Chapter 97

Amidst the two soldiers fighting, the reinforcements that rushed over were clearly no match. However, in the mist, there were archers who appeared and disappeared, occasionally shooting and killing.

Yu's army, numbering only 250, did not dare to approach too closely. At this moment, a string of red lanterns was lowered from the dark arrow tower, the mist becoming even denser. Guided by this, the reinforcements gradually retreated into the fortress.

Stopping the army, Yu Chong squinted his eyes, staring intently at the fortress filled with hidden dangers. He thought to himself, "This is not a coincidence; there must be a warning system in place. Combined with the sudden changes at noon today, it seems they knew we were coming and were well-prepared!"

Surveying the brothers who had followed him for many years, he sneered, "This is likely a trap, designed to lure us in!"

His words did not carry far, but they were enough for the surrounding soldiers to hear, and their faces turned pale. Having experienced countless battles on the grasslands, they knew that the key to fighting nomadic tribes was to strike each one individually. Now, facing a solid wall, the best course of action was to retreat and seek another opportunity.

However, having been under the control of the Yu family for generations, their obedience was deeply ingrained. Intimidated by the authority of the main family, no one dared to speak out, each one only looking at Yu Chong.

At this moment, when all eyes were on him, Yu Chong's mind wavered for a moment, the threatening words of the spy echoing in his ears.

Taking a deep breath, he made a decision, "The signal flare must be repaired, and we must seek instructions from the main family. If we attack forcefully, we will likely lose more than half of our men."

"But if the sorcerer can open a breach, we can take them down in one go!"

"I will request the sorcerer to cast a spell!"

Martial arts, indeed, were very powerful. In close combat, one could often match ten. However, the greatest weakness of martial arts was the inability to defend against arrows and crossbows.

Even with armor, it was difficult to resist at close range.

Once the sorcerer joined, illusions, storms, and the five elements could amplify their power tenfold. This was why they had been invincible on the grasslands.

However, casting spells in the inland would immediately alert the county and prefecture. Bandits could not possibly have sorcerers or Taoist priests involved, which was why the accompanying priests had not dared to cast spells so far. Inside the fortress,

"Mr. Lu, we have been friends, but is this how you treat me with sincerity?" Cao Hushan, full of anger, rushed forward and shouted at Lu Shangjing.

Lu Shangjing chuckled, looking down at the small battlefield without a word.

Upon arriving at the Cao family, with his silver tongue, he persuaded them to send militia and offered a clever plan, pretending to be imperial troops and raising false banners. This strategy seemed to reduce casualties, and Cao Hushan immediately followed his command.

However, the enemy was not intimidated at all, and they counterattacked directly. Once engaged, the front line could hardly hold, and the encirclement of the fortress became less tight, with only about 200 men.

At this moment, Lu Shangjing shouted, "This band of bandits is fierce, quickly retreat to the Ye family fortress and wait for reinforcements from the county!"

Thus, the Ye family fortress was filled with twice the number of allies. Once inside, the truth could not be hidden, and Cao Hushan almost lost his temper. He toured the injured, watching his kinsmen die from severe wounds, his heart aching and his lungs about to burst. If it were not for the ongoing battle, he would have fought Lu Shangjing to the death.

But under this questioning, Lu Shangjing's expression did not change, and he coldly said, "Lord Cao, take it easy, this plan is not a loss for you!"

Cao Hushan, gritting his teeth, wished he could beat this man to death, and through clenched teeth, he said, "Explain how my Cao family is not at a loss!"

"Thirty or so dead and injured, they are just servants. But in the critical moment of the Ye clan's survival, sending troops to aid, how will the Ye clan think? How will my young master think?"

"Once the deed is done, if you look unwilling, the favor will be reduced from ten to two or three!" Lu Shangjing smiled.

Cao Hushan stared at Lu Shangjing, saying, "The Ye clan is one thing, but what about your young master?"

"Short-sighted, how old is my young master? Sixteen, and already a scholar. If he passes the imperial examination this time, he will be the first in the dynasty. Such a person has a bright future, his value far surpassing the Ye clan. I am offering your Cao family a great opportunity and wealth, and you don't recognize it!"

Hearing this, Cao Hushan felt that there was no greater shame in the world, but upon careful thought, it was indeed so.

"Report!" A Cao family messenger came up, making Cao Hushan hold his breath. He glared at Lu Shangjing and turned to ask, "What is it now?"

"The enemy has retreated!" The messenger was overjoyed.

"Really retreated?" Cao Hushan climbed the wall and indeed saw shadows moving in the forest, the enemy retreating like a tide.

It was like a dream. He looked back and asked, "Did the county troops arrive?"

Lu Shangjing climbed the wall and frowned, "There are some, but not many, judging by the banners. They are coming... now I can see clearly, only 200."

He sighed, puzzled, "The county troops are not very strong. We pretended to have twice the number of banners, and the enemy still dared to charge. Now, half that number can scare them off?"

