Suspended days at home. Time slows down all of a sudden, day by day is idle and quiet, but before you know it, you will suddenly find that too much has passed, too fast.

Shen Ruo had nothing to do, so he asked Fang Xiaoru to borrow a lot of books, read and play the piano with Nangong Qiu at home every day, and often took her out to relax, strolling hand in hand in the streets and alleys, on the banks of the Qinhuai River, in the downtown of Confucius Temple, like glue and paint, inseparable. Sometimes, he seemed to be able to feel the strange eyes of passers-by, and heard their whispers, saying that he was as lustful and cruel as Shen Rufeng, that he had abandoned his wife who was a bad chaff in his hometown, that he was still so swaggering and leisurely when he had a murder, that he and his wife were so affectionate, and that he was now pretending to be shown to others.

Nangong Qiu could also hear it; Whenever this happens, she holds her husband's hand tightly and sticks to him anxiously, for fear that he will get angry and fight with others in the street. She doesn't care what others say or think; She has only him in her heart, one thing, she only cares about his feelings.

On February 8, the first test of Jianwen Dynasty kicked off the spring. Thousands of Gongsheng from all over the world rushed to Jingshi Yingtian to participate in the two-year imperial examination. This subject is Gengchen, the chief examiner is Gao Xunzhi, Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, Dong Lun, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of Hanlin; The officials who participated in the writing of the questions and the reading of the school examination papers included almost all the bachelors of literature and history of the Hanlin Academy, and also included some supervisors of the imperial history to prevent the examiners from being suspected of favoritism and fraud. The examination lasted 17 days from the candidate's admission to the completion of the marking, and the candidates from all over the world came to take the exam one after another, and then met the master and teacher, and interviewed relatives and friends from all walks of life, and the capital was very lively in the two months. Even if Shen Ruoyu and Nangong Qiu stayed at home, they could feel the crowd of people surging in the street market outside, and they had already driven the cold from the capital far away. The martial law in the examination room of the Confucius Temple Tribute Academy does not affect the attention and liveliness of the surrounding congestion in the slightest. As for the time when the list was announced, there was a lot of joy, a lot of loss and sorrow, just as if the joy of Xinke was mixed with the smoke of the civil war, and gradually they couldn't distinguish each other's tastes, just the same restlessness and busyness.

During this period, a news came from the front: King Yan sent troops to Datong, and the ugly soldiers arrived at the city of Datong in February.

This news had been expected by Xu Huizu for a long time, and it was a month late, which was not surprising. What is surprising is that the soldier who reported the news said that when the Yan army was dispatched, Fang Zhao's reinforcements were still nowhere to be seen, and there was no news of the reinforcements led by Wu Jie.

Even Zhu Yunwen, who has always been tolerant, couldn't help but be furious this time. Encouraged by the Manchu civil and military forces to join Li Jinglong, the Emperor ordered the general to immediately send troops to rescue Datong no matter what, otherwise he would be punished for resisting the decree, and at the same time asked the general to write a letter explaining the reasons for delaying the sending of reinforcements and delaying the warplane.

The list of palace test tributes has been strictly checked, checked layer by layer, and finally presented to the Son of Heaven. Shen Ruoyu could only speculate at home about what the emperor's mood was like at the moment. He could already foresee that ,—— Manchu Dynasty's civil and military affairs, and even people from all over the world, could guess it at this moment, after all, the situation was like this, and it was not difficult to foresee the questions of the court examination.

How to quell the rebellion of King Yan? How can we peacefully cut down the feudal domain to solve the danger of the Son of Heaven, achieve the sum of the four realms, and become the rule of the world?

A group of stupid scholars, what can they understand - the invincible King Yan, who is thousands of miles away, told his subordinates.

Here in the capital, Shen Ruoyu also heard that some candidates who failed the list laughed at themselves.

At that time, it was Gongyuan Street in front of the Confucius Temple, he and Nangong Qiu, as usual, sat on a street stall eating duck soup vermicelli, a young scholar at the same table, seemed to have fallen off the list, his face was full of frustration, his clothes were dirty and torn, he bought a bowl of vermicelli, and seemed to be afraid that the money was not enough, so he secretly found the change on his body and counted it under the table.

