This will cause everyone else to suffer as well.
Members of the Xie family stepped forward one after another: "We, your humble servants, all support the imperial examination system!"
What a joke! Their sons, grandsons, and granddaughters worked incredibly hard to earn face in Tianjing and achieved their results. How can they just take it all back like that?
The officials of the capital also stepped forward: "Marshal, Lord Liang is straightforward and speaks without beating around the bush. Please calm down."
"Lord Liang, why don't you quickly apologize!"
Liang Cheng could not simply apologize. If he did, his colleagues would blame him, and he would be even more speechless in front of the students.
Liang Cheng pointed out this point: "I urge the Marshal to reconsider. Opening the imperial examination to all people is a wonderful thing for all time, but the palace examination should be conducted with caution, not arbitrarily."
"If you insist on doing so, then this old minister, this old minister!" With that, he suddenly stood up, pushed Li Ling aside, and Li Ling was startled.
What is that old geezer trying to do?!
Liang Cheng pointed to the main beam in the center of the hall and said with great sorrow, "If you insist on indulging in your playful whims and disregard the petitions of this old minister and the students, then this old minister will be ashamed before the world. Since I am ashamed before the world, I might as well just kill myself here!"
"This is the devotion of all students in the world."
As soon as he finished speaking, he actually started to move forward. A military officer hurriedly tried to pull him back, but Liang Cheng still squeezed his way through.
Li Ling thought the old man looked familiar. Why was he imitating him?
He also took the time to remind him, "Dr. Liang, mind your manners!"
Liang Cheng was angered by his words, which not only failed to stop him but also advised him to pay attention to his image.
Everyone else had a look on their faces that said, "You wouldn't dare to actually crash into it."
Even His Highness's marshal stood up and peered into the crowd to watch the commotion. No one spoke up to stop him, leaving Liang Cheng in a dilemma, with no way out.
He immediately closed his eyes, and with his official hat still on, he rammed into the main beam.
With a loud thud, the sturdy main beam remained unmoved, and Liang Cheng collapsed to the ground, his head spinning. His head was covered in wood chips, and a piece of wood still clung to his official hat.
The officials helped Liang Cheng up afterwards and saw that he hadn't bled, but he had broken the main beam.
Some even exclaimed, "Has Dr. Liang practiced Iron Head Kung Fu?"
"He really did manage to knock a hole in it. Is Lord Liang alright? Or is he already dead?"
Upon hearing the mockery, Doctor Liang, who possessed the Iron Head Kung Fu, fainted on the spot.
A military officer patted the main beam, and a tree-shaped crack immediately appeared in it. The officer panicked and exclaimed, "No, I didn't do it!"
It has a whiff of self-deception.
Wu Qiu then had someone take Liang Cheng to get medical treatment. On the way, he went to check the main beam and found two dents on the back of the main beam that looked like fist marks. Next to them was the place where Lord Liang had hit the beam, right at the edge of the hole, which knocked down the already broken wood.
He reached out and picked a piece of broken wood, thinking, "What if the main pillar inside has broken? If it breaks, the Golden Palace will collapse."
People nervously surrounded the main beam, and some even approached the palace gate, looking as if they were about to escape at any moment.
Xie Guang couldn't help but punch it, finding it rock hard.
"It should be fine."
"This Lord Liang's iron head is too amazing."
Wu Qiu's eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but glance at Xie Lanzhi in the hall.
Xie Lanzhi had just tucked her hands into her sleeves and arched her back slightly, making Si Xitong think she was underdressed.
"cold?"
"Hmm... a little."
Since Xie Guang's inspection confirmed that there were no problems with the main beam, everyone stood in line with peace of mind.
Unexpectedly, the main beam, which the two men could barely encircle, seemed to be playing a joke, as cracks appeared in the red-skinned outer wood again. This time, the cracks spread like a coiled dragon to the five-meter-high pillar.
Startled, Xie Guang couldn't help but explain, "I, I really didn't use any force!"
"It must be because Dr. Liang's head is too hard!"
The officials fell silent and distanced themselves from him.
Wu Qiu stepped forward and said, "The Golden Palace has experienced many changes over time, and due to years of neglect and lack of maintenance, it has developed these cracks."
"To be on the safe side, Marshal, we can move our offices to Jianzhang Palace and have someone come and make the repairs."
Xie Lanzhi nodded and said, "Lord Wu is absolutely right."
She pulled Si Xitong away through the shortcut in the back hall, while the other officials followed suit. No one had expected that the century-old Golden Palace would fall into disrepair; indeed, the feng shui was bad.
Wu Qiu had worked as a carpenter and knew that there was nothing wrong with the inside of the main beam, but the outside was too scary. He stood in the recess and dismantled a piece of wood by himself, while the guards behind him clearly seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Wu Qiu knew without guessing that there was only one person in the entire South who possessed this skill.
He removed another piece of broken wood, clearing away the soft, rotten pieces down to two inches, until he felt the hardwood underneath. He tapped it, making a dull thud, a solid sound. He tapped around the pillar, checking for any potential hazards. Finally, he tapped the spot where Liang Cheng had hit it, producing a distinct two-tone "thud."
