Chapter 57: Someone is Digging the Corner of the Wall

Early in the morning, the governor and his wife called their daughter into the room.

“What’s going on? Didn’t we make things clear last night? You’ve got someone in mind, right? Your father wants to propose for you.”

Cui Qiaoqiao blushed at her father’s words and shyly stomped her feet.

“Why is father saying such things?”

“Hahaha, it’s nothing. Your father is just curious—who’s the one you’ve got your eye on? Let me give you some advice,” the governor said eagerly, as his daughter had reached the age for marriage, and he was keen to find a suitable match for her.

Cui Qiaoqiao pouted and clung to her mother’s arm, acting cute.

“Mother, father started this early in the morning, asking me about this.”

Cui’s mother, smiling lovingly, lightly tapped Qiaoqiao’s forehead.

“Of course, if we don’t ask now, when will we? Quickly tell us, who’s the one you like?”

Cui Qiaoqiao blushed and hesitated before speaking softly.

“It’s the young scholar in the third row, wearing a dark green robe and a jade crown. He’s quite handsome.”

Cui’s mother quickly reacted, clapping her hands with a laugh. “Ah, hahaha, no wonder he’s my daughter, with such good taste. I’ve noticed him too. He’s tall and strikingly handsome.”

The governor frowned as he responded, “But he’s already engaged.”

When Cui Qiaoqiao heard this, she was visibly dismayed. It was hard to accept that the one she liked was already promised to someone else.

Cui’s mother, however, was undeterred and tried to comfort her daughter. “So what if he’s engaged? Let him divorce his fiancée, then it’ll be fine. If Qiaoqiao marries him, it will be his blessing.”

“That’s nonsense!” the governor snapped.

He was getting annoyed; after all, the man was a scholar, not a commoner. How could they just change things around like that?

“Am I wrong? I invited him here, and yet his fiancée doesn’t even value him. This is complete nonsense!”

“Ugh…,” the governor rolled his eyes at his wife in frustration.

Cui Qiaoqiao was at a loss for what to do. At the banquet, she hadn’t even noticed anyone else—her attention had been entirely on Qin Zhao. Who could have imagined he was already married?

The governor looked at his daughter. “Is there no one else you’re interested in?”

This time, Cui Qiaoqiao was stumped. At the banquet, her eyes had been on Qin Zhao alone, and she hadn’t paid attention to anyone else.

However, a friend of Qin Zhao’s caught her attention. Though not as handsome as Qin Zhao, he was still good-looking, but he seemed too carefree and unruly.

The dancing girls kept offering him food and drinks, acting as though they were seeing the world for the first time. He was definitely not someone she would choose.

“I just feel that he’s different from the others,” Cui Qiaoqiao said shyly, lowering her head.

The governor muttered under his breath, “Hmm, he’s also a Qin Zhao. Your taste is sharp.”

“I’ll first inquire about his thoughts. If he’s willing to divorce his wife, I’ll make sure his future is as bright as silk. But if he isn’t, we’ll put an end to this idea. After all, scholars are not to be taken lightly.”

Soon after, the governor sent someone to bring Qin Zhao to the mansion.

When Qin Zhao entered the governor’s residence, he felt something was off about the usual path. He followed the servant for a while before stopping in his tracks.

The servant noticed and asked, “Why has Qin Zhao stopped?”

Qin Zhao replied, “This isn’t the usual path to the hall.”

The servant chuckled. “The master is waiting for you in the side hall.”

As the servant spoke, a group approached from the distance—a young lady dressed in a pink gown, accompanied by a maid. Qin Zhao immediately tried to avoid the encounter, but it was already too late.

Cui Qiaoqiao said, “Ah Fu, who is this?”

“Ah, this is Qin Zhao. The master wants to discuss something with him, so I’ll take him to the study,” the maid explained.

Qin Zhao lowered his head and stepped aside, deliberately avoiding a glance at Cui Qiaoqiao.

Cui Qiaoqiao, smiling brightly, said, “Qin Zhao, why don’t you raise your head? Am I so frightening that you can’t even look at me?”

Her teasing tone made Qin Zhao feel a wave of discomfort, and he couldn’t suppress the disgust rising in his stomach. He felt uneasy all over and responded with a cold voice.

“Please, don’t worry.”

Cui Qiaoqiao, noticing he was still avoiding eye contact, felt a pang of irritation. This fool.

She then moved aside as Qin Zhao and the servant continued on their way.

“Qin Zhao,” Cui Qiaoqiao called after him.

