The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

Huang Jingtong, Duan Jingzong, Zhen Zhiyang and some officials from the Ministry of Rites were exchanging pleasantries when someone from outside came in with a message:

"Your Excellency, there has been a problem with the Jinshi parade. The first-place winner of the second class has been thrown off his horse, and we don't know what happened yet."

"what?!"

Huang Jingtong exclaimed, "What's going on? I haven't heard of a Jinshi being paraded through the streets and losing his horse in hundreds of years."

Duan Jingzong didn't react at all. He must have heard correctly, Jing'an was exposed! !

This was a serious matter. If something happened, their Ministry of Rites would not be able to escape responsibility, so everyone rushed to the scene.

When Duan Jingzong arrived, he saw his fourth brother lying there. He was shocked. When he got closer, he was relieved to find that he was fine.

"Jing'an, are you okay?"

Duan Jing'an had been trying hard not to appear vulnerable, but when he saw his elder brother coming, he suddenly felt that he had someone to rely on.

"Brother, I..."

Duan Jing'an's eyes were filled with tears and his voice was choked.

"Brother, I have brought shame to the Bo family."

It was a huge joke that the current Jinshi fell off his horse in the street.

Duan Jingzong looked at the young man in front of him. He was wearing the robes of a Jinshi scholar. The golden branch and nine-leaf crown on his head had fallen off at some point, and a few strands of hair were loose. He looked very disheveled.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You have brought honor to the Bo Mansion. You are the most outstanding son of the Duan family. The Duan family is proud of you."

Duan Jingzong smoothed his loose hair back up and spoke to Duan Jingan seriously and solemnly.

All the pressure, tension, hardship, joy, complacency and fear that Duan Jing'an had experienced in recent days turned to ashes at this moment.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she held her brother's hands tightly, but a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Huang Jingtong, who was standing by, was relieved to see that the man was fine. After a careful interrogation, he found out the truth.

I thought it was already mysterious that a Jinshi fell off his horse, but I didn't expect that he was kicked off by a fellow Jinshi. Huang Jingtong was speechless for a moment.

You say you are a Jinshi, what are you upset about? Go and kick someone's horse's butt.

This matter cannot be resolved peacefully. They are all disciples of the emperor, and we have to report to the emperor.

But... throwing mud at the jade bottle did damage it.

It's a pity that such a thing happened when I should have been enjoying great success.

When the King of Chu heard this for the first time, he thought he was deaf and didn't hear it clearly.

The guy he was optimistic about was ambushed and fell off his horse?

The Emperor of Chu was so angry that he started laughing.

If it was someone else who kicked someone, the Emperor of Chu might not have remembered him, but the article that Right Prime Minister Zhao Shihai first read was written by this person. The reason why the Emperor of Chu was so impressed was because this person's writing was full of ornate and decorative words, which were useless.

This person's name was Zhao Lin. Yes, both of them had the surname Zhao. This Zhao Lin was a nephew of a branch of the Zhao family. If Zhao Lin's essay had not been so disgusting, the Emperor of Chu would not have turned his back on the Right Prime Minister and would have just given him a place in the imperial examination.

But the King of Chu really couldn't stand reading that article, it was full of flattery.

Now the eldest prince's power is growing stronger and stronger. He watches coldly and now he dares to interfere in the imperial examination.

"What does he mean by this, huh? Is he dissatisfied with the ranking I chose?"

Eunuch Xiao, who was standing by, was frightened when he saw the emperor's anger. The emperor had been angry countless times recently because of the matter of the right prime minister.

"Is he planning a rebellion now? He can appoint anyone he wants as the imperial examiner, and anyone he wants as the top scholar. So, whoever he wants to sit under me can be the top scholar!!"

Eunuch Xiao quickly knelt down and begged His Majesty to calm down. He naturally knew who the "he" the Emperor of Chu was referring to. The Right Prime Minister, Zhang Quan, had been taking on tasks over the years, constantly expanding the Crown Prince's influence and recruiting talented individuals, all of which the Emperor of Chu had observed.

The Emperor of Chu was furious and slammed the table, shouting, "This is outrageous! This is outrageous! I declare: This boy is jealous, disrespectful to his superiors, arrogant, and disregards the friendship of his fellow disciples. He maliciously harms others. I strip him of his Jinshi crown and cap, and I will never employ him again."

