The next morning, Lou Jian knocked on the door and entered the room with a tired face. When he saw Jing Shi, he yawned and said, "Did Ziyun sleep well last night?"
Jing Shi said: "I had some strange dreams."
Lou Jian rubbed his eyes and said: "What a coincidence. I usually sleep deeply and have few dreams, but last night I had strange dreams again and again, which is really rare. Unexpectedly, I heard about the affairs of the country, and I was thinking about it, and I actually had a dream. The big black tiger is lying next to it, it is three feet high, its eyes are purple and lightning, it will land in Ziyun's room and crush your whole room."
Jing Shi was speechless after hearing this. Lou Jian didn't know what happened last night, so he asked himself: "What kind of strange dream did Zi Yun have?"
Jing Shi said: "It's a black cat."
The man on the floor scratched his head and said, "I heard that mysterious cats are used to suppress evil and attract wealth. Zi Yun dreamed of seeing this, which should be a good omen."
Jing Shi said, "I hope so." He did not mention the matter again, but called the court official to ask him to repair the window sash. In the afternoon, the sound of horses neighing and carriages racing was heard in the courtyard, and it was expected that some candidates would set off first. Jingshi's room is located at the back of the courtyard. There are about a dozen people living together. It is estimated that there are nearly a hundred people participating in the examination. Around noon, the steward of the courtyard came to deliver a message, calling everyone to board the train on the street in front of the courtyard. When everyone arrived at the door, another officer took their names and checked the book. While Jing Shi was waiting, he suddenly saw a man named Shi Shiran coming from the corner of the street. He saluted him and said, "Zi Yun, it seems that we are setting off in the same batch this time."
When Jing Shi saw that this person was actually Zhang Duan, he couldn't help but be startled. He was about to ask her what she meant by this, but he heard the officer above him say, "Zhang Duan, Li County, Qing State."
Zhang Duan stepped forward in response and announced his birthday. Then he looked back at Jingshi, smiled, and boarded the carriage. Jing Shi was naturally surprised when he saw this scene, but Zhang Duan had already boarded the car and had no time to ask for details. Just when he was surprised, Wang Lian called next to him: "Who was that just now? The name sounded very unfamiliar to me."
Jing Shi said: "It's an old friend."
He knew that Wang Li didn't like the children of the aristocratic family, and he also knew that Zhang Duanzhen didn't say much at first. Unexpectedly, Wang Mian was very interested in this matter. He kept asking questions before boarding the car and setting off. Since this journey was a long one, all the vehicles used were four-carriage vehicles, and all kinds of gold and silver decorations on the shafts and carriages were removed to avoid exceeding the rank. It is unavoidable to be a burden, but it is spacious and stable enough for many people to ride together. The convoy traveled to the official road outside the city, avoiding the attention of pedestrians in the shops beside the road, making the journey much easier. However, due to the rough terrain, the four of us riding together found it difficult to relax and there was no interest in talking.
Walking like this, whenever you are in a town, you stay overnight, and when you are in the wild, you camp. There were about twenty test students accompanying them, and the number of escorting officers, soldiers, and accompanying officials was at least fifty, and there were also several heavy-duty vehicles following them. They traveled slowly for more than a month before leaving the territory of Danguo.
The capital of Gandu, Longye, was originally located in the east of the territory. Going further east, it reached the southern border of Yue Kingdom and reached the coastal areas. It was early summer when Jing Shi returned home to congratulate Li Diao. By now, the autumn wind was blowing and the leaves were yellow and the flowers were withering. After the convoy handed over the ultimatum, they passed through the Minshuang Pass and arrived at the Junjun of Yue Kingdom. Because this county is close to the coast, the climate is very different from that of neighboring areas. The sky is dark, the trees are tall, the soil is red, and it is hot and humid. Everyone was wearing heavy clothes soaked with sweat after sitting in the car for a long time.
Especially after Minshuang Pass, it is close to the coast. There are no cities to the east, only some market towns for merchants and sellers, but there is no room for this team of horses and horses to stay. Fortunately, the Lingguan Prefecture was also aware of this terrain, and informed the Yue Kingdom clan early on, and also notified the governor of Jun County, ordering them to set up shacks outside the market town for the temporary accommodation of people going here.
Although the shack is very simple and requires several people to share one room, it is better than being crammed into a carriage because it has bedding and pillows and unlimited water, heating and food. Jing Shi was in the same car as Lou Jian and shared a separate house. He entered the room and was getting dressed and tidying up when he suddenly heard someone outside asking, "Can Zi Yun be here?"
As soon as Jing Shi heard this voice, he immediately knew that the person coming must be Zhang Duan, and said to others: "He is my friend." He put down the mattress in his hands and walked out of the shack. He saw that Zhang Duan was still dressed as a scribe, standing outside the door Under the old tree. When he came out of the door, he saluted and said, "There are many people here, please take a step to talk to Ziyun." Then he led the way towards the wasteland in the distance.
Jing Shi followed closely and walked to a deserted place before asking, "Qing Zhuang also lives here?"
