Chapter 81

He couldn't figure out what was odd, but he noticed that Su Yingtao and the others were also acting strangely.

Over there, Zhang Manqu had already responded to Yu Qing's question with a nod, "It seems so for now." After speaking, he felt a bit awkward and turned to Xu Fei to ease the tension, "Brother Xu, what do you plan to do after the results are posted?"

"Uh..." Xu Fei was at a loss for words for a moment.

Chong'er acted as if she hadn't heard anything and continued to pour water for everyone.

Yu Qing's lips curled into a smile, eager to see how Xu Fei, who already knew the answer, would respond.

He wasn't particularly interested in whether Xu Fei stayed or left. The reason he could sit and chat with them, even going so far as to mention being the richest man in the capital, was to find out where Su Yingtao and the others, along with Zhan Mochun, were headed.

There was no way around it; these people had left a deep impression on him. Asheng couldn't show his face in front of them.

After the imperial examination, he had to find a way to make them disappear from the world.

It was his mistake that caused the trouble, and he couldn't leave such a significant隐患 for Asheng. He had to clean up the mess.

As for Xu Fei, with the leverage in his hands, he had lied and deceived the authorities of Lizhou and Sinan Prefecture, and had to pay several thousand taels of silver. In the future, he could introduce Xu Fei to Asheng.

"I haven't decided yet, let's see how things go," Xu Fei said vaguely.

Soon, the conversation returned to the examination questions. Yu Qing's purpose had been achieved, so he stopped talking. When others asked him, he simply waved his hand and said he had forgotten.

It was a clumsy excuse, not even trying to hide it, just that straightforward.

Seeing this, everyone stopped asking and continued their own conversation.

Yu Qing listened obediently, waiting for Xu Fei to pay up.

Lunchtime was approaching, and Xu Fei naturally invited everyone to dine at the Cao residence. However, Yu Qing had no patience to listen to their chatter and didn't want to wait any longer. He used the excuse that he had to return to his "uncle's house" and hinted to Xu Fei, "Shall I give you the note now?" He reached into his sleeve as if to pull it out.

Xu Fei held his hand and asked the others to wait, then took Yu Qing aside.

In the end, Yu Qing successfully received a four-thousand-tael silver note from the Cao residence's accountant. After getting the money, he kept his word and returned the promissory note.

With this matter finally settled, Xu Fei breathed a sigh of relief. As he left the accountant's office, he couldn't help but ask, "Your uncle's family, the Zhongs, are really the richest in the capital?"

He couldn't understand why the nephew of the richest man in the capital would act this way.

Seeing the grandeur of the Cao residence, Yu Qing knew he couldn't hide the truth and admitted, "No, didn't you notice those people were sycophants? If I didn't create a bit of a spectacle, they might not treat me nicely. This is your home, and I didn't want to make things difficult for you. I just smoothed things over. Of course, if you want to see their reaction when they find out the truth, you can tell them after I leave."

He wasn't afraid of Su Yingtao and the others finding out the truth. So what if they knew? He could get a polite reception by playing a trick on them, and if he didn't, he'd get nothing. He didn't feel ashamed.

Xu Fei was speechless. If he exposed the truth, it would make everyone uncomfortable, and he would be the one with the problem.

Reminded by Yu Qing, he didn't dare to say anything rash.

After a moment of awkwardness, he politely invited Yu Qing to stay for lunch again.

Yu Qing refused again, first retrieving the fire cricket from Chong'er, then expressing his desire to meet Xu Fei's uncle.

Xu Fei shook his head, "My uncle is rarely at home during the day; he's usually out socializing. Why do you want to meet him?"

Yu Qing gestured to the metal jar containing the fire cricket, "You know exactly what this thing is. It's something even Youya wants. Family first, rather than selling it to others, why not sell it to a family member? Ask your uncle if he's interested. The price we agreed on before remains the same, ten thousand taels!"

Xu Fei wanted to ask, "Who is your family?" But he kept it to himself, "I appreciate Brother Shiheng's kindness, but my family really doesn't need it. You should find another buyer."

If it were from another seller, he might have bought it for its novelty and rarity, but since it was from Yu Qing, he felt a strong aversion, even if it were given to him for free.

Yu Qing didn't give up easily, "Alright, for the sake of our friendship, how about eight thousand taels?"

Xu Fei replied helplessly, "Brother Shiheng, you know what Youya is. No one knows why Youya wants this thing, and no one knows if keeping it is beneficial or harmful. As ordinary people, we can't afford to take such risks. We can't buy something that might cause trouble just for its novelty. You should find another buyer. My family really can't touch it."