A man who seemed to be his fellow townsman walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Brother, why are you doing a tooth sacrifice here? I finally finished the exam, and I was so tired that I lost weight several times, not to mention going to the restaurant to get some oil and water back? ”

The scholar said angrily: "You have a treat?" Lao Tzu has no money. ”

His fellow townsman wondered, "No, I remember you came with enough coils on you." Can't afford to spend you a penny in the exam room? ”

The scholar said, "How unreasonable; At the foot of the Son of Heaven, it is still an inn dedicated to entertaining candidates, and people stole my things in broad daylight. I should be unlucky, and I can't pass this subject. ”

He said to his fellow countryman: "You were stolen? I see. Then there is no way. Did you report to the police? ”

"For a bird? Am I sitting here waiting for him to spend months catching the thief? I won't have money to stay tonight. ”

Shen Ruoyu couldn't help but laugh in his heart when he heard that this scholar was foaming in his mouth.

The fellow villager smiled sympathetically: "You are really home." Then let's hurry home and come back to the test in two years, maybe you can earn back all the luck you planted this time. ”

"Useless is a scholar; It's better to go back to farming. ”

"Hey, you're a scholar yourself, how can you say such a thing. If you don't take exams, haven't you read books in vain for so many years? Anyway, it's also a move now, and having a fixed salary is better than farming, right? ”

"You're satisfied?" The down-and-out scholar said disdainfully: "What if you are admitted to the Jinshi? Aren't you tied up in a pile of books and continue to be a moth, can you go to the battlefield to kill the Yan soldiers? "Please go to Lingyan Pavilion temporarily, if you are a scholar and a marquis?" ”

When Shen Ruoyu heard this, his heart moved slightly, and he raised his head and glanced at the scholar.

The scholar was born with thin eyebrows and thin eyes, a thin body, and shabby and rustic clothes, and at first glance did not look like a man who could say such things. Then he noticed that the man had a very narrow nose, extremely thin lips, a pointed chin, and when he spoke, his eyes were only fixed on the bowl in front of him, and his gaze was as determined and gloomy as that of an eagle.

The fellow villager comforted him and said, "Isn't it just an exam, don't be discouraged; Otherwise, let's go back together. Don't worry, I have enough coils, and I have the money on the road. ”

"No, you don't; You go yours, I have a way. ”

The man smiled kindly: "Look at you, here you are again, you are not familiar with life in the capital, what can you do?" Your face is more important than your stomach, isn't it? ”

"you, mind my business."

"Yes, I don't care about you. You also know where I live, anyway, I won't leave for a while, so if you don't have a rut, you can come to me, and we will go back together; Master is still waiting for us at home. ”

Waiting for the fellow villager to leave, Shen Ruoyu opened his mouth and asked:

"Dare to ask this brother, where is he from?"

The scholar looked up at Shen Ruoyu and glanced at Nangong Qiu on the side.

"Linyi," he replied.

Shen Ruoyu smiled lightly: "Shandong is a good place, outstanding people." ”

The scholar asked coldly, "Your Excellency has been to Shandong?" ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled: "Of course; Those who haven't been there won't appreciate it. ”

The scholar asked, "Where are you from?" Listen to the accent, like a Peking person? ”

"Brother Tai has good ears. It seems that you have traveled to many places, and you are not a person who donated to the family to read the books of the sages. ”

When the scholar heard this, he was not happy, and said coldly: "It seems that Your Excellency is already in high school, so you will have such a good mood to eat snacks at the gate of the Gongyuan." ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled in surprise: "Do you think I came here to take the exam?" ”

The scholar looked at him carefully and shook his head: "No; Where is there anyone who went to Beijing to take the exam and brought his daughter-in-law with him. It's just that the two armies are fighting, how did you, a native of Beiping, come to Yingtian? ”

Shen Ruoyu pointed to the bowl in front of him: "I came for it." Beiping can't eat this bite. Otherwise, Brother Tai would not have fallen off the list, and he ran to the gate of the Gongyuan to sit and block his heart. ”

He looked at Nangong Qiu beside him and finished eating, took out the money and handed it to the vendor.

