Good luck with koi carp

Chapter 149 Three Kings Rebellion
For half a month, the Chi family's father and daughter could not wait for a vacant carriage to rent, so they were forced to stay in this port city that was still a few days away from Kyoto.


Seeing that time was dragging on longer and longer, the weather was getting colder. If it snowed, it would be much more difficult to start the journey. Chi Xiucai couldn't sit still. He began to consider whether to leave some of his luggage behind and rent a few cars. Travel with a horse or a few donkeys.


It is strange to say that for some reason, the horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts and even ox-carts here, as long as they can be used to pull goods, have been rented out in large numbers, so that they, individual travelers, want to rent a car. No, the trouble has become so bad that even traveling has become a problem.


Originally, a port city like this with a cargo terminal should have a lot of rental vehicles and horses. As a result, not only the Chi family and his daughter, but also some businessmen who came to do business could not find vehicles to transport goods.


In a short period of time, seeing so many stranded passers-by hoarding in the city, there was no movement from the government.


"Isn't there even a public carriage?" Chi Li asked her father.


In order to facilitate travelers, the imperial court set up fixed public carriages, donkey carts, ox carts, etc. between post stations in various regions. No matter what kind of vehicles they were, there was interconnected public transportation between some relatively prosperous areas.


If that's not possible, the father and daughter can still squeeze into these public transportation, but the process may be a little more difficult. After all, there are many people on the bus and the environment is not very clean.


However, even if he lowered his requirements, Chi Xiucai still shook his head: "I heard that even the public carriages at the inn have been rented, and now there are only a few old horses left. If we don't hurry up, maybe even these horses will be lost." Can’t grab it.”


After all, they were not the only ones who were anxious to leave.


Some people even couldn't rent a carriage and simply walked with their luggage.


"It's strange. No matter what happens, we won't even lose the carriages that maintain public transportation, right?" Chi Li looked suspicious.


When something went wrong, there must be a monster. She suddenly didn't want to arrive in Kyoto so early. She felt that nothing good might happen if she went now.


"Dad, why don't we continue to stay here? Anyway, it's only the end of November now, and it's still early for the spring of next February. Kyoto is at the foot of the imperial city. There are many people and expensive things. We need to find something there. Not only is it expensive to stay here for a long time, but it may not be as suitable for my daughter to study as here now. Fortunately, this place is not far from Kyoto, only three or four days away at most. Even if we still can't wait for a rental carriage, we You can walk to Kyoto without any trouble." Chili persuaded her father.


Although the three-four-day journey in her words refers to the distance traveled by horse-drawn carriage, the speed of the horse-drawn carriage is actually not very fast, and the ancient roads are not as easy to walk as modern times, so if you use two legs to travel, it will take half a month. , they could still reach Kyoto in as little as ten days.


So as long as you allow enough time for the journey, it won't be a waste to stay longer in this city, and you can also save some money.


Chi Li knew that her father didn't actually have that much money with him when he took her to Beijing. After all, the family planned to buy farmland, so how could they all provide so much money for them to use on the journey.


Although they definitely brought enough money, at least enough for their trip to Beijing and back, they couldn't spend it so lavishly, so naturally they could save a little.


And now that there is a shortage of transportation in this city, is it possible to get the few old horses with others at the original price?

This must be impossible.


Now if they want to rent horses, the price will be several times higher than the original price. They don't want to be taken advantage of.


Listening to his daughter's analysis one by one, Chi Xiucai also felt that what she said made sense. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and replied: "Well, let's wait a little longer, but it will be two months at most. If we still can't rent it after two months, If you get a carriage, no matter it’s a walking carriage or something else, you have to set off for Beijing.”


"Ah."


One thing Ichili didn't mention is that it will start to snow here if we wait a little longer. If we are unlucky enough to encounter heavy snow and road closures, I'm afraid I won't be able to reach Kyoto by foot.


