On the Avenue

The post's servants came over again and asked them to compensate for the loss of the post.

Although Sun Yisheng was an official in Xijing, his official position was not big. He was just the ambassador of Guanghuiku under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Husbandry. He was a minor official of the ninth rank and had little power. Even if it has power, the post office is local, subordinate to the local county, and under the jurisdiction of the county government. If the officials in Xijing cannot control it, they will have to pay for damage to things.

Sun Yisheng didn't have much money on him. When he returned to Xinxiang this time, he didn't just come to take Chen Shi to Beijing, but he was returning to his hometown for the New Year, and he just took Chen Shi with him along the way, so Chen Tang didn't give him much money.

[Writing this, I hope readers will remember our domain name Taiwan Novel Network→𝐭𝐰𝐤𝐚𝐧.𝐜𝐨𝐦]

Chen Shi didn't have much money on him, so he gave all the money to the accountant Shao Jing. He went to Qingzhou to overthrow the Wan family. The Wan family did have a lot of money, but it was all robbed from the rich and given to the poor. He didn't keep much, but instead gained a lot of money.

With no other choice, Sun Yisheng had to mortgage the carriage to the post, and the post's servants gave up.

There were originally a few Jinyi guards accompanying the car, but now that they had lost all their money and the Jinyi guards could no longer afford to hire, Sun Yisheng shamelessly dismissed them.

He felt a little restless in his heart: "Master Chen Tang asked me to protect the young master when he entered the capital. Now I have lost the carriage, the money is gone, and I have been seriously injured. What should I do if I encounter danger along the way?"

Although Chen Tang asked him to leave Chen Shi and return to Xijing safely when he was in danger, he had never considered it this way.

He and Chen Tang are from the same hometown. He has received a lot of favors from Chen Tang and is deeply grateful. Not to mention that Chen Shi is Chen Tang's son.

Even if he is an outsider, as long as Chen Tang says he will protect him when he comes to Xijing, he will try his best to escort Chen Shi to Xijing!

The next day, Sun Yisheng sat in a wooden cart. There were Chen Shi, Hu Feifei and Nannan in the wooden cart. Plus a few people's clothes, it was a bit crowded.

Hu Feifei hugged Nannan, and Nannan stared at the two people Yuanshen and Yuanying who were warming up around the ram's horn lantern.

I think it's very fun.

The ram's horn celestial spirit lamp is a great treasure in the underworld, and it is the leader's item among the underworld. The flame of this treasure is on the heavenly spirit cover of the doll. The flame does not seem very big, but Chen Shi's six-seven-inch Yuan Ying and Sun Yisheng's ten-foot Yuan Shen feel that the flame is very spacious when they enter it. Accommodate them.

Chen Shi was injured while reading, but the injury was much less serious than that of Sun Yisheng, so Sun Yisheng spent most of the time holding the ram's horn celestial lantern to warm himself by the fire.

The wooden cart was a bit crowded, so Chen Shi found a piece of wood and carved a courtyard. It was much simpler than the one given to Li Tianqing, but although the sparrow was small, it had all the internal organs, including pavilions, pavilions, rockery and fish ponds.

Hu Feifei, Nannan and Heiguo disliked the boring journey and hid in a small courtyard. When passing by Xuanyan County,

Gouzi went to the market and bought a lot of furniture, including tables, chairs, benches, dressing tables, bed cabinets, everything. He ordered people to deliver them and then moved them to the courtyard.

I also bought some pots and pans, grains, oils, rice, noodles, salt, sauce and vinegar, and organized the kitchen.

Not long after, another group of chickens, ducks and geese came and were released in the yard.

The black pot paid the money, and the visitor went back gratefully.

Sun Yisheng looked at this scene blankly and suddenly said: "Where did the dog get his money?"

Chen Shi said: "I gave it to it, but I didn't expect that it didn't spend all the money."

In the past, when Chen Shi was rich, he would give Heiguo a few banknotes and let him buy some things on his own. Unexpectedly, Black Pot saved money. Now that Chen Shi had no money, he had to rely on his little savings.

Sun Yisheng looked into the small courtyard and saw Heiguo and Guoyin lying in love on the newly purchased lounge chairs, basking in the sun.

The wooden cart was a little shaken, and the little girl and the dog were also a little shaken, but they were very comfortable.

