"Second Brother!"
Jiang Sheng turned her head and saw Zheng Ruqian lying limply on the ground. She screamed in fright and rushed over in a panic.
When Zheng Ruqian was helped up, he realized that his once sturdy second brother had become extremely thin, with only a layer of skin covering his bones.
"Second Brother."
"Second son."
Hearing the commotion, Xu Mo ran out with Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan. When they saw Zheng Lao Er lying on the ground, the three brothers were speechless.
Zheng Ruqian was as robust when he left as he returned.
With red eyes, Wen Zhiyun took his pulse and, after confirming it repeatedly, said, "You're not sick, you're just too weak and need to rest and recuperate for a while."
The brothers worked together, some lifting his head, others holding his legs, to carry the unconscious Zheng Erge back to his room.
Unexpectedly, he woke up as soon as he moved, his large, slightly bulging eyes opening as he reached out towards the carriage, "First, send the roast duck first..."
Still somewhat energetic, Wang Xiaosong quickly leaned forward and said, "Don't worry, boss, I'll deliver it right away."
Zheng Ruqian then fainted with relief.
I lay there for two whole days.
I lay there until March 28th.
Early in the morning, Aunt Zhang prepared a pot full of hot food, just waiting for Xu Mo to drink a few sips. Then she filled his water bag, brought him a covered chamber pot, writing brush, ink, paper, inkstone, paste to correct typos, a scalpel, and a meal that could be eaten cold without needing to be heated.
The imperial examination for the title of Juren (举人) was held three times, each lasting three days.
Once inside for three days, you can't come out; you have to eat, drink, relieve yourself, and sleep in a small room.
Previously, it was Jiang Sheng who made the preparations. Although the young girl tried her best to think things through, her age was a factor, and there were always some oversights.
Now that Aunt Zhang is taking care of everything, everything is ready, both hot and cold, without a single flaw.
After breakfast, everything was packed into the examination basket, and Xu Mo only needed to carry it on his back to go to the examination hall.
But he hesitated to move, his gaze fixed on Zheng Ruqian's room door.
"Brother, let's go first. Second brother will come to the examination hall to pick you up when he wakes up," Changyan advised tactfully.
With the time running out, Xu Mo had no choice but to nod slightly.
Jiang San arrived at the carriage, and the group, carrying examination baskets, were about to set off when Zheng Ruqian, who had slept for two days and two nights, finally woke up. He was wearing crooked clothes, hadn't put on his boots yet, and his hair was a mess, like that of a madman.
But upon seeing the carriage about to depart, he still yelled and scrambled up on all fours.
"Big brother, big brother, I'll take you to the exam."
We agreed to be together, even if it meant waking up in our sleep.
Xu Mo felt a slight tingling in his nose, but a gentle smile appeared on his lips as he reached out from the carriage. "Come here, second brother."
Zheng Ruqian took over, and after a short while, he sat in the carriage.
Jiang San raised his long whip outside, and the horse galloped swiftly.
Unfortunately, Fang Laosan is missing.
They soon arrived at the entrance of the examination hall.
Students from all directions arrived, some sitting in horse-drawn carriages, some standing on either side with exam baskets on their backs, some whispering to their classmates, and some frowning as they made their final memorizations.
Jiang Sheng was the most curious. She peeked around and then came back to report to her brothers, "I saw a lot of candidates with gray hair, some of whom were even older than Uncle Zhang."
“I also saw Brother Fufeng’s younger brother. He was squatting at the entrance of the examination hall, reading the articles and muttering to himself.”
When she saw Butler Fang in the corner, she frowned slightly, feeling uneasy, and then shrank back.
Xu Mo did not make a final sprint, nor did he look around. Instead, he closed his eyes to rest and conserve his energy.
Zheng Ruqian, Wen Zhiyun, and Chang Yan did not dare to disturb him, and even their breathing became very soft.
Everyone was waiting for the examination hall to open.
During this long yet short period of time, a carriage without any students came along with a light clatter. The driver was about thirty years old, with a large face and a wide mouth. He could be considered dignified, but his shifty eyes made him appear shifty and weasel-like.
His gaze swept across the crowd repeatedly, and when he saw the scholars preparing for the exam, a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes.
He seemed to be looking for something, but couldn't find it. His gaze swept over Jiang San, who was driving the carriage, but then moved on because he didn't recognize him. Finally, his eyes settled on the other two carriages next to the carriage in the Zanhua Courtyard.
During the conversation just now, I heard that one of the candidates in the two carriages was surnamed Xu.
Without further hesitation, he took the needle and stabbed the horse's rump.
The horse neighed in pain and charged at the two carriages. The examinees were unable to dodge in time, and the entire carriage was smashed to pieces. The examinees were thrown to the ground, their palms bleeding profusely.
"Who is it? Who is harming people at the entrance of the examination hall?" the examinee shouted angrily.
The constables and others guarding the entrance to the examination hall quickly picked up their long swords and formed a circle around the area.
The carriages of the Zanhua Courtyard were also included because of their proximity.
Xu Mo frowned and lifted the carriage door. He was taken aback when he saw the perpetrator, but quickly recognized him as "Sun Quanzhu".
Back in Xieyang County, Sun Quanzhu was instructed by the Wang family to become Bian Wenxuan's advisor. Unexpectedly, Bian Wenxuan was quick-witted and directly hired Xu Mo as his advisor.
The two had a falling out then, but because one was a student and the other a scholar, they had very little interaction and never actually met.
The next time they met was at the entrance of the examination hall, and it was after a deliberate car accident.
Xu Mo could hardly help but think of the Sun family, and then the Wang and Fang families.
"You're here?" Sun Quanzhu was also stunned. After carefully selecting someone, he still bumped into the wrong person. He couldn't describe the feeling in his heart.
Just then, the yamen runners came over to interrogate them.
He hardened his heart, pointed at Xu Mo, and shouted, "He made me do this. He was afraid he wouldn't pass the imperial examination, so he deliberately persecuted his fellow students."
These words caused an uproar in the audience.
All the students preparing for the exam looked over, some with disgust, some with anger, and some with much discussion.
Jiang Sheng was furious and shouted at the top of her lungs, "You're slandering and framing us, you're talking nonsense, you're throwing mud at us, we don't even know you."
But since Sun Quanzhu had made the identification, the yamen runners could not stand idly by.
Knowing that Xu Mo was taking the imperial examination today, Yuan, the yamen runner, approached him somewhat awkwardly and said, "I have already sent someone to summon the prefect. Perhaps he can solve the case on the spot."
But it's only a matter of chance.
As long as Sun Quanzhu insists that Xu Mo directed him, in order to find out the truth, Xu Mo will inevitably be brought into the main hall for investigation.
This delayed the provincial examination.
At this critical moment, the gates of the examination hall opened.
Jiang Sheng was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth, fearing that she might really delay her elder brother's exam.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Butler Fang stepped forward from the crowd and said in a gentle tone, "Young friend, do you need any help? The Fang family is willing to lend a hand."
The children in the courtyard with the hairpin were all taken aback.
Immediately afterward, Jiang Chengyuan, who was passing by with Manager Hao, saw this scene, raised his eyebrows and came over, "Is that little ginger? Is he having some trouble? Does he need Brother Jiang's help?"
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