Four or five days passed and it became cooler in mid-September. The scholars who gathered in Xianyang still lived in tents for the time being. After all, the imperial examination results have not yet been released, and the scholars cannot leave, so the camps set up by the army will not be removed for the time being.
But as time went by, many poor people in the camp became anxious.
Because they are all waiting for news.
For most poor scholars, the imperial examination is the only chance to make a comeback. Once you pass the exam, it's like leaping over the dragon's gate. Just like this, countless scholars could barely hold on at the beginning. But the further back, the more anxious I became.
But they didn't dare to push for such a thing. In fact, they couldn't push it, so they could only wait in the camp. Compared with the restlessness of others, Lu Guang lived in the camp calmly and without any panic.
Lu Guang's mentality is very good.
What needs to be done has been done.
I am lucky to gain, and I am destined to lose my life. This is the final result of everything. What's more, Lu Guang is not from a poor family, but a descendant of the Lu family of Jin. Even though the family is not as powerful as the Gu family, Xie family and other big families, and even though the family's power in the center of Jin is weaker, the Lu family in Lujiang County is like a local emperor.
The official arrangements of Lujiang County are all controlled by direct descendants of the Lu family. It's just that Lu Guang has been studying since he was a child, and he was famous for his talents at a young age. What he pursues is not simply food and clothing, nor ordinary fame and wealth.
As long as he was willing, the Lu family could arrange ordinary fame, fortune and wealth, and he didn't need to come all the way to Qin.
When Lu Guang was in his teens, he took the initiative to do local work and served as the county magistrate in a remote small county in Lujiang to preside over the situation. You must know that the wealthy and famous people in the Jin Dynasty, especially the younger generation, many people in their teens talked about improving their qualifications, reputation, and social circles.
This is for better promotion in the future.
Lu Guang said no, he didn't like such chatting and felt it was meaningless. Therefore, Lu Guang did not enter such a chat circle.
Lu Guang has been in charge of local government, accumulated a lot of experience, and also knows how local operations work.
Lu Guang wanted to realize his ambition, so he wanted to break out of the weird circle of Jin.
Lu Guang stayed in the camp and read slowly.
He was very calm.
"Go quickly, go quickly. I heard that the results will be released this afternoon. The results will be released at Shen Shi. There are still about three quarters of an hour before the results are released. Hurry up and go quickly."
Outside the camp, shouts were heard.
As the sound came out, the camp seemed to suddenly come to life from silence. Countless depressed scholars shouted and ran wildly.
All the scholars were extremely excited.
Lu Guang frowned slightly when he heard many people shouting and many scholars talking to themselves. The peaceful camp suddenly began to boil. The whole camp was extremely noisy, and it was no longer possible to work and read quietly.
Lu Guang stood up, patted his robe, put away his books and walked out of the tent.
Although he was not in a hurry, he went along because he still wanted to see the final result.
Lu Guang followed the people, because he walked slowly and leisurely, but the people around him ran wildly, running towards the gate of the West City from all directions. So much so that the camp where the scholars lived was like a wolf rushing to the grave, and it was extremely chaotic.
Lu Guang could understand the mood of these scholars.
These days, he stayed in the camp to study and saw more of life. Some people come from extremely poor families. Although their families have enough to eat, they are facing the earth with their backs to the sky. They have no chance to change their destiny, so they want to rely on this imperial examination to change their destiny.
Some people have studied for decades, but have no chance to become officials; some people, although they come from a wealthy family, are not direct descendants. The family does not have enough resources to support them, so they can only work within the family...
Countless people are unwilling to do so.
Countless people want to use this imperial examination to change their destiny.
So I was all excited.
This is human nature.
Lu Guang walked slowly and fell behind. When he arrived outside Xicheng, the entire area outside Xicheng was full of people. At a glance, he could only see the towering city wall in the distance, and there were noisy voices and constant discussions around him.
The sound was buzzing non-stop, far noisier than the noisy market.
Lu Guang saw this in his eyes and was horrified.
They're all here.
I'm afraid more than 30,000 people came, and there were even many people watching, probably just to join in the fun.
At such a scale, there are probably no less than 40,000 people. Lu Guang's mood has always been very calm, even when the mountain collapsed, his expression remained unchanged. But looking at such a huge battle and so many people, I could no longer control my emotions.
He was also inexplicably nervous as he waited for the announcement of the results.
He also has a winning mentality.
While Lu Guang was waiting, time passed little by little, and in a blink of an eye it was Shenshi.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way."
At the city gate, soldiers came out. The soldiers beat gongs and drums and arrived at the place where the notice was posted.
All the scholars scratched their necks, widened their eyes, and looked forward to it. In the blink of an eye, the soldier went to the corner and took out the list he had written long ago, then set up a wooden bench and posted it on the wall with the help of the wooden bench. The list is on red paper with black characters on the background. In order to make it easier to see, the lists are larger.
