Chapter 56

The new year brought a fresh start, and everyone’s faces were lit with happiness.

This year, Qin Zhao was preparing for the provincial-level imperial exam. Starting from the first day of the new year, guests began arriving one after another to pay their New Year’s greetings.

Qin Zhao’s home was bustling with visitors, and the gatherings seemed endless from the first day onward.

However, today was different from the usual festivities—he had received an invitation to a banquet hosted by the prefect himself, making it hard to decline.

Dressing neatly, Qin Zhao prepared to attend the event.

When he arrived, the main hall was already filled with guests. He initially intended to find a quiet corner where he could sit unobtrusively, marking his attendance without attracting attention.

But before he could locate a spot, a familiar voice called out to him.

“Qin Zhao, over here! Come and sit here!”

Qi Qige was seated in the third row of the main hall, waving frantically at him, as if worried Qin Zhao might not notice.

Reluctantly enduring the curious gazes of others, Qin Zhao made his way to Qi Qige’s table. Only when he got closer did he realize that Li Chenqi was also sitting next to Qi Qige.

Annoyed, Qin Zhao whispered, “Why are you two sitting so close to the front?”

“This is the best spot,” Qi Qige replied nonchalantly, pointing to the front rows. “Look over there—don’t you notice anything?”

Following Qi Qige’s gaze, Qin Zhao saw that the third row was reserved for young scholars preparing for the provincial exams, while the fourth row was occupied by licentiates (lower-level degree holders). The fifth row consisted of noble families, and the arrangement continued in such a hierarchical manner. There was indeed something unusual about this banquet.

Suspicious, Qin Zhao asked, “What is the prefect up to?”

Popping a grape into his mouth, Qi Qige shrugged. “Who knows? It feels like some kind of matchmaking event.”

A thought crossed Qin Zhao’s mind, and his expression shifted. Standing up abruptly, he grabbed Qi Qige’s arm and began pulling him out of the hall.

Qi Qige stumbled, nearly losing his balance. Before he could protest and ask what had gotten into Qin Zhao, a loud announcement from inside the inner doors stopped them.

“The prefect has arrived!”

Realizing they could no longer leave, Qin Zhao had no choice but to return to his seat with Qi Qige.

Next to them, Li Chenqi looked bewildered. “What are you two trying to do? Where were you planning to go?”

Qi Qige, who was still filled with doubts, turned to look at Qin Zhao, as if saying, “If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, I’m going to make a scene.”

Qin Zhao was at a loss for words and rolled his eyes.

“I really need to go to the bathroom.”

“Tch,” Qi Qige sneered at Qin Zhao dismissively.

The prefect, dressed in a blue robe with a slightly bulging belly, walked in with a distinctive swagger, taking slow, deliberate steps to the main seat.

Everyone stood and greeted him respectfully.

The prefect waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit. “Sit down, sit down, don’t stand on ceremony. This gathering is not for show.”

The prefect ordered someone beside him, “Bring the food.”

The servants quickly responded to the order, and soon a group of maids came in, clearing the fruit plates and bringing out dishes of wine and delicacies.

The prefect raised his wine cup and addressed the gathering, “This gathering is for the young men of ambition. We’ve all gathered here with one goal in mind—not for anything else, but to ensure a brighter future for our Qizhou city. The younger generation will be the strength of Qizhou’s future!”

His few words stirred up excitement among the crowd, and everyone raised their cups in response.

As the banquet continued, a musical instrument was heard, and a group of dancers dressed in red gauze and light clothing entered, holding feather fans to shield their faces.

Their waist movements were seductive, and their captivating gazes drew the attention of nearly every man in the room.

However, no one seemed to notice that the prefect was sitting behind a screen, along with a few others.

The prefect had a slight smile on his face as he observed the reactions of the people at the banquet—some were mesmerized, others were shy, and some even wished they could join the dancers in the performance.

Qi Qige, fanning himself with his fan, leaned his head against Qin Zhao’s shoulder and stared at the dancers.

“Looks like the prefect really spared no expense here.”

Qin Zhao pushed his head away. “He doesn’t care, his eyes are glued to them.”

Qi Qige slapped Qin Zhao’s arm. “This is a strategy. What would a country bumpkin like you understand?”

Qin Zhao, embarrassed by the slap, retaliated by hitting Qi Qige lightly on the head.

Behind the screen, a few people had overheard their exchange and tried to suppress their laughter.

Inside the room, music and dancing filled the air, and the prefect seemed to enjoy the entertainment, hearing it all from behind the screen.

