Chapter 768 The Lost Old Man
Qin Yao, who consciously enjoys helping others, hides her merits and fame.
After leaving Kuanzhengfang, we walked towards the main street.
It has been cold recently, and Qin Yao thought the streets would be deserted.
Unexpectedly, when I left Kuanzhengfang and came to the main street, the flow of people was even greater than usual.
Especially the inns, restaurants and tea shops are all full of people.
In the direction of Beidingmen, there was a long queue of people entering the city. There were actually more people entering the city during festivals than usual.
But if you take a closer look, you will find that these extra people all have foreign accents and look like scholars.
Several scholars carrying leather book boxes and accompanied by bookboys or old servants passed by Qin Yao.
One of them walked forward and then came back and asked Qin Yao, who was standing alone on the street:
"This girl, do you know where to go from studying government?"
He was a gray-haired old man, who looked to be in his fifties. He carried his luggage and went to Beijing alone, with no companions around him.
He spoke in a dialect. Seeing Qin Yao's slightly stunned expression, he realized that the other party might not understand. He quickly changed to Mandarin with a strong regional accent and asked again.
Qin Yao understood the word academic affairs this time and raised her hand to point to the southwest, "Go forward and see the fork in the road, then go to the right, and then ask the people over there."
The capital was a square city with many streets and alleys, all of which looked exactly the same. She was afraid that she would get lost if she pointed out too many people.
The old man couldn't ask any more questions, so he thanked him and headed southwest.
But he had only walked a hundred meters when he was frightened by the sudden speed of a nobleman's car and fell to the side of the street.
Others have seen this happen too many times, and no one cares about it at all.
The old man was angry and in pain. He finally got up. The driver had already rushed far away. He opened his mouth, but in the end he did not dare to cause trouble and curse.
Qin Yao only felt that fate was something that was destined in some mysterious way and could not be explained clearly.
She clearly watched the old man get up and go in the right direction.
But after she wandered around for a while, she unexpectedly met him again in another alley.
At this moment, there were two young men in their thirties beside the old man. They looked respectable in their clothes.
But the wind blew through the old thin shirt that was accidentally exposed, and it still exposed their true situation.
The linen undershirt that has been rolled up with wool must have been worn for many years and has not been changed.
All three seemed lost.
The two young men were reluctant to ask for directions.
Because I have received so many supercilious looks along the way, I feel a little intimidated.
In their hometown, they are the masters of the nation.
But when you get to the capital, everyone who comes has a relative who is an official, and even if you throw them into the river, they won't make a splash.
The old man was older and more experienced, so he turned around to ask for directions.
It's just that there are hawkers doing business next to him, and he doesn't want to buy anything from them, so they are naturally impatient to answer.
He waved his hand and told him to go aside and not to interfere with the business.
Just when he turned around, the old man's eyes lit up.
"Girl! I meet you again!"
Qin Yao showed an awkward yet polite smile, "Let's go, I'll take you there."
I just happened to go to Jing Zhaoyin to see if Liu Ji had finished his work.
Seeing the old man bringing Qin Yao over, the two young men were both surprised and ashamed.
The two said politely: "Sorry for bothering you, girl."
Qin Yao nodded slightly, said nothing, and walked in front to lead the way.
The three of them followed her carrying their bags.
As she walked, Qin Yao heard a "gulu" sound in her stomach.
This sound seems to be contagious. After one sound, another sound comes up.
Qin Yao looked back and saw the old man and the two young men, their faces all red with embarrassment.
Qin Yao looked up at the sky, it was already noon.
"Didn't you have breakfast?" she asked.
The three people nodded in unison, and the old man explained: "I have just arrived, and I haven't registered well with the Academic Affairs Department, so I don't dare to relax for a moment. I just want to complete the candidate certification and then find a place to live and prepare my own meals. I didn't expect that the capital city is so big." , I walked all morning and still couldn’t get out of this street.”
"Has the old man prepared food?" Qin Yao was a little curious.
She had never seen the candidates who went to Beijing to take the exam in ancient times, and thought that everyone came well prepared.
After meeting these three people just now, I remembered that there is neither a navigation nor various strategies to share with netizens.
In an era when educated people are all selfish, it would be extremely difficult for ordinary people to just leave home and come to Beijing if they are not masters, apprentices and disciples.
Those who successfully reach the capital are those who are the best in economy, physical strength, and intelligence.
Sure enough, the old man pointed back at the luggage on his back and said, "I have prepared some grains brought from home. It's easy for me to be acclimatized when I'm new here, but if I have the grains from my hometown, I won't be afraid."
“And cooking your own meals can save a lot of money.”
The old man was so generous and generous, and Qin Yao found it very interesting.
The other two were obviously better at noodles. Not only were they reluctant to eat a bowl of noodle soup that cost more than ten yuan a bowl at this roadside stall, they just said they were too busy and forgot about it.
"No rush, no rush, let's get things done first." The two said cheerfully.
But my stomach still didn't live up to expectations and made a growling sound.
Qin Yao shrugged and handed the snacks she was holding to the old man.
Anyway, those two people were not in a hurry.
The old man was busy putting it off, "How embarrassing."
Qin Yao: "It's okay. Give it a try. It should be pretty good."
Seeing her putting down her food bag and striding forward, the old man smiled, thanked her, and quickly followed her.
The smell of the snacks is so appetizing, and the old man's hunger makes him have a good appetite, so he picks it up and eats it.
The snacks inside also taste quite good as Qin Yao said.
The other two who only smelled the food felt a little regretful for being so conceited.
The old man ate two or three pieces, and after the hunger in his stomach subsided, he wrapped up the rest and put it in his bag, saving it for the next meal.
With Qin Yao leading the way, the three finally arrived in front of the Office of Education.
There were already two long lines here, all of which were scholars who came to take the exam.
This was the first batch to arrive, and there were already four or five hundred people.
There will be a second, third, and fourth batch next, until the middle of February, when the blank answer papers will be covered.
Qin Yao estimated that there will be three or four thousand candidates in the spring exam next year!
This should be the one with the most candidates in the spring exam since the establishment of Shengguo.
The competition is quite fierce. Qin Yao sighed.
After sending the old man and the other two to the place, Qin Yao left.
On the way to the Jingzhao Office, he saw the carriage of the National Master's Mansion heading towards the Office of Education.
The carriage passed by Qin Yao, and Sun Jiang, who was driving the carriage, whispered a reminder to the inside of the carriage.
The curtain of the carriage opened, but Si Kongjian only saw Qin Yao's white back.
This spring examination was jointly assisted by the Minister of Rites and the Imperial Master, and the Holy Empress was the chief examiner.
When the news came out, the people of Kyoto were very happy.
But unlike the last sacrifice to the Earth Mother, there was no voice of opposition this time.
Some people said that the Holy Empress visited the Qi family at night, persuaded the old prime minister with emotion and reason, and won the support of most of the emerging families.
So no one jumped out to object loudly this time.