Chapter 1: The Brother Who Cheated in the Imperial Examinations!
Chapter 1
"Faster, faster!"
The carriage clattered along, and a woman leaned out, her face filled with anxiety. The driver shook the reins, urging the horse to go faster. The horse galloped through the dark night streets.
Despite the chill of early spring in March, her forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and her heart was pounding violently, as if countless heavy hammer blows were hitting her, making her feel like she was about to suffocate.
hurry up!
Faster!
It is now the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). When the examination hall opens at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the candidates who have gathered from all over the country will enter the hall, and the triennial spring examination will officially begin. But by then, it will be too late, and they will inevitably fall into the same nightmare.
No, it wasn't a nightmare.
The cold, foul-smelling executioner's blade, the executioner's spurting liquor, the mother's cries, and the heads of the entire Ye family rolling off the ground—their eyes wide open, staring at her amidst the crimson blood, their deaths filled with unresolved grievances…
That's hell!
Ye Xiren clenched her fists tightly, the excruciating pain of her nails digging into her flesh was the only thing that made her believe that nothing had happened yet. She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm, to stop thinking about it, and to continue to repeatedly rehearse the plan.
Fortunately...
As she was leaving, she saw Ye Changming talking to his father, Ye Pei, before heading to the examination hall. She had already gotten ahead of Ye Changming; if she had been a little faster, she could have had more time to prepare.
There's still time.
There will definitely be enough time.
"Stop!"
The driver pulled on the reins in pain, the white horse reared up and let out a sharp neigh, the carriage swayed, and he turned back in confusion: "Second Miss?"
Aren't we going to the examination hall?
Time was of the essence, and Ye Xiren had no time to say more. She hurriedly lifted her skirt and jumped off the carriage, tightened her hood to cover her face, picked up her lantern, held her breath, and turned into the dark alley.
Ye Xiren turned around and glared at her.
The driver immediately fell silent, a strange chill creeping into his heart, making him dare not stop him any longer.
For some reason, the usually gentle and quiet second young lady was very different today. Her eyes... were as if she had just come out of hell, burning with a fire that supported her body.
He quickly shook his head, banishing the strange thought, gripped the knife beside him tightly, and stared anxiously at the swaying lantern, not daring to look away.
Ye Xiren quickened her pace.
chaos?
If things weren't chaotic, she wouldn't have come here!
Faced with death, even refugees have nothing to fear.
The alley was pitch black, with lanterns flickering and casting a dim light on the people lying haphazardly inside. They were dressed in rags, leaning against the brick walls, their fate unknown.
Hearing the noise, some people opened their eyes. When they saw the brocade robes illuminated by the candlelight, their eyes suddenly turned like those of wolves in the dark, wary and malicious.
"Someone come here... do me a favor, I'll pay you twenty taels of silver!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the alleyway fell into a deathly silence, the sound of the wind became clear, and the candlelight flickered.
As she slowly sat up in the darkness, more shadows stretched out by the candlelight, pairs of eyes fixed on her, their heavy breathing filled with greed.
The prolonged war not only resulted in a constant influx of refugees, but also made it difficult for many local farmers in the southern capital to afford food due to the high price of grain. Not to mention twenty taels of silver, even a bowl of rice could buy a life.
And those who were sleeping in the alleyways were already at their wits' end.
When faced with a dead end, there's nothing you wouldn't dare to do.
Countless people were eager to make a move, but no one spoke up, as if they were wary of someone.
Ye Xiren's heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, in the deepest darkness of the alley, a figure slowly stood up, and the others moved aside to make way for him.
"My name is Ma Shan, I want this money." The man slowly walked up to Ye Xiren, his hoarse voice gradually becoming clearer, "Speak, what do you want?"
Ye Xiren breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
The two moved aside.
Ye Xiren sized up the person in front of her. Although he looked somewhat haggard and tired, he was burly and had a sickle hanging at his waist, stained with blood. He was clearly a ruthless character, just like the executioner wielding the ghost-head knife, which made people shudder.