As for Hu Feifei, she was busy cooking in the kitchen.

A curl of smoke rises from the small, one-foot-square courtyard.

Sun Yisheng was so envious that he wished he could hide in there and heal himself.

But after all, he was still responsible for Chen Shi's safety, so how could he hide in a small courtyard and enjoy his happiness?

"Master Chen has achieved fame now. Has he been assigned an official position?" Sun Yisheng asked,

Chen Shi shook his head and said: "No. The origin of my Jieyuan is not correct. I was delayed in the Gongzhou imperial examination, and I got the title of Jieyuan out of nowhere. It is normal that the imperial court did not arrange any official positions."

Sun Yisheng heard Chen Tang mention this and said: "You are not to blame for what happened in Gongzhou. The imperial court did not arrange an official position for you. It was not because of Gongzhou, but mostly because they were worried about putting you in Gongzhou or Xinxiang. You They can feel at ease only if they become officials in Xijing.”

When he said this, he felt that this topic was not suitable, so he quickly changed the topic and said with a smile: "After Xiaguan and Master Chen Tang took the exams, they planned to go to Beijing to take the exams. They would not take the current Five Lakes route, but the Gongzhou route. "

Chen Shi unconsciously felt a sense of mutual sympathy and said, "Have you ever been sold to a farm?"

Sun Yisheng said in horror: "How do you know? Mr. Chen Tang and I were indeed sold to a farm outside the city by a fellow with a Xinxiang accent!"

Chen Shi originally wanted to say that I have a friend, but Hu Feifei’s laughter came from the small courtyard: “Because he was also sold!”

Sun Yisheng suddenly felt close to him, and the relationship between the two became much closer.

"Taking the Gongzhou route is closer, while taking the Wuhu route has to go over three major mountain ranges and takes a few more days. But many people have suffered losses in Gongzhou, so they would rather take the long way to go around Gongzhou. State." Sun Yisheng said.

On the official post roads, there are gradually more and more carriages and horses and scholars going to Beijing to take exams. From time to time, you can meet some rich and powerful scholars riding carriages and horses, and scholars from poor families carrying book boxes on their backs.

However, this trip is very dangerous. Even if you take the post road, you will inevitably encounter evil spirits. Therefore, scholars who walk often stay in small groups to look out for each other.

Some of them are in their twenties or thirties, some are already in their forties or fifties, and some are gray-haired and old.

He is also rushing to Xijing.

"Those who walk to Beijing to take the exam have to walk non-stop for more than three months, but only 40 to 50 percent of them can make it to the capital alive," Sun Yisheng said.

Chen Shi looked at the dusty scholars, both men and women. Some of their faces were sunburned and red, with beads of sweat on their faces, and white salt stains left by the evaporation of sweat, and said: "Since this trip is like this It’s dangerous, why go to Beijing?”

"Because you can change your destiny."

Sun Yisheng said calmly, "If you can pass the Jinshi exam, the court will give you a royal ration, which will not make you rich, but it will be enough to support your family and make your family shine. Even if you fail to pass the Jinshi exam, you can still find a good background. After all, you are at the feet of the emperor. , there are many opportunities.”

He was one of the many scholars who went to Beijing to take the exam, and he had a deep understanding of this.

There were more and more pedestrians on the road, and the wooden cart slowed down unconsciously. Chen Shi watched the wooden cart passing batch after batch of scholars who came to Beijing to take exams. They were walking on the post road, like ants, walking tirelessly in the same direction. !

A deep sense of shock arose in his heart. It was a shock to the insignificance of human power, a shock to the unyielding human heart, and a shock to the will of everyone.

“Change destiny..Change destiny!

"Can fate really be changed?"

"Xijing, can it really change the fate of us scholars?"

With deep doubts in his mind, as the wooden cart drove farther and farther,

Ahead, there are high mountains and lofty mountains, with large lakes leaning against the mountains. The road is rugged, passing between the mountains and lakes filled with evil spirits.

The speed of the wooden carriage was much faster than the official carriage. After a few days, they arrived at the southern end of the Great West Lake, Fengcheng.

Fengcheng is the largest city in the Great Lakes region, and it is also the final resting place for scholars from the eastern provinces of Xinniu.

After passing Fengcheng, there is a vast wilderness, tens of thousands of miles to the west, and most places are deserted.

Evil spirits are everywhere and ghosts appear.

