On February 17, the ninth year of Zhengtong, there were still two days before the county exam. Mother Shen had already prepared food, cold clothes and other daily necessities for Shen Yichen.

The most eye-catching thing among them was a pack of hard-boiled red eggs. Shen did not have much education and did not know the lofty meanings such as the six rites and repairs, so she felt that red eggs could bring some good luck.

Looking at what her mother had prepared, Shen Yichen was moved and amused. The county examination was different from the provincial examination and the general examination. You would not pass the examination for several days in a row.

You will go in in the morning and come out the same day, and you will not stay overnight in the examination room, so you only need to prepare three meals a day.

Even if you are relatively hungry and are in a good mood before the exam to eat breakfast, then you can eat lunch at noon and then go out to eat in the evening. You don’t have to bring any food with you.

Moreover, the county examination theoretically requires five tests, which means it takes five days. In fact, the most important test is the first eight-part essay, and the remaining four are icing on the cake.

Because as long as you pass the first main test, you have already qualified for the next stage of the government examination. Some young and frivolous scholars, after getting the qualification for the government examination, are too lazy to write seriously in the next four games, just casually Just make do with it and leave.

Of course, "the thread in the hands of a loving mother, the clothes on a wanderer's body", these things are all part of the mother's heart. After Shen Yichen accepted them with a smile, he went alone to the Xiajiang Examination Shed, where the county examination was held.

Not only Shen Yichen, but all the schoolchildren in Jiangning County have gathered at the inns and restaurants around the examination room. There may be thousands of people in the crowd.

Under normal circumstances, the number of schoolchildren in a county is not so exaggerated as thousands, but after all, Nanjing was one of the two capitals in the Ming Dynasty. Its economy was relatively strong, and many families could support a scholar.

In addition, the literary style in Jiangnan has been flourishing since ancient times, and there are countless families who passed down the imperial examination, resulting in many schoolchildren taking reference. This is also one of the important reasons why the imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty was divided into northern and southern rankings.

Shen Yichen came to stay at a relatively familiar inn. Although his home was not very far from the examination room, the ancient carriage and horse transportation was too slow. Living at home would waste a lot of time traveling back and forth every day, so it was better to stay in an inn.

"Hey, Yichen, I've been waiting for you for a long time, why are you here now?"

Shen Yichen chose to check into the inn one day before the county exam, but Zhao Hongjie had already checked in three days ago.

The reason is that the time for the county examination every year is a legitimate time to leave home. Being free from all the rules at home is like paradise for Zhao Hongjie.

It's just that Shen Yichen, who left home early in previous years, never showed up this year. Zhao Hongjie has been sitting in the inn lobby waiting for two days, watching the schoolchildren coming and going for a long time, and finally waited for Shen Yichen to arrive!

"The exam is only tomorrow, why are you here so early?"

"Why do you need to ask? Of course we are out to play!"

Zhao Hongjie's eyes widened with an unteachable expression on his face. Could it be that Shen Yichen was so stupid in studying during this period that he forgot about the carnival every two years?

"I finally understand why you are still a schoolboy now..."

Isn’t this the same logic as what you sleep on the night before the college entrance examination and get high when you wake up?

"..."

This sentence left Zhao Hongjie speechless.

Without further acknowledging Zhao Hongjie, Shen Yichen carried his luggage and went to the check-in room with the inn waiter.

Shen Yichen chose a mid-to-low-end herringbone single room, which cost fifty yuan a day to stay in. Using rice to calculate the price, it is roughly equivalent to fifty yuan a day in modern terms.

However, starting from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, with the continuous mining and inflow of silver, the price of silver dropped significantly. One tael may be worth 50% less than that in the early and mid-Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the value of one tael was even lower. Arrived at 20% off.

In terms of purchasing power alone, this single-day house price is relatively expensive for ordinary people. However, things are rare and expensive. Thousands of schoolchildren flocked to the hotel at once, and every inn was overcrowded. Naturally, the house price rose accordingly.

Fortunately, Shen Yichen is a regular guest here. At the same time, the poor fellows from the outer courtyard of Chengguogong Mansion need to "book a room" at this inn twice every three years, otherwise they can't afford to stay at this price.

After putting away his luggage and sitting in the room for a while, Shen Yichen felt a little bored. At this time, he was not in the same state of mind to sit down and read a book, so he hesitated and went to the lobby to see if Zhao Hongjie was still there.

Sure enough, it’s not unreasonable to get high before the exam, otherwise I really don’t know what to do...

But when Shen Yichen returned to the hall again, he saw not only Zhao Hongjie, but also Li Da and his group from the outer courtyard, chatting animatedly.

Why not both sides? Because Zhao Hongjie was like a little weakling, caught in the middle by Li Da and others, and the smile on his face was even uglier than crying.

"Brother Xian, you are bullying your classmates again."

Although Zhao Hongjie was a dead wood, Shen Yichen, as a good friend, could not watch him being bullied and chose to turn a blind eye. So he walked over, patted Li Da on the shoulder, and sat down carelessly.