In front of each list, there is a ranking, such as first and second.
This is the order of ranking.
At the back of the list, it was written that at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, the scholars on the list would come to the palace to have an audience.
This news excited countless scholars.
The emperor personally receives him, which is a great favor. This is the real fish leaping over the dragon's gate.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!!"
The sound of gongs resounded loudly.
The sound of knocking was extremely harsh, and it sounded continuously, suppressing the comments of the surrounding scholars for a long time.
The soldier in charge of posting the list raised his head and shouted at the top of his voice: "All the people on the list and those who have passed the exam have been remembered clearly. At six o'clock tomorrow morning, His Majesty will summon you to the palace. Your Majesty, I want to summon you. Remember everything clearly, don’t forget it.”
The soldier repeated it three more times before pulling away.
As soon as the soldiers left, the scene was filled with excitement.
Countless people were talking, and everyone raised their heads and looked towards the city wall, staring at the list, looking for their names bit by bit.
"Without me, I would have failed."
After a while, someone murmured, his voice filled with endless loneliness.
"I failed the exam, and I failed the exam too! The hope of my whole family is in me, but I failed the exam. How should I explain to my parents, wife and children? I have no face to face my parents, wife and children!"
"Without me, without me, hahaha..."
"I have been studying for more than 20 years, studying various classics, but I failed. I am not willing to accept it."
There were voices in the crowd, and the vast majority of people were shouting and crying, looking like they were crying all over the place. For most people, their situation is miserable and they feel extremely uncomfortable. Many people cannot accept their failure to make the list.
"I won, I'm on the list, I'm two hundred and eighteen on the list. Hahaha... I'm on the list."
"I'm on the list too."
There are also people who shout for joy, but there are too few such people.
After all, only a few are on the list.
More than 36,000 people made reference, and only more than 200 people made the list. The probability of selection is already quite high.
Lu Guang was watching from a distance. He carefully estimated that he was at least 600 steps away from the city wall. Nowadays, it is so crowded and crowded that it is impossible to get close to it.
He listened to the news coming from many people, heard some people shouting, heard some people wailing and screaming, and knew that this was human nature.
List posting, this will have an impact.
Many people left after seeing it, which caused people to start flowing around. Such a flow was extremely slow. Lu Guang waited for almost a quarter of an hour, but could not move forward more than fifty steps.
It would take quite some time to get close to the city wall. He really didn't like going there in such a crowd, so he simply withdrew, found a stone to sit on a slope near the outside of the city, and quietly watched the countless scholars crowding around.
While Lu Guang was waiting, someone spread the news that the camp had issued a notice and that everyone would have to leave no later than the day after tomorrow. After the day after tomorrow, the camp will be dismantled and no one will be allowed to stay in the camp again.
This is as it should be.
Lu Guang had no objection. He sat on the stone, watching the scholars coming and going, watching the joys and sorrows unfolding outside the city, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
This is the joy and sorrow of life.
this is life.
"Brother, why are you sitting here and not looking at the rankings? If you make it to the list, you will jump over the dragon gate."
Suddenly, a hoarse voice came.
A tall, burly man with a somewhat honest appearance, about thirty years old, sat down next to Lu Guang. He had a faint smile on his face, giving people a simple and honest feeling.
Lu Guang looked gentle, smiled in return, and said, "Brother, why don't you go?"
The middle-aged man said hey: "My name is Liang Shan. The reason why I don't go is because there are too many people. If I go now, there is no way I can squeeze in. Don't look at me as a tall man, but I don't have much strength. I'll wait for the time being. Anyway, it's fine. Don’t be afraid of being late for dinner.”
Lu Guang said: "My name is Lu Guang. I agree with Brother Liang and wait for now. After everyone disperses, we will go and take a look."
Liang Shan said: "Brother Lu Xian, I think your temperament is different. You can definitely succeed."
Lu Guang glanced at Liang Shan.
The person in front of me looks quite honest. But Lu Guang knew that some people could only look at their appearance but not their character, and they might be deceived without even realizing it.
Lu Guang was not in the habit of making short-term conversations and said calmly: "I think Brother Liang is extraordinary, so you can definitely make it."
Liang Shan laughed loudly and said, "Brother Lu Xian, I'd like to lend you a blessing. It would be great if I could be on the list. To be honest, I am also the village leader in the village and I am educated at home. "
"I don't have a background, so I have no chance to become an official. Fortunately, I heard that the Duke of the country is going to take the imperial examination, so I came to Xianyang to give it a try. If I succeed, it will be fine, and I will really become an official. Even if I fail, it will not affect me. Go back and continue to be Muramasa."