"In a quarter of an hour, a scholar dressed in a long robe and wearing a long purple gauze hat, followed by two servants, one fat and one thin, will be heading to the examination hall. You and your men will intercept him on the way..."
Ma Shan interrupted, "Kill him?"
Ye Xiren's breath hitched.
Why kill him? That's my own brother!
She quickly shook her head, disregarding her fear as she moved forward. "Just beat him up so he can't participate in the imperial examination. Remember, don't kill him or leave him with any incurable injuries. Be careful."
Ma Shan raised an eyebrow.
That's it?
He looked the frail woman standing in front of him up and down. Her face was obscured by her hood, but her exposed hands were fair and slender, clearly indicating a life of luxury. Her dark eyes were clear, reflecting the lantern, like two flames dancing in her eyes, burning with anger.
"If it's just a minor grudge, young lady, you'd better not deal with him today. Hindering his future is more hateful than hurting him."
In the past, the imperial examinations in Daliang were held in February. However, due to continuous warfare, the capital was moved from Beidu to Nandu last year, and a new emperor ascended the throne. The imperial examinations were finally opened peacefully when the Northern Yan delegation entered the capital. In the midst of chaos, all the scholars were hoping to pass the examinations and become officials. How could they bear to miss this hard-won opportunity?
Even when hitting someone, you have to be careful. What if these two have no real grudge and are just having a minor argument with each other, and then regret it later and come looking for trouble for Ma Shan with that scholar...
His gaze was quite unfriendly.
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren's eyes blazed with fury, and all her fear vanished in an instant. She said, word by word, "Don't worry, my feud with him is no small matter; it's a blood feud that wiped out our entire family."
Ma Shan: "??"
Ye Xiren didn't explain, and couldn't explain it clearly anyway.
Her brother, Ye Changming, entered the imperial examination hall today. By evening, the Imperial City Guards would break into the Ye family and drag the entire family away to be executed without exception!
Isn't this a blood feud that wiped out an entire family?
As for why Ye Xiren knew these things?
oh.
She was slashed twice.
As dawn broke, Ye Xiren subconsciously touched her neck. Although it sounded a bit mystical, she had indeed passed two "todays".
She knew nothing about the first "today".
In the morning, he accompanied his parents to send his elder brother off to the imperial examination. After returning home, he and his mother settled accounts at home and waited for the examination to end. However, in the evening, Lu Qian, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, led his men into the Ye family and announced that because Ye Changming had cheated in the examination and committed heinous acts, the entire Ye family was sentenced to be executed in order to uphold the law.
When Ye Xiren opened her eyes again, she was clutching her neck, feeling dizzy.
I thought it was just a dream, but I never expected that what the maids and servants said next would be exactly the same as in my dream!
Ye Xiren was horrified. So, on the second "today," she personally escorted Ye Changming to the examination hall. Because she was worried, she kept telling him not to cheat, which almost made Ye Changming furious.
Ye Xiren also found it strange.
The Liang dynasty was known for its strict enforcement of the law, and it consistently punished corruption severely. Few dared to defy the law, and once a case was uncovered, the entire family would be executed. As a result, there had been no major corruption cases for many years.
Moreover, Ye Changming has been studying since childhood and has outstanding literary talent, so how could he be involved in cheating in the examination room?
Ye Xiren hadn't figured out what she had encountered yet, or if she was still in a nightmare, and she went home in a daze... Little did she know that in the evening, her entire family would be executed again.
Twice he encountered ghosts, twice he was beheaded, so this is no longer a dream!
She didn't know why she had "come back to life," nor did she know what had happened in the examination room, but she knew that something would definitely happen to Ye Changming once he entered the examination room.
Is your future more important than your family's lives?
When I open my eyes again, it is today.
Ye Xiren tried to stop him, but Ye Changming was looking forward to entering the imperial examination and showing his ambitions, so he wouldn't listen at all. She couldn't very well say that if he entered the examination hall, his whole family would die, could she?
Who would believe that?!
If Ye Xiren hadn't already done it twice in one day, she wouldn't have believed it at all!
