What on Earth Was That Smell?
Shen Yu'an turned and ran, while the prefect, panting heavily with anger, demanded, "Who do you think did this?"
Someone sighed and said, "Who else could it be? Within a hundred miles, only Black Wind Stronghold could cause such a commotion."
"Black Wind Stronghold? That can't be right. There are over 100 soldiers outside our warehouse. How did Black Wind Stronghold get into our warehouse?"
The prefect frowned and said:
"Is there no one who can attack Black Wind Stronghold? Are we just going to let him run rampant here?"
That's the grain I painstakingly saved up!
I'm so angry! I'm so angry! Go and call Cheng Xiao over.
Cheng Xiao quickly arrived at the prefectural government office. The prefect looked at him and said, "These Black Wind Stronghold are simply audacious. You must find a way to eliminate Black Wind Stronghold today."
Cheng Xiao's heart skipped a beat and she said:
"My lord, you know perfectly well that Black Wind Stronghold is easy to defend but difficult to attack."
Even when the second prince of Kingdom of Khotan came, he couldn't conquer it.
We're afraid we have the will but not the strength!
The prefect roared, "Are we just going to let them shit and piss on our heads?"
Cheng Xiao looked at him and said:
"That's not it. I heard that the leaders of Black Wind Mountain Stronghold are in Yunxi County recently."
I always felt there was something seriously wrong with Yunxi County.
The prefect squinted and said:
"That reminds me of what happened before. This Shen Yu'an refused to hand over the tax grain."
But just last night, my grain was stolen, while he handed over all his grain.
I have a feeling something's not right here. Do you think Shen Yu'an might be colluding with those robbers?
Cheng Xiao thought for a moment and said, "I think that's very likely. The best way is to keep an eye on those people and make sure they fail the imperial examination."
The prefect looked at him and said:
"I'm leaving this matter to you. Make sure these robbers don't get on the list."
If I were to actually be on the list, wouldn't that be a joke?
Cheng Xiao nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir, I will absolutely not let them be on the list."
The prefect looked at him and said, "It would be best to take this opportunity to get rid of them."
Cheng Xiao suddenly said:
"There's another way. It doesn't matter if they pass the county-level imperial examination; we'll definitely invite them to the government office then."
"Once we lay a tight net, they absolutely won't be able to escape. Then, whether we kill them or torture them will be entirely up to us with a single command."
The prefect's eyes lit up and he said, "I feel this idea is better than the one from above. Let's do it this way!"
How could Zhou Wanwan know all this?
She is studying hard for the exams, which are increasingly difficult, and there are a total of five sessions.
This is the second test today. It took Zhou Wanwan half an hour to finish this test paper.
After finishing the test, she looked at the Old Scholar Tree not far away, and a basket was passed from the roots of the Old Scholar Tree into Zhou Wanwan's window.
The Old Scholar Tree moved very fast, in a flash, so fast that most people couldn't even see it.
Zhou Wanwan took out the food and started eating; lunch was a must.
But it doesn't seem right to let her cook here either, as open flames are not allowed to ensure safety here.
Therefore, most students can only eat cold rice, which easily causes diarrhea.
It's still winter, so most students can only eat a big breakfast and then just have some flatbread for lunch to tide them over.
Today's lunch was quite good: a braised pork knuckle, a scallion-braised pork rib, and a bowl of ginseng and black chicken soup. The soup was clear, nourishing, and delicious.
Not only did she have one, but Gu Sinian, her three brothers, and even Zhou Fusheng all had the exact same one.
As the group was engrossed in writing, Zhou Fusheng sniffed the air and muttered, "What is that smell? It smells so good!"
He turned around and saw the dishes on the table.
Zhou Fusheng swallowed hard and said, "This... this is for me?"
The Old Scholar Tree outside nodded. Zhou Fusheng naturally recognized it. He had almost finished his test paper and rolled it up.
As they began eating, Qian Jinbao, who was sitting across from them, was already starving. The aroma of the food made his stomach rumble loudly.
Zhou Fusheng was right across from him, eating braised pork knuckle, which was really delicious.
He ate two, then picked up a hot towel from the side and wiped his hands.
They then ate grilled pork ribs with scallions and ginseng black chicken soup.
Qian Jinbao's saliva slowly dripped down his throat; he couldn't stop it at all.
It accidentally dripped onto the exam paper.
He looked down and let out a howl; the test paper was a complete mess.
Gu Sinian lowered his head and ate his own food. Gu Erdan across from him glared at him fiercely and said, "Gu Sinian, what are you eating? Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Gu Sinian ignored him completely because talking was not allowed in the examination room.
The constable beside him looked at him and said, "Do you want to be thrown out? What are you shouting about?"
Gu Erdan pointed at Gu Sinian and said, "He's eating here, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
The constable sneered, "You can eat it too, who cares? As long as you can bring it in, you can eat it."
Gu Erdan sneered, "You said it yourself, I'll bring my own food in tomorrow."
The next day, Gu Erdan brought a lot of food and sneered:
"You think you can eat all that good food? Look at what I'm eating!"
It's all braised pork, chicken legs, and fish...
Qian Jinbao was even angrier. He hadn't done well on the test yesterday, so he would try to eat more today.
Qian Jinbao brought a lot of food today, all top-quality meat. The aroma was so enticing that it made everyone's mouths water as soon as the food box was opened.
A braised chicken with chestnuts, and a roasted chicken with crispy skin.
There was also a whole roasted duck, plus a large piece of roasted, juicy lamb—all the hearty dishes typically found at banquets.
But to their surprise, when it was their turn to inspect, the constables took long sticks and started stirring the food boxes violently.
A perfectly good braised chicken was stabbed to pieces, roast chicken and roast duck were riddled with holes, and roast lamb was also stabbed beyond recognition.
Qian Jinbao almost cried from anger; he completely lost his appetite.
Gu Erdan did the same, he stirred the food so badly that it was inedible.
Gu Sinian slowly walked into the examination hall. Gu Erdan snorted and said, "Gu Sinian, just you wait and see. I'm sure I'll pass this time. I'll show you how amazing I am."
Gu Sinian was too lazy to pay him any attention; he had never had a good impression of the people from Gu Family Village.
Gu Erdan said angrily, "You just wait! The people from Gu Family Village will arrive tonight."
Gu Sinian said calmly, "We're not from Gu Family Village."
Gu Erdan said sarcastically:
"Indeed, once you're kicked out of Gu Family Village, you're no longer an outsider."
But your mother is looking for you everywhere! You'll just have to wait!
Gu Sinian pursed his lips and remained silent. Did he still have a mother?
He remembered everything that happened back then clearly. He remembered how his mother abandoned him and his father, so from that day on, he had no mother.