When Xu He came out of the examination booth, he saw Huang Youcai kneeling on the bluestone slab with his hands on his knees where he had just touched the pillar, sweating profusely.
At this time, Huang Youcai also heard the noise and looked towards him.
As soon as their eyes collided, Xu He saw deep hatred in Huang Youcai's eyes.
Having said that, sometimes, human nature is really weird.
It was obvious that he was the one who framed him, and now that he was punished, he not only showed no remorse, but also revealed the words "wait and see" in his eyes!
Xu He didn't look at Huang Youcai much. He walked by without looking sideways, but he had already registered this person in his heart.
As the saying goes, if a snake is not killed, its harm will be left behind. Xu He is not a gentle, respectful and thrifty guy. He thought to himself that he must eliminate this hidden danger when he has the opportunity, otherwise he will not be able to sleep peacefully.
After leaving the county examination booth, because he handed in the paper in advance, he waited until it got dark before his social studies classmates came out.
"Xiaohe, are you okay? That Huang Youcai is really nothing. I will definitely tell Master when I get back!"
"Xiaohe was a blessing in disguise. The magistrate ordered him to take the county exam title on the spot! This is the first time someone in our social studies department has taken the county exam title. When we go back, Master will definitely reward Xiaohe!"
"Xiaohe, you don't know, I was so scared when I saw you hitting your head against the pillar!"
"We can't do this again in the future. Aunt Xu is your only son. If something happens to you, what will your mother do?"
…
At this time, a little fat man stood out from the crowd and stepped forward to check the wound on Xu He's head: "Brother He, let's go, I will take you to the hospital!"
Xu He recognized this person. He was Qian Yu, the only son of Qian Jizu, the owner of Huibin Tower in the east of the city.
The Qian family was a merchant. In the Wei Dynasty, the status of merchants was low. Although things had improved over the years and he was able to participate in the imperial examination, this little fat man obviously did not have the consciousness to change his class through the imperial examination. He was a typical example of dawdling in social studies.
However, Qian Yu is not good at studying, but he is talented in life, and his relationship with Xu He is also very good.
Xu He's head was already scabbed, and he didn't feel nauseous for such a long time. He declined Qian Yu's kindness and turned to ask everyone, "How did everyone do in the exam?"
They are all young people, and their thoughts cannot be hidden, they are all shown on their faces.
Most of the seven or eight people had heavy expressions on their faces, including Qian Yu of course.
At this time, Xu He noticed that there was a look of pride on the face of a young man named Chu Yuan. He knew that the young man must have done well in the exam.
Of course Xu He would not expose the scars of Qian Yu and others, and asked Chu Yuan alone: "Fourth brother should have done well in the exam, right?"
Chu Yuan is the fourth in the family and older than Xu He. Although they have two surnames, they are both teenagers and have no characters yet, so Xu He always calls him "Fourth Brother".
Chu Yuan smiled, but the smile on his face had faded away: "Shang Ke, compared with Xiaohe's case, it's not worth mentioning!"
Xu He quickly shook his head: "I haven't heard from the county magistrate yet, so I dare not claim to be the head of the case!"
Seeing that there was no trace of pride on Xu He's face, Chu Yuan smiled, nodded and stopped talking.
Qian Yu laughed loudly when he saw this and said: "Okay, I finally finished the exam, don't mention these bad things, let's leave the city while the city gate is still open, I have the car ready!"
The Qian family was in business, so they were naturally rich. They drove to and from the county exam, and all the classmates benefited from Qian Yu.
When these social studies students got on the ox cart and drove all the way out of the city, Xujia Village in the east of the city...
At the far east end of the village, in a courtyard surrounded by yellow mud and straw bricks, there are three dilapidated thatched houses.
It was already dusk, and it was supposed to be the time when the smoke was curling up, but at this moment, Qiqi's silent sobbing could be heard in the yard.
"My He'er is definitely not a cheater. As a mother, I know my son best!" In the courtyard, a middle-aged woman wiped her tears and looked around, as if she wanted to see what she saw on the faces of the people around her. Their affirmation of their son's character.
At this time, an old man who was over sixty years old sighed and said: "Lao San's family, we are not deceiving you. In a short while, someone from the county came over with news that Xiaohe was searched because of the county examination. In anger, he touched his head against a pillar... His life or death was uncertain!"
"No, it won't happen. He'er has been sensible since he was a child and has always been very motivated in his studies. It is obvious to all the neighbors. He, he will never do such a thing!" The mother was still protecting her son.
"Haha~~~~~~~~!" Suddenly a burst of sneer came, and a young man with a frivolous face was laughing and shaking his head, making the solemn atmosphere of the scene suddenly weird.