Ye Xiren looked up at Ma Shan, her cloak fluttering slightly. Her uneasy gaze hardened, and she instructed, "Remember not to mistake him for someone else. His name is Ye Changming, and he was wearing..."
Ma Shan didn't understand.
But the person who paid is always right. He weighed the money in his hand and did as he was told.
-
As dawn broke, the Southern Capital, hidden in darkness, gradually became clear. The sounds of carriages and horses filled the streets, and long queues of people formed at the city gates, waiting to enter the city.
Many officials lived along Yong'an Street, and servants were tending to the horses, waiting for their masters to go on duty. In the morning light, Nandu gradually became lively.
Ye Xiren returned to the Ye residence through the side gate, her mind unsettled.
She had been raised in a secluded environment since childhood, pampered by her parents and cared for by her brothers. She was an extremely well-behaved person, and this was the first time she had done something like this. She was worried about whether Ma Shan could do a good job, and she was also worried about whether Ye Changming would be hurt too badly.
"Xixi, what are you doing here?" Liao Changying walked over along the corridor after seeing Ye Pei off to court.
Ye Xiren's heart skipped a beat.
Immediately, she suppressed her guilt and stepped forward with a smile that was no different from usual. "Mother, I originally thought of seeing my brother off, but I was worried that he would be nervous when he saw me and that it would affect his performance in the imperial examination, so I turned back halfway."
Upon hearing this, Lady Liao also felt somewhat worried. "Now is not a good time to go to court, but your brother insists on taking the imperial examination, and we can't stop him."
She sighed and took her daughter's hand:
"Forget it, don't pay him any mind. You can't sleep anyway. I'll take you through the household accounts. If you can manage the household affairs well, you'll be well-off after you get married..."
Thinking about the years her daughter missed due to the war, she became even more worried.
Ye Xiren was still in a daze and didn't listen carefully. She was pulled away by Madam Liao, and servants carried stacks of account books to the front yard. The Ye residence suddenly became lively.
It has arrived at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).
Ye Xiren grew increasingly uneasy, absentmindedly flipping through the ledger, not paying attention to a single word. Her mind was in turmoil, and her eyes were vacant.
Will Ma Shan be able to recognize him?
Will Ye Changming be seriously injured?
Looking at Ma Shan's fierce appearance, what if he beats her too badly? Wouldn't that really harm her brother?
Liao, without looking up, manipulated the abacus: "You calculate how much we spent on shopping last month. If you can't figure it out, you'll be punished by the servants in the future..."
"Twenty-six taels and three mace," Ye Xiren replied casually, lost in thought.
Why aren't they back yet?
Logically speaking, if the scientific expedition can't proceed, shouldn't it be brought back by now?
Liao was taken aback and looked up in surprise: "When did you calculate that?"
Ye Xiren paused, then said, "..."
She slapped her forehead, trying to figure out how to explain, when a commotion arose outside. A servant boy rushed in, covered in mud, and with a mournful face, he saw his mistress and young lady.
"It's terrible! The young master's leg was broken by several masked vagrants on his way to the imperial examination!"
"What?!" Liao and Ye Xiren stood up at the same time, one in surprise and the other in delight.
Mrs. Liao was shocked and exclaimed, "What happened? How could such a thing happen?!"
"Oh my God, my poor brother!"
Ye Xiren clutched her handkerchief, wiping her eyes to hide her upturned lips. With her other hand, she pinched her thigh hard to keep from laughing out loud. "This is really...unfortunate!"
Ha ha ha ha!
Finally, the trouble of the entire family being executed has been resolved. If Ye Changming can't pass the exam, how can he "cheate"?
But wouldn't breaking a leg be too serious an injury?
"Second Miss, don't be sad. The eldest young master is disabled but determined. After the doctor applied the medicine, he was carried into the examination hall. It didn't affect his performance in the imperial examination!"
Ye Xiren: "???"
A note from the author:
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The little bunny has started writing!
Long time no see, everyone! How have you been? (sneaks a peek)
(Red envelopes will be dropped in the comments section after the first three chapters, love you all!! [dog head with rose in hand])
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