Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 747 Old Stories [Thank you! Thank you again! 34K words owed]

"Aunt Jin'an, Eldest Sister, Sister-in-law, Third Sister Zhuang'an, Brother-in-law."

Looking at Xu Zaijing, who bowed and greeted them with a smile, Bai Shi, Gu Tingyu, and Ping Mei, who were wearing cloaks or capes, nodded with smiles.

Yanran and Tingyi returned the greeting with a curtsy.

When Yanran looked up, she saw Gu Tingye's reproachful gaze, his eyes conveying the message, "You're his sister-in-law, why are you returning the courtesy?"

Yu Yanran ignored Gu Tingye.

"Uncle!" Xing Ge'er and Yan Jie'er, standing next to Ping Mei, greeted him with smiles.

Xu Zaijing smiled and patted the two children's heads.

"Wulang, where are your mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, and the children?" Gu Tingyu asked Xu Zaijing with a smile.

"And then!" Xu Zaijing looked back in the direction they came from and said with a smile, "Look, that's it."

After peeking inside, Bai asked, "Jing-ge'er, did your brother-in-law bring the water container and inkstone?"

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Don't worry, Auntie, I've brought everything. The wrapping cloth for the luggage is one that my brother-in-law used. It's sure to absorb his scholarly air."

Gu Tingyu smiled helplessly to the side.

After saying a few other things, Sun and the others came over.

After another round of pleasantries, everyone exchanged greetings.

After exchanging pleasantries, Gu Tingye smiled and said, "Mother, Aunt, Wulang and I will go and greet our classmates."

Madam Sun smiled. Madam Bai nodded and continued talking while holding Madam Sun's hand.

Just as the two turned to leave, Xu Zaijing, with his sharp ears, vaguely heard Bai Shi behind him say, "After Zaizhang got off the carriage, he rushed towards the Sheng family! His sister Pingmei and Hualan wanted to talk to him for a while, but they didn't have time."

Madam Sun glanced helplessly at Zai Zhang in the distance, and said with a smile, "As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son. My in-laws never forget their son-in-law, no matter how good he is."

Before Madam Sun could finish speaking, Gu Tingyu and Madam Bai, who were standing to the side, said, "Mother, it seems that you treat your son just like your mother-in-law treats you."

Upon hearing this, Zai Duan and his wife, Ping Mei and her sister-in-law, and others nearby all burst into laughter.

Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye also turned around and glanced back.

Previously, when Gu Tingyu participated in the imperial examination, he was having a conflict with his father, Gu Yankai. Gu Yankai, who was entangled with You Lian, naturally did not come to see him off.

Bai Shi, Ping Mei, and others were all on their way to Yangzhou.

Therefore, before Gu Tingyu entered the Examination Hall, there were many more members of the Xu family than members of the Gu family standing outside the examination hall.

Upon hearing this, Madam Sun glanced at her eldest son-in-law with satisfaction, nodded with a smile, and continued, "It's understandable that he's in such a hurry to go. I hope my sister won't mind!"

Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye exchanged a glance and continued walking towards the Sheng family.

On the way,

Gu Tingye said, "Fifth Brother, actually, my brother and sister-in-law originally wanted me to use my eldest brother's inkstone."

"Oh? Then why was it delivered to my home?" Xu Zaijing asked.

Gu Tingye pursed his lips and said, "It's all thanks to Mother! After she found out, she scolded my brother and sister-in-law, saying that you saved my eldest brother's life."

"If my sister-in-law hadn't begged my mother so desperately, I probably wouldn't have even gotten a brush washer."

Xu Zaijing shook his head helplessly: "Auntie is too stubborn."

“Who says otherwise!” Gu Tingye exclaimed.

Arriving near the Sheng family,
The two stopped talking, bowed, and said in unison, "Uncle, Aunt."

Sheng Hong smiled and nodded: "My two nephews have arrived."

Wang Ruofu, who was holding Hua Lan's arm, smiled at the two of them.

On the other side of Hua Lan, Ru Lan and Ming Lan smiled and bowed to the two of them.

Mo Lan, who was scanning her surroundings, turned her gaze away from the distance after Lin Qinshuang tugged at her sleeve, and squatted down perfunctorily.

After squatting down, Mo Lan continued to look around.

After taking a couple of glances, Mo Lan's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but smile.

Changfeng, who was focused on his younger sister, looked in the direction Molan was looking and quickly said with a smile, "Young Master is here too! That old man next to you looks familiar, isn't he?"