Liang Shan held his head high and said: "Anyway, as long as I am here, no one can take my position."
Lu Guang said: "Brother Liang is really awesome."
After saying that, Lu Guang didn't talk anymore. He was not a talkative person.
Liang Shan was quite lively and thought to himself: "It is a great thing that the Duke has your Majesty's support to hold the imperial examination. On the way here, I heard that countless people will participate in the imperial examination. As expected, tens of thousands of people will participate, which is huge. When I get back to the village, I can talk about it. The people in the village must be extremely envious."
Lu Guang smiled softly, but still didn't answer.
Liang Shan disagreed and continued: "From the bottom of my heart, I still hope to be on the list. I heard from my grandfather that my ancestors of the Liang family were also scholars. My ancestors were also high officials and lived in Xianyang. Because my ancestors committed crimes. Because of this, I was exiled to Chencang County on the border of Yongzhou. In my heart, I wanted to honor my ancestors and make them happy."
He kept talking, regardless of whether Lu Guang answered or not.
Lu Guang listened and just smiled kindly.
Liangshan looks very simple and honest, but he is actually a thoughtful person. In such an environment where one party is silent and the other is speaking, the atmosphere is extremely harmonious, without any disharmony, and time is passing by little by little.
More than half an hour passed, and the number of scholars surrounding the city had been greatly reduced.
Most people have left, and there are only more than 200 people on the list. They all look the same, without any changes, and staying here will not make any difference.
Many people staggered away.
Some people left happily.
Seeing that there were not many people, Lu Guang was able to squeeze in. He stood up, patted his butt, and said with a smile: "Brother Liang, let's go, you can go and have a look."
"Okay."
Liang Shan stood up with a smile.
The two walked forward hand in hand, because the number of people had begun to decrease, and there were only a few people around, most of whom were discussing. Lu Guang and Liang Shan arrived at the corner soon.
"Hey, Brother Lu Xian, you are at the top of the list."
Liang Shan reminded.
With sharp eyes, he immediately saw Lu Guang at the front. He looked down and saw his name, ranked second.
After that came Zuoqiu, ranked third.
At this moment, Liang Shan grinned, good guy, he is second, it is so unexpected.
Lu Guang smiled and said: "Brother Liang, you are not bad either. You are ranked second. The first few may actually be similar. It is more the subjective impression of the marking officer. Your answer is more in line with the marking officer. The score It might be a little higher.”
Liang Shan smiled and said: "Brother Lu Xian, you are so polite. Number one is number one. How can you get number one without any real talent? Look at the back. Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, we are going to the palace to have an audience together. Oh my God, I am like this I never thought in my life that I would be able to see His Majesty. When the time comes, I will definitely be able to see the Duke, who is a very good man."
Everyone around him looked over.
Many people's faces were full of envy, because these were the two people at the front.
Unfortunately, it's not them.
Lu Guang looked at some of the rankings at the back, glanced over them, and said, "Brother Liang, I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now."
"great, see you tomorrow."
Liang Shan nodded and left.
After Lu Guang walked some distance away, he headed towards the camp. There is still some distance from the city gate to the camp. Lu Guang was passing by a road under a mountain forest ahead. When he was still some distance away from the camp, five people suddenly appeared on the road ahead and blocked the way.
"Are you Lu Guang?"
The leader was tall and strong, and looked like a warrior at first glance. The other four people were young men in ordinary clothes. At first glance, they were the thugs who were following.
Lu Guang looked at the approaching formation, frowned and said, "You stopped me halfway, what's the matter?"
The middle-aged martial artist chuckled and said: "We have been staring at the list, just to keep an eye on the person at the top. Unexpectedly, Mr. Lu actually showed up. We came to ask Mr. Lu to come with us. We will meet him then. Someone will go on behalf of Mr. Lu. As long as Mr. Lu agrees, Mr. Lu will be given a reward of five hundred taels of gold when the matter is completed."
Lu Guang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "If I refuse, are you going to kill me?"
"You can't kill someone."
The middle-aged warrior clapped his hands, shook his head and said: "Kill you. Once your family comes to Xianyang, things will get worse. Our plan is for Mr. Lu to collect the money and withdraw voluntarily. In short, you can just go with us. Come on, disappear for a while."
Lu Guang looked solemn.
what to do?
He doesn't practice martial arts, how can he get out?
Especially the number of people on the other side, a total of five people. It's even harder to leave this time. At this moment, Lu Guang suddenly felt regretful. If he had known that he was practicing martial arts like Lu Yi, he would not blindly catch people when he encountered them, but just attack them directly.
Seeing Lu Guang's hesitation, the middle-aged warrior's expression turned cold, no longer as friendly as before.
