Fu Jiu led the way.
The two people in front of the corridor turned around when they heard the voice. Zhang Mingli glanced around and immediately saw Qin Gong. He remained gentle and took two steps forward to greet him.
In comparison, Qin Gong's reaction was much colder.
He only nodded slightly, his eyes passing over Zhang Mingli's face, his eyes indifferent, "Master Zhang is drunk, it's better for him to go down and have a good rest. There's no need to linger in the yard."
Zhang Mingli exchanged a few pleasantries about their old school days, and then was led to the guest room by the Qin mansion servants who had caught up with him.
The path is winding and the bamboo shadows are swaying.
Behind Zhang Mingli, the servant couldn't help but mutter, "Master Qin, you're really arrogant."
Zhang Mingli said, "Jian is in the emperor's heart, so he will naturally have his own way."
"But a few days ago, he was having a feast with Zhang Yao."
The servant blurted out something, then realized that he had said something wrong, and suddenly fell silent and lowered his head.
--
Fu Jiu led her master to the guest room and asked the maid to prepare clean clothes.
The maid came in with clothes. Qin Gong opened his arms and the maid carefully helped him put them on.
He turned sideways to the mirror and adjusted his clothes, his fingers clasping the jade buttons on his collar. "Where is Grandma now?"
The old woman replied, "My Lord, the eldest lady just drank a few cups at the banquet and is a little drunk. She should be helped back to her room to rest now by Madam Zhou."
"Yes," Qin Gong straightened his clothes and nodded, "Send someone to inform the eldest lady that she doesn't need to come out for the socializing. It's just an ordinary banquet, there aren't many rules."
"Prepare some hangover soup for Grandma, and send some light food over, including her favorites."
The old woman responded "yes".
The banquet hall was still bustling with people talking loudly.
In a corner of the hall, a few newly-minted scholars who came here because of their reputation seemed a little restrained, their foundation still weak. Only after a few drinks did they become more lively.
"Brother Zhang, congratulations." The classmate smiled.
Zhang Ji nodded and drank it all in one gulp. The smell of alcohol made his handsome face flush.
Several young people were gradually becoming more lively, but the banquet hall suddenly became quiet.
These newcomers subconsciously followed the crowd's gaze and someone was the first to recognize him, "It's Master Qin. He's actually walking towards us. What a great honor."
Qin Gong strode over, and several young people subconsciously stood still like pine trees.
"You are all disciples of the Emperor," the voice said coldly. "Passing the imperial examination is merely the beginning. You must be diligent today and in your future official duties, repaying the Emperor's kindness and fulfilling your own aspirations."
Just a few words, and the encouragement comes immediately.
They were excited and bowed, "Thank you for your teachings, sir."
Qin Gong asked a few more questions about his teacher-student relationship and tested him a few more times before leaving.
It was not until Lord Qin disappeared that they breathed a sigh of relief, and their suppressed joy emerged.
"Master Qin actually praised me for my talent and promising future!"
"We are talking about us, don't take it all for yourself." The person next to him teased him.
"We should all forge ahead and live up to our youth." The young man raised his glass again with passion.
Zhang Ji also felt a burning sensation in his chest. A classmate, flushed with alcohol, came over and touched his arm with a sour tone, "Brother Zhang, you're so lucky. You passed the exam and immediately found a fourth-rank official willing to marry you. With the Yue family's support, your path to success will be several levels faster than those of us with shallow roots."
"Brother, don't talk nonsense. Fame and fortune are achieved in a proper way, not by nepotism." Zhang Ji frowned slightly and shook his head seriously.
The man was drunk and laughed, not giving in. "You kid, this is the capital. A top scholar is born every three years. There are so many talented people. You just need to slowly accumulate experience. When will you be able to make a name for yourself? You have your father-in-law to help you, so just be happy." He said with foaming wine on his face, and his body leaned unconsciously towards Zhang Ji.
Zhang Ji frowned and stretched out his hand to push him away, but a silk handkerchief was handed to him from the side, and a faint fragrance wafted over. Zhang Ji was dazed by the subtle fragrance, raised his head, and saw that it was the maid from Qin's mansion.
Maid, "Master Zhang, wipe it."
Before Zhang Ji could thank her, the maid had already bent her knees slightly and turned to leave.
Zhang Ji was wiping the wine stains off his collar with a handkerchief, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of an exquisite sachet lying on the ground, which had slipped from the sleeve of a maid in the Qin residence. He subconsciously wanted to call out for help, but paused when he saw the small words embroidered on the sachet.
"If I had a brother-in-law as powerful as Lord Qin, wouldn't that be..."
