On the Avenue.

Chapter 258: The Scholar

The servants of the post station came over again and shouted at them to compensate for the losses of the post station.

Although Sun Yisheng was an official in Xijing, his position was not high. He was only the ambassador of Guanghui Treasury under the Ministry of Revenue, a minor official of the ninth rank, with little power. Even if he had power, the post station was a local post, subordinate to the local county and under the jurisdiction of the county government. Officials from Xijing could not manage it, and if they broke something, they had to pay for it.

Sun Yisheng didn't have much money on him. This time he returned to Xinxiang not just to pick up Chen Shi to go to Beijing, but he went back to his hometown to celebrate the New Year, and taking Chen Shi with him was just a convenience, so Chen Tang didn't give him much money.

Chen Shi didn't have much money on him, and he gave all his money to Shao Jing, the accountant. He went to Qingzhou to overthrow the Wan family, who indeed had a lot of money, but they had all been used to rob the rich and give to the poor, so he didn't keep much, but instead lost a lot of money.

With no other options, Sun Yisheng had to mortgage his carriage to the post station, and only then did the post station servants give up.

There were originally a few Jinyiwei accompanying the car, but now all the money had been lost and Jinyiwei could not be hired anymore, so Sun Yisheng shamelessly dismissed them.

He felt a little anxious: "Master Chen Tang asked me to protect the young master to go to the capital. Now not only has the carriage been lost, but the money is gone too. I am also seriously injured. What should I do if I encounter danger along the way?"

Although Chen Tang asked him to leave Chen Shi behind and return to Xijing safely when in danger, he had never considered doing so.

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 to come to Xijing, he will do his best to send Chen Shi to Xijing!

The next day, Sun Yisheng sat in a wooden cart. Chen Shi, Hu Feifei and Nannan were also in the cart. With the clothes of several people, the cart was a bit crowded.

Hu Feifei held her daughter in her arms. She stared at the two souls and infants warming themselves by the fire around the Yangjiao Tianling Lamp and found it very interesting.

The Goat Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp is a great treasure in the underworld, belonging to the leader of the Horse-Faced Yin Messengers. The flame of this treasure is on the top of the doll's head. The flame may not look big, but Chen Shi's six- or seven-inch Yuanying and Sun Yisheng's ten-zhang Yuanshen both feel that the flame is very spacious and can accommodate them.

Chen Shi was injured while reading, but his injury was much lighter than Sun Yisheng's, so he let Sun Yisheng hold the sheep-horn sky lamp and warm himself by the fire most of the time.

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 courtyard given to Li Tianqing, but it was small but complete with pavilions, towers, rockery and fish pond.

Hu Feifei, Nannan and Heiguo disliked the boring journey and hid in a small courtyard. When they passed Xuanyan County, Gouzi went to the market and bought a lot of furniture, including tables, chairs, benches, dressing tables, beds, cabinets and everything else. He ordered people to deliver them and then moved them to the courtyard.

I also bought some pots, pans, grains, oil, rice, flour, salt, sauce and vinegar, and tidied up the kitchen.

Not long after, someone brought a group of chickens, ducks and geese, and Hei Guo let them roam free in the yard.

The culprit paid the bill and the visitor went back gratefully.

Sun Yisheng stared at this scene blankly, and suddenly asked: "Where did Gouzi get the money?"

Chen Shi said: "I gave it to him, but I didn't expect it to be spent."

When Chen Shi had money in the past, he gave Hei Guo some banknotes and let it buy some things on its own. Unexpectedly, Hei Guo was frugal. Now that Chen Shi has no money, he has to rely on its savings.

Sun Yisheng looked into the small courtyard and saw Heiguo and Nannan wearing hats and lying on the newly bought lounge chairs, basking in the sun.

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

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

Wisps of smoke rise from the small courtyard, which is only one foot square.

Sun Yisheng was extremely envious and wished he could hide in there to heal his wounds.

But after all, he is still responsible for Chen Shi's safety, so how can he hide in the small courtyard and enjoy himself?

"Now that Young Master Chen has achieved fame, has he been assigned an official position?" Sun Yisheng asked.

Chen Shi shook his head and said, "No. My origin of being the first place winner is not legitimate. I was delayed in the Gongzhou imperial examination, and I got the first place in a muddle. It's normal that the court didn't assign me an official position."

Sun Yisheng heard Chen Tang mention this and said, "You are not to blame for what happened in Gongzhou. The reason why the court did not assign you an official position was not because of Gongzhou, but probably because they were not at ease with you in Gongzhou or Xinxiang. They would be at ease if you were an official in Xijing."

At this point, he realized that this topic was not appropriate, so he quickly changed the subject and said with a smile: "After Lord Chen Tang and I took the imperial examination, we planned to go to Beijing to take the examination. We did not take the Wuhu route today, but the Gongzhou route. We planned to rest in Gongzhou for a few days, but before we could even get settled, all our money was stolen."