"The three of us got married together."

The peddler glanced at the poor scholar on the side, looked at Shen Ruoliao hesitantly, and smiled embarrassedly:

"Master Shen, I only accept money from you and your wife, and I don't dare to care about other people's."

"Why?" Shen Ruoliao had already stood up and looked at him strangely.

The peddler said: "Since the last time, after you dragged a person to eat at Lao Zhao's place, he poured the frieze, let the officers and soldiers open the stall, arrested him in the criminal department and locked him up for several days, and after two interrogations in the hall, he asked him if he had poisoned the soup and caused the emperor to be sick." In the end, he was released, but it was not said that he operated illegally, the soup was not clean, and the black money he earned was confiscated from the family property. His life was ruined from then on, and the duck soup on our street was unlucky. The guests you brought, I don't know what kind of nobles they are, in case another emperor has a problem, we can't afford it. ”

Shen Ruoyu was extremely depressed when she heard this: "In this way, I have hurt you......"

"Don't dare; You're a nice guy and you've never had a hard time with us. We'd love to see you, but only you and your wife. We don't dare to mess with other dignitaries, so please don't bring any more friends with you. ”

Shen Ruoyu didn't speak, took back the extra money, took Nangong Qiu's hand, and left the stall.

The scholar counted for a long time, and finally gathered the change on his body, handed it to the vendor, and got up and left Gongyuan Street.

He wandered aimlessly, and the money on him was no longer enough for him to stay at the hotel at night. Now that he is leaving for home, he is a little unwilling, coming to the capital for nearly a month, which is equivalent to running for nothing. Besides, this little money is not enough to entangle on the road. Could it be that he really wants to take refuge in that rich old classmate? In fact, that person is very good, a classmate for so many years, very righteous, and a friend worth digging out his heart and lungs. It's just that his articles have always been more beautiful than his own, and he is very favored by teachers. The family was also very wealthy, and they spent their money lavishly, never calculating. He is different from this classmate, he came from a humble background, he has no father since he was a child, and his family life has been difficult, if it were not for the teacher Degao, he would not have had the opportunity to study in Jiyang. Therefore, everyone in Jiyang will praise his classmate for being kind and generous, and helping friends, but he has never been used to his rich appearance. In addition, not long ago, this old classmate just married a flower-like wife, who is a well-known local beautiful and virtuous girl in Jiyang, and she has been in love for a long time. If you marry it, you will marry it, he knows that in the eyes of that beauty, compared to that classmate, he is nothing. But that wedding was really vigorous, and it was almost going to Jinan. Even if you have money, you can't show it off like that.

He would never open his mouth to this old classmate. However, if he doesn't ask his classmates for help, he really has no other way. Could it be that he could only go to the examiner's house to borrow money?

He walked for a while, completely unaware of the north, south, east, and west. While he was wandering, a young man dressed as a shopkeeper came up to him and asked:

"May I ask if you are Master Ji?"

The scholar was stunned for a moment: "The master doesn't dare to be." But how do you know—"

"Ji Ye, please come with me." The little second made a gesture and asked him to follow him into the restaurant next to him.

The scholar looked up. The two-story restaurant has a good face, a large plaque is high, and the four gilded characters of Kaiyuan Restaurant are particularly eye-catching. He was a little surprised.

"W-what am I going to do in there?"

The little second said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "There is an adult who has set a table for Ji Ye, and the food has been prepared. Please come with me. ”

The scholar was stunned: "Order the wine? For me? Who's that? I don't know anyone in this capital. ”

Xiao Er said: "You don't have to ask, the adult told him, saying that you don't know him, and he won't let me tell you." All you have to do is go inside, and you've already paid for the food and drinks. ”

The scholar was stunned for a moment, his stomach grumbling with hunger. Originally, a bowl of duck soup vermicelli really couldn't stuff a few teeth. However, an adult in the capital who he never knew invited him to a table of wine and food for no reason, how to think about this matter and feel a little suspenseful. After all, the incorruptible are not subject to the food that comes to them, and they have read to the level of lifting people, and this little bit of shelf cannot be put down in any case. What's more, there is no cheap thing in the world, and he is even more afraid of what kind of trap this is.

