82: Brother-in-law, you're a living Buddha!

Mo Yingqi walked in, bringing Tang Jingzhong with him. Luo Yongfu and Luo Yongze were stunned; they certainly recognized this man. During the grand wedding, Eunuch Fang had specifically come to tell them that this was a colleague and close friend of the Imperial Son-in-law, and asked them to look after him.

Although they hadn't really spoken much, to some extent, Tang Jingzhong was actually quite well-known in the capital.

"Brother-in-law, come, come, sit, sit!" Luo Yongfu smiled and beckoned. "Why did you suddenly come here? Did you bump into Yongze and me while coming here to drink with a friend, and decided to say hello?"

Beside him, Luo Yongze rolled his eyes so hard they almost hit the ceiling; he couldn't hold a candle to his eldest brother's ability to deceive himself. Come over to say hello? If Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning wanted to know, they would probably even know exactly when his eldest brother got up at night to relieve himself.

"Uh, actually, no. It was Sister Yongan and Sister Yongning who told me you were here." Mo Yingqi touched his nose, feeling a bit awkward. "Actually, I didn't want to trouble the two Imperial Brothers, but this was a matter of expediency..."

Beautiful, I knew it!

Almost simultaneously, this thought flashed through the minds of the two Luo brothers. When the two sisters got married, they knew that their precious Brother-in-law would likely pop up eventually. However, compared to those two sisters, surely Mo Yingqi wouldn't make any overly outrageous demands, right?

"Sit down and talk, sit down and talk." Luo Yongfu didn't care about these things anymore; once you have too many lice, you don't fear their bites. "Someone, add bowls, chopsticks, and cups. Brother-in-law, I know you don't drink alcohol. This pavilion also makes a superb tea; I'll have someone make you a good bowl of tea in a moment."

"No need, two Imperial Brothers. Actually, this isn't exactly an unreasonable request." Mo Yingqi said, looking at Tang Jingzhong beside him, who looked no different than usual. "I heard that the Special Imperial Examination is imminent, and Grand Secretary Ning is personally serving as the chief examiner, but the deputy examiner has yet to be decided."

"Don't mention it, we are just fretting over this matter." Luo Yongze said with a bitter smile. "The Emperor's intention is for either me or my brother to step up, but there has never been a precedent in this dynasty for an Imperial Prince to serve as an examiner. Moreover, you know how the Censorate is; there are many learned scholars in the court, and although my brother and I are Imperial Princes, the role of examiner wouldn't fall to us."

"That would be fine, but if it were recommended by the officials, it would most likely be someone selected from Grand Chancellor Zhou's circle. Round and round it goes, and these people eventually become his Disciples." Luo Yongfu was also extremely helpless. "Although these Imperial Examination Candidates are nominally Disciples of The Emperor, you know the situation here as well as I do without me saying it. Grand Chancellor Zhou is the head of the Righteous Official faction and has extremely high prestige; otherwise, it wouldn't have reached the point where The Emperor and his officials are at odds."

"That is why I said this is an unreasonable request." Mo Yingqi looked at Tang Jingzhong beside him. "This is my colleague from the Pacification Bureau, Clerk Tang Jingzhong. I think... he could serve as the deputy examiner."

Luo Yongfu and Luo Yongze looked at each other. Although Mo Yingqi's proposal was truly outrageous, the brothers, who had long been tempered to be invulnerable by their two younger sisters, actually felt that this request... was too conservative!

"Tang Jingzhong, I have heard of you." Luo Yongfu carefully examined Tang Jingzhong. "Back then, you were famous throughout the capital, but in the end..."

"It is not worth mentioning; it was just some empty fame." Tang Jingzhong bowed slightly. "During the imperial examination fraud case back then, the late Emperor was furious. Grand Chancellor Zhou obstructed the process, and the results of the examination I participated in were all voided, regardless of whether there was cheating or not, and I could only retake it after five years. Because of this, I became disheartened with the path of the imperial examinations and thus joined the Pacification Bureau to serve as a Clerk."

During the late Emperor's later years, a massive fraud case occurred in the imperial examinations. The chief examiner and deputy examiner of that year privately leaked the exam questions and bribed the commander of the City Patrol Command guarding the examination hall, working together from inside and outside.

