There are several hundred more candidates for the prefectural examination than for the county examination, and the difficulty of marking the papers has increased, so the first case will be appropriately postponed, and the case will be reported on the morning of April 22, the fourth day after the end of the examination.

The second call is scheduled for April 23.

As for how many people were admitted in the first session, or how many people were selected to participate in the second session, the government did not elaborate, and all the candidates could only roughly guess: 1,000 people should be about 100 according to the admission ratio of 10 to 1, so that there should be 30 or 40 candidates who have passed the first session, and at most 200 people will participate in the recruitment.

During dinner in the evening, Zhou kept urging Shen Xi to review carefully next, lest he have to participate in the first game and fail the exam if he is not fully prepared.

The nagging on her lips alone made Shen Xi feel that her ears were about to become calloused.

In the end, it was Hui Niang who helped Shen Xi excuse himself: "Sister, don't be too embarrassed Xiaolang...... He is so young, there is no need to force him to pass this year's government exam, it is rare that he has finished the exam now, and he should take a good rest. If we can pass the first game, we are happy, if not, there will be a chance in the future. Cows don't drink water, and it's not okay to force their heads. ”

Zhou scolded: "This bastard boy, can he compare with a cow? Cows can work by eating grass, and he makes trouble at home all day long. ”

Hui Niang pursed her lips and smiled: "If my sister thinks it can't be compared, then just let my sister buy a cow and come back and exchange it with your Xiaolang, what does my sister think?" ”

"Change it, change it quickly, I'm afraid that my sister will regret it." Zhou, who deliberately wanted to urge Shen Xi to study with a straight face, was teased by Hui Niang, and finally laughed out loud.

There was talk and laughter at the dinner table, and a few maids were also whispering there, and they were privately speculating whether Shen Xi could pass this government exam, but judging from their attitudes, even if they were respectful and friendly to Shen Xi, they didn't dare to have much hope.

With Hui Niang's help to make peace, Shen Xi does not have to study on the second floor of the pharmacy in the next few days, and can stay in his yard to study. Because Shen Mingjun had to go to the printing workshop during the day, Zhou needed to go to the pharmacy. Lin Dai was by Zhou's side, and Shen Xi was the only one at home during the day, so he felt more relaxed.

For this government test, Shen Xi is actually quite confident. However, the imperial examination is mainly to see whether the article can enter the examiner's eyes, and the same article, in the eyes of one examiner or a boutique, may not make sense in the eyes of another examiner.

Even if you are confident, you can't guarantee that you will pass.

Fortunately, there is a point. There are only three years before and after the first prefect, even if Gao Mingcheng is prejudiced against him, or is not optimistic about his articles, and he turns around and changes to the new prefect, he still has a chance to pass the exam.

As Hui Niang said, Shen Xi's young age and early success in the imperial examination may not be all good for his future development.

On April 20, the first day after the exam, Shen Xi was reading books at home. Suddenly, there was a knock at the courtyard door.

When Shen Xi was alone at home, he always latched the courtyard door, which was also a better family situation, and there were more valuable things at home, even if it was broad daylight, he was afraid that thieves would come to rob him.

Shen Xi thought it was Zhou or Lin Dai coming back, and came to the courtyard gate to look through the crack in the door, but it was Song Xiaocheng who looked around at the door.

"Sixth brother, you are ......"

Shen Xi opened the door and looked at Song Xiaocheng in surprise.

"Little shopkeeper, go in first. This is not the place to speak. ”

Song Xiaocheng was nervous, and when he arrived in the courtyard with Shen Xi, he latched the door first, and then looked back at Shen Xi. "Little shopkeeper, have you heard about yesterday?"

Shen Xi shook his head, it was already dark when he came back from the exam yesterday, and Hui Niang and the others didn't say anything to him, he really didn't know what was going on outside.

Song Xiaocheng sighed: "Yesterday, the government seized Lei Wu's carriage and horse shop, and also sent officials to search for Lei Wu outside the city. Lei Wu suffered a dumb loss, and now he is hiding, but he is looking for someone to release the word, and he must find out which turtle grandson it is...... Which one did it. ”

Shen Xi smiled: "Just for this? You haven't revealed your bottom again, how can Lei Wu find out about us? ”

"Little shopkeeper, it's so easy for you. What kind of person is Lei Wu, he has people in both black and white, and even when the government went to raid his carriage and horse shop, he could deliberately let him go. The day before yesterday, we did such a flamboyant beating thing, can he not receive any rumors? ”

Shen Xi thought to himself that Song Xiaocheng might be the first time to go against the government, and he was too nervous. It is right to be cautious, but to be too frightened and afraid, it is a sign of cowardice and fear.

"Sixth brother, you should go back to Ninghua...... Even when your aunt goes back, if she sees it, you should first think about how to explain it to her. Shen Xi did not answer Song Xiaocheng's question directly.

Song Xiaocheng's bitter gourd face was long, and he was also depressed by Shen Xi, obviously talking about Lei Wu and the government's pursuit of the real murderer, but Shen Xi said how to explain it to Hui Niang.

"The little shopkeeper, in fact, ......"

"Nothing is actually anything like."

