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

The two of them were of high rank, and the environment and furnishings of the tents they lived in were pretty good. For those of lower rank, four or five people shared a tent.

The two children were full of energy and were not frightened at all. After being settled, they said at the same time that they wanted to go out and play nearby.

Zhang Ping'an and Lord Wang had to go to the main tent to pay homage to the emperor later and could not take care of the two children. After thinking about it, they agreed. They arranged for a few more servants to follow them, gave them some instructions, and then let the two children go.

After the outsiders left, Lord Wang looked outside the tent and tentatively said, "Lord Zhang, I don't know what happened with the Second Prince and his men just now. I think His Majesty is very angry right now. We must be careful with our words and actions."

"I'm angry, but I see that His Majesty didn't take any action, so it must not be a big deal. Let's see what other colleagues say and then we'll act according to the circumstances," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile, without discussing the topic in depth.

"Yes, we have Lord Guo above us," Lord Wang stroked his beard and nodded.

The two waited for a while, and seeing that it was about time, they went to the big tent. When they entered, Master Qian and others had already arrived and were given seats. They looked calm and composed, and there was nothing unusual.

Looking at Zhou Ziming's expression at the top, although it looked a little ugly, he was not angry at all and was still quite calm.

The eldest prince was still as gentle and elegant as ever, sitting in the first seat at the bottom, with Prince Qin Qingshan on his right. There was nothing unusual.

The one with the ugliest expression was Queen Wei. Not only was her mouth tightly drawn, but she was also very indifferent to the court officials who came to pay her respects, and her expression was not in a good mood.

This inevitably made Zhang Ping'an think of something. Could it be that the Second Prince had been unkind to his servants along the way, and after being scolded by Zhou Ziming, he made the Queen unhappy?

After all, Queen Wei is the biological mother of the Second Prince. If Zhou Ziming wants to punish the Second Prince for this, she will inevitably come forward to protect him. Therefore, there is a huge conflict and estrangement between the emperor and the queen.

That's how it became what they see now.

Before Zhang Ping'an could think more, more civil and military officials came to kowtow one after another. Even though the imperial tent was big enough, it seemed crowded with so many people.

Just like in previous battles, Zhou Ziming quickly appointed his generals and assigned tasks. He ordered the Crown Prince to lead the left wing and King Qin Qingshan of Qin to lead the right wing to encircle the hunting ground. They would set out after lunch to explore the route first and officially start the autumn hunt early tomorrow morning.

It is a bit like a military exercise, with hunting in batches, combined hunting, resting, and hunting again, each with a corresponding rhythm.

As for Zhang Ping'an and other accompanying officials, they can only move around near the camp in the next few days. After the accompanying army finishes hunting, it will be the time for these civil and military officials and royal descendants to show their abilities. It is more like they are just accompanying the troops to relax.

Of course, those who are skilled and confident can also recommend themselves to hunt with the army at this time.

Most of these people are young people with high spirits, and they are also the main objects of Zhang Pingan's observation this time.

Some of these people must be among the team sent to the Western Regions.

At this time, a guard asked to see him outside the tent, saying that the second prince had been retrieved.

Zhou Ziming's expression, which had calmed down, immediately darkened again after hearing this. He slammed the table heavily and said in a cold tone, "Bring that evil creature in here!"

Upon seeing this, all the civil and military officials below immediately fell silent, lowered their heads and remained silent, their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts.

Queen Wei's expression remained unchanged, but the Crown Prince's face showed some sadness and worry.

Then the second prince Zhou Shu was brought in by the guards, tied up all over. The anger was gone from his face, but he was still gloomy and expressionless.

Even though he was covered in dust and looked a little disheveled, he still maintained his pride.

He looked up quietly with a pair of dark eyes.

Perhaps because they were afraid of hurting him, the guards carefully used cloth to separate the ropes to prevent the second prince from getting injured by friction when struggling.

Seeing his second son's silence and indifference, Zhou Ziming couldn't help but become even angrier. He asked in a deep voice, "Do you know you're wrong?"

The Second Prince, Zhou Shu, did not rush to reply, nor did he seem intimidated by his father's anger. After a moment, he raised his head and asked, "What have I done wrong?"

Zhang Pinganguan saw that although he had not yet grown up and still had the appearance and immaturity of a teenager, his aura was not weak. His handsome face was stretched as sharp as a rock, sharp and hurtful.

Zhou Ziming was very disappointed after hearing this. "You are a prince, bearing the blood of the emperor. Instead of cultivating yourself and practicing virtue, you act like a wolf, abusing servants and being cruel and inhumane. This is not a private matter of one family, but a matter of the court's dignity and the royal family's reputation. Do you still think you are doing nothing wrong?"

Seeing the situation was dire, the Crown Prince immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Father, please calm down. My second brother is young and inexperienced. Although he may be hot-tempered, he is naturally filial. I'm sure there must be a reason for this. Why don't you listen to what he has to say first?"