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

"Western Suburbs Camp?" Zhang Pingan repeated, "I never heard of a military camp in the suburbs when I was in the city before!"

Doctor Fu listened thoughtfully, "It's probably a makeshift camp. So, military commanders from the provincial capital must have come down. From the time the order was given to the time the camp was built and the soldiers were recruited, it must have taken at least two weeks. It seems like something serious is going on."

"It seems we have no choice but to take a detour," Zhang Pingan frowned.

"No rush. I'll ask my eldest son to inquire about it in the evening. He has friends in the capital city. We can make a decision only after we find out everything clearly," Doctor Fu said after thinking for a while.

Zhang Pingan nodded and thanked him: "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Fu." He knew that those who were involved in smuggling must have their own information channels.

Since they couldn't leave for a while, they picked up some firewood nearby and prepared to make a fire to cook.

They had been eating soup noodles almost every day along the way. Today, since they had plenty of time, Xu specially cooked a pot of white rice, fried a plate of bacon and pickles, and fried a few eggs with the remaining oil in the pot. They smelled delicious.

Xu filled a bowl of rice for her husband and son, with eggs and meat piled high on the top, and then she and her two daughters ate the leftovers.

Each family has a large number of people, so they all eat separately. No one would be so tactless as to try to eat for free, except for San Ya and her husband.

However, they could only get a bite at Daya's house and could not get it anywhere else, because Zhang Ping'an had been angry with Sanya at Liu the Butcher's house before. Sanya was a little afraid of this younger brother now, fearing that if she really annoyed him, no one would support her. In addition, with Xu around, Sanya did not act like a rogue like before and behaved much more politely.

Since it was a free meal, naturally the food couldn't be very good. Zhang Pingan picked up a few pieces of meat and eggs in a small bowl and handed it to his third brother-in-law, saying with a smile: "Third sister and third brother-in-law, I'll give you an extra dish."

Qian Yongde was drinking porridge and was a little flattered when he heard this. However, he would not miss any good thing. He immediately brought the dish over and said happily, "My little brother is still thinking about us."

After taking it, he immediately scooped most of the dish into his own bowl and said incoherently: "Mmm, it smells so good!"

Zhang Pingan smiled and said, "It smells good, but after eating the meat, my third brother-in-law has to do me a favor."

After swallowing the meat, Qian Yongde looked up and asked, "What can I do for you?"

He knows that there is no free lunch in the world!

Zhang Pingan leaned over and whispered, "When Big Brother Fu leaves later, follow him secretly to see where he goes and who he meets. It would be even better if you could hear what they say."

"This... this won't do. It will be discovered," Qian Yongde was not very willing. If he was discovered, he would have a falling out with Doctor Fu's family, and he would naturally lose his support.

Zhang Ping'an's face darkened when he heard this. "Third brother-in-law, don't think I don't know about the petty thefts you committed in town before. It's no big deal for you to steal from one person. Even if you were caught, you can definitely make it up with your eloquence. We are relatives. Do you really think that Fu guy will give you any good results? We are running for our lives. Think about it yourself!"

After saying that, he stood up, patted his butt and left.

"Hey... Hey, brother-in-law," Qian Yongde looked up and called out twice. He didn't know what he wanted to say and felt very embarrassed for a moment!

When the meal was almost over, Zhang Ping'an saw the eldest son of the Fu family quietly leaving with a guard. After a while, the third brother-in-law said he wanted to pee and walked into the woods without attracting anyone's attention.

Zhang Ping'an felt relieved, knowing that his third brother-in-law had followed. Among so many relatives, his third brother-in-law was the most experienced in doing this kind of thing. Moreover, he was small and not easily discovered. He was thick-skinned and flexible. Even if he was discovered, the Fu family would not really do anything to him, so there was no need to worry about being killed to silence him. That was why Zhang Ping'an chose to let his third brother-in-law go and see who the Fu family was contacting.

Cats have their ways, and mice have their ways. Since the Fu family has the courage to do such a thing as smuggling medicinal materials, in addition to the temptation of sufficient profits, there must be someone who connects them, and there must be a way.

After the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an observed that more and more convoys were setting off to the west. It seemed that they were preparing to take a detour. To the west were Xiajiang Prefecture and Nanhan Prefecture, and further west was Mianyang Prefecture. These prefectures were all along the Han River, and there were docks along the way. As long as you could get on a boat, you could reach the provincial capital Yingzhou in half a day.

Not knowing whether he would have to hurry to get around it later, Zhang Pingan asked everyone to take turns to rest for a while.

The adults were exhausted from the journey, so they took turns sleeping after being divided into groups. The children, on the other hand, were full of energy, playing and fighting nearby, unaware of the adults' worries.

It was almost dark when the eldest son of the Fu family returned with his guards. After a while, Doctor Fu got up and walked over to the Zhang family. He asked Zhang Ping'an to sit in the mule cart and then sighed, "I'm afraid I can't be a lowly official like you!"

Zhang Pingan asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"

"A fight broke out. According to the news from the capital, the crown prince died of poisoning the day after he succeeded to the throne in front of the coffin. Even the coronation ceremony didn't have time to be held. The second prince said that he had the late emperor's will in his hand, and the late emperor had decided to pass the throne to him before his death. The crown prince would definitely not agree to hear that. It is said that the two sides fought in the capital," Doctor Fu reported what he had learned.

"What is the final result? Is this news accurate? The prince's fight for the throne is a big deal," Zhang Pingan said solemnly.

Doctor Fu stroked his beard and said, "The news is absolutely true. I heard it from my friends in the government office. They've even issued an official document. Why would I lie to you?"

After a pause, he continued, "The Second Prince's mother, Concubine Wang, was born into the Wang family of Taiyuan. One of her brothers served as the governor of the Nine Gates in the capital, and most of the Twelve Guards of the capital were from them. Empress Li's family had declined in power in recent years, and Prime Minister Li had little military power. The final outcome was self-evident: defeat. Empress Li and the Prime Minister's followers were successively killed, and the Crown Prince fled with a small group of troops to Huguang to seek refuge with the Sixth Prince!"

"The second prince ascended the throne? Then the other princes must be dissatisfied. There are too many doubts. Even we can see through them. How could the other princes not be suspicious?" Zhang Pingan said. His deepest understanding of the princes' fight for the throne came from history books and TV dramas from the Ming and Qing dynasties in his previous life. It could only be used as a reference, but he could also see that this matter was strange.

Doctor Fu nodded. "But since ancient times, the victor has been king. The Second Prince has already held his coronation ceremony and has dispatched official documents throughout the country, demanding the suppression of the rebels. That's why the Sixth Prince has stepped up his recruitment efforts to help the Crown Prince regain the throne. Under the guise of upholding justice, he's reportedly already won over Henan General Shi Huaiyi. Fighting has already begun in Changyuan, and we don't know how long it will take for the attack to reach us."

Zhang Pingan was a little skeptical: "The Sixth Prince is not stupid. He and the Second Prince are not born of the same mother. How can he be so kind as to send people and effort to help him seize power? Maybe he is holding the emperor hostage to control the princes?!"

Doctor Fu shook his head. "That's unclear. We can't control that much. Anyway, the late emperor had many sons, more than a dozen, and even more grandchildren. Let them fight. Someone will eventually take the throne. But once a war breaks out, taxes and conscription will be extremely harsh. Life will definitely be difficult for the people. We have to cross the river and head south. We won't be able to return for a while."