Late at night, Tianxian Tower.
As the most famous brothel in the inner city of Mo City, the business here is naturally very popular every night.
Normally, when it gets dark, the place is brightly lit. In front of the door and on the upper floors, there are women wearing gauze and gorgeous clothes, twisting their waists to attract customers.
But today is the imperial examination period.
After dark, the exterior lights of Tianxian Building were not turned on.
At the same time, there were no seductive women twisting their waists or making noises in front of the door or on the upper floors.
The entire Tianxian Building was quiet and peaceful.
But being quiet doesn't mean not accepting guests.
Familiar guests had already arrived here before curfew to drink and watch the show.
Young Master Meng from the City Lord’s Mansion is one of them.
On the stage, there were courtesans playing the piano, entertainers dancing, and skilled singers showing off their singing skills, singing Namo City's most famous song, "Water Melody".
Meng Xianxing held the beauty in his arms, eating melon seeds and watching the show drunkenly.
Soon, he was aroused by the beauty in his arms. He immediately stood up, hugged her and went upstairs, and said with a chuckle: "Xiao Lian'er, your sister Ziyun has a good singing voice. How about you perform ventriloquism for me later?"
Little Lian'er immediately said shyly: "Sir, I don't know how to do it."
Which woman who can hang out in a brothel doesn't know how to do this? And who doesn't understand this? As she spoke, her soft body twisted in his arms.
Meng Xianxing smiled obscenely, grabbed her hand and said, "It's okay, I'll teach you later."
The two of them went upstairs lovingly and entered the room.
Two guards followed behind and stopped at the door, holding the hilts of the swords at their waists, guarding on the left and right.
Soon, Meng Xianxing's comfortable voice came from inside.
The two guards at the door looked at each other and shook their heads.
"ah-"
After a while, a woman's scream suddenly came from inside.
The two guards at the door looked at each other again, and when they were about to whisper a joke, they suddenly smelled a strong smell of blood.
The two men's faces suddenly changed. They turned around in a hurry, kicked the door open and rushed in!
The lights in the room were bright, and the woman was sitting naked on the floor beside the bed, trembling all over, her face pale, and unable to speak.
On the bed, Young Master Meng's head and body were separated, the jade pendant on his chest was broken, and blood was still gushing from his neck.
The two guards were so frightened that they hurriedly pulled out their knives and searched around the room.
But there was no one else in the whole room.
Luo Qingzhou killed someone and left Tianxian Road. He first went to the sky above the Imperial Examination Hall. He looked down at the compartment where his body was. After seeing that there was nothing unusual, he flew back to Qin Mansion and put his things down.
When he was about to go to Yuanyang Tower for a visit, he suddenly had an idea and decided to go to Chengguo Mansion first.
Let’s explore the road first and see the situation.
Soon, he had flown above Chengguo Mansion and looked at the two round bead magic weapons on the eaves of the roof.
He immediately used the method of gathering energy that Sister Yue taught him and slowly approached from above.
Until they were only five meters away, the two beads still did not react.
He felt relieved, but did not land immediately.
It is still very dangerous to go down directly like this. There might be warriors hiding in the dark, ready for battle.
He flew to the streets and alleys outside, looked around, and suddenly found a wild cat with black fur.
Now that he has been promoted to the middle stage of the Spirit Refining Realm, as long as his soul power is sufficient, it will not be a problem for him to possess others multiple times in a day.
In Chengguo Mansion, the first wife, Mrs. Wang, was lying on the bed, tossing and turning.
"Meow… "
A small wild cat with brown fur called out on the courtyard wall and then jumped into the yard.
Before he hit the ground, his body suddenly split into two.
A figure walked out from the shadow of the eaves, looked down, picked up the two halves of the body and threw them out.
The figure had gray hair and a slightly hunched body. It turned out to be an old lady.
Another small courtyard, quiet and silent.
The room was pitch dark.
On the beam hung two white silks tied into a knot.
The mother and daughter stood below, hugging each other and talking softly.
"Xiao Lou, are you scared?"
"Mother, Xiaolou is not afraid... As long as I can be with you, Xiaolou is not afraid at all..."
