vrcanaries Chapter 138 The glutton in room 68!
Chapter 138 The glutton in room 68!
Kou Zhun came from a wealthy and prominent family and was a man who had no shortage of money.
He did not live in an inn like the other scholars who came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. Instead, he bought a small courtyard and lived in a quieter place.
The little servant boy Kou An's leg injury has recovered well and he can now walk with the help of crutches.
After hearing that the Fourth Prince was assassinated, the servant Kou An once asked the young master with relief, could it be that the chivalrous and courageous Young Master Luo who got rid of the evil for the people?
Frightened, Kou Zhun quickly warned him not to speak nonsense, lest he bring trouble to Mr. Luo.
But he also secretly pondered in his heart, is Master Luo related to this matter? Seeing how he had the courage to order the seven guards to be killed in front of the four princes and seven others that day, does he really have...? No matter what the truth is, even if this suspicion rots in his stomach, he can't say a word, so as not to bring trouble to Master Luo.
Tomorrow was the day of the examination, but Kou Zhun did not continue to lock himself in the room to study hard.
He doesn't believe the old saying that sharpening a sword before a battle is not enough. After ten years of hard study, you should relax before the exam!
The two hired cooks were busy in the kitchen making pancakes and preparing three days' worth of dry food.
Kou Zhun was drinking tea and appreciating flowers in the yard, while his servant Kou An, who was practicing walking, was strolling back and forth with a cane.
"Excuse me, does Mr. Kou Zhun live here?"
A handsome young man, carrying two large bamboo baskets, stood at the gate of the yard and asked.
Kou Zhun looked up and immediately stood up to greet him.
He bowed and saluted! "Are you the attendant beside Master Luo? Please come in quickly!"
Hong Gu, who was dressed in men's clothes, didn't say anything polite and walked into the yard carrying two large bamboo baskets.
He placed the bamboo basket on the stone table in the yard and said, "Mr. Kou, tomorrow is the day for the exam.
My master specially prepared three days of food for you. I wish you success in the imperial examination and be among the top three in the high school entrance examination!"
Upon hearing this, Kou Zhun bowed in gratitude!
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Luo. I dare not say that I will be among the top three in high school, but I am confident that Kou Zhun will be on the list of successful candidates!"
Hong Gu was not a talkative person. After she told the young lady what she had said, she was too lazy to exchange pleasantries with Kou Zhun.
"Mr. Kou, the things have been delivered. I'm going back." After saying that, he turned around and left!
Kou Zhun hurriedly spoke to persuade him to stay, "Brother, please sit down and have a cup of tea before you leave."
Seeing that the other person was too lazy to even say polite words, he had already reached the gate of the courtyard.
Kou Zhun quickly called out: "Excuse me, where does your son Luo live? After Kou Zhun passes the imperial examination, he will definitely go to visit and express his gratitude!"
Hong Gu thought to herself, "Don't lose your conscience when the time comes. Just don't forget to come and thank me!"
"My master lives in Luo Xueshi's mansion. If you want to visit him to express your gratitude, make sure you don't go to the wrong door!"
Hong Gu threw down this sentence, walked to the tree where the horse was tied, untied the reins, jumped on the horse and flew away.
Luo Xueshi Mansion? It turns out that Master Luo is the son of Luo Ji, the Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall, who is known for his integrity and uprightness.
Kou Zhun was very excited!
Luo Xueshi is a man of extraordinary talent and integrity, and is truly a senior who can be a good teacher. If I can take advantage of my friendship with Master Luo and become his disciple, it would be a great fortune for me, Kou Zhun!
Kou An, the book boy who was leaning on a cane, also said happily, "Sir, Master Luo is really a righteous man. He even prepared a food basket for you for the exam with great care!"
Kou Zhun came to the stone table and lifted the cloth covering the two large bamboo baskets. The fragrance filled his nose!
Kou An who came over couldn't help but exclaimed: "With so many delicious foods, why do we still need the cook to make pancakes?"
: “These two are roasted ducks, and these fragrant and soft ones are pasta.
These jars are the kind of delicious canned food that is only sold in Beijing. This one contains meat jerky, and this one contains fruit jerky.
What's this package of strange fragrance?
And what is this big bag of white stuff?"
Kou An was flipping through the book while talking.
Kou Zhun looked at the two large bags of novel food and didn't recognize them.
I couldn't resist the temptation of the fragrant aroma, so I picked up a white one and put it into my mouth.
: "It's delicious! It's made with that kind of corn grain, but I don't know how it was made into such a delicious dish?"
Kou Zhun grabbed a handful and put them into his mouth one by one to taste them.
The little servant boy Kou An looked at the young master who was eating with greedy eyes.
: "Kou An, you try it too!"
The young master finally spoke, and Kou An happily agreed, grabbing a few and putting them in his mouth.
: "Delicious! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet and delicious!"
Kou Zhun looked at the other bag of red oily food, picked up one and put it into his mouth.
The taste buds on the tip of the tongue were immediately conquered by a strange and delicious taste!
: "Delicious! This delicacy is really unique, spicy, sweet, salty and fresh mixed together. There is such a unique delicacy in the world!"
Kou An didn't bother to wait for the young master to speak, and quickly picked up one and put it into his mouth.
: "Delicious! Delicious! It's so delicious!... Sir, this is the first time in my life that I have tasted such a magical delicacy!"
Kou Zhun picked up another one and gave his servant Kou An a cold look!
"You are only twelve years old, and I am seventeen and a half years old. This is the first time I have tasted this kind of exotic delicacy!"
