The end of March is supposed to be late spring, but the further north we go, the colder the weather becomes.
On this day, I passed by a small village where the flowers were in full bloom.
As before, men, women and children in the village flocked to the village head to watch.
However, as soon as he saw the team emerging from a distance, the villagers ran away in droves.
Crackling!
The sound of firecrackers came faintly.
Ren Ning and others looked at each other with ugly expressions on their faces.
Chinese people have always liked liveliness, and they like to set off a few firecrackers no matter whether they are happy or festive.
Just when passing the county town in front, the county magistrate and lieutenant with a haggard look came over in a hurry to apologize.
It is said that sporadic epidemics still occur in some remote villages under the control. Although the county has sent a large number of manpower and material resources to help, it cannot say that it is 100% controlled.
I hope the triumphant team can wait or take a detour.
When saying this, the county magistrate hesitated, his old face almost turned into a bitter melon.
Although exposing his family scandal might affect his future promotion, he had no choice but to do so.
Not long ago, the fast horse reporting victory at Zhennanguan passed by, and the county issued three official documents in succession.
The counties and towns along the way were required to ensure that the triumphant team could move smoothly. Anyone who dared to delay the team's journey would be asked to go home and graze their cattle.
The queue was very long, and Li Hebai hurried to the front after receiving the news.
"Old Ren, what's going on?"
In order to close the distance between them and create opportunities for the eldest sister, he also worked hard.
The team did not stop.
Ren Ning pointed to the front: "The situation is still unclear. However, Lei Er and others have been sent to check, but they haven't come back yet."
Just finished speaking.
Stomp, tap, tap, the sound of rapid horse hooves sounded, and the two riders in front galloped back, it was Lei Er and his two men.
"General!" The two of them bowed their hands to Li Hebai, looked back at Ren Ning, and said with a smile: "It's not for nothing, there is a student in the village in front of him, Chun Wei, who won the Jinshi. As soon as the news came back, the villagers were worshiping their ancestors.
"
Ren Ning and Li Hebai looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
The Spring Festival of Yunchui was originally held in February like other dynasties, but later the birthday of a queen mother happened to fall during the Spring Festival. The emperor at that time was a filial son, so he postponed the examination to March.
It would be the end of March, and it was indeed the day when the news of the rankings came back.
"Everything is of inferior quality, only reading is good." Lei Er threw a few broad beans into his mouth and gnawed them with mixed emotions.
"When I was young, I had a playmate in my hometown, and the family had quite a lot of savings. His father always used a bamboo whip to watch his son study, hoping that he would get the top prize or something and be a glorious ancestor. If he was lazy, he would beat him to pieces."
"I don't know what's going on now."
Xiao Gang laughed: "We will soon return to the Imperial Capital in late April. It will be the day when the results of the palace examination will be released. Maybe your childhood playmate will really become the number one scholar."
"It's very possible." Everyone responded: "Lei Er, remember to invite the number one scholar to come out and gather with us, so that everyone can appreciate his talent..."
While talking and laughing, the team's speed picked up again.
When passing by the small village, the smiling villagers were dressing up inside and outside the ancestral temple, with lights and colorful decorations everywhere.
Some people even brought some freshly picked fruits to strangers like Ren Ning who were passing by to share their joy and happiness.
With the emergence of scholars, they can honor their ancestors and at the same time, the village can also reduce a lot of corvee taxes. This is the reason why they are really happy.
——————
Half a month ago, Imperial Capital, Imperial Study Room
Just after the examination, Master Ren was asking Emperor Changxing to resign.
It is said that only three things can come true, and this is already the fourth time he has submitted a letter.
Emperor Changxing rubbed his swollen temples and tried to persuade him for a while. Seeing that the old master was still resolute, he picked up the ink pen and waved it.
approved!
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After the handover was completed, the old master walked out of the palace with light steps.
When the car passed by Huangbang, he raised the curtain and looked at it for a few times, then ignored it.
