Chapter 129 Literary and Martial Examinations
"May I ask if you are Liu Ji?"
Having finally escaped his angry father and settled into a tavern for a drink, Liu Ji looked puzzled as Yi Xiaochuan suddenly approached him with a fawning expression. "It is I, Liu Ji. May I ask who you are?"
Yi Xiaochuan said excitedly, "My name is Yi Xiaochuan, Yi from Yi Zhongtian, and Xiaochuan from Guo Xiaochuan. I'm so lucky to meet you today!"
Liu Ji looked puzzled: "Yi Zhongtian? Guo Xiaochuan? Who are these two people?"
Yi Xiaochuan laughed heartily: "Oh, they're all celebrities from our area. But you'll be much more famous than them in the future, you'll be Emperor Gaozu of Han!"
Liu Ji was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Emperor Gaozu of Han? Hmm... that's a good title! May I ask what business Brother Yi has with me?"
Yi Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment, "It's nothing... I just arrived in Pei County not long ago and was looking for a guide. I saw that Brother Liu looks kind, so I thought I'd like to make your acquaintance... Come, Brother Liu, let me treat you to a drink!"
Seeing his evasive words, Liu Ji knew that Yi Xiaochuan wasn't telling the truth, but what did it matter? Why not take advantage of a sucker's offer to buy him drinks?
"Then thank you very much, Brother Yi."
You're welcome, you're welcome.
Soon, using the gold and silver he obtained from Xiang Yu, the "wealthy and powerful" Yi Xiaochuan quickly became acquainted with Liu Ji and his group of friends.
After another day of feasting and drinking, Yi Xiaochuan, who believed he had established good relationships with the emperors and ministers of the Han Dynasty, went home drunk to rest.
After he left, Xiao He pondered, "This Yi Xiaochuan is simple and easy to understand, but he's a bit too obsequious. Especially towards you, I wonder what you did that caught his attention."
Cao Shen nodded in agreement, "He drinks and eats meat every day, he's quite generous, but I don't know why."
Liu Ji waved his hand dismissively, "Who cares? Can anyone possibly take advantage of me, Liu Ji?"
"It's good that you know what's going on." Seeing this, Xiao He and the other man said no more. Liu Ji was cunning and shrewd, and no matter what Yi Xiaochuan's purpose was, he could not outsmart him.
"You don't need to worry about this. The county examination is just around the corner. You should focus on preparing for the imperial examination."
Liu Ji said a few more words, saying that compared to his flirtatious banter with Yi Xiaochuan, the people sitting here now were his true friends.
He glanced at Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, and Xiahou Ying, who were already passed out drunk. He wasn't worried about these three, who were going to participate in this year's martial arts exam. After all, Fan Kuai was proficient in martial arts, Zhou Bo was incredibly strong, and Xiahou Ying was skilled in horsemanship.
The three men were known for their bravery and skill in Pei County, so there was nothing wrong with them not doing well in the county-level martial arts exam.
The main reason was Xiao He and Cao Can. They hadn't participated before because they felt their knowledge wasn't enough, so they studied for two more years in order to get a good ranking.
Liu Ji certainly hoped they would get their wish, so that all his friends would pass the exam and he could have an easier life.
"Don't worry," Xiao He and Cao Can exchanged a glance, full of confidence, "I won't let them win first place in the county examination."
“I will definitely be second,” Cao Can added with a smile. The three of them raised their cups and drank heartily.
...
"Huh? Brother Liu, why are you the only one here today? Where are the other brothers?"
Yi Xiaochuan walked into the tavern, sat down next to Liu Ji, and asked curiously.
Liu Ji glanced at him with slight surprise. Although he had previously sensed from Yi Xiaochuan's words that he lacked common sense, he hadn't expected him to be so ignorant. Where did he come from?
Concealing his surprise, Liu Ji said, "Today is the big day of the county examination, so they are naturally going to take the exam."
