The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 189 Difficulties
Inside the examination room, it was so quiet that only the occasional sound of the wind blowing from outside could be heard.

The people taking the exam in the examination hall ranged in age from as young as nineteen to as old as forty or fifty.

Some people were writing, sweating profusely with nervousness. Many of the questions were ones they had never seen before, concerning the opposition between unification and the division of territory into kingdoms, as well as discourses on governing the country, and even how to punish officials who rebelled against Qin.

The first exam gave everyone a rude awakening. This one... didn't test numerology or astronomy, but rather tested one's principles of conduct.

Most of the people who were able to complete this exam were probably supporters of the First Emperor and the Qin Dynasty.

From morning until afternoon, people gradually walked out of the examination room. Lou Jing finished today's exam and felt that the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.

Lou Jing said to Ju Dao beside him, "Your brother Chen Ping really didn't come to take the exam."

Ju replied, "Brother Chen Ping is still advising General Zhang Han at the border."

Back in the Hexi Corridor, Chen Ping and Lou Jing mostly looked down on each other.

Just then, someone walked up quickly, bowed, and asked, "Is this Mr. Lou Jing in person?"

Lou Jing, a middle-aged man, hesitated upon seeing the visitor and said, "Indeed, may I ask..."

The other party took out a scroll of letters, bowed, and said, "I come from Sanchuan County. My family's patriarch, Zhang Fu, would like to ask you to give this scroll of letters to Chen Ping."

Ju stepped forward and said, "Brother Chen Ping is in the Hexi Corridor."

“My master said that the marriage between Chen Ping and the Zhang family of Sanchuan County is over and they will be divorced.”

The servant then said, "That's what the master said."

Although Lou Jing and Chen Ping didn't get along, Lou Jing knew a little about Chen Ping's past. Back then, Zhang Fu didn't mind that Chen Ping had nothing and married his daughter to him.

Although Chen Ping is still penniless, he is now in the army in the Hexi Corridor. Even if he cannot become an official in the future, he will still have merits. At the very least, General Zhang Han will give him more than ten acres of land.

Lou Jing felt that this was not something Zhang Fu would do.

Upon receiving the letter, Lou Jing opened it and immediately understood from the handwriting: Zhang Fu was willing to marry his daughter to Chen Ping, but Zhang Fu's daughter did not agree.

Upon receiving the letter, Lou Jing said, "I have accepted the letter, but I will personally inquire about Zhang Fu on behalf of Chen Ping in the future."

Upon hearing this, the servant hurriedly left.

Ju asked curiously, "I never expected Brother Chen Ping to encounter such a family."

Lou Jing patted him on the back and said, "Don't worry."

Ju Dao: "How can I rest assured?"

"Hehe..." Lou Jing chuckled and said, "This is definitely not Zhang Fu's doing. For so many years, Zhang Fu has been sending money to Chen Ping, trying to get him to be a good strategist under General Zhang Han. Do you think Zhang Fu would give up on supporting Chen Ping for so many years?"

Ju remained silent.

Lou Jing added, "Don't worry, Chen Ping is the kind of person who has plenty of ways to get his face back."

Ju nodded emphatically, “What kind of person is Brother Chen Ping? Those people from the Western Regions were sold out by Brother Chen Ping, and they even had to help count the money. I’ve never seen anyone who wasn’t schemed against by Chen Ping, except for General Zhang Han.”

The exam finally ended when a bell rang.

Even those who hadn't finished writing were kicked out.

Han Xin came out early. He was standing not far away, eating a bowl of hot noodles and watching the people who had been driven out.

This bowl of noodles was given to him by a woman who also came from Huaiyin. Today he learned that she had also come to Guanzhong.

Han Xin ate his noodles while smiling as he watched the people who had been driven out in a sorry state.

The woman standing next to Han Xin also had a smile on her face.

Turning his head, Han Xin looked at her and asked, "Why did you come to Guanzhong?"

She said, "Our family's fields were flooded, and many people came to Guanzhong. My father wanted my younger brother to study in Guanzhong, so the whole family moved here and settled in Huayin County."

Han Xin smiled and pointed to himself with his chopsticks, saying, "I live in Tongguan City."

Seeing that Han Xin had finished eating, she snatched the bowl from his hand and hurried towards Huayin County.

Han Xin watched the woman run away, standing in the sunset with a silly grin. Although he was not good with words and did not know how to speak, he understood what she meant.

With the noodles still in his mouth, Han Xin thought and thought, Guanzhong is truly a wonderful place, a very happy place.

Today's exam is over, I can rest for a day. There's another exam tomorrow.

Students returning to Tongguan walked in twos and threes, all talking about today's exams.

This exam shouldn't be difficult; the difficulty lies in having the courage to write down the answers.

Moreover, everyone pressed their fingerprints and wrote their names after the exam.

If they bring up old grievances in the future, your exam paper will definitely be brought out by the Qin court. Therefore, if you want to rebel against Qin, you'd better not write the answers. Rebel against Qin as soon as possible. Even if you really want to rebel against Qin and write anti-Qin remarks on the exam paper, it's best to drown yourself now. Otherwise, the Qin army will capture you and torture and interrogate your accomplices.

