In the imperial capital in May, the green leaves are shady and full of flowers, the locust trees on both sides of the Chunming Avenue of the Imperial City Gate are blooming, and clusters of small white flowers are dotted among the green leaves, and the fragrance is intoxicating.

In front of the Suzaku Gate, a team of samurai in bright armor with long halberds guarded in front of the entrance, and it was the turn of the left guard to be on duty today. Gan Qingfeng is the team leader, as a six-rank Zhenwu lieutenant, he doesn't have to stand a "wooden stake" like these ordinary soldiers, holding the sword at his waist, Gan Qingfeng walked back and forth in front of the Suzaku Gate, and the bright light armor on his body shone in the sun, making him feel majestic and majestic.

The Gan family is also a member of the gate, the ancestors followed the ancestor to fight the world, and was also sealed as a marquis, after more than ten generations of titles have long been reduced, fortunately, the friendship accumulated over the years is still there, at the age of twenty, the shadow made up for the left prison guard Ren Halberd (under the ninth grade), mixed for twenty years to the Zhenwu captain from the sixth grade. Although he was born in Jiangmen, Gan Qingfeng can't endure hardship, and his martial arts are scarce, but fortunately, he was born with a good appearance, and he is dignified in front of the palace.

Gan Qingfeng stood in the shade and glanced at the samurai who were being exposed to the sun, secretly proud in his heart, and waited for the noon to change errands, and found a few friends in the camp to gather together, his eldest son is also in his early twenties, it is not a matter of wandering all day, find a way to let him also make up for the sixteen guards, and take a piece of Ansheng silver to support the family.

There were a lot of testers wearing green shirts on Chunming Avenue, Gan Qingfeng didn't care, the imperial list just released yesterday, it is estimated that these people are all exam-takers, take a look at the majestic imperial city before returning home, and brag to the villagers after going back. Gan Qingfeng held the sword majestically, walked in the sun, and stood in a majestic landscape.

The crowd gathered in front of the Suzaku Gate, a large number of green shirts looked tragic in the sun, Ma Yuanxiang followed in the crowd, both excited, uneasy, angry, anxious, Ye Zi held his own handwritten "Sue the Son of Heaven Will Try to Be Unfair", and collected more than 1,000 signatures in just one night. Looking back at the dense green shirts behind him, Ye Zi's heart was full of the heroism of "daring to be the first in the world".

Gan Qingfeng found that something was wrong, what were so many scholars doing before they came to the imperial city, not to mention that he had never seen such a scene in twenty years, and the rumors said by his predecessors flashed in his mind, are these people ready to knock. Gan Qingfeng was frightened into a cold sweat, and ordered loudly: "Stop them, don't go any further." ”

The warriors formed a human wall, blocking in front of the scholars, Ye Zi immediately knelt down, held up the "Tell the Son of Heaven to Test Unfairness" with both hands, and shouted loudly: "Fangzhou Shizi Ye Zi, lead the world to raise the son to the Son of Heaven, sue the examiner for favoritism and unfairness, please submit this essay to the Son of Heaven." ”

Gan Qingfeng was stupid, he didn't know what to do with the sparse text held high, and said in a panic: "You are so bold, you want to sue and go to Dali Temple, or Jingzhao Mansion, this is the imperial city, if there is a collision, it will be a rebellion, I advise you to retreat quickly, so as not to be out of control." ”

Seeing that the gatekeeper in front of him refused to pass the word for him, Ye Zi turned around and hurriedly said, "Which one is going to beat the Dengwen drum and let the Son of Heaven know." ”

Ma Yuanxiang knelt not far behind Ye Zi, stood up when he heard the words, and shouted, "I'll go." He strode towards the Dengwen drum on the left. Gan Qingfeng is in a hurry, the sound of the drums indicates that something big has happened, no matter what the Son of Heaven is doing, he will go to the court, this drums have sounded except for the rebellion of the Yuan Tianjiao, and it has been like a fictitious shape for more than 50 years, but I didn't expect it to be sounded today.

