Wei Shu

Chapter 259 Lao Wu
The academy grounds are located on the edge of the North Building, close to the high courtyard wall. Going north from the East Building, one has to pass through most of the academy.

After arriving at the place, Wei Shu looked around and saw that the school ground was not too big, only three or four acres of land. It was surrounded by a fence and there were a few scattered houses outside the fence. They were presumably used by the schoolmasters to rest. In addition, There is also a stable, with the door facing the entrance of the school grounds.

The examiner of the royal examination was in the stable.

After Du Huiniang brought Wei Shu and the tall and strong girl, she finally checked their names, identities, etc. After finishing the transaction with the examiner, she immediately left with Gu Mancang.

The already deserted school grounds became even more empty.

The sky was extremely cloudy, and the wind seemed to have picked up. Fine snowflakes were swirling in the wind, and rushed into the open door. The horses in the stalls were fed by the cold wind, and screamed "chirp". It brings out a bit of desolation.

The sounds and movements of horses, howling wind, snow falling, and students nervously waiting for the exam, did not disturb the examiner.

At this moment, he was slowly putting a saddle on an old horse with his back to Wei and Shu.

Wei Shu focused her gaze and looked at the man.

The man's hands are very steady, and his arms are slightly bulging when exerting force.Even though it was freezing cold, he only wore a thin brown coat, and his bun was wrapped with a cloth handkerchief whose color could no longer be seen. His whole body was full of warmth from the inside out. Chill.

It was an aura of coldness and blood that was inconsistent with the academy. Wei Shu could tell almost at a glance that this person must be from the military.

The royal arts examiners of White Rock Academy are indeed very ordinary people.

While she was thinking, Wei Shu's sleeve was suddenly touched by someone.

She didn't need to look back to know that this must be Yang Qiniang - that is, the tall and strong girl - who was a little impatient with the wait.

Sure enough, as soon as she turned her eyes, Yang Qiniang frowned and winked at her, mouthing the words "what to do".

Although Wei Shu just stood there calmly, for some reason, she always gave people a sense of calmness and trustworthiness. Yang Qiniang subconsciously regarded the other party as someone who could make decisions and asked without thinking too much.

Even though the two of them didn't know each other a moment ago, and she didn't even remember Wei Shu's name, she did this.

Wei Shu also felt that waiting like this was not an option.

The wind and snow outside were getting tighter, and the snow had lingered all night and the road was slippery. It was no longer easy to ride a horse, and it was even harder to get the first prize. She didn't want to go back empty-handed this morning.

She tightened her arrow sleeves, walked over the grass scattered on the ground and walked behind the man. Just as she was about to speak, the man suddenly said:

"Don't call me husband, just call me Lao Wu."

He spoke Mandarin with a distinct local accent, as if he came from the north.And this further confirmed Wei Shu's guess.

The Song Dynasty did station an army on the northern border. The leader was a famous general after the founding of the country, who was good at fighting and brave.There are rumors that several generals of the Liao Kingdom suffered losses at the hands of this person, but I don’t know whether it is true or not.

Inexplicably being robbed by the examiner, Wei Shu said this sentence for free. There was no change in Wei Shu's face, and she still walked forward slowly and smoothly, bowing and saluting:
"The student has met the examiner."

Calling him this way is more polite than calling him "Lao Wu" directly, and it doesn't violate the teacher's order.

Yang Qiniang suddenly understood. With an expression on her face, "Ah, so it can be like this", she followed suit and followed suit.

Lao Wu had already put on the saddle, and pulled the stirrup a few times, tested the tightness, and straightened out the straps beside the saddle. Then he finally turned around and looked at the two young ladies.

Wei Shu also looked at him with the corner of her eyes:
He is of medium height and well-proportioned, with average facial features and no distinguishing features. One leg seems to be lame. He is about forty years old.

Very ordinary appearance.

Because of this, when the examiner who called himself "Lao Wu" looked at the person, his murderous aura suddenly faded a lot, and he looked like an ordinary commoner, a stronger one at most. "You two signed up to pull the car?"

Lao Wu grinned, as if he was a little amused.

This smile further diluted his military aura, and made his whole person become warmer, and he seemed to have a good temper.

"My place hasn't been open for almost ten years, but as soon as it opened, two people came here. It's really fresh."

Without waiting for Wei Shu and Wei Shu to reply, Lao Wu quickly spoke to himself again in a rather emotional tone.

Naturally, Wei Shu and the others would not respond to the examiner's words, and remained silent.

But Lao Wu didn't sigh for too long. He quickly cheered up, patted the old horse beside him and said:
"Which one of you will come first?"

Wei Shu paused and looked around subconsciously. Yang Qiniang beside her also turned her head and looked around, still muttering in a low voice:
"Where's the car? Why don't you have a car?"

Yu means to drive a chariot.

When Wei Shu became emperor, the two armies still focused on chariots in battles, but now the world is dominated by infantry and cavalry, and chariots have long been useless.

However, Yu still remained in the name of one of the Six Arts of the Gentleman, and during the examination, he was changed to driving ordinary vehicles rather than chariots.

But now there is only one old horse, how can this be tested?
"You don't need to use the car for now. You two will each ride around for a while to show me."

Lao Wu patted the old horse again. The horse seemed to understand his name, snorted and leaned over, rubbing his face affectionately.

It was during this turn that Wei Shu's eyes were quick and she saw a distinct mark on the horse's belly.

It turned out to be a war horse.

However, now this war horse, like its owner, has aged, and its former vigor has been replaced by injuries, and it no longer has the opportunity to gallop on the battlefield.

"Don't you know that the rules of the Royal Examination have changed?"

Lao Wu was not angry at the ladies' doubts, and even explained in detail.

It turns out that since ten years ago, the rules of the Royal Examination have been changed, from one exam to two exams, the preliminary exam and the re-examination.

The initial test is to ride a horse and run a lap around the school field, and it must be completed within the specified time and within the specified lines. If one item is not met, it will be a C grade; if it is not met in two items, it will only be the lowest D.

On the other hand, if you pass the initial test successfully, you will get at least a B grade.

The retest is real driving, but the size of the vehicle is stipulated, and it can only drive up to three horses. The content of the test is to drive back and forth between more than ten roadblocks set up on the school grounds within the specified time, and you can get Achieved first-class results.

"Where is the A-level award? How can I get the A-level award?" Yang Qiniang was anxious and asked first.

Lao Wu seemed to be very talkative, and she was no longer as timid as before.

Hearing this, Lao Wu reached out and pointed to the side: "Have you seen that thing?"

Wei Shu looked in the direction he pointed and saw a stone pier in the open space of the stable. On it was a small incense burner with half an incense stick inside.

(End of this chapter)