As expected, the ticket test was like a good medicine. Wu's mother was able to get up and sleep immediately, ate a bowl of meat porridge, and got down top-heavy to pack Wu Jin's luggage.
Wu Jin comforted Wu's mother to rest. She only took with her three or two pieces of clothes, a few plasters bought by Li Yitong, and enough silver. She carried the bamboo box she had used three years ago on her back, and left the house without anyone sending it to her. First go to Mo Mansion to get the horse.
As the night got darker, he rode back to Cheng Mansion.
Red lanterns were hung high in the Cheng Mansion, and the word "Fu" was posted on the door. The gatekeeper who was on duty was also dressed in joyful clothes. When he heard that Wu Jin wanted to see Cheng Ting, he immediately went in and invited the third master, who was domineering at home, to come out.
Cheng Ting defeated his father and was able to accompany him to Jeju. He was praised highly by his mother. Now he is showing off his power at home, holding Pang Dahai's hand, and appears like the third prince.
Seeing Wu Jin with his luggage and a small flag for the exam on the bamboo box behind his back, he walked away and was surprised: "Coming to Beijing at this time?"
Wu Jin nodded: "I came here to say goodbye to you."
Cheng Ting didn't ask why, because he knew that Wu Jin acted on his own initiative and would never act willfully. He quickly turned around, took the crane cloak from Pang Dahai and put it on, crossed a lantern and brought it down: "I'll give you a gift. Procedure."
Fatty Dahai stepped forward smartly, took the bridle from Wu Jin's hand, held the horse for him, and walked behind the two of them.
"I'll leave after the Lantern Festival," Cheng Ting sneezed and rubbed his nose, "Jeju is close and can be reached in a few days. I can go back and forth frequently. I'm afraid it will take you several months to come back."
Wu Jin shook his head: "Now that I'm gone, my return date is uncertain."
Cheng Ting flicked the lantern in his hand, and the light shone on Wu Jin's face, and then moved it away. After a while, he said dullly: "That's right."
He continued: "The older we get, the harder it is to get together. Now you have gone to Kyoto and I have also gone to Jeju, leaving Ye Feng alone here. She-"
"She must be lonely."
Wu Jin whispered: "Yes."
She has always been lonely. Since she was young, she has been wandering in the large house with no companions, no friends, and very few relatives.
Counting on the fingers of one hand, her happiness and liveliness only lasted for a few years.
Cheng Ting sighed angrily, and then said with relief: "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, we can always meet."
Wu Jin smiled: "I am not gone forever, there are still many days left, and I am not separated by the world. Furthermore, who can predict the fate of life, and success and failure can only happen in the blink of an eye."
Cheng Ting nodded and sent Wu Jin outside the city gate. He put down the lantern, stretched out his arms to hug Wu Jin, and patted him hard on the back twice: "Take care!"
Wu Jin also hugged him hard on the back: "Take care."
Then, he took the bridle from Pang Dahai, placed his luggage on the horse, got on the horse, pulled out the whip, and looked at Cheng Ting: "Go back."
He turned the horse's head, used the dim light to identify the road, clamped the horse's belly hard, and galloped away with a "drive" sound.
Under the night, except for the wind and snow, he was the only one left to go to another unfathomable battlefield alone. No one could help him, and there were no predecessors to pave the way. He only relied on his hands and two feet to fight for himself. , To avoid listening to the wind, step out on a road.
The cold moon was setting in the west and the rising sun was rising in the east. He fed, ate, and groomed his horse at the foot shop beside the road. Within an hour, he turned up again and headed for Kyoto along the official road.
The scenery along the way was full of ice, snow and severe cold. It was far less beautiful and magnificent than the autumn scenery when he went to take the exam three years ago. However, last time he only had a glimpse of it, but this time, he took in all the frozen rivers and snow-covered green mountains. In eyes.
The wind and rain kept blowing all day long. His exposed ears and palms were first red, swollen and painful, and then the skin was itchy. Every time he went to a resting place, he would first warm his hands and rub his ears to avoid freezing.
On the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, Wu Jin rushed to Kyoto and first settled at Yunyang Taoist Temple in Yuntai County outside Kyoto. The Taoist temple was still the same, and the three Taoist priests were still the same. When they saw him, they felt like meeting an old friend and asked him to stay. The horses he rode were also entertained.
Wu Jin went to the city on the second day to buy pens and ink for the exam.
This time, Kyoto came into his eyes without reservation.
The eight streets and nine roads were lined with flying beasts. When he entered the city at Mao Shi, the city was already crowded with people. Cars were like flowing water and horses were like swimming dragons. The morning light was a dazzling golden light that penetrated the morning fog and slowly fell on this bustling scene. .
The shops are rushing to open their doors, and the vendors and footmen are shouting tunes and sneaking in with vigorous postures. The persimmons, dried dates, and candied fruits in the baskets are all from all over the country. The tangerines that are not out of season are rolling in the bamboo baskets. , emitting golden light like the sun, and the sweet fragrance spreads from the cold wind, which is particularly attractive.
Wealthy children pass by riding horses and arranging flowers. From time to time, women travel in groups, most of them wearing curtains and hats, talking and laughing.
Among them, there are also women who dress up as men, carry knives at their waists, and pretend to be bold in their words. This is because the emperor admires the Detachment of Women, and the people in Kyoto are also proud of this style. However, they have never seen what the real Detachment of Women looks like, so they can only imitate the cat and the tiger.
Students who came from all over the country came out of their rented rooms and were influenced by the bustling atmosphere of Kyoto. They all dressed up and went to study with their heads held high.
Wu Jin went to the bookstore to buy pen and ink, and then went to the drugstore to buy plaster to treat frostbite. The Lantern Festival lanterns were still hanging in the tea house and wine shop. There were more and more people walking on the street. He was holding things in his arms and could not leave in a hurry, so he could only go slowly. Gongyuan.
On the way, he could see the Forbidden Palace at a glance.
The majestic and towering Qiong Tower breaks out of the morning mist as light as gauze. It is tall and majestic, with a golden dome reaching to the sky.
It contains the treacherous court, the courtiers who take advantage of the situation, and the emperor who values skills over Taoism.
At the same time, it also embodies the integrity, character, and ambition of scholars all over the world - if there is a way in the world, you will die for the way, if there is no way, you will die with your body.
His eyes did not linger on it for too long. He checked outside the Gongyuan and saw that there was no change and the roads were clear, so he turned back to the Taoist temple.
When he left the Gongyuan, Qi Chang came out of a small room near the Gongyuan with his shoulders hunched and his waist hunched over. He looked at a figure not far away whose back seemed to be Wu Jin. He also suspected that he was dazzled. When he rubbed his eyes and looked again, he was already there. No one was seen.
He thought that he was distracted by reading, so he closed his eyes, rested for a while, and smelled the air outside.
A quarter of an hour later he returned to the house.
There is only one narrow room with no windows. There is a bed against the wall and a square table beside the bed. The square table is only equipped with a chair. When the chair is pulled out and placed, it is also close to the door. .
On the way here, he heard that the house must be rented near Gongyuan, so as not to miss the news and to make friends with other students - who can say clearly whether there will be a person who is an extremely popular minister among them? .
He has thirty taels of silver from the Yamen and a hundred taels of silver from the Mo Mansion. However, he will not return to the Mo Mansion to work as a slave in the future. Everything must be done in the long run. Since he is reluctant to spend money, Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I had to rent this small room for a month.
It would be great if Wu Jin was here, he thought.
Wu Jin is like a big mountain. The people behind him will always see a peaceful and prosperous age in their eyes.
(End of chapter)