Chen Shi felt a sense of sympathy and asked, "Have you been sold to a farm?"

Sun Yisheng was horrified and said, "How do you know? Master Chen Tang and I were indeed sold to a farm outside the city by a fellow villager with a Xinxiang accent!"

Chen Shi originally wanted to say that he had a friend, but Hu Feifei's laughter came from the small courtyard: "Because he was also sold!"

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

"Taking the Gongzhou route is shorter, while taking the Wuhu route requires crossing 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 and bypass Gongzhou." Sun Yisheng said.

On the official post road, there were gradually more and more carriages and horses, and scholars going to Beijing for imperial examinations, and you could see some of them from time to time.

Rich and powerful scholars would ride in carriages, while scholars from poor families would carry book boxes on their backs.

However, this journey was very dangerous. Even if one took the post road, one could not avoid encountering evil spirits. Therefore, scholars who walked often traveled in groups of three or five to look after each other.

Some of them were in their twenties or thirties, some were in their forties or fifties, and some were white-haired and very old, but they were also rushing to Xijing.

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

Chen Shi looked at the dusty scholars, both men and women, some of whom had sunburned faces, with beads of sweat and white salt stains left by the evaporation of sweat, and said, "If this journey is so dangerous, why do you still want to go to Beijing?"

“Because it can change your destiny.”

Sun Yisheng said calmly, "If you can pass the imperial examination, the court will give you a salary. You won't become rich, but it will be enough to support your family and bring honor to your family. Even if you fail the imperial examination, you can still have a good family background. After all, you are at the feet of the emperor, so there are many opportunities."

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

As more and more people walked on the road, the wooden cart slowed down unconsciously. Chen Shi watched the wooden cart pass by batch after batch of scholars who were going to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. They walked on the post road like ants, walking tirelessly in the same direction!

He felt a deep shock in his heart, a shock at the insignificance of human power, a shock at the indomitable nature of human hearts, and a shock at the will of the people.

"Change your destiny...Change your destiny!"

"Can fate really be changed?"

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

He was filled with deep doubts as the wooden cart moved further and further away.

Ahead, there are towering mountains and large lakes leaning against the mountains. The road is rugged and passes through the mountains and lakes where evil spirits are everywhere.

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

Windy City is the largest city in the Great Lakes region, and is also the final resting place for scholars from the eastern provinces of Xiniu New Continent.

After Wind City, there is a vast wasteland. Thousands of miles to the west, most of the place is deserted and full of evil spirits that appear and disappear mysteriously.

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

Therefore, you must first rest well in Fengcheng, then purchase enough supplies, prepare food and water, as well as talismans and soldiers, and even hire more Jinyiwei before you can set off.

Chen Shi didn't have much money left, so he decided to stay in Fengcheng for a day and do his old business, drawing talismans and selling them for money. He earned a few taels of silver to make up for his travel expenses. Seeing this, Sun Yisheng felt extremely ashamed and thought to himself, "If I had been a little greedy, I wouldn't be in such a predicament now."

He was the ambassador of Guanghuiku, in charge of the money in and out of the court. He handled hundreds of thousands of taels of silver notes every day, but none of them belonged to him. Even if he took one or two, no one would notice.

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

After they had packed up, they left Fengcheng with a group of other scholars who also came from official families.

These people are also protected by officials, often come from prominent families, and are dressed in fine clothes and ride horses.

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

When everyone heard that he was from the Ministry of Revenue and was responsible for welcoming the son of Right Vice Minister Chen Tang to Beijing for the imperial examination, they all respected him very much.

Chen Shi and Sun Yi were both sick and were warming themselves by a copper lamp. The other candidates were surprised to see that they were injured.

Next to the wooden carriage was the Zhou family's carriage. There were two people from the Zhou family going to Beijing to take the exam, a man and a woman. The woman's name was Zhou Qianying, about 20 years old. She liked men's clothing and didn't like sitting in the carriage. Instead, she rode a horse. While walking, she looked at Chen Shi's Nascent Soul and praised, "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 cold wind, and said honestly: "I read a book."

Zhou Qianying was puzzled: "How can I get hurt while reading?"

Chen Shi said: "Excessive mental effort."

Zhou Qianying asked, "How old are you to have your Nascent Soul become this big?"

Chen Shi said: "Twelve years old, but if you count, he should be thirteen years old."

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

She was also in the Nascent Soul stage, and when she sacrificed her Nascent Soul, it was only two or three inches tall.

The candidates who went to Beijing to take the imperial examinations were usually at the Jindan or Yuanying realms, with the Jindan realm being the majority. Only about 30% of them were at the Yuanying realm, and they were usually children of aristocratic families.

The Zhou family is a small family in Fengcheng. They are related to the Zhang family, one of the thirteen families, so their inheritance is pretty good.

