Chapter 64 The Ten Great Villains

  Yang Ling hired a large cart, loaded everything onto it, and Zhang Yong, Liu Jin, and Ma Yongcheng, three older eunuchs, accompanied the crown prince and his attendants as they sat on the cart. The other younger ones had to humble themselves and follow behind the cart all the way to the street of the Protecting the Country Temple.

  Although Zhu Houzhao was reckless, he also worried that the news of the Crown Prince's private departure from the palace would spread to everyone, so on the way, he instructed Yang Ling and the eight tigers, saying that they were all attendants of the Crown Prince, anyway, ordinary people didn't know how many attendants there were around the Crown Prince. Today, going to the Yang family was to welcome colleagues to Beijing, specially buying gifts to send them off, several eunuchs responded with a yes.

  Young lady waited for Yang Ling to leave, only to feel a suffocating sensation in her chest. She ate something and found it hard to swallow, so she went to rest on the kang for a while. Then she sat up and practiced some qigong exercises, feeling much more comfortable in her chest. Just as she was catching her breath, the copper ring on the door moved, and she heard her husband calling from outside: "Young lady, come quickly to greet our guest..."

  Han Youniang was both surprised and delighted, "How is it that you've returned so early today, husband?" She hastily went out the door to greet him, only to see eight or nine men dressed in green robes and scholar's attire standing outside, each carrying a large quantity of items on their shoulders or in their hands. Yang Ling stepped forward with a smile and said, "Youniang, these gentlemen are all attendants of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, and they are my colleagues. They heard that I had just arrived in the capital and have brought gifts to pay their respects."

  Liu Jin, Gu Dayout and others listened and made a great effort to put on a smiling face, each nodding their heads and saying with a smile: "Yes, yes, we are all colleagues of Mr. Yang, and today we came to the mansion especially to pay our respects."

  These eight people have different levels of cultural background, some are called Mrs. Yang, and some are called Little Girl, Qiu Ju and Wei Bin are young, and they grew up in the palace since childhood, so they don't know how to address Young Lady, nor do they care if they are older or younger than Yang Ling, simply calling her Sister-in-law Yang.

  The young lady, hearing that they were colleagues in a public matter, did not dare to be slow and hastily welcomed them in. As soon as these people entered the house, they quickly put away the miscellaneous things bought by Zhu Houzhao, found a place to sit, and rubbed their arms and legs. The gifts they brought were varied, including stone windows with colored glaze, pickle jars, and gourds painted with the Eight Immortals, which were all placed in the house, filling the kang and floor everywhere.

  Zheng De stood behind the crowd, and finally stepped in through the door. He was also dressed as a young scholar, wearing a green robe, with a cloth wrapped around his head, holding half-eaten "hulu cake" in his hand. He jumped to Nongniang's side in a few steps, threw three strands of pearls and a package of high-quality Xuan paper onto the kang together, and smiled at Nongniang: "Nongniang sister, I'm here too".

  The young lady was taken aback, seeing that he was still young, and couldn't help but be surprised and curious: "Is this young scholar also someone by the prince's side?" She looked at the scholar and felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't recall when she had seen him before. Yang Ling hastily stepped forward and said: "This... ah, is also my colleague, does the lady remember that day at the Temple of National Protection when we saw the young master?"

  Han Youniang exclaimed in surprise and delight: "I remember, I remember! So the young master is also a study companion of the crown prince, please come in quickly!"

  The young lady, seeing that this young scholar was about the same age as her third brother, Muzhang, felt a sense of closeness and smiled at him: "Come in quickly and sit down, you are my husband's colleague, you should be calling me sister-in-law."

  Zhengde only had a younger brother who died young, and the many dragon sons and grandsons of the Zhu family were all driven out of the capital. Usually, he really hadn't called anyone "sister-in-law" before. He thought for a moment, feeling that having Rong'er as a sister-in-law wasn't bad either, so he happily changed his tone.