Seeing Shen Yichen appear, Zhao Hongjie felt as if he saw a savior coming. He looked so aggrieved that he was about to cry, and he immediately leaned close to him.

After all, this is no longer a school. Without the protection of teachers and the family rules of Chengguo Duke, if Li Da and the others really want to beat him up, they won't be able to find a place to reason.

"How many times have I told you not to use this title?"

Li Da lowered his voice and said this sentence almost through gritted teeth. Since that day after the poetry meeting, Shen Yichen used this title every time he saw him.

When a person is young, he can still bear it. In a public place, with so many of his younger brothers present, and being called a wise younger brother, why should he lose face?

"Aren't you claiming to be a man and are you going to break your promise?"

Shen Yichen didn't care at all about Li Da's jump. Instead, he stared at him with a smile. This kind of protest was not the first time. Anyway, in the end, this kid honestly compromised.

Sure enough, after hearing Shen Yichen's words, Li Da was like an eggplant beaten by frost, losing his previous momentum.

After seeing Li Dayan, Shen Yichen did not continue to tease him. In fact, after gradually getting in touch with him during this period, his impression of Li Dayan changed a lot, or he discovered that the other person was not that bad in nature.

Take the matter of "virtuous brother" as an example. Everyone talked about it just as a joke at the poetry meeting that day. If it were Shen Yichen himself, he probably wouldn't follow it seriously afterwards. But Li Da stuck to his words. Xin, no matter how angry and dissatisfied he was, he gritted his teeth and accepted it.

In addition, Shen Yichen stayed in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and he also saw what it means to eat people in feudal society. Compared with all kinds of officials and officials who bully men and women, Li Da did not engage in whoring, gambling, or doing serious evil. He would do anything after school every day. When he wasn't causing trouble outside, he was dancing with guns and sticks in his mansion.

Also, this kid regards Second Master Guan and Grandpa Yue as his idols, and always says that he wants to be a hero like them. So every time Li Da wants to cause trouble or is unconvinced, Shen Yichen will use the "big man" words Words of ridicule can basically achieve miraculous results.

From a vertical comparison, there must be many people who have better ideological and moral qualities than Li Da. However, from a horizontal comparison with officials' children of the same class, Li Da was far above the passing line in feudal society.

"Okay, if nothing happens, let's go eat at another table, Zhao Hongjie."

Shen Yichen patted Zhao Hongjie and motioned for him to get up and leave, and go to another table with her to eat.

Although the impression of Li Da is not that bad, it does not mean that the relationship between the two parties is very good. It is best to maintain a state of keeping things in check.

"Shen Yichen, do you plan to eat at this inn?"

When Shen Yichen asked Zhao Hongjie to eat, Li Da asked a question.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"What's there to eat in this inn? Tomorrow is the county exam. Brother, I will take you to Zuixianlou for a good meal!"

Li Da waved his hand and invited Shen Yichen to go out to a restaurant.

After all, at the poetry recital, Shen Yichen looked as good as him. He was also a classmate after all, so he would be generous today.

"My dear brother, I'm treating you to a treat. If I refuse, it would be disrespectful."

Shen Yichen also has his own paranoia on the matter of brotherhood, and he cannot let this kid Li Da take advantage of him.

"What about me?"

Hearing that Li Da invited Shen Yichen, Zhao Hongjie asked pitifully that it would be too lonely and miserable if all his classmates left and he was left alone in the inn.

"Let's go together, your virtue really disgraces the face of our military generals!"

Every time he saw Zhao Hongjie's weak and depressed look, Li Da would get angry. Disciples from a family of military generals should hold their heads high and chest out, and be proud of themselves when they are outside, unlike this kid.

But Li Da never thought that the more angry he saw Zhao Hongjie, the more afraid he would be of him, forming a vicious cycle.

"You bully the weak, and your behavior has not earned any face for the general's children."

Shen Yichen had never cowed Li Da before, and would not coddle him now. Everyone has a different personality, and becoming a military commander's son was not something Zhao Hongjie could choose.

Just like my old self, I might have embarrassed the descendants of Xun Qi in the eyes of Cheng Guogong.

"I……"

Li Da wanted to explain, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that bullying the weak was really not a manly thing to do. Seeing that there was a county examination tomorrow, he stopped arguing with Shen Yichen.

So he rolled up his sleeves, turned around, strode out of the inn, and walked towards the Zuixian Tower.

At the same time, Zhang Qi, the white fat man, ran two steps quickly, caught up with Li Da and asked: "Brother Da, why do you tolerate that maid Shen Yichen to have a son everywhere now?"

"Yes, Brother Da, what's going on?"

"We are not in a private school now. We don't have a husband to back us up, so we don't need to pamper him."

Not only Zhang Qi, but also other students from the outer courtyard also agreed.

In the past two months, Li Da seemed to have changed. When facing Shen Yichen, let alone actively looking for trouble. He even chose to swallow his anger even when the other party made fun of him.

In the past, when I was in a private school, I could explain that I was afraid of being punished by my husband and the family rules, so I had to settle the matter. Now that I was in an inn, why was it still like this?
Chapter completed!