The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

On the eighth day of the sixth month of the forty-second year of the Xuande reign, Zhuge Yunshu and his group went to the Han Music Bureau to participate in the provincial examination.

The reason for choosing this day was that Zhuge Yunshu used his points to check the weather conditions in the area of ​​Jingling Prefecture and Hanyuefu within the Serving the Country and the People system. It just so happened that the weather would be sunny on the 8th, 9th and 10th of June, and then it would rain for four consecutive days. Because the weather forecast system can only check the weather conditions for seven days at a time, Zhuge Yunshu planned to check the weather for the days of the academy examination after arriving at Hanyuefu.

On this day, before the first rays of dawn had dispelled the lingering shadows of night, Zhuge Yunshu was awakened by her eldest cousin, Zhuge Yunchun. Because of the long distance between the two mansions, they had to set off before sunrise to allow enough time to arrive at Hanyue Mansion before dinner on the third day.

Thinking this, Zhuge Yunshu quickened his pace and soon put on the clothes prepared by Lin Siniang. Then he checked his luggage and book box several times, and only after making sure that the books and writing implements were all prepared did he tiptoe out of the room.

Because of her busy family business, Zhuge Yunshu did not plan to have her family accompany her and Zhuge Yunchu to the Han Music Bureau for this imperial examination.

However, they couldn't resist the insistence of Zhuge Laifu and Lin Si Niang, who insisted that they bring their eldest cousin Zhuge Yunchun and eldest cousin Zhuge Yun along.

In Zhuge Laifu's words, the eldest cousin is calm and opinionated, while the eldest cousin is honest and hardworking. In fact, the eldest cousin can help them with housework, such as washing clothes, cooking, and tidying up clothes, while the eldest cousin is responsible for running errands and cleaning the yard.

Zhuge Yunshu and Zhuge Yunchu, seeing the two women who had been so thoroughly arranged by Zhuge Laifu, couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for them.

Zhuge Yunchun and Zhuge Yunren, on the other hand, were enjoying themselves.

There was no other reason than their third uncle, Zhuge Laifu, had promised that if they did well on this trip to the Han Yuefu, he would hand over the Qianli Marriage Shop in Yunshui Town to the two of them to manage upon their return.

Instead of asking them for help, they were entrusting the task to the two of them. Thinking of this, Zhuge Yunchun and Zhuge Yunren were filled with enthusiasm.

......

On the way to Han Yuefu, you have to pass through a desolate mountainous area.

The roads here are not only rugged and uneven, but also very bumpy due to the frequent falling rocks from the mountains.

This will test the driver's skills.

Zhuge Yunshu's carriage was filled with women. Since only she and Wang Yi had learned how to drive, they took turns driving along the way. When they reached better official roads, Zhuge Yunchu and Zhuge Yunchun would ask Zhuge Yunshu and Wang Yi to teach them how to drive a carriage when they were bored. In short, it's always good to learn some skills when traveling.

Suddenly, the horses in the carriage carrying Master Wang, Zhang Hao, and Zhuge Yunren got startled and almost overturned the carriage. Fortunately, the driver Zhang Hao's mother had chosen for him was skilled and quickly pulled on the reins, calming the frightened horses down.

Upon seeing this, Zhuge Yunshu quickly stopped the carriage, got out, and checked the situation.

"what's the situation?"

Zhang Hao looked helpless and pointed to the barren mountain: "Look, a rock fell down and hit the horse's head."

Zhuge Yunshu looked in the direction Zhang Hao pointed and saw a small stone lying less than a meter away from the horses.

Seeing this, Zhuge Yunshu couldn't help but shudder. She suddenly remembered that in her previous life, she was also killed by the system, which was like an object thrown from a high altitude.

Thinking of this, Zhuge Yunshu urged Zhang Hao to get into the carriage. They needed to leave this dangerous section of road as soon as possible. There was no other way; looking at the rocks all over the mountain, she felt a chill.

Using the 10-kilometer positioning function he had previously checked, Zhuge Yunshu drew a marker and combined it with a detailed map of Pingchuan County. He led Master Wang and the others on a slightly detour and finally emerged from the desolate mountains after half an hour.

After traveling for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a bamboo forest came into view. The bamboo leaves rustled in the breeze, creating an eerie atmosphere in the quiet environment.

Just then, a group of six people walked over. Two of them were carrying a person on a bed board. Their clothes and appearance made them look like farmers from the neighborhood.

Zhuge Yunshu didn't pay much attention to this, since she knew the road to Han Yuefu very well, so she didn't need to greet or ask the group for directions.

However, just as the two groups were about to pass each other, the sound of horses' hooves came from ahead. When they got closer, they saw three officials riding up at high speed.

Upon seeing this group of people, he tightened the reins and brought the horse to a stop.

One of the officers dismounted, took out two pieces of paper from his pocket, looked at them at the six farmers, and then asked, "Gentlemen, you look so nervous carrying this bed board. Where are you going?"

No sooner had the official finished speaking than a middle-aged man with a thick beard and a weathered face stepped forward from among the six peasant men and bowed respectfully to the official.

"My younger sister is seriously ill, and her mother-in-law is reluctant to spend money on her medical treatment. We brothers have no choice but to borrow some money from the villagers and take her to the city clinic... However, after examining her, the doctor shook his head and said that my younger sister will not live much longer!"

"...A married daughter can't just die at her parents' home, so my brothers and I are going to take her to our sister's husband's house in the next village to give her a proper send-off."

As they spoke, all the men's eyes turned red, and one of them even thoughtfully tucked a blanket under her sister's armpits from time to time.

Upon seeing this, Master Wang quickly led Zhuge Yunshu and the others off the carriage, and took out a small booklet from his sleeve, handing it to the official in front of him:

"We are all scholars heading to the Han Dynasty Music Bureau to participate in the provincial examination. May I ask what happened in Luoyun County ahead?"

The official glanced at the travel permit in his hand and handed it to Master Wang. He had no intention of concealing the matter, and said:

"Last night, a wealthy family in the county town was robbed clean. Not only that, the head of the household was also retaliated against by the robbers for resisting; he was branded alive with iron tools and died. Even his wife and daughter were kidnapped by the thugs. Their methods were extremely cruel... In short, you all must be careful on the road... If you see the two wanted criminals on the notice, do not act rashly. Wait until your own safety is guaranteed before reporting the case to the Luoyun County government office..."

The official seemed to be a kind-hearted person. After he finished explaining all the relevant matters, he folded the two pieces of paper in his hand and put them back in his pocket. Then he said "Take care" to Master Wang and immediately mounted his horse to leave.

"Wait!" Zhuge Yunshu shouted.