But she always felt that it was easy to get into big trouble in Beijing now, so it was better to avoid it.


I thought it would take a long time to wait.


But as if to confirm Chili's premonition, when the first heavy snow fell in December, a big incident occurred in Kyoto.


The three kings rebelled!


The three brothers of the current empress, King Rui, King Xin and King Cheng, used the empress to take the throne on a woman. They violated the ancestral etiquette and risked the injustice of the world. They jointly conspired to overthrow the empress' regime and establish a new one. emperor.


It is not yet known who the new emperor they want to establish is. Anyway, these three kings are determined to force the empress to step down. They even secretly assembled an army of [-] people and united with the courtiers in the court who had always opposed the empress' ascension. Kyoto was besieged.


When Chili and the others heard the news, they almost broke into the palace.


"Li'er... why don't we... go home?"


When they first heard the news, the father and daughter happened to be having dinner in the lobby of the inn. Immediately, Chi Xiucai's face turned pale, and his tone of voice when talking to his daughter was full of caution.


Because he knew very well in his heart that his daughter was one of the vested interests in the empress' ascendance. Now if the empress loses power, all the policies that were beneficial to women will naturally be abolished. Then whether his daughter can keep her reputation as a successful candidate is a matter of two questions. said.


And since she can no longer be admitted to the exam, let alone continue to take the Chunwei exam, she may not even be qualified to step into the entrance exam.


Therefore, Chi Xiucai was afraid that the chaos in Kyoto would spread, and at the same time he was worried that his daughter would not be able to bear the excitement.


"It's okay, Dad, let's wait a little longer. I believe that the Holy One will not allow these rebellious officials and traitors to continue to cause chaos. The rebellion in Kyoto should be put down soon. Just wait a little longer, and wait patiently."


Compared to her father's panic, Chi Li seemed much calmer.


It's not because she really has confidence in the empress she has never met, but because she believes that the merit she has gained from other girls who were influenced by her and got the opportunity to go to school is real.


If their future destiny hadn't changed because of her, if they hadn't benefited others after they had the chance to become better, how could Chili have gained such merit?


If something really happened, then the merits she had gained in advance would have been automatically deprived of her long ago and would not have been firmly concentrated on her. Therefore, it can be inferred that the empress should be the winner in this rebellion. Fan.


And all this has actually been foreshadowed before.


Recalling those carriages and horses that were suddenly rented out in large numbers, and the government that had no response at all, Chi Li lowered her eyes, already thinking about it.


"Ugh……"


Seeing that he could not convince his daughter, Chi Xiucai only thought that she was unwilling to give in. In fact, he was not willing to give in. After all, the hard work his children had put in to take the scientific examination was seen by them as parents. How could I bear to let all this go to waste?

"Then just wait." Maybe there is still hope.


Nowadays, Chi Xiucai can only think like this.


Little people like them have no control over the matters at hand. The only thing they can do is to silently hope that things will develop in a direction that is more beneficial to them.


Both father and daughter may have been so immersed in the bad news of the Three Kings' Rebellion that they didn't notice that someone sitting a little behind them looked at Chi Li with some admiration.


No, Chili still noticed.


But when she looked back, she couldn't find the source of her gaze. The seats where people were supposed to be sitting were now empty.


The second wave of news related to the Three Kings' Rebellion came after several days. At that time, the second snow also fell. The outside was covered with snow. Chili put on the clothes her mother specially gave her at home. The prepared cotton-padded jacket skirt is covered with a goose-yellow cloak with white fur edges.


She is relatively frost-resistant. Compared to her father who forcibly transformed her from a slim and handsome man into a middle-aged fat man, Chi Li's clothes can at least show off her figure.


In order to get useful information as soon as possible these days, the father and daughter ate in the hotel lobby almost every morning and evening.


The flow of news here is naturally relatively well-informed, but just relying on the time spent eating is obviously not enough.


