Chapter 98

Returning to the inn, Ye Yu was silent and his face was dark. After all, he was still young and hot-blooded, and how could he ignore the ridicule and mockery from the crowd?

Even a clay figure has a bit of fire, let alone a person?

The first to enter the room was Meng Tong. Although his face was full of anger, he did not forget to console Ye Yu, urging him not to let this affect his performance in the imperial examination.

Meng Tong's behavior today surprised Ye Yu greatly, as in Ye Yu's eyes, Meng Tong had always been biased against him. Moreover, not long ago at the inn's entrance, he had publicly scolded Meng Tong.

When Meng Tong saw Ye Yu's straightforward questioning, he did not hide anything but spoke frankly about his thoughts.

"Meng Mou regards you as a competitor. Besides the fact that Meng Mou's knowledge is not inferior to Brother Ye, I also have some dissatisfaction with the blank questions in the prefectural examination..."

Meng Tong fell silent for a moment and then continued, "But this is not out of jealousy. I spoke up for Brother Ye in front of everyone to seek justice for the students of Chuzhou. How could the scholars of this prefecture be honored when the Jieyuan is humiliated in public? How could I stand by and watch?"

"Brother Meng, to be honest, you are indeed a very interesting person!" Ye Yu listened quietly and finally smiled meaningfully.

At this moment, Meng Tong stood up and said indifferently, "Don't let those bad people affect your imperial examination! Meng Mou does not want your mistake to deprive me of a fair competition!"

After saying this, Meng Tong did not stay any longer and turned to leave the room.

Ye Yu watched Meng Tong's departing back and shook his head, muttering to himself, "It seems that Brother Yue can consider you a confidant, which is quite interesting..."

After the conversation with Meng Tong, Ye Yu's mood eased somewhat. Soon after, Yue Chen and Xiao Guoliang also arrived. Yue Chen apologized to Ye Yu with deep remorse, and Xiao Guoliang consoled Ye Yu not to be upset.

Only after confirming that Ye Yu was no longer troubled by the matter did the two of them heave a sigh of relief. Then they left, and the room returned to its usual tranquility.

Shetongcheng, who was standing by, still had a look of anger on his face. Seeing Ye Yu calmly drinking tea at the table, Shetongcheng said angrily, "Brother, are we just going to let this go?"

"Under the emperor's feet, what else can we do if we don't let it go?"

"Hmph! If it were in..."

"Enough, Shetongcheng, you must remember, to be arrogant, you need strength! Without a foothold, everything is empty talk!"

Shetongcheng, deflated, hit the wall with his fist, "I just can't accept it!"

"Qingliu County is just a small place. How can it compare to Lin'an? You will get used to it gradually!" Ye Yu wrote a letter on the desk and then handed it to Shetongcheng, "Take this letter to the silk shop in the west of the city and give it to Mr. Wang, asking him to pass it on to Uncle Su!"

"Yes!"

...

As the sky gradually darkened, Yue Chen returned to his uncle's residence. In the study, he was restless. Finally, he closed the book, called the servant Yue An, gave him some instructions, and left the Yue residence.

Not far from the Yue residence, on a teahouse, Yue Chen sat alone at a table by the window, occasionally looking towards the staircase, as if waiting for someone.

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the stairs. When Yue Chen looked up, a figure appeared at the staircase. This person was tall and much more robust than Yue Chen.

"Ha ha ha! Sixth Brother, when did you return? Why didn't you tell me? I would have welcomed you with a feast!"

This person, upon seeing Yue Chen, laughed excitedly and quickly walked a few steps, opening his arms to give Yue Chen a bear hug.

Yue Chen did not refuse but welcomed him with open arms. After they separated, Yue Chen patted the big man's shoulder and said joyfully, "Big Bear, it's been a long time, how have you been recently?"

"Sixth Brother, you've been a scholar for too long, your words are so pretentious and unbearable!"

Although the big man was not used to Yue Chen's way of speaking, he still smiled and said, "I'm fine, but without Sixth Brother, our group of brothers always feels empty!"

"Ah, come, brother, sit down and talk!"

"Okay, Sixth Brother, are you back this time..."

The big bear was about to speak when Yue Chen interrupted him, "Brother, you misunderstood. Since my father has given the order, as a son, I can only obey. This time I am back in the capital to participate in the imperial examination, not to return to my old ways!"

"Sixth Brother!..."

Seeing Yue Chen's determined face, the big bear's previous joy turned into melancholy, and he sighed heavily, "Father is really something, insisting that Sixth Brother you participate in the imperial examination? What's the use of reading those books?"

"You don't understand, my father has his good intentions!"

"I don't understand, Sixth Brother, your grandfather was a great general who made the Jurchens tremble with fear. As his descendants, we should learn from our ancestors, not read those useless books!"

"Enough! Did I call you here to be lectured?"

Yue Chen slammed the teacup on the table, but little tea splashed out. However, the big bear's arms on the table felt slightly numb!

