Chapter 209: Call Wukong over and the couple divorce...
After leaving the palace, the couple rushed to the newly built city of Chang'an. Today was the last day of the military examination, and after Zhang Han finished, he would be able to return to Xianyang with them.
As for looking at the list, he didn't have to go and see it in person. As long as he could pass the exam, it would be fine even if someone came to offer their courtesy.
Dai Xuan had already informed Fu Li in advance that this time, Qin's imperial examination would be a grand affair. Therefore, while the examination procedures and subjects would be adapted to local conditions, the treatment for those who passed would be similar to that in Shu.
The government had already prepared manpower, and everyone was given new clothes, a red silk cloth, and musical instruments such as gongs and drums.
On the day of the announcement of the results, these people would put on new clothes, tie bright red silk around their necks, dress up in dazzling colors, and move in groups with music and drums to find the residences of those who had passed the exam and announce the good news to them.
The bigger the noise, the better. It should give the candidates the illusion that they have not just passed an exam, but have made great achievements in expanding new territories!
No one would dislike this opportunity to shine and become famous. Those who didn't pass the exam this year will definitely try again next time they have the chance. Those who didn't come this year will definitely find an opportunity to come after hearing about it.
Anyway, a lot of resources have been invested in this exam, so it’s natural to maximize the benefits.
Even Lü Buwei couldn't help but say, "I admire you so much! I'm so impressed! I'm willing to admit defeat!"
Dai Xuan waved his hand and said, "This wasn't my idea, nor was it anyone else's. It's something that evolved gradually during the implementation of the imperial examination system in Shu. We're simply taking advantage of Wan Xing and using it."
Lu Buwei was puzzled: Why didn’t those who passed the exam when I took it get this kind of treatment?
Of course, he wouldn't bring up this dark history directly, but instead asked in a different way: "I heard that the exams in Shu are divided into three levels: the Xiucai exam, the Juren exam, and the Jinshi exam. Do you get this kind of treatment every time you pass the exam?"
"Of course not." Dai Xuan smiled. "National resources must be used rationally and not abused. If you only pass the examination for the scholar level, the government will only give you a monthly subsidy. If you pass the examination for the juren level, there will be some smart people in the society who will spontaneously go to the candidate's home to announce the good news and earn some money.
Only when someone passed the imperial examination would the government organize a team to announce the good news, though of course, there would be some interference from the public. When such a big event happened, the people who passed the examination were happy to give some money to anyone who came to announce the good news so that everyone could share in the joy.
Lu Buwei nodded: "I see!"
——I understand, and it hurts my heart. It turns out that the level I took the test was not high enough!
Dai Xuan had no idea that he had stabbed Lü Buwei's fragile heart. He frowned, a bit disgusted, but more of a sigh: "This imperial examination is still too rudimentary! However, everything is difficult at the beginning. Once this is done, how the rules are modified in the future will be decided by the court."
Lü Buwei: “…That’s exactly what happened.”
By this time, he had made up his mind. When he returned home, he would hire strict teachers for his three children, who were already of school age, to encourage them to study. The two children born last year were still too young, so he would give them a break for now and start their education after they turned five.
He just couldn't believe it. With two sons and three daughters, none of them could pass the imperial examination!
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Zhang Han also passed the test on deploying troops and forming battle formations smoothly. After all, his teacher Nezha had actually been on the battlefield, and his commander Jiang Ziya was a master at using troops.
As for the two strong men from Shu, they had no talent in deploying troops.
As soon as the exam was over, someone came from the palace and took the two directly to Fuli.
Ying Zheng gave them a rank equivalent to a thousand stones and asked them to do their best to protect Fu Li's safety.
As for Nezha, his own martial arts prowess was already high enough, and the guards who followed him on a daily basis only helped with chores. If someone really came to assassinate him, it was not certain who would protect whom.
When they saw the two of them for the first time, Fu Li and Nezha couldn't help but look at each other, and they both felt something was wrong.
The couple's magic powers were imprisoned, and the added value brought by cultivating immortals, such as the eyes that can see through illusions, were also banned along with the magic powers.
But they also have intuition, the intuition that comes from years of dealing with gods and monsters.
Their intuition told them that the two people before them did not seem to be mortals. However, they were not sure whether they had become immortals or were still demons.
Fortunately, they don’t need to be sure.
After the people in the palace left, the two men knelt down with a thud: "My Lord, my Lord, we are here to protect the two monarchs under the orders of the Great Sage Ji Meng."
Lord? Lord? Great Sage Ji Meng?
Anyone who can say these names must know their identities and be quite familiar with Penglai.
As to whether he was sent by Ji Meng, that is another matter.
After all, after the two of them descended to the mortal world, their forces always had a period of leadershiplessness. As long as Haotian could seize this opportunity, it would be easy to muddy the waters.
Once the water becomes muddy, it will be easier to fish.
