#86 - Yanhan, what do you think?
“Irrelevant people, step aside!”
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“Irrelevant people, step aside!”
Xuanwu Street in Wudu was cleared by the Blood Slaughterers, forcing all merchants to retreat and preventing commoners from watching the excitement.
Today.
Is the Wuguo Provincial Examination.
In a separate courtyard of the Xu residence, a sixteen-year-old boy, already grown into a young man, slowly opened his eyes on the bed.
The boy was quite tall, about 1.72 meters at the age of sixteen.
However, he was also quite plump, weighing about 80 kilograms.
The boy got out of bed and changed into a Confucian blue robe.
He walked out of his room, fetched water, wet a towel to wash his face, dipped it in fine salt, brushed his teeth, and rinsed his mouth.
There were no maids in the boy's courtyard.
Because his mother forbade him from having any.
Of course, he didn't need them either.
Looking at the sundial in the courtyard, he saw it was almost time. The boy straightened his clothes, walked out of the courtyard, and arrived at his mother's separate residence.
“Mother,” the boy greeted with a bow.
Wang Feng, who had already risen, turned her head and looked at her grown-up child, nodding slightly: “How did you sleep last night?”
Xu Pangda smiled憨厚: “I slept very well.”
“That's good.” Wang Feng coldly pointed to the table, where a food box was placed. “I couldn't sleep well last night, so I made some pastries. Consider them your breakfast.”
“Okay, Mother.” Xu Pangda opened the food box, looking at the pastries inside. “Mother, it seems like you made a bit too much.”
“Too much?” Wang Feng glanced lightly. “Take them with you. If you encounter your younger brother outside the examination hall, let him eat some. Don't waste them.”
“Mother, the examination hall doesn't allow bringing food inside.” Xu Pangda was a little embarrassed.
“Then forget it.” Wang Feng lowered her eyelids slightly. “Go early and prepare well.”
“Yes.” Xu Pangda stuffed a few pastries into his mouth, drank a few cups of warm tea, and after feeling full, touched his stomach. “Then, Mother, I'll leave first.”
“Go.” Wang Feng nodded.
Xu Pangda bowed and turned to walk out of the courtyard.
Wang Feng looked at her son's receding figure, her expression somewhat恍惚.
Scenes of him going to school time and time again over the past eight years kept flashing in Wang Feng's mind.
“Pangda.” Just as Xu Pangda was about to leave the courtyard, Wang Feng called out softly.
“Mother?” Xu Pangda turned around.
“It's okay if you don't do well on the exam.” Wang Feng said calmly.
Xu Pangda愣了一下, smiled, and bowed deeply.
At Qingci楼 in Wudu, a reasonably priced tavern with subsidies for successful candidates, a scholar in a green robe walked down the stairs step by step.
The scholar's green robe was patched and mended, and made of different colored cloths, making him look very poor.
But the clothes on the scholar were very clean.
The scholar descended the stairs slowly, needing to place one foot on a step before placing the other foot on the same step, repeating this process.
The scholar limped down the stairs.
Beside the scholar was a little girl.
The little girl held a book roll, wore ordinary cloth clothes, had a small braid, and had freckles on her face, not so pretty, but not ugly either.
The scholar limped out of the tavern, and the little girl followed slowly behind him, holding the book roll.
“Boss, how much are the buns?” The scholar walked to a bun shop.
The boss sized up the scholar and the little girl: “How many do you want?”
“One—”
“Two meat buns, wrapped separately, please.” The scholar interrupted the braided girl, smiling.
“Two文钱.” The shop owner wrapped two buns in two pieces of oiled paper and handed them to the scholar.
“Thank you.” The scholar took the buns, handed one to the little girl, “It's okay, eat.”
The little girl hesitated, but still took the bun: “Thank you, Brother Yu.”
“You're welcome.” The scholar named Yu Ping'an smiled and rubbed the girl's head.
The two, one big and one small, walked towards Xuanwu Street.
The two, one big and one small, ate buns.
The two, one big and one small, wore gourds around their waists, containing water to quench their thirst.
“Brother Yu, how many days will you be taking the exam?” The braided girl asked.
“Four days.”
“After four days, can Brother Yu become the top scholar?” The braided girl looked at Yu Ping'an expectantly.
“It's very difficult.” Yu Ping'an said with a smile.
“But Brother Yu is very厉害!” The braided girl pouted.
Yu Ping'an touched the little girl's head: “I'm just someone who studies books to death.”
“Brother Yu is very厲害!”
“Alright then.”
Xu Ming arrived at Xuanwu Street.
Xuanwu Street was very deserted, except for the Blood Slaughterers on both sides of the street, and the candidates who came to take the exam.
Looking at the Blood Slaughterers wearing blood-red armor, Xu Ming couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.
Wondering if Xiong Hai's group was among these people.
“Those guys, I don't even know if they'll come to see me off.”
Xu Ming laughed and scolded a few times, but he also knew that it was impossible for them to come and see him off, because they were his comrades-in-arms, and he was a candidate taking the exam, so they had to avoid suspicion.
Quickening his pace, Xu Ming walked straight ahead.
At the end of Xuanwu Street was the Ministry of Rites' examination hall.
One by one, the candidates handed over their jade tokens and entered the Ministry of Rites' examination hall.
And not far from the Ministry of Rites' examination hall, on top of a tavern, a man was drinking tea while watching Xu Ming walk towards the examination hall.
Beside the man was a woman.
The woman wore a long palace dress, like clouds, light and elegant, with white cloud patterns embroidered on the skirt, and the cloud patterns were finely描with gold thread. She wore a jade belt around her waist. Her long hair flowed like a waterfall, gently tied up with a jade hairpin, and a few strands of hair hung on her temples, adding a bit of charm.
Her face was like the rising sun, gentle and bright, and there was an indescribable elegance and dignity between her eyebrows.
Those eyes, like the night sky镶嵌with stars, were deep and bright, seeming to be able to洞察everything in the world. Her nose was straight, her lips were like cherries, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, revealing a hint of a smile, as if a spring breeze was拂过the lake, stirring up layers of ripples.
Beside the man and the woman was a eunuch with a smiling face, dressed as a servant - Eunuch Wei Xun.
“You came back this time specifically to watch him take the exam?” The man looked at his daughter with a smile.
“Just a coincidence.” The girl brushed the hair beside her ear with her sleeve. “What books has he read these years? What can he pass?”
“That's not necessarily true.”
The man shook his head with a smile, drank a cup of tea, and looked at Xu Ming, who was registering at the entrance of the examination hall.
“That kid Xu Ming is not bad, worthy of you. You have been with him for two or three years, and you also know his为人.
Still that sentence.
Give朕a grandson, and朕will no longer管you.
Yanhan, what do you think?”
【May update at midnight, or three updates tomorrow night.】
