Lamp Flower Smile

On the first day of August, before the Qiu Wei exam begins.

The gate of Gongyuan was crowded with candidates preparing for the entrance exam.

The Autumn Festival of the Liang Dynasty happens every two years. It coincides with the Royal Najiga Enke in these two years, and it can also end this year. There are three autumn trials, each lasting three days. Not to mention knowledge, it is also a big test for physical strength.

In front of the carriage, Mrs. Dong held Dong Lin's hand, looked him up and down, and said, "Are your clothes a little thin? I heard that it was very cold in the dormitory, and there was even a charcoal stove." There is no chance of survival, the autumn cold is coming, what should I do if I catch a cold?"

Dong Lin had been pampered since he was a child. He had to go to the hostel to stay for nine days and seven nights unexpectedly, which made Mrs. Dong always worried.

"Mother, my son is fine." Dong Lin felt a little uncomfortable. There were so many candidates coming and going at the gate of Gongyuan, and his home seemed particularly out of place with a carriage and a large group of servants.

"Mom, I'm not worried about you. Once you enter the Gongyuan, you have to wait until the exam is over before you come out. What will happen if you are hungry or cold in there? Shengquan," Mrs. Dong called the guards around her, "I'll take care of the young master again." Look at the exam basket, is there anything left behind?"

"yes."

Just at this time, a Confucian scholar walked by and saw the scene of deep love between mother and son, and was a little lost in thought for a moment.

Wu Youcai stood there in shock.

In the past years, every time he left the field, his mother would send him to the gate of Gongyuan like this, Xu Xu said. She never worried about whether his articles were good or whether he could be an official. What she talked about the most and worried about most was whether it was cold in the dormitory, whether he had enough clothes to wear, and whether he would not have enough to eat.

Finally, she smiled at him and said, "Mom is waiting at home for you to finish the exam!"

But now, there is no one at home waiting for him to return home, and there will no longer be a loving mother's warning in front of the Gongyuan gate.

Someone beside him patted him on the shoulder: "You are talented!"

Wu Youcai turned around and saw that he was an old man dressed as a Confucian scholar. He was wearing a green cloth coat with slits and a square scarf on his head. He had a gray beard and a sallow complexion. He was holding an old examination basket in his hand. He was stunned for a moment: "Dad Xun?"

He knew this man. He was an old man who lived at the entrance of the temple. He was over seventy this year. He had never passed the exam for decades since he became an adult. Wu Youcai heard that his health had become worse and worse in recent years. It’s hard, I didn’t expect that autumn would come this year.

"I just saw you from afar," Father Xun's gray beard curled up, and a smile spread across his wrinkled face, "I just saw your house number on the name book, and it's next to mine. It's just right. Good omen, maybe both of us will win this time."

Wu Youcai looked at his trembling steps and said nothing.

Father Xun didn't notice the difference in his expression. He only looked at the young candidates coming and going around him, with a hint of longing envy in his eyes.

The time has come, and the examiner began to urge the candidates. All the candidates entered the gate of Gongyuan together. The examiner checked the pen and ink in the examination basket, and then entered the dormitory one by one.

There are sixty-six dormitories in a row facing south. The dormitory Wu Youcai was assigned to is located in the middle. The candidate in the adjacent dormitory happens to be Mr. Xun. As he approached the door, Father Xun said to him mysteriously: "Write carefully. I had a dream in my dream the day before yesterday that you and I will definitely be on the same list this year!"

Wu Youcai just smiled and entered the dormitory with the examination basket.

In the distance, the gate of Gongyuan was closed.

Hao She is like a gigantic beast hidden in Shengjing, quietly swallowing up millions of scholars while crouching.

There are three sessions in Qiuwei, each lasting three days. The first session is about the Four Books and Five Classics, the second session is about policy questions, and the third session is about poems and poems. During the closing period, candidates will eat, drink, and have sex in the dormitory and are not allowed to go out.

