The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 8 I missed the Autumn Examination
In the next few days, Shen Yuan had nothing else to do, so he focused on preparing for the upcoming autumn martial arts examination.

During the day he practiced martial arts, archery on foot and on horseback, and at night he memorized the Seven Military Classics.

Shen Yuan meets the Jiang brothers every day. He has a good impression of Jiang Fan. He is a bold and free-spirited person with great skills. He guessed that he must be the descendant of a general, but he does not put on airs at all.

As for Jiang Qiu, Shen Yuan felt that his attitude towards him had changed. He no longer had the initial prejudice, but he would still say a few words to him from time to time. Perhaps it was due to his personality. Shen Yuan did not hate him that much, but he just did not want to chat with him much, always feeling that he was effeminate.

Baochai stayed at home and it was not convenient for her to go out often, so the two of them had not seen each other much in the past few days. However, their correspondence became more and more frequent, and they gained a better understanding of each other. This was also a process from acquaintance to understanding, especially since they were already husband and wife, it was easier for them to develop a sense of affinity.

As Shen Yuan gets to know Baochai more deeply, he discovers that the girl is actually used to making fun of people, which is quite consistent with the feeling in the original novel.

Shen Yuan and Baochai were chatting lively, but Ying'er was suffering. She had to go back and forth every day, just like a message bird.

However, this girl was easy to appease. She loved sweets, so Shen Yuan bought some candied haws for her. The girl was afraid of being blamed by Baochai, so she always ate all the food at his place before returning. The satisfied look on her face when she licked the candied haws was very cute.

Time flies, and before I knew it, three days had passed.

August 11, evening.

Shen Yuan finished a day's training, took a shower, picked up the letter Ying'er had just sent him, opened it and read it.

【Shen Yuan, it’s nice to see you in person.】

[Tomorrow is the autumn examination, Baochai prays that you can take the top spot! ]

Although the words are short, they are full of the girl's expectations.

After reading it, Shen Yuan raised the corners of his lips slightly, pondered for a moment, and then picked up the pen to write a reply.

【Thank you, Miss Xue! 】

【Good wind, with its power, will send me to the blue sky. 】

[Your blessing is the wind. ]

【Don't forget the promise we made on Taiping Lake.】

I wonder what Baochai thought after reading this? He copied the girl's poem.

But it hasn't been published yet, so it shouldn't be considered a copy.

Shen Yuan sealed the letter and handed it to Ying'er who was still eating candied haws beside her.

"Master, you're so fast today! I haven't even finished eating yet!"

Ying'er was obviously a little dissatisfied. This young man really treated her like a donkey. Humph - even though she is pretty, she can't be treated like this.

Shen Yuan looked at the boy licking the candied haws and mumbling something, and joked, "It's the same if you eat on the road."

"No, no girl would eat on the road! Ying'er is not stupid!"

Shen Yuan said with a smile: "Yes, yes, Miss Ying'er is smart, eat slowly, there is no rush."

Ying'er felt a little embarrassed when Shen Yuan was looking at her, so she turned her back, quickly finished her meal, picked up the letter, and trotted out of the room.

Not long after Ying'er left the inn, the waiter brought dinner.

"Sir, dinner is on the table for you."

The waiter put the lunch box down, took a look, and walked out.

After a day of training, Shen Yuan was indeed hungry. After dinner, he felt a strong sense of sleepiness and fell asleep on the bed.
In the sixteenth year of Yuanzhen, on August 12, it was the day of the autumn examination for military examinations.

Yingtian Prefecture, Tongfu Inn in the east of the city.

"Boom boom boom!"

In Room No. 5 on the second floor, Shen Yuan was awakened by a hurried knock on the door.

"Shen Yuan, open the door quickly!"

"Don't sleep!"

"You are a pig! Get up quickly, Shen Yuan"

The person outside the door shouted anxiously, and even started crying.
Shen Yuan felt that the voice was somewhat familiar. He forced himself to open his heavy eyes, slowly got up from the bed and went to open the door. His steps were unsteady and he seemed a little dazed.

"Squeak."

The door was opened, and Shen Yuan vaguely saw a familiar face.

"Jiang Qiu, why are you here?"

But Jiang Qiuer said angrily: "Shen Yuan, are you a pig? Today is the autumn martial arts examination, don't you know? Come with me quickly!" As she said that, she wanted to pull Shen Yuan out.

