Chapter 62: The Provincial Exam

With the identity of the old marquis revealed, his role as a mentor was more pronounced. The old marquis arrived early and spent his evenings coaching Qin Zhao and Qi Qige in preparation for the provincial exam.

Due to his position in the political whirlpool, the old marquis had sharper views than even Director Xu, with deeper insights. Qin Zhao and Qi Qige benefited greatly from his teachings. They truly respected their master and regarded the old marquis as a mentor.

During this time, Cao Xi took two trips around the city alone, amazed by the popularity of the Runxiangyuan in the capital.

Although Cao Xi had a steady income, earning money was not easy. The lucrative industries were tightly controlled by the government, such as the sugar-making industry. Paper-making was also restricted, leaving few opportunities to make money.

After wandering for a while, Cao Xi noticed that the entertainment options in the capital weren’t very impressive, especially the gambling activities. Then, Cao Xi had a flash of inspiration—Mahjong. He started sketching the Mahjong board and gameplay on paper.

Cao Xi quickly found a suitable partner for the game, someone with wide connections, but due to time constraints, they couldn’t start playing yet. They decided to wait until Qi Qige finished his exams.

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Exams Day

On the day of the exam, the old marquis insisted on escorting them to the exam hall.

“You must do well. If you don’t rank among the top, all the time I’ve spent teaching you will be wasted.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely do well,” Qin Zhao assured him.

Qi Qige, who was not known for his patience, found the old marquis’ insistence on lecturing them a bit irritating. He couldn’t understand how someone like him could still be taking exams for the scholar degree.

“Master, we’ve heard you. We’ll do well,” Qi Qige said, rolling his eyes.

Seeing them being scolded, Cao Xi couldn’t help but laugh. He subtly tugged at Qin Zhao’s sleeve and whispered, “Don’t worry about the exam. If we don’t do well, we won’t starve.”

“Keep your ambition, don’t talk about food,” the old marquis snapped at Cao Xi, clearly angry.

Qin Zhao quickly reassured the old marquis, “Master, don’t be upset. We’ll definitely do well.”

The old marquis shot a scornful look at Qin Zhao and muttered, “A henpecked man.”

Qin Zhao: ……

The old marquis clearly wasn’t happy. If he wasn’t henpecked, why would he secretly write books and sell them for pocket money?

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Qin Zhao and Qi Qige stood in line with the crowd, waiting for the exam. They were seated close to each other, just two people apart.

Qin Zhao adjusted his writing tools and sat down to wait for the exam papers. Around them, the atmosphere was bustling with noise. However, when the invigilating soldiers saw Qin Zhao, they paused, momentarily stunned. Was this a hallucination? One of the soldiers rubbed his eyes, but the scene before him remained unchanged.

The soldier could never have imagined that the provincial exam would be so simple. He looked at Qin Zhao, who was calmly sitting, and the soldier seemed to think that Qin Zhao might have given up on martial arts for a literary career.

He slapped his head, cleared away the distracting thoughts, and shot a scornful glance at Qin Zhao, thinking him a spoiled rich kid.

Turning his head, he saw another candidate, who was sitting awkwardly with his body leaning back in the chair, making an even worse impression.

Had the exam atmosphere become so relaxed? Fortunately, these two candidates seemed normal—none were shaking nervously. The soldier realized he had misjudged the situation, and yes, this was indeed the exam hall.

The invigilating soldier took a deep breath, reminding himself not to be affected by the candidates. He focused more intently on his duties.

It wasn’t long before the chief examiner entered, giving a few formal remarks before the exam papers were distributed.

The exam lasted a while—not too long, but not too short either—and the tension and mental strain left many of the candidates exhausted.

Qin Zhao and Qi Qige, one focused on his work and the other on martial arts, were in better condition than the other candidates.

Cao Xi had been waiting outside early, and when he saw them return, he quickly had someone help them into the carriage.

Hot water had already been prepared, and Qi Qige was taken care of by the servant, so Cao Xi didn’t need to worry.

When Cao Xi saw the dark circles under Qin Zhao’s eyes and the wrinkles and stains on his clothes, he asked, “Would you like to sleep first or take a bath?”

