Although the Spring Festival has passed, the weather in the north is still cold. The snow lights up on the fifteenth day of the first month, and the heavy snow after the Spring Festival is actually not a rare thing in the north.

The northern spring of Wanli five years, there is little difference from previous years, at the end of the first month, it snowed heavily in the province of Beizhili, and at the beginning of February, although the snow stopped, the snow on the road has accumulated very thickly. Such road conditions are not convenient for travel, and most merchants and pedestrians will wait in small shops for the snow to melt away before hitting the road. On the road into Beijing, there are sparsely populated, and you often can't see a single person after walking for several miles.

A horse-drawn carriage was in this environment, struggling to move forward in the north wind like a knife. On the left and right of the carriage, on the two tall mules, two men clamped the vehicle between the left and the right, carefully controlling the strength of their feet and moving forward with the carriage. This carriage is very magnanimous, with a jujube wood body, a jujube red tall horse driving, and an elongated set of three chrysanthemum green mules with rolling melons and fat. The handlebar style is a young man in his early twenties, short and sturdy, although not outstanding, but extremely loyal, which is reassuring at first glance.

Because the New Year has just passed, the coachman is wearing a new green cloth cotton jacket and dry shoes and socks, holding a thick pole and shaking the whip, and the big red whip flutters up and down with the horse whip, like a fire meteor flying back and forth in the winter sky. The whip sound is crisp, the copper avoidance bell hanging on the neck of the foot force jingles, the sound is crisp and melodious, and it is far away in this quiet post road.

In such weather, even the old man is reluctant to go out, which is unsafe and hard. To have such a big car, there is no shortage of money. Such good livestock is also a treasure for farmers, and they are even more reluctant to whip.

But now the handlebar type waved the whip without hesitation, sometimes whipping, sometimes mercilessly pumping on the animal, shouting, "Drive...... Drive! "Within the limits of your own skills, increase the speed of the carriage to the fastest. It was not the snow-white shiny ingot, nor the big man's fist on the mule, but the fairy sister sitting across the wheel. Her anxious eyes were like an invisible whip, and the big pillar of the coachman who smoked it had a pang of cramping in his heart, and he smiled for the fairy sister, he had already let it go, even if he beat the cattle to death, he would admit it.

The coachman named Dazhu is the best handlebar type among the young people in his village, and many merchants from the north and south hire him to pull his feet, and occasionally you can see a few female dependents. Most of the women were bold, laughing and juggling with the merchants, and occasionally aiming at the muscular and powerful body of the great pillar with their hooked eyes. They would smile at him, call him little brother, and even take his hand, but the big pillar would run away like a plague each time.

He hates them, thinks they are not serious, they are not good women, he just earns their money, and he doesn't look at them more. And the woman in front of him is a fairy, and if he can see her smile, he will admit that he has reduced her life expectancy by a few years.

With jet-black hair, a snow-white face, slender legs, a fiery red cloak and red cowhide boots, and that cold expression, it was like a fire wrapping a snow lotus. Every time Dazhu peeked at her, he was like a thief, for fear of being caught. Even if the other party didn't hit him, just glanced at him with disdain, and the big pillar would feel that he had done something bad and should go to the eighteenth layer of hell. But I couldn't help but look at it, she was so beautiful, dozens of times more beautiful than Acui, the most beautiful person in the village, there is no such beauty in the village.

Since the village is located on the main road into Beijing, he has seen the people of the rivers and lakes, and occasionally he can see the women among them. Those people were actually as rude as men, drinking wine, eating meat, swearing, and even daring to do that kind of thing with men in the fields, which made him blush when he saw it. Of course, this fairy is also dressed as a Jianghu person, but her temperament and demeanor are very similar to those big officials or young ladies of rich and noble families, she is a real fairy, and her thoughts are destined to be just thoughts, and they can't come true. Maybe only the old man in the car behind can match him.

The big pillar quietly glanced back, and behind him was a huge carriage, big enough to seat five or six people.

The carriage has been thickened all around, the windows and doors are hung with thick cotton curtains, and the car is padded with a thick quilt, which is very warm, and the cold wind outside cannot blow into the carriage, nor can it melt the enthusiasm in the carriage.

He knew that there was a more beautiful grandmother in the car, accompanying the old man, and even the girl in the family, although she was a little older, was also a first-class beauty in the countryside. And now, they are all in the carriage, and the old man must be able to do whatever he wants to them.

As soon as he thought of this, many pictures appeared in Dazhu's mind, some of which he had inadvertently seen in the crop field, and some of whom he had witnessed on the way to the car, only to feel that there was a surge of heat under the dantian, and he peeked at the fairy who straddled the wheel, and saw that she was still frowning, but there was a sense of loss in his heart.

People don't care about what their little coachman thinks, all they worry about is whether the old man will miss the exam. It's better to read, you must be a reader in your next life, the coachman Dazhu thought.