Although there are many provinces in this wasteland, the power of the human race has declined, the post roads have been in disrepair for a long time, and there are very few post stations.

Therefore, you must first rest well in Windy City, then purchase enough supplies, prepare food and water, as well as talisman soldiers, and even hire more royal guards before you can hit the road.

Chen Shi didn't have much money, so he simply stayed in Fengcheng for a day and started doing his old business of drawing talismans and selling them for money. He made a few taels of silver to make up for his expenses.

When Sun Yisheng saw this, he was extremely ashamed and thought to himself: "If I had been a little greedy, I wouldn't be in this embarrassing situation now."

He is the ambassador of Guanghuiku and is in charge of the incoming and outgoing money of the imperial court. He handles hundreds of thousands of taels of banknotes every day.

But none of them belong to me. Even if he draws one or two, no one will notice.

But Sun Yisheng followed Chen Tang for more than 20 years and developed the same character as Chen Tang. He would not touch any money he did not deserve. He has been an official for many years and is still a ninth-grade official, with a salary that is only enough to support his family.

After they packed up, they left Fengcheng together with a group of people who also came from official families.

These people are also protected by official officials, and they often come from well-known families, with bright clothes and angry horses.

Everyone lived in the same post house, and the officials were good at communicating with each other, and Sun Yisheng quickly became familiar with them.

Everyone heard that he was from the Ministry of Household Affairs and was responsible for welcoming the son of Chen Tang, the right minister, when he came to Beijing to take the exam. They all respected him very much.

Chen Shi and Sun Yi, who were sick, were holding a copper lamp to warm themselves by the fire. When other people saw that they were injured, they

Everyone was surprised.

Next to the wooden carriage are the Zhou family's carriages and horses. Two people from the Zhou family came to Beijing to take the exam this time, one boy and one girl. The woman's name is Zhou Qianying. She is in her twenties. She likes men's clothing and does not like sitting in the carriage. Instead, she rides He mounted his horse and walked, looking at Chen Shi's Nascent Soul and praising: "Little brother, your Nascent Soul is so big! Was it blown by the wind?"

Chen Shi was sitting in the car, still a little afraid of the wind and cold, and said honestly: "I'm reading a book."

Zhou Qianying was confused: "How can you get hurt while reading?"

Chen Shi said: "Excessive consumption of mind."

Zhou Qianying asked: "How old are you this year to make your Nascent Soul so big?"

Chen Shi said: "Twelve years old, but by calculation, he should be thirteen years old."

Zhou Qianying was speechless and said with a smile: "When I was thirteen, I didn't have the ability you have."

She is also in the Nascent Soul realm. When she sacrifices her Nascent Soul, it is only two or three inches high.

Juren who come to Beijing to take the exam are usually from the Golden Core Realm or Nascent Soul Realm. Most of them are from the Golden Core Realm. Only about 30% of the Juren are from the Nascent Soul Realm, and they are often the children of aristocratic families.

The Zhou family is a small aristocratic family in Feng City and is related to the Zhang family of the Thirteenth Generation, so the inheritance is pretty good.

Seeing that Chen Shi was injured, Zhou Qianying took out a small jade bottle and said, "I have some resurrecting pills here.

Do you want to use it? It can quickly heal the injuries on your Nascent Soul. My dad asked someone to buy it in Xinxiang! "

Chen Shi shook his head and said, "This is of no use to me."

Zhou Qianying put away the Resurrection Pill, got some preserved souls and gave them to him, and said with a smile: "The person who came with me to take the exam is my uncle. He didn't pass the exam last time, so he was embarrassed to come out."

Her uncle coughed from the carriage.

Zhou Qianying kept giggling and said, "I told him, he is still shy!"

Other people who came to Beijing to take the exam saw this girl's dignified and beautiful appearance, bold and bold personality, and they felt close to her. They gradually came over to introduce each other, talking and laughing.

Chen Shi was the youngest and injured, so he was taken good care of by them. They gave him all the delicious food and fun.

Chen Shi said sincerely: "These children from aristocratic families are not bad, they are not all bad people."

There are many scholars walking on the post road, and the book boxes are piled with various sundries, including replacement clothes, dry food,

Drinking water, bedding, as well as books, inkstones, pens and ink, etc., were piled two or three heads taller than them, tremblingly.