Gu Tingye said, "Lord Xiangyang."

The marriage arranged by the eldest son of the Marquis of Xiangyang was with the eldest daughter of Xu Zaidan.

Since the two families were related, Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang exchanged a glance and said, "Uncle, then my brother and I will go over to pay our respects."

Sheng Hong smiled and nodded, looking at Chang Bai and said, "Bai'er, you've been classmates for many years, and your families haven't had any major conflicts. Why don't you go over and say hello?"

"My lord, what about the Qi family?" Wang Ruofu frowned and was about to speak when Hua Lan tugged at him.

“Mother, given the Qi family’s background, my younger brothers will definitely run into Master Qi when they become officials! It’s always good to ease the tension.”

After Hua Lan finished speaking, Wang Ruofu glared at the Qi family and took a few deep breaths: "Just for your brother and Zai Zhang!"

Hua Lan smiled.

Princess Pingning, who was getting off the carriage, was quite surprised to see Xu Zaijing and others, especially Changbai, walking towards her.

But soon, Princess Pingning adjusted her expression and smiled.

But Princess Pingning's smile quickly froze on her face.

As Xu Zaijing and his group were walking, a young boy rushed up to Xu Zaijing halfway there.

The young man was none other than Lu Zezong, the young master who had 'intercepted' Qi Heng's promising marriage.

Seeing this, Princess Pingning took a few deep breaths before she stopped glaring at her son, Qi Heng.

Princess Pingning, supported by her personal maid, stepped down from the carriage and smiled at Madam Chai and Chai Zhengzheng beside her.

quickly,

The group arrived near the Qi family's carriage.

Qi Heng, looking slightly embarrassed, took the lead in bowing and cupping his hands in greeting.

After Xu Zaijing and the others nodded, they first greeted the Marquis of Xiangyang and the Duke of Qi, and then greeted Princess Pingning.

The subsequent small talk and forms of address became somewhat chaotic.
Qi Heng's maternal uncles, the two younger brothers of Princess Pingning, are called Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang, and Gu Tingye, the second brother.

Qi Heng called Gu Tingye his second uncle and Xu Zaijing and others his elder brothers.

In short, everyone has their own opinion.

The old Marquis of Xiangyang also treated them differently. He was all smiles with the Xu brothers and Gu Tingye, slightly apologetic with the Sheng brothers, and somewhat disdainful of Lu Zezong.

After saying two sentences,

Zai Zhang apologized, tugged at Xu Zai Jing, and then led his younger brother and Lu Zezong to the Chai family members standing to the side.

Lu Zezong's cousin is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chai family, and is also a close relative.

As Xu Zaijing and the others bowed and spoke, Yunmu and Ziteng, who were standing behind Chai Zhengzheng, exchanged a smile.

The reason was simple: these two maids of Chai Zhengzheng noticed a very familiar leather belt faintly visible under Xu Zaijing's cloak.

After Chai Zhengzheng offered a few words of blessing, wishing them success in the imperial examinations, Xu Zaijing and the others thanked him and left.

Looking at the time,

Xu Zaijing and the others did not go near the Sheng family again, but returned to their respective families.

On the way back,
While speaking with the people from the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, Xu Zaijing was pulled aside by Gu Tingyu.

"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?"

Gu Tingyu smiled and said in a low voice, "His Highness specifically gave me this instruction yesterday."

Seeing Xu Zaijing's surprised expression, Gu Tingyu smiled and said, "Your Highness wishes Wu Lang a place on the Wild Goose Pagoda."

Xu Zaijing nodded: "Brother-in-law, please convey my thanks to His Highness."

"Alright! Wulang, relax, you can definitely do it!" Gu Tingyu said solemnly.

In front of the Xu family members,

Mrs. Sun straightened her two sons' clothes.
Dai Ge'er and the other children recited the blessings they had memorized over the past few days in their clear voices.

Then, Zai Duan patted his two younger brothers on the shoulders with a smile and said, "You've studied hard for many years, do your best."

Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang bowed in agreement.

After straightening up, Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang took the book box and luggage from the servants and walked towards the gate of the examination hall.

Looking at Xu Zaijing's back, not only Sun Shi and her two daughters-in-law, but also Chai Zhengzheng, who was standing next to Madam Chai, put her hands together and silently recited a few words.

Wang Ruofu's gaze towards Changbai was filled with worry.

