Outside Ning An City, a caravan of ox-armored carriages was hurrying along. The sound of hooves and dust was flying everywhere. It was no different from an ordinary caravan.
In the fifth bullock-armored carriage, there were three dignified men in official robes. The one in the middle was an old man with a big beard. He didn't look like an old man in his seventies or eighties. Instead, he looked more like a bandit.
"General … Do you really want to do it yourself? Why don't you cut off the temple's talent and let us do it? This is different from the assassination of a scholar. At most, the Notre-Dame will send us to the Ancient Lands. Ever since we joined the army, we have been prepared to die, let alone this kind of punishment! "The scholar on the left said.
"Yes, with the help of the Literary Star, you can be promoted to a Grand Scholar in a short time. Eventually, you will become a Great Scholar."
The bearded old man laughed and revealed his white teeth. "If I, Zhang Poyue, want to kill someone, of course I will do it myself! Daring to cause trouble in Ning An City and slandering Fang Yun. This vengeance can't be delayed and can't be replaced by others. It's just that the disguise doesn't seem like my style. I will remove it after killing someone. "
"That means you won't be able to return to Saint Origin for at least ten years."
Zhang Poyue was very happy. "After ten years of training in the Ancient Lands, I will come back to kill Mount Liu! After killing Mount Liu, I will go to the Ancient Lands for another twenty years. When I come out, I will go to the Lei family! "
The two Grand Scholars dressed as merchants didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They had followed Zhang Poyue for many years and knew that this general was famous for being unscrupulous. However, when they heard him say these words, they felt that they couldn't keep up with his thought process.
"I heard that the people who assassinated Mount Liu are all imprisoned in Jingguo. The elder of the Punishment Court used the excuse that the Imperial Conference hasn't ended yet to send anyone to investigate the case. It seems like he is deliberately stalling for time and waiting for the Saints to rescue him. In my opinion, why don't you stall for time too? "
Zhang Poyue said helplessly. "If Li Wenying was here, I wouldn't have to kill Ji Zhibai. He would've killed him in a few slashes. Then … he would probably lead the various armies to break through Yuyang Pass and return to the capital to rescue the emperor, forcing Mount Liu to retire and return to his hometown. At that time, I would be a follower, waving flags and shouting battle cries. No matter what, I wouldn't have to go to the ancient lands to suffer. But now that Duke Jian Mei isn't here, I can't stand it anymore. I have to do it myself. Sigh, Fang Xusheng really left at a bad time … "
The two Jinshi generals rolled their eyes. Li Wenying and Zhang Poyue worked together. It was really possible that he would lead the army to surround the capital before the demons and barbarians, saying that he would force Mount Liu to retire and return to his hometown. Who knows where he would be killed.
"You killing Ji Zhibai is a bit demeaning. In my opinion, why don't you wait until you become a Grand Scholar or Great Scholar, and then directly kill that treacherous Prime Minister Mount Liu?"
"Using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken is a last resort. After all, a butcher's knife stained with blood is more terrifying than a pair of scissors. At this moment. Only I can do it! Anyway, I'm already sick of Jingguo. It's better for me to go to the Ancient Land to train. "
"Sigh …"
"We're almost at Ning An County …"
Someone opened the curtains and poked his head out to see the city walls of Ning An County.
There was a sea of people in front of the Ning An County Yamen. It was noisy like a tide. Most of the people were scholars wearing scholarly robes.
Ever since Fang Yun took the Court Examination, many scholars came to study. Some came to study. Some came to protect Ning An County, while others admired Fang Yun.
The surrounding scholars were incomparably sad and angry. A few of them looked determined. Occasionally, their eyes flashed with murderous intent.
The pit in front of the yamen grew bigger and bigger. More and more scholars jumped in. Some of them even held up Fang Yun's poems and essays.
The gates of the Ning An County Yamen were wide open. Two rows of yamen runners stood at the entrance. These yamen runners didn't make a sound. Their heads were lowered, and their faces were dark. They pretended not to see or hear anything.