These scholars often wear linen clothes, even cotton ones, with three or two patches. They walk in groups on the post road.

When they encountered the convoy of Chen Shi, Zhou Qianying and others, they stopped by the roadside and slowed down to avoid being hit.

Chen Shi turned sideways and looked at them. He saw a scholar in front of him whose shoes were cracked. He stopped to tie his straw sandals, but when he squatted down, the book box tilted and the things bundled in the book box fell to the floor.

The scholar didn't bother to tie up his straw sandals and hurriedly packed his things. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind blew many handwritten manuscripts everywhere.

The scholar quickly rushed to the middle of the road to pick up the manuscripts.

"Stop the car," Chen Shi said.

The wooden cart stopped, Chen Shi got out of the car and helped the scholar pick up things on the ground.

The rest of the convoy also stopped and watched the two people busy.

Chen Shi helped the scholar pick up the things and stuff them into the book box. The scholar thanked him repeatedly.

Chen Shi waved his hand and climbed back into the car.

The motorcade set off again, and the people in the motorcade looked at Chen Shi a little strangely.

Zhou Qianying still couldn't help but voiced the doubts in everyone's mind and said with a smile: "Brother Chen, what are you doing for him?"

Chen Shi said: "His things are scattered on the ground and if you don't pick them up for him, wouldn't it be blocking the road?"

Zhou Qianying smiled and said: "He can hide himself. When our motorcade comes, he hides on the side of the road. When our motorcade passes, he just picks up the things. Why do you have to lower yourself? Next time something like this happens ,

Don't do anything, otherwise people will laugh at us for being the same as these mud-legged scholars! "

Chen Shiran.

At this time, Juren, who came from another aristocratic family, smiled and said: "Miss Zhou is right. Little brother Chen is just young and ignorant. He will understand this truth once you tell it."

Another kid from an aristocratic family named Wang Ping, who was a few years older than Chen Shi, was also very young. He smiled and said: "Brother Chen, we are different from them. Most of these mud-legged scholars who go to Beijing have no knowledge and fail in the exam. "Jintu is just a foil. If you help them, it's a waste of money. The most you can say is thank you."

Chen Shi was extremely confused and asked for advice: "Why is this?"

Wang Ping laughed and said: "The status is different! Think about it, it was easier for us to talk when we were studying.

They are all methods of cultivating the heart and righteousness of the heart, and refining the Ziwu sword to kill evil. But after passing the scholar examination, these mud-legged scholars still practiced Tianxin Zhengqi Jue and Ziwu Slaying Evil Sword, and they could only reach the golden elixir level at most. If you are lucky, you will reach the Nascent Soul through the heavenly training. What about us? What we practice is the technique passed down from our ancestors. Golden elixir and Nascent Soul are the starting point! "

Zhou Qianying said with a smile: "Even if we give those mud-legged scholars the exercises without anyone's guidance and guidance, they still won't be able to practice them. What's more, the exercises are still basic, and the other differences between them and us are even greater."

Juren from another aristocratic family said: "I need to eat five coins of Peiyuan Gubendan every day, and one pound and four taels of spirit animal meat. The monthly salary of the gentleman who came to teach me how to practice magic is seventeen." Two silver coins. In addition to practicing magic, I also hired a gentleman to practice calligraphy and painting. I also hired a gentleman to teach me how to play the harp. In the eyes of the mud-legged scholar,

One month can cost them half their lifetime wealth. "

Zhou Qianying said: "You help them pack their book boxes, lower yourself, and lose your face for nothing!"

All the officials nodded in agreement and said with a smile: "When the mud-legged scholars arrive in Xijing, what can they compare with us? Knowledge? Taoism? They can't compare to them."

"In these thousands of years, there has never been a champion with mud-legged legs!"

Chen Shi looked gloomy and interrupted them: "My grandfather has mud legs."

"What?" No one heard clearly.

Chen Shi thought to himself: "My grandfather has clay legs, and I am clay legs. Sun Yisheng, is Chen Tang a clay leg?"

Sun Yisheng was worried about offending the children of these aristocratic families, but there was anger in his heart, so he still said: "It's the mud-legged guy."

Chen Shi stood up from the car and looked around. Although he was sick, his voice was very powerful: "Three generations of our family are all mud-legged. This year, the mud-legged scholar will be the number one scholar! I said so!" "