Chapter 45045 Nightmare

After taking the county exam, Cao Xingcan, who had another residence in Qingyuan County, left alone in a carriage, while Du Qingtang and his group of four returned to the academy.

After saying goodbye to his two classmates, Fu Wen's face was tense and he clenched and unclenched his fingers.

Ever since she decided to take the county exam, she has been in a good mood, without any nervousness or sense of urgency, until she went to the ceremonial room not long ago and saw candidates from all over Qingyuan County.

"Qingtang, I'm a little breathless now."

This is a county examination held by the imperial court, which is related to fame and honor.

What if I fail the exam?

What if something goes wrong during the exam?

just in case......

Fu Wen thought of many bad things and bumped into the pillar without paying attention. He covered his forehead with his hands and tears welled up in his eyes.

Du Qingtang felt helpless and amused, and pulled Fu Wen to the side.

She was thinking about Yuan Sheng just now, and accidentally let Fu Wen bump into the pillar.

"Take a deep breath and don't think about anything." Du Qingtang's voice was calm and gentle, like a trickle of water flowing through his heart. "Just treat it as an ordinary test."

Fu Wen sniffed and responded muffledly, trying hard not to let his thoughts wander.

Back in the dormitory, she realized what had happened belatedly. Thinking back on her embarrassment, she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

Du Qingtang didn't take it seriously and took out Liu Tongsheng's test paper: "Do you want to practice?"

Fu Wen shook off his embarrassment and sat down immediately: "Swish!"

Du Qingtang said: "These test questions refer to the previous county exam questions of Qingyuan County. If you work hard, review and summarize, passing the county exam will be a piece of cake."

Fu Wen took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

The two read the question, then picked up their pens, dipped them in ink, and began to write quickly at their desks.

......

Because of the county examination, the academy gave the relevant students a day off.

Du Qingtang and Fu Wen spent the entire afternoon reviewing mock exam questions, then went to the cafeteria for dinner. After returning, they practiced two pieces of calligraphy, read a few pages of a book, and then drew an illustration.

After finishing all this, it was already the hour of Hai.

The two of them stopped writing, went to the bathroom to fetch water, washed up and went to bed.

Du Qingtang and Fu Wen said good night to each other, lowered the bed curtains, lay down, closed their eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Du Qingtang only felt his body was light and the scene around him kept changing, and finally stopped in the old house of the Du family in Taoyuan Village.

Her subconscious told her that she had passed the imperial examination and returned home in glory.

Her body was trembling, her heart was beating violently, and every nerve was excited.

She loudly told Yuanshi: "I am an official now!"

She thought Yuan would be proud of her, but that was not the case.

"Women should follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and take it as their responsibility to support their husbands, educate their children, and carry on the family line." Yuan's tone was firm, not giving Du Qingtang any chance to refuse. "Your cousin has not married yet and has no children. You should get married tomorrow and leave a descendant for both families."

"You don't need to be an official anymore. Stay in the village and live a good life with your cousin. From now on, you are no longer Du Qingtang, but a distant relative of the Du family who has come thousands of miles to seek refuge with them."

Of course Du Qingtang would not agree.

Yuan Sheng's eyes were filled with venom, jealousy and pleasure intertwined: "You won't marry me? Then die!"

I couldn't even pass the exam to become a scholar. How can you, a woman, become an official in the court?

So she was pushed to the execution ground, the blade fell, and her skin and flesh were torn apart.

Du Qingtang's consciousness was floating, but the pain was extremely real.

She stared with her eyes wide open, in agony, waiting for death to come.

However, the next moment, the scene flipped—

She was trapped in a small courtyard, and her three meals were mixed with muscle softening powder. She would be out of breath after walking a few steps.

Her superiors have such a sanctimonious attitude, it's really disgusting.

"As a woman, you should be enjoying tea and flowers in the backyard, bearing children for me. Why do you have to pretend to be a man and wander around in official circles, running around here and there every day, doing hard work?"

"Atang, don't worry. I won't keep you locked up here forever. When the time is right, I will take you back home and make you my wife."

I don't want to be anyone's wife.

I don't want to be a Du.

I just want to be Du Qingtang, the Lord Du loved by the people.

She pretended to be weak and lay dormant, plotting secretly and waiting for an opportunity to escape, but died the night before the action.

The poisonous wine enters the throat and penetrates the intestines and ruptures the stomach.

Before he could stop breathing, the scene flipped again—

Her identity was exposed, shocking the government and the public.

