I don't know if it's to encourage students to maintain a frugal lifestyle, or if the older generation who have become officials also want their descendants to experience the hardships they went through.
The imperial court is now quite wealthy, but the examination hall remains dilapidated and has never been repaired.
The small, low cubicles were so cramped that even a slightly larger student would have difficulty turning around.
Whether drinking water or cooking porridge for yourself, you have to be extra careful, otherwise you might easily soil the completed exam paper.
If you're unlucky enough to be assigned a particularly dilapidated small room, you have to be careful about leaks when it rains...
After more than ten years of hard study, students still face many challenges and find it far from easy.
This time, Jiaren and Lige'er, Lu Zong and Jia Xu are all among the students.
Lu Zong and Jia Ren were assigned to adjacent rooms, separated by an aisle more than ten feet wide. Li Ge'er was diagonally opposite them, while Jia Xu was three rows away. They didn't even have a chance to see each other when they went to the toilet.
But Jia Xu was well-educated and well-prepared, so no one was worried about him.
At this time, Jiaren finished writing today's test paper and didn't want to continue studying late into the night, so he carefully put it away in a waterproof oil paper bag and then started cooking meat porridge.
The ingredients for the meat congee were all prepared at home.
Rice, minced meat, and dried vegetables are cooked together, and with just a little salt, it tastes quite good.
In the early spring night, the cold north wind made people's hands and feet feel stiff.
At this time, a bowl of hot porridge is simply a lifesaver.
Lu Zong, who was next door, put down his pen and started preparing food for himself.
Li Ge'er across from him followed suit and had already picked up his bowl of porridge.
Perhaps the meat porridge smelled too good, because the two soldiers on patrol stopped nearby and chatted quietly.
"The adults have all gone to eat. I wonder when it will be our turn?"
"It should be soon. I hope they'll leave us something warm, even if there's no meat, just something to warm our stomachs. The weather is so cold."
"That's right, I'll go check in a bit and set aside some food for us in advance. My cousin is a cook, so he can always make that kind of effort."
"Haha, you're pretty good, kid. You have a wide network of connections. I'm benefiting from your connections."
"That's right," the soldier said smugly, adding, "I talked with my cousin for quite a while at noon. You know what? Something big happened outside! We're locked up here, and we have no idea, but the whole city is already buzzing with the news!"
"Big news? What big news? Surely the barbarians haven't invaded Jiangnan yet?" Another soldier scoffed, clearly unconvinced.
The soldier who had been there earlier glanced at Jiaren, who was drinking porridge, without lowering his voice, and said, "It's not that serious, but it's still a big deal! You know about rootless wind disease, right?"
“I know,” another soldier replied with a frown and a gloomy expression. “Why are you bringing this up? Be careful you don’t get into trouble!”
The soldier waved his hand, "It's not that I wanted to bring this up, but it's already happened in our new capital. Several elderly ladies of the imperial clan went to the palace to talk with the Empress Dowager, and after returning home, something happened to them. We don't know how they contracted the rootless disease! I heard that Shou Kang Palace was sealed off, and even Zhi Lan Palace was sealed off!"
"Zhilan Palace?" another soldier asked. "Isn't that where the Third Princess lives? Why is it sealed off? Has the disease spread throughout the palace?"
Jiaren, who was not far away, had not paid attention to the two soldiers talking, but their words seemed to be directed at him.
He could no longer hold the bowl of porridge in his hand and put it down, staring coldly at the two soldiers.
Even Lu Zong next door noticed something was wrong.
The soldier who started the conversation glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, a hint of smug satisfaction in his eyes.
He tugged at his companion, as if just realizing the inappropriate situation, and replied, "Come on, let's find a warm place to talk."
His companion, suspended in mid-air, wanted to ask more questions, but when he occasionally turned his head and saw that Jiaren and Lu Zong both had cold expressions, he suddenly came to his senses.
Both of them are celebrities in Xindu, at least among this year's students, and are considered top contenders for the top scorer. He naturally knew them.
Among them, Jiaren, the eldest son of the Marquis of Zhongshan, is highly regarded by many.
Princess Kang Le, who is also Jia Ren's younger sister, is currently living in Zhi Lan Palace.
Those words just now will definitely distract Jiaren...
He's being used as a tool by others!
Thinking this, he grabbed his companion who had started the conversation and muttered, "I've always treated you well, and you actually betrayed me?"
The soldier who started the conversation felt guilty, but he tried his best to explain, "Brother, what are you saying? I don't understand. We're just chatting!"
"Besides, Zhilan Palace has been sealed off, and no one inside is allowed to enter or leave. They're probably all dead by now. Such a major event will soon be known throughout the entire capital. What's wrong with me saying a few words to you?"
Even at a time like this, he didn't forget to continue causing trouble, and one has to praise his dedication.
His companion, his eyes red with anger, grabbed his collar and punched him!
The two immediately started fighting, attracting the attention of the surrounding students who craned their necks to see what was happening.
For a time, the once quiet examination hall became as bustling as a vegetable market!
Fortunately, the officers on duty arrived quickly, tied up the two soldiers, and prepared to fight them off.
At this moment, Lu Zong spoke up, "My lord, these two soldiers came up to us specifically to gossip, mentioning that there's a case of 'rootless wind disease' in the palace. And our sister is in the palace!"
"They harbor malicious intentions, trying to distract us and cause us to perform poorly in the exam. Their motives are truly sinister, and they must be thoroughly interrogated!"
Jiaren quickly followed suit, saying, "Please, Your Excellency, handle this matter impartially. Furthermore, please send someone to inform us of the results. We need to know the exact state of the illness in the palace. Otherwise, our concerns for our families' safety will affect our ability to answer the questions, which would be truly unfair!"
The official on duty had a headache from listening to this, and was even more furious.
He didn't know who was plotting against the Li family, and he didn't want to stop them or get involved.
But the person behind this clearly hired a fool; the deal was done, but it caused a huge uproar.
The Li family members are unwilling to suffer losses...
Left with no other option, he could only say, "Silence! Answer the questions in peace. I will investigate thoroughly and report back. The higher-ups will make their own decision!"
After saying that, he took the two soldiers away.
Lu Zong and Jia Ren were separated by a partition and could not see each other, but they both knew that the other was worried because they never picked up their bowls of porridge again.
Li Ge'er across from us was quite far away, so we only caught a few snippets of his conversation.
What Zhilan Palace? What Rootless Wind? What deliberate framing?
What exactly happened at home? What happened to my sister?
He was extremely anxious and paced around in circles!
However, some students seized the opportunity and wrote furiously as if they were on steroids, eager to win the title of top scholar!
Time passed by, and the night grew deeper.
The official on duty didn't arrive until around midnight...
Today's update is here!
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