Wu Youcai sat in the dormitory and looked at the examination papers spread out in front of him. He read them carefully one by one, just like he had done in the past twelve years. He picked up his pen and leaned in front of the papers to answer them.

Time passed slowly, and the sky in Gongyuan changed from white to black, and then from black to white.

There were two changes of venue in the middle. When the final change of venue was made after the exam, it started to drizzle outside.

It was the third watch, and Wu Youcai, together with the candidates, was waiting for the examiner to call the changing room.

The sky was gloomy, and it was hard to tell who was who in the thick ink-like night. There was a guard room next to the dormitory. There were tall trees in front of the guard room, and there were faint shadows of people moving among them. Perhaps Wu Youcai was still energetic that day, but for some reason his vision was surprisingly good in this cold rainy day, so he could see clearly that someone among them had changed his outfit and was hiding in the dark forest in front of the squad room, waiting.

When the classmates came out for roll call, the person who was called did not say anything and secretly retreated into the shadow of the bushes. At this time, someone came out again, took the tall hat and coat of the person who was called, and walked out again. Became the one who called the roll call.

The person who was named was originally fat, but the person who stood up later turned out to be short and thin.

So in an instant, Wu Youcai knew everything.

He opened his mouth and wanted to shout, but Lu Zhuo's words suddenly came to his mind.

"You are a soft-spoken person and a collusive official. Maybe they will find a reason to arrest you, and then release you after Qiu Wei, and the evidence will be gone."

He suddenly fell silent.

I shouted and said it, so what?

There are two examiners in charge of Qiu Wei, four examiners, one person promoted, and several examiners patrolling. With so many people, didn’t they realize that someone was taking the exam for them?

The gate of Gongyuan has been closed for a long time and cannot be opened again before the exam is over. If someone hadn't given permission before, how did these people who took the exam sneak in? Even if he screams now, the examiner will find an excuse to catch him. Even if his words may arouse the candidates' suspicion, the autumn examination is not over yet, and no one will give up their future because of this doubt.

There was no way he could continue taking the exam.

The pattering autumn rain wet the corners of his robe. Wu Youcai stood there with a bitter smile on his lips.

He looked into the distance. In the shed, two examiners in fine clothes were sitting peacefully, legs crossed, sipping tea comfortably.

In the darkness, there seemed to be a woman wearing white silk sitting in the distance, smiling at him and speaking.

"If it were me..."

"Of course, kill him."

kill him.

The sharp corners of the paper bag in his sleeve hurt his fingers. Wu Youcai suddenly came back to his senses and slowly grasped the small square bag tightly in his palm.

The autumn rain is still continuing, hitting people bit by bit, as if it is going to hurt people's hearts. The roll call was over, and Wu Youcai followed the worm-like procession of candidates into the new dark dormitory he was assigned to, as if he were walking into a tomb that had been built for him.

The last test was about Ci Fu.

This was supposed to be Wu Youcai's best scene, but he never picked up a pen. He just sat in front of the case and stared blankly at the copper lamp in the small cell.

I had just been caught in the rain and my clothes were a little damp. Wu Youcai didn't pay attention. This dress was sewn for him by his mother before he was discharged for the first time twelve years ago. In order to get some luck, she specially used thick vermillion-colored terry cloth. Twelve years have passed, and the collar and sleeves of the robe have been worn by time, but he is reluctant to take them apart and mend them again because there are traces of old threads on them that his mother had mended.

He sat quietly in the dormitory for a long time, until the sky turned white in the east and there were faint cockcrows coming from the distant downtown. Then he slowly picked up his pen and started writing on the examination paper in front of him.

He wrote very slowly, with great care in each stroke, and his expression could even be called pious. However, if you look closely, you can see that everything is finished and lonely.

After finishing the last stroke, Wu Youcai took back his hand and put the pen aside.

He lifted the scroll up and looked at it carefully before putting it down again and looking up into the distance.

