Chapter 622 Li Junping Enters Beijing?
"I'm not going. What's the point? It doesn't look like anything good. I'll just drag it out as long as I can."
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned deeply as she recalled the old man in black who had been standing before the Emperor earlier that day.
This matter was probably aimed at her own daughter, Baozhu, but Jiang Nuanzhi was not afraid. Whoever dared to touch her daughter, she wouldn't mind sending them to their deaths as soon as possible.
Having figured out the key to it in a short time, Jiang Nuanzhi decided to put these things aside for the time being. It was just a matter of dealing with whatever came her way. Who was afraid of whom?
Lying on the soft cushions of the carriage, looking at the gifts piled up inside, he couldn't help but hum a little tune, and his toes even started swinging.
Making money is truly more profitable in the capital city than spending a lifetime in the wilderness.
Wouldn't this be enough to make a pension? As long as I successfully bring this money back to the Great Wilderness and back to my two-story house, I can retire there and do whatever I want.
Today, she not only got a big gold bracelet, but she also got a day off, finally free from spending the whole day in the palace.
Thinking about it, it's been a long time since I've come home this early.
For a moment, she felt a faint sense of happiness.
Of course, if the emperor listened to her and hated Xiao Yuanshan even more, then she would be even happier.
Thinking about it, she felt around in her bosom and took out Ping'er's letter and opened it.
Jiang Nuanzhi hadn't seen her eldest son in a long time.
Before leaving for Kyoto, I only left Ping'er a hundred taels of silver. That child Ping'er will probably still take care of Dean Yue and his fellow disciples. She is probably still living a poor life now.
Immediately, Jiang Nuanzhi eagerly opened the letter, thinking that when her son came to the capital, she would definitely show him the huge pile of gold his mother had earned. Thinking of Ping'er's serious, wide-eyed surprise, Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but laugh.
However, after she carefully considered what was on her mind, the smile on her face vanished. The next second, she suddenly stood up with a thud, startling Dongzang, who was eating snacks next to her. Dongzang lost his grip on the snacks and they fell to the ground, but luckily, she was quick and caught them with her hand.
Dongzang noticed that something was wrong with his wife and looked at her, asking, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned deeply as she finished reading the letter: "Ping'er is going to the capital."
"Going to the capital? Isn't that a good thing? But why is the eldest young master so early? Have you finished the exam?"
Jiang Nuanzhi took a deep breath and handed the letter directly to Dongzang.
Dongzang took the book and skimmed through it. After a while, he clenched his fists so tightly they cracked: "These bastards actually said that our young master cheated on the county exam! What kind of person is our young master? How could he cheat on a mere county exam?"
Jiang Nuanzhi narrowed her eyes: "Yes, Ping'er takes this so seriously, how could she cheat, especially since she was caught red-handed in public!"
She rubbed her fingers together to herself: "It seems some people can't wait any longer."
"Who's in a hurry?" Dongzang frowned, holding the letter anxiously again, "Madam, the eldest son also said in his letter that because of his cheating, all the slaves in the entire Great Wilderness are now barred from taking the exam! Isn't that nonsense? You and the general are both officials, who would dare say that the eldest son is a slave?"
Jiang Nuanzhi pursed her lips: "It seems to be news from a few days ago. Back then, news of me and A Rong in the capital had probably not yet reached the Great Wilderness."
Ping'er is the eldest son, and he has already shown some talent in the preliminary examinations. So, is this something that makes people wary?
Just how afraid are they of people?
Dongzang's voice was tinged with anxiety: "Madam, this won't do! There are so many criminal slaves in the Great Wilderness! No matter what the reason is, the eldest son has blocked the path of all criminal slaves to the imperial examinations. How can he stay in the Great Wilderness now? He'll probably suffer injustice! Madam, you should hurry up and come up with a plan."
"Being wronged is the least of my worries; what I fear most is that these vicious thugs will try to kill Ping'er!"
Jiang Nuanzhi had been in contact with the people of the Great Wilderness. For many, scientific expeditions were their last hope. Jiang Nuanzhi even felt that the person who orchestrated this was trying to kill Ping'er. The next second, she immediately stuffed the letter back into the envelope and handed it to Dongzang beside her: "Hurry up and send someone to deliver this letter to A Rong. Make sure to tell him to find a few guards to go and meet him. If we're too late, something bad might happen!"
After thinking for a moment, he frowned and said, "I don't trust anyone else to go, you have to go yourself."
If Lightning hadn't gone with Arong today, Jiang Nuanzhi would have wanted to tie the letter to Lightning's ankle and deliver it directly to Li Rong.
I wonder how Ping'er is doing.
In a daze, Jiang Nuanzhi felt that something was wrong. If all the criminal slaves could not participate in the imperial examination, then what would happen to Xie Liangchen, the male protagonist?
He won't be able to get back to Kyoto? Does that mean the entire plot will change direction?
In February in the Great Wilderness, snow still falls in scattered flakes. But it's not as cold as winter. Snowflakes disappear from your hands in the blink of an eye when they touch them.
Li Junping sat alone on a roadside stone, a bonfire crackling in front of him, the fire blazing and sprinkling soup on it. He instinctively pulled his clothes tighter around himself. He held a steamed bun in his hand, but hesitated to put it in his mouth.
His knuckles were covered in swollen bumps, a deep, purplish-red with unhealthy bluish-white edges. The chilblains seemed to have worsened. They looked particularly grotesque and terrifying compared to the pale, round bumps, but he seemed oblivious, lost in thought.
"Brothers, that's him!"
Suddenly, a furious shout was heard.
"It was this little bastard who killed my brother!"
A dozen or so men surrounded him menacingly. They were all dressed in rags and looked pale, but their eyes were filled with boundless hatred as they looked at Li Junping.
The soup in front of them was kicked over, the iron pot was crushed, and the white steamed buns were kicked aside by someone, rolled a few times on the ground, and got dirty.
Li Junping was pushed and stumbled, his back hitting the old locust tree hard.
A dozen hands shoved him, rough stones hitting his arms and leaving red marks, but he just kept his lips tightly pressed together and didn't utter a sound.
"You cheating bastard!" someone spat at his feet. "You've ruined all our hopes! Why don't you just die? Why don't you just die!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Ping'er was surrounded in the middle, like a rag being kicked around.
Someone pulled his hair, someone tore at his clothes, and profanities rained down on his face like hail. Suddenly, someone kicked him hard in the back of the knee, and Ping'er staggered to his knees, his knees hitting the hard cobblestones. Li Junping's swollen hands clenched tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms. He bit his lip, curled up, and pressed his lips together tightly; from beginning to end, all sounds were stuck in his throat, not a sound uttered.
(End of this chapter)
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