Returning to the Taishi Mansion, the old Taishi called his descendants together and announced the result of his resignation.
He stroked his gray beard proudly.
"From now on, I will only concentrate on studying the academics of saints, and will no longer care about family and state affairs. If any of you fools or stinky girls commit any crime, you are not allowed to come to me..."
The words have not yet fallen.
Bang bang bang!
There was a rapid knock on the door, and the old housekeeper's voice sounded outside.
"Old Master, someone has come from the palace. Please go to the imperial study room with me immediately to discuss matters."
"..." The old lady twitched her hand and almost lost a handful of her beard.
Didn’t you just resign?
Even if Emperor Changxing's memory is not as good as before recently, he is not that forgetful.
Furthermore, there are internal supervisors standing by to remind you.
The emperor's order was difficult, and the father and son looked at each other speechlessly, so they had to disperse their children and grandchildren and change their clothes in a hurry.
"Did anything happen in the palace?"
The old housekeeper nodded solemnly.
"News has just come from the south. It is said that the Xingluo Army and Zhennanguan have captured the capital of Nanfeng, and at the same time captured the King of Nanfeng and a large number of important ministers and generals. They are on their way to the imperial capital at this time."
laugh!
The father and son took a deep breath.
So fast?
The old master glanced at the almanac subconsciously.
If he remembered correctly, it had only been half a month since the last victory over Huchou Pass.
After receiving the news, Emperor Changxing had been discussing with his civil and military ministers how to deal with matters in the south.
Whether to fight or make peace, the two sides have been arguing for half a month citing classics, and there was a spring break in the middle, but there has been no official result yet.
However, Nanfeng has already perished?
This was a relief, and Emperor Changxing no longer had any headaches at all.
The old master clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Worthy of being the Starfall Legion.
When the Yan Hui Army was in the south, they did nothing except being bullied by Nan Feng. As soon as Xingluo passed by, Nan Feng was destroyed in an instant.
But this is a completely good thing.
"Butler, what do you look like?" Ancient costumes were cumbersome and time-consuming to put on, so the old master just wanted to ask questions.
"Back to the old master, I have listened to it for a few times. There are rumors outside that the epidemic in Yunzhong County was actually caused by people sent by Nanfeng."
He briefly described what he heard.
"It's unreasonable! It's really unreasonable." After coming to his senses, the old master was so angry that he plucked a few strands of his beard on the spot. "Nan Feng deserves to die. Wei Junqian did a great job."
In the previous quarrels between the monarch and his ministers, many people proposed to thoroughly investigate Wei Junqian's secret deployment of troops.
I bother!
The old teacher secretly squirted.
A group of nerds who only know how to read.
Don’t you know that fighter opportunities are fleeting? Everything has to wait for the approval of the emperor thousands of miles away, and what else should the generals leading the troops do?
Just as he was thinking about it, the old housekeeper glanced at the old master.
"Besides, this old slave also wants to inquire about something."
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"In the battle between Nanfeng and Nanfeng, Young Master Ren Ning made another great contribution. It is said that not only the Starfall Legion, but also all the forces in the south are asking for credit for him. I guess..."
It is estimated that a titled general will not be able to escape this time when he returns to the imperial capital.
The old master was stunned and immediately understood what the housekeeper meant.
He started his own business without relying on his ancestors, and became a powerful general at the age of 18 or 9 based on his military exploits...
There are only a few such people in the entire history of Yun Chui, and they are destined to go down in history.
But Ren Ning walked out of the Taishi Mansion, but in the end, this honor did not belong to them.
After a while, Ren Ning escorted King Nan Feng and others back in triumph. The nobles who knew the grudges between the two sides did not know how they would laugh at the Taishi Mansion among them.
How many noble sons in the imperial capital can control the lower body? Are there not many illegitimate children in the imperial capital?
Obviously as long as he is given an identity in the genealogy, the following things will not happen.
This is completely blind.
The old master moved his mouth but made no sound, and then hurried into the palace.