Chapter 72

Can you really not study? Yu Qing muttered to himself, but how could he help Asheng back out of the engagement?

After a moment's thought, he sighed. No matter what, he still had to follow Asheng's instructions. He would just pretend for now and get through the imperial examination. He must not let the Zhong family have any ideas that could cause any trouble during the examination. So, he obediently clasped his hands and said, "Nephew will follow Uncle's arrangements."

He had made up his mind. Once the examination was over, he would tell Zhong Su the truth and then run away. The rest would be none of his business, leaving Asheng to deal with the headache.

In any case, he could never marry Zhong Su's daughter. Even if he were killed, he would not do something as despicable as taking Asheng's wife.

Seeing his obedience, Zhong Su's anger subsided. He clapped his hands on the armrests, stood up, and said in a senior's tone, "Alright, you must be tired from running around today and just moved to a new environment. You need to adapt. Get some rest early. Tomorrow, a good teacher will come to teach you. Whether you pass this examination or not, you must try your best."

"Yes," Yu Qing respectfully replied.

Zhong Su then left with his hands behind his back, and Yu Qing respectfully escorted him to the gate, an attitude that greatly pleased Zhong Su.

Under the night sky, lanterns hung everywhere, illuminating the pavilions and eaves.

Zhong Su first returned to his study, then came out, walked through the garden, and passed through the corridor to the courtyard where his two daughters lived.

The maidservants serving here bowed to him, and he waved them off, asking, "Where are the two young ladies?"

The maidservant replied, "The elder young lady is practicing calligraphy in the study, and the younger one has been called by the lady to learn embroidery."

Zhong Su smiled, thinking of his daughters' daily routines. His elder daughter, Zhong Ruochen, loved calligraphy and painting, with beautiful handwriting and art. The younger one lacked patience, and he could even imagine her reluctant but obediently learning embroidery.

It was better that the younger daughter was not there, otherwise, he would have to prevent her from eavesdropping.

After instructing the maidservants to keep watch, he went to his daughter's study.

The study was brightly lit, with various calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. Zhong Ruochen, looking gentle and refined, was sitting and writing neatly on a large sheet of paper.

"You have the best handwriting in the family."

Hearing her father's voice, Zhong Ruochen, who was fully focused on her calligraphy, looked up and saw her father looking at her work. She immediately put down her brush, stood up, and bowed, "Father."

Zhong Su tapped the paper on the table, "It's a pity you're a girl; otherwise, you could have tried the examination this year."

Zhong Ruochen smiled, "Father is joking. With my limited knowledge, I probably wouldn't even qualify for the local examination." She then moved aside, inviting her father to sit.

Zhong Su did not hesitate, sat down, and said, "I just went to the East Courtyard and spoke with your fiancé. After his examination, we will choose an auspicious day for your wedding. I came to ask you if you have any opinions or specific requests. The family will try to meet them."

Zhong Ruochen's cheeks turned red, and she lowered her head, speaking softly, "Daughter will follow whatever Father and Mother decide."

Zhong Su said, "Your mother and I agree that you two should not meet. There are some things you don't understand, so I need to remind you. The engagement is not to be made public yet. His father may have offended some people in the court, and we don't want anyone to interfere with his examination. This is also his own wish, so don't overthink it."

Thinking about this, he was also a bit worried, but there was no way out. They were already on the boat and couldn't get off.

Zhong Ruochen, gentle and blushing, softly replied, "Daughter will follow whatever Father and Mother decide."

Zhong Su was silent for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and took out two identical-looking metal cylinders, placing them on the table. He pointed to them, "Look at these two items and see if you can spot any differences."

Zhong Ruochen was puzzled and took them in her hands to examine. She found no differences until she noticed the inscriptions on the caps. One end read 'Chen,' and the other read 'Heng.' An outsider might not understand, but she immediately sensed something. She showed the two characters to her father, asking, "Is it the different characters?"

Zhong Su nodded, "Yes, these two items were made by your late future father-in-law. The one with your name is in my possession, and the one with Asheng's name is in his. These are the tokens of your engagement. Your late future father-in-law and I agreed that the one in their possession would be the dowry. Now that they have given us the dowry, I have agreed to marry you to him. Look inside, see what's inside. Your late future father-in-law and I agreed that this should be given to you."

Zhong Ruochen's face remained flushed as she opened the two metal cylinders and poured out their contents. She found two halves of a painting and tried to piece them together to see what it depicted.

The more she looked, the more puzzled she became. Two-thirds of the painting was a landscape, which was a bit unusual, showing various mountains, about twenty to thirty in number. The remaining one-third was a poem praising the landscape.

