After Being Abducted by the General

Ruyang County’s Santou Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, the rice fields were lush with green seedlings, exuding a pleasant fragrance.
The farmers gathered in groups at the foot of Santou Mountain, looking up at the young man walking on the narrow mountain path.

The young man stood tall and straight, dressed in sturdy attire that accentuated his slender and solid waistline.
His jet-black hair was neatly tied up, and he carried a dagger at his waist and a bow and arrow on his back.
He exuded a sense of vitality and charisma with his striking demeanor.

The farmers whispered to each other from time to time, filled with curiosity.

“Whose child is this? He dares to venture into the mountains alone?”

“He looks somewhat familiar.
I think he is… the young master of the county magistrate’s family! I happened to see him once when I went to the market to buy medicine for my mother.”

“You mean the benevolent and intelligent young master? How could he enter Santou Mountain? There are man-eating jackals, wolves, and leopards in that mountain!”

“Even our local hunters dare not venture into the mountain alone!”

The murmurs continued, and more and more farmers gathered.

Suddenly, a simple horse carriage with several servants hurriedly arrived at the end of the muddy road.
The hooves of the horses kicked up specks of mud, which splattered on their garments, but nobody paid it any mind.
After the carriage came to a stop, the leader of the group anxiously and sorrowfully walked up to the foot of Santou Mountain and knelt down directly.

“Young Master, how could you venture into the mountain alone!”

The old servant’s voice choked with tears as he wiped his eyes, his voice growing louder in anguish.
“Madam is gravely ill.
We have searched all the pharmacies in Ruyang County, but we lack one particular herb.
The doctor said that only Santou Mountain has it.
But how could you go into the mountain alone!”

The servants behind him began to sob, “Young Master, please come back quickly.”

The old servant’s voice became more hoarse and desperate, each word filled with tears.
“This humble servant knows that you are filial to Madam and fear no danger, not even the jackals, wolves, and leopards.
But Santou Mountain is too treacherous.
Please think twice, Young Master!”

The farmers on the side suddenly realized, “So, the magistrate’s son entered the mountain alone to gather herbs for the magistrate’s wife!”

Some people already had tears in their eyes.
“We have heard about the magistrate’s son’s filial piety, but we didn’t expect him to go this far for his mother.
Look, the more they call out, the faster the magistrate’s son walks.
He just doesn’t want these people to stop him!”

An old man sighed and said, “If only I had such a son, I could wake up laughing from dreaming.”

During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, loyalty and filial piety were the principles governing the country.
Anyone who displayed loyalty and filial piety was respected by the people.

But no matter how the servants shouted, the young man in his spring attire continued to walk without stopping, resolutely entering the dense forest.

A weary female voice came from the carriage, “Enough, Steward Lin.
Since he insists on showing such filial piety, don’t stop him anymore.”

Steward Lin, stopped shouting and just held his head, weeping.

After a long while, the group hastily left Santou Mountain.
The farmers dispersed as there was nothing more to see.
Two slender farmers exchanged a glance, then quietly left the rice fields and arrived at a rarely traveled roadside.

The magistrate’s wife’s group of people who had just left happened to stop at this spot.

The farmers approached and whispered, “Steward, everything has been taken care of.”

Steward Lin, who had already wiped away his tearful expression, threw a bag of silver coins to the two farmers and coldly looked at them.
“You know what to say and what not to say.
Take the money and refrain from unnecessary gossip.”

The two farmers nodded repeatedly and left cautiously with the silver.

Inside the carriage.

The magistrate’s wife, leaning against a soft pillow, had a pale complexion, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.
She had applied rouge on her cheeks to add some color, but it only emphasized her struggling health, making her look extremely haggard.

“Madam, it seems that everything is in order,” the maid said as she handed a cup of tea to the magistrate’s wife, showing a hint of joy.
“Now, your efforts haven’t been in vain.”

Upon hearing this, the magistrate’s wife opened her eyes and couldn’t help but show a smile.
She reached out and took the tea bowl with a strong wrist, not looking like someone who was sick.
“My husband and I have put in a lot of effort for Yuan Li’s provincial examination,” she said.

Today’s “journey up the mountain to gather medicine for mother” was a play they orchestrated.

To become an official nowadays, one can only rely on being recommended for the provincial examination by someone else.
If one comes from a powerful and influential family, there is no need to worry about securing a spot for the provincial examination.
However, for families of modest means like theirs, securing a provincial examination spot for their descendants requires great effort.

The magistrate’s wife’s maiden name is Chen, and her family in Ruyang County has some influence, but it is not highly regarded outside.
Her husband, Yuan Song, is an ordinary person who only had the opportunity to become an official through a good mentor.
His network and connections are not as extensive as those of the magistrate’s wife.

To make Yuan Li successful in his official career, they must first establish a good reputation.

The maid approached Lady Chen from behind and massaged her shoulders, comforting her, “Madam, rest assured.
With the reputation and intelligence of young master, he will surely be selected for the National Academy.”

