Chapter 63

The document everyone is holding is this thing.

This certificate is naturally prepared by the candidate's relatives in the capital before the candidate arrives in the city.

Only with the certificate issued by the local government and confirmed in person by the candidate can the candidate be taken away.

For candidates from families without the means, this is also beneficial. In the capital, where land is as precious as gold, even a place like the provincial examination hall, which provides one room per person, is somewhat tight. With fewer people, one can naturally have a single room and a quiet environment for preparation.

For candidates with nowhere to go, all expenses here are free. The food may not be to everyone's taste, but it is guaranteed three meals a day.

After hearing this, Yu Qing nodded slightly, finally understanding that it was not related to him.

Seeing that he didn't even know this, Xu Fei tried to ask, "Does your family have any relatives in the capital, Brother Shiheng?"

Yu Qing chuckled and shook his head. The truth was not easy to say. From Shiheng's perspective, there was a place to go in the capital, which was his future father-in-law's house. Unfortunately, his future father-in-law didn't know that Shiheng was coming to the capital for the examination this year.

In the capital, Shiheng only gave him an address, and the rest was up to him.

Xu Fei looked at him with a strange expression. It wasn't the beginning when they first met, and he wouldn't think this person was poor and feel sorry for him. After seeing Yu Qing's skills, he realized he had misjudged him. For someone so young to reach the upper martial realm, it was impossible without a certain amount of cultivation resources, which required money. Yu Qing's family must be wealthier than his.

Chong'er, on the other hand, looked at him with sympathy.

"Xu Fei!" A clerk from the back office called out, and an elderly servant nearby nodded in greeting.

Hearing the call, Xu Fei immediately went over.

After completing the procedures, Xu Fei and Chong'er came back to say goodbye to Yu Qing. The old servant also followed.

Yu Qing noticed that the old servant was dressed in more refined attire, indicating that his master was indeed wealthy. He smiled and asked, "Is your uncle's family sending someone to pick you up?"

Xu Fei nodded, understanding what he meant when his uncle was mentioned.

He had already written an IOU and didn't plan to default. With the big exam approaching, if someone reported him for not repaying his debt, it would cause significant trouble. The government would not select someone with a lack of credit, and he might even lose his examination eligibility.

Although he didn't think the other party would go that far, he still said to the old servant, "Uncle Wei, I spent some money on the way due to some matters. I borrowed 4,000 taels of silver from Brother Shiheng. Do you have any money to cover it temporarily? I'll pay you back later."

"4,000 taels?" The old servant was clearly surprised, unable to understand what could have cost so much on the way. He immediately shook his head and said, "Master Xu, you're joking. That's not a small amount. How could I have that much silver on me? How about this: go back and inform Uncle, and let this gentleman come to collect it another day, or we can deliver it to him later."

Xu Fei looked at Yu Qing hesitantly, unsure if he would agree.

Yu Qing appeared very generous, waving his hand and saying, "No problem, no problem. You can pay me back when you have the chance."

"Then..." Xu Fei looked around the examination hall, "See you later?"

Yu Qing clasped his hands, "I won't see you off."

Xu Fei clasped his hands and then turned to leave.

He actually didn't want to interact with Yu Qing anymore. Having a handle on him and Yu Qing's ruthlessness made him somewhat afraid.

He still remembered promising to give Chong'er to the other party, but it was under duress at the time. The other party seemed unwilling to accept, and he was happy not to mention it, pretending to forget.

The old servant bowed slightly to Yu Qing, took two steps back, and then turned to leave.

"Master Shiheng, take care!" Chong'er bowed deeply and walked away, looking back every three steps.

After they left, Yu Qing covered his face with a handkerchief, occasionally coughing, as if to cover his nose and mouth...

It wasn't until late in the evening that all the candidates who were supposed to leave had gone. Only about twenty candidates remained.

Out of over two hundred candidates, only about one-tenth remained. Clearly, these twenty candidates were from poor families. Yu Qing finally realized that most people who had the conditions to study well came from relatively comfortable backgrounds.

At this point, the staff of the provincial examination hall finally arranged for the twenty candidates who had waited for almost half a day.

The rooms were available, and they could choose freely.

Three meals were provided, but they needed to report in advance. Those who didn't report were assumed to have gone out to eat, to avoid waste.

Each candidate was also given a document stamped by the government to prove their identity, to avoid any trouble in an unfamiliar place. Showing this document, no one in the capital would dare to treat them recklessly during this period.

Yu Qing toured his room, memorized its location, and then left, leaving his luggage behind.

He didn't report for dinner, as he was tired of the communal meals. Now that he had money, he planned to go out and eat well, eating whatever he wanted.