The ministers wrote a letter to the emperor, demanding that she be severely punished and executed.

She survived by chance and entered the prince's palace.

In order to make her submit, Xia Qixuan ordered all her books to be burned, and personally broke her fingers one by one when she held the pen to write.

In the blazing firelight, Xia Qixuan's arrogant smile looked like a ghost.

He said, "Du Qingtang, you have to accept your fate."

He said, "If I catch you reading or practicing calligraphy behind my back again, I'll break your hand again. Every time I catch you, I'll break it!"

At this moment, Du Qingtang's floating body finally landed on the ground.

In severe pain, her fingers twitched and spasmed, and her brain felt like a hand was constantly stirring, and her consciousness became chaotic.

She seemed to be in the prince's mansion, and also as if she had just been reborn.

She was filled with resentment, longing for books, longing to express herself freely on paper.

But every time she touched a book or a brush, she would have an uncontrollable stress reaction, difficulty breathing, and her fingers would spasm and twitch.

......

"Qingtang!"

"Qingtang!"

"Qingtang, what's wrong with you?"

Fu Wen's urgent call brought Du Qingtang back to reality from his endless dark dream.

She stared blankly at the bed curtains, her body stiff and unable to move, her fingers twitching uncontrollably.

It was not until this moment that Du Qingtang suddenly realized it.

Since her rebirth, she seems to have been holding on.

He forced himself to suppress the stress response left over from his third life and forced himself to study and obtain academic honors.

"Qingtang! Qingtang, what's wrong with you? Are you in a nightmare?"

Fu Wen looked at Du Qingtang, whose cheeks were wet with tears, and waved his hand in front of her eyes. Du Qingtang's eyes were still empty and lifeless, and her pupils were dilated.

Fu Wen was as panicked as an ant on a hot pan, not knowing what to do.

She found that Du Qingtang's hair was wet with sweat and her underwear was also soaked. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out to untie the rope at Du Qingtang's collar.

It must be uncomfortable to be soaked all over. Opening your collar to let out the heat may make you feel more comfortable.

Although it is forbidden for men and women to touch each other, Qingtang is her good friend, and she did not take off all of Qingtang's clothes, so it was not considered crossing the line.

Fu Wen repeated this in his mind over and over again, trying to comfort himself. However, before his fingers touched the string, Du Qingtang grabbed his wrist.

The force was so great that the bones cracked and Fu Wen cried out in pain.

"Qingtang, let go, it hurts!"

Du Qingtang turned a deaf ear to him and stared coldly at Fu Wen with his dull eyes, which were filled with surging and terrifying murderous intent.

"Get out! Don't touch me!"

If it were someone else, faced with this scene, he would probably be scared and run away.

Unfortunately, the one facing Du Qingtang was Fu Wen.

Fu Wen was a kind-hearted person. She believed that Du Qingtang was a rare good person in the world. While she was concerned about him, she did not even notice the terrifying look in Du Qingtang's eyes.

"Okay, okay, I won't touch you." Fu Wen said weakly, "Qingtang, it hurts so much, can you let go? I just saw that you were sweating all over, and I wanted to help you cool down."

Du Qingtang did not respond, like a silent statue, maintaining the posture of holding Fu Wen's wrist, with his right hand hanging in the air, not feeling tired at all.

Fu Wen raised his head and looked at Du Qingtang, who was like a frightened bird, and couldn't help but think of the landscape painting that Du Qingtang had painted.

It looks magnificent and beautiful, but it seems to be suppressing something underneath.

In fact, Fu Wen had seen Du Qingtang's fingers twitching while he was reading or writing more than once, and he had been curious about it. However, seeing that Du Qingtang looked normal, he thought it was just natural. He couldn't bear to hurt his friend's feelings, so he never asked about it.

At this moment, Fu Wen felt like she had eaten a hundred sour fruits, so sour that her tongue was bitter and her heart was aching.

What is Qingtang suppressing? What is he afraid of?

Fu Wen plucked up his courage, raised his hand and touched Du Qingtang's hair, stroking it gently, again and again.

"Although I don't know what makes you so sad and painful, but Qingtang, everything will be fine."

Du Qingtang's eyes moved slightly.

"The pain will fade and the wounds will heal."

Du Qingtang's rapid breathing gradually calmed down.

"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."

Du Qingtang's spastic fingers returned to normal.

"As long as you are alive, there is hope."

"Qingtang, don't be afraid."

"I'll be with you, I'll always be here."

