A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 29: Zhang Kang, the Magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture

Song Xuan watched Yan Shu and others disappear in the crowd, then returned to the shop and sat back in front of the barbecue.

He took a bite of the iced watermelon.

There are still a lot of watermelon seeds at this time.

There was some small-scale watermelon cultivation during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, but most people planted watermelons for the seeds rather than for eating them.

Song Xuan spat out the seeds into the basin from his mouth. He could then wash them and fry some watermelon seeds to sell outside.

Zhang Fangping was also spitting out the seeds and said:

"Twelfth Brother, I think Mr. Yan thinks you are taking too much risk. I'm afraid this matter is beyond your control and will not proceed according to your plan."

"It's okay." Song Xuan bit the watermelon with his icy teeth:
"There has to be bloodshed, and it's also for the safety of the folks in Lema Town."

Zhang Fangping nodded and didn't say much.

He had already begun to look forward to the arrival of the villain.

Yan Shu held the raw soaked papaya in his hand, and after a while he said to Fan Zhongyan:

"Song Twelve has such insight, he is truly far beyond ordinary people."

"This boy has talent." Fan Zhongyan agreed with Yan Shu's statement, but then he became a little worried:
"But since he grew up without parental supervision and was free, his thoughts are very different from ours."

"That's why he behaves so erratically."

Song Shou also understood that Song Xuan was talented, but he was not the type of student that traditional scholars liked. He was too different.

If such people are not polished well, it will be difficult for them to gain a foothold in the court in the future, and they may even suffer great losses.

"Xiwen." Yan Shu mentioned:
"The academic atmosphere at Yingtianfu College isn't very positive right now. When Twelve arrives, you must not only supervise him, but also the other students, so that we can have a group of righteous people in the court in the future."

Fan Zhongyan nodded, he already had a plan in mind.

As for the villains who wanted to kill Song Xuan for his money, they didn't take them seriously.

At least the Song Dynasty today is not rotten to the core.

There are still some useful people among the yamen runners and some soldiers.

In addition to asking Song Xuan's second brother to keep an eye on him, the Poisonous Scorpion also sent his own people to follow him.

But Song Xuan actually leaked the information on his own initiative and left Lema Town two days later.

This move caught the scorpion off guard.

After all, not all the ships on the dock belong to him, the Poison Head Scorpion.

What if Song Xuan fails to rent his ship, how can he cooperate with the outside forces?
"Brother, I'll go find out whose boat Song Twelve rented so I can get on board in advance."

"Well, go and take a look first."

The scorpion felt his bald head.

Ever since he lost his hair, he has been touching his head consciously. He doesn't know when he developed this habit.

As the governor of Yingtian Prefecture, Yan Shu was truly the top official. He sent someone to pass on the news, and someone came to Song Xuan's Liangjiang Shop at noon the next day.

"I am Zhang Kang, the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture."

"Student Song Xuan has met Magistrate Zhang, also known as Song Twelve."

Song Xuan was looking at Zhang Kang in front of him. He had heard of this name.

He was also a representative of a civil official who became a military general, and was famous in the northwest.

After all, the Song Dynasty has its own national conditions.

Scholars had long since abandoned the path of joining the military, and few were willing to pursue military service.

In addition, the military generals had been suppressed for a long time, resulting in a serious problem of lack of military talents in the Song Dynasty.

At this moment, Zhang Kang did not show any demeanor of a military commander. It was probably because he had just passed the imperial examination a few years ago and started his career as a military judge in Guang'an Army. Now he was the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture.

Compared with Yan Shu, Song Shou knew more about the actions of some local officials, so he recommended Zhang Kang.

Zhang Kang was also sizing up the student in front of him, Song Xuan. He was handsome, tall, and well-built. The jade pendant hanging around his waist resembled the bird-shaped jade pendant that Prefect Yan had worn a few days ago.

I wonder what your connection is with Prefect Yan?
Song Xuan quickly asked Zhang Kang to sit down and asked, "How many people did Magistrate Zhang bring with him?"

"Twenty people, all dressed as sailors, are already at the dock and will set sail tomorrow."

Song Xuan nodded. It was enough and there was no need to alert the enemy.

"Zhang Tuiguan is so cautious in his work. I'm afraid he will be promoted in the future."

Listening to Song Xuan's words, a smile appeared on Zhang Kang's chubby face:

"Shi Er Lang, do you have a specific target for the person who is trying to murder you?"

"According to the official, we have a rough idea of ​​the scope, but we are not sure yet."

Song Xuan told Zhang Kang about his fishing plan.

Zhang Kang had been a magistrate for two years, so he had to rely on evidence for the cases he handled.

The best outcome would be to catch the criminal red-handed, which would save a lot of trouble.

"So good."

Zhang Kang leaned back on the bamboo chair, squinting his eyes as he surveyed the layout of Song Xuan's room.

In addition to some books used by students, the most conspicuous items are spears, Tang swords, bows and arrows, and a piece of paper armor.

When Zhang Kang saw the three-stone bow, he was surprised.

"Does Twelve-year-old still have time to wield swords and guns on weekdays?"

"It's probably time. After all, you won't pass the imperial examination if you just study hard. You need to move your brain around and change things up."

After listening to Song Xuan's explanation, Zhang Kang finally understood why he felt that Song Xuan was full of heroism when he saw him, and was definitely not like those weak scholars.

It seems that the foundation was laid since childhood.

Zhang Kang deeply agreed with this.

Many people believe that studying hard will lead to passing the imperial examination, but as someone who has experienced it, he knows that this is not the case.

Even if you pass the imperial examination, you will not be ranked at the top.

But most people don’t have any talent for studying, so they can only choose to motivate themselves through hard work.

Zhang Kang picked up the paper on the table again and took a look at the handwriting of Song Xuan. It was not like Tang Kai style, but it had a unique charm.

It's quite interesting. I wish Mr. Yan would value this person so much that he would personally order and give him the jade pendant as a gift.

"Where is Shi Er Lang studying now?"

"Let Magistrate Zhang know that I was studying at our Song family private school, and had been planning to take the entrance exam to the Yingtianfu Academy. Unexpectedly, because I made some money, I was targeted by some bad guys."

Song Xuan thought that Zhang Kang was a plump man with a kind face. Even though he passed the imperial examination, he did not act arrogantly.

"You have ambition." Zhang Kang stretched out his chubby finger and praised: "Where is Mr. Yan?"

"I don't know. He came here to visit Mr. Fan Zhongyan."

Song Xuan handed Zhang Kang a glass of cold water and asked, "What orders did Magistrate Zhang receive?"

"I came here to look for you and see your plans. On the day of the festival, Mr. Yan and the others will show up and join us."

Song Xuan had a smile on his face:

"I'm sorry to trouble Magistrate Zhang, but I can't make any arrangements.

I just want to take this opportunity to deal with this group of villains who are harming the people. If he dares to kidnap me today, he will dare to kidnap you gentlemen for your money tomorrow.

If we don't wipe them out now, we'll be in trouble when they become too powerful."

Zhang Kang walked over quickly, and being overweight, he was sweating all over. He drank a mouthful of cold water and was immediately overjoyed, pouring it all into his mouth.

"It's delicious, give me another one."

(End of this chapter)