"Xiao Lou, I'm sorry... It's my fault that I can't protect you..."
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly.
After a while, the mother and daughter trembled and got on the stool. Yang Ping'er picked her up with tears on her face and hung her on the white silk herself, crying, "Xiaolou, in the next life, don't be your mother's daughter anymore..."
After saying this, she dropped her hand before the little girl could reply.
The little girl opened her eyes wide and fell vertically, but did not struggle.
Yang Ping'er couldn't bear to watch it, so she climbed onto another stool.
Then, the stool fell to the ground, and the mother and daughter were hanging there together...
The night was dark and dead silent.
“Whoosh!”
A wild cat with pitch-black fur suddenly jumped in from the window, then jumped onto the table next to it, and then suddenly jumped onto the beam.
It quickly flew over the little girl's head, and its sharp teeth instantly pierced through the white silk. With a "hiss", it shook its head and began to bite quickly.
“Bang!”
The little girl fell to the ground.
Her face was pale, she breathed hard, covered her neck, raised her head and looked at the pair of black wild cats on the beam that were fluorescent in the dark.
The wild cat began to tear the other white silk quickly.
Yang Ping'er's eyes widened and her legs began to kick weakly.
“Bang!”
She also fell down and sat on the ground.
After a while, she began to breathe heavily, raised her head and looked at the beam.
The expressions on the mother and daughter's faces changed from confusion to astonishment, and then to fear.
On the beam, the wild cat with black fur stood there with a pair of cold eyes, looking down at them.
"Meow-"
The little wild cat cried softly.
The mother and daughter trembled all over, hugged each other, raised their heads, and looked at him tremblingly.
Luo Xiaolou said in a trembling voice: "Mother, the cat won't let us die..."
Yang Ping'er's face was full of tears. She hugged her tightly and said, "But we have no other way to go... Mother can't watch you fall into the tiger's mouth. That beast will bully you, wuwu..."
Luo Xiaolou wiped her tears and said, "Mother, let's run away. Let's go find Brother Qingzhou, okay? When Brother Qingzhou passes the imperial examination, we won't be afraid of them anymore..."
Yang Ping'er cried, "Xiao Lou, we are members of the Luo family. Even if Qingzhou passed the imperial examination, he can't control the Luo family's affairs. It's all mother's fault. Back then... When Qingzhou's mother was killed by them, mother should have known that we couldn't stay here anymore. Mother should have taken you away at that time..."
"Mother..."
Luo Xiaolou shed tears and said: "Or, let Xiaolou go. After Xiaolou gets married, mother will find a way to escape..."
"No, no!"
Yang Ping'er hugged her tightly and cried, "Mother would rather die than let that beast hurt you..."
The little wild cat squatted on the beam and watched the scene silently.
At this moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
Then, a maid's voice came: "Second Madam, get up quickly! Under Madam's order, we are going to take Miss Xiaolou away."
When the mother and daughter heard this, they immediately stood up.
Yang Ping'er hugged her daughter tightly in her arms and pleaded with a trembling voice outside: "Let Xiaolou sleep with me for one night, please."
The maid outside shouted impatiently, "Open the door quickly! You dare to disobey the Madam's order? If you don't open the door, we will knock it down!"
Yang Ping was afraid that they would find Bai Ling, so she took her daughter out of the room crying and said to the maid outside the door: "Where are you taking my Xiaolou? Please, don't hurt her..."
"Bang!"
The maid outside the door didn't say any more. She kicked the door open and rushed in like a wolf or a tiger. She snatched the little girl from her arms and dragged her away.
Yang Ping'er rushed forward crying and tried to take it back, but was stopped by the other two maids.
“I don’t know what’s good for me!”
The maid who was holding Luo Xiaolou shouted coldly and immediately took Luo Xiaolou away.
The other two maids let go of Yang Ping'er, who was crying loudly, only after they saw them leave.
One of the maids seemed to be a little soft-hearted and whispered, "Second Madam, the first madam just received news that Mr. Meng from Chengguo Mansion was suddenly killed in the brothel. Xiaolou should be fine..."
As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Ping'er's crying stopped abruptly.