The black paint on the two lions was particularly eye-catching.
"Ji Zhibai, come out!"
"Ji Zhibai, come out!"
…
Nobody knew when it started, but many scholars started to shout in unison.
After a while, there was still no one coming out from inside. Someone began to talk loudly.
"Ji Zhibai, come out!"
"Ji Zhibai, come out!"
…
Orderly shouts reverberated in the air above Ning An County.
As more and more scholars shouted, a strange power resonated with the Divine Temple and with the heavens and earth.
In a courtyard in the north of the city, a weather-beaten middle-aged man was dressed neatly. He had a hunting bow on his back and was facing the door of his house.
Inside the door, a middle-aged woman was holding the hands of her two daughters.
The family of four had white cloth wrapped around their waists. The two little girls were even wearing mourning clothes.
The middle-aged hunter looked at his two daughters kindly and said, "Father is going to hunt deer. When I come back, I'll make meat for you to eat. When I'm not home, you have to listen to your mother. Do you hear me? "
"Yes!" The two cute little girls smiled sweetly and agreed obediently.
"I'm … leaving." The middle-aged hunter glanced at his wife. He didn't know what she was afraid of, but he only dared to glance at her. Then, he suddenly turned his head and strode away.
"Mother … why are you crying? You never cried when father went out to hunt. "The eldest daughter looked up at her mother strangely.
"Mother isn't crying. It's just sand in my eyes." The middle-aged woman hurriedly let go of her daughter's hand and wiped her tears with her sleeve. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wipe them all away.
"Liar!" the younger daughter said timidly.
"I'll call father back." The eldest daughter stepped out, but her mother grabbed her hand tightly.
The two daughters looked at their mother in confusion. They didn't know why she was crying, but after a while, they began to cry as well.
"Wang Family's sister-in-law, my husband's body is weak. We don't ask for anything else. Go and see him when you're free. Talk to him!"
The two girls looked up in surprise and saw a neighboring father and son talking to their mother. The son had just turned eighteen and was said to have a chance of passing the imperial examinations.
But now, the father was holding a hoe and the son was holding a sickle.
The Wang Family's sister-in-law turned cold for a moment before bursting into tears.
The father and son didn't say anything else and strode away.
The two little girls blinked and wiped away their tears. They felt that the father and son were very similar to their father.
Following that, the two little girls saw people constantly passing by the door. Some of them were holding farming tools like hoes, sickles, and iron picks. Some of them were carrying kitchen knives and wooden sticks. There were also people who were not carrying anything, but their robes were bulging.
These people had white cloth wrapped around their waists.
"Grandpa, uncle …" The two little girls suddenly spoke.
The old man and the middle-aged man who were passing by stopped. Both of them were holding wooden sticks with sharpened ends. The old man even had a copper pipe in his mouth.
The middle-aged man looked over and looked at his sister and two nieces with a complicated expression.
The old man's gaze was indifferent. He took two puffs of his pipe and took out the pipe from his mouth. He gently exhaled white smoke. His eyes looked straight ahead at the horizon. He didn't turn his head and didn't look at his daughter and granddaughter inside the door.
The two were only a few steps apart.
The Wang Family's sister-in-law looked at the familiar faces of her relatives and couldn't hold it in anymore. She cried and shouted: "What's the use of these sticks! What's the use of kitchen knives! What's the use of hoes … "Before she finished speaking, she burst into tears.
The two little girls seemed to hear the people in the neighborhood crying.
The old man smacked his lips and still looked ahead. He slowly said: "Talent will eventually run out. Let's go! "
After the old man finished speaking, he held the stick in his right hand and put his left hand behind his back. He slowly walked forward as if he was taking a walk with a birdcage.
The middle-aged man followed closely.
The two little girls didn't understand. They only felt very sad. It was as sad as when they heard that County Magistrate Xiao Fang had passed away. Their tears couldn't stop flowing.
(To be continued.)
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