Du Qingtang unconsciously rubbed Fu Wen's fingers, let go of her wrist, curled up in the quilt, and fell into a deep sleep.

Fu Wen breathed a sigh of relief and tucked the corner of the quilt for her. He found a circle of red marks on her wrist, which hurt even without touching it.

"I hope there aren't any bruises. Qingtang would definitely blame himself if he saw it."

Fu Wen stayed on for a while longer, making sure Du Qingtang wouldn't wake up from another nightmare. Then he climbed onto the bed yawning and fell asleep as soon as the back of his head touched the pillow.

......

The next day, Fu Wen opened his eyes and crawled out from the bed curtains, only to find that the curtains on the opposite bed had been hung up and the quilt was neatly folded.

"Where are the people?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dormitory door creaked open and Du Qingtang walked in holding a basin of water.

"Get up quickly when you wake up. It's time for morning reading."

Du Qingtang rolled up her sleeves to wash her face. Fu Wen observed her secretly and found that she looked normal, without any sign of abnormality, as if the tearful Du Qingtang last night was just a dream.

Fu Wen scratched his head: "Am I really dreaming?"

"What are you dreaming about?" Du Qingtang wrung out the towel and asked without turning his head.

Fu Wen climbed up and folded the quilt, while tentatively asking, "Qingtang, did you cry secretly behind my back last night?"

Du Qingtang: "...No."

Seeing Du Qingtang's straightforward answer, and his expression not seeming to be false, Fu Wen scratched his head again, his hair puffing out like a chicken coop: "So I was dreaming?"

Du Qingtang glanced at Fu Wen's wrist, which was white and slender, without a trace of wrinkles. "You are under too much pressure, so you have wild dreams and fantasies. After class today, go to the horse riding and archery field and run three or five laps. That will be fine."

Fu Wen had no doubts: "Okay, I'll go this afternoon. Do you want to come with me?"

Du Qingtang responded and picked up the book: "Let's go."

"Wait for me!" Fu Wen put on his shoes in one hand and held a book in the other, jogging to catch up.

-

On the 30th day of the first lunar month, the bimonthly test arrived as scheduled.

The examination content is similar to the last time, consisting of three types of questions: classics, policy essays, and examination poems, and the difficulty is also comparable.

Du Qingtang still handed in his paper early, and he and Cao Xingcan left the examination room one after another.

Cao Xingcan secretly observed Du Qingtang's expression and found that she was as expressionless as ever. He sighed and asked bluntly, "How did you do on the exam?"

Du Qingtang turned to look at him: "Why don't you just ask me directly if I can get first place."

Cao Xingcan choked and said with his neck stiff, "As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall. You will definitely lose to me this time!"

Du Qingtang: "Let's wait and see."

After saying that, he waved his hand and left with Fu Wenyang, who had also handed in his paper early.

Cao Xingcan was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He went home with a gloomy face, opened the test paper sent by Xia Jing, and practiced frantically until midnight.

......

Take two days off after the quiz.

Du Qingtang and Fu Wen packed up their things and went back home.

In the small courtyard, the girls were preparing to set up their stall.

Du Qingtang put down the bookcase and put on his robe: "I'll go with you."

The five sisters pushed a cart to the night market and after some preparation, they welcomed the first customer of the day.

The bearded man is a regular customer of Du Ji Snack Stall. He visits the stall almost every day as long as he has time, and occasionally brings his wife and children with him.

A new crispy rice cake was released yesterday. After trying it, Bearded Man was amazed and bought three of them at once today.

While enjoying the meal, the bearded man asked the girls who were busy working, as if chatting, "Have you ever thought about renting a shop?"

Du Qingtang did mention buying a shop, but they didn't take it seriously.

It would cost at least dozens of taels of silver to buy a shop in the county town. They had only earned ten taels of silver so far, so how could they be willing to spend that much money?

After hearing this, Du Qingmei shook her head without hesitation: "I haven't thought about it. It's good like this now."

I felt tired at first, but it’s nothing once I get used to it.

The bearded man just said it casually. After eating the crispy rice cake, he did not forget to buy some fried skewers for his wife and children, wrapped them in oil paper, and left.

The vendor next to him heard the bearded man's question and only said after he left, "If you have the money to buy a shop, who would want to set up a stall here? It's so tiring and hard work in the wind and rain."

This statement was echoed by a group of vendors.

"It's true that I can't afford to buy one, but I can rent one."

"Young Master Du, your business is so prosperous, have you ever thought about opening a shop?"

