Chapter 65

Ye Qing walked over and saw that it was also a courtyard composed of three rooms. The house was not large, but many green bamboos had been transplanted, and he imagined that the environment would surely be serene next year. He nodded inwardly. There was no one in the courtyard, but someone was working on it. When he asked, the person replied, "Young Master, Mr. Lu has gone to tally the gift list. I will get you a cart!"

Ye Qing then got into the cart and looked out at the wheat fields. The winter wheat was sown in late September and matured in early June of the following year. It was now March, and the wheat seedlings were undulating. The figures of tenant farmers were faintly visible, and women and children were walking along the paths, delivering meals, all with joy on their faces.

Three hundred acres of private land, and at this moment, a faint white mist began to drift over, thick and rich with a natural red glow, gathering around him. This was the Qi Harmony.

His heart and spirit were infected with joy, and after drinking some wine, he felt a bit drowsy but then woke up again. "Even immortals can sense it faintly, let alone the Daoist court. Seeing this field, I suddenly remembered something. The Daoist court has been active these past few years."

"Considering it as a historical low tide, they have been ordered to harmonize the weather, making this the most prosperous time before the great calamity, with favorable weather and abundant harvests for five or six consecutive years."

This realization brought a tinge of impurity to his joy. As the cart drove onto the river embankment, he saw Qianqian.

"Qianqian, you also came to inspect the fields? That's very thoughtful. Come up quickly!" Ye Qing was delighted to see Qianqian and quickly reached out to pull her up.

Qianqian felt relieved, took his hand, and smiled softly, meeting his gaze with her own.

Ye Qing stopped teasing and continued to organize his thoughts. "In every chaotic era, the grain stored by the people over ten years is sufficient for the usual change of dynasties."

"But history always has a hundred years of turmoil, which is an extraordinary situation."

"Like melons growing on a vine, some ripen early and fall, some collide and break. Despite the grandeur of the melon trellis, no hero capable of turning the tide is born. When the trellis collapses, it takes a hundred years to recover, accumulate, and rebuild... It's truly a pity."

This time, Ye Qing did not comment. He spoke and turned to look outside, his gaze somewhat distant.

Looking at the three hundred acres of farmland, with thatched cottages scattered here and there, the water channels bringing fresh water from nearby streams, driving the vertical water wheels, and the ponds lined with elm and mulberry trees, the fields were full of the spirit of a bountiful harvest, a beautiful rural landscape.

In his memory, a few years later, the fields would be destroyed, the houses ruined, the water dried up, the pools withered, and the mulberry forests destroyed by war. This was the case everywhere, the mountains and rivers shattered.

The two memories intertwined and overlapped, making him feel as if he were in a dream.

Turning to look at Qianqian, he touched her, feeling the warmth and smoothness, somewhat comforted, like a husband admiring his wife's beauty, yet also feeling a vague sense of melancholy, like a father lamenting his daughter's growth.

But no matter what, looking into her clear, autumn-water-like eyes, he could at least be sure that this was not a dream, and everything still had room for change, with all changes made cautiously, choosing the best option.

The cart was quiet for a moment, with only the wind rustling the reeds by the river, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

"Master, what are you thinking about?"

The wind, carrying a chill, blew past, refreshing his body. Hearing this, Ye Qing came to his senses. Facing Qianqian, he felt moved and blurted out, "Kiss me!"

Qianqian feigned innocence: "If I kiss you, will you tell me? Don't be like last time and renege on your promise?"

"I have stated that I might tell you, or I might not. Qianqian, you also have the choice to kiss or not." Ye Qing smiled mischievously.

Qianqian tidied her clothes and touched the embroidered pouch she wore close to her body. "Qianqian is simple-minded, stupid, and has a poor figure. I don't understand what it means to have a choice to kiss or not."

She rolled her eyes and said irritably, "If you want to, go kiss Miss Henyun. Oh, and there's also the most intelligent Sister Jingyu. They are all princesses of the Dragon Palace, and sisters... In the past half month, you've received several letters congratulating you on becoming a scholar!"

"Or, go back to the courtyard and kiss Jiang Zinan. She is like a budding lotus, full and graceful, waiting for the young master to pick her! Or go kiss Cao Baijing. Your cousin, under the pretext of hosting a poetry meeting, has invited you to her house several times, and yesterday she even came to grab you..."

Seeing the situation turning sour, Ye Qing quickly interrupted, "Ah... don't be angry. Last time, I didn't renege. We clearly agreed on the conditions, and you kissed me voluntarily. It was mutual consent!"

Qianqian's white ears turned red, and she opened her mouth but couldn't find any words to refute him.

Feeling a bit manipulative, Ye Qing's gaze was intense. "And last time is last time, this time is this time. How will you know if you don't try, Qianqian?"

"Then... uh—" Her voice hesitated, suddenly lowering, turning into a soft moan.

The curtain of the cart was drawn.

After a long while, the cart was about to start moving, but at that moment, a middle-aged scholar appeared in front. Ye Qing looked closely and saw that it was indeed Lu Shangjing. Lu Shangjing also saw Ye Qing and hurriedly came forward to greet him. "Greetings, Young Master. How did it go?"

Ye Qing instructed the cart to take Qianqian back first, then jumped down and smiled. "Everything is fine. The matter is settled, and one cause and effect is resolved. I feel light and free. Let's go back to the courtyard and talk more."