"You talk too much, be careful or the Madam will cut off your tongue!"
Another maid immediately warned.
The soft-hearted maid's face suddenly changed. She didn't dare to say anything more and left in a hurry.
The two maids quickly went out the door and disappeared.
Yang Ping'er stood blankly at the door with tears on her face. After a long pause, she murmured, "That beast... is dead? Killed by someone?"
The little wild cat on the roof beam had already flown out of the window and was following the three maids slowly.
Luo Xiaolou was locked up alone in another small courtyard.
Three maids were guarding it.
The little wild cat jumped onto the roof, peeled off the tiles, and jumped into the room from the beam.
Luo Xiaolou was wearing a red dress and was sitting in the corner of the bed with her knees hugged, silently shedding tears.
Three maids stood in the corridor outside the door, chatting in low voices.
The little wild cat jumped onto the bed silently.
When Luo Xiaolou saw it, he was frightened, opened his eyes wide, and looked at it with tears in his eyes.
The little wild cat looked gentle as it slowly approached her. Its amber eyes met hers, signaling her not to be afraid.
Luo Xiaolou seemed to sense its kindness, and slowly reached out his hand, picked it up, and held it in his arms. He kissed its head, held back his tears, and said to its ear: "Cat, thank you... Thank you for saving me and my mother..."
The little wild cat stretched out its soft paws and slowly stroked her little face, helping her wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Luo Xiaolou opened his eyes wide and stared at it in a daze.
The little wildcat hesitated, then gently scratched her palm with its claws and wrote something on it.
"Don't be afraid. It'll be fine."
I wrote it over and over again.
Luo Xiaolou finally saw it clearly, his eyes widened, and he said in a trembling voice: "You...you..."
The little wild cat didn't stay any longer. It immediately jumped out of her arms and jumped onto the beam above her head with a few leaps.
Then he jumped from the beam to the roof.
After observing on the roof for a while, his eyes fell on the courtyard where the eldest lady lived and the courtyard where Luo Yu lived.
Both places were illuminated by a strong bloody light, like a burning flame, and were obviously guarded by martial arts masters.
He didn't dare run around anymore. He left Chengguo Mansion and ran along the corner of the street towards the Imperial Examination Hall.
My physical body is too far away and no one is watching me, so I always feel uneasy.
Soon, they arrived at the examination hall.
He stuck to the corner of the wall, observed the surroundings, listened to the noise for a while, then jumped onto the courtyard wall and then jumped down silently.
He walked along the corner of the wall, avoiding the night patrols, and quickly got into the compartment where the body was.
Then, the spirit and soul returned to the body.
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
The little black cat was stunned in the compartment for a while, then quickly jumped out and jumped onto the courtyard wall. It was seen by several guards, and then jumped out.
The two guards quickly chased out, observed for a while, and came back when they saw nothing unusual.
Luo Qingzhou fell asleep peacefully.
The next day, the third exam began.
At this time, many candidates could no longer hold on and began to do the questions seriously with their last breath.
The test papers were handed out.
Luo Qingzhou concentrated on grinding the ink. After a moment, he looked at the first question.
It is still the content recited from the book.
Next, given a sentence, write an essay based on current affairs, at least 300 words.
After Luo Qingzhou finished writing, he looked at the next question.
This question suddenly made his heart skip a beat.
"What do you think of the current debate in the court regarding the hereditary title of Great Yan? Who is right and who is wrong? Express your opinion truthfully, in at least 500 words."
Luo Qingzhou looked at the question, pondered for a long while, then picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and answered the question truthfully.
He had also discussed this topic with the eldest princess and the second young lady.
Most families with titles are descendants of meritorious service, and this is what they deserve.
It is precisely because of this title that countless people have come forward, not afraid of sacrifice, to serve the country and the people.
Didn't Li Guang fight to the death to kill the enemy just because he wanted to be granted a title of nobility
However, after three generations of hereditary succession, if the descendants only know how to eat, drink and have fun, wasting the state salary in vain, it is naturally not right.
At least one member of the family should demonstrate his or her value to the country before he or she can continue to enjoy the original title and salary.