He thought about it for a moment, but decided to go in. He has no relatives in the capital, and he can't get along with these Beijing officials, who can calculate him. Perhaps, it was his rich old classmate who wanted to help him secretly, but he was afraid that he would lose face, so he thought of such a method. Even if there was a conspiracy, he would rather go deeper into it to see it clearly.

He followed Xiao Er into the restaurant and went to a private room. A large table of dishes has been prepared. Xiao Er poured him wine, poured tea, and then withdrew without saying a word and closed the door.

The scholar hesitated for a moment, looked around carefully, and indeed did not have an eye nearby.

He really couldn't resist the temptation in front of him, and finally threw down all the shelves and Sven, and munched on it.

After the storm was overwhelmed, he relented, walked out of the private room, and passed through the hall, but no one stopped him, and he walked out of the restaurant smoothly.

After going out, he was really puzzled, so he turned back, walked to the counter, and asked the little er:

"This little second brother, can you tell me who this adult who invited me is?"

Xiao Er said indifferently: "I told you that I can't tell you." ”

"Is he here to catch the exam too?" The scholar persevered.

"People are the big members of the second grade, and they need to catch the exam."

"Zheng Erpin? - "The scholar was dumbfounded. "I've never known any big guys...... What division is he? ”

Xiao Er said: "I told you that you don't know him." Don't ask. ”

"It won't be the examiners, Lord Gao and Lord Dong, right...... No, they're not good enough......"

Xiao Er glanced at him, ignored him, and went to something else.

The scholar had no choice but to leave the restaurant. Unexpectedly, the little second chased him out from behind, stopped him, and stuffed a brown paper bag into his hand.

"The little one almost forgot. This is what the Lord told me to give to you. He said that it was not easy for you to rush the exam all the way, and you lost the plate after the exam, so you can use the money on the road. ”

The scholar's jaw dropped in surprise: "He'...... How did he know? ”

Xiao Er said: "This little one doesn't know." He also asked the little one to tell Master Ji that you can go to Jinan to meet Lord Tie Xuan, who is participating in politics in Shandong. ”

The scholar was stunned for a moment, and nodded mechanically: "I understand, thank you." ”

The little two ran back to the restaurant without looking back. The scholar stood in the middle of the street for a moment, then turned around and walked towards the Confucius Temple.

It must have been the person who asked him inexplicably when he was eating duck soup noodles on Gongyuan Street—that man was neatly dressed, holding his wife in his hand, and seemed to be very familiar with the peddler, not to mention the words that the vendor said......

He ran to Gongyuan Street, found the vendor from earlier, and asked him who the adult was.

"That's Lord Shen, don't you recognize it?" The peddler looked at him in amazement.

He replied: "I am a candidate from Linyi who came to Beijing, how can I recognize such a big official?" Which one is he? ”

"Which one?" The peddler said, "People are second-class masters, and they will already be scholars in the six yamen." He is the governor of the Twelve Guards, the commander of the Imperial Forest Army, and the most trusted personal guard of today. ”

The peddler spoke with great vigor and pride, and I don't know what it had to do with him.

After hearing what he said, the scholar was stunned, and his face sank.

It turned out to be him; Why didn't you think of it before?

This man is indeed famous, and his fame does not come entirely from the fact that he is the imperial guard of the Son of Heaven, or that he is the governor of the upper twelve pro-military forces. This person was destined to be famous almost from birth; He has a father named Shen Rufeng, who has god-like martial arts and skills, and a heart like a demon; A mother is named Du Yunjun, who is known as having a peerless appearance like an immortal. He inherited all the beauty and talent of his parents, and married the county lord of King Yan, I heard that outside the city of Jinan, it was he who single-handedly rescued His Royal Highness the King of Yan who had been surrounded by heavy troops, and only then did he have the banner of Fengtian Jingnan, and today's powerful Yan Army Iron Cavalry. However, before that, he had abandoned King Yan, defected to Jingshi, and turned to serve the Son of Heaven, leaving behind all kinds of legends.