Seeing the dancers in their revealing clothes, Qin Zhao felt both embarrassed and frustrated. He turned away, trying to avoid watching, but then met the prefect’s eyes—those eyes seemed to smile knowingly, and he immediately felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly turned his head back.

When the dancers finished their performance, they stopped causing any further disturbances. Following a signal from the prefect, they went to sit beside the guests at the tables.

The dancers were charming and seductive, holding wine cups and feeding drinks to the guests. A group of young men, full of energy, were easily tempted by them.

All of them became engrossed in the fun, laughing and playing around, and some even kissed the dancers’ feet, making fools of themselves.

The dancer assigned to Qin Zhao was getting worried. She glanced over at the other dancers, whose tasks were already completed. It seemed like she was running into a professional barrier with this gentleman—he was unresponsive to all her attempts.

Qin Zhao refused to drink when offered wine, and wouldn’t take any food when it was served. He merely rolled his eyes at the people around him. If it weren’t for the prefect’s words, he would have already tossed his sleeve and left.

On the other hand, Qi Qige accepted everything—wine, food, and everything else. When a dancer came close to him, he skillfully dodged her.

Qi Qige had a way of picking out the best dancers. The dancers had endless tricks, and no matter how many times they tried, they couldn’t seem to win against his methods.

Qin Zhao resigned himself to serving food and pouring drinks, performing the duties of a servant.

Li Chenqi, however, exuded a certain grace and charm. He sat by himself at the table, his face slightly flushed from drinking, his eyes blurred but still showing an air of elegance.

However, if one looked closely, they would notice that his hand had wandered along the dancer’s ankle and was slowly moving upward.

Qi Qige gave a knowing look to Qin Zhao.

“He usually appears so composed, so refined, yet here he is, acting like this at a banquet.”

Qin Zhao furrowed his brows. He hadn’t expected this side of Li Chenqi either.

The banquet didn’t end until late at night. Qin Zhao and Qi Qige helped each other out, and once they were outside, they finally let go of each other’s support.

“During the banquet, I was forced into doing all sorts of things. It was like I was facing an enemy I could never defeat.”

Qi Qige understood that Qin Zhao didn’t like such events, but life in the world of politics didn’t allow much freedom.

“I couldn’t do it.”

Qin Zhao sighed deeply and shuddered, shaking off the unpleasant feeling. His clothes reeked of alcohol and the scent of rouge—it was unbearable.

“Now the trouble will come looking for us.”

Qi Qige shrugged, then left for Runxiangyuan by himself.

When Qin Zhao returned home, Cao Xi was already asleep. He quietly went to the kitchen to boil water, then took a thorough bath, only daring to go to bed after the smell was finally gone.

Cao Xi, half-conscious, felt the bed sink and barely opened his eyes. “You’re back?”

“Mm, I woke you up. Go back to sleep,” Qin Zhao whispered, carefully pulling Cao Xi close. The irritation from earlier slowly began to subside.

In the morning, Cao Xi woke up in the warmth of Qin Zhao’s embrace. He noticed the dark circles under Qin Zhao’s eyes, clearly from not having slept well the night before. He gently touched the corner of Qin Zhao’s eye.

“You never stay still when you wake up.”

Qin Zhao, half-awake, quickly grabbed his hand. Then, as Qin Zhao fully woke up, he realized it was the exhaustion from the previous night that had left him feeling lazy and unresponsive.

“How come you came back so late last night?”

Qin Zhao, still a little dazed, turned his head to answer. Cao Xi’s fingers slipped from his grasp, but he soon stopped trying to pull away.

“The prefect wouldn’t let anyone leave.”

Qin Zhao, still slightly disoriented, tucked Cao Xi under his arm, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Cao Xi, unable to avoid it, had no choice but to bury his face into Qin Zhao’s chest. Struggling slightly, he raised his head and asked, “What happened at the gathering?”

Qin Zhao: “What happened? They praised each other for a bit, then started eating, drinking, and having fun.”

As soon as Cao Xi heard this, he immediately understood that it wasn’t as simple as Qin Zhao made it sound. He reached out and pinched Qin Zhao’s waist, making him jolt awake, the pain snapping him to full attention.

Confused, Qin Zhao turned toward Cao Xi, not understanding why he was being pinched. “What’s wrong?”

Cao Xi gritted his teeth and said, “Eating, drinking, and having fun?”

Qin Zhao immediately sensed the trouble, quickly defending himself, “It was them, not me! I didn’t participate!”

Cao Xi glanced sideways at Qin Zhao, clearly not believing him.