In the rippling blue lake, more than a dozen patrol boats were piled with soldiers waiting for battle. In the cabin of each ship, there were several archers who had already drawn their bows, and the windows were as thin as paper, and an arrow could be shot far to the shore. The dozen or so boats kept a clever distance from each other, but they moved closer to each other and away from each other, unwittingly forming a blockade of the only bridge over the lake.

Blackwater City is located at the western foot of the Qinshan Mountains in the winding Qinshan Mountains, this lake is called Wanxing Lake, connecting Chaoshan and Luofeng Valley at the western foot of the Qinshan Mountains. Wanxiang Lake is tens of thousands of acres in size, accounting for half of the area of Blackwater City. Because on a certain day of the year, usually in May, the water of the lake will turn black for a day, and the scenery is spectacular, hence the name of the city, and the people of Blackwater City regard this day of May as the biggest festival of the year - the Ten Thousand Watches Festival.

On this day, pedestrians on the Wanxing Bridge are particularly scarce. Early in the morning, when the sky was still bright, there were a large number of people, most of them were dressed in red, some were wearing white shirts, and some were in green shirts and swords, with a ranger and heroic spirit. One by one, the carriages were pulled across the bridge. The later people were poorly dressed and carrying brooms and the like, and when they arrived at the bridge, they were instructed by several officials who looked like people, and they were reprimanded loudly, and in less than half an hour, dozens of coolies finished cleaning and quickly slipped across the bridge.

For the rest of the day, the bridge was so empty, there were a lot of couplets pasted on both sides, red and red, red carpets were spread on the ground, and the original few officials looked like people guarding the end of the bridge, their legs unconsciously bent, as if ready to kneel and kowtow at any time. I don't know where the divine is coming, and Wanxingqiao waited for him for a long time.

On the opposite side of the Wanxing Bridge, there is a large mountain. From this side, it looks very smooth and flat, and it is a huge mountain formed by a stone, spanning this lake. In the center, there are two large-character books with a thousand pen power - "Chaoshan". Walking sideways to the left, there is a wide, artificially carved road for horse-drawn carriages. The ancestors cut off half of the huge stone on the back of Chaoshan, and then there was a way. When I walked to the junction with another land, I looked to the right and saw a small staircase, and when I walked down, I saw an empty valley surrounded by Chaoshan Mountain. Now there are inns built in the valley of Luofeng - there are many interesting inns, built in the "nest" with countless potholes in the front of Chaoshan, twenty or thirty meters high Chaoshan, there are many holes on the four walls, and the inn is like a pearl and jade inlaid in it. Looking up, there is an inn in the cave of about 50 meters, and the business is quite good. The reason why Blackwater City is constantly developing in such a barren and remote country is that it is the site of the biennial conference trial.

The conference test is of great significance to the people of Blackwater City. The examination was held over three days, also known as the 81st examination, and was held on 11 August. The city lord of Blackwater City personally went to the Falling Wind Valley to test the young talents of Blackwater City. Most of the people who took the test were under the age of twenty-five. Blackwater City also holds annual exams for older talented people to select the best of the best. But the eighty-one will try, and the status in the hearts of the people of Blackwater City must be the highest. The general examination is divided into children's examination - under 10 years old, weak crown examination under 20 years old, and preparation official examination - under 25 years old. Among them, if you get a good score in the official preparation examination, you can be directly assigned to a position in the city, and even if you can get a recommendation, you can enter the six departments of the three provinces of the DPRK and China for internship. The Weak Crown Test is a transitional period, and the lord of the castle will personally award talents and meritorious medals to the talents of the weak crown year. Those who have obtained the talent medal are eligible to participate in the preparation examination in the future, and the more talent medals, the greater the probability of getting a recommendation. If you get the merit, you can directly be assigned to the official position in Blackwater City with the talents who are preparing for the official examination, and you can retake the official examination after a few years to seek a higher official position. The children's test is the most obvious display of a talent study, generally speaking, the genius of the children's examination will be generally respected by people, and the children's examination also has a chance to win the talent, and there is a guarantee of entering the official examination.

It was about the time of the afternoon when the sun was at its strongest, and in the distance, the view of the bridge would be as far as the eye could see, and although the sun was shining, the sight of one would still disappear into its length. Behind Chaoshan, on both sides of the test bench that had already been built, the red blanket meandered to the entrance of Chaoshan, and the gap in the west of Chaoshan could be vaguely seen from the Wanxing Bridge, and there were black shadows pouring in on the steps leading to the Luofeng Valley, and the rows were in a hurry.

At that moment, at the end of the empty clearing at the head of the bridge, a white horse galloped at full speed carrying a samurai covered in iron armor. The samurai whipped the horse under his crotch vigorously, panting, and when he saw that the Wanxing Bridge was empty, only a group of officials were waiting for the city lord to come to Chaoshan, his face showed helplessness and abruptness. The guards on both sides of the bridge saw this ride, and they didn't pay attention to the ban they had arranged on the Liufeng Plank Road, that is, the general entrance here, and they were about to break through the Wanxing Bridge directly. Shocked and angry, he didn't dare to slack off at all, and immediately lined up, and the spears in his hands pointed at the samurai who came one after another. At the end of the bridge, a red-robed and pot-bellied official ran over with a gloomy face, tried his best to control his breath, and asked loudly: "Who is coming! You are so bold! How dare you break through the plank road in the wind? Do you know that the city lord will personally come to Luofeng Valley to preside over the meeting? The city lord has just taken office, if something goes wrong, you want our heads! Hurry up and go back to where you came, this place is already blocked, only the city lord can enter!"

