A year passed quickly.
The thirty-fourth year of the Kingdom of Jing.
Chu Xun was thirty-eight years old, and Huan'er was sixteen.
The prefectural examination was about to begin. The uncle and nephew, travel-worn and weary, bumped along in a horse-drawn carriage all the way to Fenggu City, over two hundred miles away.
Zhang Sanchun and Lin Qiaoxi didn't co. Firstly, they had to take care of the business, and secondly, they didn't want to bring too much pressure to Huan'er.
Besides, with Chu Xun accompanying him, it was more reassuring than anyone else coming.
If he could pass smoothly this year, he could participate in the college examination next year to win the scholarly honor of a Cultivated Talent.
The imperial examinations of the Kingdom of Jing were not like the previous dynasty, which held the county examination, prefectural examination, and college examination all in the sa year.
One examination a year. Even if one didn't pass the next level, they didn't have to start over from the beginning, but it also delayed a lot of ti.
Fortunately, Huan'er was intelligent. In Zheng Xiuwen's words, his natural talent was outstanding, and he might even pass the provincial examination earlier than Li Chang'an, who had bought a student status at the Imperial College.
Chu Xun had been to Pingshui Town and Zhangnan County Town, but this was his first ti in a city like Fenggu City.
A two-zhang-high city wall built of large blue bricks, with battlents neatly arranged on top, and soldiers holding spears standing on it.
The moat flowed around the wall, the water clear and shallow, with a few reeds swaying on the bank.
Carriages, horses, and pedestrians stread endlessly on the bridge. Several soldiers holding long spears and with steel sabers at their waists stood by the city gate, their gazes sweeping over the passing crowd.
Compared to such a city, Zhangnan County Town was ridiculously crude.
It was just that the carriage was too bumpy. Even with soft cushions, it was uncomfortable.
After going on a long journey once, one wouldn't want to go a second ti.
After admiring the scenery outside Fenggu City for a mont, Chu Xun then led Huan'er forward.
At the city gate, a middle-aged man wearing a plain blue-green robe, who had been observing the two for a long ti, took the initiative to step forward.
"May I ask if you are Grand Guest Chu Xun from Zhangnan County?"
Chu Xun looked at the middle-aged man bowing to him and asked with so confusion, "You recognize , sir?"
The middle-aged man had a gentle expression and smiled, "Lord Tang said that if I see soone bringing a student, looking at the city without much awe, that should be Grand Guest Chu."
Chu Xun then understood that the other party was Tang Shijun's man, and couldn't help but laugh dumbly.
Was this the impression he left on Lord Tang?
"May I ask who this Lord is..."
The middle-aged man said, "I am Wang Huaian, the Postmaster of Fenggu City. Under Lord Tang's orders, I am waiting here for Grand Guest Chu."
"A quiet residence has already been prepared in the city, exclusively for the student to review his books and prepare for the examination."
With Tang Shijun's status, it was naturally inconvenient for him to co and welco them personally.
But instructing the Postmaster to help prepare a place to stay was still easy to do.
Although the Postmaster was an unranked official, he was in charge of postal relays and welcoming and sending off guests, which was most suitable to be used at this mont.
Chu Xun knew Tang Shijun's character and didn't act coy, cupping his hands and saying, "Then I will trouble you, Lord."
Knowing he was an acquaintance of the Lord Prefect, Wang Huaian naturally didn't dare to act arrogant, politely and enthusiastically leading the two into the city.
Entering the city gate, there was a broad main street.
The bluestone road was worn smooth and shiny. On both sides were well-proportioned houses and shops.
Bookstores, inns, teahouses, and small shops selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, with various shop signs swaying gently in the wind.
With the prefectural examination approaching, there were exceptionally many scholars wearing long gowns on the street.
So held scrolls and discussed in low voices, while others stopped in groups of three or five in front of bookstores, pointing at newly arrived copies of policy essays and arguing.
Peddlers carrying loads shuttled among them, their cries rising and falling.
The sweet fragrance of sugar paintings, the tea aroma wafting from teahouses, and the oily sll of street food stalls mixed together, flooding the entire street and alley.