Among the students in small groups, most were talking about these things.

This is no secret; ever since Qin conquered the six states, there have always been people who opposed Qin.

Han Xin returned to Tongguan City. Tongguan City was most lively at dusk because at this time the children finished their day's classes and ran out of the school. Some went home in groups of three or five, while others played outside the city.

Han Xin sat by the river, watching children jump into the water and catch fish, while old people sat on the riverbank chatting. Looking up further, he saw farmers in the distance carrying two loads of silt to spread in their fields in preparation for planting grass in the fall.

Previously, Han Xin had only been in Huaiyin County and had heard of people from the Western Regions, but he never expected that the people of Weinan County would talk about people from the Western Regions.

Han Xin approached with a curious expression and listened to their story. He learned that after General Zhang Han took over the Hexi Corridor, the Qin army began to have contact with the people of the Western Regions.

The Qin army stationed in the Hexi Corridor brought a lot of gold and jade, which were said to be tributes from people in the Western Regions.

Spinach is a vegetable that is suitable for eating in autumn. Spinach is also grown in Tongguan. This vegetable was presented by people from the Western Regions, and it is unknown where it originally came from.

"These vegetables are to be grown in Shanglinyuan."

"Why are you still planting in Tongguan?"

"The people from Xianyang said that there was no one to plant them in Shanglin Garden, so they asked people to plant them in Tongguan, saying that they wanted to plant more. They also planted quite a few in Weibei."

Someone else said, "Food always needs to be eaten."

Han Xin sat to the side nodding, finding it very reasonable.

The group of elderly people talked for a while, and seeing that it was getting dark, they left the place.

Smoke was rising from the villages outside.

The children who were playing by the river were taken back by the adults.

Han Xin remained seated by the river, gazing at the scenery in the fields, unaware of what the next test would be; he could only wait and see.

As autumn approached and the nights grew cooler, Han Xin thought that once the exams were over, he would be happy to become an official, or if he didn't do well, he would join the army. At least his trip wouldn't have been in vain.

As the night breeze blew and he felt a chill, Han Xin returned to his residence in Tongguan City, lit an oil lamp, and continued reading.

The next day, Han Xin woke up early and went back to the library to take his duty.

Yesterday, someone else was assigned to stand guard here. Han Xin had no money, and he couldn't give up this place where he could read and eat.

But in the long run, the first priority is to pass the exam.

In this exam, Han Xin felt that the questions were very simple. They didn't seem to be testing a person's abilities at all, but rather like a series of interrogations.

As long as you answer the questions carefully, you should be able to pass the exam.

Han Xin sat in the library all day. Today, the students coming and going in the library were all talking about the content of the exam.

At noon, the restaurant will deliver the food. Today, we will eat mostly vegetables with almost no meat.

The waiter who delivered the food smiled apologetically and said, "Those kids eat too much. Even hundreds of sheep a year aren't enough for them. All the meat is gone, and all that's left are these vegetables."

Han Xin nodded; a bowl of noodles and a bowl of vegetables were quite good for him.

Then the waiter carried the food box to the next person.

This is not discrimination, but the rule of Tongguan. All food is first provided to the teachers and students of Tongguan, then to the county officials and soldiers, and finally to these menial servants.

Han Xin was also a menial servant, but he was better than ordinary menial servants because he was able to sit in the library and organize books.

Unlike Li Zuoche, who might be doing the hardest and most tiring work in Tongguan City.

To maintain a city with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, a large number of laborers are needed. Every day, countless laborers come to Tongguan City, yet even this cannot meet the needs of the city.

Han Xin then thought about the food problem, and he really wanted to go to Xianyang to take a look.

Let's see how the grain in Xianyang City was allocated, and how so many people in Tongguan City were able to be fed.

Today is the second day, and today we will have the second exam.

Under Qin Jun's arrangement, teams of test takers proceeded to the examination hall in an orderly fashion.

Han Xin followed the group as usual.

No one dared to speak, and they even lowered their footsteps.

Outside the examination hall, people register. You enter the examination hall in order of your registered name, and then Qin soldiers will lead you to your seat.

The people took their seats in turn, and there were even more Qin soldiers patrolling around than in the previous battle.

When the test papers were handed out, they were just like the previous ones, still over three feet long, and contained twenty questions.

The questions this time were different from the last time; this time it was a geography test.

It involves the rivers, lakes, and mountains of the Central Plains, and even agriculture and climate.

Without a doubt, today's questions were very difficult, almost unbelievably so. Many people were wiping away sweat as they sat in the exam room.

How to control floods in the Chu region, the causes of floods in Zhuoxian or the south, and methods for controlling the Luo River.

Some people have already started writing, while others hold their pens, unsure of how to write. Some have held their pens for a long time without writing a single word, yet they wipe the sweat from their palms and continue to hold their pens, pondering.

As dusk fell, some people confidently put down their pens, some didn't write a single word, and some wrote only a few scattered notes, looking extremely frustrated.

(End of this chapter)