Commoner Hero

Standing at the very front, Village Chief Li waved his hand and said softly, "Xiao Su, there's no need for more pleasantries. It's getting late. Let Li Hu and the others escort you to the county town."

Su Qian'an nodded, took a step forward, and grasped Qin Ziyin's hand to bid her farewell. The villagers who had gathered around were tactful enough to step aside, leaving the young couple some private time.

"My dear, be patient and wait for me to return. I will definitely pass the exam, and our lives will only get better and better."

"Mm, I believe in your abilities. I will wait at home for you to come back."

Su Qian'an and Qin Ziyin shared a tender embrace, and soon after, they reluctantly parted. In the distance, Li Hu, Zhao Da, Tie Niu, and Shui Sheng, who had been waiting, quickly brought a donkey cart over.

Su Qian'an climbed onto the cart, said his farewells to the villagers, and under Li Hu's guidance, the group slowly disappeared into the distance.

This time, Su Qian'an and the others were traveling on the main road. There were no incidents along the way, and the journey was very smooth.

Today was the day of the county examination for the seven counties of Chuan Du Jun. This was a significant event for the region. Even though the area was known for poor law enforcement, on days like these, even the local bandits remained quiet.

Anyone bold enough to raid during such a day would either have lost their mind or drowned in water—essentially, they would be slapping the Great Liang Dynasty's face.

The imperial examination represented the authority of the Great Liang government. Even if there were unrest within the empire, it was no excuse for the local bandits to cause havoc.

If they dared to act, the forces that would be dispatched to suppress them wouldn’t be the local constables but the military of the Great Liang.

Because of this, every year during the imperial exams—whether for the lowest xiangshi (village exam) or the higher-ranking ones—the security in the region was always at its best.

Walking along the official road, which was usually sparsely populated, Su Qian'an noticed more and more people as they approached the county town of Lingbei. There were many traveling in all sorts of carts.

Those with wealth rode high horses, while those of humble means, like Su Qian'an, mostly traveled by donkey cart or on foot.

In the span of just a few hundred meters, Su Qian'an saw at least twenty to thirty young scholars heading toward the county town. The atmosphere was lively.

The Great Liang Imperial Examination was divided into four levels: the county exams for selecting local students and scholars, the district exams for selecting juren (advanced degree holders) from the entire region, and the highest level—the provincial exams, where the top candidates became jinshi (graduates of the highest rank).

The top three jinshi, known as the zhuangyuan (top scholar), bangyan

Once one reached that level, they had one foot in the higher ranks of the officialdom. After entering the Hanlin Academy, one would be trained by the highest officials, spending years perfecting their skills. It was a position of power—this was the ideal that countless students toiled for over decades.

However, to Su Qian'an, this all seemed far off. His own goal was not lofty; he only wished to pass the county exam and become a juren. As for the jinshi and the top three rankings, he wasn’t particularly interested.

After all, once one became a juren, they were already considered candidates for government positions, and in a county, even the county magistrate would treat them respectfully.

If the county magistrate wasn’t foolish, they would treat a juren with great courtesy, since a juren might someday replace them in office.

As long as a juren didn’t make any major mistakes, they would be held in high esteem.

Becoming a juren would give Su Qian'an some degree of influence in Lingbei County and solidify his foundation. This was the main reason he was participating in the county exam.

With no obstacles along the way, the five of them reached Lingbei County Town in less than half an hour.

At the county gate, Su Qian'an gave his instructions to Li Hu and the others, signaling them to return.

Although it was common to bring servants or attendants to the county exams, this was something only the wealthy and influential families did. Su Qian'an was just an ordinary commoner, and bringing Li Hu and the others along might attract trouble.

Su Qian'an was fine on his own, but Li Hu and the others were commoners, and Su Qian'an didn’t want them to be caught up in any unnecessary complications.

Of course, this was just one reason. More importantly, Li Hu and the others had their own tasks.

During the month of preparation for the exam, aside from his daily studies, Su Qian'an had also organized a group of around 20 hunters from the village, led by Li Hu, Zhao Da, Shui Sheng, and Tie Niu. They formed a patrol team to watch over the area surrounding Dongshan Village.

Not only was there a hunter team, but even the women in the village—mostly young wives and older sisters—formed a women’s team, tasked with identifying unfamiliar faces and gathering information on the situation in the village.

The leader of this women's team was Village Chief Li’s granddaughter, Li Xiaomei. Despite being only around sixteen or seventeen years old

She had considerable influence among the women of the village, and if used wisely, she could be of great help to Dongshan Village.

Su Qian'an had taken these measures to protect the villagers, as the times were unstable, with bandits and wild animals posing threats. If the villagers were not organized, there would be no way to defend against them.

The black-clad men from their earlier encounter had given Su Qian'an the idea that a single person's strength was limited. Only by mobilizing those around him and arranging them wisely could one hope for stability in such uncertain times.