Due to the loss of the Yang family's fleet, the ship was damaged, and Yang Shida was frightened and sick, and then he must find a place to recuperate and repair the ship. In addition, Feng Mingqi was worried that Zhang Shunqing's target with the team was too big or might be attacked, so the two broke up in Jining. Xue Wu and Sister Gui accompanied Fan Jin and his party to Beijing, while Feng Mingqi protected the caravan and went north to Beijing at their speed to complete the delivery.

Fan Jin and his entourage turned around, bought a trailer with a big pillar in Hebei Province, and completed the last leg of the journey with this foot force.

As the exam deadline approached, Fan Jin had an indispensable attitude, but Zhang Shunqing began to supervise her lover's studies. This son-in-law already has a champion talent, and it is not difficult to read articles for Fan Jin, and more importantly, for the spring of this subject, her teaching is more targeted.

Bagu is called Shiwen, which is not as rigid as later generations imagined, on the contrary, it emphasizes timeliness. If the article is not in line with the trend of the time, no matter how good the text is, it will not be able to be tested. This is also a very simple reason, after all, the purpose of taking the Bagu exam is to be an official, and a person does not even grasp the popularity of articles in his own era, which shows how indifferent his attention to current affairs is.

In addition to the atmosphere of the times, the examiner's personal likes and dislikes are also factors that need to be taken into account. After all, the article is read by people, and the subjectivity is very strong, if the grammar does not meet the examiner's aesthetics, don't pass the test in the canyon. After entering Beijing, a large part of the time spent in operation was to inquire about the examiner's style, buy the examiner's articles during the junior high school examination, as well as some publication window manuscripts on weekdays, to figure out their style, and strive to make their essay grammar conform to their wishes and win the examiner's joy.

Most students will follow this path and put in the effort, but no matter how hard they try, they will eventually just catch up with the trend. Zhang Shunqing is the trendsetter, and the two are relatively high and low, so naturally her role is greater.

At present, Zhang Juzheng's likes and dislikes are far more important than the examiners' likes and dislikes. If the grammar or content of an article is not liked by Zhang Juzheng, no matter how well it is written, it is impossible to get anything. A father is like a daughter, and a daughter is most familiar with her father's style and even preferences. is based on her current teaching method, that is, to tell Fan Jin what is the style of her father's articles, what is his scholarly view, what is his opinion on the sage's scriptures, and what articles he likes to see. This method of teaching is naturally a shortcut to the imperial examination, and it is also an evil way.

Fan Jin held the woman's fragrant shoulder, sometimes whispering, sometimes kissing Shaofu's ear, or blowing a breath of hot air, so that the latter had spring on his face from time to time. He looked outside and said something again, Zhang Shunqing smiled slightly, "The place in the carriage is so big, it doesn't matter if Miss Xue sits in." But this section of the road is not in front of the village and there is no shop in the back, listening to the coachman, it is also easy to robber, since Miss Xue is a bodyguard, she has to watch everything from the outside, and she will not let her come back. The concubine knew that Fan Lang took pity on the fragrance and jade, for fear that the wind and frost sword would freeze the delicate little face of the Xue family's sister, but Miss Xue was a person who practiced martial arts, and her body was not so squeamish, and she was not so easy to freeze. Sister Gui, did you say? ”

Her eyes fell on the corner of the carriage, a little far away from the two, Sister Gui sat curled up, for fear that her feet would stretch out and collide with the man's feet, and Zhang Shunqing would misunderstand something. Although the woman who has experienced a catastrophe is now out of the sea of suffering, because of her past experience, she is actually a little afraid of men, especially she knows that Fan Jin is not a gentleman.

Along the way, she had seen Fan Jin and Xue Wu hugging each other a few times when Zhang Shunqing couldn't see it, although she hadn't really done anything, but her bold actions made her blush and heartbeat. If he thinks about himself, how can he escape? Besides, she now knows Zhang Shunqing's identity, and if she misunderstands something, it will also kill her, so she is more and more cautious.

As a person who has come over, looking at the intimate appearance of the two, Sister Gui is actually a little uneasy, and when she heard Zhang Shunqing ask, she was stunned at first, and then said, "Yes...... The eldest lady is right. Miss Xue said that she must send everyone to the capital safely, and she must not be negligent. ”

Fan Jin picked up his dantian qi and shouted outside: "Miss Xue, go back to the car and drink wine to keep out the cold, this place is close to the Jingshi, so there will be no thieves, right?" Besides, if you want to clear them, you will be fine. ”

Xue Sufang's voice sounded outside: "Thank you Fan Gongzi for your concern, the little girl still supports the winner." Hello students study and prepare for exams, don't worry about other things. ”

Zhang Shunqing smiled at Fan Jin and whispered, "What do you think I'm talking about?" Let's move on to the article. ”

Dazhu had a rare opportunity to talk to the goddess, strengthened his courage, untied the wine gourd in his waist, wiped the mouth of the gourd with his sleeve, handed it to Xue Sufang and said: "Big girl, take a sip, this is the soil roast in the village, although it is not as fragrant as the wine in the city, it is the best to warm up your body." ”

Xue Sufang shook her head, pointed to the skin bag around her waist, and signaled that she had wine. He looked around vigilantly, for fear of any accidents.