During the meal, someone got drunk and started talking nonsense with a slurred tongue.
Someone beside him actually chimed in, "Rise to prominence!"
Zhang Ji's body froze, and as if possessed by a ghost, he took the opportunity to pick up the sachet that had fallen to the ground for unknown reasons while bending over to adjust his clothes. No matter the workmanship or the poems inscribed on it, it was impossible for this sachet to have been made by a maid.
In the deep corner of the corridor,
Yinzhu had been waiting anxiously for a long time. She kept standing on tiptoe to look around, twisting her handkerchief with her fingers, and cursing the unreliable little maidservant a thousand times in her heart.
Finally seeing someone, she rushed over and grabbed him, lowering her voice and asking urgently, "Where's the thing? Did Zhang Zhuangyuan get it?"
The little maid was startled by her and nodded hurriedly, "Don't worry, Sister Yinzhu. I carefully aimed and the sachet fell at Zhang Ji's feet. He must have seen it."
Yinzhu's heart was relieved, but she frowned in the next instant, "Who are you talking about?"
The maid was confused and said, "Sister Yinzhu, don't worry, the sachet was indeed dropped at the top scholar's feet."
"No, what name did you just say?"
The maid hesitated, "It's Zhang Ji, the new champion this year."
"Zhang Ji?" Yinzhu's mind buzzed, and her voice became sharper. "Stupid thing, the person I told you to find is Zhang Yaozhang, the top scholar!"
The maid was confused, but he was indeed the only top scholar at the banquet.
Yinzhu was so furious that she pushed the stunned maid away. She wanted to go back and talk to the young lady and find a way to send another sachet over.
Yinzhu turned around and ran back in a hurry. As soon as he turned the corner, he almost bumped into someone.
"Hey, slow down!" Wen Zhiyi exclaimed softly, holding onto the corridor pillar to steady himself, and looked at Yinzhu's panic-stricken expression with concern.
Yinzhu was at a loss at the moment, and seeing Miss Wen who had just given advice to the young lady, she didn't care about anything else and told her everything about the stupid things the maid had done in a crying voice.
"The maid said that Zhang Zhuangyuan wasn't at the table." Wen Zhiyi frowned, "Did she give the sachet to the wrong person?"
Her expression suddenly changed, startling Yinzhu. Wen Zhiyi looked at Yinzhu and sighed, "It's not appropriate for you to rashly go in and report to your young lady now."
"That sachet, from selecting the materials to embroidering it, to the poems on it, which one wasn't personally done by Ruoyue, spending days and nights to complete it? That thoughtfulness... Ruoyue is impatient, and Ah Xi just accidentally messed up the gold thread she used to embroider the sachet, and he still can't get off the bed. And your news..."
Yinzhu's face changed drastically.
Wen Zhiyi comforted her, "Don't panic. Things have come to this point. Instead of provoking Ruoyue, it's better to make the best of a bad situation. We can find a safe opportunity in the future and return her to Master Zhang."
Seeing Yinzhu still feeling uneasy, she said softly, "Didn't you just say that the mistake was given to this year's new top scholar, Zhang Ji? To be able to win the top prize, one must be of noble character. He certainly wouldn't use a small sachet to make a fuss. Don't worry, just go and reply and tell them that the matter has been settled."
Yinzhu thanked him repeatedly in panic, hurriedly tidied her hair and dress, and then ran quickly towards Qin Ruoyue's yard.
Wen Zhiyi stood alone under the eaves of the pavilion, her face beautiful and delicate, but her eyes were indifferent.
She turned around slowly and sat down on the cold stone bench.
Wen Tang had not returned to the table since she left to change her clothes. As the eldest grandmother of the Qin family, she naturally had the qualifications to be so willful.
In fact, when she returned to the capital, she had truly considered letting go of her old relationship with Qin Gong, which was why she had given the safety lock to Wen Tang, hoping she would return it to him. But Wen Tang would certainly not keep his word. As the eldest grandmother of the Qin family, how could she tolerate her husband still having feelings for another woman? The safety lock had probably been discarded by Wen Tang long ago.
She and Qin Gong had a childhood sweetheart relationship, a bond that could not be compared to that of his wife Wen Tang.
She didn't want to use the peace lock to sow discord between them, but Qin Gong would look at her as soon as she appeared.
"Madam," the servant beside Qin Gong came in, "Master invites you to come over and talk."
Wen Zhiyi raised her eyes, a gentleness like spring water rippled across her face. She stood up gracefully and said, "Thank you for leading the way."
After all, he was thinking of her and didn't even want her to wait in this cold corner for a moment longer, so he sent someone to invite her.