Chapter 57 Kill without mercy
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up, his eyes still staring straight in the direction of Deng Jian.

Deng Jian also met Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze with a complicated look.

In that instant, countless past events suddenly flooded into the minds of the two.

They seemed to see the vicissitudes of life on each other's faces and in each other's eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang was breathing heavily, he didn't move at all, his eyes became more and more complicated, becoming more unpredictable.

Many people noticed that the hall suddenly became quiet. Some of them raised their eyes cautiously and looked at His Majesty, and saw Deng Jian still standing there.

At this time, an eunuch was anxious and shouted: "Who is this person? How dare he be so disrespectful in front of the emperor? Why don't you kneel down immediately!"

He shouted at the top of his voice, as if he was extremely angry.

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted: "Come here, capture this man and kill him!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked.

The scholars were so frightened that their faces turned pale.

Deng Jian was slightly stunned.

The Yiluansi guards on duty entered the hall and went straight to Deng Jian.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the eunuch who had just shouted and said angrily: "Catch him, catch him, kill him immediately, kill him immediately, and feed him to the dogs!"

When the eunuch heard this, he suddenly felt his eyes go dark and he collapsed to the ground, mumbling: "Your servant... Your servant..."

"Your Majesty." Deng Jian took a deep breath and said, "He is innocent of the death penalty. How can you kill him arbitrarily?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall felt a chill in their hearts.

Someone bravely looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

But Zhu Yuanzhang's forehead was exposed with veins and his face was full of shame and anger.

Obviously, no one dared to contradict Zhu Yuanzhang at this time.

So, some people looked at Deng Jian with sympathy.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Deng Jian for a long time, then suddenly said, "Bring me the list of candidates for the provincial examination!"

"..."

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he sat down on the dragon throne, as if what had just happened had never happened.

But this put the Yiluansi's guards in a dilemma. For a moment, they didn't know whether to drag the eunuch away.

On the other hand, he hurriedly picked up the list of provincial examinations from the imperial desk and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed very relaxed as he opened the list.

The moment I opened the list, a familiar name came into view: Deng Jian... was at the top of the list.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened slightly, and he was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment.

Ye Gaixian, who was about to take small steps back, turned his head and saw Deng Jian's name. Suddenly, he felt as if his soul had left his body.

If I remember correctly... it seems that His Majesty once swore a solemn oath, and he should have sworn it first. If Deng Jian passed the exam...

Of course, it is impossible to cut off His Majesty's head and use it as a chamber pot.

So if you want to cancel the oath, will you have to get rid of the person you swore to...

I felt cold sweat all over my body, and I retreated to the side with my head held high, but I felt as if I had lost my parents.

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to still be in shock. He was of course well aware that it was impossible for Deng Jian to top the list back then. Even if he became a juren, he might not be able to pass the exam. This was not to underestimate Deng Jian, but the fact that it was too difficult in itself.

Fengyang is indeed not a literary place.

But now...

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent, with something flickering in his eyes.

It took him a long time to accept the reality before him.

His expression began to become more changeable.

Suddenly, he raised his tiger eyes and looked at Deng Jian again: "Are you the top of the list?"

Deng Jian said calmly, "Yes, I am the top of the list."

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he couldn't put down his face, and he suddenly shouted: "Humph!"

This cold snort made everyone in the hall tremble with fear.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy, and he suddenly asked: "Deng Jian, you are the top of the list. Have you been studying hard all these years?"

Deng Jian was calm in response to Zhu Yuanzhang's question, and said, "Your Majesty, I have been wasting my time these years, and I dare not say that I have studied hard." "Really?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked a little sarcastic, and glanced at Deng Jian from the corner of his eye: "You can get the top score in the Nanzhili provincial examination without studying hard. Mr. Deng is really capable."

The judges are at a loss as to why His Majesty's words are so veiled in sarcasm.

This made many people feel cold in their hearts, and they thought of Liu Bang in history who took off his Confucian hat to urinate.

Some people couldn't help but secretly worry for Deng Jian.

