Chapter 59: Dispute

Qin Zhao was already feeling frustrated with Qi Qige’s attitude. Cao Xi spoke up, “We should leave early. Mrs. Cui is pushing for a marriage, and she’s not someone reasonable.”

Cao Xi grabbed Qin Zhao’s arm, leading him away. “You know, there’s always someone with a stick, and some things are just beyond our control. Whether the exam goes well or not, we shouldn’t stay in Qizhou.”

Cao Xi glanced around the room. “Such a shame to leave this place.”

Qin Zhao, pulling Cao Xi into an embrace, replied, “This house in Qizhou was never meant to be permanent. Besides, it’s where we spent our wedding night, so how could I just leave it?”

“I came to Qizhou because my foot was injured and I couldn’t travel further. Now that I’m heading to the capital for the exam, if I fail, we can stay there temporarily and continue preparing for the next one,” Qin Zhao explained, tightening his hold on Cao Xi.

“I’ve been here long enough; even if I’m not a scholar yet, no one dares to occupy this place.”

By late morning, Qin Zhao and Cao Xi had packed up their belongings, locked the doors, and prepared to leave.

With their bundles packed, they climbed into Qi Qige’s carriage, heading toward the capital.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Cui was sending sweet water to Governor Cui, probing, “I heard Qi is quite impressive, intelligent and flexible. Even though his family background isn’t ideal, he’s already living independently, and his mother left him a good inheritance. Maybe we should consider him.”

Governor Cui sipped his sweet water, blowing on it before taking a few sips. “Hmph, don’t get your hopes up. He’s already left for the capital.”

As Mrs. Cui turned to leave, her back retreating from the room, Governor Cui chuckled to himself and continued working on his documents.

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On the road to the capital, the trio was unaware of the tension in Qizhou. They were happily discussing food when Qi Qige passed some crispy fried chicken to Qin Zhao. “Try this crispy fried chicken, it’s really delicious!”

Qin Zhao grimaced, pushing the food away. “Hurry up and eat it yourself. It’s getting all greasy.”

Cao Xi, holding a chicken leg, asked, “You’re really not going to eat? It’s really good.”

“I’m not eating it. Fried food will upset my stomach on the road.”

Qin Zhao had underestimated the appetite of his companions. Qi Qige and Cao Xi ate nonstop, both of them ending up with upset stomachs.

By early February, they finally arrived in the capital, greeted by a young but competent servant.

“Master, you’ve had a long journey,” the servant, Ada, bowed respectfully.

“Ada, have you been waiting long?” Qi Qige asked from the carriage, fanning himself lazily.

“This is the third time,” Ada replied. “I was informed you were close, so we were ready to welcome you.”

“Let’s go,” Qi Qige hopped off the carriage, wrapping his arm around Ada’s shoulder as they walked into a two-part compound.

Ada gave instructions to some others before personally leading them to their new residence.

The house in the capital was more refined than the one in the provincial city, lacking a garden but well-maintained with intricate details.

Cao Xi sighed, “Qi Qige has completely changed my understanding.”

Ada chuckled softly, “Young Master has been managing business since he was five. Aside from the dowry left by his mother, he has earned quite a bit on his own.”

Cao Xi nodded, confirming that along the way, there were multiple properties owned by Qi Qige, covering a broad range of industries.

The capital was bustling with the vibrant night scene. Cao Xi and Qin Zhao, having just arrived, were amazed by the lively atmosphere. Qi Qige, though somewhat inexperienced, had figured out the layout of the city and was keen to show Qin Zhao and Cao Xi around.

As they walked, Qi Qige kept talking, but after a while, he noticed that both Qin Zhao and Cao Xi had stopped at a stall selling clay figurines.

Cao Xi picked up a clay sculpture and waved it in front of Qin Zhao’s face, making him laugh out loud with amusement.

Qi Qige returned to their side and saw that Cao Xi was holding a figurine of a pig. The pig was depicted in a lively and proud pose, holding a fan.

“This clay sculpture is interesting. The figure is quite vivid,” Qi Qige commented.