However, going downstairs for every meal was the limit. Chili had no time to spend more time on this aspect. Even if there was a possibility that she would never be able to take the imperial examination again, she would still study and study according to the original plan every day, preparing for the coming spring. Prepare.


Fortunately, what Chi Xiucai has most now is time.


He rushes around the city's teahouses and restaurants every day. Whenever he hears someone discussing a related topic, he always shamelessly goes up to listen. The more he listens, the more details he will slowly piece together.


At the same time, when the news came that the rebellion of the three kings was suppressed by the empress with thunderous means and peace was restored in Kyoto, Chi Xiucai also learned the good news immediately.


He almost skipped and trotted all the way back to inform his daughter. The smile on his face was so bright that it couldn't even be frozen in the snowy sky, attracting many passers-by's glances.


"Li'er Li'er, good news, good news, the rebellion of the Three Kings has been suppressed by the Holy One. You can participate in the Spring Festival normally, hahaha..."


Chi Li was writing a policy paper when his father rushed in to announce the good news. Hearing this, he didn't even bother to pay attention to the article he was writing in the middle of. He quickly stood up and said with a happy face: "Really?"


Although she had expected it, when she actually got the exact news, she was a little unbelievable.


"It's really true. It's absolutely true. I have found several people for father's confirmation several times, and they all said it is true." Chi Xiucai nodded repeatedly, feeling very happy: "Fortunately, the Holy One was wise and had insight into the rebellion of the three kings in advance. I have already ordered the General Protector of the Country to lead his troops and make arrangements near Kyoto. When the three kings rise up, they will immediately suppress them with thunderous force and quell the chaos."


If the rebellion of the three kings really succeeded, the father and daughter would probably have to pack up their things and go back home immediately. It was not that they were afraid of making the trip in vain, but mainly because they were afraid that their daughter's hopes of taking the imperial examination would be dashed.


Now everything is going in the direction that is most beneficial to them, and they don't need to worry about anything anymore. Their daughter only needs to continue to prepare for the exam with peace of mind, and he can also look for carriage rentals in the next few days. If he can arrange it early, If appropriate, the father and daughter can leave for Beijing earlier.


Now is the time when a large number of students begin to go to Beijing to take the exams. The two of them who set off in advance have become the same as others.
I don’t know if I can find a suitable place to stay after entering Beijing. It’s not like what happened during the college and provincial examinations. Because there were too many students coming to take the exams, the inns in Kyoto were full and there was no room to stay, right?

Although it was clear that he had not yet started his journey again, Chi Xiucai began to have new worries.


Chili doesn't think as much as her father. She just thinks that since the rebellion in Kyoto has been put down, the "disappeared" carriages in the city should also come back, right?


Sure enough, after a few days, all places in the city where carriages could be rented began to rent out carriages, and the prices returned to their previous levels, as if the previous shortage had never occurred.


The Chi family's father and daughter did not waste any time. As soon as they got the news that a carriage was available for rent, they ran to the inn and used Chi Li's seal as a certificate to rent two spacious carriages first.


As spring approaches, the imperial court issued a new notice, requiring post stations in various places to rush to Beijing to take the exams.


After struggling for a long time, she finally set foot on the journey to Kyoto again. Chili was a little touched, but it was only a momentary emotion. She soon immersed herself in the book under the admiring eyes of Fu Lu and Wang Mama.


Chili is reading an arithmetic book recently.


It was only later that she found out that arithmetic questions would also be asked in the general examination.


There is no specific standard for Chi Li's mathematics level. She can count, but only the parts that are needed in daily life. She cannot do the specially asked arithmetic problems, or she has never done them.


Fortunately, her mind stores all the memories of the hosts she had possessed before, including the knowledge they learned when they were in school. However, Chili had not looked through it carefully before, so she kept it aside. It will be needed later. She only needs to recall more memories, and she can learn the knowledge they have learned along with the owner of those memories in her memory.