The master and servant stood in front of the stone table, eating happily one by one!
Kou Zhun looked at Kou An, whose mouth was full of red oil, and then looked at the delicious food in the bamboo basket that was left behind.
He pressed the bamboo basket and said, "Don't eat any more! This is the food that Master Luo gave to your son for the exam. You little glutton has eaten it all. What will I eat for the next three days?"
Kou An, who was enjoying his meal, smiled awkwardly, "Sir, it was Kou An's greed that got out and he forgot about the important things!"
Kou An reluctantly covered the bamboo baskets with two pieces of cloth. But thinking that each person could only bring one bamboo basket into the examination room tomorrow, Kou Zhun silently took out half of each of the delicacies in the two large bamboo baskets.
Kou An was immediately delighted!
"Sir, the weather is too hot! Don't let these delicacies go bad.
Otherwise, let’s eat it tonight!”
Kou Zhun looked at the delicacies in the two bamboo baskets again. Young Master Luo had sent too many. "Yes! I will take one basket to the examination room to eat. I will eat this basket first tonight, and leave the rest for you to satisfy your craving."
: "Thank you, sir!"
Kou An was overjoyed and quickly grabbed another handful of corn kernels and stuffed them into his mouth. …
The autumn imperial examination is an opportunity for scholars to make a breakthrough.
A few months ago, candidates from all over the country gathered in the capital one after another, studying hard while waiting for the day of the examination.
The Imperial Examination Hall, which was used as an examination hall, was heavily guarded, with teams of imperial guards stationed there.
In order to prevent candidates from cheating, a body check is an essential procedure when candidates enter the examination room.
A general of the imperial guards carefully checked Kou Zhun's big bamboo basket and sniffed the fragrance a few times!
: "Are you here to take the exam or to enjoy yourself? You brought so many delicious foods, do you still have the mind to answer the questions?"
Kou Zhun straightened his robes that were messed up by the inspection. He smiled slightly and said, "Enjoying the food while answering the questions will make me more creative!"
The commander of the imperial guards glanced at the boastful candidate, did not embarrass him any further, and waved his hand to let him in.
Although we cannot be careless in the review, we don't know which candidate will be the lucky one to pass the exam, so we cannot afford to offend them.
The first day tests the meaning of classics, the second day tests poetry and prose, and the third day tests policy essays.
The rules for this round of imperial examinations were extremely strict. After entering the examination hall, candidates had to stay in the narrow room for three days and were not allowed to go out.
Kou Zhun was led to a small house with a sign numbered 68 and was locked inside.
The space inside is really small. A small narrow bed and a small desk take up most of the space. The remaining space is barely enough for people to turn around. A small window on the wall is blocked by an iron fence.
The weather in late August still made the cells hot and stuffy. Those with poor physical fitness could not survive the three consecutive days of studying hard.
In previous years, some candidates with poor physical or mental qualities were carried out after barely finishing the exam.
Kou Zhun looked at the big bamboo basket in his hand with gratitude. With these delicious foods sent by Master Luo, I should be the most enjoyable candidate in this examination room, right?
On the first day, Kou Zhun took the test and wrote very quickly, finishing the test in more than an hour.
After enjoying a piece of soft, sweet and glutinous pastry with sesame flavor and taking a few bites of canned oranges, Kou Zhun wiped his hands and began to copy the test paper carefully.
Several invigilators were patrolling in the examination room. When they passed by a room, they would look inside through the small window to see the condition of the candidates.
“The examinee in Room 68 just now was really wild and frivolous. In such a serious exam, while others were thinking hard about the answers, he was eating.
Since he was so perfunctory about the examination, why did his parents let him come to Beijing to take the exam? It's a waste of money!" Cheng Yu, one of the invigilators, said angrily.
Wei Jie, the Imperial Censor, also echoed sarcastically, "This candidate must be illiterate. He knows that he will fail the exam, so he doesn't want to be wronged."
Luo Ji, one of the invigilators, had a different view. He smiled faintly and said, "Maybe he is confident, so he is more relaxed."
Kou Zhun carefully copied the test paper, checked it again carefully, and rang the bell to be the first to hand in his paper. ...
On the second day, when they were tested on poetry and prose, Kou Zhun was even more adept at it and his ideas flowed freely.
After quickly finishing the poem, he ate some delicious snacks while looking at the test paper and pondering over the poem.
Several examiners who were patrolling here saw it clearly.
Wei Jie and Cheng Yu were indignant again! Several other examiners also felt disgusted with this greedy candidate.
Luo Ji was secretly puzzled!
This greedy examinee ate popcorn today, which is a delicious snack that only my daughter would make! ...
On the third day, Kou Zhun took the policy essay test very seriously. After thinking for a while, he began to write with great eloquence and expressed his thoughts in one go!
After putting down the pen, he habitually reached into the bamboo basket beside him, picked up a delicious snack that was spicy, sweet, salty and fresh, and started eating.
The examiners who had specifically targeted the glutton in Room 68 naturally took another look at him.
Several examiners expressed their dissatisfaction and anger.
Bachelor Luo Jiluo is sure this time!
For this greedy candidate, the delicious food in the bamboo basket must have been given by my precious daughter.
The delicious spicy strips he ate today were a delicious snack that could only be produced by Luo Mansion and Qin Palace!
After Kou Zhun finished copying, he was still the first to hand in his test paper and completely relaxed. He leaned on the narrow wooden bed and savored the remaining delicacies in the bamboo basket.