  The young lady smiled and agreed, just about to boil water for tea, Zhang Yong hurriedly stopped her, smiling: "Madam doesn't need to be polite, Yang Shidu will invite colleagues to the wine house for a drink later, we'll just sit at home for a while and leave".

  These people are really tired, but Zhengde is still full of energy, running around everywhere in the house. Seeing some things he had never seen before in the palace, he excitedly shouted "Auntie" with a loud quack. Yuanniang had been missing her hometown and relatives since she arrived in Beijing, Zhengde looked clever and mischievous, just like her younger brother Han Man Cang, so Yuanniang liked him very much and patiently explained things to him.

  Later, Zhu Houzhao saw the well in the yard again. He saw that there was a rope tied to the wooden pulley, and by turning the wooden bucket, he could draw up the sweet and clear well water. His playful heart suddenly arose. After listening to Nongnu's explanation of how to use it, seeing that Yang's water tank only had half a tank of water left, he immediately enthusiastically drew water from the well with one bucket after another and poured it into the water tank.

  Liu Jin and Zhang Yong, seeing the Crown Prince doing such rough work, couldn't help but rush over to assist. Zhu Houzhao was having so much fun that he refused to let go, only reluctantly stopping after filling all the water vats.

  Several eunuchs were standing by the well, frightened and worried that he would make another mistake. Seeing that he had finally stopped, they were afraid that he would come up with some new idea to cause trouble. They quickly took advantage of the opportunity to bid farewell to Young Lady and left the courtyard. Yang Ling deliberately fell behind, waiting for them to walk a little further before turning back to Young Lady and saying: "Young Lady, your complexion is not good, your cheeks are flushed, are you uncomfortable? Otherwise... I'll take you to see a doctor later."

  "Come on, my body is not that precious? Don't worry, husband, maybe I just have a cold stomach and feel a bit uncomfortable. I'll rest for a while and be fine. You go entertain the guests quickly, don't lose etiquette."

  She patted the dust off Yang Ling's shoulders and smiled: "The prince is really a strange person, some of his attendants are almost old enough to be grandfathers, while others are just small children. They must also be big shots in the imperial court, but I think none of them have as much dignity as Master does."

  "That's it!" Yang Ling puffed out his chest, turned around and took a look. Eight big eunuchs and one little kid, this historical figure with nine great evils, let's not mention his character for now, just looking at his appearance, he was the most majestic.

  He smiled at his beloved wife with great dignity and said, "Go back, rest if you're not feeling well, don't tidy up things for now. After a few more days, I'll buy a maid to serve you, and my young lady should also enjoy some happiness."

  The imperial examination, usually held in the second month of the second year of the provincial examination, is therefore called the spring trial. At that time, scholars from all over the country gathered in the capital to make a last-ditch effort, and the tragic scene was even more intense than the current college entrance examination where thousands of troops crossed a single-plank bridge. This year's spring trial was postponed until now due to the serious illness of Emperor Hongzhi last year, and the encounter with the Tartar invasion after the New Year, so it was delayed for a whole month.

  Today is the first day of the imperial examination, and the Ministry of Rites has to invite the emperor's edict, worship the blue sky, and pay respects to Confucius. There are many complicated rituals, so the exam time is not early. Now on the streets, there are groups of candidates hurrying to the examination hall.

  Zhu Houzhao saw those carrying bundles and holding writing instruments, and was momentarily curious, so he rushed to the Imperial Academy to watch the commotion. Yang Ling knew that he had not played enough, and certainly did not have the mind to do great things, so he could only accompany him with Liu Jin and others, swaying back and forth on their way to the Imperial Academy.

  Many cities of the Ming Dynasty have built academies, which are not only places for local students to study hard but also Confucius temples. The Confucius Temple in the capital is naturally the largest academy in the country. When Zhu Houzhao and others arrived at the academy, they saw that on the lintel above the gate, four large characters were written in gold: "Eternal Model for All Ages". Outside the moat, a stone bridge stood upright with a two-meter-high forbidden monument: "Civil and military officials dismount here."

