After the group set off, they almost didn't stop. Except for changing horses and having meals at the inn, they didn't actually check in and rest at an inn until dark.
Yu Qing estimated that if he were not afraid that he, a scholar, would not be able to bear the burden, these two people could lead him on the journey day and night.
At dawn, the three of them continued their journey.
It is common for people's livelihood to suffer along the way, and it is not uncommon for people to starve to death on the road.
It took two and a half days of traveling like this to reach the destination.
A majestic city, the capital city of various states.
People and cars were coming and going at the gate of the city. It was indeed a state city. Its prosperity was completely different from the desolation seen on the way before.
The three of them entered the city safely, and the journey was uneventful. It was Xu Juening's arrangement that was appropriate.
There are many shops in the city, peddlers and pawns, busy traffic, shouting and selling, brothels with pink fragrance, and the living world of mortals.
Yu Qing, who had lived in the mountains for a long time, loved to watch the bustle in the city and looked left and right all the way. Unfortunately, Xu and Tang did not let him stay.
As the hustle and bustle faded away, the three of them arrived at a quiet place, outside a high-level gate.
The gate is decorated with carved beams and painted pillars, brackets and flying eaves. The whole gate seems to be flying away with wings. It is very majestic and surrounded by heavy guards.
There is a plaque on the lintel of the spacious door with four words: Lizhou Wenhua.
This place is the Wenhua Academy in Lizhou, and it is also the largest government-run academy in Lizhou. At this time, all students have been given a holiday, and the halls have been emptied out to provide temporary accommodation for the talented people who are about to gather in Lizhou.
Yu Qing came here to gather in the name of "Ashi Heng", but there was also a problem with the procedures. Because Xu and Tang did not follow the normal procedures, that is, the regulations for handling affairs were incomplete, and the local officers in charge were all If he didn't come, who knows who you sent.
Tang Bran left immediately, not knowing who he was looking for. When he came back, there were already many officials from various states wearing official robes. When this person came, the problem was solved on the spot.
After the formalities were quickly passed, someone took Yu Qing into Wenhua Academy. Yu Qing turned around three times and found that he had separated from Xu and Tang. He didn't know if there would be a chance to see each other again later.
"The largest house is the 'Fenghua Hall', which is a place for literary debate. It can accommodate one or two thousand people at the same time, which is enough space for all the gentlemen and students of the academy to sit together."
"This is the academy's most famous 'Yuxiu Garden'. The beautiful landscapes created and the flowers and trees cultivated are all full of craftsmanship and elegance. The landscape is a resort, and the buildings scattered among it are also places for students to listen to lectures..."
The two officers leading the way, one tall and one short, introduced them wherever they went. Yu Qing didn’t know if his superiors had told him to do this. He noticed that there were occasionally people wearing gray cloaks around him. They were scattered scattered, each carrying weapons, and the sign of alert was obvious, adding a sense of chill to the place.
He had heard that people in the Sinan Mansion were dressed in gray clothes, and some people called the people in the Sinan Mansion 'people in gray'. He had never come into contact with people from the Sinan Mansion before, so he couldn't be sure, but he estimated that these people might be from the Sinan Mansion.
"The row of houses by the lake over there is the 'Chenxiangzhai'. It's a place to eat. You can go there to fill your stomach at meal time. It's free. All expenses during the temporary stay will be borne by the state government."
"The houses in this area are the 'Chaoxiyuan' where the academy students live. Now they are yours for the time being." The two guards who were talking endlessly stopped. The short man turned around and handed over a piece of paper with "Ashi" written on it. Heng's name on the wooden sign, "You can choose the room by yourself, as long as there is no one there, you can stay. After checking in, remember to hang your name tag next to the door. Latecomers will naturally avoid it when they see someone staying there, so as not to cause nuisance." .”
"Thank you." Yu Qing took it with both hands and tried to ask: "I wonder how many candidates have checked in?"
The two officers looked at each other and smiled, and the short man raised a finger at him, "Aju, you were the first to arrive."
First? Yu Qing was stunned and looked around. No wonder it was so deserted. No one could be seen except the guards.
He probably understood what was going on. It was all a good thing caused by Xu Juening. He worked hard all the way and shortened the seventy or eighty-day journey into two and a half days. His buttocks were numb. He was rushing to take the exam and he probably didn't see it. It's such a rush.
Seeing the difference in his expression, the tall officer immediately smiled and consoled him: "This is a good sign. First place. You won the first prize. Maybe you will get the top prize this year!"
The short man echoed: "That's right, that's right."
These words made Yu Qing amused. If he could get the top prize, it would be really weird and impossible.
Seeing the two officers surrounding him and refusing to leave, with their attentive smiles and flattering words, Yu Qing almost reached out to ask for it. Yu Qing finally understood what the detailed introduction of this journey was about. Daqing was meant to beg for help. To put it bluntly, you want some reward money.
I'm short of money too! Yu Qing muttered in his heart, pretending that he didn't understand, turned around and strode into Chaoxi Garden.