Gan Qingfeng took out his sword and stopped in front of Ma Yuanxiang, and shouted: "Bold and crazy, you actually dare to beat the Dengwen drum indiscriminately, I think you are dying, and you don't retreat quickly." ”

Ma Yuanxiang was already enthusiastic at this moment, and responded loudly: "Gaozu once said: 'There are people who have a hug and a drum to sue in the court', which is recorded in the "Da Zheng Law", do you want to resist the decree? ”

Hoarse, Gan Qingfeng was frightened by Ma Yuanxiang's momentum and took a step back and got out of the way. Ma Yuanxiang strode to the Dengwen drum, picked up the drumstick, and struck the drum with all his strength. The sound of "dong dong" resounded through the heavens and the earth, echoing over the solemn palace.

Seeing countless frightened soldiers pouring out of the imperial city, Ma Yuanxiang threw away the drumstick in his hand and thought to himself: "Even if you die, it can be regarded as earth-shattering." ”

When the drum sounded, Shi Fang really discussed political affairs with several important ministers in the Zichen Palace, and was stunned when he heard the sound, and asked Liu Weiguo beside him: "Where is this drum?" ”

Liu Weiguo's face turned pale with fright, and he knelt down and played: "It's Dengwen Drum." ”

Dengwen drum is easy not to sound, every time it sounds, something big will happen, or the death of the prince, or the siege of foreign enemies, of course, there may be people who have great grievances that cannot be redressed, and can only be stated to the Son of Heaven. However, no one has ever used this kind of Chen injustice, because he has to choose to beat thirty sticks to kill the stick, and if he can go to Dali Temple to avenge his grievances, he will never come here to beat the drum.

Shi Fangzhen was in a panic and rushed to the Xuanzheng Hall with the two prime ministers, the six Shangshu and Jiuqingqing, and the officials of the yamen who heard the drums also rushed in panic, and everyone stood in the court hall and discussed. When the Son of Heaven was approaching, everyone lined up under the command of the imperial history in the palace, knelt down on the mountain and shouted long live.

"What's the matter with the drum?" Shi Fangzhen asked in horror.

At this time, Gan Qingfeng had already been taken outside the hall, and when he heard the Son of Heaven asking, the imperial history in the palace motioned for him to step forward and answer. Gan Qingfeng patrolled outside the Golden Palace, stood for countless days and nights, but never entered the Golden Palace, and when he walked into the main hall, there seemed to be a heavy pressure on him who couldn't straighten his waist, knelt on the ground and crawled forward to the bottom of the steps, and said in a trembling voice: "Long live Qiqi, there are hundreds of scholars outside the Suzaku Gate knocking, saying that it will be unfair to try, please long live you are the master." ”

On the side, the imperial historian presented Ye Zi's "Sue the Son of Heaven for Trying to Be Unfair" to Liu Weiguo, who walked down the steps, and Liu Weiguo held it in both hands and put it on the bookcase. Shi Fang Zhenchang breathed a sigh of relief, and was secretly annoyed in his heart, how could this gatekeeper be, he directly took the sparse text and reported himself, how could he beat the Dengwen drum and make a false alarm.

glared at Gan Qingfeng, who was lying on the ground, angrily, scolded "straw bag" in his heart, and began to read carefully, "...... Plug the road of the Son of Heaven, change the court public weapons for private property, the children of the Han Shu have no way to enter, and over time, the court is full of children of the family, and the will of the Son of Heaven does not come out of the imperial city......"

Seeing this, Shi Fangzhen's heart was stabbed, and he went all out to suppress the family because the family was powerful and influenced the government, and the authority of the Son of Heaven was challenged. Slamming the table heavily, Shi Fangzhen issued an order: "Ten leading people will be selected to go to the temple, and the decree will be summoned to the chief and deputy examiners of the current examination and the same examiner, and all other officials will wait outside the hall." The Ministry of Rites carried the examination papers of the Gongshi in the present Kede to the outside of the hall for future examination, and the examination papers of the other scholars were also prepared. ”

A series of wills were passed down, and the scholars kneeling outside the Suzaku Gate were the first to get the news, and the ten people led by Ye Zi and Ma Yuanxiang entered the Xuanzheng Hall with the eunuchs who passed the decree.

