Chapter 211 1/3

In the blink of an eye, the day of the plum blossom viewing party had arrived.

Li Qingzhi got up early, picked out a nice outfit, and then helped Jin Xiaoye with her hair.

For today’s plum blossom viewing party, Jin Xiaoye and her companions would join him. Once they arrived, he would join the other scholars for the gathering, while Jin Xiaoye and the others would stroll around and enjoy the plum blossoms.

The village outside the city, filled with plum trees, was open to everyone and had not been reserved exclusively by the scholars.

Once they were ready, they went to the west wing to have breakfast.

Chang Zhan’s two apprentices and Zhang Zao had already prepared breakfast.

In these times, without public restrooms, having a stomach full of liquids before going out would be very inconvenient. So, they avoided soupy foods and had braised noodles instead.

The noodles were made by cooking pork with dried string beans from summer, then layering noodles on top to braise for a while. The resulting braised noodles were fragrant and delicious.

After finishing the noodles and waiting for a bit, the two carriages they rented arrived.

There were many carriages in the capital, but people generally rented them instead of keeping their own horses, as raising horses was too expensive for most families.

Renting carriages was also costly, so unless leaving the city, most people traveled on foot.

Jin Xiaoye, mindful of the expenses, said to Li Qingzhi as she boarded the carriage, “I’ve found a good shop and am negotiating the rent. Once it’s settled, I’ll open Jueweizhai. Besides Jueweizhai, I want to open Jincuilou to sell glass jewelry and soap. But first, I need to find artisans skilled in jewelry making and gem polishing to ensure long-term business.”

Qian Fugui brought several bags of glass to the capital, which could be polished into jewelry for sale.

Jin Xiaoye didn’t plan to sell the glass jewelry too expensively, but not too cheaply either. Preparing for Jueweizhai now, she intended to open Jincuilou by the end of the year.

“Alright,” Li Qingzhi smiled. Jin Xiaoye was managing the family business well.

“We need to earn money. We’re spending a lot right now and if this continues, we’ll run out of funds,” Jin Xiaoye said.

In Chongcheng County, Jin Embroidery Workshop and Jueweizhai combined earned two to three hundred taels of silver a month. Although it seemed like a lot, their expenses were high. Without Li Qingzhi’s book earnings, they couldn’t have afforded to open a school.

Jin Xiaoye brought two thousand taels of silver to the capital, but after rent and other expenses, they had already spent two hundred taels. Renting and renovating the shop, and hiring artisans, would require more money!

Everything in the capital was expensive!

Li Damao and Li Ermao went to Madam Qian’s carriage, while Li Qingzhi, Jin Xiaoye, Li Laogen, Zhao Xiaodou, and Zhang Zao shared another.

After Li Qingzhi finished talking to Jin Xiaoye, Li Laogen said to him, “Ah Qing, if we run out of money, we can rent a place in a slightly poorer area.”

Li Laogen wasn’t fond of Qingshi Lane.

He thought his son, a scholar, was very impressive and wanted to boast after staying home for two days. However, after Li Qingzhi introduced the neighbors, he realized the lady drying pickles at the door was an official’s mother, and the man strolling with a birdcage was a fellow scholar.

Some residents were even sons of a marquis, making Li Qingzhi seem insignificant in comparison.

Li Laogen, who feared meeting county magistrates, was terrified of living among such notable people and hoped to move to a less prestigious area where he could feel superior.

But Li Qingzhi would never agree. Unlike Chongcheng County, the capital’s less reputable areas couldn’t ensure their safety.

The carriage swayed forward, taking a long time to leave the city, and after another hour, they finally arrived at the plum blossom village.

Traveling in ancient times was truly inconvenient.

“Xiaoye, accompany Madam Qian and the others. I’m going to the plum blossom party,” Li Qingzhi said.

The village owner had opened the village for free but sold food and hot water, making some money and providing convenience for visitors.

They had brought some food and could heat it there, ensuring Jin Xiaoye and the others wouldn’t go hungry.

Zhang Zao, technically Li Qingzhi’s attendant, stayed with Madam Qian and her maids to look after her and the children. Madam Qian was pregnant, and the group included three children, so more caretakers were needed.

Parting from Jin Xiaoye’s group, Li Qingzhi found a servant in the village to ask about the scholars’ gathering location.

The servant directed him, and Li Qingzhi headed that way.

Scholars arriving early had already started discussing Fan Weiyan.

“I’ve read all of Lonely Man’s books and greatly admire Li Zhao. Knowing his son-in-law is in the capital, I wanted to visit him, but now…”

“He’s so unlucky, getting new injuries every day.”

“What’s going on with him? If someone’s targeting him, why just use these petty tricks?”

“At this rate, he won’t be able to focus on the imperial exams.”

Upon seeing Li Qingzhi approach, they stopped talking.

After introductions, one said, “Zixiao, you’re the top scorer of Jiang’an Province. You’ll surely excel in the exams.”

The triennial exams admitted two to three hundred candidates, with most hopefuls failing. However, top scorers from each province, especially from literary provinces like Jiang’an, generally ranked high unless something extraordinary occurred.

Li Qingzhi modestly replied and quickly blended in, conversing easily with the scholars. He was perceptive and knowledgeable, able to contribute to any topic, and sincerely eager to make friends, making conversations with him delightful.

As they talked, more scholars arrived, including Fan Weiyan.

Recently, Fan Weiyan had been so unlucky that he didn’t want to leave his inn, but misfortune followed him even there. After encountering poisonous insects at the first inn, he moved to another, only to have the upstairs tenant’s bathwater flood his room, soaking his bed and books.

Frustrated and nearly ready to leave the capital, he received an invitation to the plum blossom party and decided to attend.

Although deemed unlucky, Fan Weiyan suspected someone was targeting him but lacked evidence.

In the second inn, the upstairs tenant was a returning county magistrate. Fan Weiyan suspected foul play but had no proof, and the magistrate denied any wrongdoing, even blaming the inn for poor bath equipment.

Eventually, the inn compensated both and asked Fan Weiyan to leave, fearing his presence would affect business.