Outside the window of the dormitory, the sky has turned white, and the autumn season is almost over. Soon, the examiner will collect the examination papers, and the future of the people in these sixty-six dormitories will be decided.

Wu Youcai took out the small paper bag from his sleeve.

He smiled calmly, and then opened the paper bag in his hand.

…

In the nearby dormitory, Father Xun put down his pen and rubbed his trembling hands.

He is already very old and may not be able to endure the next fate. However, Qiu Wei has persisted for many years and seems to have become an obsession in his heart. He has no children and has never been married. His parents have passed away long ago. It seems that he came to this world just to gain fame.

There are countless scholars like him in the world.

However, if a humble ordinary person wants to reach the sky in one step, this is the most direct and seemingly most promising way.

A satisfied smile appeared on Father Xun's old face like a withered tree.

Probably the dream he had a few days ago really came true. He felt that the three performances this year were all excellently written. Perhaps it was in line with the saying in the book, "Those who stay for a long time will fly high." He was busy After all these years, I might not be able to taste the taste of being named on the gold list before I'm buried.

Father Xun put aside the written examination paper and took out a few pieces of dry food from the examination basket.

Before the change of venue, candidates will receive dry food for the next two days at the same examination office. There were some sesame seed cakes, sweet cakes and the like in it, and they tasted pretty good. Father Xun was afraid that he wouldn't have enough time to answer the questions, so he didn't eat them in a hurry. I had almost finished writing now, and I was just waiting for the examiner to come and collect the test papers, so I felt relaxed, and then I felt hungry in my belly.

Just then I picked up a piece of sesame seed cake and took a bite. Suddenly I heard a shrill cry from nearby: "Poison! Someone has poisoned me! Help-"

The sound came suddenly, like a huge thunder in Jiran Gongyuan. Father Xun was so startled that he lost his balance and the sesame cake fell to the ground with a "Gululu" sound.

He didn't have time to pick it up, so he pushed the window of the dormitory out and raised his body to try to see the scene outside.

The dormitories in the Gongyuan are free of candidates from cheating. Every dormitory is locked, and even the windows are fastened with iron bolts and can only be opened halfway.

It could be seen clearly from the half-opened window that it was early in the morning. In the empty courtyard of the Gongyuan, a figure in vermilion clothes rolled out of it and happened to roll in the middle of the courtyard. This person appeared suddenly. The fellow examiner and the chief examiner Before he could react, Father Xun was still thinking that this person had smashed the dormitory door and ran out - but once he broke through the door, his achievements this autumn would be incalculable. Wouldn't it be a waste of time?

The next moment, the man's shrill shout came again.

"My dear friends, someone poisoned the dry food. The dry food was poisonous——"

Is dry food poisonous?

As if to confirm his statement, the figure rolling on the ground gradually slowed down, his limbs continued to spasm, and he vomited blood from his mouth, leaving a shocking shadow on the ground.

Father Xun was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked at the sesame cakes rolling on the ground, a chill suddenly passing through his heart.

Dry food in the Gongyuan was distributed uniformly. In the early years, candidates brought their own dry food. However, due to the humidity in the dormitories, the food some candidates brought spoiled quickly. Later, the Ministry of Rites arranged for the Gongyuan Academy to provide dry food for candidates during the autumn period.

This person said that dry food is poisonous, but these things in front of me...

Father Xun suddenly stopped his hand and threw away the test basket as if avoiding a snake or a scorpion.

The cakes in the basket were scattered all over the floor.

There were almost sudden noisy shouts in the surrounding dormitories - at this time, most of the exams had been completed, and the candidates could not help but panic when they saw this miserable scene.

Father Xun pressed his heart. At this moment, his heart was beating very fast and he felt like he was out of breath. But at this moment, something strange happened in his mind at an inappropriate time. Why did the shouting voice sound familiar? Sounds like I heard it somewhere.

