After reading the letter, Xu Guangqi did not speak for a long time. He looked at the flickering candle flame and sighed.
When the sun was up, Li Zhizao, who had also slept for a day and a half, rushed over to find Xu Guangqi.
He felt that he had done very well in the exam, and he could not help but want to share his happiness with his good friend. However, when he arrived outside Xu Guangqi's house, he was surprised to find a simple carriage parked in front of his good friend's house.
"Zixian, what are you doing?"
Li Zhizao looked at Xu Guangqi in surprise.
Xu Guangqi smiled and said, "Nothing much, I'm just leaving."
"Leaving?" Li Zhizao was shocked, "What is going on? The results for the general examinations have not been released and there is still the court examinations. Why are you leaving? "
"I will definitely fail the examinations. Staying is just a waste of money. It's better to leave as soon as possible. I don't want to waste my time here."
Li Zhizao could not understand what Xu Guangqi was saying. He held onto Xu Guangqi.
"Zixian, the results for the general examinations have not been released yet. Unless you hand in a blank script, you still have a chance of passing the provincial examinations. You should know that if you leave now and pass, how are you going to participate in the court examinations?"
Xu Guangqi shook his head.
"I tested myself and I know best. Zhenzhi, I will definitely fail this time. There is no need to waste a month. I should leave as soon as possible!"
Li Zhizao could not understand why Xu Guangqi was so sure that he would fail the examinations. However, he did not know what to say to comfort Xu Guangqi.
"Are you going back to your hometown?"
He could only ask this.
"No, I'm going to Shanxi."
Li Zhizao's eyes widened, "Shanxi? You're crazy, Zixian! There is a war going on there! Now that the place is in chaos, wouldn't you be courting death if you, a person without the strength to truss a chicken, went there? I will not allow you to go there! Also, what are you going there for?! "
Xu Guangqi looked at Li Zhizao's panicked face and said, "I am going to seek refuge with someone."
"Seek refuge with someone?"
Li Zhizao felt that his brain wasn't enough.
"Yes, I'm going to Xiao Zhennan."
"Ah?!"
Li Zhizao exclaimed, "Did I hear you right?"
"You didn't hear me wrong. I said I'm going to join Xiao Zhennan. I'm going to fight this war with him. After that, I might go to Myanmar! In any case, I don't want to stay here any longer. Before the next examination begins, I will always be by Xiao Zhennan's side. "
As he spoke, Xu Guangqi patted Li Zhizao's shoulder. "Zhenzhi, your literary talent is far above mine. You should be able to pass the midterm exam smoothly. I can only congratulate you in advance. If fate allows it, you and I will definitely meet again."
With that said, Xu Guangqi prepared to leave. Li Zhizao was stunned, and then shocked, he immediately stopped Xu Guangqi.
"Zixian, I don't care what's going on with you. It doesn't matter if you fail the test once. You can always make a comeback after three years. But don't you know how dangerous it is for you to go to Shanxi to seek refuge with Xiao Zhennan? You are a High Scholar! Don't put yourself in danger! It's not a big deal to fail once. How can you give up on yourself? "
This time, it was Xu Guangqi's turn to be stunned.
"Give up on myself? Me? "
Xu Guangqi couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Zhenzhi, how many times have I failed before the High Scholar exams? How can I give up on myself? This is what I want to do. I feel that I have to go to Shanxi to look for Xiao Zhennan. He is not an ordinary general. I have some doubts that I have since I was studying. Maybe Xiao Zhennan can help me solve them. "
"Solve your doubts? Xiao Zhennan? "
Li Zhizao shook his head and forced himself to calm down. "He is a general and doesn't study. You are a High Scholar. Why do you need Xiao Zhennan to solve your doubts? Zixian, are you still saying that you haven't given up on yourself? "
Xu Guangqi helplessly smiled bitterly, then sighed, put down his bag, and took out a letter from it.
"Take a look. You will know once you read it. This was given to me by someone last year."
"Last year?"
Xu Guangqi nodded his head. "When I was in Nanjing, I was on good terms with the Nanjing Minister of War, Ye Mengxiong. Lord Ye and Xiao Zhennan are old friends. When he found out that Xiao Zhennan was worried about finding talented people to govern Burma, he recommended me to him. Last winter, Xiao Zhennan sent someone to find me and brought me this letter and this."
Xu Guangqi took out a box from his bag and took out a gun from the box.
"Is this a gun?"
"This is not an ordinary gun."
Xu Guangqi pointed to the firing mechanism: "This is called a flintlock. It does not use a match to ignite the fire, but to collide the flintlock with the fire sickle. The friction produces sparks and ignites the gunpowder in the fire door, thus igniting the gun. This was obtained by Xiao Zhennan in Myanmar by copying the Franco's new flintlock. It is the same with the Hongyi cannon you mentioned before."
Li Zhizao looked at the exquisite gun in surprise. He shook his head and asked, "A gun is enough to make you give up your scholarly rank and follow Xiao Zhennan? Zixian, even if you like firearms, you don't need to go to this extent, right? "
"What do you mean by giving up my scholarly rank?"
Xu Guangqi was amused. "Am I not still a High Scholar? As long as there is a general examination, as long as I am not dead, I can continue to take the examinations. How is this giving up my scholarly rank? As for the reason, it is in this letter. "
Li Zhizao looked at the letter in his hand in bewilderment. He then opened the envelope and took out the letter and began to read it.
After a long time, Li Zhizao raised his head with a confused look in his eyes.
"Is he really a general?"
"Yes, he is."
Xu Guangqi laughed. He then took the letter from Li Zhizao's hand and put it in his bag.
"What do I study for? Is it just to become an official? Is it just to live a rich life? Is it to oppress the common people? Undeniably, it is because my family is poor and I am not good at making a living that I chose to take the imperial examinations. There is no other way for me to make a living.
That's why I'm ashamed and surprised that a military general can see this kind of thing, but I'm not aware of it. I almost forgot the original intention of being a scholar. I don't know when it started, but studying has actually become a means of accumulating wealth, and scholarly honors have become something to rely on. Zhenzhi, do you think this is right? "
Li Zhizao looked at Xu Guangqi in confusion and shook his head.
"Yes, I also think this is wrong. That is why I want to understand what is the right way to do it. There are not many people I can ask. Right now, I can only ask Xiao Zhennan. It just so happens that he is using it. Zhenzhi, we will definitely meet again."
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