Chapter 219 The exam will not go smoothly, pre-exam inspection
The bellows and the small pot were whirring, and the rich aroma wafted in the air in the early morning of winter.
After ordering the food, the old eunuch gave him a few extra pennies, so the breakfast on their table was served very quickly.
A bowl of fragrant Mahua oil tea and three drawers of steaming hot mutton buns were served quickly.
"You're welcome, I'll treat you to this meal. Come and have a taste." Li Qian said with a smile.
The oil tea in the oil tea is full of aroma, chopped green onion, and minced ginger. Add a few twists and soak it in. It is really delicious.
Li Qian said he wanted others to taste it, but he already picked up the spoon and started eating it eagerly.
When the twists are soaked in oil tea, half of them have become soft and glutinous, but the other half still maintains a crispy texture.
Scoop up a spoonful of oil tea with the twists and put it into your mouth. The fragrance of the twists, oil, noodles and chewed sesame seeds, almonds, soybeans, peanuts and dried fruits will make you feel satisfied after one sip.
After taking a sip of the oil tea and then taking a bite of the mutton buns dipped in vinegar, Li Qian almost felt that his life was complete.
The old eunuch and Lu Bu who followed also started eating voraciously. Lu Bu ate the buns with one hand and a few cloves of garlic in the other. After taking two bites of the buns, he threw a clove of garlic into his mouth, leaving his mouth full of oil.
Zhuge Jun opened his mouth, intending to say something, but seeing that his brothers on the side had already started eating, he picked up the buns and drank the oil tea on the table.
After just one sip, his eyes lit up.
Zhuge Jun has been in the capital for several months. He has eaten many breakfasts like this, but none of them taste as good as this one.
After subconsciously taking two more bites, he came to his senses and glanced at Li Qian doubtfully.
This thing is delicious, but can it really make His Majesty the Emperor so obsessed with it? He should eat delicacies from the mountains and seas every day in the palace, and it should be better than these street stalls...
Zhuge Jun was thinking wildly while eating, but the old eunuch and Lu Bu on the other side focused their attention on Zhuge Liang, secretly glancing at him from time to time to see what was so special about this guy.
But no matter how the two of them looked, Zhuge Liang remained indifferent and calmly drank tea and ate steamed buns.
This breakfast was very pleasant. Li Qian was nearly 120% full after eating. Then he put down his spoon and picked up the silk cloth on the side to wipe his hands and mouth.
"It's delicious, but I can't come here to eat every day." There was a bit of regret in Li Qian's tone.
Zhuge Liang also put down his spoon and looked at Li Qian with a smile: "Since Mr. Li likes to eat, why don't you invite this old man to your house, so that you can eat it every day?"
The old eunuch and Lu Bu looked at each other after hearing this, with somewhat strange expressions on their faces. Although they didn't know what this guy was really capable of, it seemed that his ability to flatter him was obviously not enough at the moment.
Why shouldn't we say that flattery is so easy and within reach? Shooting someone else's second-hand fart is obviously a sign of failure.
Li Qian also smiled, turned around and looked around at the people eating here, and said in a lower voice: "If this old man is really invited to my house, the people here will not be able to eat such delicious food. Camellia oleifera."
Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun both looked at him in surprise.
Li Qian met their eyes and said with emotion: "I have eaten enough. From all over the world, as long as there is something I want to eat, someone will bring it to me. Why do I have to fight for food with the people in this corner of the world?" Woolen cloth?"
Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, looked at Li Qian, moved his lips, and finally said with emotion: "Mr. Li is truly benevolent and righteous..."
The emperor is the father of the people of the world. Zhuge Liang has read about many emperors in his books. They truly fulfilled this status and exhausted all the people in the world to support them.
But there are many people who only enjoy the rights of a king and father, but fail to fulfill the obligations of a king and father.
Children at home must support their parents, and parents must love and care for their children, but how many emperors can truly care for their subjects as their own children?
Zhuge Liang had a somewhat complicated look in his eyes. He looked at the young emperor in front of him as if he was seeing a rare person. He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Beside, Lu Bu and the old eunuch looked at each other.
For some reason, even though Zhuge Liang was photographing second-hand farts, they always felt that something was wrong. As for what was specifically wrong, neither of them could tell...
After drinking and eating, several people got on the carriage and rushed to Gongyuan again.
The Gongyuan is located in Xiuzhengfang in the southeast of the capital, but Li Qian's carriage was almost unable to move even before it reached Xiuzhengfang.
