In the temporary government office of Chongxian Lane, the examiners from the two counties, led by Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, were reviewing the papers in an orderly manner.
The bright moon was like a hook, casting a faint light on the ground at night. On the official road from the east of the river to Chang 'an, a middle-aged man in a green robe was sweating all over. He held the reins tightly and urged his horse to gallop in the direction of Chang' an.
"Giddyup!"
The black horse under him cried out in pain.
Zhangsun Wuji looked anxious. He wished he could speed up and whip the horsewhip in his hand.
" Faster, faster!!"
Zhangsun Wuji's face was filled with fatigue, but he did not dare to rest for a moment. He looked anxiously in the direction of Chang 'an, eager to return to Chang' an as soon as possible to meet Li Er.
This time, he went to Hedong Road to investigate.
He discovered a shocking truth.
The Book of All People was fake. The people there were already in dire straits!
The official document sent back by the Hedong Dao Station half a decade ago, which said that the counties under the jurisdiction of Hedong Dao were safe and sound, and the news that the people were cheering for the suppression of the mountain bandits, was also false.
The current Hedong Road was already in a drought!
Zhangsun Wuji lowered his head and looked at his clenched left hand, which was holding four to five locusts that he had crushed to death. The most terrifying thing about this secret investigation was not the Book of Ten Thousand People or the drought in the east of the river, but the locust plagues that had appeared in the major counties along the way. The scene of the locust plagues covering the sky and devouring all the crops in the fields made him afraid to breathe.
" I hope it hasn't started yet…" Zhangsun Wuji muttered to himself with a trembling voice.
The Great Tang could not afford a war!
If they were to cooperate with Tuli at this time, once the lid of Hedong Road suddenly burst open, coupled with the shortage of food caused by the locust plague in various counties, there would definitely be a civil revolt!
Once Tuli noticed the problem, he would change his attitude. If he joined forces with Jie Li and attacked Great Tang, then Great Tang would be in trouble from both inside and outside.
He had to rush back!
Zhangsun Wuji was about to go crazy from anxiety. He had to stop the Emperor and the Crown Prince from using troops against the Turks. This battle must not be fought, and not only must it not be fought, but he had to find a way to stabilize the Turks. He could not allow them to join forces and attack the Great Tang at this time!
————
The night was like water.
"The flowers are similar year after year, but the people are different year after year.”In a room on the second floor of the Savant's Restaurant in Xi City, Yang Hao leaned against the window with his arms crossed. He looked at the empty street where curfew had been imposed and sighed inwardly.
It had been more than half a month since he had transmigrated to the Great Tang. Yang Hao found that he had gradually integrated into the world of the Great Tang. Fortunately, he still had a father by his side. When the county examination was over, he should let go and do some of his own things.
"Yang Hao, bad news!"
Suddenly, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps, Yang Jingming anxiously pushed open the door and said,""Father just heard the news that everyone wrote about suitable battles in the county examination this time. There was not even a single examinee who wrote about suitable slow.”
"What's the rush?" Yang Hao turned his head to look at his father and said with a smile,"Aren't the results only released tomorrow? Moreover, who said that just because everyone wrote about suitable battles, it meant that the answer to the question would definitely be suitable battles?”
"Really?" Yang Jingming was still a little worried."I'd better go and take a look tomorrow. I'm not afraid of failing, but I'm afraid that if I don't write well and offend the main examiner, I'll implicate you.”
" Then I'm afraid you'll be sad." Yang Hao revealed a meaningful smile. He didn't respond to him but nodded with a smile.
————
The next morning.
On the last day of the fifth month of the ninth year of Wude.
Dong dong dong--
The sky was beginning to brighten, and the bell from the bell tower resounded in the deep sky. The gates of the various markets slowly opened, indicating the arrival of a new day.
The examinees who had passed the county examination filed out of Xi City and ran to Chongxian Lane, eagerly waiting for the results of Chang 'an County and Wannian County's county examination to be released today.
Creak--
At this moment, six soldiers of the Jinwu Guards suddenly walked out of Chongxian Lane in Chang 'an. They escorted a box out with cold faces. Under the curious gaze of the people on Zhuque Street, they opened the box and took out a test paper that was pasted on the empty roll. They stuck it high on the three-meter-high rammed earth wall.
"Didn't you say that the results would be released at noon? Why was the ranking released now? Eh, this doesn't look like the results. This is a test paper?”
"What is this?"
"Quick, take a look!"
The other four Golden Guards left with the empty boxes. Two Golden Guards wearing sabers and armor stared warily at the examinees approaching them.
The examinees looked curiously at the test papers stuck on the rammed earth wall. They raised their hands and pointed at them as they discussed,
"Is this the exam paper of Yang Jingming, the candidate for this year's county exam? How did it get posted?"
"'The Imperial Court should negotiate peace. There is a disaster in the east of the river, and locusts are on the verge of wreaking havoc in the counties. At this time, the entire country will definitely be defeated in a war?”
"What a joke!"
When the examinees read out each and every word, the examinees all revealed incredulous expressions. There were even examinees who could not hide the anger on their faces.
"This is simply a bunch of nonsense!"
"How can our Great Tang lose a national war? Fellow students, please take a look at what is written on this.'The east of the river is still there, and locusts are coming; Wreak havoc in the counties, blotting out the sky and covering the earth, wasn't this nonsense?”
One of the young examinees, who was wearing a light-colored hairstyle, raised his hand and pointed at the test paper hanging high on the rammed earth wall. He revealed an expression that showed that he had clearly seen the reason why the test paper was answered in this way. He snorted and said loudly,
"If there is a disaster in the east of the river, are those officials of the East of the river really insects? Why don't they report such a big matter to the imperial court? This examinee called Yang Jingming even said that locusts were wreaking havoc in the counties. If that was true, why didn't any of the local government offices in the capital region report it?”
Seeing the examinees looking over, the young examinee said proudly,
"From this, it can be seen that this examinee named Yang Jingming made up something out of thin air. He wanted to find a new way to win the attention of the examiners. In the end, he did not expect the examiners of the county examination to not fall for his tricks at all.”
"That makes sense!"
"This Yang Jingming is simply detestable!" On the one hand, some of the examinees praised him. On the other hand, some of the examinees cursed at the test papers hanging on the wall.
"Who doesn't know that the Imperial Court has already mobilized the three armies to wage war against the Turks? Now, even before the war has begun, a candidate has already spoken of defeat. This kind of person who destroys the morale of the army should be used as a sacrifice!”
"Where is he?"
"I know. This person is staying at the Savant's Restaurant Inn in Xi City. Let's go find him!”
For a moment, the examinees were filled with righteous indignation. They no longer had the mood to wait outside Chongxian Lane for the results to be released. They turned around and walked in groups of three to five, shouting with red faces as they headed in the direction of Xi City.
Not far away.
In a carriage pulled by a black Dawan horse, Cui Chen gently waved a paper fan in his hand. He looked strangely at Yang Hao suddenly dragging a pale Yang Jingming in and said angrily,
"I say, the two of you are the ones who pierced the hole in the sky. Where are you going? If the examinees find out that you're hiding in my carriage, I'll suffer when they get beaten up later!”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。