The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Because of this incident on New Year's Day, the Zhang family had a bad Spring Festival.

Close colleagues in the court and relatives and friends came to visit him. Zhang Ping'an thanked them one by one and sent them away politely.

He didn't want this matter to be made public, as it would not benefit his family or his son.

The results of the trial by the Jingzhao Yin Yamen came out very quickly. The human traffickers insisted that the killing was a spur-of-the-moment act and no further information could be asked.

There are various interrogation methods in prison. Most people can't stand it for half a day, so it's rare for these people to stand it for four or five days.

He died in prison before the final verdict came out.

To show his importance, the Jingzhao Yin himself came to the door in person and said that his subordinates did not know the seriousness of the matter and they did not expect the person to die.

However, since the person is already dead, the matter is a foregone conclusion, the Zhang family has vented their anger, and no serious consequences have been caused, so the case can only be closed like this for now.

Zhang Ping'an knew that there was someone behind this case, so he didn't make things too difficult for the Jingzhao Yin.

On the contrary, when Jingzhao Yin saw Zhang Ping'an's calm expression, he felt a little regretful that he should not have intervened in this case.

After Liu Sanlang and Lin Junhui found out, they couldn't help but frown. They speculated, "Who could it be? Could it be that the Lu and Guo families don't like you, so they're trying to teach you a lesson?"

"This method is too vicious. Ping'an just swore before His Majesty that he would never marry again, and His Majesty also agreed. If something happens to Xiaoyuer, wouldn't our family lineage be cut off? Ping'an will then become a laughing stock among the officials," Lin Junhui said in a gloomy tone, rarely showing his emotions.

"Oh, the method doesn't have to be simple or direct, as long as it's useful. Kidnapping Xiao Yu'er is a fatal blow to me. This trick of cutting off the source of the problem is very clever!" Zhang Ping'an leaned back on the chair with his head supported by his hand, looking gloomy.

"Then you want to..."

"Prime Minister Lu, I can't do anything for the time being, but Mr. Guo has had a prejudice against me for a long time and has put a lot of obstacles in my way. I'm afraid he's been used as a pawn this time. He's relying on his daughter becoming the prince's concubine and is now very arrogant. I wonder what it will feel like when he falls. Let's wait and see!" Zhang Ping'an has sorted out all the possible targets in the past half month.

The most likely person is his superior, Privy Councilor Guo.

Although this method is very crude, it is undoubtedly very useful to him and is the fastest way to strike him.

As for why he chose this time to take action, he suspected that his conversation with the emperor was leaked.

Years ago, Zhou Ziming had made it clear to him that he intended him to succeed Lord Guo as Privy Councilor in the future. The reason was simply that Lord Guo was a relative of the emperor.

Zhou Ziming didn't show any sign of being a big shot, but he was always wary of his maternal relatives in his heart. He would never let them sit in a position that was too important and had real power.

But it takes time to remove someone from office. In order to stabilize the court and harem, boiling the frog in warm water is the best way. Once the time is right and he completes a few more important tasks and has made contributions, he will be promoted naturally.

The ups and downs of officialdom and the treacherous circumstances in the court are never clearly understood. The ever-changing chess game cannot escape the word "checks and balances".

In any case, whether it is Lord Guo or not, this person must be eliminated as soon as possible.

"It's a pity that my appointment hasn't come yet, so I can't help you," Lin Junhui sighed.

"No matter what you want to do, I support you. My brother-in-law is here!" Liu Sanlang said in a deep voice.

Among all the relatives, the eldest brother-in-law is the most reliable, so Zhang Pingan naturally trusts him.

However, "Brother-in-law, thank you very much, but you are not needed for this matter for the time being, just focus on your duties in the Dragon God Guards!"

He already has a general direction.

The Lantern Festival in the fifth year of Jianxin was still very lively. Because of the prince's wedding, some taxes were exempted for the people. Most people had some spare money, and many people came out for a walk.

Xiaoyuer has been cooped up at home for half a month and can finally come out to get some fresh air.

Being kidnapped did not cast any shadow on him. Instead, he no longer resisted Zhang Ping'an's request to hire a martial arts master for him.

"I want to practice martial arts well, both in terms of martial arts and civil skills, so that no one can bully me. Even if there are no guards to protect me, I can protect myself, and I can also protect my father and grandparents," Xiao Yuer patted his chest and vowed.

There was a determined flame in his eyes.

Zhang Pingan had to admit that this child was smarter and more mature than him.

"Hey, Daddy, that's His Majesty and the Crown Prince!" Xiao Yuer suddenly said, pointing to the city wall in the distance.

He had a good memory. He had seen the emperor and the prince during the autumn hunt and remembered them clearly. He knew that they were the two most noble men in the world.

Zhang Ping'an had already learned in advance that His Majesty was going to watch the lanterns from the imperial tower, and he explained, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler. Today is the Lantern Festival, so he and the Crown Prince want to watch the lanterns from the imperial tower together, sharing the joy with the people and letting them know that he is a good emperor and the Crown Prince is also a good prince."

"Oh..." Xiao Yuer nodded with a look of sudden realization, not knowing whether he really understood or was pretending to understand.

He asked, "What about the Second Prince? Can't he go up?"

"There is only one position of crown prince," Zhang Pingan said, and did not continue the topic.

He carefully picked a lantern on the street, then took his son back in a carriage.

"You have to go to school tomorrow, so you should go to bed early today!"

"Okay!" Xiao Yuer spread his hands, with an expression that he had made a huge compromise and sacrifice. He obediently rested his arms on the window frame and looked back at the brightly lit city wall.

It turns out that even the second prince can't go up. Only the two most noble men in the world can go up.

What if he also wanted to stand on a high place and watch the lights? He was very distressed.

Based on his intuition and the little knowledge he had learned in school, Xiao Yuer knew that he couldn't tell this to anyone, not even his father.

Otherwise you will definitely be taught a lesson.

……

During this period, Zhang Ping'an had sent a letter to his fifth brother-in-law in the provincial capital in order to prepare for his trip to the Western Regions.

It depends on him whether he is willing to seize this opportunity.

Fortune and wealth are sought through risk, it has always been like this!

Counting the days, it’s time to get a reply.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an told his servants to remember to send Xiao Yu'er to school, and then went out to court.

The wind was still biting cold in the first month of the year. Even though I was riding in a sedan chair, my feet were still a little cold.

When I arrived at the palace gate, I happened to run into Lord Guo.

Although the two of them knew each other tacitly and disliked each other, they still greeted each other warmly and walked together.

No wonder people say that officials are hypocritical, sometimes there is really nothing we can do about it.

If he doesn't wear a mask, he can only be a lone official and won't be able to survive in officialdom.

The New Year had just passed, and there was still some light-hearted atmosphere in the court.

At present, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, the weather is good, and the things reported are all ordinary things.

The biggest problem nowadays is to encourage population growth, so in the new year, the Ministry of Households has issued a number of new policies to solve this problem.

Secondly, it is about the mission to the Western Regions.