shadow appeared.

shadow?

Do ghosts have shadows?

With this thought in his mind, he heard a rustling sound in front of him, so he bravely looked up.

As he got closer, he could see clearly that the white shadow was not a painting with fluttering hair, but a man wearing a silk-colored cloak. At this moment, the man lifted his hood, revealing a beautiful face.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, her eyes were furrowed, and a frosty white silk flower on her temples added a bit of sadness to her, and that sadness was also a bit pitiful.

It's a young woman.

Liu Kun was stunned for a moment. Before he could speak, the other party had already spoken: "You're here."

He was startled, then suddenly understood, and then a hint of joy appeared on his brows: "Are you the one who wrote to me?"

He said how could someone suddenly come to this barren mountain? It turned out to be someone arranged by Fan Zhenglian. Also, now that the officials are going around the city to pick up people, it would be safer to discuss and act in the mountains.

The woman nodded, looked at him again, and called: "Cousin."

Cousin?

Liu Kun was confused, what did this mean?

The mountain peaks in Wangchun are drenched in autumn rain, which casts a layer of clammy silence over the mass graves.

The woman sighed slightly: "It seems that my cousin doesn't remember."

"When you left Changwu County, you borrowed fifty taels of silver from my father, and I personally sent it to you."

Like a thunderbolt, it instantly illuminated the fog in Liu Kun's mind.

He suddenly looked at the person in front of him, with incomprehensible horror in his eyes.

"Are you a girl?"

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