When we entered the dormitory, it was still dark, and the examination room gave us three thick and long candles. Candles were only introduced in the previous dynasty. They were white Jin candles. The price was not small, which showed that the court had spent money.
Su Ziji took one look at it and didn't use it. This was one tube a day for candidates to use at night. The exam hadn't started yet, so naturally he wouldn't use it.
There were people walking around on both sides, and there was the sound of turning things around. The sound insulation was not strong, and the area of each dormitory was not large, only a little more than one meter from left to right. There were no couches or tables. There were only two wooden boards that could be placed on the partitions on both sides of the wall. , serving as seats and tables.
When sleeping at night, you probably need to use these two pieces of wood to piece it together.
The environment was not a good one, but neither Su Ziji nor the other candidates would have any objections. They had already been mentally prepared before coming in, knowing that the three days of the provincial examination would not be easy.
There are two wooden barrels not far away. One is full of clean water, which is enough for three days, and the other is empty. It is for people to excrete. Both have lids, but if you want to eat, drink, defecate and sleep in this small space, , Su Ziji, who is not demanding about the environment, can't help but be a little worried. Among other things, he is afraid that his nose will be full of stench these days.
In addition to these, there were also charcoal fire copper basins, etc. Su Ziji glanced at them and skipped them.
He did not sit down immediately, but stood in the dormitory, slowly moving his body joints. The people in the dormitory opposite were also a little idle. Although it was not dark yet, he had good eyesight and could clearly see the appearance of this place. He looked so leisurely that he took a second look.
After a while, a guard in the examination room sent pens, inks and inkstones to each room. Just like the county examination and the government examination, it was distributed uniformly by the government to prevent anyone from cheating by taking advantage of the ink colors at different prices.
Su Ziji then sat down and slowly polished his ink. He was still a little upset and angry, and it took a long time for him to slowly calm down.
Seeing all the candidates entering, Tan Youshan walked out of the street corner. The streets and alleys of this provincial capital are lined with rows of densely populated people. It is also the provincial examination. Although it is still early, there are soup cake shops open.
Tan Youshan touched his robe, went up and sat down, and asked for a bowl of wontons. The boss agreed and handed over the banana fan and a bowl of coarse tea. After a few sips, the wontons were served.
Tan Youshan took a few bites, and it tasted delicious. He looked at the wontons blankly, and suddenly remembered that when his son was on duty, he and he ate wontons during their first inspection.
After wiping away a few tears, he ate heartily. The boss saw this and hurriedly added some side dishes to him, comforting him softly: "Brother, something happened. It's okay. I can't pass the threshold."
Tan Youshan calmed down at this time, nodded his thanks, drank the wonton soup, counted the money, and left somewhere.
The footsteps gradually calmed down.
West of the city·Prefect’s Yamen
It was dawn at this time, and the weather turned cold. Originally, the prefect's Yamen was not open, but today is the day of the provincial examination. Not only the Governor's Yamen, but also the prefect's Yamen opened their offices early.
Just servants, lounging or dozing against the wall, or simply falling asleep.
The guard nicknamed Lao Liu was the most junior among the group. Everyone else was dozing off, but he was the only one who could barely hold on and did not dare to relax.
Out of boredom, I occasionally looked outside and saw an old man in clothes striding towards the yamen door.
Who?
Lao Liu frowned and walked out slowly, intending to stop him.
Today is the first day of Qiu Wei. Although the prefect is not directly in charge of Qiu Wei, he has repeatedly given orders to cooperate with the school superintendent to prevent anyone from causing trouble in the county during this period. Even if there is nothing to do, the servants will stay in the Yamen. , take turns patrolling?
"Hey, old man, what's the matter? This is the prefect's yamen, no trespassing!"
The old man clearly saw him and was walking towards here. An ominous premonition suddenly arose in Lao Liu's heart, which made his originally groggy head clear.
Sure enough, the next moment I saw the old man heading straight towards the Denwen Drum on the east wall.
The old man actually wants to beat the drum!
Lao Liu was so frightened that his whole body trembled, and he immediately rushed to block it, shouting urgently: "Don't beat the drum if you have nothing to do. You old man, are you looking for death?"
Forget about the past, now it's Qiuwei, and it's really a big deal.
Lao Liu's scolding also woke up the people inside. Several officers heard the sound and came out. When they saw an old man rushing into the gate and picking up the drumstick, their expressions changed greatly.
But even if Lao Liu ran over, it would be too late, let alone others. Just as Lao Liu grabbed the old man's wrist, the drumstick in the old man's hand had already hit the drum head hard.
"Dong dong dong dong..." The head of the Denwen drum is made of fine cowhide. Once struck, the sound immediately resounds in all directions!
Lao Liu let out an ouch and let go.
It's useless not to loosen it. This knock will definitely alert the adults inside. If you stop it now, it will be your own fault.
"Who are you, and why are you here to play the drum?" At this time, the most senior person among the guards rushed over. He was older, and when he looked at the old man in front of him, his expression suddenly changed.
"Are you...Tan Youshan?"
"Why did you come here from Linhua County? Do you know that it is autumn now, even if you have grievances, you will not report it to the county government or avoid this time?"
"Now, you are in big trouble!" This man actually knew Tan Youshan, which showed that Tan Youshan's decades of tolerance were not in vain.
"Qian Mazi, my son was ordered by Ding Ruili, the son of Ding Tongzhi, but was killed by the scholar Su Ziji. Now that I have reported it to no one, I have no choice but to fight to the death to get this chance."
Tan Youshan secretly found out that Su Ziji and Ding Ruili had arrived in the provincial capital, and then launched an attack at this point in order to prevent Su Ziji and Ding Ruili from having time to smooth out their relationship.
"Tan Youshan, you are just a low-ranking official. At this time, you are suing a scholar who is participating in Qiu Wei. This is treated the same as a citizen suing an official. Why don't you retreat quickly?" The senior person glanced at Tan Youshan and saw that he had already He has gray hair on his temples and a sad look on his face. He is really old and can't bear it. It's early in the morning and maybe the adults haven't heard him yet.
Just as he said this, a person ran out of the yamen: "Your Excellency, you have heard the drums of grievances and are ready to go to court!"
Okay, no need to persuade me now!
As the main hall door of the yamen opened, the awakened yamen servants from the third class and sixth room rushed out in sequence from the wall. The yamen servants holding water and fire sticks conveyed the power of the hall: "Shengtang, majesty——"
The prefect Liao Qingge came out of the hall, and there were three deafening drums. Liao Qingge sat down under the plaque of "Mingjing High Hanging". For a while, the only sound in the hall was the rustling of clothes, but not the sound of coughing phlegm.
A chilling atmosphere filled the whole hall.
Tan Youshan is now her husband. For many years, the foreman has shouted loudly and he is very familiar with this atmosphere. But today, when he changed his identity, he couldn't help but tremble. But when he thought of his son, he gritted his teeth and knelt down.
"Baizan Tan Youshan, please make the decision for me, Lord Fu!"