Eunuch Xiao replied tremblingly, "As you wish."

He secretly complained in his heart, how could Zhao Lin be so foolish as to dare to offend others? If he had been dissatisfied and found fault afterwards, he would not have ended up like this.

Zhao Lin was under guard at the moment, and was still arguing with the officials of Gyeonggi Prefecture. He looked arrogant, and his tone was full of disdain.

"Why are you detaining me here? I'm a Jinshi. You little bastards, why don't you let me go? My uncle is the right prime minister. Wait until I tell my uncle that you've locked me up here. You'll have to bear the consequences."

The officials looked at each other, wondering whether to release him or not...

"How dare you, boy! Not only did you bump into the scholar in the street, but you even dared to say such outrageous words."

A shrill and feminine voice was heard, and it was Eunuch Xiao who came in with his men.

When Zhao Lin saw someone coming, he found out that it was a eunuch. He was proud of his status as a scholar and felt that these eunuchs were lowly. There was a hint of disgust and contempt in his expression.

When Eunuch Xiao saw this, his eyes became gloomy. He hated this kind of look the most.

He winked to the side, and the guard rushed forward and pressed Zhao Lin's shoulders, forcing him to kneel down.

"How dare you! I'm a Jinshi. Why do you make me kneel down?"

"Jinshi? He was just now, but not now. The Emperor's oral decree: Zhao Lin of Nanyang, jealous by nature, disrespectful to his superiors, arrogant, disregarding the friendship of his fellow disciples, and maliciously harming others, shall be stripped of his Jinshi crown and cap, and he shall never be employed again."

"Come on, go and strip him of his clothes and his crown."

Several people immediately went up and started to take off Zhao Lin's clothes. Zhao Lin was controlled and kept struggling, his face full of disbelief.

When his clothes were stripped off, Zhao Lin was in a mess and his hair was scattered.

He collapsed to the ground as if struck by lightning. His bright future was ruined, all ruined.

He should have been more careful, why couldn't he hold back?

But it’s obvious, it’s obvious that my uncle is so powerful that even the eldest prince listens to him.

I just wanted to teach that guy a lesson. It was his fault for stealing my spot.

And this is not the first time. It has always worked before. As long as my uncle is around, it would be easy to get the title of scholar, juren, or even jinshi.

Yes, my uncle will definitely not ignore me. Yes, yes, he will ask someone to ask my uncle for help.

Inside Duan Bo's Mansion

Duan Jing'an was lying on the bed, surrounded by people.

When Song Shengfu heard that Duan Jing'an happened to be thrown into the clinic, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Thanks to my ancestors, I was lucky to fall into that clinic today. Otherwise, if I hadn't stood up by force, my ankle bones might have been broken."

Mrs. Lu listened on the side, clasped her hands together and chanted a few Buddhist mantras. Fortunately, there was no serious problem. It would be impossible to enter the officialdom with a disability.

"That guy named Zhao Lin is such a piece of shit! How dare he frame my fourth brother in the street? Luckily, my ancestors have blessed me. If he had become disabled, bah bah bah..."

Feeling that what she said was a bit unlucky, Lu spat a few more times.

Duan Jing'an smiled at his sister-in-law and felt relieved:

"I'm fine, but that Zhao Lin has been stripped of his Jinshi status by the Emperor and will never be employed again."

"It's his fault. He has such a vicious mind."

Everyone nodded, this was really a case of losing the rice while trying to steal the chicken.

Kang Ge'er came forward and put a piece of candied cake into Duan Jing'an's mouth. Duan Jing'an enjoyed being fed by his nephew and felt a little comfortable.

"My mother had been burning incense at the ancestral hall before, and now the ancestors have appeared. I, your daughter-in-law, should also go to the ancestral hall more often to burn incense and show my filial piety to the ancestors."

Song Shengfu just remembered that she seemed to have stopped burning the incense when she left today, and she felt a little uneasy.

Hearing this, he continued, "We should burn more incense for our ancestors so that they can bless our family with peace and safety."

At this time, footsteps were heard outside, and someone reported that someone from the palace had come. Song Shengfu took a few people out, and even Duan Jing'an was carried out.