Autumn was imminent, so the sleepy scholars woke up early, packed their bags, and arranged to meet in front of the inn.
After about two cups of tea, the number of people gradually gathered, except for the "kind-hearted" Cai Shusheng from yesterday.
After waiting for a long time until the sun had climbed over the mountain, I finally saw the street corner from a distance. A certain scholar surnamed Cai slowly walked over with the rich lady from yesterday on his arm.
"Brother Cai is very lucky. He went to his hometown to take the exam and met a good marriage. I don't know how high-spirited he will be when he is named on the gold list!"
After waiting in vain for a long time, some people suppressed their dissatisfaction and whispered to others.
"Let me tell you, if Brother Ning hadn't been an honest man, restrained himself and returned to etiquette, how would he have gotten such good things?! He didn't look for a mirror to look at himself, but now he is pretending to be in front of us..."
Ning Caichen could smell the strong sour smell in this classmate's words without getting too close.
Since ancient times, it has been common for literati to look at each other casually, and the beauty of red sleeves and fragrant reading at night, which one can really not be a lemon?
"Brother Zhao, what you said is wrong. Since Miss Du and Brother Cai are in love, I should naturally help them do their best. Besides, why should a man be without a wife? When he is named on the gold medal list, he will not be able to capture his son-in-law.
Interesting things."
"When the time comes, please don't be spoiled for choice!"
As one of the parties involved, Ning Caichen appeared to be a gentleman and magnanimous, and it was rare for him to have the humor to laugh.
"Hahaha, what Brother Ning said is absolutely true."
After hearing Ning Caichen's words, everyone laughed openly. Looking at Cai Shusheng over there who was in love with his concubine, naturally they were not so...
Well, it’s quite sour to think about it!
Saying that the eyes are out of sight, the people simply looked away and exchanged their reading experiences in the past few days.
After a while, I saw Cai Sheng moving towards this side, turning his head three times at a time.
"Brother Cai is willing to come out of Wenrou Township?"
There was a frivolous voice in the crowd, the direction of which could not be discerned, but it was ridicule and sarcasm that could be heard with a clear eye.
"Haha, don't make fun of me, don't make fun of me. Cai and Zhi'er are in love, and they are destined to be together for the rest of their lives. When the results are released, it will be the day when I come to ask for my hand in marriage."
The spring breeze was so good that the horseshoes were broken. Cai Sheng, who had just spent the spring night, was very high-spirited. He did not take the mean words of his classmates to heart at all. Instead, he walked up to Ning Caichen, bowed and thanked:
"Everything I have done tonight is thanks to Brother Ning. When the big day comes, I hope that Brother Ning will definitely come to my humble home. There will be fine wine and a fine banquet, so don't refuse."
Although he looks humble and sincere on the surface, it is clear from yesterday that he has an appointment with the beautiful lady Ning Caichen, and the meaning is self-evident.
However, what is shocking is that Ning Caichen did not bear the other party's provocation in mind at all, but instead smiled and handed over:
"Brother Cai should not dislike Brother Fool."
"Haha, natural, natural."
Not being able to see any change in Ning Caichen's expression as he imagined, Cai Sheng couldn't help but feel a little disappointed and forced a smile to accept the matter.
After a few more pleasantries, the group set off again towards Fucheng.
…
When the scholars walked away, four figures appeared faintly from the roadside. The one at the head was wearing Buddhist robes and had a face like a crown of jade. Who else could there be besides Fa Hai?
Seeing Ning Caichen and his party walking away, Yan Chixia stroked her long beard, counted with her fingers with her other hand, and suddenly frowned.
"Amitabha, Taoist Master Yan also discovered something?"
Noticing the strange behavior of the swordsman, Fahai recited a Buddhist chant and asked with a smile.
"I don't dare to hide it from my seniors. I just saw that the scholar named Cai had a different look on his face, so he decided to do a fortune telling for them. I don't know if it's because the family is not very talented, but this fortune... doesn't seem to be a good omen."
Yan Chixia replied hesitantly.
No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't understand. On the surface, Ning Caichen was among them, but privately, the four of them were traveling with him. What was the problem?
"The poor monk also had a vague premonition, but he couldn't figure out the reason for a while. Let's just act accordingly."
Fa Hai frowned. He originally just wanted to use his clairvoyance to gain luck in the audience, but unexpectedly he found that everyone was covered with a thin layer of blood.
"I have to remind Lao Yue and the group leaders to be more vigilant and not to make any mistakes at the critical moment."
After pondering for a moment, Fahai finally decided to stand still and remain unchanged in response to all changes.
After all, in their plan, Ning Caichen's autumn visit was of great significance.
Confucianism and Taoism are the art of governing a country and a family. Reading the classics is only about knowledge, and governing the world and benefiting the people is the only way to practice. The only way to test the truth is to put what you have learned into practice.
If Ning Caichen wanted to carry forward Confucianism and Taoism and enable all people to dialectically understand their thoughts, it was indispensable for him to go to the imperial court.
In this way, the two groups walked one after another, stopping and walking, and finally saw the thick and towering gates of Fucheng on the fifth day.
I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and relieve the fatigue of the past few days. Unexpectedly, just as I entered the city gate, something suddenly happened.
The first few scholars handed over the instructions smoothly and entered the city, but something went wrong when Ning Caichen submitted them.
But I saw that the leading goalkeeper repeatedly showed the road in front of him to look at it, and then whispered a few instructions to an officer and soldier beside him. After he left, he suddenly shouted loudly:
"Bold Ning Caichen, who secretly borrowed the name of God and conspired to do evil. Your matter has already been exposed, why don't you just arrest him without hesitation?!"
After saying this, his two subordinate generals came forward in a menacing manner with ring knives in hand, intending to take him down if he disagreed.
"Wait a minute, is there any misunderstanding here? Brother Ning is a model of education in our Guobei County. He is an upright man. How can he be such an unruly person who has no king and no father? Is your Excellency wrong?"
It was the scholar who was close to Ning Caichen who stood up and spoke out.
"Wrong? I think you are all the accomplices of that thief. The generals must obey the order and capture him quickly!"
The sound was like a loud bell, and the general wanted to arrest the dozens of students who were traveling there.
"How dare you? We are all scholars with great reputations. We can meet with officials without being worshiped or punished without being punished. You are just a little gatekeeper, but you dare to risk the world?"
But someone with a bad temper suddenly stepped forward to argue with him.
Since the previous dynasty, people have relied on reading to gain distinction, and military generals cannot make any noise in front of civil servants. Therefore, even a small scholar dares to shout questions in front of military officials.
Ning Caichen was lost in thought for a moment, but was unable to stop him.
"You asked so-and-so?"
There was a strange smile on the general's face.
"In the past, I would not have dared to bother you, the future Jinshi candidates, but this time you are involved in a major conspiracy to confuse the ignorant people. The imperial edict that the Imperial Master personally obtained from His Majesty gives us the power to do things conveniently."
"Now, does anyone still question me?"
After saying that, he suddenly slashed his sword towards the scholar who had spoken earlier and headed away.
…
ps: In the future, the update time will be fixed. The two updates will be at 8 am and 6 pm respectively. This will urge the newbies to stop trying to catch fish. By the way, please subscribe and vote~