Chapter 61: Master Uncle

At dawn, the courtyard door was knocked on. The servant, seeing an elderly man, asked in confusion, “Sir, may I ask who you are looking for?”

“Is Qi Qige here?”

The old marquis avoided the servant’s body, but the servant blocked his path.

“Please wait a moment. I will report this.”

The servant spoke and tightly shut the door. The old marquis was stunned—he had been turned away.

Soon, the door was opened again, and Qi Qige, the visitor, was surprised to see the old man. “Master, is that you? What brings you here?”

Seeing that Qi Qige was not the person who had argued with him last night, the old marquis asked uncertainly, “Are you Qi Qige?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Qi Qige replied.

“I’m looking for Qin Zhao,” the old marquis said, stepping forward, but Qi Qige hurriedly followed.

When Qin Zhao arrived in the hall, the old marquis was already staring at Qi Qige.

Qi Qige seemed to see a savior and quickly ran to Qin Zhao’s side, whispering, “You’re really slow. I’ve already had two cups of tea.”

Qin Zhao nodded in response and went to the main seat.

“I’m not sure why you are looking for me,” Qin Zhao said, unsure of the old man’s intentions. “Did you come to discuss business?”

The old marquis replied, “I didn’t come to discuss business, I came to make friends.”

Qin Zhao was taken aback. He wondered who this elderly man was, and if his son would be the one to take him back.

The old marquis continued, “The analysis of ‘Ce Wen’ you did yesterday was very captivating. I thought it might be interesting to discuss it further.” With that, he pulled out a copy of “Ce Wen” from his sleeve.

Seeing the two of them standing there like confused geese, the old marquis frowned, looking annoyed.

“Shall we discuss it in the study?”

Qin Zhao was about to decline, but Qi Qige stopped him.

Qi Qige smiled and led the way. “Follow me, old sir.”

The old marquis gave him a puzzled look but walked after him. As they crossed the courtyard, the old man strode forward with great confidence, showing no hesitation.

During the conversation, Qin Zhao realized that the old marquis was extremely knowledgeable, even more so than the director of the academy.

The three of them eventually moved from “Ce Wen” to “Shiji,” and they didn’t separate until after noon.

After sending the old man off, Qi Qige sighed deeply. “He certainly carries himself like someone of great stature.”

Qin Zhao responded, “Yes, I almost called him ‘father’ just now.”

“If he were truly my father…” Qi Qige said, trailing off as they walked back.

“This old man is no simple figure. From his words and manner, he doesn’t seem like an ordinary person—he’s more like a nobleman, almost a royal,” Qi Qige remarked.

Qin Zhao pondered deeply. “In terms of status, we are nothing compared to him.”

The old marquis, with a strong desire to make friends, had not come by for a while. He first engaged in discussions about “Ce Wen” and then, since he couldn’t bear to leave, stayed because he liked the braised pork knuckles made by Cao Xi.

While eating the melt-in-your-mouth braised pork knuckles, the old marquis asked Qin Zhao, “Did Old Xu teach you arithmetic?”

Qin Zhao smiled and lowered his head, “My mother was my first teacher. To pass the imperial exams, it was Director Xu who personally taught me.”

“Old Xu… where is he now? I haven’t seen him for quite some time,” the old marquis said, picking up some vegetables and putting them in his mouth.

“Uh…” Qin Zhao wasn’t sure how to answer that.

Qi Qige’s eyes shifted slightly. “Old sir, do you know Director Xu?”

“Haha.” The old marquis glanced at Qi Qige.

“He’s not very tall, is he? Must’ve been struck by the falling star.”

The old man’s words were sharp, and Qi Qige, feeling the sting, stood up straight, turning his body left and right.

“I’m short, alright? But I can’t even stand in a row with others.”

Qin Zhao, speaking in a soft tone, tugged at Qi Qige’s sleeve. “Sit down quickly.”

Qi Qige was pulled back into his seat and then turned to Qin Zhao, complaining, “He called me short.”

Qin Zhao cast a brief glance at the old marquis before looking back at Qi Qige. “You’re short?”

Qi Qige firmly replied, “I’m not short.”

Qin Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly. “Tell him yourself.”

Qi Qige turned to the old marquis and loudly declared, “I’m not short!”

His voice shook the old marquis’s beard, and seeing that the young man was poking the old man, the marquis changed his tone, now displeased with Qin Zhao.

“What kind of look is that?” the old marquis demanded.

Qin Zhao remained silent. The old marquis’s anger flared. “I’m old, but I’m not someone you can mess with!”

Qin Zhao gave an understanding look, causing the old marquis to slam his wine cup onto the table in frustration.