He asked the vendor about Shen Ruoliao's address and looked for it. I don't know whether it was curiosity or gratitude, he wanted to pay a visit.

However, when he reached the door, he was disappointed. Could such an ordinary and small dwelling be the dwelling of such a character? At first, he thought the vendor was pointing him the wrong way, or that he was simply lying to him.

However, Gongyuan Street was a little far away, and he was unwilling to run away from the wrong road, so he wanted to try his luck and knocked on the door.

Husheng opened the door and let him in. Shen Ruoyu was standing in the courtyard in a coarse cloth short suit to scrub the second-rate son, and when he saw him come in, he was stunned.

"Brother Jitai, how did you find it?" He laughed.

The scholar said, "My lord is so poor, living in such a place. How do you know my name? ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled and pointed to his cuffs. "Forgot about yourself, right? Your name is embroidered on your clothes, and you're afraid that others won't know what your name is? You don't mind if I call you brother, do you? ”

"I can't stand this, how can I let an adult call a villain ......?"

"I'm just a suspended minister who is introspecting at home, don't call me an adult."

The scholar raised his arm and looked at his cuffs. Two eye-catching black lines in large characters "Ji Gang" are firmly sewn on it. He was a little embarrassed.

"This ...... I entered the dormitory and wanted to wear an old dress that was loose and soft, but I was afraid that this dress would be too ordinary, and it would be easy for people to take it by mistake when I lived in a hotel, so I temporarily embroidered my name on it...... As a result, when I came back from the exam, I found that I had lost everything, so I could only wear this ...... all the time."

Shen Ruoyu couldn't help laughing: "I said, Brother Ji, your name is good, what you know is your name, and you don't know - for example, if you accidentally let the invigilator see it, you can't say that you cheated, and the article was copied to the sleeve." ”

Ji Gang couldn't help but laugh when he said it. "Adults call villains like that, I can't afford to ......"

"You're welcome; Looks like you're a lot older than I am; No matter how you say it, you're also a tribute, it's amazing. When I can read this to this point, I will be satisfied with going home and farming. Shen Ruoyu teased.

Ji Gang smiled: "The adult is slapping me in the face." Those who fall behind are just whining. I will continue to work hard and never give up until the day I take the exam. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "It's okay, doesn't Ban Chao also put pen to paper?" You have such high ambitions, it's okay to give up fame. ”

Ji Gang said: "The adults ridiculed me; How dare I follow Ban Chaobi? ”

"'Please go to Lingyan Pavilion temporarily, if you are a scholar and a marquis?' Shen Ruoyu said with a smile, "Brother Ji, it's really refreshing to hear these words at the entrance of the Gongyuan examination room." You don't have to be humble anymore. I can see at a glance that you have some kung fu in you; If you want to hide it from me again, don't you look down on me as a royal guard? ”

Ji Gang was slightly stunned, and then smiled: "My lord is worthy of being the legendary invincible master, a generation of martial gods; In front of adults, how dare villains boast of their martial arts, and they are smiling and generous. After all, the villain is just a useless scholar. ”

"When the book is used, the key is to see how you read it." Shen Ruoyu said, "Brother Ji's scholar, if he really has the ambition of Ling Yan, shouldn't he set his sights wider and higher; It is necessary to know that the character of Ling Yan should be the ambition of a martial artist like me; Outside of Ling Yan, there are many heroes who are not inferior to Wu Xue. For example, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen, in the midst of strategizing, winning thousands of miles away, are beyond the reach of martial artists, and only scholars can do it. There are also those all-rounders in civil and military affairs, such as Xu Zhongshan Wuning. ”

"King Zhongshan, that's natural," Ji Gang nodded, and then hesitated: "It's just ...... After all, the King of Zhongshan has never been admitted to any Jinshi......"

