Chapter 318: Lost both money and life.
"See the front? That place with red walls and black tiles... is the academic examination hall of our Shamen County. The hall is quite large. The east area is for the examination of students. After entering the door, walk east. The west area is for the examination of scholars. After entering the door, walk west. Except for students, our teachers are not allowed to enter this gate. We can only take you to the main gate. When you are done with the exam, come out from the back door. This is the front door. I will take you to see the back door later. Go in and out..." The teacher was introducing.
At this time, around the County Education Examination Hall, there were not only people from Zhishu School, but also other students who came to take the exam, who were also visiting the examination room in advance.
Jiang Lianzhu also followed behind Dabao and the others, pacing at a moderate pace, looking at the surrounding environment.
She hasn't been here either.
It looks quite large, with a high wall, about three or four meters high. Only the roof inside can be seen. There are two big stone lions at the front door, with their eyes wide open, quite imposing. The gate is open, and there is a large screen wall made of pure white jade, engraved with the big words "Wen Yi Zai Dao".
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to go inside, and you can only see this screen wall and shadow hall.
The closer you get, the more crowded the crowd becomes. Students coming and going to visit the examination hall and various small business owners all know that this place is very lively. Where there are students taking the exam, there will be relatives and friends accompanying them. There is a large flow of people and there are business opportunities.
There were so many people that the children were scattered in groups of three or five, and the teacher couldn't take care of them.
All he could do was shout, "Those taking the exam for the first time, please follow me closely. I will explain everything to you. Those who have been here before can go back to the inn and rest."
At least half of them have been here.
With half the number of people taking care of the children, the teacher will be under less pressure.
"Yes, Master."
The old candidates all agreed and turned back to apply, or went on a trip together.
"Wang Ji, there is a pitching pot game up ahead. Let's go and play it to relax. We finally made it to the county town and we have an exam tomorrow, so let's play a game today..." A classmate invited him.
Wang Dalang didn't want to go, but he heard the vendors shouting over there.
"Dear students, if you pass by, don't miss it! This is the high school pitching pot game. The exam will start soon. All students may wish to come here and try their luck. Anyone who hits the target will definitely have good luck in the exam. I wish all students will pass the high school pitching pot game!"
Hearing this, Wang Dalang stopped.
Many students rushed over to watch the fun and try their luck.
Wang Dalang's classmates were afraid that they would be late and couldn't find their seats, so they ran over, and Wang Dalang couldn't help but follow them.
There is a pot placed at the farthest point, with two words written on the body of the pot: "Anshou".
There are several other pots placed closer, with auspicious words written on them, such as "smooth sailing", "good luck", "inspiration flowing like a spring", etc.
A lot of people voted.
Fifty coins for a pot arrow.
Many people lined up to buy arrows, and some wealthy students bought ten or even twenty arrows at once.
The pot was filled with many arrows with the words "smooth", "good luck" and "good fortune".
The distant pot at the top of the table was empty; no one had hit the target.
The classmates all threw several sticks, and the teapot owner asked Wang Dalang, "This young man looks handsome and has great luck. Would you like to try it?"
"Ten!" Wang Dalang took out the money decisively.
The pot owner happily responded, "Great! You'll be the first in the exam! There's no one left now, so we're just waiting for you to take the top spot."
Wang Dalang's eyes were burning with anger as he shot ten arrows, but none of them hit the pot.
Because he didn't throw any other pots, his target was the pot at the top of the table.
Everyone was laughing at Wang Dalang, "Oh, this kid is quite bold! He didn't want to throw the pot when it was right next to him, but insisted on throwing the first one. It seems that he came prepared and is full of confidence!"
"Where did this ignorant brat come from? It's ridiculous! Is it so easy to get the first place in the case? It's good enough to get a good start, but he has to be the first..."
"Maybe he's some wealthy young man! He doesn't look like one from the way he's dressed! Tsk tsk tsk tsk, he bought another fifty arrows in a flash..."
Wang Dalang said nothing and just focused on playing the game of tossing pots.
He was competing with the teapot on the table, ten, fifty, a hundred...
He spent all the silver he brought with him.
Still didn't make the shot.
"Boss, some more..." He touched his pocket and found it was empty.
The onlookers burst into laughter, and the pot owner said, "Sir, don't be discouraged. Take a rest on the side before continuing. Give others a chance. Please make way!"
At this moment, Wang Dalang lowered his head and felt cold all over.
The money is gone!
The pot didn’t hit the target either!
Both people and money are lost.
His two classmates didn't dare to come up and talk to him at this time. Isn't this asking for trouble? They quickly made up an excuse and left.
Only Wang Dalang was left, wandering the streets like a lonely ghost.
He recalled the time when he went home to ask for money to prepare for the exam, and the insinuating looks on his family's faces. Even his grandparents, who loved him the most, told him to be careful with his money, always reminding him that he was the one who spent all the money in the family, and that he must repay his family in the future.
Now, more than ten taels of silver were gone in an instant.
He felt a little regretful, but more of it was unwillingness. He had almost mastered the tricks and was almost able to make the shot. With a few more taels of silver, or even dozens of taels of silver, he would definitely be able to make the shot.
It’s all because my family is too poor and we can’t even afford a pot.
It ruined his good omen for tomorrow's exam.
Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Wang Dalang thought it was a classmate and said unhappily, "What's going on? Are you here to laugh at me?"
"Master Wang, can you please excuse me for a moment?"
A strange voice came, making Wang Dalang look back. It turned out to be a stranger in gray clothes, someone he had never seen before.
Wang Dalang was a little suspicious. "Who are you? Did you recognize the wrong person?"
The gray man smiled faintly, "No, are you Wang Ji from Zhishu Academy who came to the county to take the imperial examination?"
Wang Dalang was stunned. "Yeah! Who are you?"
"I felt sorry for you because I saw you didn't hit the target in the toss pot just now. I can lend you a few hundred taels of silver so that you can hit the target in the toss pot..." The gray man said, taking out a heavy silver bag.
Wang Dalang's eyes lit up, but he quickly calmed down.
There is no such thing as a free lunch. It is obvious that this person is not a good person and has bad intentions.
Could it be that she knew his reputation and wanted to do something like copying answers from him for tomorrow's exam?
But Wang Ji wasn't famous enough to earn a few hundred taels of silver...
In the past, if someone asked for this kind of cheat sheet, the maximum they would pay was a few taels of silver.
"If you have any request, tell me first."
The gray man smiled, "Prince Wang is a smart man. Let's talk for a moment. It's definitely something you can do... The price is negotiable."
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