This was just the beginning. After the exam, Su Qian'an had even bigger plans for Dongshan Village.

After giving his instructions to Li Hu, Zhao Da, and the others, Su Qian'an watched them leave before he turned and drove the donkey cart slowly into the county town.

This trip to the county town was an eye-opener for Su Qian'an. Compared to the desolate and chaotic state of the county town he had seen last time, Lingbei County Town was now quite orderly.

Vendors were calling out their wares in an orderly fashion, and there were no signs of extortion or robberies on the road.

Every hundred meters or so, Su Qian'an saw a patrol of black-armored soldiers or constables, all vigilantly monitoring the area.

From their clothing, it was clear that the constables belonged to Lingbei County, while the black-armored soldiers were from Chuan Du Jun.

This showed how much importance the county magistrate placed on the exam.

Everyone’s faces were tense, their nerves taut, always on alert for any disturbances. At the slightest hint of trouble, the constables and soldiers would respond immediately.

This level of vigilance wasn’t without reason. The annual exam brought hundreds of scholars from all seven counties, each with two to three hundred participants. Many of them were related to influential families or the high-ranking officials in Chuan Du Jun.

If anything were to happen to these scholars in Lingbei County, the county magistrate would likely lose his head.

Because of this, as soon as the scholars began their journey to the county town, the county magistrate, Fang Jingzhi, had already sent out all the constables and even borrowed troops from the Chuan Du Jun governor to ensure that the exam would proceed smoothly.

As Su Qian'an walked through the county town, he wasn’t in a hurry to head straight to the inns designated for scholars. Instead, he leisurely drove his donkey cart through the streets.

Last time, he had been in a rush, heading directly to the county government office, so he hadn’t had the chance to explore the town.

Now that he had the time, Su Qian'an took the opportunity to see the sights.

On both sides of the main road, there were vendors calling out their goods, and at the end of the road, he saw several restaurants, inns, and even a few brothels.

The town was bustling, and this was the true face of a county town.

Su Qian'an couldn’t help but feel a little wistful. After briefly surveying the area, he had a general idea of the town’s layout. Just as he was about to return to the inn, suddenly, a tall, thin young man with a face full of freckles stepped in front of him.

Before Su Qian'an could speak, the young man, thin as a bamboo pole, began to flatter him with great enthusiasm.

"Ah, at first glance, you must be no ordinary person. You must be one of the scholars taking the county exam. A young scholar like you is rare in Lingbei County. You truly are a talented youth."

Su Qian'an remained calm, unshaken by the praise. He had encountered many such flatterers in the past. These people were common in county towns, mostly appearing during grand events or major gatherings.

They didn’t have much else to offer, but their gift lay in their superb flattery and keen observation, often acting as guides for the children of influential families or the wealthy, providing detailed explanations of the local customs and landscape.

These individuals were known as "slippery tongued" (liū yóu jīn), as their manner was as smooth as oil, their speech sugary sweet, always aiming to please and serve the pampered sons and daughters of the rich and powerful.

Unfortunately for this young man, he had misjudged Su Qian'an. Su Qian'an was not someone to fall for such tricks.

Without reacting, Su Qian'an simply kept walking, which caused the young man to feel surprised. But he wasn’t deterred. He continued his barrage of words.

"Sir, you have a handsome figure and dignified appearance. I imagine this is your first time in Lingbei County. Since you’re a young talent, it would be wise to meet and mingle with other true talents."

"Up ahead, there’s the Wang Yue Tower, where the gentry and scholars from all seven counties are gathering for a poetry contest. The atmosphere there is lively, and the prize for the winner is a handsome sum of one or two hundred taels."

"If you attend, who knows? Maybe the first-place prize will go to you, sir."

The young man spoke with growing excitement, yet his words seemed to have no effect on Su Qian'an. The more he spoke, the more it seemed like a waste of time.

In fact, Su Qian'an had almost walked away when the young man's words reached their peak. It was the most embarrassing failure in the young man’s career, as he had never met someone who was so indifferent to his flattery.

Just as he was about to give up, Su Qian'an suddenly stopped. A gust of wind passed by, and when the young man turned back, Su Qian'an's face had already appeared right in front of him.

The young man was startled, not expecting Su Qian'an to be so quick.

By the time the young man came to his senses, Su Qian'an's voice reached his ears.

"Is what you said true? In that case, lead the way."

The young man nodded, but there was an awkward expression on his face. Having spent years in the streets, dealing with all manner of influential figures, he had never met anyone quite like Su Qian'an.

This young man wasn’t eager to flatter the wealthy or obsessed with fame and status. What he truly cared about was money.

One or two hundred taels might not be much to the pampered children of wealthy families, but it was a considerable sum for someone like Su Qian'an, who had a different set of priorities.

The young man couldn’t help but wonder: "Could it be that after all these years, I’ve made a misstep?"

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