Everyone looked at the young man, and it turned out that the person speaking was Xu Que, who worked as a book boy in the clan school.
The sixty-year-old old man heard this and said angrily: "Xu Que, why are you sneering here?"
I saw that Xu Que smiled softly again, with a look of disdain on his face: "I laugh at Xu He for not overestimating his own abilities, trying to influence others, and deceiving the county examination! He is just a student of social studies. He should read some "Hundred Family Surnames" , "Three Character Classic", as long as he can read the account book, what? He still wants to take the Jinshi examination and become the number one scholar? Hahaha!"
"Don't talk about Xu He. Even if he is Mr. Luan, the legitimate son of the second master of the clan, he is just a child student now. Auntie, I advise you to let Brother He rest your mind as soon as possible. The dead vines on the wall, do you really think you are a piece of cake?"
After hearing what Xu Que said, the faces of the surrounding neighbors suddenly showed angry expressions.
I saw a young man standing out from the crowd and glaring at him angrily: "Xu Que, we are all brothers of the same clan. If you don't persuade my aunt, what do you mean by still arguing here?"
The speaker had dark skin and his honest face turned red.
After saying that, he looked at the old man in his 60s and said: "Dad, I will enlist this year. I think Xu Que is already a man. When someone comes from the county in the summer, please report his name!"
As soon as these words came out, Xu Que was furious: "Xu Peng, how dare you offend me for someone who cheated in the county examination? Be careful that I tell Master Luan that your father will not be able to succeed in the position of commander!"
The Xu Peng that Xu Que mentioned was the person who just spoke. He was the son of an old man in his sixties. He grew up with Xu He and had a good relationship with him.
Their family name is also Xu, and old man Xu is the head of the village.
The chief of Jia in the Wei Dynasty was responsible for serving in the annual service, urging for money and food, and taking care of official affairs. Xu Que's family was among the ten households under his jurisdiction, so Xu Peng said this.
However, Chief A is only elected by the village and can be reported to the county. To be honest, he does not have any real power.
Therefore, Xu Que was very angry just now, but the next second he sneered: "Xu Peng, do you really think of your father as an official? It's really summer. I'll ask Master Luan to talk to the second master. You see It’s your father’s words that matter, or the second master’s words that matter!”
"You!" Xu Peng was blocked by his words and was speechless for a long time.
Xu Que said proudly: "Haha! You poor people want to turn over, and you don't even take a look in the mirror. In the past, you laughed at me for being Master Luan's bastard, saying that Xu He studied hard and had an unlimited future! "
"How are you now? What you think of studying hard is just a show. In the end, it's not just cheating in the county exam, it's a disgrace to our Xu family!"
"Bah!" After saying that, he spat on the ground, his face filled with the pleasure of "revenge!"
Xu's mother was even more desperate when she saw this. She couldn't care less about Xu Que's triumphant appearance at the moment.
She suddenly stood up, wiped her tears and walked out the door.
Lao Zhang was afraid that something would happen to her, so he quickly said: "Lao San's family, where are you going?"
Xu He's mother, Mrs. Xie, wiped her tears with her fists and choked with sobs: "Brother, I'm going to beg Uncle Song. Even if I die on my knees in front of Uncle Song, I still want him to save my son!"
Uncle Song refers to Xu Song, the eldest son of the Xu family and the patriarch of the Xu family. He was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Chunde's reign. Now he has resigned from office and lives in seclusion on weekdays. But after all, he is a high-ranking official who has served as the governor of Yingtian. It is very influential in Hailing and even in Nanzhili.
But unfortunately, Xu Song was the eldest son of the great clan, and Xu He and his group were descended from the concubine of the lesser clan. Therefore, the two families had no contact except to worship their ancestors. Even the people of the great clan looked down upon the concubine of the younger clan and their clan at all.
However, unable to write two characters "Xu" in one stroke, Xu's mother gritted her teeth and decided that even if she knelt down and died in front of the Xu family's main clan today, she would still ask her uncle Xu Song to come forward and save her son.
At this moment, the sound of wheels rolling over the dirt road suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
When Lao Jia heard this, his heart tightened: "What's wrong, I have a car, I'm afraid it's not someone from the county?"
Xu Que laughed loudly: "Someone from the county is coming. They must ask Xu He's family to deliver food to the prison!"
When everyone heard this, their hearts all "thumped".
But what is to come will eventually come.
After all, Old Captain A was a man. He gritted his teeth and pushed open the courtyard door.
When Xu's mother saw this, her face turned pale, and she staggered out of the yard.
When Lao Chang opened the courtyard door anxiously, he was suddenly shocked by the scene in front of him.
And Xu's mother, who was following behind him, also stared at the visitor in stunned silence.