Wu Qiu was startled. No wonder Doctor Liang made such a loud noise when he bumped into him, but there was no blood. It turned out that Master Liang had something inside him.
"Quickly, dig this spot!"
The guards were dumbfounded: "What if Lord Wu's palace collapses?"
“Don’t be afraid, I think there’s something special about the pillars of this Golden Palace.” Wu Qiu said, “I’ve worked as a carpenter, and I even made cannons with the Marshal before, so I know what I’m talking about.”
The imperial guards could only dig with axes, but strangely, it felt like the axe was scraping against a rock, and the inside was as hard as iron.
Wait until the outer layer of the pillar is removed.
Wu Qiu brought a cup of water and poured it on. Grayish muddy water with chunks flowed out, and the surface of the wood that had been poured on gradually revealed a layer of golden substance.
Wu Qiu tried to pry it open with his hands, but it wouldn't budge, yet it felt like gold.
It's gold... Wu Qiu's eyes lit up immediately: "Marshal!"
"Quickly report to the Marshal!"
The guard saw that it was gold, and he was completely confused. How could the main beam be made of something as soft as gold?
The imperial guards went to Jianzhang Palace to report.
When Xie Lanzhi heard that there was gold, she blinked in confusion: "Wu Qiu confirmed it?"
"Yes, Lord Wu said it is gold."
Si Xitong thought for a moment, then took out the jade seal key she had hidden in her bosom.
"Lanzhi, let's go take a look."
Xie Lanzhi took the jade seal key and went directly to the Golden Palace. She inserted the key into the lock of the Golden Palace door, and it clicked open.
She was extremely surprised; "What my father-in-law left behind was the key to the Golden Palace."
Si Xitong arrived later and saw a jade seal sticking out of the palace gate. She guessed that her father had placed her dowry in the Golden Palace.
At this moment, Wu Qiu was leading his personal guards to peel off the outer skin of the main beam. They discovered that the outer skin of the main beam was specially glued on, and once two inches were peeled off, the entire pillar was inlaid with a thick layer of gold.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony has three main beams, each two people wide, and hundreds of secondary beams on the outside. If they were all inlaid with gold, perhaps...
Xie Lanzhi was shocked.
Si Xitong's eyes reddened, she pursed her lips, and her voice trembled as she said, "Lanzhi, the gold exchanged for the three pillars has exceeded ten thousand taels."
"It turns out that my father did not send the 100 million taels out of the palace, but kept it as my dowry."
Her emotions were intense, and her whole body swayed like a willow branch.
Xie Lanzhi walked to her side and gently put her arm around her, then instructed Wu Qiu: "Take down all the gold from the Golden Palace and store it properly."
Wu Qiu quickly reported, "By the way, Marshal, there are also traps in the Golden Palace."
Xie Lanzhi's eyes darkened, and she pursed her lips, saying, "That's right, this is my father-in-law's masterpiece."
The reason my father-in-law didn't use the gold for military expenses to defend Tianjing was because he knew Tianjing was beyond saving; even if he invested 100 million taels, it would be embezzled by military generals like the Duke of Zheng. He wanted to strengthen his own power.
Li Li received the key three years ago, which means that her father-in-law had already placed 100 million taels in the Golden Palace just to leave it to... Little Phoenix as a dowry.
Xie Lanzhi suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
It turns out he didn't not love his daughter; he just didn't dare to pay attention to her in order to protect her.
Now, by the time Little Phoenix is able to protect herself, the father and daughter are already separated by death.
The location where the gold is hidden must be both the most dangerous and the safest place.
It seems the father-in-law's love for his child is deeply hidden.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:06:18 on December 13, 2021 and 11:47:21 on December 14, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Xinxin (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 71 She taught her how to roll it up
It took two days to pry open the golden pillars of the Golden Palace, after which they were transported by cart to the Lanzhang Palace warehouse for storage.
Xie Lanzhi received the treasury official's estimate that the gold weighed approximately ten million taels. One tael of gold was equal to ten taels of silver, which translates to a total of one hundred million taels of silver.
It was an inheritance left to his daughter by her father-in-law.
Xie Lanzhi handed the account book to Si Xitong, who was feeling sentimental. She carefully put the account book away.
"Lanzhi, I've decided to use this money to recruit skilled craftsmen and contribute to the development of the Great Jin Dynasty." Her eyes were serious and her expression was firm, which touched Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi patted her head and said, "This was originally your dowry left by your father-in-law. You can do whatever you want with it."
Si Xitong: "Thank you."
The development that Emperor Xicheng missed will be carried on by his daughter, and then spread to the entire Great Jin Dynasty. At that time, the Great Jin Dynasty will surely prosper through hard work and national prosperity.
Xie Lanzhi began to imagine her own peaceful and prosperous future. But turbulent times are also a golden opportunity for various talents to rise to prominence.
A true golden age is one where all schools of thought flourish.
Xie Lanzhi let her do as she pleased.