Snail Village
"Congratulations to Slow River County's Pei Zi Yun, Master Pei. You are now the Dong An Prefecture's Grand Principal, and have attained the tenth rank in the Dong An Prefecture Examinations. This Slow River County's Grand Principal will be rewarded with good results in the future ….."
A bailiff from the county had come to inform them that Pei Zi Yun had attained the tenth rank in the Elementary Scholar rankings, and was now the Slow River County's Grand Principal. Everyone in the village was overjoyed, and estimated that it would happen within the next few days. The villagers felt that Pei Zi Yun was still young, and had migrated here. Who knew that he would actually succeed?
Even if his surname wasn't Zhang, he was still the village's Elementary Scholar. Naturally, he would receive many benefits. The village chief had arranged for people to prepare some dried fruits and sweets. In the kitchen, there was a big fat pig that had been tied up and placed at the side, squealing loudly. There were also chickens, ducks and geese that had been locked up.
In this era, there were no refrigerators, hence the meat spoiled easily. Hence, they decided not to slaughter it, and waited for the Elementary Scholar to return before slaughtering it. However, they had already prepared live poultry.
At this point, the Pei household had already been visited by the village's auntie, who was helping out with the chores. She said, "Master Pei has become an Elementary Scholar, you will be able to enjoy life in the future."
All the chores were done by the sister-in-law, while Pei Qian Shi was like an outsider, unable to help at all.
Pei Zi Yun missed his mother and Ye Su'er, and headed home the next day. Accompanying him was an ox-cart. Cao San and Pei Zi Yun sat in it, with their luggage inside. Behind them were four archers.
The entire journey was peaceful and uneventful. However, they were still quite a distance away from the village, and could see people watching them from afar.
"Stop the cart!" Cao San felt that something was amiss. He then jumped down from the cart and pulled out his sword, observing the surroundings.
The four archers behind him, although they were archers, they were armed with swords. They too drew out their swords, their expressions were sharp, as though they were startled tigers.
Pei Zi Yun saw that they were villagers, and hurriedly said, "Leader Cao, they are from our village. They look like they are here to welcome us."
As soon as he said this, Cao San took a closer look before sheathing his sword. The four archers behind him did the same.
"Indeed, it hasn't been long since the founding of the country. Even the archers are so elite." Pei Zi Yun looked at him and couldn't help but praise him. When the villagers came closer and saw that it was indeed Pei Zi Yun, they were overjoyed and shouted, "Er Tiao, quickly go back and report that your husband has returned. Let's slaughter the pigs and chickens. Alright, I shall go now!" This Er Tiao was a young man. He looked at Pei Zi Yun with envy and ran back to the village.
The oxcart moved slowly and returned to the village. The village chief, the village elders and the villagers were waiting outside the mud wall to welcome the Elementary Scholar. When they saw him, they shouted, "Light the firecrackers!"
The sound of firecrackers rang out continuously. Many children hid in the arms of their mothers and stretched out their heads, watching with wide eyes. Some of the older children tried their best to squeeze to the front, only to be pulled back by their ears by their parents.
There was a commotion as the village elders held onto Pei Zi Yun's hands, praising him profusely. They said that when Pei Zi Yun and his mother came to the village, they noticed that the place was different. Hence, they gave them a discount and allowed them to stay in the village.
The commotion outside had finally subsided. Under the command of the Village Chief, the livestock in the reed shed began to be slaughtered. A fat pig seemed to have sensed that its life had come to an end, and began to struggle and wail. The aunties began to get busy, preparing chicken, duck, fish, and meat.
Before long, the fish, chicken, meat, and coriander were being slaughtered. White smoke rose from the stove, and the air was filled with the fragrance of meat and coriander. Someone asked the village chief, "Third uncle, all these livestock, just for this Elementary Scholar, is it worth it?"
"Bastard, this Pei family kid is only fifteen years old. He might even pass the Imperial Examinations in the future. How can we offend him?"
"Besides, even if it's just an Elementary Scholar, we can still benefit from it."
"How can there be any benefits? The tax exemption has already been given to our own people. Although the Pei family is an outsider, a few families with the surname Pei have moved over. How can they give it to our Zhang family!"
"You don't believe me when I say that you are an idiot. The tax collectors sent by the county bully us because we don't have any scholars. Now that we have an Elementary Scholar in our village, we are exempted from this tax."
"If it's labor, fighting for water, complaining, there are benefits to be had. You are the only one who cares about this small amount of money!"
"Besides, look, when the Elementary Scholar returns to his village, he even brought the county's patrols with him!" The village chief chided. Seeing someone enter, he waved him over, "Come here, where is he now?"
"He's almost home."
As he spoke, the sound of music could be heard. Of course, there was no proper orchestra in the village. They only played drums. As for the Pei family, Pei Qian Shi had already been informed that Elementary Scholar Pei, the eldest son of the Pei family, had returned. Pei Qian Shi came out to welcome him.
Her son was dressed in a green robe and looked rather skinny. Her heart ached for him, and tears started to flow down her cheeks.
Pei Zi Yun looked at his mother and thought back to what his mother had told him before he left. He knew that his mother was hoping that he would become an Elementary Scholar and bring glory to his family. He hurriedly took out a document from within his robes.
"Mother, look!"
Pei Qian Shi's hands trembled as she received the document. She was literate and opened it to see that it was an official document for him to become an Elementary Scholar. On top of the document was the official seal of the prefectural magistrate. Pei Qian Shi's face was full of smiles as her eyes turned red, "My son, my son … Your mother has waited ten years for this day."