Du Qingtang was about to speak when Du Qingzhu called her to collect the money. Her attention shifted to the diners. She took the copper coins handed to her by the other party and pretended not to know that the other party had intentionally touched her fingers, calling it "rubbing off his cleverness."

Seeing that she was busy, the vendor stopped asking questions, looked at his own deserted stall, then at Du Ji, and sighed worriedly.

Life is not easy these days.

The night market was coming to an end and the diners were leaving one after another. The girls finally had some free time and leaned gently on the carts, chatting and laughing in low voices with their sisters.

At this time, a middle-aged man staggered over.

He reeked of alcohol, his fat face was flushed red, and when he came to me he burped, the smell was simply awful.

The girls frowned, but adhering to the principle of putting customers first, they still greeted him with a smile: "Sir, what would you like to buy?"

The man rummaged in his sleeves for a long time, pulled out a silver coin, and said with a thick tongue, "My little beauty, here are five taels of silver. I'll buy you...ah!"

Before he could finish, Du Qingtang flicked down the colander, which was covered with hot oil and dripped onto the man's exposed skin, burning him and making him scream.

Du Qingtang waved his hand, signaling the girls to step back. He walked around to the other side of the cart and grabbed the man's hand. "I'm really sorry, there's a clinic nearby. Come with me and I'll treat your wound first, and then we can discuss compensation."

The man was full of dirty thoughts and was not willing to comply. Suddenly he met a pair of deep eyes. The curse words on the tip of his tongue had to be swallowed back. He was stunned and speechless.

Du Qingtang took the person away and came back soon.

Du Qingmei quickly asked, "How is that person?"

The other vendors pricked up their ears.

Du Qingtang patted the Fifth Sister's arm and soothed her, "It's okay. I've already compensated her. The guest saw my sincerity and agreed not to pursue the matter further."

The girls finally breathed a sigh of relief, but because of this episode, they all felt a little depressed and listless.

Du Qingtang didn't say much, and only revealed the truth after leaving the night market: "That guy was so drunk he couldn't tell east from west. I beat him up, and he's probably still sleeping in the alley right now."

Du Qingzhu clapped his hands in approval, while Du Qingju looked worried: "Will he come and cause trouble tomorrow if he remembers it?"

Du Qingtang comforted him, "He won't remember that he's been to the night market."

The girls were relieved and went back to eat something, wash up and go to bed.

The next day, Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju went to sell sour soup tofu, while Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan stayed at home.

Du Qingtang selected ten words and planned to teach them in the afternoon. Then he went to the courtyard and asked, "Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister, has anything like last night happened before?"

Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan's eyes flickered, but they both shook their heads: "No, this is the first time."

Du Qingtang: "I don't like people lying to me."

Meeting the youngest's serious gaze, Du Qinglan felt timid and confessed, "Yes, a few times."

Du Qingtang didn't ask why he didn't tell her. She knew the reason, and asking further would be nonsense.

She simply said, "I'll go to the dental office this afternoon and book a place if I find a suitable shop."

Du Qingmei wanted to say something, but Du Qingtang gave her a look and she fell silent.

Du Qinglan tried to smooth things over: "Don't be angry, Tang'er. We just don't want you to worry."

Du Qingmei nodded rapidly, stepped forward and put her arm around Du Qingtang's shoulders, saying affectionately, "Tang'er, it was Fifth Sister who was wrong. From now on, if there's anything going on in our family, Fifth Sister will be the first to tell you, okay?"

Du Qingtang didn't push her hand away: "It's a deal."

Both girls laughed and breathed a sigh of relief.

It's really scary when Tang Ge'er is angry!

After watching Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan go out with baskets to buy things, Du Qingtang took a book and sat under the eaves to read.

After an unknown amount of time, the bright golden sunlight playfully fell on the fingertips. Du Qingtang's eyes turned slightly, and his gaze was fixed on the fingers holding the pages of the book.

She let go of the page of the book, slowly raised her hand, and pointed it at the sun in the sky.

The sunlight was so bright and dazzling that she couldn't help but squint her eyes, focusing her vision even more on her raised right hand.

These are a pair of hands from a farmer's family.

His fingers were long and slender, with thin calluses covering the fingertips, evidence that he did more farm work than held a pen.

Under the sunlight, the skin texture is almost transparent, and the blue veins are more distinct.

Du Qingtang clenched his right hand, slowly released it, then clenched it again and released it.

Repeat this process and never get tired of it.