He showed his document at the entrance of the examination hall and was allowed to leave after registration.

Stepping out of the examination hall, standing at the gate, he watched the lights of the capital come on, rubbed his hands, and then boldly walked in.

Being in an unfamiliar place was no problem. He stood on the street for a moment and had an idea. He asked passersby and then headed straight to the nearest carriage rental.

He rented a carriage and hired a driver familiar with the capital, saving him the trouble of asking for directions. In the capital, he could go wherever he wanted without moving a muscle.

He gave the driver a silver coin as a tip. The driver knew every street and alley, what was good to eat, which brothel had beautiful girls, and even where someone had drowned under a bridge the day before. There was no such thing as being in an unfamiliar place when you had money.

To better observe the outside, he bought a chair and brought it into the carriage, lifting the curtains to see clearly in all directions.

When he saw something he wanted to eat, he pointed out the window, "Buy it, two portions!"

The driver stopped the carriage, took the money, and ran to buy two portions, one for each of them.

They ate and talked as they went.

The driver was happy to have something to eat and take, but he was somewhat disdainful of Yu Qing's nouveau riche behavior, clearly a recent arrival to wealth...

At a slightly secluded alley, which was a crossroads, there was a lamb noodle stand at the corner.

Two lanterns, two tables for customers, and the stand was run by a grandfather and grandson.

The carriage stopped next to the noodle stand. Yu Qing leaned out of the window and said, "Noodles from an old-established place are the best. Is this an old-established place?"

The old man stirring the noodles in the steaming pot loudly replied, "I've been running this stand for five or six years. If you say it's old-established, it is; if you say it isn't, it isn't. You have an out-of-town accent, and the local flavor might not suit your taste. Whether it's good or not is up to you to decide after you eat it."

Yu Qing smiled, "Five or six years isn't short. Has the stand always been here?"

The old man said, "It hasn't moved."

Hearing this, Yu Qing told the driver, "Let's try it."

So the carriage pulled over, and the driver accompanied him to sit at the noodle stand and chat...

After leisurely finishing a bowl of noodles, before getting back into the carriage, Yu Qing took a deep look at the grand mansion deep in the alley.

That was the address in the capital given to him by Shiheng, the home of Shiheng's future father-in-law, the Zhong family!

The carriage swayed forward, and Yu Qing lowered the curtains, lost in thought.

In the time it took to eat a bowl of noodles, he had learned the general situation of the Zhong family from the old man at the noodle stand.

It wasn't that he was being cautious, but after so many years, even Shiheng himself had not been in contact, and he didn't know the current situation of the Zhong family. He had to gather information first.

The Zhong family was not a top-tier wealthy family in the capital, but a third-tier one, which was still significant.

The capital was full of wealthy families, and even a third-tier wealthy family in the capital had considerable wealth.

The Zhong family had no male heirs, only two daughters, neither of whom was married. The key was that the old man at the noodle stand hadn't heard of the Zhong family's daughters being engaged to anyone.

If outsiders didn't know that the Zhong family's daughters were engaged, it was unclear whether the Zhong family had not publicized it or had deliberately kept it secret. Yu Qing was immediately concerned for Shiheng.

Of course, these were secondary issues. Shiheng's family also seemed off.

According to the old man at the noodle stand, when Shiheng's family was exiled from the capital, the Zhong family was not as wealthy as it is now, with only one shop. The problem was that at that time, Shiheng's father, Jie Zhang, was a high-ranking official, the Minister of the Yu Department.

At that time, the Zhong family probably didn't even have the means to curry favor with Jie Zhang, yet Jie Zhang arranged for his son to be engaged to the daughter of a small merchant. What was going on?

It wasn't that he was too materialistic, but it was normal for families to be matched in status. A significant disparity would make people suspicious.

He considered visiting the Zhong family at night, but the old man at the noodle stand said that the Zhong family's head was often busy with social engagements and hadn't returned home since morning. Additionally, he wanted to gather more information about the Zhong family before making an appearance, as the information from a stand owner was superficial.

If the situation with the Zhong family was complicated, he would skip it. He didn't need to rely on their help to pass the examination. His previous excuses to Shiheng were just to avoid the matter. Now that he was here, it was a different story.

He also didn't want to cause trouble for Shiheng. If he didn't visit the Zhong family, Shiheng wouldn't have to explain anything later.

Gathering more information about the Zhong family would also allow him to inform Shiheng when he returned...

The old man at the noodle stand, while kneading the dough, suddenly said, "Xiao Wu, follow them and see what happens."

The young man wiping the table immediately stopped, took off his apron, and quickly chased after the carriage that had disappeared...