They entered the courtyard, and Ye Qing saw that it was mostly completed, only lacking some plastering.

Lu Shangjing said, "Young Master, the clan did not charge for the labor, and there's still some wall plastering left, which will take only a day or two. Once it's done, I will move in, and it will be peaceful."

Ye Qing thought for a moment and smiled. "Alright, but there will be no one to serve you. How about this: I will ask the clan to assign a maid and a servant to you. What do you think?"

Lu Shangjing's eyes flashed, and he accepted without hesitation. He then took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said, "Young Master, many local gentry have congratulated you on becoming a scholar. This is the list of gifts. Please take a look."

He handed the paper to Ye Qing, who looked at it and saw the following:

Twenty feet of rice paper, three strings of pearls, twenty bronze mirrors, twenty bolts of silk, fifty bolts of blue silk, two hundred bolts of soft cloth, one bell, five crystal lamps, ten pairs of bronze candle holders, seven gold-inlaid long swords, three sets of rosewood cabinets...

Ye Qing smiled and said, "Not bad, but I don't care much for these things. I think it would be better to exchange them for silver to buy land and property, as they have Qi."

Lu Shangjing looked at the list and smiled. "These are not very useful, but they are necessary. We can't have a noble family using coarse cloth and shoes, can we?"

"You're right. Take five bolts of blue silk, twenty bolts of soft cloth, and two feet of rice paper. The rest, give to Qianqian."

"Also, since you are moving in, you will need money for daily expenses. Here is a hundred taels of silver. Use it as you need." Ye Qing said, taking out a silver note from his pocket.

A hundred taels of silver was not much, but combined with the three hundred taels he had already given, it was a significant amount. This could turn an ordinary person into a small landowner and allow a scholar to settle down and live comfortably.

Lu Shangjing frowned. He knew Ye Qing's financial situation. The main income was a hundred taels of gold, but after several expenses, it was almost used up. These gifts were nice, but they couldn't all be sold, could they?

Hesitating, Ye Qing smiled and said, "Take it. We don't have much silver now, but a thousand taels can be earned again. This is a small matter."

Seeing Ye Qing speak so, Lu Shangjing no longer hesitated and accepted it.

After some more conversation, having not seen Qianqian for a long time, Ye Qing headed towards his own courtyard. On the way, he stopped by a small pond.

Looking into the distance at the blue sky, the wind blew ripples on the pond's surface, and some tender green shoots swayed. Ye Qing gazed at them, lost in thought.

Ye Qing was a member of the Ye clan, but he could not obtain much Qi.

The last exam for scholar had consumed most of his Qi, and now the Dragon Lord's banquet was no longer sufficient. Although the immortals had given him some Qi this time, it was far less than the Dragon Lord's banquet.

The provincial exam was in August, and the imperial exam in February of the following year. With less than a year left, it was almost impossible to accumulate enough Qi to pass the imperial exam within a year.

Though Ye Qing appeared calm in front of Lu Shangjing, he felt troubled when he thought about it.

Hesitating for a moment, he looked around, gazing at the sun in the distance, the hazy smoke from the chimneys, and the flocks of birds fluttering and landing, creating a serene and peaceful scene. After a long while, Ye Qing took out an embroidered pouch, which Qianqian had left for him, and had not burned.

Opening it, he saw a golden letter, a long letter from the Dragon Princess sisters, pretending to inquire about "intelligence from the scholarly community of Nancang County." Below was Henyun's complaint about the strict requirements for rain in recent agricultural activities.

"Higher-ups" had assigned many detailed requirements this year, and the emperor was too busy, so the empress had to prepare and delegate the task to "the smartest sister, Jingyu," who then passed it on to "the youngest and most pitiful Dragon Princess." There were also many threats like "If you do not satisfy me, I will make you know the consequences!" written in a pitiful manner, which made Ye Qing laugh.

Ye Qing also had a small gift, a golden shell with holes skillfully drilled and inscribed with small characters: "Made by Henyun, inscribed by Jingyu."

Looking inside, he saw several lines of elegant small characters, the poem "Observing Peace."

Blowing into it, a pleasant, low-pitched sound emerged, with a calm and serene tone, like the ebb and flow of the Peaceful Lake, transporting him back to the golden pavilion, where he could feel the expectant gaze behind the curtains.

"Not yet..." He shook his head, put the letter and the golden shell back into the embroidered pouch.

These tender emotions made Ye Qing more determined.

"Though I don't want to be a Qi thief, if I don't compete, I won't just fail to pass the exams, but I won't even be able to keep what I have now. I need to get rid of my pretentiousness."

"The opportunities I remember from my past life are far away, and now there are only two or three left. The one I can achieve now seems to be only one?"

"Inviting the mountain god at night?"

"How does this involve the divine path again?" Ye Qing thought, feeling a chill. "And the General's Temple earlier, according to reason, a long-abandoned temple should have no incense, and the General should have no power. Even if he hasn't fallen, he must be very weak."

"How can inviting the mountain god at night result in immediate divine response? Where does this power come from?"

"There are no coincidental changes. This is the great calamity approaching, causing various variables?"

"The water is too deep. Should I take this opportunity?"

For a moment, he hesitated, but after a short while, he laughed to himself. "If I don't compete, I will surely perish in the great calamity. Even if there are consequences, I can't afford to worry about them."

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