Du Qingtang put down his hand and gently stroked the book.

There was no trembling or convulsion.

Like a normal person's hand.

......

After his rebirth, Du Qingtang was busy with his studies and hadn't dreamed about the past for a long time.

Perhaps because the county examination was approaching, she suddenly thought of the past and lost her composure in front of Fu Wen.

She recalled that night when Fu Wen almost choked up and said:

"The pain will fade and the wounds will heal."

"As long as you are alive, there is hope."

After that night, her fingers, which used to cramp whenever she held a pen, returned to normal, and her brain, which used to burst into shrill laughter whenever she read, returned to peace.

It was like a terminally ill patient who recovered and regained his health overnight.

It's simply a miracle.

A miracle called Fu Wen.

Du Qingtang thought of Fu Wen and the girls of the Du family.

Fu Wen always said: "Qingtang, you are the best person to me in this world."

The girls always say: "Without Tang Ge'er, there would be no good life today."

As if she was their savior.

But for Du Qingtang, they are also her saviors.

It was they who helped her find back what she had lost, including family and friendship.

It was also they who used love to piece together, piece by piece, to create a complete and healthy Du Qingtang.

Du Qingtang looked up at the sky and showed his first gloomy smile since his rebirth.

-

The break is over and the quiz results are out.

Unsurprisingly, Du Qingtang once again became the first in Enlightenment Class B.

Cao Xingcan ranked second and Fu Wen ranked third.

Regarding these three people, the students in Class B... no, it should be said that the students in the enlightenment class have become numb.

No matter which class they were in, they could always stay in the top three by stepping on the original first place, leaving their ambitious classmates powerless to fight back.

Cao Xingcan was also numb.

Why is he second again?

How come Du Qingtang is first again?

In response, Fu Wen laughed heartily: "Always second."

Cao Xingcan gave her a murderous look: "Say it again."

After half a month of contact, Fu Wen already knew that he was a man with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and he never relied on his status as the second grandson of the Prime Minister to bully the weak, so he was fearless and said it again.

Cao Xingcan went crazy: "Fu Wen!"

Fu Wen quickly hid behind Du Qingtang and said, "Qingtang, save me!"

Du Qingtang: “…”

Cao Xingcan: “…”

This scene made the onlookers laugh.

Cao Xingcan was so embarrassed that he left in anger.

Fu Wen pulled Du Qingtang along and said, "Classmate Cao, shall we go apply for promotion together?"

Cao Xingcan said without even turning his head: "Go!"

......

In the afternoon, Professor Zhu sorted out the results of the quiz and sent them to Yao Xuan.

Yao Xuan was playing chess with Wen Boqing.

Professor Zhu waited on the side, and only presented the scorebook after the game was finished and the winner was decided.

Yao Xuan pointed to the round stool, motioned Professor Zhu to sit down, and then looked through the book carefully.

Upon seeing the top scorer in Class B, the highly respected scholar raised his eyebrows. "It's Du Qingtang again. Including the time he took the exam, he's been ranked first for four times now, right?"

Professor Zhu replied: "Indeed."

Wen Boqing didn't understand what was going on. It wasn't until Yao Xuan finished reviewing the grades of the introductory class and Professor Zhu left that he asked, "Du Qingtang?"

Yao Xuan reminded: "In the recruitment exam last November, number 18 ranked first."

Wen Boqing clapped his hands: "It turned out to be her!"

Yao Xuan was in a good mood today, so he casually talked about his fate with Du Qingtang.

Wen Boqing twirled his beard and said, "It seems that he is a diligent and hardworking person."

Yao Xuan looked at him with interest: "As early as two years ago, you wanted to take me in as a disciple. Could it be that..."

Wen Boqing spread his hands: "I do have this intention, but I need to observe for a while. Wouldn't it be a pity to miss such a talent?"

Yao Xuan didn't comment and picked up the white piece: "Come on, let's continue."

On the chessboard, you and I fought back and forth, and the whole place was filled with smoke!

-

On the sixth day of February, Du Qingtang finally found a shop that suited his taste.

Located on Qingshui Street, the busiest street in the county, the shop in front is fully equipped with counters, tables and chairs, and the area is not small. There is also a small courtyard in the back. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary tools, and there is a room next to it with a long kang and a cabinet that looks a bit old.

The seller's price is seventy taels.

Du Qingtang readily paid the money, signed the contract, and got the key to the shop that same day.

On the evening of February 18th, Du Ji's snack stall was still doing a booming business.