Of course, this kind of learning method can only be regarded as swallowing up the facts, and there is still a certain distance from the true understanding. But it doesn't matter. In fact, the arithmetic questions that appear in the examination are just extra points, and they do not occupy a decisive position.


You will naturally be good at doing it. Maybe just by relying on this small increase in points, you can rank higher than others. A higher rank means a higher chance of winning the ranking. Historically, it is not true that no one is good at arithmetic. And those who defeated other competitors to become Jinshi and became officials.


But if you really can't, if your talents in other areas are high enough, your answers to the questions are good enough, and your grades are good enough to defeat all competitors, you can still be admitted to the Jinshi.


In the final analysis, it depends on whether the candidate's own academic level is strong enough.


Chili also understood this, so even though she found out very late that the arithmetic test was required in the general examination, she still followed her own pace and learned the most important things first, and then turned around and took time to learn arithmetic.


To deal with arithmetic problems, especially when time is tight, it is best to rely on problem-solving tactics in addition to your own understanding.


As long as you study enough questions, you will naturally know how to answer and which formula to apply when you encounter the same type of questions in the exam.


For this reason, Chi Li also asked her father to help collect all the arithmetic questions that had been asked in the previous dynasty examinations, and planned to finish all these questions, so that she would have an understanding of the arithmetic level and arithmetic question types of this dynasty. I also felt more confident during the exam.


These title books are sold in any bookstore.


Ancient people are just ancient, not stupid. The imperial examination has been carried out for many years and has gone through several dynasties. During such a long time, there are naturally smart people who can see the hidden business opportunities here, so let alone the arithmetic tests of this dynasty. There are all kinds of title books for the previous dynasties and previous dynasties.


It's just that Chi Li couldn't get through the questions of this dynasty, so she didn't waste money on buying so many useless question books.


When the father and daughter finally arrived in Kyoto after many twists and turns, it was already mid-January of the following year.


There is only half a month left before the test.


As Chi Xiucai expected, as the examination was approaching, candidates from all over the country gathered in Kyoto who were preparing to participate in the examination. The flow of people in the city suddenly increased a lot.


Fortunately, as the capital of a country and the economic and political center of the country, Kyoto is more prosperous than the father and daughter imagined. The capacity of the inn here can fully accommodate so many new arrivals, so there is no need to worry about running out of place to stay.


They only need to worry about whether they can grab the inn closest to Gongyuan, and if they can't grab it, where can they find a place to stay near the examination venue.


Originally, Chi Xiucai thought that since the father and daughter arrived so late, they might not have been able to check into the inn next to the Gongyuan. The reason why he didn't give up and went to ask around was just to see if he could find something he missed.


However, it just so happened that a small inn located in a relatively remote alley had two rooms left, and Chi Xiucai snatched them up immediately.


"How to allocate these two guest rooms?" Chili asked her father.


Including the accompanying servants, there were six of them in total. If they wanted to live in only two rooms, they would either have to squeeze in or arrange for some people to find another place to live.


"This is at the foot of the Imperial City. There are Jing Zhaoyin's patrols patrolling around day and night. Especially now that the National Examination is about to take place, the higher-ups will only pay more attention to the security of the city. No one will dare to commit any crime. In this way, we, father and daughter, There is no need to leave too many people around, so let Ahu and Mama Wang find an inn somewhere further away to stay, while Fengwen will stay with me and Fulv will follow you so that it can be convenient for you."


Chi Xiucai pondered for a moment and then made the most appropriate arrangement.


Ahu and Fengwen were his bodyguards and servants. They both knew some martial arts and protected the safety of the father and daughter along the way.


Mother Wang and Fulv came to serve their daughter.


His daughter had to concentrate on the exam and not be distracted by other things. She had to have people around her to take care of her, and he was not worried about letting his daughter live in a room alone in this strange place, so one of Wang's mother and Fulv had to stay with her. Just in case, he still had to keep a bodyguard by his side, so Chi Xiucai chose Kung Fu, which was better, and stayed with Feng Wen.