“Let’s take a bath first. I’m covered in dirt and smell odd,” Qin Zhao said, frowning and trying to distance himself from Cao Xi, feeling embarrassed by his own state.

“I’ll help you,” Cao Xi offered, worried that Qin Zhao might fall asleep in the bathtub.

Caught off guard by the offer, Qin Zhao didn’t refuse. He grabbed Cao Xi’s hand and walked toward the bathroom.

The warm steam filled the entire bathroom. Cao Xi helped Qin Zhao remove his clothes and gently guided him into the bathtub, then began wiping him down.

Qin Zhao sighed in contentment, closing his eyes to enjoy the experience. However, his increasingly red ears betrayed his true feelings.

Cao Xi noticed how tired Qin Zhao was, to the point that he didn’t even speak, and his wiping gradually became more delicate.

The room was quiet except for the sound of the water, and Cao Xi’s thoughts drifted to the Mahjong game, wondering if he should prioritize it soon. He kept wiping Qin Zhao down until the water grew too hot, and he hurriedly pulled the plug.

Suddenly jolted out of his thoughts, Cao Xi’s face turned bright red, his heart racing.

Qin Zhao, on the other hand, looked at him with a teasing glint in his eyes, his brow raised. “Why did you stop?”

Before Cao Xi could respond, he quickly snapped, “I’m not the one who’s tired, you are.”

Cao Xi threw the washcloth at Qin Zhao’s face in frustration. Qin Zhao chuckled, picking it up and looking at him with desire in his eyes.

“You’ve seen me like this before, so why are you not excited?”

“You’re the one who dares to…” Cao Xi, embarrassed, splashed some water and hit Qin Zhao.

The pain made Qin Zhao take a deep breath and glare fiercely at Cao Xi. “I told you, I don’t want to rest.”

Qin Zhao raised his arm, wrapped it around Cao Xi’s waist, and with all his strength, dragged him into the bathtub. Splash! Half of the water in the tub spilled over, followed by the sounds of a heated argument.

Cao Xi gritted his teeth. “Let go!”

“I won’t!”

“You’re being rebellious! Let me go now and rest on the bed!”

“I won’t!”

“Ai yo, ai yo, let go! I want to rest on the bed!” Qin Zhao’s ear was tugged by Cao Xi, and he was dragged to the bed for a forced rest.

Qin Zhao felt wronged. He wasn’t tired; he just didn’t want to rest.

…

The next morning…

Qin Zhao said, “Stop hiding, come and eat.”

Qin Zhao brought in breakfast and saw Cao Xi hiding under the covers. He smiled even more, his face full of affection as he pulled Cao Xi out from under the blankets, cupped his red, glowing face, and kissed him repeatedly.

“Did you wash your face this morning?” Cao Xi pushed him away, his face greasy and unfit for kissing.

Qin Zhao chuckled, “I don’t mind,” and kissed him again before pulling away.

The breakfast was simple: a plate of steamed buns with rice porridge and pickled vegetables. Cao Xi took a sip of the porridge and remembered Qin Zhao’s mischievous behavior from last night.

“Next time, don’t act like that.”

Qin Zhao narrowed his eyes, a wicked smile forming. “Last night was fine, but will tonight be different?”

“Eat, eat!” Seeing the conversation veer off track, Cao Xi quickly shoved a bun into Qin Zhao’s mouth.

With his mouth full, Qin Zhao smiled and chewed contentedly.

“Qin Zhao, stop wasting time and come here!”

The warm and loving scene was interrupted by the old Marquis’s voice, which shattered the moment. Qin Zhao’s face turned completely red with embarrassment as he gritted his teeth and muttered to Cao Xi, “You eat first, I’ll… deal with this.”

Cao Xi blushed even harder, wishing he could disappear right then, not wanting to be caught in any more of Qin Zhao’s nonsense.

The old Marquis led Qin Zhao and Qi Qige to the study, where he carefully asked about their exam progress and how they answered the questions. Once they provided their answers, the old Marquis sighed in relief.

Leaning back in his chair with a smile, he said, “Not bad, not bad. You’re both living up to my teachings.”

After receiving the old Marquis’s praise, the two felt considerably more at ease, waiting for the results to be released.