Zhang Duan said: "I rent a house in the town and I don't live with you. I'm sorry for your understanding." Then he sighed softly and said: "Actually, it's quite unexpected that I can come to take part in this big event. . No matter how tolerant my brother is to me, if he had not got the support of Young Master Yu, he would not be able to bypass the elders of the clan."
Jing Shi responded, then said after a moment: "I have some doubts in my mind, but I hope I won't offend Zhuang Qing."
Zhang Duan said: "Zi Yun wants to know why I can pass the test?"
Since Jing Shi was guessed by her, she did not shy away from it and said bluntly: "When I traveled to Zhen, Qian, Yue and other countries, all the officials I saw were men, and I have never heard of women becoming officials. Maybe there are other laws in China, maybe Are women taking the exam?"
Zhang Duan smiled slightly and said: "I knew Zi Yun had this question. In fact, ordinary officials, even if there are no laws and regulations, may not allow women to serve as officials. But this time the big move is different, it is to select talents to govern the fairyland. Only the virtuous, Regardless of gender, and if I have met an immortal for guidance, Master Yu can recommend me. If I can succeed this time, there should be two places to go, one is to the Central Plains, and the other is to the Western Regions. I can try this time , because of Tian Luchuan’s ability to control the disaster, and my brother’s activities, I can enter the middle land, and it can also leave an escape route for the clan.”
Hearing her words, Jing Shi didn't think much, he just nodded and said, "That's it."
Zhang Duan looked at him for a moment, then suddenly said: "Although my clan hopes that I will go to the Central Plains to become an official, thinking that I will pave the way for future generations, I actually have other ideas. If I can be promoted, I should take the Western Region and abandon the Central Plains. This is I didn't tell anyone else about it, I just told Ziyun temporarily."
Jing Shi didn't want her to say this, so he couldn't help but pause for a moment and said: "I heard that the West has been away from the rule of Qingdu for a long time, and the customs and etiquette are different from those in the Southeast. The powerful families keep private slaves and raise private soldiers, and their power can overwhelm the princes and officials." Although we are under the emperor's orders, we don't know what is going on behind the scenes. If Zhuang Qing goes there, he may make a mistake."
Zhang Duan said: "How could I not know this? But if I don't take risks and make meritorious deeds, I will be at the mercy of the clan's arrangements. I live in seclusion under Sichuan and walk around as a man, which has caused complaints within the clan. If I can't serve as an official, I can't be my own master." . Fortunately, I received guidance from immortals when I was young, and I have a little understanding of mystical principles. I also have a few disciples who are good at martial arts. If I can travel to the west, I can be a strong help."
Her words came out suddenly and her voice was decisive. After hearing this, Jing Shi knew that her mind had been made up, so he stopped trying to persuade her. He just nodded and said, "Qing Zhuang has his own ideas, but please be careful."
Zhang Duan gave a low response, put his hands behind his hands and walked towards the road. After a while, he said again: "In the past, when I read history books, I knew that the etiquette in the southwest was loose, and even a woman from a noble family could leave it alone and even choose the man of her choice. There was also a country with a female king in the south. I don't know. Is it true or false?”
Jing Shi said: "It's true. Due to palace changes, the Lehua Kingdom once established a female king. Beyond the South China Sea, there are also fairy island isolated countries. Most of the islands respect women and practice marriage. The islanders have been born since childhood. They live together as one clan, without any surname. If a man and a woman agree, they just spend the night having fun, and they return to their own clan in peacetime, and they are not allowed to marry."
Zhang Duan was melancholy and meditating, but when he heard Jing Shi's reply, he raised his head and said in surprise: "Zi Yun is really knowledgeable and knows such things about southern Xinjiang. If I get the chance, I hope to go to southern Xinjiang to gain more knowledge." knowledge."
Jing Shi responded: "The climate in the south is dangerous, and not everything is good. It is only because the people's livelihood is so difficult that we have to be less polite. If Zhuang Qing succeeds, it will be easier to do it in the west."
The two of them were speechless for a while when they talked about this place, so they walked along the wilderness. They saw the vegetation was rustling and the green grass was dense, which made people feel sad when they looked at it. Zhang Duan was walking among the grass, picked a flower at random, and suddenly said, "Zi Yun, do you have anything else to ask me?"
Jing Shi shook his head and said: "Nothing. Zhuang Qing is good at serving people and has talents in warp and latitude. He should be used by the world. I think all the land in the Western Regions can be obtained."
He meant to praise, but there was no joy on Zhang Duan's face. He just looked at the distant mountains and said: "Being born as a woman, you must have talents in warp and latitude before you can be a good man, so what is there to be proud of? I understand this right now with Ziyun. Things are also an expression of ambition. In this big move, I will seize the front rank to ensure that the westward advance is not lost. I know that Ziyun has no intention of becoming an official, but if he cannot get the position this time, I am afraid that he will join the Shang Yongjue and it will be difficult to see him again. I I have very few friends in my life, so it would be a pity to be parted from them now."
She threw out these words and without waiting for Jing Shi's reply, she hurriedly said: "It's getting late. If you and I don't return to camp for a long time, it's easy to make others suspicious. I drank a little too much at noon and made a mistake. Don't take it to heart." After saying that, he waved his hand and left in a hurry.