To be recommended for the provincial examination, having a good reputation alone is not enough; one must also have knowledge and learning.
Nowadays, the provincial examination quotas are monopolized by noble families, so those with humble backgrounds must find ways to enter the National Academy.
Once they have completed their studies, they can be recommended by their teachers to embark on the path of officialdom.
The students at the National Academy are either wealthy or influential, known for their outstanding talents.
If the young master can enter the National Academy, he will have already taken a step toward his official career.

Lady Chen took a sip of tea and revealed a touch of worry.
“It’s not that easy.
Even for the National Academy, it depends on the official rank and status of one’s ancestors.”

Within the National Academy, there are three different levels of education set up: the National Academy, the Grand Academy, and the Four-Door Academy, each catering to the children of high-ranking officials and nobles.

Her husband is just a small county magistrate, and if they don’t work the connections, he may never enter the National Academy in his lifetime.

“Moreover, it’s not just our Chen family in Ruyang.
There’s also the Wei family and the Wang family,” Lady Chen rubbed her temples.
“With so many people competing for a single provincial examination spot, the Wei and Wang families are even forming a marriage alliance.
Fortunately, our son Yuan Li is talented, diligent, and studious.
He outshone the children of both families; otherwise, the name that would be spread throughout Ruyang County wouldn’t be our son, but theirs.”

The maid whispered softly, “Madam, don’t worry.
I don’t know why, but whenever I look at the young master, I feel that he will definitely enter the National Academy and learn from a renowned teacher.”

Lady Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.
Although Yuan Li is still young, he calculates everything with precision, and his demeanor has already earned him admiration.
How can the achievements of such a child be small?

After taking a few sips of tea, Lady Chen reminded, “Go and remind the people in the mountain to take good care of the young master.”

The maid smiled and replied, “I will go now.”

“Wait,” Lady Chen stopped her, using a handkerchief to gently wipe off the tea from her lips, removing the powder along with it, revealing rosy and lively lips.
She closed her eyes, “Apply some makeup on me again, make sure I look like someone who has just recovered from a serious illness.”

“You can rest assured, madam.”

The maid washed her hands, let down the carriage curtain, and carefully applied makeup for Lady Chen.

***

Yuan Li walked quickly into the mountains.

As soon as he reached an area where human presence was scarce, over thirty guards hurriedly emerged from the jungle.
The leader, with a lean face, clasped his fists and greeted Yuan Li, “Young Master.”

Yuan Li nodded and smiled, “Guard Meng, you’ve been working hard these past few days.”

Since it was all for show, they couldn’t just stay on the mountain for a day and leave.
The longer he stayed, the wider and more genuine his reputation would become.
Yuan Li had already decided to stay in the mountains for three to five days.

With that in mind, Yuan Li looked at the system in his mind once again.

【The Encyclopedia System has been activated.】

【Mission: Enter the National Academy.】

【Reward: Soap formula.】

Yuan Li had a secret; he wasn’t actually from this era.

Before his transmigration, he was an excellent battlefield logistics personnel.
After transmigrating, he arrived in Northern Zhou with his memories intact, but as a crying infant, with a motionless system in his mind.

However, from the time the system activated until now, it hadn’t provided Yuan Li with the slightest bit of help.
It only displayed three lines of text, coldly tempting him with rewards to complete the mission.

Yuan Li was cautious about this thing in his mind, but he and the system shared the same goal: to enter the National Academy and become an official through passing the examination.
He decided to see what changes would occur if he truly entered the National Academy.

But it had to be said that the soap formula was indeed a considerable temptation for Yuan Li.

Because when Yuan Li discovered that this era was on the brink of a major upheaval, his goal shifted to adopting and raising soldiers and horses, in order to establish a firm foothold in the chaotic times.

Yuan Li’s expertise in his previous life was precisely in raising soldiers and horses and managing logistics, so he knew how much money it would require.

The problem was, as the son of a small county magistrate, he simply didn’t have that much money.

Regrettably, Yuan Li withdrew his gaze from the system.

Santou Mountain was the largest mountain in Ruyang County, extending not only within Ruyang County but also to the neighboring Sanchuan County.

Yuan Li had gathered a good number of herbs, and without realizing it, their group had traveled from the southern side of Santou Mountain to the northern side.
As they entered the shaded area, a sudden chill swept over them.
Yuan Li shivered and looked down.
This place was like a completely different world from where they had ascended the mountain, with sparse vegetation, bare ground, and a desolate scene of withered branches and grass.

The expression on Guard Meng’s face suddenly changed, and he pointed in the distance, saying, “Young Master, quickly look.”

Yuan Li followed his direction and saw a group of ragged-dressed commoners climbing into the mountains through the dense forest.

These people were so thin that they only had a thin layer of flesh on their bodies.
Each of them held an axe or a stone knife in their hands, their mouths dry and cracked, swallowing saliva in a constant state of hunger and thirst.
The strange thing was that this group consisted entirely of able-bodied men in their prime.

They didn’t look friendly.

Yuan Li frowned and gestured for the people around him to keep quiet as they quietly followed behind.

Up ahead were the farmlands of Ruyang County, Yuan Li thought to himself as