The streets and alleys in front were really crowded with people. Cars and sedans crowded the road. In addition to the candidates who came to take the exam themselves, there were also servants and family members who were taking the exam.
The soldiers outside the Gongyuan were too lazy to maintain order. No one lined up at all. Everyone squeezed forward at their own pace.
But looking at the crowds of people on the street outside the window, and people constantly rushing to join in, I'm afraid we have to squeeze in from morning until dark before we can enter.
Li Qian looked at the situation outside the car window and felt troubled for a moment.
"Master, why don't we just drive the carriage and rush over?"
Lu Bu looked at the situation outside the window, eager to try, as if he wanted to ride his horse and trample several people to death.
Li Qian ignored his bad idea and began to look out the window, trying to find a way out.
Zhuge Liang, who was on the other side, listened intently to the discussion of the examiners. He turned around and looked at Li Qian with a smile: "Mr. Li, it seems that the test questions for the general examination have been leaked. Many examiners are talking about this."
Li Qian came to his senses, frowned and nodded: "I have been checking recently, but this matter is a bit strange. I don't know who leaked the test questions."
Zhuge Liang's face straightened: "This matter must be treated with caution. With your ability, sir, you can definitely find out the person behind the scenes...but Liang still has something to say."
Li Qian looked at him and felt something in his heart: "But it doesn't matter."
Zhuge Liang nodded and did not speak directly. Instead, he whispered a few words into Li Qian's ear. Li Qian listened thoughtfully and nodded lightly.
Lu Bu and the old eunuch on the side were a little shocked, who were they looking down on?
However, considering that there were Zhuge Liang's younger brother and the book boy in the carriage, the two of them did not speak.
After listening to Zhuge Liang's words, Li Qian was deep in thought when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the carriage several times from outside.
Bang bang bang~
Lu Bu stood up after a while, his brows knitting together. The old eunuch was also extremely vigilant.
But Li Qian was not too nervous. If he was really someone with evil intentions, he would have been stopped by the hidden line outside the car. The person who could come here was probably an acquaintance.
Sure enough, when Li Qian looked out the window, he immediately saw Zheng Guan's familiar big face, grinning darkly at him with bared teeth.
The carriage door opened with a creak, and he and Yan Zhenqing climbed into the carriage one after another.
Li Qian raised his eyebrows: "Where is your test box?"
"They're all outside. Someone's holding them."
Zheng Guan casually pointed to the outside of the car with his thumb and found a comfortable seat in the car to sit down.
Li Qian followed his gaze and looked out, finding their servants carrying large and small bags to salute and following him outside the car.
In this crowded situation, walking outside is actually faster than riding a carriage.
"Just take it with you."
Li Qian closed the curtains again, breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at Zheng Guan: "I am not worried about Qing Chen, but I am afraid that you will forget."
Zheng Guan raised his eyebrows angrily: "What are you talking about? You are not worried about him, but you are worried about me. Do I seem to be such a careless person? If you don't bring a test box, you won't survive for three days."
"It's good to know." Li Qian looked at Zheng Guan with a smile, almost saying that he was a careless person.
It's freezing cold now, it's just snowed, and there's nothing in the tribute courtyard.
If you don't bring some bedding, thick clothes, and a charcoal fire in the examination box, you will definitely freeze to death in the Gongyuan. Moreover, there is no food provided inside, and the candidates have to bring everything by themselves.
It can be said that the test box is the life of the examinee.
Li Qian and Zheng Guan were arguing here, but Yan Zhenqing on the other side had already noticed Zhuge Liang in the carriage. Due to politeness, Yan Zhenqing did not look at him with curious eyes, but his eyes kept glancing towards Li Qian. Obviously I was waiting for his introduction.
Zheng Guan muttered a few more words before he noticed Zhuge Liang.
There is no way, even if the light in the carriage is dark, Zhuge Liang's indifferent and elegant temperament is like a beacon in the dark night, which is extremely eye-catching.
Li Qian noticed their eyes and introduced the two of them with a smile: "This is Mr. Wolong, Zhuge Kongming, and this is his younger brother Zhugejun. When I returned to my hometown a few days ago, I happened to meet Kongming, so So we went back to Beijing together."
Then he turned around and introduced Zhuge Liang: "This is Jieyuan Yan Zhenqing from Jin Kejing Urban and Rural Examination, and this is Yayuan Zheng Guan."
