In the dry September, the air in the Forbidden City is filled with a trace of tension, the autumn wind blows through the heavy palace walls, through the wide windows, the morning light is sprinkled under the eaves full of gold decorations, like a brilliant ancient painting, Emperor Kangxi is sitting on the dignified throne, with a solemn expression, in front of him is a secret music from the south of the Yangtze River, the content is so shocking, instantly affecting his heart
"There was fraud in Jiangnan Science and Technology!" These words echoed in his mind like thunder, Kangxi, who is fifty-seven years old, with his excellent political wisdom and sense of power, has always paid attention to the operation of the country, especially Jiangnan, which has always been a major tax place, is very important, and now, I heard that the candidates gathered in the Gongyuan because of the failure of the list, and vented their anger and anger, which is causing an unexpected storm
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The southeast coast of the south of the Yangtze River, since ancient times has been the place where the imperial examination has been attached, in the sound of the book, how many heroes have studied hard for ten years, just for the title of the gold list, the shadow of corruption is like a dark cloud shrouded in this land rich in talents, Kangxi's finger stroke, the ink has not yet dried the dense handwriting is clearly visible, and the anger and dissatisfaction of the reading group are revealed between the lines
"Those who are on the list of the Tribute Academy actually have the name of the children of salt merchants!" Kangxi frowned, he knew that although the salt merchant could be rich, how could these irrelevant people in the examination room win the college entrance examination if they were not good at studying? The arduous road to study is something they can't understand, and how can students give up opportunities to those who have no talent here?
The chief examiner Zuo Bifan and the deputy chief examiner Zhao Jin mentioned in this secret recital have long been famous for rumors and gossip, they seem to be on the cusp, like the calm before the storm, on the surface calm and calm, but the undercurrent is surging, the combination of power and power of the family and wealthy businessmen, in the blind traditional examination for thousands of years, has become an out-and-out hidden shadow
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Candidates in Nanjing gathered and protested, and the voices of anger rose one after another, and some people even proposed to change the word "tribute academy" to "sold out" to satirize this emerging "academic shady", which was like a grass uprising, showing the social turmoil hidden in the long river of history again and again
As an emperor, he knows the importance of the imperial examination, and reason has always been the foundation of the operation of the imperial court, seeing the turmoil in the south of the Yangtze River, his heart is full of uneasiness, his fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the table, and a sound echoed on the quiet throne, as if the anger in his heart was gradually brewing
"What has this become?" Kangxi asked himself, he felt extremely sad about this, because history told him that once the turmoil starts, it will often involve more complex power struggles, and the relationship between the court and the local government has become like a big net, invisibly stirring the fate of countless people
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Although this secret music is short, but behind it is all aspects of the Manchu court, at the time of the change of festivals, experiencing the approach of October, many affairs and lengthy government has quickly slipped in an unknown direction, Kangxi knows in his heart that if no measures are taken, the situation in the south of the Yangtze River will once again set off a monstrous wave, which may make tens of thousands of villagers put a lot of effort into the water
A strong uneasiness rose in the emperor's heart, in order to squeeze this group of young people who had leaked fraud, he summoned his close ministers and decided to submit punishment measures in a short time, and at this moment, this storm has just begun, and all the forces have begun to surge, pulling and playing games with each other
The wind in October is quite cold, the lifters in the south of the Yangtze River have always been in this turbulent land, the discussion in the streets and alleys is getting louder and louder, and it is becoming more and more turbid, at this time in front of the gate of the school, the lifters gathered hundreds of people, all of them looked anxious, fierce words, they looked forward to the future road will have a glimmer of light, not the dust blown away by the wind, those candidates crowded, pushed, it was difficult to hide the resentment and helplessness in their hearts
