Chapter 069: A Purpose

Yuan Ming was very respectful to the sensible old man and said quickly: "The gifts that Miss Han brought are already very rich. We all like them very much. Besides, the credit for that incident mainly goes to Miss Han. What I did is nothing at all."

"Mr. Yuan is too modest. It is really great that you can come today."

As they talked, they walked to the original position of the village chief and sat down side by side.

Several elders also sat down and introduced themselves to each other.

Yuan Ming said, "The town guard set up an office so that you can better convey your wishes to the higher authorities. You should all elect a person that everyone can trust as a representative. I am just an outsider. It is not appropriate to give this power to me."

The village chief bowed his head and thought. Several elders looked at each other. One of them sighed and said, "I am not afraid of being laughed at by Master Yuan. It was a decision made by a few of us old bones to welcome those gangsters into the village politely."

He didn't say anything else, but Yuan Ming understood what he meant.

Because of this wrong decision, many people in the village were harmed. Later, they believed those people's one-sided words again and again, pushing so many innocent girls into the abyss.

"Don't worry, Mr. Yuan, we won't push you in front of the public. You just need to tell us your choice. No one will know what you said after you leave this room." The village chief said.

Ji Qingyue grabbed Yuan Ming's sleeves. Facing so many strangers, he was a little timid.

Yuan Ming patted the back of his hand and comforted him silently.

The village chief continued: "Don't worry, Mr. Yuan, we can swear to you with our lives that we will never tell this matter to anyone. As for any changes in the future, it has nothing to do with you."

As his voice fell, everyone's eyes were focused on Yuan Ming, waiting for his answer.

Yuan Ming didn't think for a long time, and directly said what he had thought of a long time ago: "I'm sorry."

The village chief's eyes dimmed, and he clenched his fists and placed them on his knees, trying to make himself firm.

In the atmosphere of the village chief and the elders sighing in disappointment, Yuan Ming continued: "I can't make the decision for you, but there is a way to help you choose the most suitable person."

"My way is - secret ballot!" As he finished speaking, Ji Qingyue took out a pen and paper from the small cloth bag he carried with him and placed it on the table.

Yuan Ming said: "The town chief said that the village representatives of the office should be elected by the whole village, but it would be too chaotic to gather everyone together and talk to each other. It is better to let everyone vote and write down the name of the person they like the most."

This is a good idea. Hanan Village is not big, with a total of only about a hundred households. It is not too difficult to calculate if each household casts one vote.

An elder reminded: "There are not many people in the village who can read."

"Of course I know that, so I am willing to write for everyone, go door to door and write down their wishes." Yuan Ming said: "I am an outsider and not among the candidates, so don't worry that I will lie."

A quarter of an hour later, Yuan Ming and Ji Qingyue came out of the hut, and the village chief's grandson took them into a smaller room on the other side, where charcoal was burning and it was very warm.

After sitting down, Ji Qingyue couldn't wait to ask: "Husband, you didn't tell me about ghostwriting when we were at home. This is too troublesome and a waste of time. Why did you do this?"

Yuan Ming held his hand and asked: "Yesterday I went to the town alone. Do you know who I went to see?"

Ji Qingyue was stunned, and didn't understand why Yuan Ming suddenly mentioned this.

The day after Xue Qingyang came home, Zhao Yucheng also came, but he was different from Xue Qingyang. He came to apologize.

That day Xue Qingyang went to find Zhao Yucheng, and Zhao Yucheng couldn't stand it and sent him to Fangyuan School to see the transcript. Logically, the transcript of the final exam of Fangyuan School was only posted on the outer wall for ten days, and that day was officially the last day.

So Zhao Yucheng specifically mentioned the lion dance on the water to distract Xue Qingyang. When the report card was removed the next day, he naturally couldn't see anything. But who would have thought that the report card was not removed on time this time. Xue Qingyang saw Yuan Ming's name on it, far ahead of Zhao Yucheng, the second place.

Zhao Yucheng had been paying attention to Xue Qingyang, and found out that he really went to Shangguan Village, and then he came to apologize to Yuan Ming in person.