Qin Zhao instinctively turned back, only to see the young girl in a pink gown, with delicate features and a bright smile, gazing at him with eyes that seemed almost sticky, like mucus clinging to him. The sensation made him feel thoroughly uncomfortable, so he hurriedly moved behind the servant.

“Does the young lady have something to say?” Qin Zhao asked politely.

Cui Qiaoqiao, achieving her goal, turned around with a cheerful expression and walked away.

This type of abnormal behavior was hard not to leave a deep impression on others.

The servant knocked lightly on the door. “Master, Qin Zhao has arrived.”

“Let him in,” came the response.

Governor Cui set aside his pen for reviewing documents.

Qin Zhao bowed slightly. “Governor Cui, good morning.”

“There’s no need for such formalities, just sit down,” the governor said warmly, signaling for the servant to bring tea.

“I wonder why you’ve called for me today?” Qin Zhao felt that this time the governor had something specific in mind.

Governor Cui chuckled. “What’s the rush? We’re just chatting, no need to be so formal.”

Qin Zhao: “I hope the governor does not mind.”

“Hahaha,” Governor Cui laughed heartily and then stroked his chin. “I heard you’re already engaged?”

The previous evening’s banquet, today’s invitation, and the chance encounter with Cui Qiaoqiao made Qin Zhao quickly figure out Cui Zhizhou’s intentions.

Qin Zhao never expected that Cui Zhizhou would choose him. He answered sincerely, “Yes, I have already been betrothed.”

Cui Zhizhou sighed, “Such a pity, such a pity. You got engaged too early; it may hinder your future prospects.”

Qin Zhao replied, “Governor, please don’t jest. Men married at fourteen, and I am now seventeen. My mother doesn’t mind my age, so I am very satisfied.”

Cui Zhizhou said, “Qin Zhao, don’t belittle yourself. Now that you have the title of a successful scholar, you’re about to take the imperial exam. Your future is bright, so why not consider someone else?”

Qin Zhao suppressed his displeasure and carefully gathered his thoughts.

“My mother and I have faced many hardships together. I know I’m not worthy of her. If I hadn’t achieved the title of Qin Zhao, I wouldn’t even dare marry her. But now, even if I held great power, I wouldn’t dare let her down.”

Qin Zhao spoke seriously, his tone firm, which made Cui Zhizhou flush with embarrassment.

Cui Zhizhou had been caught off guard, unable to respond to Qin Zhao’s heartfelt expression of affection. He felt a lump in his throat, his thoughts tangled.

After a long pause, he finally muttered, “There’s honor in this.”

As the saying goes, when words don’t match, the conversation falls flat. Cui Zhizhou had been testing Qin Zhao’s feelings toward his wife, but instead, he was met with an unexpected reply. How could he, a respectable governor, force someone to divorce or remarry?

The conversation ended in less than a teacup’s worth of time, and Qin Zhao left the governor’s residence feeling lighthearted.

Cui’s wife, seeing him leave, hurried over to ask about the outcome. “So, what happened? Did he agree?”

“I’ve asked,” Cui Zhizhou muttered, tossing his sleeves in frustration, trying to calm himself, but his wife grabbed his arm.

“What did he say?”

“He won’t divorce. He’s dismissed the idea. Qiaoqiao will have to look elsewhere.”

Cui Zhizhou was irritated, shaking off his wife’s hold as he stormed off to his study.

Cui’s wife, furious, stomped her foot. During lunch, Cui Qiaoqiao anxiously tried to probe her mother about the outcome.

“Mother, father is useless. He couldn’t even ask for us properly.”

Cui’s wife fumed, her anger clear.

Cui Qiaoqiao, sensing the situation was hopeless, asked urgently, “What should we do?”

Having just encountered Qin Zhao, whose handsome and refined appearance made him seem like a celestial being, it was hard for anyone not to fall for him.

Seeing her daughter on the verge of tears, Cui’s wife’s heart softened, and she narrowed her eyes.

“There’s a way, there’s a way. I’ll talk to his mother.”

Cui Qiaoqiao quickly asked, “What will you do?”

Cui’s wife shot her a stern look. “What are you thinking? You’re already making a scene.”

Cui Qiaoqiao, feeling scolded, fell silent, afraid to argue back.

A few days later, Cui’s wife, well-prepared and accompanied by several maids, traveled to Qin Zhao’s residence. As they arrived outside the courtyard, she surveyed the surroundings and motioned for her maids.

“Knock on the door.”