Occasionally, a carriage drove by, the horse hooves stepping on the bluestone slabs making a "clippity-clop" sound, and pedestrians gave way to both sides one after another.
This scene was much livelier than the county town.
It was Chu Xun and Huan'er's first ti entering such a city, and for a mont, everything they looked at was novel.
Wang Huaian was very perceptive. Wherever the uncle and nephew looked, he would introduce it.
Moreover, his speech was humorous and not dull, making him an excellent guide.
When passing by a stead bun shop, Chu Xun saw a man and a woman sitting behind the stall, laughing and feeding each other stead buns.
The man's mouth and nose were crooked, and he was incredibly ugly.
The woman's face was full of pockmarks, and her appearance was plain.
Both of them kept giggling foolishly, drool occasionally dripping from the corners of their mouths.
You pinch a piece, I pinch a piece, feeding it into each other's mouths.
Even though it was just an ordinary stead bun, with every bite they fed, they would say with a grin, "Husband, have a bite of chicken leg."
"Wife, have a piece of pig head at."
Passersby who heard this either sneered or showed disdain.
"Two fools."
Seeing Chu Xun looking over, Wang Huaian said in a low voice, "That is the son of the forr Prefect Liang Mingzheng, the only remaining heir of the Liang family."
Chu Xun was startled upon hearing this. The forr Prefect of Fenggu City, Liang Mingzheng, was sentenced to the execution of his entire family by the Emperor's decree due to corruption and perverting the law.
But considering that his father had once died blocking a blade for the Emperor, the Emperor allowed the Liang family to keep one person's life.
Those who knew about this matter all said that Liang Mingzheng's grandson, Liang Qifeng, was intelligent and could compose a poem in seven steps at the age of eleven or twelve.
If one life was to be kept, it should naturally be him.
Chu Xun also thought so. Keeping a smart person, there would still be hope for the Liang family's incense to continue to be passed down in the future.
"Wasn't the one whose life was kept Prefect Liang's grandson, Liang Qifeng?" Chu Xun asked.
Wang Huaian sighed with emotion, "We all thought so back then, but who could have known that Lord Liang gave the only chance to live to this foolish son."
"Just because his son was born foolish and had never been looked at properly by anyone. If he were to have his head chopped off in a muddle-headed way, it would be too pitiful."
"Although Lord Liang was not a good official, he could be considered a good father."
Huan'er listened with confusion, "Doing this, isn't it too foolish?"
Wang Huaian nodded and said, "It indeed seems foolish, but as a father, whether it's foolish or not, how could outsiders understand."
Not wanting a smart grandson and keeping a foolish son is foolish.
Then encountering a fierce tiger attack in the mountains and forests, an old mother feeding herself to the tiger, losing her life to ensure her children leave safely, isn't that foolish?
When floods rage, risking one's life to build cofferdams and protect farmlands, isn't that foolish?
When another country invades, commoners assisting the army to fight desperately to resist, isn't that foolish?
In the end, where is there true foolishness in this world.
It's just that so people feel so things are important.
So people feel those things are not important.
That's all.
Liang Mingzheng didn't want to be a good official with clean hands, nor did he want the Liang family to have a chance to make a coback.
He only wanted his foolish son to be able to live a few more days.
To him, this was the most important thing.
Wang Huaian added, "When Lord Tang first took office, this foolish boy was still having stones thrown at him on the street, his head smashed and bleeding, starving to skin and bones, only knowing how to giggle foolishly."
"Lord Tang was kind-hearted. Not only did he save his life, but he also found a similarly foolish woman to match him as husband and wife."
"Now with this small stead bun shop, although they can't be rich and noble, they won't starve to death either."
Chu Xun listened in silence. When he first heard about the execution of the Liang family's entire household, he only felt they deserved to die.
But now looking at that foolish couple, pinching stead buns and feeding them into each other's mouths, laughing and joking, he felt that this person Liang Mingzheng.
Seed to still have so redeeming qualities.
He did things that others despised.
And also did things that others couldn't do.
It's just that in the eyes of others, this forr Prefect was probably a bit more foolish than his son.
[End of Chapter]
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