Yuan Ming didn't care about it. During the conversation, the two mentioned the matter of Hanan Village.

After going through so many things, the friendship between the two became deeper than before. Zhao Yucheng took the initiative to admit the reason why he sent the imperial examination reference book to Yuan Ming.

"This is what my father meant, and it is also what the governor meant." Zhao Yucheng said, "If there are students with excellent grades in the jurisdiction and they get the first place in the provincial examination, it will be a great achievement for the governor and his staff."

So Zhao Yucheng guessed that the reason why the governor mentioned him in front of the villagers of Hanan Village was for the same reason.

So, the two of them agreed and went to the town to visit the governor and ask about this matter.

Ji Qingyue supported his head and looked at him, and asked curiously, "What did he say when you went to see the governor?"

"It's almost the same as what Brother Zhao guessed. The governor thinks that I am the one who is most likely to pass the next year's Tongsheng test. Not only that, he also hopes that I can take the first place in both the provincial examination and the imperial examination and win the title of Xiao Sanyuan."

Ji Qingyue opened his mouth wide and exclaimed in surprise.

Although he didn't have to take the imperial examination, he had some understanding of the three-time imperial examination winners. Since the founding of this dynasty, there has only been one in the past few decades, and now he has become the prime minister and has power over the government and the country.

"Speaking of which, the only three-time imperial examination winner in our dynasty has the same surname as my husband, Yuan." Ji Qingyue said foolishly.

If this happened in his previous life, Yuan Ming would be full of hatred and would probably explode when he heard this. But now, unexpectedly, there are not too many emotions.

Seeing Yuan Ming stunned, Ji Qingyue hurriedly said: "It is very difficult to be a three-time imperial examination winner, but I believe my husband can definitely do it!"

Yuan Ming came back to his senses and gently rubbed Ji Qingyue's head: "Thank you, husband, I think so too."

Ji Qingyue opened her mouth, but finally said nothing. It is a good thing that her husband has confidence, and as a husband, she should give affirmation and more support.

He asked, "But what does this have to do with Hanan Village?"

He didn't think anyone from Hanan Village would help Yuan Ming win the third place.

"The emperor now values ​​virtue the most and requires that scholars not only have talent but also virtue. According to the governor, when the examination officials in various places select the top candidate, they not only consider the paper score, but also the local reputation of the person, which is also a very important reference factor."

Ji Qingyue suddenly realized: "So the town guard wants to give you the credit for getting rid of the cult in Hanan Village."

Yuan Ming nodded: "But I think that's not enough, so I came up with the idea of ​​writing for others, and then everyone in Hanan Village will know my name."

Yuan Shanxi was the only third-place winner in his life and no one could shake his position. This time he would destroy it from all aspects, including the imperial examination that he was most proud of.

While the two were talking, the ceremony outside was about to begin. Except for the villagers who helped cook and do chores, everyone else came at the appointed time.

At this time, without opening the door, you can hear the noisy voices outside, accompanied by the deafening sound of gongs and drums.

The grandson of the village chief knocked on their door and poked his head in: "It's time to eat. Grandpa invites you to come over for dinner."

Yuan Ming nodded, and followed him with Ji Qingyue.

This ceremony was nominally a funeral for the victims, but in fact there was no coffining or burial procedure. The bodies had already been claimed by their families and buried in their ancestral tombs.

Today in the ancestral hall, they mourned for the wrongly killed and at the same time confessed to their gods and asked for forgiveness.

These two activities obviously did not require Yuan Ming and his group to participate. Out of courtesy, they stood in the open space outside the ancestral hall.

Fortunately, the first two activities did not take long. In less than half an hour, the village chief was helped out, and the other villagers followed closely behind.

The village chief came to Yuan Ming and apologized for keeping them waiting. Several people sat down at the same table.

The banquet manager shouted that the meal was ready, and the villagers sat down spontaneously. There was a large open space in front of the ancestral hall, with more than ten tables in total, and they were soon filled.