Shen Ruoyu said with a smile: "King Zhongshan is not a jinshi, not even a Xiucai, but he really reads a lot of books, and he writes articles." Look at Liu Bowen, I haven't heard of him taking any Jinshi exams. Fame may not be useful; But reading books must be useful. You are in a blessed situation, and it is difficult to have such an experience as I do. You know how much I envy you who can take your money, have no worries about food and clothing, and study quietly and quietly, even if you fail the exam year after year, it is a pleasure to immerse yourself in books for the rest of your life. ”

Ji Gang said: "My lord's words are deafening, but for the purpose of reading, not only for self-cultivation and family, but also to be able to govern the country and level the world with one's own learning is the most important thing, but there needs to be a way to govern peace." In troubled times, scholars can ignore fame, as long as they have talent, they will be able to get the favor of the master, and their achievements will be determined for a thousand years. However, in the rule of the world, it seems that there is only one way for scholars to realize their ambitions. After a few stumbling times, half a lifetime of hard work has been put into water, although reading can raise people and constantly improve themselves, it is indeed a kind of happiness, but after all, this is not the original intention of readers. ”

Shen Ruoyu was slightly stunned: "This is not false at all; But-" He thought about it, smiled lightly, and said in a low voice: "If you want to kill your head, Brother Ji really thinks that now is the rule of the world?" The northern battlefield is full of gunsmoke. ”

Ji Gang was shocked when he heard this: "This-sir!" ……”

"That's why I said, when you go home, you can go to Jinan to find Lord Tie Xuan. You are from a good background and have martial arts, talk to him about your opinions, maybe he will appreciate you and give you something to do. King Yan raised troops to seize the throne, but Shandong is a military stronghold and a place to fight. Are you still afraid that you won't have a chance to show it? ”

Ji Gang hurriedly bowed down: "My lord's words, Ji Gang has benefited a lot, and he must follow the teachings carefully!" ”

This made Shen Ruoyu extremely embarrassed, and hurriedly pulled him up: "You...... You're really, I'm just talking to you casually, why are you making such a big fuss? I'm not your examiner. ”

Ji Gang respectfully bowed his hand and said: "If Ji Gang is successful and famous in the future, he will definitely repay the grace of the adult's guidance." ”

Shen Ruoyu was a little flustered, pricked up his ears and carefully listened to the movement outside, and said in a low voice: "I told you, don't talk nonsense after you go out, I haven't told you anything." These words are going to get out, and I can't eat and walk around. ”

Ji Gang was really clever, and nodded again and again: "Don't worry, my lord, Ji Gang knows the severity." The grace of adults can only be remembered in the heart. ”

Shen Ruoyu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right; When you eat duck soup vermicelli, there is a person who talks to you, is it your fellow countryman? You're all here for the exam? ”

"Yes, not only fellow villagers, but also classmates for ten years. His name is Gao Xianning. ”

"Looks like he's already on the list?"

"That's not true, he's as famous as I am. It's just that he has always been very arrogant, and it was the first time to take the exam, and this little failure didn't go to his heart at all, he said that it was worth it when he only went to Beijing to play once. ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled: "You two are quite interesting people. It must be very difficult to respect the master, there are such two living treasure disciples. I wonder if I can ask for advice on the name of the teacher? ”

Ji Gang said: "Master is Jiyang Sect Wang Province. ”

This name is very unfamiliar to Shen Ruoliao. Naturally, Wang Xing is an old bachelor, when Hongwu was five years old, the township took the first place, and Zhu Yuanzhang specially ordered him to be exempted from the examination, so that the officials could directly award the officials. Again and again, he begged to be raised on the grounds of "being thin and pro-old". So he has been a teacher and is highly respected.

Shen Ruoyu chatted with Ji Gang for a long time, was very happy, left him for dinner, and then let him go, and told him to be careful on the road. If it weren't for the fact that the place at home was so small, he would have to keep this scholar overnight.

He only met a frustrated scholar by chance, and when he got up the next morning, he forgot about it, and he never thought that Ji Gang would remember him in his heart, and one day, this person will really be able to completely ignore the fame of Jinshi, and he will be close to the Son of Heaven. As for Gao Xianning, what will happen next, he can't think about it.