He is very realistic and doesn't need the auspiciousness because he doesn't want to pass the exam at all, so why should he pay for it? Besides, he is really used to being poor. It would be good if he doesn’t bite others, but you still want to dig money out of his teeth? Do you really think that the way to steal money from your senior brother in the name of a temple owner is something that ordinary people can think of?
The two officers stayed on the ground and looked at each other. Logically speaking, as long as they said something auspicious and then made a begging gesture, which candidate could not give him a bonus? Even if you are poor, you will be given less at most. Not giving at all would be too much. Don’t you worry about getting into trouble when you are about to take the exam?
Normally, this is just a fat job, and it is not a problem to get a few hundred taels of silver by accepting a batch of candidates.
The tall guard said blankly: "Did you not bring any money or did you not understand what we meant?"
The short officer immediately spat, "How can you go to Beijing to take the exam without any money? No matter how poor you are, having the status of a juren is equivalent to an official status. Some people take the initiative to fund the passage to take the exam. Look at him, he is carrying a He was wearing a sword, and he was not dressed like a scholar. He was just carrying a package, and he probably didn’t even bring a few books. Do you think he looked like a nerd who didn’t understand the world? There was a gleam in his eyes, and he turned around and left. He was obviously pretending to be confused to avoid us. . Damn it, there’s a good chance that you’re going to meet a dead old man.”
The tall police officer understood and got angry. He waved his hand and said, "I've been saying it all the way. We brothers can't work in vain. Let's go, don't let him pretend to be stupid. Let's just break up and pick out the money to please. Let's see." Who is thick-skinned?”
"Forget it." The short man grabbed his arm and secretly curled his lips at the wary eyes staring around him, "This time is different from the past. This time is different from the past. The people in the Sinan Mansion are serious. They can kill first and then tell the story. Those who directly kill people will look bad, because I'm afraid they won't be able to tolerate oilies like you and me. Forget it, you have to endure the risks you can't take, just treat it as a bad start and a bad luck."
"With a guy like this, he still wants to take the top prize, bah! He's destined to be nowhere on the list."
"Look back, if someone comes again, you and I should take our positions, blocking the front and back, so that no one can escape easily again."
Yu Qing didn't care how the people behind him ignored him, so he wandered alone in the deserted morning and evening garden.
The place is quite clean, and the layout is quite elegant. There are small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, and lush forests. Stone tables and benches are dotted in many places for people to sit at any time. It seems to be a suitable environment for studying.
As for where to stay? Anyway, no one else has arrived yet, so you have to choose first, and you can take your time.
Yu Qing toured the entire Chaoxi Garden and found that the houses were all rows of two-story buildings, separated by greenery, and divided into several areas. The number of rooms was estimated to be one to two thousand. It can be seen that the number of houses in this state-level university was The scale is not small.
After going around in a circle, Yu Qing returned to the entrance of Chaoxiyuan and went up to the second floor of the nearest building.
The second floor is definitely better than the first floor. You don't have to listen to the footsteps upstairs.
I chose a room at the top, with no obstruction in front, a wide view, and a view of the university. It was also convenient to go out and close to places to eat. It should be considered the best for a temporary stay.
First come, first served, it's human nature. Yu Qing was quite satisfied and hung the sign with the name 'Ashi Heng' on the door nail on the side of the door, indicating that the owner was here.
Pushing the door open, you will find a bed, desk and everything else, all crammed into one large single room.
After checking inside, he threw away his belongings and opened all the windows at the front and back for ventilation.
I leaned against the window for a while and thought about something. Then I took the toiletries and went downstairs to the well behind the building. After getting some water, I squatted by the well and washed myself, including my dusty coat. .
After finishing the work, I packed my things and took a bucket of clean water back to my room for later use.
The washed clothes were hung to dry in the room, and half a day passed.
Yu Qing, who had changed into a Confucian shirt, looked at the sky, then went downstairs, left the morning and evening garden, and went straight to the Chenxiangzhai where he was eating along the lakeside.
When I arrived at Chenxiangzhai, I realized that only meals were prepared for candidates, and there was a cook waiting there. He asked what he wanted to eat. Since there were few people there, he just waited for him to come and cook it freshly.
Yu Qing was not polite. He cooked whatever good food was available, made up a meal and went back.
I spent the whole night alone that day.
The next morning, when he heard people talking outside, Yu Qing glanced out the window, he saw that the high and low policeman had brought in another scholar, and another person carrying sundries, who should be the scholar's attendant.
Officials escort candidates to Beijing, but it is impossible to take care of each candidate's living habits, and they will not arrange for personnel to wash clothes for each person. They can't cover you with quilts at night to prevent you from catching a cold or getting sick. In view of each candidate's living habits and in order not to affect the candidate's performance, the official does not want to take any responsibility and allows the candidate to bring an entourage.
Those who are capable of taking care of themselves don't need to bring them, but they are a very small minority. Most of them only know how to read. To put it bluntly, they are powerless and have poor self-care abilities. This is especially true for the young masters from wealthy families, so they have specialized ones. There are 'bookboys' who serve scholars.
Most of the book boys are chosen to be around the candidates since they were young, just to get familiar with the candidates' living habits and to be reliable when traveling.
This was also the role Yu Qing was originally supposed to play next to Ash Heng.