Seeing Chen Shi injured, Zhou Qianying took out a small jade bottle and said, "I have some resurrection pills here, do you want to use them? They can help your Nascent Soul injury heal quickly. My father asked someone to buy them in Xinxiang!"

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

Zhou Qianying put away the Resurrection Pill, took out some spirit meat and gave it to him, and said with a smile: "The one who came to take the exam with me is my uncle. He didn't pass the exam last time, so he was too embarrassed to come out."

From the carriage came the sound of her uncle coughing.

Zhou Qianying giggled non-stop and said, "I talked to him, but he was still shy!"

The other candidates who came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations saw that the girl had a dignified and beautiful appearance and a bold and generous personality, and they also felt a desire to get close to her. They gradually came closer, introduced each other, and talked and laughed.

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

Chen Shi thought to himself: "These noble family children are not bad, they are not all bad people."

There were many walking scholars on the post road, their book boxes filled with all kinds of sundries, including spare clothes, dry food, drinking water, bedding, as well as books, inkstones, pens, etc. The piles were two or three heads taller than them and trembled.

These scholars often wore linen clothes, and even those made of cotton had three or two patches. They walked in groups of three or five on the post road.

When they met the convoy of Chen Shi, Zhou Qianying and others, they pulled over to the side of the road and slowed down to avoid being hit.

Chen Shi turned sideways to look at them. He saw a scholar in front of him had his shoe torn. He stopped to tie his straw sandals, but when he squatted down, his bookcase tilted and the things tied up in the bookcase fell to the ground with a clatter.

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

The scholar 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 off and helped the scholar pick up things on the ground.

The rest of the convoy also stopped and watched the two men busying themselves.

Chen Shi helped the scholar pick up the good things and stuffed them into the bookcase, and the scholar thanked him repeatedly.

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

The convoy set off again, and the scholars in the convoy looked at Chen Shi with strange eyes.

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

Chen Shi said, "His things are scattered on the ground. If we don't help him pick them up, won't that block the road?"

Zhou Qianying smiled and said, "He will hide on his own. When our convoy came, he hid on the side of the road. When our convoy passed, he picked up the things. Why do you have to lower yourself? Next time you encounter such a thing, don't do it, otherwise people will laugh at us for being the same as these mud-legged scholars!"

Chen Shi was stunned.

At this time, the scholar from another aristocratic family smiled and said, "Miss Zhou is right. Brother Chen is just young and ignorant. He will understand this principle after I tell him once."

Another young man from an aristocratic family was named Wang Ping. He was only a few years older than Chen Shi and also very young. He smiled and said, "Brother Chen, we are different from them. Most of these peasant scholars who came to the capital have no knowledge and cannot pass the imperial examination. They are just foils. Your help to them is in vain. At most, you will get a thank you."

Chen Shi was extremely confused and asked, "Why is this happening?"

Wang Ping laughed and said, "The status is different! Think about it, when we were studying, it was easy. We all practiced the Heavenly Heart Righteous Qi Jue and the Ziwu Zhanxie Sword. But after passing the examination, these mud-legged scholars still practiced the Heavenly Heart Righteous Qi Jue and the Ziwu Zhanxie Sword, and could only refine to the Golden Core Realm at best. If they were lucky, they could refine to the Nascent Soul Realm at best. What about us? We practice the skills passed down from our ancestors, and the Golden Core Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm are just the starting point!"

Zhou Qianying smiled and said, "Even if we give those peasant scholars the skills, they won't be able to master them without someone to teach them. Moreover, the skills are just the basics. The gap between them and us in other aspects is even greater."

Another scholar from an aristocratic family said, "I take five cents of pills worth of nourishing essence and strengthening the body every day, and one pound and four ounces of spirit beast meat. The monthly salary of the teacher who teaches me how to practice magic is seventeen ounces of silver. In addition to practicing magic, I also practice combat, and I also hired a teacher. I also practice calligraphy and painting, and I also hired a teacher. I also have a zither teacher who teaches me how to play the zither. In the eyes of a peasant scholar, this money in one month is probably enough to spend half of his lifetime wealth."

Zhou Qianying said, "You helped them pack up their book boxes, lowering your status and embarrassing yourself for nothing!"

All the candidates nodded in agreement and said with a smile: "What can a peasant scholar compare with us when he comes to Xijing? Knowledge? Taoism? They can't compare with us at all."

"In the past few thousand years, there has never been a peasant number one scholar!"

Chen Shi's face was gloomy. He interrupted them: "My grandfather was a peasant."

"What?" No one heard clearly.

Chen Shi said to himself: "My grandfather was a peasant, and I am a peasant. Sun Yisheng, are Chen Tang peasants?"

Sun Yisheng was worried about offending these noble family children, but he was still angry and said, "It's a peasant."

Chen Shi stood up from the car and looked around. He sounded sickly, but his voice was powerful: "Three generations of our family are peasants. This year, the peasant scholar will become the top scholar! I say so!"

(End of this chapter)