  No matter how big the official is, once they arrive at the Imperial Academy, they have to get off their sedan chair or horse and enter on foot. When scholars become high-ranking officials, they will return to pay homage to Confucius, showing off their achievements in their hometown. As for military generals, even if they hold a first-rank official position and wield great power, as soon as they see the words "Imperial Academy" from afar, they will detour around it - there's no choice, the old scholars within the Imperial Academy have made up their minds that half of the Analects is enough to govern the world, and that morality and literature are unmatched in the world. Military men entering would be looked down upon.

  Although this academy is large, it still cannot accommodate all the examinees in the country. Now, three rows of wooden sheds have been added along the wall of the palace as examination rooms, surrounded by cloth tents and guarded by soldiers.

  When Zhu Houzhao arrived leisurely, the bell had already rung and the exam had begun. In front of the gate, apart from the families and servants of the candidates, there were also some vendors selling tea and snacks, but not a single candidate was in sight. Zhu Houzhao suddenly felt bored and saw a tea stall under a large locust tree, so he walked over and sat down. Liu Jin hastily called over a waiter to order tea, snacks, and melon seeds, and chatted idly with Zhu Houzhao under the tree.

  Yang Ling glanced at the sun, guessing it was around 10 o'clock in the morning. He had plenty of time to go to the Ministry of War, so he put his mind at ease. He said something to Zhu Houzhao and walked slowly westward along the pond, wanting to take a look at the scholars taking the eight-legged essay exam. However, the canopy was too tightly closed, and every few steps there was an official soldier guarding it. If anyone got a little closer, they would be loudly scolded. Yang Ling strolled around for a while without interest and was about to turn back when suddenly a scholar carrying a package rushed past him, hastily heading towards the examination room surrounded by the canopy. The scholar was sweating profusely, holding up his examination permit and anxiously saying: "Brother soldier, I'm late because of an unexpected event, and I also went to the wrong examination room. I'm a bit late, please be accommodating and let me in."

  Yang Ling curiously stopped in his tracks, turned around and looked back. At the entrance stood four soldiers, one of whom waved a small flag and said: "Can such an important matter as the imperial examination be delayed? If you're late, you'll have to wait another three years. We don't dare let you in."

  That scholar was so anxious that he was sweating all over, and while begging bitterly, he kept bowing: "Everyone, big brothers in the army, I have been studying hard for ten years without stopping, just for this moment. To be honest with you, big brothers, I was still studying until the third watch last night, but unfortunately, I met a rascal on the road who held me back and delayed my journey, please help me out."

  Yang Ling looked at the young man and saw that he was twenty-five or six years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, dark skin, tall and thin build, wearing a green shirt, empty and hollow like a bamboo pole.

  This man said, putting his hand into his sleeve and taking out all the silver he had hidden on his body, and stuffing it into the soldier's hands in one lump, with a smile: "Brother soldiers, please be lenient, great kindness, students will never forget".

  That soldier saw that he had over ten taels of silver, and his eyes immediately showed a greedy expression. However, this examination was heavily guarded with layers of checkpoints, and even if he passed this checkpoint, he couldn't enter the examination hall. As a mere soldier, he didn't have the authority to send him in. He could only regretfully return the silver to the scholar's arms, shook his head, and remained silent.

  That scholar saw this scene, anxious to the point of sweating profusely, himself seemingly unaware, didn't even bother to wipe it off, still holding that small flag and continuously pleading. The other soldiers saw him refusing to leave, all loudly scolding him, an official from the Ministry of Rites heard the noise and walked out, his sleeves fluttering, coldly rebuking: "Who is making a ruckus at the gate?"

  That official from the Ministry of Rites was just a minor official, an outer lang of the Ministry of Rites, but in his desperation, he didn't care anymore. He fell to his knees with a thud and cried out loudly: "Sir, save me! Sir, save me! I'm late because of some reason and can't enter the examination hall, please sir, have mercy on me and let me go in!" As he spoke, the candidate knocked his head against the ground like a pestle, making a loud thudding sound. Yang Ling was initially unmoved, but when he heard the knocking sound, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

  The official from the Ministry of Rites, Bai Yan, raised an eyebrow and said coldly: "The imperial court holds examinations to select talented individuals who can serve the country. If you can't even arrive on time for such a major event as the imperial examination, how can someone like you become an official in the imperial court? Go back and study the classics for a few more years."