"If Mr. Lu refuses to cooperate, I won't be polite. I can only break Mr. Lu's legs, and then break your tendons and hamstrings. You have become a cripple and don't know our identities. How can you retaliate?"
"The choices we gave you have already been memorized. By giving you money, we gain fame and fortune, the best of both worlds."
"Mr. Lu, according to the news, the imperial examination is not done after one test. It is said that there will be another test at this time next year. If you come back next year, you can change your name anyway. Or use the same name. , and nothing.”
"Furthermore, in this exam, only the name was written, and the place of birth and other information were not involved. Who knows the specific situation of the reference person? We did not kill you directly, and we have done our best. Five hundred taels of gold is not a small amount. What do you think?"
The warrior looked confident.
He believed that it was impossible for Lu Guang to refuse, because once he refused, he would lose his legs and hands. This was a result that ordinary people could not bear.
Lu Guang looked around.
Cooperate?
It's impossible for him to cooperate?
As long as he escapes, he will have a chance, and as long as someone comes, he will have a chance. Lu Guang felt something in his heart, turned around and opened his legs to evacuate. He just took a step back, and in an instant the warriors were surrounding him.
"You are looking for death."
The middle-aged warrior was furious.
He came to coerce Lu Guang, but unexpectedly his persuasion failed and Lu Guang refused to cooperate. The middle-aged warrior stopped talking and stepped forward to arrest Lu Guang. He was unwilling to kill anyone, so he broke Lu Guang's legs first.
Lu Guang thought to himself that it was over. He was cut off from his retreat and the warriors were chasing him. He might not have a chance to leave.
All I can do is grit my teeth and rush.
Clang! !
At this moment, the clear dragon roar came out.
A burly figure rushed out like lightning, reached Lu Guang's side, stood firm, and then slashed down with a sword. Before the middle-aged warrior had time to react, the sword had already fallen into his hand.
The sword blade sliced across, blood spurted out, and blood flowed like a stream.
The middle-aged warrior screamed and staggered back.
"Uncle Zhong, why are you here?"
Lu Guang's face was full of surprise. He escaped from the Jin Kingdom quietly. His family didn't know about it. Why did Zhongli, the master worshiped by his family, follow him?
Zhongli didn't reply for the time being and took action quickly. He was a fast sword, and the light of the sword in his hand flashed, and only the clanging sound could be heard. All the people who surrounded Lu Guang were killed, and no one was left behind.
Lu Guang came back to his senses and said: "Uncle Zhong, you killed everyone, how can you investigate? The news is cut off right here."
Zhongli smiled and said, "Sir, I didn't stop for a moment, please forgive me."
Lu Guang sighed and said: "That's all, I'm dead. Uncle Zhong, you haven't said anything yet, why are you here?"
Zhongli said: "Young master, do you think you can come to Qin alone? The head of the family knew your thoughts from the beginning. He did not stop you. He just sent me to follow you secretly to protect your safety. Therefore, you can reach Xianyang smoothly."
Lu Guang was startled when he heard this.
An moved look appeared on his face, and he said: "After all, I didn't have enough experience. I thought I was great. I thought I left quietly. I didn't expect that my father knew about it."
Zhong Li said: "The head of the family said that since the young master has arrived in Qin, he should do his best. This may not be a way out."
Lu Guangdao: "I understand. Please help Uncle Zhong protect me during this period."
Zhongli said: "This is what I should do."
Lu Guang asked Zhong Li to stay here temporarily, and went straight to the nearby primary school guarding the camp. He revealed his identity and said that he had been assassinated, and then killed everyone on the spot. This was done deliberately by Lu Guang. According to this statement, the people behind the scenes believed that the news had not leaked and would not alert the snake.
Only in this way can we have the opportunity to investigate.
The primary school learned that Lu Guang was at the top of the list and knew that the matter was serious, so he quickly said: "Master Lu, I will report it immediately and handle it immediately."
Lu Guang shook his head and said: "You don't need to report it. You just need to take away all the corpses and hang them at the entrance of the camp. Say that these people intended to assassinate me and were all killed by my people on the spot. This is the news to the outside world." .”
"I will enter the city immediately, go to the Duke's Mansion to meet with the Duke, and ask the Duke to handle it. I believe that the Duke will make arrangements. I have not spread any more news, and you must be steady. The only news is that he is assassinating me. , and then killed them on the spot, without any news."
"By the way, I would like to warn the other scholars to be careful."
After hearing this, the principal didn't ask any more questions and said directly: "Mr. Lu, please rest assured that I won't leak anything. Is it appropriate for you to go alone?"
"Don't I have a guard?"
Lu Guang smiled softly.
Upon hearing this, the principal nodded hurriedly and called for someone to move all the bodies away.
Lu Guang took Zhongli and left Xicheng directly to go to the Duke's Mansion in Xianyang City.
