Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 152 Hidden secrets

"It's true that these people said they cheated when they failed to pass the exam. My son got into the case because of his skill. Why do they say it was cheating?"

Mrs. Liu was very happy when she heard that her son had won the first prize in the case. She was planning to treat her to a party to celebrate. When she heard that many people suspected that there was fraud in the county examination and went to the Tongjuan Yamen to cause trouble, she got angry and cursed.

"Mom, don't be impatient."

Li An comforted him, looked at Niu Jing and asked, "Do you know the reason?"

He felt that it could not be because he was the head of the crime.

Every year during the county examination, Guanpu stores in the county will open markets related to the county examination, and a lot of people lose money.

I haven't seen anyone making trouble before.

"Those people are not rioting because the second young master was the first in the case. It seems that many of the successful candidates are people with poor knowledge. Many scholars are very dissatisfied with this and feel that there is fraud in this county examination. There was a sudden public outcry. They were so angry that I don’t know who started, and then they all went to the Yamen to seek explanation from the magistrate,” Niu Jing said.

Mrs. Liu's expression softened after hearing this, but soon her heart became anxious again and she said, "They won't retake the exam if they make such a fuss, right?"

"Mom, don't worry, it won't happen. If they retake the exam as soon as they make a fuss, and other counties know about it, won't they have to follow suit in the future?" Li An said.

Let’s not talk about whether there is fraud. Even if it does exist, if the matter becomes serious, it will not be dealt with publicly.

How many people are admitted to the county examination?

Those who failed will naturally not be reconciled. If this gap is opened and it happens in other places in the future, how can the county examination be carried out?

Therefore, Li An felt that this matter would calm down soon and there would be no trouble at all.

Mrs. Liu felt relieved after hearing this and said with a smile: "A Niu is the head of the case. We have to celebrate today. Master, go buy more vegetables and come back."

"I'll go right away," Li Nan said.

"Mom, let me go out and take a look." Li An said.

"Aniu, it's so dangerous outside now, what are you doing out there?" Liu asked worriedly.

"Mom, not many people know me outside. I'll go out with Zhu Zhu. It'll be fine." Li An said.

"Okay, remember to come back early for dinner." Mrs. Liu said.

Although Mrs. Liu didn't know what Shi Zhu's martial arts skills were, his strong physique alone made him feel safe.

"Yeah, I understand. Shizhu, let's go." Li An said.

……

"I've never heard of that Li An, and he actually got the head of the case. I wouldn't even believe it if he said there was no problem."

"It's nothing. There are some who have become famous even if they don't make a name for themselves. But look at the list, many of them are famous dandies in Yangzhou. On the contrary, many of the knowledgeable ones didn't make the list."

"When you say that, it seems to be true."

"I'm telling you..."

The whole of Yangzhou was talking about the county examination, and Li An heard various versions of speculation along the way.

Some even said that he was the illegitimate son of Lord Tong San.

Shaking his head, Li An took Shizhu to Tongpan Yamen.

From a distance, I could see that the entrance to the Yamen and the nearby streets were surrounded by water.

Upon seeing this, Li An found a restaurant nearby.

"Zi Qian!"

As soon as he entered the door, he heard someone calling him. Li An looked for his voice and saw three people sitting on the table in the corner of the lobby. One of them got up and walked towards him.

"Brother Mingde, what a coincidence." Li An smiled.

Lu Mingde cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations to Ziqian High School for taking the case." Li An looked around and whispered, "Brother Mingde, please don't hurt me."

"Brother Ziqian is worrying too much. Do you think anyone will pay attention to this now?" Lu Mingde pointed outside and said.

Li An was startled, then laughed dumbly and said: "Brother Mingde is right. By the way, Brother Mingde is also here to see the fun?"

"Yes and no." Lu Mingde said with a bitter smile.

Li An was stunned and quickly realized that Lu Mingde probably said this because he failed the county examination.

"I've met Brother Li."

Lu Mingde's two companions, Fu Yanyan and Ji Zhenhai, walked over and bowed their hands.

"Brothers, why don't we go upstairs and chat in the private room." Li An returned the greeting and invited.

Lu Mingde said: "Zi Qian, the box upstairs is full."

"Then let's find another one." Li An said.

"Brother Li, the private rooms on the second floor of the nearby restaurants are probably full." Ji Zhenhai said with a bitter smile.

"If Brother Li doesn't mind, we still have a place there. Although we can't see it from here, any news over there will be sent over soon." Lu Mingde invited.

"In that case, I'll excuse you." Li An said with a cupped hand.

"You're welcome, Zi Qian. You are the head of the case. It is our honor to sit at the same table with you." Lu Mingde smiled.

Several people came to the table in the corner and sat down. Lu Mingde called the waiter and asked him to remove the leftovers and put them on the table again.

"Ziqian, I'd like to toast you. Congratulations on your high school case. I wish you success in the provincial examination next year!" Lu Mingde said, holding up his wine glass.

"Yes, here's a toast to Brother Li." Fu Ji and the other two also raised their glasses.

"Then let me lend you some good words from my three brothers." Li An said while holding up his wine glass.

Li An drank the wine in his glass, put it down, and asked: "Three brothers, it's been so long, why hasn't the Tongxuan Yamen responded?"

"I'm afraid this matter won't be solved so easily." Fu Yanyan said with some gloating in his tone: "When Tongpan Yamen was first surrounded, Lord Tongpan came out and assured the scholars that this time the county There was no fraud in the examination, but those scholars didn't believe it at all and firmly believed that there was fraud in the imperial examination. I heard that many people went to the prefect's Yamen to petition."

"I just think there is something wrong with this county examination. If Brother Lu hadn't stopped me, I would have gone too." Ji Zhenhai said angrily.

"Brother Ji, don't talk nonsense!"

Lu Mingde scolded and said apologetically to Li An: "Zi Qian, Ji Ning didn't say that you cheated in the county exam, don't think too much about it."

"Yes, yes, brother Li, I'm not talking about you."

Ji Zhenhai also reacted. This time he suspected fraud in the county examination, and Li An was also the one suspected.

Li An waved his hand and said with a smile: "I know, Brother Ji, there's no need to explain. I haven't been in Yangzhou for a long time, so it's normal for me to be suspected, but I can't make a fuss just because I'm not famous and I'm the head of the case, right? Is there something in this? reason?"

Li An came out just to inquire about this. He felt that there must be a deeper reason for the riot among the scholars this time.

Lu Mingde pondered: "This is not a secret. Zi Qian, do you know that among the people who won the list this time, at least a dozen are relatively well-known playboys in Yangzhou."

"Is it because of this?" Li An said in surprise.

He also heard people say this on the road, but he didn't pay attention.

Being a dandy or not has nothing to do with knowledge.

To be able to become a dandy, the family background is definitely not bad. If you have good conditions, you can receive a better education.

"I know what Zi Qian means, but these people are not only playboys, but also uneducated. They usually either go to Goulan House or go to the gambling house to gamble. They were not even qualified to enter the official school in the past few years. Liu Xuezheng They can only go in after leaving," Lu Mingde said.

(End of this chapter)