Da Zhuzi smiled and said: "Big girl, don't worry, that old man is right, this place is not too far from the capital, unless the north captives cross the Great Wall, there will be no bandits." The only thing to watch out for is beggars. ”

Xue Sufang is a famous cold beauty in the Qing Building, except for Fan Jin, few people can enter her eyes, this simple coachman is naturally not in her sight, she only snorted, and did not say anything. Fan Zhigao said, "Beggar? A group of people who ask for food still dare to rob the road? ”

"Guest, you don't know how powerful beggars are. There is a gang of beggars in Kyori called Nameless White. It's ......" Da Zhuzi looked at Xue Wu, swallowed his saliva, and thought for a while before saying: "I just want to enter the palace to serve the emperor, but I can't get in, and I can't go home." They are called beggars, and they are the most difficult to deal with with the beggars on the ground. I love to hide in this forest or behind a dirt bag, and when I see people coming, I rush out to block the road and ask for money, and I won't let you go until I have enough. This is still the best, the most dangerous thing, if there is no one on the road, as it is now, and there are few pedestrians, they will pull people down and choke them out...... That's it, sweeping people away and scattering with a bang. If a female dependent encounters them, she is to be given to the beggars to be scourged, and then sold to places like Kyori. Let me tell you, I have heard that these people have been making trouble lately, and even the scholars dare to harm ......" (Note 1)

The coachman and porter were most interested in this kind of strange and wild talk, and the big pillar was so lively that the young man was so lively that he talked about it endlessly. Zhang Shunqing frowned slightly, "At the feet of the Son of Heaven, there is actually a group of evil beggars, Jing Zhaoyin and Jinyiwei are to blame!" ”

"When the water is clear, there are no fish, the ownership of this kind of place is not clear, and when the time comes, there is no way to fight each other." Fan Jin shook his head, "So the test method is a good thing, but it is necessary to consider what to test." For example, the unquiet ground is more harmful to the people than the lack of money and food. Even the ground can't be cleaned, how can we ensure the exchange of merchants, and how can there be taxes without merchants. ”

Seeing Xue Sufang's expression on the big pillar outside, he didn't think that this flower-like beauty could have any real skills, if she wanted to talk about fighting, she had to be the kind of woman in the village with a waist as thick as a bucket to be enough, just as she was afraid. hurriedly smiled: "Big girl, don't worry, the whip in my hand is not vegetarian." The stinky beggers are coming, and I'm going to whip ......."

"I'm afraid they're not coming, most of them are already here. Take your car well and take care of the rest! ”

This was the only word that Xue Sufang said to Da Zhuzi during the whole journey. After a while, the big pillar found that there was a tree on the official road that was put down and walked sideways, and it was impossible to get over without getting out of the car to move the tree. This is obviously deliberately done by someone with bad intentions. He strangled the cattle and tightened the whip in his hand, but he was actually a dutiful young man, and he did not like to fight with people. But in order to protect the fairy, he let it go.

In the woods, more than two dozen figures rushed out and galloped towards the carriage. Guan Qing pulled out the knife at his waist, Fan Zhigao shouted and turned the mule to retreat, and the big pillar raised his horsewhip, ready to whip towards the person. But I saw Xue Sufang suddenly rise up, standing on the wheel, taking off the slingshot in his hand, opening the bow with one hand, and taking out the projectile from the bullet bag with the other, and launching the projectile like a bead. With the launch of a projectile, the beautiful woman opened her mouth slightly, and she didn't know what she was muttering.

Xue Sufang's voice was very small, and no one could hear it except herself: "Let you guard against it!" Let you defend! Let you defend! If I really want to rob it, how can you prevent it! Fail to keep the faith! Eat one's word! I'll let you know how good I'm sooner or later! ”

Bullets rained down.

More than an hour later, in the forest, in a small village that did not exist in the household registration files of the Ming Dynasty. The beautiful ** person who was taking care of the children and preparing meals for the Xianggong heard a thunderbolt from a few villagers covered in blood: his father, who is the owner of this village, took the villagers out for routine hunting, and was blinded by a projectile of a robbing female bandit, and the person is no longer good. In addition to these few villagers, the rest of the villagers who went with them were either injured and disabled, and a few were killed.

The woman was shocked, and hurriedly asked the child to call Xianggong, and after a short time, the scholar with a gloomy face came and asked about the situation, and then pulled the woman up and said: "Don't be afraid, with my Hong Da'an, I won't let my father-in-law be innocently victimized, go and save people." ”