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A young examinee questioned why he threw himself into this difficult path, no longer greeted by fame, but obliterated the darkness of his own efforts, and the sound of the wind swept his voice into the wilderness, as if to tell the helplessness and anger in the hearts of many young people, who knew each other, and in their eyes, the unemerged future was simply full of despair and confusion
This fraud incident is like a slowly spreading flame, is quietly and silently binding the fate of everyone, every candidate is looking forward to the future of the Qing Dynasty, every examiner is in this game to highlight their power thinking, everyone argues one after another, like the tide of anger, surging towards the deeper part of the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties
As night falls in the south of the Yangtze River, dark clouds gradually gather, creating an unsettling picture, people frown, as if hinting at the impending storm, the discussion of the candidates on the street has already become more and more excited, both anxiety about the future and anger at the status quo, countless fingers pointed at those officials who look down on the world at the top of power, angry and disappointed voices are intertwined
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The night is getting deeper, the street pedestrians in Suzhou are getting fewer, the readers are like poems on the grass, waiting for the spring breeze to come, with the night swallowing, the fireworks and wine exceed the expectations of countless people
"Is today's imperial examination really the way out we dreamed of in the past?" A slender candidate raised his blushing face, his gaze blazing as fire, and he clenched his clumsy wine glass as if he were holding the fate of the group tightly
"Isn't it all about money and power? We used the ten-year cold window in exchange for the jokes of this group of salt merchants' children," another candidate smiled coldly, and his words were full of sharp sarcasm, and they all recounted resentfully, and in just one night, countless complaints resounded through the four walls of the small restaurant
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The news did not stop, just like a ferocious hurricane, with the actions of the candidates, spread to a wider circle, the candidates in Suzhou gathered together to reach a consensus, a resistance, this mood not only fermented in the small restaurant, and even soon spread to the entire Jiangnan, on this night, as if there was a chaotic atmosphere in the air
The after-night emotion turned out to be a kind of call, and the candidates decided to assemble in front of the Gongyuan tomorrow to awaken the silent mirror by action, and they were eager to show their anger in the daylight on this path, turning their hearts into strength, and in the rotation of wine glasses, several candidates were huddled together, and many empty oaths above the court kept echoing in their minds
With this, Emperor Kangxi has received a first-hand return from Jiangnan, and the uneasiness in his heart is rising more and more, he flipped through the folds, his eyes were like torches, and the words in his eyes all revealed the breath of oppression, and the storm of anger was about to tear this piece of Jiangnan with willows in place, but he did not allow this situation to continue
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"This matter must be dealt with early! Turmoil must not be allowed to turn into a greater tragedy," Kangxi remembered the lessons of the past, he knew that if it was not suppressed, Jiangnan would once again face an unprecedented crisis, and with a glimmer of determination in his heart, he decided to personally send the ministers of the Qin Mission, carrying serious authority and calming the turmoil, he immediately selected Zhang Pengxi, understanding that this was an extremely important and high-risk task
Known for his impeccable intellect and courage, Zhang Pengxi's campaign is the biggest test of his entire career, and he will spend the next few days walking the center of the storm, both to deal with the anger of the crowd and to prevent invisible forces from taking advantage of the situation
"Set off immediately, I will need the assistance of all Jiangnan officials," Zhang Pengxi's words just fell, and the guards in the room had already set off, and he was silently thinking about how to properly deal with this complex emergency, behind the incident is not only the anger of the candidates, but also those deep corruption, like a giant beast invisibly binding the lifeblood of Jiangnan, can he pry such a complicated situation in a short period of time?