"Perhaps it's nightfall and they are tired?" Ye Zifan also came up and bowed deeply to Lu and Cao, "We narrowly escaped this time, the two of you have done a great service to the Ye family!"

Lu Shangjing stepped aside, "This is as per the master's instructions, I dare not claim all the credit."

Cao Hushan suddenly smiled, "We are old friends and in-laws, this is nothing, it is our duty."

Seeing the bandits retreat, everyone cheered. Large pots were set up in the fortress, and bandages were boiled in boiling water, with strong liquor prepared to clean wounds.

Strangely, this method was very effective for the injured.

"Apparently, this is an invention of Young Master Ye Qing," a clan member commented.

"Such a person will surely pass the imperial examination this time!" someone said.

"Ha, truly worthy of my cousin... I heard Bai Jing secretly loves Ye Qing, often inviting him, and even coming repeatedly, almost staying overnight... Uh, Uncle, you're here too, hehehe..."

Cao Hushan's mood worsened, wanting to be angry but lacking the energy.

His daughter's thoughts were obvious to everyone, and as her father, how could he not see it? But with the Ye family's status, it was not a good match. How could he make his daughter realize this?

Thinking of Lu Shangjing's confidence that Ye Qing would pass, the Cao family would have to readjust, becoming a vassal of the Ye family again. All the efforts of his mother, Lady Yao, would be in vain.

With these mixed thoughts, he sighed heavily, gazing at the misty battlefield, feeling melancholic.

In the examination hall of the prefecture,

The lights were bright, the atmosphere tense and oppressive. The guards patrolled in turns, their demeanor stern.

Inside the hall, there was only the sound of paper rustling, occasionally some light whispers.

The exam papers were sorted and stacked, one stack of 100, another of 950.

Fan Shan looked at the last paper being sorted, then glanced at the six chief examiners, took a deep breath, and bowed slightly, "The preliminary selection is complete, please, Sir, lift the magical seal."

The chief examiner walked to the center of the hall, placed his hand on the golden seal, looked at everyone, and without a word, the seal trembled, and the light dimmed.

Almost simultaneously, a gushing sound filled the hall, white vapor rising from the papers, first from the rejected ones, then forming literary qi!

The white vapor soon turned to red, as all those who reached the prefecture level had red literary qi, with a few dozen having a mix of red and yellow.

The chief examiner said nothing, looking at the 100 papers, seeing the literary qi rise, surpassing red, mostly a mix of red and yellow. After a moment, about 30 papers showed yellow qi.

Finally, about ten papers showed a mix of green and yellow.

One paper, however, was full of green qi, almost pale green, with only a few spots of mixed colors!

Fan Shan took it and showed it to everyone, saying, "Indeed, it is Ye Qing. This young man has the strongest literary qi. According to the rules, even without any other good fortune, he can pass the examination. He is truly a destined scholar."

All the officials praised, following the Great Cai rule—select scholars by literature, rank by qi!

Although good fortune was emphasized, the literary qi champion was an exception, guaranteed to pass, even if from a poor family with no good fortune.

Ye Qing had not been first in previous exams, but after years of study and integration, using the same scholar's work, not being first now would be unreasonable.

The officials were moved, but the chief examiner said little, taking the list and stamping it, marking the successful completion of the preliminary selection without major issues.

Fan Shan, though tired, said, "Please, Sir, open the seal to reveal the qi!"

The chief examiner nodded and removed the golden seal. The literary qi from the 100 papers expanded quickly, but not too fast.

Once the literary qi reached the green-yellow stage, good fortune had little effect.

Good fortune rose to the sky, shining brightly, supporting the literary qi. In a moment, the order changed, with the green-yellow qi turning pale green, some even approaching pure green.

Fan Shan looked and saw Ye Qing's qi, almost pure green, indicating strong good fortune. He was inwardly surprised, "Ye Qing is just from a small clan in the county, how does he have such good fortune?"

Looking further, he saw Yu Fan's qi, also almost pure green, unyielding, competing fiercely. He thought, "This young man has both talent and good fortune, a pity he is a villain!"

This was a preconceived bias.

Another qi, also almost pure green, belonged to a famous scholar from the prefecture, Jia Zixing.

These three were close, and choosing any one would be reasonable. The decision was Fan Shan's, and with his preconceived bias, he waved his hand, "Ye Qing will be the top scholar, followed by Jia Zixing, and Yu Fan third! The other 20 positions will be adjusted and ranked by you."

With these words, the decision was made. Half an hour later, the list was finalized.

Taking out a green scroll, he slowly unrolled it, and Fan Shan began to write the names, one by one, until all 30 were listed.

Finally, he wrote, "Great Cai, Year 12 of Pingjing, August 27, Prefecture Scholar List!"

After writing, Fan Shan's expression was solemn as he took out a golden seal and stamped it. As before, a clerk sent by the governor and the chief examiner each stamped it.

With the three seals complete, the 30 names on the papers glowed golden, indicating their recognition and achievement of the scholar rank.

---

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.