The samurai on the white horse had a palpable look of disdain and contempt on his face, similar to the disdain of a nobleman for a commoner. He looked at the spitting official, "He Zhe is really right, Qian Hangfu has really ruined Blackwater City in the past ten years! To please the city lord, he actually wants to block this commercial artery and wait for the city lord!" Alas......" The warrior slowly dismounted, his eyes squinted at the red-faced official, and he held a token in his hand: "Huang Zhi is a messenger, right, in Gaoliuting, Xiahe Mansion, can you recognize this Dutch Mansion token?"

When the surrounding guards saw the token inlaid with bright red lotus flowers, most of them gasped and immediately pulled their spears back and retreated to the same place. Only a few people who reacted slowly, and they still stood in place before they could turn their minds about what was going on in this "Hefu", but after the errand stomped their feet angrily, they retreated in shock and fear, very embarrassed.

"Lord Gao..."When Huang Chajun saw this token, although he was frightened, he still maintained a calm and calm officialdom style. "Since you are the Imperial Commander of the Hefu Mission, you should know what day it is, right?

Gao Liuting smiled contemptuously on the horse, and asked rhetorically: "Fa, I don't know which dynasty Lord Huang is guarding the law?"

Huang Zhi replied unhurriedly: "That is naturally the Qin Mountain Country Heavenly Auspicious Year Law!"

"Good Wang Fa! Good Wang Fa! I'm afraid that the former city lord, now Qian Dazhizhou, has become a sesame mung bean official, but he is so arrogant and arrogant, and he has set up a law for you to oppress the people and occupy the commons!"

Gao Liuting's face in the helmet was very serious: "Huang Chagong, do you know how many caravans cross this Wanxing Bridge every day, and how many traders set up stalls here?"

Huang Zhi listened to Gao Liuting's words of contempt for the city lord, and was so shocked that he couldn't breathe for a while--why, what kind of democratic atmosphere did this He Zhe start as soon as he was transferred to the city lord of Blackwater City? Even the lackeys under his command dared to speak so much? He just wanted to scold him regardless of his status, but Gao Liuting went straight and said: "I'm afraid the city lord of Hecheng hasn't given you such an order, right? This Wanxing Bridge, but Heishui City and Da Ya are even close to the main roads of the Northern Underworld Kingdom, especially with Da Yadu. If you occupy this place for no reason today, how many merchants may lose money, let alone those who are ready to make a big deal. Yellow Officer, you should know this better than I do, right?"

Huang Zhi, the official of Huang Messenger, is the office of the former city lord Qian Hangfu. Originally, he was also responsible for some trivial matters in the court, but he was close to Tai Sui, and he was also a local snake, and the people were afraid of him. The new city lord took office a few days ago, and before he arrived in Blackwater City, he was promoted to the captain of the capital when he was looking through the bureaucratic information of Blackwater City. The official was promoted, but this job kept him away from the city lord's mansion, and the extralegal power in his hands was naturally a lot less, and the recent official fortune was not smooth. Huang Zhi, who was good at observing words and feelings, saw that the imperial commander of the Hefu Mission, who was one level higher than him, put on this posture, and also sighed secretly, and immediately the hero did not eat the loss in front of him, hugged his fists, bowed down and said: "This matter is our responsibility, since this is the case, ...... it."

Gao Liuting raised his hand and said categorically: "Then ask the guards brought by Lord Huang to temporarily guard the lake, and have the right to protect the safety of the caravans." Gao Mou will go to the plank road now, lift the ban, and let the caravan pass!Besides, Lord He should be coming soon, he doesn't want to," Speaking of this, he glanced at Huang Zhi with some contempt, "Lord Huang, what surprise have you prepared for him." ”

"Understood, the Wanxing Bridge will return to its original appearance now" Huang Zhi replied with a bow on his face.

"Gao said goodbye!"

"Take care. Huang Zhi turned around and looked around at the guards around him, and they retreated further away. He also returned to the end of the bridge to report to his colleagues. But in his heart, he was secretly scolding the nursery rhymes that arose a few months ago

- "Lotus peony Xie, mud remove the lotus float!"

The peony is implying the meaning of extravagance and wealth, and the "mud removal" and "clear lotus", the hearts of the whole city are like mirrors, which is not clear about the irony of the former city lord Qian Hangfu!

......

After about half an hour, at the most scorching hour of the sun, due to the lifting of the ban, the business travelers on the Wanxing Bridge were still surrounded as usual. These merchants, some dressed in brocade clothes, beckoned the family behind them to carry up the piles of goods. There are also monogamous, shabby clothes, and they also go to the grass market in the afternoon with a few shabby boxes, and can only squeeze those few small old merchant ships. Some of the merchants who came from Da Yadu to catch the lunch market in Blackwater City were all braving the poisonous sun at this time, and they were slowly driving on the rippling lake. There were also many people sitting on both sides of the bridge, and all kinds of things were spread on the ground, and a few people gathered together to chatter happily, and shouted a few words casually when they saw the business travelers. And looking at Huang Zhi and a few colleagues, I don't know what is interesting and important, and I am having fun with a few old men and ladies at a stall selling eggs, as if I am having a good time......

In short, the ten thousand shapes of the bridge are always a lively one.

At this moment, a tall man in white was walking on the plank road, followed by the same men in white shirts. On the left hand side is a young boy who looks less than ten years old, and on the right hand side is a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, several of whom are talking and laughing, walking on the plank road.

In the valley of the falling wind, in front of the grand test stage, there are extremely spectacular guest seats on both sides, and a luxurious red carpet in the middle. I saw a bronze mirror frame in front of the examination table, an elderly man in a thick robe, holding the mirror in one hand and making a trick with the other, chanting words in his mouth. The mist in front of the bronze mirror then dispersed, reflecting a picture, with a pair of eyes in the audience staring, their heads tilted, and the picture was frozen on the plank road.....