At this point, Yu Qing couldn't force the issue and had to leave.

Leaving the Cao residence, he got into a carriage. As the carriage rolled along, Yu Qing swayed slightly inside.

He picked up the metal jar containing the fire cricket and sighed, suddenly realizing how hard it was to sell this thing.

Xu Fei's words had reminded him that anything related to Youya would make people wary. Wealthy families wouldn't dare to buy it without knowing what it was.

However, if he didn't mention Youya and sold it as a rare item, he might not get a high price. Selling it cheaply was also unsatisfactory; it should at least be worth a thousand taels to justify the risks he took in the ancient tomb.

But even at a thousand taels, he would still need to find a wealthy family. Not many ordinary families could afford a thousand taels, let alone spend it on this thing.

Even at five hundred or three hundred taels, the same logic applied.

His bottom line was three hundred taels. If it was lower, he might as well keep it. Although feeding it in the mountains with frequent killings and bone-feeding was troublesome, it would at least save him some firewood.

Thinking about it, he realized that the mountains had plenty of firewood, but feeding it with bones was a hassle.

The biggest problem was that no one knew how long this thing would live. Most insects have short lifespans. If it died within a year, he would have to lower his price. If necessary, he would sell it for a hundred taels.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He put the fire cricket aside and found something to cheer him up. He took out the silver notes he had just received and counted them again, feeling satisfied.

Four thousand taels, no more, no less. He couldn't resist kissing them before comfortably putting them back in his chest and pulling the curtain to look out at the capital.

Killing, making money, leaving the mundane world, returning to the mountains to cultivate, and occasionally thinking of a beauty—this was his plan after the imperial examination. His responsibility was to tidy up Linglong Temple, then enjoy being the supreme master, free from worries, and bask in the admiration of the young women of Jiupo Village...

"Master, we've arrived at the Liu residence."

The carriage stopped at a mansion, and Yu Qing got out to personally visit the Liu residence, looking for Mr. Ming, the tutor.

However, the Liu residence informed him that Mr. Ming had been on leave since helping the Zhong family's candidates for the imperial examination and hadn't returned.

Surprised, Yu Qing inquired about Mr. Ming's residence and went to look for him.

He wanted to talk to Mr. Ming, just as Xu Fei and the others discussed the examination questions. He knew the news would spread quickly, and Mr. Ming would be shocked to hear the questions, realizing that he had known them in advance.

He had planned to talk to Mr. Ming afterward to avoid any uncontrollable situations.

However, when he found Mr. Ming's residence, the small courtyard was empty except for two beautiful concubines. Mr. Ming was not there.

The two concubines, hired by the Liu and Zhong families to serve Mr. Ming, said that Mr. Ming had packed his things and left the capital on the day of the examination, saying he wanted to travel. He hadn't been seen since, and no one knew where he had gone or when he would return.

Yu Qing was stunned. Where could he find him?

With no choice, he left with a knot in his stomach, worried that Mr. Ming might report him.

With the possibility of complications, he lost interest in finding a buyer for the fire cricket and began to search for Mr. Ming's whereabouts...

At the examination hall, it was still heavily guarded. On the surface, it was quiet, but inside, many people were busy.

After the candidates left, the examination hall was sealed again. The candidates' papers could not leave, and the officials in charge of the examination were not allowed to leave until all the papers were graded.

Grading thousands of papers in a short time was no easy task, and the pressure on the graders was significant.

The grading room was divided into four sections, each with a chief examiner, also known as the chief grader. The four questions were set by the four chief examiners, and the papers were graded accordingly. After reading many papers of the same type and content, the graders became somewhat numb. They could usually tell the quality of a paper at a glance, and papers that didn't stand out were easily rejected.

In the essay grading room, a group of graders were reading papers. One of them, a slightly plump man, pulled out the next paper. His expression, which had been numb from sitting for a long time, suddenly changed, and his eyes brightened. The neat handwriting on the paper caught his attention.

Good handwriting, but what about the content? He wondered, and began to read the paper from the beginning.

As he read, his slumped shoulders slowly straightened. He propped his chin on his hand and tapped the table rhythmically with his other hand. His expression showed deep thought, and his mind was clearly engaged with the content of the paper, debating its merits and flaws.

By the end, he leaned back, hands on his stomach, thumbs moving, lips tightly pressed, and a look of indecision on his face.

In the end, he didn't dare to make a hasty judgment on this paper. He stood up, took the paper, and walked toward the chief examiner of the essay grading room.