Shen Yuan was a little confused by this action. He was stunned for a moment and said, "I know, what's wrong?"

"You! What time is it?"

Shen Yuan had a bad feeling when he heard this and turned to glance at the clepsydra on the table.

Suddenly, my mind focused.

Si time? Three quarters!!

"Let's go! Why are you still standing there?" Jiang Qiuer urged.

"It's too late. It's too late." Shen Yuan murmured in a deep voice, his heart cold.

The autumn examination for the military examination begins at 3:15 am. By this time, the inner court examination may have been completed, and being late means giving up the exam.

No one dared to give the green light for such an important exam, not to mention that he was just an ordinary candidate.

"What should we do then? Shen Yuan"

Jiang Qiuer cried and her eyes were red. Although she liked to tease Shen Yuan on weekdays, as she got to know him better in recent days, she began to appreciate this boy who was as good as her brother more and more. For some reason, she was vaguely looking forward to his performance in this autumn examination.

Today Jiang Qiuer sent her brother Jiang Fan to take the exam, but did not see Shen Yuan. In a hurry, she came to find him.

Shen Yuan saw that Jiang Qiu was really worried about him, so he comforted him, "It's okay, I'm still young and I still have many opportunities."

"But."

"Life has its ups and downs, but that's not a bad thing." Shen Yuan looked at the 'young man' who was hesitant to speak, and said gently: "Thank you."

Jiang Qiuer knew that Shen Yuan must be feeling bad at the moment, so she tried to comfort him, which made her feel even sadder.

She forced a smile while holding back tears, and said softly, "Yes, you are still young, and you will definitely pass the exam next time."

After talking for a few more words, Jiang Qiuer left. She knew that Shen Yuan wanted to be alone.

After seeing Jiang Qiuer off, Shen Yuan sat down at the table and began to ponder, with a cold look in his eyes.

He didn't believe this was a coincidence. He had always been self-disciplined and never stayed in bed lazily.

Moreover, I went to bed early yesterday, so it doesn't make sense that I would sleep past the start time of the exam today. There must be something fishy going on.

His mind was working rapidly at this moment, and he began to recall every detail of what happened yesterday.

I practiced archery at the East Suburb Shooting Range during the day and took a bath at the inn at night.

After that, he saw Ying'er coming to deliver a letter. After writing a reply, he sent Ying'er away.

Then it was dinner, and after that I went to bed and slept until dawn.

etc.
dinner
The waiter who delivered the meal glanced at him before leaving!
Shen Yuan has practiced martial arts for many years, and his five senses are much sharper than those of ordinary people. Yesterday he vaguely noticed the look in the waiter's eyes, but he didn't take it too seriously at the time.

Thinking about it now, the most likely truth is that the waiter tampered with his food.

This could also explain why he felt particularly sleepy after dinner last night, and why his head was still a little dizzy when he woke up earlier.

But why did the waiter want to harm him?
The two had not had much interaction before.

That means someone is instructing you.
Thinking of this, a figure flashed through Shen Yuan's mind. Jia Yucun!
It’s really hard to guard against!
It was not that Shen Yuan was negligent. Ever since he had a rift with Jia Yucun, he had been paying close attention to the situation in the Yingtian Prefecture Yamen.

To this end, he also hired people to monitor the entry and exit of government officials, especially the actions of the doormen.

If that kind of person had come to this inn, Shen Yuan would not be unaware of it and would definitely be prepared.

I guess this person must have found some middleman to bribe the waiter at the inn.

In this way, it would be impossible for Shen Yuan to pay attention to everyone in the entire line.

“These people are really cautious.”

Trying to figure out the key, Shen Yuan's eyes turned cold.

"It seems that we can no longer be so passive. There is no such thing as a thief who steals for a thousand days. We must eradicate the hidden dangers at the source."

Before that, he still needed to deal with the issue of the Autumn Examination.

Wait for next time?
Haha. Shen Yuan doesn't want to waste three years of his best time.
I signed the contract today, and I should post another chapter later.

Thank you for your follow-up reading. Your follow-up reading is very valuable for a new book. Qidian now only looks at the number of people who read the latest chapter every day. The number of follow-up readings determines everything and also determines whether the book can continue to be written. Thank you or2
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(End of this chapter)