"The county examination?" Yi Xiaochuan looked up in shock. "What county examination?"
Liu Ji raised an eyebrow. "Naturally, it's the imperial examinations for selecting talent, both civil and military. Brother Yi, don't you know?"
Yi Xiaochuan looked dazed. The imperial examinations wouldn't have existed until the Sui Dynasty, right? How could the Qin Dynasty have had them? They shouldn't be the same, right?
Forcing a smile, Yi Xiaochuan offered an explanation: "To be honest, Brother Liu, my family moved to the mountains years ago to avoid the war. They're very strict there, so we don't know much about what's happening down here. I really didn't know anything about the civil and military examinations before. Could you perhaps tell me about them, Brother Liu?"
“I see,” Liu Ji said, seemingly completely convinced. “What’s so strange about that? Let me explain to Brother Yi. These civil and military examinations were established by His Majesty after unifying the country. They are divided into two parts: civil and military examinations, and there are three rounds of examinations: the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the national examination. The national examination is held in Xianyang. Those who pass the national examination can enter the palace examination and meet His Majesty. The final result of the palace examination determines their official rank…”
Yi Xiaochuan was stunned, his heart pounding. Wasn't this a replica of the imperial examination? Had he simply not studied history well enough? Or had this part of history been covered up? Or were there other people in this world who had transmigrated like him?
This person was clearly on Qin Shi Huang's side.
At this moment, Yi Xiaochuan no longer felt the excitement and joy of making friends with the next emperor; instead, he was filled with unease and a deep sense of insecurity.
He suddenly thought of Gao Yao and was extremely eager to see him. In this situation, he really couldn't do without Brother Gao!
"Brother Yi? Brother Yi?"
"Huh?" Yi Xiaochuan took a while to come to his senses, and gave an awkward laugh. "Brother Liu, is there something you need?"
Seemingly oblivious to his unease, Liu Ji smiled and said, "Brother Yi, since you didn't know about the imperial examination before, why don't I take you to see it? You can't pass the civil service exam, but to ensure fairness, the military exam allows the common people to watch."
"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Brother Liu."
Since he couldn't sit still any longer, Yi Xiaochuan decided to go and see for himself to finally give up on the idea.
...
"Oh dear - we've discovered a problem," Xiang Shaolong said, sitting next to Gao Yao, looking at the secret letter in his hand, his eyes full of gossip and curiosity. "Do you think Yi Xiaochuan could think of other transmigrators? Could he locate me?"
"You must have a lot of free time," Gao Yao couldn't help but tease.
Whether it was Ying Zheng, who had lived in the underworld for many years, or Xiang Shaolong, who had traveled from another time, how could they possibly leave the next emperor unattended? Therefore, the seemingly ordinary Pei County was actually filled with Black Armor Guards who were supervising it. On the first day that Yi Xiaochuan arrived in Pei County, the news reached Xianyang.
Then, Xiang Shaolong would come to Gao Yao every day to share information about Yi Xiaochuan, just like watching a play.
"We're all from the same hometown, of course I have to pay more attention to him." Xiang Shaolong stroked his chin and laughed heartily. "You know what, if it weren't for the two of us, and Yi Xiaochuan had transmigrated alone, his approach of clinging to powerful figures wouldn't seem to have any problems. What a pity... I wonder how he's feeling now?"
"Since you care so much about him, why don't you ask him directly?"
Upon hearing Gao Yao's words, Xiang Shaolong sat up straight immediately. "What have you figured out this time?"
“I told you to trust science!” Gao, the former fortune teller and current national advisor, explained in a serious tone, “Why would we need to calculate this? Knowing Xiao Chuan as I do, he will definitely come to Xianyang to investigate when he discovers discrepancies with history.”
Your existence is so illogical, isn't it? Unfortunately, Xiang Shaolong only dared to say it in his heart.
"Then I'll wait and see."
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