The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Zhang Ping'an thanked him and left the Tan Mansion.

I already had a vague guess in my mind. No matter what happened, it was definitely not a good thing. The second and third in command in the county, including important figures from scholarly families like Master Lin's, were all absent, which was very telling.

Once when playing chess with Mr. Fan, Mr. Fan said something that left a deep impression on Zhang Ping'an. He said that you can doubt the character of powerful people, but you cannot doubt their vision. If you are not smart enough, the smartest thing to do is to follow smart people.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ping'an's eyes lit up. Yes, there is also Mr. Fan. I wonder if he is still there.

Zhang Pingan quickly called a car and went to Fan Mansion in the east of the city. He was very nervous and hoped that Mr. Fan would be there.

After knocking on the door at Fan's residence, a doorman soon came to open the door. After Zhang Ping'an introduced himself and explained his purpose, the doorman glanced at Zhang Ping'an with a strange look before saying, "My master is not at home. He and his wife went back to their parents' home a few days ago."

Zhang Pingan was very disappointed when he heard this. It was indeed true!

"But before my master left, he told the housekeeper that he had something to say to Mr. Zhang. Please come in first," the doorman said again.

"Leave a message for me?" Zhang Pingan asked in surprise.

The doorman nodded and said, "Yes, it's you, Mr. Zhang from Zhangjia Village under Shuanghe Town. I'll go inform the housekeeper."

The doorman led the person to the hall and then went to find the housekeeper.

After a while, the housekeeper came over. He was much older than Zhang Ping'an had imagined, at least in his fifties or sixties. His face was deeply wrinkled and had age spots, but his eyes still looked shrewd.

The housekeeper bowed and said with a smile, "My master is truly a master of predictions. Mr. Zhang has indeed arrived."

Zhang Pingan was even more surprised when he heard this. "How did Mr. Fan know I would come? I just came back seven or eight days ago and was planning to return to the capital today."

The butler shook his head: "I don't know about that. My master has always been very knowledgeable in his work. This is the letter he left for you."

Zhang Ping'an didn't open it immediately after taking it. He asked about the situation in the county. However, the housekeeper didn't know what was going on or was just pretending to be confused. He just shook his head at every question he asked. Zhang Ping'an then said goodbye and left.

After going out, I found a teahouse, asked for a private room and sat down before I started reading the letter.

Mr. Fan's letter was very brief. The gist of it was that he himself didn't know whether Zhang Ping'an would be able to see the letter, and he hoped it would be helpful to him. A few days ago, someone from the Guo family asked Mr. Fan and his wife to go to Yuezhou as soon as possible, so he guessed that something serious must have happened. If there were any subsequent changes in the county, they would cross the river and go south.

"Cross the river," Zhang Ping'an muttered in a low voice. Then he must first go to the provincial capital to take a boat to the provincial capital Yingzhou, and then take a boat from Yingzhou to cross the Cangwu River to the south.

Normally, this would only take seven or eight days, and it would be even faster if there were horses, but now that we can't even leave the city, it's almost impossible.

Zhang Ping'an put away the letter and returned to the inn.

Zhang Laoer couldn't stay in the room any longer, so he was sitting in the lobby on the first floor. When he saw his son coming back, he hurried over and whispered, "What's going on?"

Zhang Pingan replied in a low voice: "Let's talk about it in the room."

After the father and son returned to their room, Zhang Pingan said, "Mom, Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister, pack up your things. We have to find a way to get out of the city."

Xu said happily, "Can we go back to the capital now?"

Zhang Pingan shook his head: "We are not going back to the city, we are going back to the village."

"Why go back to the village?" Xu couldn't help but ask loudly.

"Mom, please keep your voice down," Zhang Pingan rubbed his forehead.

"No, son, even if we can't go to the provincial capital right now, didn't the city guards say that the city gates will be opened in a few days? Let's move to a cheaper inn, and it will be convenient to leave then," Xu said in a puzzled voice.

Zhang Laoer thought more and asked, "Is there any change?"

"Dad, the families I visited these two days are considered to be among the most wealthy and powerful families in our county. None of the important people in their families are here. Don't you find it strange?" Zhang Pingan said.

"There's nothing strange about visiting relatives and friends in the first month of the lunar year," Xu said indifferently.

"Anyway, we have to find a way to get out of the city now. We can't be locked up like this in the county town. I can't go to the prefectural capital, and I can't go back to the village. I always feel uneasy."

Zhang Laoer knew his son had a reason for saying that, so he considered it more practically: "But now both the north and south gates are closed. We can't get out."

"I know. Let mom pack up the things first. I'll think of a solution. Dad, you go to the grain store to buy some rice, flour and soybeans, and ask the inn kitchen to prepare some dry food," Zhang Ping'an said after thinking for a moment.

"Okay," Zhang Laoer nodded and went downstairs.

Zhang Pingan went through all the people he knew who might be able to help in his mind, and suddenly thought of Doctor Fu. Doctor Fu once wanted his family to help smuggle medicinal materials, saying that he had channels.

Medicinal herbs are different from other things. They take up a lot of space. It is impossible to transport hundreds or thousands of kilograms of them out in broad daylight. They will definitely be checked. So how did he transport the things out?

Thinking of this, Zhang Pingan stood up and said, "Mom, I'm going out for a while. You don't have to wait for me for dinner."

"Hey, okay, why are you going out?" asked Xu.

"I'm going to see Doctor Fu," Zhang Ping'an replied.

It is certainly not a good idea to visit someone empty-handed, and Doctor Fu is a very vain person, so Zhang Ping'an bought a few decent gifts before visiting him.

Doctor Fu was still the same, looking even chubbier after the New Year. He was very surprised to see Zhang Pingan coming over: "Oh, my dear nephew, you are a rare visitor. I remember you and your father went to the capital, right?!"

Zhang Pingan bowed and said, "Uncle Fu, I came here today to wish you a happy new year. I couldn't come back because the city gates were blocked due to the epidemic. I'm really sorry. My father and I just came back from the prefectural city a few days ago, and I'm currently studying at the prefectural school."

"Young people are really promising. They are much better than my two boys," Doctor Fu said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"Big Brother Fu and Second Brother Fu have a father like Uncle Fu to cultivate them, so they will definitely have a bright future," Zhang Ping'an complimented.

Doctor Fu was obviously pleased to hear this and said modestly, "Ping'an is really getting better and better at talking. I, your Uncle Fu, am just a small doctor. How can I have any special abilities? They will have to rely on themselves in the future. By the way, how were your studies at the prefecture?"

Zhang Pingan smiled and said, "Uncle Fu, you are so modest. Thank you for your concern. I have studied well in the mansion and have a teacher."

"Oh? Who is it?" asked Doctor Fu.

"My teacher was born in the Han family in the provincial capital. He is a juren and currently serves as the governor of the provincial government," Zhang Pingan replied.