The diners were enjoying their meal when they suddenly heard some bad news.

"Starting tomorrow, we won't be setting up stalls."

The air suddenly became quiet, and then wailing sounds arose.

“Why don’t you set up a stall anymore?”

"Then I won't be able to eat such delicious fried skewers and braised food anymore, right?"

Du Qingzhu deliberately kept everyone in suspense, very satisfied with everyone's reaction: "Because we are planning to open a shop!"

The crowd fell silent again.

"It would be nice to open a shop. Where should I open it? What should I call it?"

Du Qingzhu: "Du Ji Snacks on Qingshui Street will officially open on February 20th, which is the day after tomorrow!"

"Du Ji Snacks on Qingshui Street, I've made a note of it. I'll definitely go and support them when the time comes."

"Me too!"

After the night market ended, the girls packed up their stalls.

The vendors from the surrounding area came over and asked questions.

"Did you buy the shop or rent it?"

"How much did it cost?"

"Didn't you say you didn't plan to open a shop? Why are you going back on your word?" someone asked in a sour tone.

The girls had anticipated this and agreed on a common response: "Of course we rented it. We've only been setting up the stall for two months, how could we have that much money?"

In this way, there are fewer unfriendly looks.

The girls looked at each other and hurried home.

......

Two days later, Du Ji Snacks opened.

In addition to fried skewers and braised dishes, there are also new barbecue and fried rice and noodles.

Not only that, they also held activities such as buy two get one free and the first twenty orders free.

Many old customers came here because of its reputation. When they learned that a new product had been released, they rushed to taste it and praised it highly.

Of course, the overwhelming majority of the praise went to the barbecue.

Fried rice and fried noodles can also be made at home. Even if the girls are good cooks, the most they can get is “It tastes better than mine.”

Passersby saw that Du Ji Snacks was crowded with customers and walked in curiously. In the end, they left with full stomachs and a sense of unsatisfied satisfaction.

At the hour of Xu, Du Ji Snacks closes.

Du Qingtang and the four girls sat cross-legged on the kang in the small room at the back, counting money with a clattering sound.

After counting the last copper coin, Du Qingtang announced: "After deducting the cost, I made a total of two taels and three cents today."

The girls were stunned at first, then they hugged each other excitedly, jumping and shouting, and it took a long time to calm down.

"So the shop is open?"

"It's done."

“Ahhhhhh!”

Du Qingzhu covered her face with her hands and twisted around on the kang with joy.

Until Du Qingmei said: "Okay, that's enough, hurry home, Tang Ge'er will have an exam the day after tomorrow, you need to rest early and get enough rest."

"Okay!"

"Let's go home!"

The girls locked the door and set out on their way home with joyful steps.

-

February 21st, one day left until the county exam.

On this day, candidates from all over Qingyuan County gathered in the county town, staying in inns or short-term rental houses.

But all this has nothing to do with the students of Qingyuan Academy.

The examination hall was only half an incense stick's walk away from the academy, so they didn't need to worry about accommodation. They only needed to review seriously that day and make full preparations for tomorrow's county examination.

In the Chinese studies class, Teacher Wang talked about the county examination.

"As everyone knows, the county exam primarily examines the Four Books and Five Classics. You've all done at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, of these exam questions. You've already memorized how to crack and answer them. You should also understand that no matter how the questions change, the core remains the same. Don't panic, apply what you've learned, and respond flexibly."

"I, the teacher, wish you all great success and may you be on the list!"

The pre-exam mobilization speech made everyone excited and motivated.

As soon as class was over, Fu Wen dragged Du Qingtang to the dormitory. "We still have five hours left. We can do a lot of exercises. Let's go!"

Du Qingtang: “…”

The mobilization before the exam is so terrifying.

......

The sun sets and night falls.

Yuan Sheng wrote the letter of accusation, tiptoed out of the inn and went straight to the county government office.

He was so focused on getting on with his journey that he didn't realize someone was following him from the moment he left the inn.

When they reached a narrow alley, the follower was about to take action when a black shadow fell from the sky and knocked Yuan Sheng unconscious.

The follower was frightened and hid in the dark.

The black shadow dragged Yuan Sheng into a narrow alley, then soon reappeared and rode away on horseback.

Maybe it was the follower's illusion, but the man seemed to glance in his direction.

After a long time, the follower walked into the narrow alley, reached into Yuan Sheng's clothes, and fumbled around for a while.

But he found that his clothes were empty and the letter of accusation was missing.