Women Wearing Men: The Growth Path of the Bastards of the Aristocratic Family

Hearing that the man said he wanted to buy a test set, the shopkeeper of Rongfa Bookstore was startled at first, and then quickly returned to normal, pretending that he didn't understand anything: "What... test set? I haven't heard of it, I haven't, Go and ask elsewhere."

The man was obviously not fooled by him, and his expression was firm: "How could there be no one? I heard that this book is only sold by your Rongfa Bookstore, and it is not available elsewhere."

The shopkeeper was very cautious, and said: "I heard it from others? Where did you hear it?"

The man said: "Do you know about Wenchang Lane? I am an examiner who is taking the exam this year, and I am temporarily staying in the imperial examination hall over there. I heard from my fellow countrymen that you are selling useful exam preparation books, so I came here."

"You look quite strong, you don't look like a weak scholar." The shopkeeper remained vigilant, and looked at him suspiciously, "Since you are an exam candidate, do you have a status floating ticket?"

"Of course there is an identity ticket." The man took out the ticket from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The identity floating ticket of the imperial examination is similar to the admission ticket of the previous life. It contains information such as the candidate's name, place of origin, and facial features. It is formulated by the government, and it is impossible for ordinary people to forge.

The shopkeeper compared the man's appearance with the floating ticket, and confirmed that there was no problem. He put down most of his guard immediately, but still had doubts: "It's okay for you to come to buy the book some time ago. The key point is that the test is over now. You can buy it again." Any functions?"

The man calmly said: "Didn't the shopkeeper hear that? The imperial court will dismiss the last 150 tributes admitted this time, and hold a new general examination, only admitting scholars from the north. I am from the north, and I finally got a job again." A chance, want to hold Buddha's feet temporarily."

The shopkeeper didn't speak, struggling inwardly.Some time ago, the imperial court investigated the fraud in the imperial examination strictly. Although they were not found in the end, they still frightened the owner and ordered the suspension of business.In the past two days, the rumors have gradually subsided, but after all, the court has not yet made a conclusion, and selling books at this time is not a small risk.

The man saw his hesitation, and smiled slightly: "How about it, shopkeeper, I'll pay three times the price, how about it?"

triple the price?Wouldn't it be possible for him to hide some of it when he reimbursed his boss?
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and immediately changed into an enthusiastic attitude, and welcomed the man in: "Come, come, honored guests, please come in."

After entering the store, the shopkeeper took out a book from the back room and said to the man, "The honored customer is still a little behind. In fact, the "Jingfeng Eight-Year Exam Simulation Test Collection" was not very popular before the exam. The most recent one is this one—edited and edited by Luxi Sanjiete.”

Next, the shopkeeper introduced the members of the so-called "Three Heroes of Luxi", the origin of their names, etc., and bragged about the book by the way.The man didn't say a word from the beginning to the end, while listening silently, while observing the shopkeeper, he had a panoramic view of his various movements and demeanor.

At the end, the man nodded, ready to take out the money: "Well, that's all, how much is it?"

The shopkeeper smiled and stretched out two fingers: "200 taels of silver."

"How much?" The man paused, his eyes widened suddenly, "Even if I said that I would pay three times the price, then your original price would be more than 60 taels of silver a copy. Why are broken books so expensive? Are you stealing money? !"

The shopkeeper was not annoyed, and said unhurriedly: "You should also understand us. The imperial court is investigating fraud in the imperial examination these two days. Isn't it against the wind that I am selling you books now? Make the price higher, and if the owner asks about it afterwards , I also have an explanation."

Against the wind?

The man caught the word keenly, and said calmly: "Shopkeeper, but after all, it is not the same as before the test, and the test again is different from the previous one. The best time has passed, and the selling price is even higher than before. Gao, isn't it appropriate?"

The shopkeeper smiled all over his face: "That is to say, although there is no information about the newly opened examination questions in this book, at least there are articles imitating the writing styles of Cheng, Fang, and Gu, which comprehensively introduce how Close to their marking preferences and increase the admission rate."

"Besides, the last test happened to coincide with Cheng Yan's marriage, so he didn't participate in the examination papers. This time, after he finished his marriage leave, he will definitely serve as the same examiner with Fang Zigui and Gu Yunji. In this way, your paper will be recommended to the assistant examiner. The odds have increased, so a slightly higher price is reasonable.”

Hearing this, the man's eyes flickered, and the color of his eyes changed several times, and finally he hid his emotions perfectly, made a very painful look, gritted his teeth, took out the banknote and bought a book.

The shopkeeper took the money, he was so happy that he couldn't see his teeth, he smiled and sent the man out the door.

-

Outside the tribute courtyard, the scholars who had been in trouble for several days were still enthusiastic and gathered here filled with righteous indignation.Among them, a few who were particularly provocative gave an impassioned speech, denouncing the treacherous and sycophant in the court, deceiving the emperor, and manipulating the imperial examination to do whatever he wanted. He hurriedly went to the Ministry of Rites and forced the court to give an explanation.

On the teahouse beside the Gongyuan Street, Fang Zigui drank tea slowly and watched the whole farce in a leisurely manner before turning his eyes away and sneering disdainfully: "A group of mobs who are stupid in reading."

The entourage glanced downstairs, shook his head and said with a smile: "Look at them like this, there are still troubles. His Majesty has not expressed his position, the cabinet pretended to ignore the matter, and the three justices did not dare to announce the results after the investigation. The Ministry of Rites responds to complaints every day. The son is very busy, but their chief minister is still in prison, the capital has not seen such a thing for many years, and the court is almost in chaos."

Fang Zigui played with the teacup in his hand, his eyes wandering: "Yes, it is a rare chaos, it would be a pity not to take the opportunity to step on people in this muddy water."

As soon as the subject changed, he turned his eyes towards his followers: "Bai Xingjia, have you investigated clearly?"

The entourage said: "The investigation is clear. Bai Xingjia is from the Songjiang Prefecture. He was a candidate in the same year as Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan. He won the top three in the provincial examination. Later, when he went to the capital for the examination, the three of them still kept in touch. Three years ago, Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan were admitted as tributes, but Bai Xingjia failed."

"Before this exam, Gu Yunji and Cheng Yan went to see him, which shows that they have a good relationship."

Fang Zigui was thoughtful: "I'm from the same town as Gu Yunji, I passed the exam for this year's Huiyuan, and I was born in the south of the Yangtze River. At this moment in time, I'm the best candidate for all kinds of cutting-edge elements. "

As he said that, he laughed softly, his eyes were cold, and he said to himself: "Gu Yunji, Gu Yunji, these years I have watched you enter the Imperial Academy after high school, get married, have children and have a happy family, and live such a comfortable life. Do you forget that there is still an unsettled account between us?"

The fingers holding the teacup tightened suddenly, as if to crush it, Fang Zigui's eyes darkened, and a stern look flashed across his face: "You forgot, but I haven't. After so many years, it's time to come It's time to pay your debts."