Sunlight poured in through the high holes in the walls, and the sour, rotten, musty smell of the cell seemed to fade a little, and with this ray of sunlight, the dim cell was a little brighter. The sun fell on the mottled walls of the prison, and a small patch of moss tenaciously showed the greenery of life in the corner.

Zhang Bojin looked at his sleeping father with a sad face, and continued to torture him for two consecutive days, his father's clothes were already torn, and blood was stained on his body, and he convulsed in pain at the slightest movement. Zhang Bojin tore off a piece of clothing from his body, dipped it in water, and gently wiped his chapped lips for his father, there was only one scoop of water in the prison every day, Zhang Bojin endured his thirst and gave the water to his father.

The cell was full of people, and Zhang Bojin's father and son were specially locked in the innermost small room. Although he was only questioned a few times, every time the official escorted the prisoner through the hall, the "clanging" sound made him tremble when the sound of chains hitting the ground made him tremble, and the moans, sighs, and shouts of grievances were intertwined, filling the narrow cell, which was hell on earth.

"Alas", Zhang Hongchong groaned, and Zhang Bojin called softly: "Father, father, father." ”

Zhang Hongchong opened his eyes with difficulty, and his sloppy gaze gathered for a while, seeing his son's expectant gaze, he wanted to smile and pull the wound, and he couldn't help but moan again.

"Father, you didn't have water and rice all day yesterday, there is some porridge here, I'll serve Daddy to eat something." Zhang Bojin picked up a bowl from the corner, there was half a bowl of porridge with a human figure in it, and the taste had changed a little overnight.

At this time, he couldn't pay attention to it, Zhang Hongchong drank two sips of soup, shook his head, and Zhang Bojin cried: "Daddy, you eat a little more, or ......"

Zhang Hongchong stretched out his hand to touch his son's head, but as soon as he raised his hand, the pain was unbearable, and he put it down dejectedly. After half of his breath, Zhang Hong said in a hoarse voice: "Jin'er, it's not good to be a father." Zhang Bojin was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, the bowl in his hand fell to the ground, crying and worshipping on the ground.

"Don't cry, while you are sober for your father, there are some things to explain to you, you have to keep them in mind." Zhang Hongchong was a little anxious and coughed again and again. Zhang Bojin crawled over, gently patted his father's back, and raised his hand, but nowhere to fall.

"My father is in the criminal department, and I know the filth in it, and I'm afraid that my father won't be able to survive for a few days." Zhang Hongchong saw that his son was going to cry again, glared at him, and said, "Don't cry, listen." They said that the father was the leader of the Yuantian Sect, and the father knew from the leaked words that he was affected by Guo Jingshan, but he didn't expect Guo Jingshan to be a member of the Yuantian Sect, hateful, damn, my father asked him a few days ago to kill Jiang Anyi and Qin Haiming, thinking that he was defeated and deliberately involved in the father. ”

Zhang Bojin hates Guo Jingshan, Jiang Anyi, Qin Haiming, and all the people in this world.

"As a father, as a criminal department, he has handled a lot of private affairs, that is, the Yuantian bandits have saved a few people with silver, alas, retribution. Jin'er, you must get out alive, your mother, your brother, and the family are counting on you. Zhang Hongchong grabbed his son's hand violently and held it tightly.

Zhang Bojin felt that there was an extra hard object in his hand, and nodded with tears, seeing that it was the silver ring his father was wearing.

"For my father, I invested 5,000 taels in the Songhe Tower in the capital, accounting for 30% of the shares, this silver ring is a token, and it must not be lost. Remember, you have to bite the bullet and not know it, the government will exile you at most, you are still young, live well, and live with your whole family. Zhang Hongchong's voice became lower and lower, his hand gradually loosened, and he fainted again.

Zhang Bojin gently rested his father's head on his lap to let him sleep comfortably. Wearing a silver ring, Zhang Bojin's hatred is hard to dissipate, it is because of Jiang Anyi that today's disaster is possible, gritted his teeth and swore that as long as he can go out, he must let Jiang Anyi also taste the taste of family ruin.

On August 4, Zhang Hongchong passed away with wide eyes and hatred in Zhang Bojin's arms. At the same time, the north gate of Wenping Mansion, blowing and blowing, ushered in Lord Ma Jingxuan, the chief examiner of the township examination.

Eight sedan chairs, blowing all the way to send each other, people along the way to watch. The most enthusiastic is the showman who participated in the exam, and some of them shouted at the sedan chair "Student so-and-so see the examiner", "So-and-so in a certain place has seen the examiner", causing a mess of learning.

According to the regulations of Da Zheng Law, only those who are above the fourth grade can take the eight-lift sedan chair when they go out on patrol, and Ma Jingxuan's rank is not enough to sit on the eight-lift sedan chair, but he is the chief examiner hand-picked and is considered half of the minister, so Feng Tingshi greeted him with a high standard.

Ma Jingxuan sat in a sedan chair in a trance, like a dream, "living in eight seats" is a young man's wish, the destiny of heaven will be able to taste a long-cherished wish, and for a time all kinds of ups and downs and bittersweet tastes surging into my heart. The sedan chair shook and came down, the Taishou Mansion had arrived, and Feng Taishou led the officials of Texas to greet him in front of the door.

After a little cold noise, Ma Jingxuan stayed in the guest house in the mansion, and as usual, he did not go out, and officials of Texas would not visit him privately to avoid suspicion. On the 5th, Feng Tingshi sent someone to send "one end of the table and a pair of gold and silver bills" and invited him to participate in the curtain banquet.