Amused by the lively details, Cao Xi decided to play around. Holding the figurine, he mimicked Qi Qige’s voice with a perfect imitation, “Qin Zhao, try this crispy fried chicken. It’s so delicious!”

His spot-on imitation caused Qi Qige to stop in his tracks, realizing what was happening. Cao Xi continued with the act, causing Qi Qige to laugh and shake his head.

“We’re too much,” Qi Qige said, playfully putting the figurine down and pulling out his folding fan.

As he began to fan himself, he glanced at Cao Xi and Qin Zhao, who were both grinning mischievously.

Cao Xi handed the pig figurine to Qi Qige, saying, “Here, I’ll give this to you. It looks just like you.”

Qi Qige took the figurine and turned it over, inspecting it. “Where do you see the resemblance?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s a perfect match. Look closely at the expression and the way it’s holding the fan,” Cao Xi said, pointing out the details.

Qi Qige chuckled, admitting that while he didn’t initially see it, the comparison was rather fitting.

With a slight pout, Qi Qige accepted the figurine. “You guys are unbelievable,” he muttered, though he couldn’t help but smile. “Let’s go, there’s more interesting things ahead.”

Cao Xi and Qin Zhao exchanged a glance and followed Qi Qige as he led the way.

The capital was full of bustling stalls, but one particular area was eerily quiet. It was a small, old bookstall, which immediately caught Qin Zhao’s attention.

They stopped in front of the stall, where Qin Zhao began browsing the books. Cao Xi, a bit bored, leaned against the stall, watching them both.

“Qin Zhao, look what I found!” Qi Qige exclaimed excitedly, holding up a book he had picked out.

Qin Zhao took the book with a calm expression, but his eyes suddenly flickered with interest. “Where did you find this?” he asked, his tone shifting slightly.

“This stack of old books?”

Qi Qige had found a book titled Jingyi, a common text, but its annotations were profound and insightful, offering a deep understanding of the material. It was clearly a valuable find.

“Who made these annotations? They’re spot on,” Qin Zhao commented, gripping the book tightly, not wanting anyone else to snatch it away.

The stall owner, a muscular man in his fifties with sharp eyes and a lively spirit, raised his eyelids slightly and casually replied, “One hundred and fifty taels.”

His authoritative voice caught the attention of many passersby, who turned to look and gathered around the stall.

This stall owner had been selling books on the street for two years, managing to sell at least one book every day. He was known for his bad temper and obstinate personality, which had earned him a reputation in the area.

Cao Xi was shocked and whispered to Qi Qige, “Are prices like this common in the capital?”

Qi Qige, equally taken aback, couldn’t bear to leave the book behind and quickly instructed Qin Zhao, “Hold onto it for now. I’ll look for a few more.”

With that, Qi Qige dove back into the pile of old books, flipping through them rapidly.

Within a short time, a small mountain of books had gathered around him. Those who knew he was book-shopping left him to his task, while those who didn’t merely thought he was organizing the stall.

Meanwhile, Qin Zhao had begun flipping through the books Qi Qige had gathered, carefully selecting those that seemed valuable.

Throughout the process, the stall owner didn’t speak much, adopting a relaxed “go with the flow” attitude, letting his customers browse as they pleased.

By the time Qi Qige had finished digging through the stack, he turned to see Qin Zhao tossing aside a book he had picked out.

“Don’t throw it away!” Qi Qige shouted, rushing to retrieve it.

He smoothed out the corner of the book. “Why did you throw this one out?”

Qin Zhao responded calmly, “This Ce Wen has annotations that don’t match the current situation, and they might mislead your judgment.”

He then grabbed Qi Qige’s book and tossed it aside as well.

“Hey!” Qi Qige winced at the loss, but quickly retrieved the book. “What are you doing?”

Qin Zhao dismissed the book’s value, stating, “The annotations in Ce Wen are sharp, but they’re outdated. It’s not worth it.”

Qi Qige grumbled, “This kid… He doesn’t want to buy anything, but he still criticizes my finds.” He turned to the stall owner, who had now retrieved the book with a frown. “What’s wrong with Ce Wen?” he asked, shaking the book and looking at Qin Zhao with a challenging glare.