Chapter 203 3/3

Li Qingzhi was aware of the situation in the capital, and it was precisely because he understood it that he was eager to go there for the exams.

Both Prince Jin and Prince Yan were unscrupulous individuals who cared nothing for the common people in their pursuit of personal power!

Li Qingzhi believed that neither of them should ascend to the throne!

Lu Qingxi also had his issues, as he didn’t truly care about the people either.

However, the young child in the palace could still be nurtured.

In any case, compared to Prince Jin and Prince Yan, he preferred that the young child in the palace ascend to the throne.

Li Qingzhi bowed to Lord Ping: “Lord Ping, thank you for your guidance. However, I have my reasons and must go to the capital soon.”

Li Qingzhi sincerely explained his situation.

Lord Ping felt a bit regretful but ultimately gave his blessings.

After the Luming Banquet, countless large and small banquets were held in the provincial capital, and Li Qingzhi received dozens of invitations.

However, he didn’t attend any of them.

He wrote quickly, so he sent a letter to everyone he knew who invited him, explaining that he was eager to go to the capital for the exams and needed to return to Chongcheng County to handle family matters, hence he couldn’t attend.

After finishing the letters, Li Qingzhi left the provincial capital with Jin Xiaoye and the others.

“Ah Qing, don’t you like attending banquets? Why didn’t you go?” On the way back, Jin Xiaoye curiously asked Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi always enjoyed being in lively places.

Li Qingzhi, watching Li Damao and Li Ermao feed the chickens, turned to Jin Xiaoye: “Xiaoye, some people invited me to places like brothels.”

These banquets were meant for networking, and some people, to curry favor with the new Juren, would offer money and even women.

Li Qingzhi enjoyed socializing but had no interest in such things, so he decided to leave the provincial capital.

Jin Xiaoye hadn’t known this before, but once she did, she said without hesitation, “Then you definitely shouldn’t go.”

Li Qingzhi took Jin Xiaoye’s hand: “Xiaoye, when we get back, let’s pack our things and prepare to go to the capital.”

Li Qingzhi planned to go to the capital early, and after discussing it with Du Yongning, he also planned to do the same.

They would travel to the capital with the Shen family’s fleet, with Du Yongning renting a separate large boat and Li Qingzhi traveling with Wu Baichuan.

Although renting a boat would be more comfortable, it would be conspicuous and difficult to find reliable sailors, so it was better to travel with Wu Baichuan.

He planned to pay Wu Baichuan extra to load fewer goods and leave more space for them.

The Shen family’s fleet planned to depart in early October, so there was plenty of time, but they could start preparing early.

Once in the capital, Li Qingzhi intended to seek revenge for the original owner, but he would be careful not to implicate Jin Xiaoye and the others.

After returning to Chongcheng County, Li Qingzhi couldn’t escape various invitations.

County Magistrate Wang and others invited him to meals.

However, at these gatherings, he could speak freely if something seemed off, so he didn’t mind attending.

Apart from being invited to meals, he also had to host a banquet himself and invite some people over.

Meanwhile, preparations for going to the capital needed to be made.

Li Qingzhi intended to go to the capital for the exams early, and some Juren from Jiang’an Province and other provinces had the same plan.

In the distant Meng County, a Juren in his thirties named Fan Weiyan also planned to go to the capital before the end of the year.

The Fan family was well-known in Meng County, having produced several scholars and Juren.

Fan Weiyan was talented from a young age, becoming a scholar at twenty and once the most promising young talent in Meng County.

At that time, Meng County Magistrate Li Zhao had high hopes for Fan Weiyan and often mentored him, which led to Fan Weiyan meeting Li Zhao’s eldest daughter, Li Zhu.

Li Zhu was extremely beautiful, and after seeing her once, Fan Weiyan couldn’t forget her, begging his parents to propose marriage.

Li Zhu was of marriageable age, and there weren’t many suitable young men in Meng County… Li Zhao had also taken a liking to Fan Weiyan.

Thus, the marriage was arranged.

For a few years, Fan Weiyan lived comfortably with a beautiful wife and a magistrate father-in-law.

However, a flood struck Meng County, and Li Zhao was accused of embezzling disaster relief funds!

Facing the imminent execution of the entire Li family, the Fan family panicked, and so did Fan Weiyan.

The imperial envoy searched their house but found no silver and didn’t trouble them further. However, with Li Zhu and her daughter in their home, they were inevitably implicated.

They planned to drive away Li Zhu and her daughter.

But merely driving them away wasn’t safe; Li Zhu might cling to them…

After much deliberation, they decided to have Li Zhu and her daughter “commit suicide.”

Once Li Zhu was dead, their family would be clean!

Fan Weiyan was reluctant to part with his beautiful wife and young daughter, but fearing the impact on his career, he agreed.

After years of marriage, his feelings for Li Zhu had faded.

Later, his daughter died, but Li Zhu disappeared.

Years passed, and Fan Weiyan remarried, but he had not passed the Juren exam again.

He believed this was because of his association with Li Zhao, thinking the officials didn’t select him because of it!

Fan Weiyan hated the Li family, but this year, Li Zhao was exonerated.

No one knew what the Fan family did to Li Zhu and her daughter; they believed Li Zhu and her daughter had died of illness during the chaos.

Indeed, many people died of illness that year.

So, in the eyes of others, he was both Li Zhao’s son-in-law and student… He suddenly became very popular, with countless people visiting him, including the county magistrate of Meng County and the governor of Yuxi Prefecture.

This time, he passed the provincial exam!

No longer burdened by his connection to Li Zhao… Fan Weiyan planned to go to the capital and take the imperial exam, aiming to become a Jinshi next year!

Newly minted Juren Fan Weiyan attended various banquets, took in two concubines, and received many gifts…

When he went to the capital and became a Jinshi, he envisioned a bright future!

However, his current wife was average-looking, and her father was only a scholar, which seemed beneath him…