With this thought in mind, he tremblingly pushed open the window of the dormitory and boldly glanced at the person lying on the ground.

Wearing red clothes and a square scarf, the man was thin and fell to the ground. His head was tilted, and the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth was in a ball under his body.

His eyes were wide open, with a painful look on his face. His skin seemed to turn blue, like a dead ghost. His lifeless eyes happened to collide with Father Xun's.

Father Xun choked for breath.

After a moment, he pressed his chest and shouted.

"Yes, you are talented——"

…

It was already past time when Renxin Medical Center opened its doors.

After the beginning of autumn, the days become shorter and the nights become longer. Except for those selling breakfast, the vendors on West Street open their shops much later.

Yin Zheng was wiping the herbal tea jar on the counter when the boy from the tailor shop opposite hurriedly ran out, shouting loudly as he ran: "Something happened, something happened in Gongyuan!"

Tailor Sun held the bowl and rinsed his mouth. Hearing this, he turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The people in the prison room just now said that they heard that a scholar died in the Gongyuan. They said that someone in the dormitory was poisoned. They are making a mess right now!"

Yin Zheng's hand shook, and a jar of medicinal tea accidentally fell off and rolled to the ground.

"Oh my God," Mrs. Song from the silk shoe shop heard the commotion and came out, "Aren't the people in the Gongyuan all students taking exams? Who would poison students?"

"I don't know about this." The young man scratched his head, "The news has spread outside the Gongyuan, but they are not allowed in until the time is right. I don't know what the situation is."

Yin Zheng's expression changed, and without caring about anything else, she opened the felt curtain and entered the small courtyard. It was still early at this moment, Du Changqing and Acheng had not arrived yet, and Xia Rongrong's master and servant did not come out of the house.

In the yard, Lu Yan was putting dried fresh medicinal materials into a wooden plaque.

Yin Zheng walked up to Lu Zhuo in two or two steps and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Girl, it's bad, it's spreading outside that a candidate died in the Gongyuan!"

Lu Zhuo paused for a moment.

"You said the examinee died?" Her expression suddenly changed, "Oh no!"

When Yin Zheng saw this, she became even more nervous: "How come something happened to the examinee? Could it be that Wu Xiucai poisoned the wrong person..."

"No." Lu Chen put down the wooden plaque, and the expression in his eyes changed several times, "He took the poison himself."

If Wu Youcai didn't kill the examiner, he would definitely not kill anyone else. The only possibility was to use the medicine on himself.

She encouraged Wu Youcai to kill the examiner, just to borrow the resentment and anger in Wu Youcai's heart. However, Wu Youcai was in a desperate situation and even preferred to take poison himself.

In an instant, Lu Zhen understood the Confucian scholar's intention.

At this moment, the last session is about to end. There are family members of the candidates waiting outside the Gongyuan, and the people in the dormitory are also in a state of uncertainty. The fact that this news can spread from the Gongyuan has obviously caused quite a stir.

For Wu Youcai, the goal seems to have been achieved. As long as he stirs up trouble and attracts people, he might have a chance to find out about the fraud in the examination room.

However, the death of an unknown scholar and the death of an examiner can cause different waves in Shengjing. If the gate of Gongyuan is not opened, no one will know the truth inside, and the autumn period is not over yet. At this time, there is enough time to smoothen the matter.

Wu Youcai still thought too simply.

Yin Zheng was so panicked: "Girl, what should I do now?"

Lu Yan comforted her: "Don't panic." He thought for a moment and said, "Go to Dong's house immediately."

"Dong family?"

Lu Zhuo nodded and whispered a few words in Yinzheng's ear. Finally, Yinzheng looked at Lu Zhuo with some hesitation: "Is this possible?"

The bright sun in the early morning made Lu Zhuo's eyes blurry.

She raised her head, looked into the void in the distance, and murmured.

"Who knows, give it a try."

Oops, the Qiu Wei system has been adjusted~