The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Sun Shan didn't expect that his return was such a coincidence that the people in Chenzhou Prefecture didn't have to wait too long.

However, they probably came to him to ask about the bandits. As for what they would do next, Sun Shan didn't know.

I looked at the sky and it was already dark, so the most important thing was to go back to the inner courtyard to eat and sleep.

The official from Chenzhou Prefecture had already waited for two days, so it didn't matter if they waited another night.

Sun Shan asked again, "During the time I was away from the government office, nothing important happened in Yuanlu, right?"

Master Zhang shook his head and said, "My Lord, everything remains the same."

It seems that it really is the same whether there is Sun Shan or not, the people of Yuanlu can live a good life on their own.

Master Zhang continued, "Master, after my observations over the past few days, Yuanlu is not a troubled place. The officials in the government offices are peaceful and don't do anything out of the ordinary.

Even if the common people encountered problems, they would not usually go to the yamen, but would first let the local headman handle it. The yamen was peaceful and quiet.

I've quietly inquired, and the busiest times for the government office are summer harvest and sowing, autumn harvest, and the period before the Lunar New Year."

I don’t know whether the people of Yuanlu County are too simple and honest, or the officials of Yuanlu are too honest and conscientious, but nothing has happened these days.

Mr. Zhang checked Yuanlu's historical files every day in the yamen.

County Magistrate Wang also went to work and came home as usual.

Being an official in Yuanlu is so boring.

If you don't find work to do, you'll have nothing to do, because work won't come to you.

Overall, it is in a state of "muddling through".

Zhang Shiye whispered, "The relationship between County Magistrate Wang and Chief Secretary Wu seems to be good. Everything is headed by County Magistrate Wang."

After a pause, he added, "The jailers also obey County Magistrate Wang."

Sun Shan understood. It seemed that the Wang family was indeed the "boss" of Yuanlu County. With County Magistrate Wang around, it didn't matter whether Sun Shan was there or not.

No wonder Yuanlu County has become so peaceful after I've been away for so long.

The feeling is that the false leader is not here, but the real leader is here.

Sun Shan thought for a moment and asked, "What do you think of County Magistrate Wang?"

At present, County Magistrate Wang has done a commendable job. He has not acted like a bully and brought harm to his neighbors.

Could it be that rabbits don’t eat grass near their burrows?

After all, Yuanlu is County Magistrate Wang’s hometown. He is a neighbor, so who doesn’t know him?

So don't overdo it.

Mr. Zhang thought for a moment and said truthfully, "Master, County Magistrate Wang looks ordinary and easy to talk to, but he's not the kind of person who can dominate others."

After a pause, he added, "Perhaps these are just what I see on the surface. It's not impossible that he's actually pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger. County Magistrate Wang has been behaving himself these days, reporting on time, and hasn't done anything wrong."

It didn't happen that Sun Shan's absence caused a mess in Yuanlu and created problems for Sun Shan.

County Magistrate Wang is like an official lying down, doing whatever he wants. He does nothing anyway and just waits for the end of the day.

Of course, Mr. Zhang didn't believe that County Magistrate Wang was such an official who "didn't do anything" like that. To become the most powerful family in Yuanlu, he really couldn't have done it without some ability, except relying on connections.

County Magistrate Wang should be "wise but appearing foolish". What he showed to Mr. Zhang was just the surface, and his inner thoughts must be another matter.

After hearing this "intelligence," Sun Shan nodded and said, "From now on, we should keep a close eye on County Magistrate Wang. A journey reveals a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's character. Over time, we'll naturally understand how County Magistrate Wang handles people."

Master Zhang quickly said, "Yes, Master, we will pay more attention to it."

Sun Shan whispered something in Master Zhang's ear: "Master, go look for records about Da Niao Village and the hills behind it. Check to see if the land deeds belong to the government. If so, give them to me. Remember, you must give them to me."

Master Zhang was confused. He didn't know why Sun Shan wanted to inquire about Da Niao Village and why he wanted the deed to the back mountain.

But the master is the master, and as a good subordinate, you have to obey his orders.

Mr. Zhang, naturally a good younger brother, nodded immediately and said, "Yes, sir, I'll check it out now. The household registration office has already been posted, I'll go and get it tomorrow morning."

After meeting Master Zhang, Sun Shan washed up and then had his meal.

After walking for so long, his stomach was rumbling with hunger. If someone hadn't come from Chenzhou Prefecture, Master Zhang would definitely not have stopped him from reporting the situation first.

Sun Shan and Wang Jiaxing are eating at the table.

Wang Jiaxing glanced at Sun Shan secretly, took a mouthful of rice, then glanced at Sun Shan secretly again, and took another mouthful of rice.

Finally, he couldn't help asking, "Sir, I will go back to the county school tomorrow morning. I have learned a lot from following you these days. Thank you for your guidance."

Although I said this, I was confused.

After entering the city, Wang Jiaxing was about to ask Gui Ge'er to drive the carriage and take him back to the Wang family, but before he could say anything, he was driven back to the county government office by Gui Ge'er in a daze.

Wang Jiaxing didn't want to go back to the yamen at all. He couldn't wait to go back to the Wang family, wash up and have a good sleep, and report to his uncle the next day.

Tell him everything you have seen while undercover these days.

Especially the fact that Lord Sun is obsessed with the bird droppings in Big Bird Village.

There is definitely something fishy here. Uncle must be made aware of it as soon as possible so that he can come up with a countermeasure.

But Wang Jiaxing didn't expect that he would be brought back to the yamen by Lord Sun. He was completely confused.

At the same time, he had a vague sense of foreboding and felt that he would not be able to leave the yamen.

Sun Shan finished his last bite of rice, wiped his mouth, and took a sip of tea. His stomach was finally full and he felt refreshed.

(Of course, eating dinner so late is very bad for your health, and Sun Shan strongly advises everyone not to follow his example.)

He said slowly: "How much you can learn is not determined by you, but by the test paper."

Wang Jiaxing: ...

Why couldn't he understand what Lord Sun was saying?

Whether you have learned the knowledge or not, it is not up to you to decide?

Wang Jiaxing felt that he had learned a lot and made a lot of progress compared to before.

If he had another chance to travel with Sun Shan, Wang Jiaxing would simply refuse.

Learning knowledge is one thing, and suffering is another.

If these two appear at the same time, Wang Jiaxing will throw them both away without hesitation.

He is still suitable to study in the county school, not to follow Lord Sun.

Sun Shan pretended not to notice Wang Jiaxing's surprise and continued, "These past few days, I've also tried my best to teach you a lot. As for how much you've learned, your opinion doesn't count, and neither does my opinion. I'll have to give you a test."

You're taking the imperial examinations, and all the books you read and all the knowledge you acquire are geared towards answering exam questions. A single exam determines the value of your ten years of hard study. That's why you told me that learning so much is meaningless; only by taking an exam can you tell whether you've truly learned anything.

After a pause, he suddenly turned around and stared at Wang Jiaxing closely.

His tone was as calm as a lake as he spoke, "Stay at the county government office for the next few days to review what you've learned and learn new things. In three days, I'll give you a test paper to take a look at. I'll see how you do. Whether my hard work and dedication to teaching you along the way has been wasted depends on how well you do on the test paper."