The remaining two servants asked them to find another place to stay. Anyway, as long as they left the Gongyuan area, it was easy to find an inn with available rooms.


For this reason, Chi Xiucai specially gave some silver to Wang's mother so that she and Ahu could live in Kyoto during this period.


After arranging a place to live, Chi Li started the life of being locked in a room and studying every day. If nothing unexpected happened, this life would continue until the exams started.


However, life is always full of little surprises.


After arriving in Kyoto, they didn't just sit back and wait for the exam to start. They also had to go to the government with various documents such as the election certificate, identity and household registration, and roadmap, pay the exam fee, and wait for Chili to record the candidate information. Finally, I successfully applied for the general examination.


The examination fee for the general examination is two taels of silver per person. This money is charged for pen and ink, which is the fee for your exam paper, scratch paper, and pen, ink, inkstone and other materials provided by the examination room.


Similarly, all daily necessities for candidates will be provided inside the examination room. This part is free and subsidized by the national treasury. Therefore, candidates are not allowed to bring anything into the examination room except an "admission ticket" distributed by the government. The only clothes allowed are the candidates' own clothes, and the regulations stipulate that only single clothes are allowed, and clothes with layers are not allowed.


Compared with other examinations, the stipulations in preventing cheating are more stringent and unkind, but this is also the experience summed up by past dynasties.


It can only be said that behind every strict rule, there is a bloody story.


Presumably no one wants to risk their lives to try it.


"Dad, it's okay. No matter how cold it is, it only lasts nine days, and it will be over after my daughter endures it." Chili walked out of the government gate with her father, comforting her worried father as they walked.


Chi Xiucai has always had this expression since he heard that he could only wear single clothes during the exam, and there were restrictions on the number of clothes he could wear.


The weather is so cold now that anyone wearing less clothing can be frozen into ice cubes. He is worried that his daughter will be frozen during the exam.


Especially after he heard that a candidate had actually frozen to death in the examination room before, he was even more worried. If it weren't for the fact that he still had some sense, Chi Xiucai would have wanted to persuade his daughter not to take the exam.


At this time, listening to his daughter's consolation could not make him relax. On the contrary, it became aggravated, and he couldn't help nagging his daughter: "You are still young and don't understand that a woman's body is most taboo about getting cold. Now you can't resist the cold." It's just because you are young, but no matter how good your body is, you can't bear to live in this cold weather for so many days wearing so few single clothes. If... if something happens to you, how can I go back? Explain to your mother?"


"There's nothing we can do about it. Can we still skip the exam?"


Seeing that she couldn't persuade her father, Chi Li just said it in a cowardly manner.


"Sigh." Xiucai Chi also understands the truth, but this is not...forget it: "I'm going to ask my father which doctor has the best medical skills here."


After her daughter finished the exam, she took the doctor and stood guard outside the gate of Gongyuan to rescue people as soon as possible.


Chili: "...then I thank you."


Why can't you hope to get better from her?
Suddenly, Chili paused, looked through the crowd, and looked up at someone.

Her sudden stop aroused the confusion of her father beside her: "Li'er?"

"Dad, I want to eat candied haws." As if nothing happened, Chili pointed to the gourd vendor in front and asked her father to buy it coquettishly.

"Okay, buy it. I'll buy it for you." It's been a long time since my daughter acted coquettishly. Today, it was rare that my daughter acted coquettishly and wanted to eat candied haws. Chi Xiucai immediately agreed and bought two bunches for her.

"It's cold now, so the candied haws can't go bad. I'll eat one bunch today and save one bunch for tomorrow. It's just right."

"Thank you, Dad." Chili smiled and took the candied haws bought by her father. When she looked up again, as expected, she only saw the luxurious carriage gradually walking away.

(End of this chapter)