Deng Jian replied, "It's not that I have any ability, it's just luck."

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed even more dissatisfied. He stared at Deng Jian and said, "So, you were living a carefree life before. If you were living a carefree life, why did you come to the imperial examination to seek fame?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was harsh.

Deng Jian's heart was actually still extremely complicated at this time, but he still showed indifference and said, "Because my son has grown up."

"Hmm?" Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly stunned: "Do you mean that before this, you only raised your son?"

Deng Jian said: "Yes..."

After these words were spoken, someone finally couldn't hold it in anymore and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

No one can imagine that the current top man in Nanzhili is actually a wet dad.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly flew into a rage: "Don't laugh!"

The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone was startled.

Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth in the hall for a few steps, ignoring the other candidates, and continued to question Deng Jian: "Don't tell me that you have been raising your son for the past ten years."

Deng Jian said calmly, "Your Majesty is wise. I have indeed been raising my son with all my heart over the past ten years."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, Deng Jian, are you kidding me? For more than ten years, you, a man, have been acting like a woman? You even have to raise your own son yourself? Where is your wife?"

Deng Jian was silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at her and asked sternly, "You don't dare to say it? Could it be that you just wanted to deceive the emperor, and now you have been exposed by me, so you are ashamed and can't speak."

Deng Jian looked gloomy, and said quietly, "Thirteen years ago, my wife passed away during childbirth, leaving me with only one child."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Yuanzhang's body shook, and the harsh look on his face disappeared at once, replaced by a look of shock.

He murmured softly: "Xiuniang had passed away at that time... Why... Why..."

Deng Jian's eyes were already red at this time. He tried hard to control himself, but his shoulders couldn't help but tremble.

Everyone in the hall lowered their heads, listening to the conversation between the emperor and his ministers in confusion. Everyone was terrified by Zhu Yuanzhang's outburst of anger, and no one dared to look at his holy face. Little did they know that Zhu Yuanzhang at this moment already showed a look of deep grief.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly sneered, and then laughed twice, a laughter that made people's hearts and livers break.

But before everyone could react, Zhu Yuanzhang had already strode away, leaving all these candidates behind and walked away quickly.

For a moment, there was a lot of discussion in the hall, and many people looked at Deng Jian with curiosity. They couldn't understand why Deng Jian suddenly angered the emperor.

So many people looked at Deng Jian with sympathy.

Some people shook their heads.

Of course, some people are gloating because Deng Jian is at the top of the list and has grabbed all the limelight. There are also many people who envy him.

……

Deng Qianqiu had a worried look on his face and felt a little uneasy. Although he was on duty at Xianliang Temple, he was worried about his father's audience with the emperor.

You know, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was a very ruthless person in history. If you deal with this inappropriately and leave a bad impression, that would be inappropriate.

During the long night, Deng Qianqiu still found a corner and started to spend his time there.

This kind of gatekeeper job is really popular, especially the night shift. You don't have to use your brain and there is no one to supervise you in the middle of the night. It is really suitable for Deng Qianqiu now.

Deng Qianqiu felt a little cold while sleeping, but when he was half asleep and half awake, he felt his body begin to warm up. He couldn't help but uttered in his sleep: "You bastard, where is my Hu Ji..."

Turning around and suddenly waking up, Deng Qianqiu subconsciously tucked in his clothes. Suddenly, realizing something was wrong, he wiped his eyes hurriedly, only to find that a brocade dress had been covering his body without him noticing.

"who is it?"

With the help of the light, Deng Qianqiu discovered that there was a person sitting next to him, and the clothes on his body were obviously that person's.

Under the lights and moonlight, Deng Qianqiu saw a familiar face and heaved a sigh of relief: "It turned out to be you, brother. You scared me. Why are you here again?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting aside. He had taken off his outer coat and was left with only his inner garment. However, he was of large build and did not seem to feel the cold. At this moment, he frowned and fell into deep thought.

He seemed to turn a deaf ear to Deng Qianqiu's words.

(End of this chapter)