"Follow me back to the room and pay your respects to the ancestors!" Pei Qian Shi said as she rushed into the room. Someone wanted to follow her, but someone pulled her back, "They are paying respects to the ancestors. Why are you going?"
Pei Zi Yun followed her in and saw Pei Qian Shi kneeling in front of a memorial tablet wrapped in cloth. She was sobbing uncontrollably as she looked at the tablet, "Husband, do you see this? My son has finally made a name for himself. "
Her tears fell like rain, as if she was venting out all the pain and suffering she had suffered all these years.
Pei Zi Yun looked at his usually stubborn mother crying, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions. The original owner of the body had not become an Elementary Scholar before her death, and had only become an Elementary Scholar a year after her death. How regretful was that?
At this point, Pei Qian Shi stopped crying and walked forward. She lifted the layers of cloth and revealed a memorial tablet. On it was written, "Pei Yuan Shen's Memorial Tablet". She couldn't help but start crying again.
"My son, your father was killed by bandits, and was falsely accused of being a bandit. Your mother was useless and had no way of retrieving his remains. She could only bring the memorial tablet and run all the way here."
"On the way, I met a Daoist who knew of this matter. He said, 'Wife, your husband was a government official and died defending his land. However, he was slandered and fell into the underworld. Since this memorial tablet has been erected, it has proven to be effective. I can't bear to see a hero being wronged, and I can't do anything about it. I can help you with your funeral. I gave you a talisman to wrap around the memorial tablet. You can pay your respects during festivals, but it must not be exposed to the light."
"In the future, when my son becomes an Elementary Scholar and has the protection of the new dynasty, he can open the memorial tablet and pay his respects. If not, your deceased husband will be in trouble."
"When I heard this, I was skeptical. However, that night, your father entered a dream. All these years, he hasn't mentioned anything about the past, much less the memorial tablet. Now, I can finally take it out."
At this point, Pei Qian Shi thought of the past and cried out, "Husband, you haven't seen the light of day for fifteen years. Today, you can finally see your son."
"My son, why aren't you kowtowing to your father?"
In his memory, Pei Zi Yun used to pay his respects to the ancestors every year. When he was young, he wanted to take a look at the memorial tablet and was beaten by his mother. Now, he obediently walked forward and kowtowed.
The moment he kowtowed, Pei Zi Yun's vision blurred. It was as if a white mist had landed on the memorial tablet. However, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared. After kowtowing, a small white Plum Blossom appeared in front of Pei Zi Yun's eyes. It grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. The mission appeared in front of him.
"Mission Two: Elementary Scholar Exam completed, please collect!"
"Indeed, it was to appease my family. Actually, I had already passed the Elementary Scholar exam, but I had to wait until now to collect it." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself. He didn't have time to look at it, and immediately collected it.
"Weng!" On his forehead, the originally ethereal flower petal suddenly materialized. However, Pei Zi Yun covered his forehead with his hands. After a few minutes, the petal disappeared.
"Luckily, this Plum Blossom can be hidden, or else it would attract attention." A wave of information flowed into Pei Zi Yun's mind. He then thought to himself, "The first petal of the Plum Blossom can absorb thoughts that do not have any supernatural powers. If it materializes, it can even absorb High Scholars' essays."
"My original ethereal petal could only absorb thoughts of High Scholars. Luckily, I couldn't find anything better to absorb, so I didn't notice it."
"The next step is to solve the problem of my spiritual roots."
"As for the white Qi earlier, it wasn't an illusion. It was my luck. It should be my newly acquired Elementary Scholar's luck. I don't know if using it like this will bring about any negative consequences. But since I've inherited this body, even if I use a little more, it won't be a big deal."
After paying his respects to his ancestors, he came out. Several women consoled him. One of them said, "Your son has become an Elementary Scholar, this is a joyous occasion. You should be happy."
Under the consolation of the crowd, Pei Qian Shi stopped crying. She smiled and said, "Yes yes, I won't cry, I won't cry. I'm happy, I'm happy."
She patted her head and laughed, "Look at how forgetful I am. Come, it's time to give out some money!"
Everyone laughed. Pei Qian Shi walked out of the house and calmed herself down. She took out some copper coins and handed them out. The children all smiled as they received the coins. Although it was only one or two coins, it was considered lucky money. Since they had children, their parents would treasure it well. "This is my husband's lucky money. Who knows, he might even be able to get some luck!"
With such a commotion, a villager came forward and said that a banquet had been prepared.
"Leader Cao, everyone, please come with us."
Leader Cao and a few other archers were a little unwilling to patrol this remote area. But since there was wine and meat to be had, they smiled and followed along.
The village was bustling with people, as though it was the new year. Pei Zi Yun was invited to sit down, and Pei Qian Shi sat beside him. At this point, Pei Zi Yun stood up, "Leader Cao and everyone, please take your seats."
The villagers were confused. Pei Zi Yun then said, "Today, I went to see the Chief Patrol Officer and told him about the Black Wind Sect. The Chief Patrol Officer was furious and sent Leader Cao and his brothers here to defend the village. They set up patrols and organized the villagers. From now on, the village will be under the protection of the government."
"Since that's the case, how can we not invite them to the banquet?"
The village chief was pouring a cup of wine when he heard these words. His hands trembled and the wine spilled out. He then regained his senses and hurriedly said, "That's right, that's right!"
His smile became even more passionate.
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