Shi Fangzhen looked at the kneeling scholar at the bottom of the stairs, he didn't make a sound for a long time, he was a little unhappy in his heart, a scholar should talk about the rules, even if he encounters injustice, he must act according to the law, so fanfare to beat the drum and knock on the palace door, he is not a humble gentleman.

Signaling to Liu Weiguo beside him, Liu Weiguo preached loudly: "You and the other scholars will report their names one by one, and any grievances will be narrated by the person who took the lead." ”

Ye Zi and the others reported their names one by one, Shi Fangzhen frowned when he heard "Huazhou Ma Yuanxiang", this crazy student is really a troublemaker, and he is indispensable everywhere.

When the drums sounded, Xuanyangfang Zhoufu, Zhou Chucun was receiving the Gongshi of Jidi, and he recommended twenty test papers to select eighteen people, and these eighteen people made an appointment to meet him, the master of the house. Sixty thousand taels of silver tickets have been put into their arms last night, and today these people came to make up two thousand taels of silver and some gifts, which is the proper meaning, and the imperial history knows that it will not be blamed. There are shelves of room masters everywhere, and Wen Yan comforts these protégés to serve the country and serve the country loyally, and wishes them good results in the palace examination.

The drum sound "dong dong" sounded, everyone was stunned, this drum was different from the closed drum at night, and it was the beginning of the year, what drum was beating outside? Zhou Chucun put on a calm attitude, still talking with his protégé in a warm spring, but he was a little apprehensive in his heart, and after a while, the housekeeper Zhou Qiang hurriedly rushed in and whispered a few words in his ear.

There was a startled "ah" sound everywhere, the tea cup was spilled, and the tea fell on the placket and flowed. The protégés didn't know why, so they stood up in shock, and Zhou Chucun calmed down, stood up and said: "Everyone, please go back, there is something in the court, Zhou is afraid that he will go to the court, and Zhou will celebrate you after the palace tries." ”

After sending those protégés away, Zhou Chucun asked Zhou Qiang in horror: "How many people knocked, and how did Banzai deal with it?" ”

Zhou Qiang only inquired about it, and replied vaguely: "There are three or four hundred people outside the Suzaku Gate, I heard that there was a petition handed to the Son of Heaven, and after the drum sounded, the test children everywhere rushed to hear the sound, and there should be more people at this moment." ”

Zhou Cun is really panicked, if the fraud in the imperial examination is verified by the Son of Heaven, the head is not allowed to fall to the ground, even if his life is saved, I am afraid that it will be difficult to protect the official body, what can I do? Hide the money first? Let parents, wives and children avoid trouble first? Or do you want to consult with a colleague who can take the test? Or go looking for the prince?

In the house like a hen to lay eggs, the father-in-law who has not yet made up his mind to pass the decree outside the door has arrived, and he has a heart everywhere, and he has to see the opportunity to act, but fortunately, there are still the main and deputy examiners in front, and he only brought six people, which is lighter than the sin of those who entrainment ten people, I hope that the prince can come forward to protect himself.

Coming to the outside of the Xuanzheng Palace, there is a palace in the palace where the imperial history is introduced, Ma Suizhen, He Yingjie and most of the same examiners have arrived, and everyone is crowded in the corner of the hall to wait. didn't care about saluting, and listened to Ye Zi in the main hall complaining bitterly about the examiner's personal fraud, "...... Accepting bribes, those with high power and high prices get it, and the people heard that they can get more than 10,000 taels of silver for a tribute examiner, and even 30,000 or 50,000 taels, and these 388 tributes don't know how many silver taels were exchanged by the examiner......"

Zhou Cuncun's head roared, the incident happened, how to end?