The banquet was laid down, the protagonist of the curtain banquet was the chief examiner Ma Jingxuan, the deputy chief examiner was Lin Hongguang, the deputy chief examiner was Lin Hongguang, and the eight same examiners were Jinshi and officials from all over Texas.

The table was full of delicacies from the mountains and seas, and after three rounds of wine, Ma Jingxuan found that the officials present were talking to each other, whispering together, and then looking at Feng Tingshi, he also looked absent-minded, and whispered a few words to the people next to him from time to time.

Ma Jingxuan was very unhappy, he was so contemptuous of my Texas officials and deceived people too much. As soon as the wine glass was raised, Ma Jingxuan said with a cold face: "Feng Taishou, Ma is not strong enough to drink, so let's be admitted to the hospital early." ”

Feng Taishou was stunned for a moment, why didn't Ma Jingxuan drink it when the banquet began, and immediately came to his senses and indifferent him. Feng Shaojun's officialdom has been up and down for many years, and he is used to seeing all kinds of scenes, so he immediately got up with a cup and said with a smile: "Master Ma, Feng is rude, come and come, drink this cup full, and the old man will accompany him." After speaking, he raised his glass and drank it all.

Ma Jingxuan saw Feng Tingshi's posture lowered, so he raised his glass and accompanied him.

Putting down the wine glass, Feng Tingshi moved the chair closer to Ma Jingxuan, and said in a low voice: "Don't blame Master Ma, it's not that Texas officials don't know the etiquette, but a huge case recently happened in Wenping Mansion, and the aftershocks have not disappeared, and everyone has palpitations and asks each other for news." ”

"Oh?" Ma Jingxuan was stunned for a moment and asked, "What case?" ”

Feng Taishou saw that Ma Jingxuan was interested, so he briefly said that Yuan Tianjiao wanted to do something in Texas. Thinking that Zhang Hongchong and Ma Jingxuan were officials in the same dynasty, they should know each other, and said casually: "Master Ma, I don't know if you and Zhang Hongchong are familiar or not, he is the mastermind this time." ”

The speaker was unintentional, the listener was intentional, Ma Jingxuan heard that Zhang Hongchong was actually the leader of the Yuan Tianjiao, no less than a huge thunder sounded in his ears, he was stunned, and he didn't know that the chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground.

When he heard the news, he was not much better, Feng Tingshi smiled slightly, asked Ma Jingxuan to take a pair of chopsticks, and beckoned the Texas officials to come forward to toast Ma Jingxuan. Ma Jingxuan's mind was a mess, and he didn't know how to end the banquet, how to come to the Tribute Courtyard, and how to live in Lianbi Hall.

The place where the chief examiner and the deputy chief examiner live is Lianbi Hall, which has two houses, 17 rooms in the east and 18 rooms in the west, and is the residence of officials such as the same examination, invigilator, promotion, and branch school. After the examiner entered the court, the Gongyuan was officially locked, indicating that the triennial township examination began to kick off.

Lin Hongguang originally wanted to find Ma Jingxuan's set, but seeing that he was in a trance, he thought that Ma Jingxuan was tired from the saddle horse, so he chatted a few words, persuaded him to rest early, and went back to his residence by himself.

Under the candlelight, Ma Jingxuan sat alone, frightened and frightened. As early as more than ten days ago, I received a secret letter from Zhang Hongchong, saying that two places had been sold and I got 10,000 taels of silver. I was full of joy, I had been poor for half my life, and when I was old, I got the opportunity to make a fortune and change my family situation. Ma Jingxuan was full of grief and lamented again and again: The old man's life is really bitter.

Thinking of the court's handling of the fraud in the imperial examination, Ma Jingxuan shuddered, not to mention collecting money now, it is lucky that he can not be involved. Fortunately, I heard Feng Tingshi say that Zhang Hongchong is dead, and there is no proof of death, so it should be fine. The secret mark of the agreement must not be used, otherwise it will fall into the net.

It seems that in this township test, I have to take materials impartially. Ma Jingxuan sneered, I didn't get the benefit, you have to follow, this township test is a meritocracy, all the exam papers have to be seen by the old man in person, if you want to pass the test in confusion, there is no door. Of course, it's better to be hello, hello, hello, everyone.

On the sixth day of the first month of August, the examination was issued, and there was a blue sea in front of the government office, Jiang Anyi stood in the crowd and sighed, these six or seven hundred people competed for 20 places, and the difficulty of the imperial examination can be seen. Seeing that the queue in front of me is still long, I'm afraid that today's lunch will not be settled until Shen Shi.

"Anyi."

Jiang Anyi turned around, it was Liu Yixing. I haven't seen each other for two years, Liu Yixing has calmed down a lot, thinking of the gambling poems on Shaohua Mountain, Jiang Anyi smiled and said: "It turned out to be Brother Liu, how much wine money did you win this time?" ”

Liu Yixing looked at the crowd and sighed: "I don't take the second township test, my father doesn't know how much gray hair he has, this time he participated in the test three times, how dare he be a teenager to hurt his father's heart, and not hide it from his virtuous brother, I have been studying hard at home for the past few months." ”

Liu Yixing changed his previous humor and heavy tone, Jiang Anyi changed his face and persuaded: "Brother Liu's filial piety touched the world, and he will be successful today." ”

With a wry smile, Liu Yixing said: "Ten years of hard study can be fortunate to get a few people, I know that I can learn, and it is naturally a blessing to be able to get it. ”

Jiang Anyi was speechless for a while, but Liu Yixing smiled instead: "Anyi, you are talented, your poetry is amazing, and you have a great chance of winning this subject." With the talent of a virtuous brother, it is inevitable to soar, and when the time comes, you must remember Liu, take me for a ride, and it will not be in vain for you and me to get acquainted. ”