Otherwise, there will be meritorious officials everywhere who are just sitting there doing nothing, only knowing how to enjoy themselves but not how to do anything, and the country will be doomed sooner or later.
This topic is very sensitive now.
The eldest princess was in one faction, and the other faction consisted of court ministers, princes and nobles.
The eldest princess did not propose to abolish the hereditary system of titles directly, but to abolish those family titles that had been passed down for three generations but in which there was no one in the family who was capable of contributing to the country and the people.
So Luo Qingzhou actually supports it.
However, he also knew that there were very few people in the court who supported the eldest princess, and most were against it, otherwise this policy would not have been difficult to implement.
Luo Qingzhou did not hide anything and told the truth, and quickly gave an answer.
The next question is, "How to increase the population of a county without reducing taxes?"
Luo Qingzhou had seen this question too many times in his previous life, so after a moment of hesitation, he answered it.
Encourage agriculture and commerce, develop the economy, utilize various local resources for trade, so that people have things to do, food to eat, and a place to live. At the same time, crack down on all kinds of crime, so that the people in the jurisdiction can live and work in peace.
With better living conditions and less burden on people, they will naturally be happy to have children. At the same time, when people from neighboring counties and states see this, they will naturally flock here to settle down...
Luo Qingzhou quickly wrote a long article.
The last question is to write an article in parallel prose to express your thoughts through objects.
There is no limit on content or word count.
Parallel prose is a style of writing that every scholar can master. It uses words and sentences that are paired together to form a chapter. The whole article emphasizes the neatness of parallelism and the sonority of rhythm.
Luo Qingzhou searched carefully in his mind before he calmed down.
After a moment of silent reflection, he picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, and wrote: "A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the immortals living there. A river is not magical for its depth, but for the dragons living there. This is a humble room, but my virtue is fragrant..."
It was already afternoon when I finished answering all the questions.
He checked it carefully several times, then sat down quietly and waited for the papers to be collected.
The collection time is relatively early today.
In the evening, the bell rang and the exam ended.
As the test papers were collected one by one, Luo Qingzhou clearly heard various sounds coming from each compartment.
There were sounds of crying, of beating one's chest and stamping one's feet, of slapping oneself in the face, and of laughing triumphantly.
Luo Qingzhou packed up his things, walked out of the compartment, and prepared to go outside.
Outside the Imperial Examination Hall, many parents and relatives of the examinees had already gathered, waiting anxiously.
Luo Qingzhou thought about it and turned back.
When most of the other candidates had left, he slowly walked outside.
At this time, not only were the people from the Qin Mansion anxiously waiting for him outside, but the servants from the Chengguo Mansion were also watching in the crowd.
Luo Qingzhou staggered, and just as he walked out of the door, he suddenly vomited blood and fainted on the ground.
Song Ruyue, who was staring at the door in the crowd, was startled and said hurriedly: "Quick! Go and help my son-in-law up!"
The maids and servants all ran to the door.
But after running a few steps, Luo Qingzhou, who was lying on the ground, was picked up by a slender figure in a light green dress.
She held the sword, her pretty face was cold, and no one dared to approach her.
Xiaodie and Qiu'er ran over and followed her.
Song Ruyue immediately led them to the carriage.
Not long.
The eldest lady of Chengguo Mansion, Wang, got the news.
"As soon as the boy left the examination room, he vomited blood and fainted. He was carried back home... He looked very ill..."
Wang Cheng added: "Looking at the situation, the boy has been sick in there for a long time. I guess he couldn't answer many of the questions. He will definitely fail this time..."
Wang looked gloomy, took a sip of tea, and said, "Will the results be announced the day after tomorrow?"
Wang Cheng said: "Yes."
Wang said nothing more.
Wang Cheng glanced at her, bowed and retreated.
Wang sat in the hall for a while before she stood up and said, "Let's go and see how Yu'er is doing. There are still two days left, and Yu'er should be able to hold her composure."
An old maid walked out of the corridor, and a strong maid followed her silently.
Luo Qingzhou was carried back to Qin's residence by Xia Chan.
As soon as he entered the room, he took the opportunity to bite the girl's ear and whispered, "Chanchan, don't worry, I am just pretending."