The old marquis stood up, walked a few steps, and then turned back, shouting at Qin Zhao, “Your mother married him. What a waste!”

Startled, Qin Zhao’s face darkened, but he wasn’t afraid. Seeing that he had successfully angered the old marquis, the old man’s tone softened as he sat down to continue drinking.

“I respect your knowledge and wisdom, but you’re not someone to stir up trouble.”

The old marquis glared at Qin Zhao. “Stirring up trouble? Bah, do you even know who I am?”

Qi Qige’s eyes lit up, waiting for more.

Qin Zhao replied, “Who you are has nothing to do with me.”

The old marquis straightened his back, smoothing his robes, and introduced himself. “Outside the palace, one hundred meters to the east.”

Qin Zhao’s pupils constricted. “The Southwest Marquis’s residence?”

“Correct, that’s me.”

The old marquis leaned back in his chair and pointed at Qi Qige.

“Full of sharp words, I should’ve known who you were earlier.”

Qi Qige was taken aback. “How could I dare to speculate about your identity? I only just learned that you are the old marquis.”

“Stop pretending to be a harmless wolf. I am from the Southwest Marquis’s residence. You should know who I am—the old marquis.”

He was clearly not fooled by Qi Qige’s act of pretending to be unaware.

“If you know who I am, just ask directly. No need for all this acting.”

Qin Zhao felt awkward as Qi Qige was exposed, and they both didn’t know how to react.

Qi Qige quickly turned away to pour some wine, offering an apology to the old marquis.

Qin Zhao, with a hint of amusement, picked up a piece of pork knuckle and placed it in the old marquis’s bowl. “Eat.”

The old marquis squinted at both of them. “You’ve both been with Old Xu, haven’t you?”

Qin Zhao responded, “I don’t know the connection between you and Director Xu, Old Marquis.”

The old marquis laughed, his anger turning into amusement. “He’s a graduate of the imperial exams, my cousin-in-law.”

No one expected that kind of connection between them. Qi Qige quickly grabbed Qin Zhao’s sleeve and bowed. “Master.”

“Haha, he’s not related to me,” the old marquis said, growing increasingly annoyed by Qi Qige. “Flattering others—such a common face.”

“Ah, Master, what’s wrong? Should I ask Cao Xi to make another pork knuckle for you?” Qi Qige said, but before he could finish, Qin Zhao kicked him under the table. He really had to stop making such remarks.

---

That night, Qin Zhao was telling Cao Xi what had happened.

Cao Xi was shocked. “So the old marquis really is a retired court official, not just an ordinary man?”

“Who would have thought that someone who could throw a brick in the capital could actually be that influential?” Qin Zhao smiled and lightly scratched Cao Xi’s nose. “Stop speaking nonsense.”

Cao Xi helped Qin Zhao out of his outer robe and hung it up on the clothes rack. “Be careful with your words; this is no time to take any risks.”

Qin Zhao hugged Cao Xi from behind, resting his head on his neck. “Mother, I’ve been through so much.”

Cao Xi didn’t seem too happy. He slapped Qin Zhao’s arm lightly. “Stop it, you’re the son of a scholar, what hardships have you really faced?”

Qin Zhao didn’t respond. His thoughts were on the incident with the county governor, which had been a wake-up call. He was under control, and if he tried to break free, the consequences would be disastrous. He wasn’t powerful enough yet.

There was a gleam of determination in Qin Zhao’s eyes as he tightened his hold on Cao Xi. He wouldn’t let Cao Xi be afraid or be manipulated because of him.

Cao Xi, unaware of Qin Zhao’s deeper thoughts, was still focused on the old marquis’s identity.

“To think that an old marquis like him could be selling books at a night market.”

“It’s a hobby of his. The books he sells have his personal annotations, which makes them very valuable,” Qin Zhao said, turning Cao Xi’s body and pulling him into an embrace.

Cao Xi raised an eyebrow. “So, you both guessed his identity earlier, didn’t you?”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Yes, at first it was just a guess, but now it’s confirmed.”

---

Cao Xi suddenly realized, “I see, Qi Qige is a sharp one. How could he let an old man who sells books get the better of him? He’s too cunning.”

Qin Zhao chuckled softly. “He’s truly a sharp one, someone I can’t handle.”

Cao Xi smiled. “Let him do whatever he wants. We’ll just see what comes of it.”

Cao Xi then wrapped his arms around Qin Zhao’s waist, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. However, due to the height difference, his kiss landed on Qin Zhao’s Adam’s apple.

Qin Zhao’s Adam’s apple subtly moved as he pulled Cao Xi into his arms and quickly walked over to the bed.