But since the other party knew their identities and obviously came with magical powers, this young couple whose magical powers had been sealed had no choice but to accept that they were sent by Ji Meng, and even if they had doubts, they could not express them.
Otherwise, if the other party attacks immediately, no one can be sure whether they will be sent to the underworld.
So, Fu Li asked the elders and servants to leave before signaling the two of them to stand up.
"Why did Ji Meng send you here? But Lingxiao Palace..." At this point, she seemed to have just remembered, "Oh, right, I haven't asked for your names yet."
Both of them were rather rugged, even stronger than Nezha, with broad shoulders and broad waists. Their faces were not ferocious, but rather had a very majestic and manly look.
This is in line with their Penglai tradition: even if they are demons, they have to look good when they transform.
The one on the left with slightly darker skin said, "I am a white bear transformed into a spirit, so my name is Bai Shanjun."
Another one with fair skin said, "I am a black bear transformed into a spirit, so I'm called Black Mountain Lord."
Fu Li looked around at them, unsure how to evaluate them: the white bear's skin was dark, the black bear's skin was white. Was there a reason for this?
Bai Shanjun seemed to see her doubts, and it was possible that more than one person had expressed doubts before.
He grinned and said, "I was born in the icy plains of the far north. Before I transformed, I heard that the climate in the south was warm, with many green trees, yellow flowers, and red fruits.
From that time on, I yearned for the lush greenery of the south. White is easy to hide in the snow, but not so easy outside the snow. So when I transformed, I turned black.
Fu Li looked at Heishan Jun again. Although he didn't say anything, the meaning of his question was obvious enough.
Heishan Jun was a little embarrassed: "It's just...it's just...I have seen a white bear before and I think it's beautiful."
Fu Li understood that the white bear that Heishanjun was talking about should be a brown bear or black bear with albinism.
As for Bai Shanjun, if she guessed correctly, the other party's true form should be a polar bear.
If these two people were really sent by Ji Meng, then their Penglai Fairy Island is really impressive, as they have even collected creatures like polar bears.
Bai Shanjun said, "The Great Sage asked the two of us to inform our Lord that someone from Lingxiao Palace has spread his manpower throughout Shu, seemingly intending to incite unrest there as soon as possible."
"What?" Fu Li frowned slightly, "Why did he do this?"
——As the Emperor of Heaven, you neither think about how to gather the gods in Heaven nor how to benefit all living beings in the world. What's the point of inciting a reactionary movement in the mortal world?
"Uh..." Bai Shanjun was speechless. He scratched his head and shook his head, "I don't know about that. The Great Sage only asked me to bring this message, and told my lord to rest assured."
Fu Li: "...I'm worried. Can one of you two go to Huaguo Mountain and get Wukong over to me?"
Since they said they were sent by Ji Meng, Fu Li treated them as if they were sent by Ji Meng and ordered them to do things very naturally.
Heishan Jun immediately said, "I will go now." Then he was about to go out.
"Wait a minute," Fu Li hurriedly stopped him, saying helplessly, "You're too reckless. The city is under curfew and the gates have long been closed. Aren't you deliberately attracting attention by leaving the city?"
Heishan Jun: "Uh...I was inconsiderate. Let's go tomorrow morning."
"Yeah." Fu Li nodded.
As long as Wukong comes, everything will be easy.
After learning that the two men had arrived, Nezha sent Zhang Han back to the military camp, and followed Fu Li closely, fearing that he would not be around when they were about to do something.
After the conversation, Fu Li called the family elder and asked him to arrange accommodation for the two of them.
This mansion originally belonged to Cai Ze. It has the standard structure of today's powerful and wealthy families, with a special courtyard for guests to live in.
Since Fu Li did not give any special instructions, the family elder treated them as ordinary retainers and arranged them to live in the courtyard where the guests lived.
Neither Fuli nor Nezha liked to keep retainers, so those courtyards were still empty. The family elder did them a favor and let them choose for themselves, one each.
After they left, Nezha suddenly hugged Fu Li. She could clearly feel that his arms, which were as strong as iron in the past, were now trembling slightly.
Fu Li nestled obediently in his arms, not saying a word for a long time. After he calmed down, Fu Li finally said, "They're both not mortals. It would take at most three to five days to get from here to Huaguo Mountain. Wukong's speed is even faster. If Wukong shows up in five days, we can be sure they were sent by Ji Meng."
"Sister, you can't just use nice words to coax me." Nezha said dissatisfiedly, "What if Wukong doesn't come?"
Fu Li: "Then just keep playing cozy with them. Trust Ji Meng and Hong Xin, it won't be long before they realize who's behind the scenes at Lingxiao Palace."
Nezha sighed softly, feeling rather indignant at his own powerlessness: "It has no other choice but this."
At this moment, he only hated that Li Jing died so easily.
If Li Jing's soul was still there, he would definitely take the demon-slaying sword and chop that soul into 9981 pieces, without leaving a single piece behind!
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