HLnovel Chapter 796 Desire
Chapter 796 Desire
Injustices in the Imperial Examinations In the second year of Jinghe in the Wei Dynasty, the autumn wind swept over the bluestone road with the fragrance of osmanthus. Zhou Mingyuan curled up in the dilapidated thatched house, and checked the "Four Books and Annotations" in his hand for the third time by the dim oil lamp. The rice jar in the corner had long been empty, but the blazing light flashing in his eyes was more dazzling than any treasure - tomorrow would be the day when the results of the autumn examination would be announced. When the rooster crowed for the first time, Zhou Mingyuan got up. He washed his only coarse cloth gown until it turned white, and combed his hair carefully with well water. Carrying the half jade pendant that his mother had stuffed into him before her death, he walked towards the county town's Gongyuan. Along the way, he watched the busy figures of street vendors, listened to the laughter of people in the teahouse, and prayed silently in his heart: If I can pass the imperial examination, I must let my father who raised me with great difficulty live a good life. There were crowds of people outside the Gongyuan. Zhou Mingyuan stood on tiptoe and searched for his name on the densely packed list. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on the middle of the list - "Zhou Mingyuan, 37th!" He felt his head "buzzing" and tears burst out uncontrollably. People around him cast envious glances and congratulations one after another. "Mr. Zhou, congratulations!" A middle-aged man dressed in silk squeezed in front of him with a smile on his face, "I am the shopkeeper of the South City Silk Shop. I have heard that you are outstanding in learning. Now you have passed the high school entrance examination, which is a cause for celebration! This is a small gift, I hope you will accept it." As he said, he stuffed a heavy purse into Zhou Mingyuan's hand. Zhou Mingyuan was a little at a loss. Just as he was about to refuse, several people came up to him, handing him invitations or gifts. He felt as if he was in a dream. Those days when he was hungry and cold, and those days when he studied hard in the cold nights, all had meaning at this moment. However, this joy did not last long. Three days later, a team of officials broke into Zhou's house and took Zhou Mingyuan away without saying a word. In the court, the county magistrate slammed the gavel and shouted: "Zhou Mingyuan, you are so bold! How dare you forge the imperial examination ranking and deceive the court!" Zhou Mingyuan was stunned and shouted desperately: "Sir, I am innocent! I really passed the imperial examination with real talent and knowledge, without any falsehood!" "Humph!" The county magistrate sneered, "Someone reported that you colluded with the examiner and bought off the relationship to pass the exam. This is the report letter, take a look for yourself!" As he said, he threw a letter in front of Zhou Mingyuan. Zhou Mingyuan picked up the letter and his hands trembled. The content of the letter was all fabricated, but the seal of the examiner was stamped on the signature. He looked up and looked at the county magistrate, but saw that the county magistrate's eyes were evasive, and he immediately understood that there must be a conspiracy behind this. It turned out that Zhao Tianxiang, the son of the local prefect, also participated in this autumn examination, but failed. For the sake of his son's future, the prefect colluded with the county magistrate and the examiner, bribed the clerk who was responsible for transcribing the test papers, changed Zhou Mingyuan's name to Zhao Tianxiang, and forged evidence in an attempt to put Zhou Mingyuan in jail so that there would be no evidence. After Zhou Mingyuan was imprisoned, he suffered inhuman torture. The jailers took the prefect's benefits, beat him up, and forced him to confess. But Zhou Mingyuan gritted his teeth and refused to give in. He secretly swore in his heart: I must seek justice for myself and let the truth come to light. In prison, Zhou Mingyuan met an old scholar who was also wrongfully imprisoned. Seeing that he was so persistent, the old scholar told him all the official secrets he had collected for many years, and taught him how to find evidence and how to appeal. Zhou Mingyuan was overjoyed and kept this information in mind. At the same time, Zhou Mingyuan's father ran around, trying to redress his son's grievances. But he was an old farmer with no power, and he was turned away wherever he went. He knelt in front of the prefectural yamen, kowtowed until his head was broken and bloody, but he was only beaten by the yamen runners. Just when Zhou Mingyuan was almost desperate, an opportunity came. The new champion was going to return home to visit his relatives and would pass through this place. Zhou Mingyuan knew that this might be his last hope. With the help of the old scholar, he wrote down his grievances on a rag, and when the jailer was not paying attention, he tied the rag to a mouse and released it from the cell. The mouse ran around and finally ran to the champion's carriage. The entourage was about to drive it away, but they found the words on the rag. After reading it, the champion was shocked and immediately sent someone to take Zhou Mingyuan out of prison. When Zhou Mingyuan saw the champion, he told his experience in tears. The champion was moved by his experience and decided to help him. He began to secretly investigate the matter in the name of inspection. Soon, he had evidence of collusion and fraud by the prefect and others. However, after the prefect and others learned the news, they were desperate. They sent people to assassinate the champion in an attempt to destroy the evidence. At the critical moment, Zhou Mingyuan stepped forward and blocked a knife for the champion. He fell in a pool of blood, but still guarded the evidence. Fortunately, the champion's guards arrived in time and subdued the assassin. The prefect and others were also caught in one fell swoop. After the truth came out, Zhou Mingyuan regained his status as a juren, and those officials involved in the fraud were severely punished. When Zhou Mingyuan stood in front of the Gongyuan again, the sun shone on him, warm and bright. He knew that although his grievances had been vindicated, the hardships along the way would always be engraved in his heart. He secretly vowed that if he had the opportunity to enter the official career in the future, he must be a good official who is honest and incorruptible, so that such tragedies will not happen again. Later, Zhou Mingyuan continued to participate in the joint examination and the palace examination, and finally passed the imperial examination and entered the court as an official. He always adhered to his original intention, was not afraid of the powerful, sought the welfare of the people, and became a generation of honest officials. His story of redressing an injustice in the imperial examination has also been widely circulated among the people, inspiring countless poor children to bravely speak up for themselves and fight for justice on the road to pursuing their dreams, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles they encounter. This story tells the process of a poor child being wronged in the imperial examination and redressing his injustice. If you have different ideas about the plot twists, character portrayals, or details in the story, please feel free to tell me.
Behind her, she heard Tiedan's scolding and the barking of dogs. She didn't dare to look back and just ran in the direction of the lights. When she ran to the county town, it was already dawn. Qin Jingru stopped in front of the bun shop, looking at the steaming buns, her stomach churning with acid. The proprietress felt sorry for her and gave her two cold steamed buns. She squatted in the corner and wolfed them down, tears dripping on the buns. The whistle of a train came from a distance, and Qin Jingru raised her head and looked in the direction where the railway track extended. She didn't know where she could go, but as long as she left the loess slope, she could go anywhere. Clutching the remaining half of the bun, she walked towards the train station, and the footprints behind her were soon covered by fresh snow, as if no one had ever been to this cannibalistic village. This story shows Qin Jingru's tragic experience in a forced marriage. If you feel that the level of depression in the plot, the details of the characterization need to be adjusted, or if you want to add other plots, please feel free to tell me.