  The candidate heard the voice and choked, fell to the ground and couldn't get up, constantly knocking his head, and couldn't even make a sound of begging. Yang Ling saw it and couldn't bear it, and persuaded: "This gentleman, he was late for only one quarter of an hour, there is no possibility of leaking questions or cheating, why not let him in? You are also a scholar, you should know how hard it is to study."

  The official from the Ministry of Rites sneered and glanced at him with a slanted gaze, saying disdainfully: "Who are you?"

  Yang Ling said: "I, Yang Ling, am also a scholar. For scholars, the only way to make a name for themselves after a lifetime of hard work is through the imperial examination. It concerns one's entire future, so please, sir, show some mercy and help me."

  The official from the Ministry of Rites let out a snort and said in an ambiguous tone, "What kind of place is the imperial examination venue? What kind of important matter is the imperial examination? Such a sacred and solemn affair, how can it tolerate personal favoritism?"

  Yang Ling saw his disgusted face, and suddenly thought of Zhang Hao's jade token from "The Three-Step Promotion" that Wei Zhongxian sent into the examination hall. His heart moved, as everyone said that the imperial guards were powerful and everyone was wary, he didn't know if this token would work. Seeing no familiar faces around him, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out the jade token, holding it up in front of the Ministry of Rites official, smiling: "Sir, since the imperial examination is a top priority in life, please be slightly more accommodating, it will be greatly appreciated."

  The Ministry of Rites' outer attendant, upon seeing the flying fish token in Yang Ling's hand, suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Eight or nine out of ten of the Imperial Guards roaming freely in the capital were those bloodthirsty devils from the Northern Pacification Commission. Even an ordinary captain from this department would be enough to make him drink a pot, let alone someone with a jade token in their eye, who must be a high-ranking officer among the Imperial Guards.

  When did the Imperial Guards start to interfere with the imperial examinations? They are also military personnel, and they usually detest coming to places like this academy. Could it be... that the Emperor has secretly ordered the Imperial Guards to investigate? A slight delay is not a big deal that can't be compromised, but if this person were to slander me in front of His Majesty, saying that I intentionally made things difficult for the scholars...

  At this time, the Ministry of Rites' staff member's face was also covered in sweat, and he stuttered: "Lord Yang, just now I didn't know your identity, I was rude, really rude. If you have one word, what can't be done? I will personally send this candidate to take the exam immediately, please rest assured."

  That tall and thin scholar had been kneeling at the door, looking up with his face to listen to the two men talking. As soon as he heard this remark, he was overjoyed and hastily kowtowed and bowed, saying: "Thank you, Lord Yang, thank you, Examiner."

  Although he didn't know what brand of cigarette Yang Ling was smoking, seeing how young he was had already made the examiner change color, he must be a high-ranking official.

  Yang Ling bowed to the examiner and said, "Thank you very much," then smiled at the candidate and said, "It's hard to get in, but it's even harder to top the list. Whether or not you can leap over the dragon gate depends on your own abilities."

  He did a good deed and was extremely pleased in his heart, walking lightly towards the main gate of the Imperial Academy. The Ministry of Rites official let out a sigh of relief and said to the candidate with lingering fear: "Hurry up, hurry up, I'll send you into the examination hall right away."

  "Yes, yes, thank you, Your Honor," the scholar said with tears streaming down his face as he stood up. He turned around and saw Yang Ling about to turn the corner of the curtain, and hastily spoke in a choked voice, "The kindness of helping me, Yang sir, student Yan Song will never dare to forget for this life!"

  Yang Ling had just turned over the curtain and heard this sentence. His foot stumbled and almost fell into the river with a thud.