On the outskirts of the crowd

In front of a luxurious carriage,
A noblewoman wearing a veil stood there.
As Xu Zaijing was about to enter the examination hall, the noblewoman lifted the veil of her hat, stood on tiptoe, and leaned against the carriage, wanting to take one more look.

The maidservant, Xibu, stood guard beside her, carefully protecting her mistress, afraid that she might fall off the carriage.

As if by telepathy, Xu Zaijing, who was about to enter the door, turned back and waved to his relatives.

Suddenly, Xibu felt his daughter stop moving.

She looked up curiously and noticed a gaze fixed on her from the entrance of the examination hall.

But his gaze only lingered for two or three breaths before disappearing.

Rong Feiyan, still holding up her veil, said softly, "Xi Bu, do you think he saw me?"

“Yes, young lady!” Xi Bu said with certainty, “This servant saw it very clearly.”

Lowering the gauze curtain, Rong Feiyan smiled and said, "Yes! Let's go!"

At the entrance of the examination hall,

The candidates who entered the courtyard lined up in two rows, left and right.

Zai Zhang has already stepped into the hospital.

Subsequently,

A fire-and-water stick was placed in front of Xu Zaijing.

The burly soldier from the examination hall, wielding a fire-and-water stick, glanced at the name card in Xu Zaijing's hand, his eyes widening in shock. He then said respectfully, "Please wait a moment, young master."

"Mm." Xu Zaijing nodded.

"What are you doing? Stand still!" Another soldier from the examination hall on the right, wielding a fire-and-water stick and looking rather slovenly, shouted sternly.

Xu Zaijing turned his head and saw a poorly dressed scholar carrying a book box, glaring angrily at the examination hall staff.

"What are you looking at?" the Imperial Examination Hall soldier asked, chin raised and eyes wide.

The scholar in tattered clothes took a deep breath and remained silent, turning his head to look in Xu Zaijing's direction, choosing to let the matter drop.

The examination official, however, was not satisfied and said coldly, "This is Bianjing. I've seen countless people like you! You're just a poor scholar, destined to fail the exam!"

"You!" The scholar, dressed in tattered clothes, gripped his book box and glared angrily at the pawn.

Just then, someone pulled the scholar back and whispered, "Brother, bear with it! If you argue with him here, who knows what the officials and soldiers behind you will do to you!"

see this scene,

The slovenly pawn smirked smugly.

The scholar who advised him was right. As long as a conflict arose with him here, the officials and soldiers behind him would have plenty of ways to deal with this poor scholar who clearly had no money or power.

They combed his hair with an iron comb, stripped him naked, and used an oil stick to probe his anus. After probing his anus, they used the stick to examine his mouth.

They plowed open the bedding with a knife, crushed the dry rations brought by the poor scholar, and soaked the poor scholar's clothes with water, etc.

This is a perfectly legitimate way to do it: to check whether candidates have brought in any cheating devices!

That's the whole process.

The candidates had an excellent mindset and were able to mentally withstand the pressure.

But it's only the first month of the lunar calendar, and the temperature is extremely low. There are also frosts and north winds in the mornings and evenings. The scholar's body can't withstand it!
Xu Zaijing stared intently at the pawn beside him, frowned, and said loudly:
"The Ministry of Rites' examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talent for the nation, intended to recruit officials for the country! You are all taking this exam like carp leaping over the dragon gate; the future is still uncertain!"

As Xu Zaijing spoke, the poor scholar standing beside him, along with several others behind him, looked over in surprise.

The scholar who was being targeted bowed and said, "Brother, thank you for your righteous words! But it's best not to implicate yourself!"

Xu Zaijing nodded slightly, continuing to look at the examination hall soldier who was raising his chin and about to speak, and said calmly, "You are just an examination hall soldier, it is your duty to maintain order, why speak ill of me and make enemies?"

"You talk too much!" the pawn who was trying to make things difficult sneered.

Xu Zaijing glanced at the pawn and said indifferently, "You talk quite a bit. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the chief examiner this time."

"Ha!" The pawn laughed in anger, looking at the burly pawn blocking Xu Zaijing, and said, "Brother, let this scoundrel come here with me."

"Go to hell!" the burly pawn yelled angrily, glaring at him. "Shut up!"

The burly pawn continued, "You scoundrel, if you say another word, I'll kill you!"

The pawn who had been making things difficult for the other side was also somewhat bewildered by the insults, and stammered, "You—"

"What's going on?" An official from the Ministry of Rites walked over with a frown and questioned, "What are you two arguing about?"