Yet, Tang Jingzhong, who had not cheated, had written an excellent essay, showing great insight into the situation, with every word being a pearl of wisdom. Coupled with his excellent calligraphy, even under such unfair circumstances, he still received unanimous praise from other examiners who were unaware of the situation.

But who would have thought that when the fraud case broke out, the late Emperor was furious. Grand Chancellor Zhou immediately pulled the rug out from under them; not only were the chief examiner, deputy examiner, and the commander of the City Patrol Command executed by slow slicing, but he also proposed that for the sake of fairness, the entire examination should be voided.

Actually, up to this point, if the Special Imperial Examination were reopened, Tang Jingzhong would still have had a chance. However, Grand Chancellor Zhou submitted a memorial, imploring His Majesty to demonstrate fairness by forbidding the candidates of that year from taking the exam for five years.

For a time, the candidates who had not cheated were full of complaints, and among them were many like Tang Jingzhong who had not cheated and cried out that they were wronged. They even gathered outside the palace to strike the Dengwen Drum, demanding that the imperial court grant them justice.

But only Tang Jingzhong understood in his heart that the late Emperor's body was gradually failing, and at this moment, it was impossible for him to fall out with this Grand Chancellor who held power over the entire court. Moreover, fairness is easy to talk about, but extremely difficult to implement.

How do you prove you didn't cheat? Reopening the Special Imperial Examination was indeed a good method, but unfortunately, this incident had caused too much of a stir, and the common people were also discussing it quite a bit. The late Emperor's health was deteriorating day by day, and the Imperial Princes were restlessly making their own moves. At this critical juncture, asking the late Emperor to spare the time to deal with these candidates—he truly didn't have the heart or the energy for it.

The struggle for power is always gained through constant sacrifice. Tang Jingzhong understood this principle in his heart and understood even better that the court at that time, which appeared calm on the surface, could have a huge storm stirred up by a small oversight.

Moreover, it was from that moment that Tang Jingzhong completely saw through the ugliness of Zhou Chutian and the so-called Righteous Officials in the court. They wore the title of Righteous Official, but in their bones, what difference was there between them and the powerful officials they sneered at?

"So, I think this time is an opportunity." Mo Yingqi said with a smile. "The two brothers should have heard of Jingzhong's talent. Although having him, a Clerk of the Pacification Bureau, serve as deputy examiner is truly against the rules, I can guarantee that he will definitely be able to handle this task well."

"Good, good, good, Brother-in-law, rest assured, this solves our urgent need!" Luo Yongfu laughed heartily. "Clerk Tang, to tell you the truth, I have seriously studied that essay you wrote for the imperial examination many times. Over this past year, I have more than once wanted to transfer you away from the Pacification Bureau, but you refused every transfer order. With your talent, being a Clerk in the Pacification Bureau is truly a waste of talent!"

"Two Princes, won't you test this humble subordinate?" Tang Jingzhong was very surprised. Not to mention him, even Mo Yingqi felt it was a bit incredible. "After all, this is the deputy examiner for the Special Imperial Examination..."

"Ha, Clerk Tang, I said I have carefully studied your essay." Luo Yongfu picked up his wine cup and drained it in one gulp. "Frankly speaking, if not for that fraud case back then, you would at least be a second-rank official by now. I completely trust in your talent!"

Of course, this was also recommended by his own Brother-in-law. They were also very clear about Mo Yingqi's affairs over the past year. Do not underestimate Mo Yingqi, Lu Qianyuan, and Tang Jingzhong just because their official ranks are low.

Any one of these three, if thrown out separately, could stand alone in the court. Lu Qianyuan might not be as talented in literature as the other two, but if he joined the army, his future would also be brilliant.

Such people would eventually become the trusted aides of the Luo family, and their loyalty would be extremely high. Doubt? Stop joking. People like this who hide themselves in the Pacification Bureau have always been wild beasts hidden in the mountains, just waiting for the day to bare their fangs.

Now that Mo Yingqi has delivered such talent into their hands, would Luo Yongfu and Luo Yongze still be suspicious? It is easy to find an army, but hard to find a general. There is no shortage of people in this world, but true talent is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold!

"Brother-in-law, you are simply a living Bodhisattva..." Luo Yongze couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "Rest assured, leave the person to us, and you can go to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region with my two younger sisters with peace of mind. By the way, stay and play for a few more days, don't be in a hurry to come back!"

It would be best to settle down in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region and never return to the capital in this lifetime...