Shen Xi said sharply, "We do it, and when you're done, you have to put your heart back in your stomach, what's the use of worrying?" Think about how you can do things better! ”

"That Lei Wu's carriage and horse shop has been seized, but isn't there any other force in the 'Dry Road Gang'? Let's put Lei Wu down, other forces will take Lei Wu's men and horses, those people will also go to the dock to make trouble, the business of the Chamber of Commerce still can't be done, and our efforts will not be in vain at that time? ”

"Sixth brother, it's okay if you haven't returned to Ninghua, find some other people, go outside the city to do something smashing, looting, and burning, and threaten to say that the 'Dry Road Gang' wants to give the government a little color to see, it is best to arouse the people's anger, and take advantage of the current government is suppressing Lei Wu and the 'Dry Road Gang' forces, gather the villagers to go to the county government and the government to make trouble, and see if the people in the government take care of it!"

Song Xiaocheng was dumbfounded when he heard this: "Little shopkeeper, let's ...... Are you really going to do something evil? ”

Shen Xi shook his head and said: "There are some things that can be done, but you can't really do them, you have to know how to be flexible, the most important thing in this matter is to arouse public anger and make the people feel that the people of this 'dry road gang' don't want to give people a way to live." There are so many brothers on our dock, so let them go back and spread to their relatives and neighbors, saying that 'someone smashed the next street', and the villagers will generally believe it. When the time comes, you will call everyone on the waterway gang and create some momentum, and the government will not be able to let it go. ”

Although Song Xiaocheng has always claimed to be bold, he has never dared to have such a crazy idea, summoning people to make trouble at the gate of the official mansion, which almost scared his soul.

"Then I...... Try ...... first"

Song Xiaocheng's original confidence was gone, because he found that Shen Xi's idea was too crazy, and if he didn't do it well, he would only be the one who carried the black pot.

……

……

At the beginning, the people of the "Waterway Gang" only regarded Song Xiaocheng as a microphone, responsible for the liaison between the "Waterway Gang" and the Chamber of Commerce, but after the "Dry Road Gang" went to the dock to beat people, Song Xiaocheng took the silver given by Hui Niang to each family to pay pensions, and was busy.

After coming and going, Song Xiaocheng gradually had a tendency to be the leading big brother of the gang in water and drought.

Shen Xi sometimes admires Song Xiaocheng very much, although his ability is not very good, as long as he plans to let him implement it, he will definitely do his best and will not delay at all.

After saying things that day, Song Xiaocheng found someone to do it at night.

Song Xiaocheng didn't show up in the previous beating incident, so he didn't have to hide, but he was a thief, and he asked for leave on Hui Niang's side, so he didn't want Hui Niang to know that he lied and lose his job, so he even came to inform Shen Xi secretly.

“…… The little boss, the people have all been arranged, the rumors have been released, and they have found someone to burn a few bamboo forests and some haystacks outside the city, and then push all this on the heads of the people of the 'Dry Road Gang', and the villagers now hate the people of the 'Dry Road Gang' so much that they are afraid that the house will also be burned down by that gang. ”

When Song Xiaocheng told Shen Xi about things, he specially asked Shen Xi to go out of the street to talk about it, so as not to be seen by the Zhou family, and kept looking around when he spoke.

Shen Xi nodded: "In the past two days, you hurry up Zhang Luo, take advantage of his illness to kill him, and the government will have a gust of wind, if this gust of wind can't drive out all the people of the 'Dry Road Gang', they will become more and more rampant when they look back." Sixth brother, I am optimistic about you, in the future, you will be the number one person on this Tingzhou Mansion Road, and even your aunt will be impressed with you in the future. ”

"Really...... It's true? ”

Song Xiaocheng felt a little more momentum when he heard this, and straightened his waist, but soon his spirit withered again, "Little master, you ...... You're not kidding, I'm ...... It's to help you do something, and the credit is all for the little shopkeeper. Hey. ”

After Shen Xi explained in detail, Song Xiaocheng rushed away.

As a result, only a day later, Song Xiaocheng's detention in Fucheng was revealed.

It turned out that when Song Xiaocheng arranged a plan with the people of the "Waterway Gang", he was seen by the female relatives of the same township, and these women did not know what the men were doing outside, so they told Su Lian about it. Su Lian was a quick temper, and personally ran outside the city to "bring Song Xiaocheng back", and then pulled Hui Niang to cry, saying that Song Xiaocheng was sneaky and raising women outside.

“…… Big boss, I really didn't do anything to be sorry for you, and I didn't feel sorry for Sulian, I ...... I want to see the little shopkeeper, he asked me to do everything. ”

As soon as Shen Xi was called to the pharmacy by the Zhou family, he heard such a sentence, and his heart suddenly became angry. This kid is responsible for what he says on weekdays, but he is so unrighteous.

Zhou Shi entered the backyard and asked in surprise: "Sixth son, you can't rely on our family's Han Wa'er, you have a woman outside, this kind of thing can also be said to be instigated by Han Wa'er?" ”

Hui Niang heard that there was something in this, but Su Lian next to her was still hugging her head and crying, and the backyard was in a mess.

Song Xiaocheng didn't say anything, only said that the matter was related to Shen Xi.

Song Xiaocheng hurriedly said: "Boss, you can't wronged me, who said that I have a woman outside?" It's all Sulian, she listened to those gossips outside, and she took it seriously......"

Su Lian raised her head, and Pear Blossom said with rain: "Then you say, why did you hide it from me and the two masters, saying that you wanted to go back to your hometown, but you secretly stayed in the city?" ”

Song Xiaocheng lowered his head and said with grievances: "Can you let the little shopkeeper say it?" This is ...... It doesn't have much to do with me, it's the little shopkeeper planning from beginning to end. (To be continued.) )