As he spoke, the official from the Ministry of Rites glanced at Xu Zaijing, then smiled and nodded, "Please come in."

"My lord," the pawn who was trying to make things difficult for the man said, but before he could finish his sentence, he saw the smile on the face of the Ministry of Rites official.

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded, then gave the troublesome pawn a serious look before stepping inside.

At the same time, Xu Zaijing glanced at the robust pawn with a hint of doubt, and thought to himself, "That's strange."

He had met many of the old acquaintances from the Marquis's mansion in Bianjing, even if he didn't know their names.

But this strong soldier was someone he was definitely seeing for the first time. And on their first meeting, he almost got into a fight with that man because of him.

Recalling the shocked look on Jian Zu's face when he saw his name card, Xu Zaijing thought to himself: Could this guy be a fan of storybooks?
Thinking about these things,

Xu Zaijing casually placed the books, luggage, and bundles he was carrying on the table in front of him.

After glancing at Xu Zaijing, the officer in charge of the inspection smiled and extended his hand: "Please sit down."

Finally, the officer used a jade-like hairpin to gently stroke Xu Zaijing's hair a few times.

"Please rise and remove your cloak."

After a thorough inspection,

Xu Zaijing stood in front of the table and watched as the other officials and soldiers opened their cloth bags, poured out the fruitwood charcoal, and measured it with a ruler: "The charcoal is about an inch in size, it's fine."

Another person held a gray stone and approached the small stove that Xu Zaijing was carrying. Seeing that the stone did not react, the official said, "It is a small porcelain stove with no iron inside."

"Fireproof water-holding buckets, we have them!"

The bedding was also thoroughly inspected.

Xu Zaijing then reorganized his things and stepped into the deeper part of the area.

After walking a few steps,
An examiner stood in front of the corridor, holding a handful of dozens of thin bamboo sticks.

Xu Zaijing reached out and pulled out one of the sticks. After seeing the four characters "地字号八" (Earth Number Eight) on it, he bowed to the examiner and walked away with the item.

in the afternoon,

The gates of the examination hall slowly closed.

Before the gate closed,
The soldier who harassed the poor candidates at the gate was dragged out by the imperial guards maintaining order, and his fate is unknown.

Inside the examination hall,
In a room,

The chief examiner for this imperial examination sat behind a large screen.

Outside the screen,
Three officials from the examination hall sat behind a table.

The burly soldier who had defended Xu Zaijing was kneeling before the table.

Beside the pawn were four imperial guards with stern faces.

One of the officials from the examination hall asked in a stern voice, "Speak, why are you so protective of the scholar surnamed Xu?"

The burly pawn pursed his lips and said, "My lord, I am repaying a debt of gratitude!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, the examiner behind the screen frowned.

The official from the examination hall continued, "To repay a debt of gratitude?"

The pawn knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the three officials, and said, "My lords, please allow me to report."

"explain."

The pawn said, "Do you gentlemen still remember the heavy snow that fell for days in Bianjing a few years ago?"

The official sitting in the middle nodded: "Of course I remember!"

The pawn nodded and said, "It was at that moment, you little rascal!"

As he spoke, the pawn's voice trembled with tears.

Taking a deep breath and composing himself, the pawn said in a low voice, "My own sister was kidnapped and killed by villains, who planned to use her as human rations for the winter."

"If it weren't for this scholar's righteous intervention, I fear I would never have seen my sister's remains."

"I have heard a little about this matter. It wasn't done by the scholar surnamed Xu you mentioned, was it? It seems to be the work of the Marquis of Zhongshan."

"Ahem." The examiner behind the screen coughed.

"I know the yamen runners in Kaifeng Prefecture, and I confirmed this after making many inquiries and checking." As he spoke, the soldier pulled something hanging on a red string from his bosom, held it up with both hands, and said, "Please take a look, sir."

The official looked at it and saw that it was an object contained in a cloth sleeve the size of a little finger.

The Imperial Guards placed the items on the table.

When the official opened it, there was an arrowhead inside, on which the words 'Xu Wu' could be faintly seen.

"This thing was left in the spine of that ruthless thief that day. After I got it, I kept it as a keepsake," the pawn whispered.

at night,

When the arrows appeared in the palace
Xu Zaijing was fast asleep in the relatively spacious examination shed with bamboo curtains.

(End of this chapter)