In order to please people, people call all Chinese-style candidates except Jieyuan as Yayuan, but the Yayuan specifically pointed out by Li Qian here is the second place in the provincial examination and the real Yayuan.
Zhuge Liang's eyes flashed with surprise, and with a smile on his face, he greeted them both: "I've met you two brothers."
Zhuge Jun saluted them both nervously. To him, Jie Yuan and Ya Yuan in the capital were very important people.
Zheng Guan and Yan Zhenqing recovered from their surprise when they heard this, looked at Zhuge Liang, and responded somewhat flattered: "I have admired the name for a long time, and I have met Mr. Wolong and Mr. Zhuge Jun."
It can be seen that the long-awaited name here is really not a polite word. Even Zheng Guan, who used to be carefree, sat up straight at this moment, with a slightly undetectable nervousness on his face.
While Zheng Guan was observing Zhuge Liang, he quietly glanced at Li Qian and blinked.
Seeing him like this, Li Qian said amusedly: "I went out to have breakfast this morning and happened to meet Kong Ming, so I came here to see him off."
Zhang Guan and Yan Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief and took this opportunity to gradually calm down.
It’s not that they are hopeless, it’s that this incident was so unexpected that no one was prepared at all.
Who would have thought that Mr. Wolong, who caused a commotion all over the city and had the entire court ministers looking for him, would suddenly appear in the carriage and sit in front of him!
Moreover, he seems to have a good relationship with Li Qian. What is going on?
Yan Zhenqing suddenly focused his eyes and looked at Zhuge Liang seriously: "Mr. Wolong comes to Gongyuan, is he also going to take the examination?"
Zheng Guan also noticed Zhuge Liang's book boy and examination box, and looked at Zhuge Liang with his eyes widened.
Facing the looks in their eyes, Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded: "Liang Jing is very restless, so he wants to take the exam of this subject."
Zheng Guan and Yan Zhenqing looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.
There were only rumors before, but this time I didn’t expect that Mr. Wolong actually came to take the exam!
After the shock, a strange look flashed in their eyes.
This exam is really weird. There are rare leaked questions, and Mr. Wolong, who has not been in the exam for more than ten years, came to take the exam...
I really don’t know if he could have passed those candidates who knew the questions in advance if the examination could be held normally.
But such a possibility will probably never happen...
Yan Zhenqing and Zheng Guan glanced at Li Qian and saw his smiling eyes. They didn't know whether they should say something or not, so they had to suppress their thoughts.
The few of them chatted for a while, and seeing more and more people coming to the street, they no longer wanted to delay any more. The sooner they arrived at the Gongyuan, the more time they would have for cleaning and adjustment.
Since the rural examination in August last year, no one has been seen in the Gongyuan, and the big soldiers will definitely not help clean it. Now the rooms in the Gongyuan are definitely filled with fallen leaves and dust, and some may even be filled with mud and water. If they are not cleaned, It's definitely uninhabitable.
The three candidates said goodbye to Li Qian and got out of the car. Zheng Guan and Yan Zhenqing had been asked by their families to bring a few strong servants with them this time. They led Zhuge Liang all the way to squeeze in, and soon they were surrounded by the crowd. disappeared without a trace.
Li Qian looked at their backs for a while, then asked the old eunuch to turn the carriage around and send Zhuge Jun back to the imperial city.
On the other side, the gate of Gongyuan.
A group of soldiers from the Dongcheng Military and Horse Division stood listlessly at the door, watching one after another, carrying heavy examination boxes into the Gongyuan Longmen.
Behind the dragon gate is a large screen wall with the word "quiet" written on it with flying dragons and phoenixes.
The candidates were crowded together, and it was extremely quiet here. No one spoke to each other, which was in sharp contrast to the noise outside.
Of course, this is not because the word "quiet" has some strange magic spell that suppresses the gang of ghosts and snake gods below, but because standing on the stage in front, there are two patrol censors looking at each other eagerly.
As soon as someone opens his mouth to speak, his name will be written down immediately and he will be demoted to a lower grade in the examination paper.
Under such circumstances, even if your article is beautiful and beautiful, it is basically impossible to pass the test.
After gathering 300 candidates behind the Dragon Gate and in front of the Second Gate, Ding Ding from the Dongcheng Military and Horse Department took them to search the nearby yard.
However, unlike previous years when they were excited, the soldiers who were inspecting this time all had stern faces, as if they had a lot of hatred and grievances against the candidates.
Moreover, the intensity of their inspection this time was also extremely relaxed.