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The situation became tighter, the gate of the Gongyuan was already packed, and the rally brought not only the crowd, but also the determination to unite, and on that conspicuous banner, people wrote in vivid handwriting the slogan "Anti-corruption, restore justice", as if invisibly pushing this wave of resistance to a climax
"Today we want to speak out for this exam, and get rid of its wantonness," some people shouted fearlessly, and they merged into a turbulent wave, and their beliefs became more and more firmly intertwined, and the momentum of the crowd was like a fire in the prairie fire, and they demanded that those officials who abused their power for personal gain be exposed, and that the great achievements of the great future be carried forward, and that their due rights should be safeguarded
At this time, Kangxi had issued an edict overnight, Zhang Pengxi took the order and quickly went to Suzhou, in the face of chaos and anger, he knew in his heart that letting the anger of the masses spread would only accelerate the situation out of control, always holding the pulse of time, he understood that he had to start a dialogue with all the candidates
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"Today will be like a sword, and those who come will be fearless!" Zhang Pengxi stood in front of Kangxi with a serious expression, and the joy and pressure of accepting the task were intertwined, and at such a moment, he realized that this would be the most critical trial in the history of the Jiangnan region
The power game between the two urgently needs a warrior to break the deadlock, and Jiangnan's movers are also thinking about how they can maintain their position and how to gather their eyes into a force
An unfamiliar trend is unfolding here, like the calm before a hurricane, where the seeds of despair have been brewed by long-standing oppression, and this moment may become a turning point
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Zhang Pengxi came to the front of the Gongyuan, seeing the crowd surging, the scorching sun reflected the perseverance of the lifter, he smiled faintly, surrounded by the smell of books, and then walked forward, trying to turn the high emotions and tension of the situation into a calm dialogue, he took a deep breath, and said in an uplifting voice: "I understand the anger in your hearts, but we should face all this with reason and dignity."
The protests of the Juzi have not abated, they are speaking out for their own fruitlessness, and the evil deeds of the hypocritical examiners and the alliances of interests continue like a cancer in this land, and the growing anger ignites the deep indignation in their hearts, and the cry of "our future should not be controlled by others" stirs the heartstrings of everyone
A few days of negotiations have almost exhausted all the time, Zhang Pengxi has always stood at the forefront of public opinion, and the increasing emotions are not only dissatisfied with individual officials, but also more about the questioning and rebellion of the entire feudal system
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It was night, the moonlight in the south of the Yangtze River was like water, and the bustling streets were bustling with people, and the lifters gathered together, ushering in a new chapter in history that urgently needed to be recorded
"We want them to know that knowledge is not a bargaining chip!" A young examinee said, his tone sonorous and powerful, like a torch, illuminating the hearts of more readers, and those sitting around gradually realized that their voices were enough to shake the established order for a long time, and they must not remain silent
Zhang Pengxi then ushered in a pioneer, hoping to join hands with all the young warriors who are willing to shoot, work together to point the justice of this land to the distance, decades of cultural accumulation has run through the bottom of the heart, advocating the belief of knowledge always inspires these brave people, in this magnificent historical process, their stories will shine like stars
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Eventually, things took a turn shortly after, when Zhang Pengxi, with a group of brave men and loyal officials, overthrew the rotten bureaucratic system, and with the support of the Kangxi Emperor, they stripped the unfair debts from the entire imperial examination, completely uncovering the dark curtain
In this way, a new tide arose in the south of the Yangtze River, and the corrupt officials were like duckweed in the water, drowning in the surging public opinion, although there was still an undercurrent at work, but a group of scholars carried the tools around them and successfully diverted the flowing sewage into broad daylight
"The future is ours!" The lifters under the night sky chanted in unison, and the slogan was like a program, remote, igniting the pan-power of the entire Jiangnan surging in meager but incomparable power
In the blink of an eye, a few months later, the edict issued by the Kangxi Emperor had come into effect, and the results of the handling of the corrupt officials involved in the fraud had attracted everyone's attention, and those officials who had been insatiable had all paid the price, and the corruption accumulated over the years was also liquidated
Behind this storm, is the wisdom and courage of the whole Jiangnan, to promote a long historical chapter, in the countless bright lights, Jiangnan finally ushered in the long-lost tranquility and prosperity, those lifters with actions to prove that their efforts and persistence is the power to change fate, in the bookish books, history will remember this moving journey