"Six... Sixth Brother, don't be angry, Big Bear was just talking..."

Interrupted by Yue Chen's stern rebuke, the big bear's fat face showed a look of fear.

Seeming to realize he had been too harsh on his old friend, Yue Chen then suppressed his anger and said solemnly, "Many things are not as simple as you think, Big Bear! But you don't need to worry too much. Today I came to ask for your help..."

"Sixth Brother, just say what you need, Big Bear will do anything for you!"

"Old Liu San at the Zhuangyuan Building, you should know him! Go and ask him who attended the scholars' gathering today, and make a list! Then..."

"Big Bear understands, the usual way, cripple all these people!"

"No! These are scholars with official titles, so don't make it too obvious! Just give each of them a couple of slaps to teach them a lesson, what to say and what not to say!"

"As for Old Liu San, don't touch him. He has some connection with General Zhang, to avoid trouble! Just make sure the Zhuangyuan Building has no customers for three days!"

"Oh... Sixth Brother, what does 'men ke luo que' mean?"

"Ah, damn it, I told you to read more books, but you never listen! It means to make the Zhuangyuan Building have no customers for three days, got it?"

After being scolded by Yue Chen, the big bear actually chuckled, "Only four words, but they mean so much! Hehe, Sixth Brother, your words make me feel the most comfortable!"

"Get lost, or I'll kick your ass!"

"Okay, I'll go and arrange it!"

As the big bear wobbled down the teahouse, Yue Chen's lips curled into a bitter smile, and he couldn't help but feel a deep sadness. He quietly poured a cup of fragrant tea and savored its bitterness.

Smelling the fresh aroma of the tea, Yue Chen said softly, "This Maofeng tea from Brother Ye is indeed excellent, no wonder it is listed as a tribute tea!"

"Hey! Sixth Brother, you're not preparing for the examination at home but drinking tea here. If I tell Father, he won't let you off!" A young woman appeared at the staircase.

Seeing the woman, Yue Chen became somewhat uneasy and said awkwardly, "It's you, Third Sister, why are you here?"

"I followed you... " Yue Third Sister lightly lifted her skirt and walked up a few steps.

Yue Third Sister called Yue Chen "Sixth Brother" because in the Yue family, he was the sixth son. Yue Third Sister, though called "Third Sister," was actually the third daughter in the family. In terms of age, Yue Chen was a few years older than Yue Third Sister.

"Followed me... You know everything?" Yue Chen was taken aback, like a child who had done something wrong, not knowing what to say.

Yue Third Sister smiled, with a hint of teasing, "Who doesn't know the little tyrant of Lin'an? Sixth Brother, you have the same spirit as your ancestors! Sixth Brother, are you thinking of returning to your old ways?"

"Nonsense, now your Sixth Brother is a scholar of this year, and will soon participate in the imperial examination!"

"Is that so, that's good, otherwise, I would tell Father and Uncle Three!"

Hearing this, Yue Chen became nervous, "No! My dear sister, this matter must not be known by Uncle Two and Father, or the consequences will be severe!"

"Then I ask you, is that Ye Yu from Qingliu County also participating in this imperial examination?"

"Um... Third Sister, why are you asking this?"

"Answer honestly, or else..." Yue Third Sister slowly clenched her fist in front of Yue Chen, her eyes showing a threatening look.

Yue Chen swallowed hard and hurriedly appeased Yue Third Sister, "Okay, okay! I'll tell you, yes, he has come to Lin'an and is participating in the imperial examination as the Jieyuan of Chuzhou! My father and the officials of Chuzhou all have high hopes for him, expecting him to rank in the top three..."

"Oh? Is he as outstanding as you say?"

Yue Chen pursed his lips and said disdainfully, "Is there any doubt? My father predicted before the prefectural examination that he would rank in the top three, and he ended up winning the top place! After spending some time with him, I, your Sixth Brother, am very impressed!"

"..."

Seeing Yue Third Sister fall into deep thought, Yue Chen showed a puzzled look, "Third Sister, do you know him?"

"Um, we've met once!"

"Really just once?" Yue Chen seemed to sense something and asked with a deeper meaning.

"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry back, or Father will find out, and you'll be in trouble!"

Yue Third Sister, unable to respond to Yue Chen's persistent questioning, stood up, reminded him a few times, and hurriedly went down the teahouse.

"Is there something I don't know about this?"

Thinking about this, Yue Chen decided to find a time to ask Ye Yu properly.

On the morning of the ninth day of the second month, just past the hour of the ox, the inn's servants were already knocking on the gong in the courtyard downstairs, notifying the candidates staying in the inn not to miss the time to enter the examination hall.

Shortly after, someone went from room to room, knocking to wake up the candidates.

Hearing the gong, Ye Yu woke up from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, slowly opened them, looked at the lit lantern, and then sat up, preparing to participate in the imperial examination.