The painting and the poem were not particularly outstanding, but the paper seemed special.

She looked up at her father, full of confusion.

Zhong Su had already stood up, shaking his head and laughing to himself, "Ajie Zhang, in terms of deep scheming, I am far behind you."

He was reflecting on how Ajie Zhang had not only supported him but also offered his son as a son-in-law.

There were things he had not considered before, but when 'Asheng' came alone this time, he vaguely felt that he might just be a backup plan for Ajie Zhang. Even if Asheng was a penniless young man from the countryside, he had to use all his resources and connections to help him.

Of course, this was not the first time he had seen the painting. Both he and Ajie Zhang had studied it many times but could never uncover its secrets.

Later, they decided to split it in half, and only when the two families were fully bound together would they reunite it, ensuring that neither side could betray the other.

Zhong Ruochen did not understand what her father was saying and asked, "Father, does this painting have some deeper meaning?"

Zhong Su sighed, "You don't need to ask now. Asking too much is futile. After you and Asheng have a child, I will tell you or you can ask Asheng. For now, just keep it safe. Don't lose it, and don't tell anyone that you have it, not even your mother, your sister, or Asheng. Understand?"

A child? Zhong Ruochen was both puzzled and blushing, but she obediently agreed.

Zhong Su did not say more, sighed, and left, feeling that a long-standing worry was finally coming to an end.

According to his agreement with Ajie Zhang, they were to give the painting to Asheng after the two young people had a child.

However, as soon as he got the items, he did not keep them long and secretly handed them to his daughter.

He was not greedy for the so-called immortal blessings. He had entered the ancient tomb and seen the most terrifying scene of his life, which had become his nightmare. He knew it was not something that money could handle, far beyond his capabilities.

Moreover, he had never been able to uncover the painting's secrets.

Zhong Ruochen escorted her father to the doorstep, stopped obediently, and watched him disappear through the gate. She then returned to her study and stood before the reassembled painting.

Thinking that this was the token of her engagement and the dowry from her future husband, she gently tried to smooth out the wrinkles on the painting, her face and eyes full of tenderness and a faint blush, filled with anticipation and imagination.

However, while the wrinkles could be smoothed out, the cut that split the painting in half could not be.

For her, who longed for the coming happiness, this cut symbolized imperfection, something she was reluctant to accept. She turned to the bookshelf, rummaged through it, and found a thin piece of silk fabric, usually used for embroidery patterns, and cut a piece.

She then carefully aligned the two halves of the painting, placed the fabric over it, matched the colors, and began to meticulously copy the painting.

With a gentle and patient expression, she copied the painting one-to-one, trying to eliminate the cut, to mend the broken mirror, to leave a perfect memory in her heart, and to give herself a perfect future. She hoped that her future husband would see her efforts and understand her heart...

In the East Courtyard, Yu Qing sat in meditation and practiced cultivation all night. In the morning, he stood up, feeling refreshed.

As soon as he opened the door, a servant brought hot water for him to wash and then had breakfast.

After eating, Manager Li came to ask if he was comfortable with the accommodations.

"Very good," Yu Qing replied casually, thinking about the tasks he needed to handle today, and asked, "When will the teacher arrive?"

Manager Li smiled and waved his hand, "No rush, he won't come in the morning. Mr. Ming, also known as 'Afternoon Mr. Ming,' usually stays up late and can't get up in the morning. He teaches in the afternoon and has his own activities in the evening."

Yu Qing was skeptical, "So, he only teaches in the afternoon?"

If so, it suited him well, giving him more time to go out.

The reality was even better than he imagined.

"Yes," Manager Li nodded, "But he comes here every other day. This is thanks to the master's friend's help. Mr. Ming is quite lazy and doesn't like to run around. He even refuses to earn money that is right in front of him, saying he doesn't want to worry about two things. The Zhong family had to pay a high price to hire him."

There was one thing he did not mention to Yu Qing. Mr. Ming not only required payment but also needed a beautiful companion during his employment. If the companion was not attractive enough, he would refuse. The Zhong family had to find a suitable lady to impress Mr. Ming.

Yu Qing clicked his tongue, secretly criticizing the situation. He worked hard to earn money, while others lived a life of ease.

Well, since the teacher wouldn't come in the morning, he needed to find a way to earn his own money. He changed the topic, "Uncle Li, does the family have a carriage? Prepare one for me."

Manager Li asked, "What do you need the carriage for?"

Yu Qing replied, "I just arrived in the capital, so I want to go out and familiarize myself with the place."

This was an excuse. In reality, he wanted to find a suitable buyer to sell his fire crickets at a high price and collect the debt owed by Xu Bo.