Zhao Baozhu was pulled away. The white-robed scholar lay on the ground groaning in pain, his face covered. The man in blue crouched down to pull his hands away, and upon seeing a face swollen like a pig’s head, he was so startled he fell onto the ground.
Quite a few people in the tavern had been secretly watching the commotion. Seeing the two in such a sorry state, muffled laughter broke out among the crowd. Earlier, many had already found the two annoying, while everyone else was peacefully eating and drinking, they alone kept talking about others nonstop. Now that they were being taught a lesson, people were happy to watch the show.
On the other side, though Zhao Baozhu’s arms were held fast by the two strong men, he still glared at them, flames flashing in his cat-like eyes.
At that moment, someone suddenly stood up from a table in a corner not far away and strode toward them. As he passed Zhao Baozhu, he deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping over him.
Zhao Baozhu naturally saw him too. The newcomer was a tall man in a dark red robe, with a double-fish patterned belt at his waist, thick brows and tiger-like eyes, exuding an imposing presence. He sized Zhao Baozhu up, the corner of his lips lifting slightly, then pointed at him and said to the two men restraining him: “Make sure you hold on tight to this little fiend.”
Then he turned and walked toward the two scholars. Zhao Baozhu widened his eyes, unsure whether this man was friend or foe, and struggled, frowning. “Who are you? Let me go!”
The men behind him held him firmly, strong enough that he couldn’t break free, but not enough to hurt him. The one on the right, seeing him struggle, whispered in his ear: “Stop struggling. Our master has no ill intent toward you.”
Zhao Baozhu paused. “Who is your master?”
The man glanced at him and replied, “Our master is a Hanlin compiler. You should address him as Lord Cao.”
Zhao Baozhu froze. That man was a compiler in the palace! Though the position was only seventh rank, the Hanlin Academy was not a place just anyone could enter, by tradition, only the top three in the highest class were eligible. And his surname was Cao–
Zhao Baozhu suddenly recalled what those two had said earlier. Could this be Young Master Cao they mentioned, the one who became a juren at fifteen and later took first place in the previous spring exam? How could there be such a coincidence?
Their earlier words had clearly compared Ye Jinghua to this Young Master Cao. Zhao Baozhu couldn’t tell whether he was friend or foe, so he watched the man’s back cautiously.
The newcomer was indeed the previous top scholar, Cao Lian. He also had another identity, the son of the highly esteemed Minister of Personnel. Now, standing before the two, he looked down at them with tiger-like eyes, sweeping his gaze over their clothing, and snorted: “You’re students of the Imperial Academy?”
Exposed, the two hurriedly got up and bowed with clasped hands.
“Students greet Lord Cao.”
Cao Lian had also once been a student there. Though not from the same division, as such a renowned figure, the two had seen him from afar. Though their earlier gossip hadn’t directly insulted him, they were still uneasy now.
Cao Lian’s expression turned slightly cold. Looking at the two, who nearly buried their heads in the ground, he said calmly: “I’ve never seen you achieve anything in your studies. It seems all your time is spent gossiping behind others’ backs.”
Hearing this, their faces burned with shame, sweat pouring down, their heads dropping even lower. Cao Lian narrowed his eyes.
“If I were to repeat these words to the Ye residence someday, what would you do?”
At this, cold sweat soaked their backs instantly. Their legs gave out, and they dropped to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly. Though they had mocked Ye Jinghua, they truly dared not offend the foremost noble family in the capital. If these words reached the Ye household, not to mention the prime minister, his eldest son serving in the Ministry of Justice alone could have them arrested!
Terrified, they kowtowed frantically. Zhao Baozhu watched coldly and said: “If you have the guts to say it, don’t be afraid of people hearing it!”
If they hadn’t feared their words reaching the Ye family, Zhao Baozhu might have respected them a bit. But seeing them shrink like this, calling them cowards was hardly excessive.
Cao Lian glanced at Zhao Baozhu. “Well said.”
Then he turned, brows raised sharply, and barked at the two: “Get lost!”
They immediately stopped kowtowing, scrambled to their feet, and ran off in a panic. Only after they were gone did Zhao Baozhu’s anger begin to subside. Then he realized he was still being held, his legs even dangling in the air, and he panicked: “Put me down!”
Cao Lian turned back with his hands behind his back. Seeing Zhao Baozhu kicking midair, sweating anxiously, the coldness faded from his face, replaced with a hint of amusement.
“Put him down.”
The men acknowledged and carefully set Zhao Baozhu down.
Once steady, Zhao Baozhu looked up to see Cao Lian step forward. His dark eyes lingered briefly on Zhao Baozhu’s face, lips curling slightly.
“Quite a fierce little one.”
He was very tall. Seeing Zhao Baozhu watching him warily, he bent slightly and asked with a smile: “Which family are you from?”
Zhao Baozhu frowned and stepped back half a step. Though he didn’t know who this Young Master Cao truly was, he had gleaned some meaning from earlier. This man seemed to be in subtle rivalry with Ye Jinghua, so he didn’t want to mention Ye’s name. He only said: “This boy was rude and disturbed Lord Cao. I offer my apologies.”
Cao Lian raised a brow. “At least you know some manners.”
Then suddenly he reached out, took the jade pendant at Zhao Baozhu’s waist, and looked at the inscription. “Your name is Baozhu?” He felt the jade. “Few families in the capital can afford this quality. Which one are you from?”
Startled, Zhao Baozhu quickly stepped back, snatching it back. “I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t trouble Lord Cao further. I’ll take my leave!”
With that, he turned and ran. The two tall men beside Cao Lian asked quietly: “Shall we stop him?”
Cao Lian shook his head, watching Zhao Baozhu dash downstairs in a few strides, and chuckled softly.
“No need. If I’m not mistaken… we’ll meet again.”
***
Zhao Baozhu rushed downstairs and plunged into the crowd, only daring to look back after running far. Seeing no one chasing him, he let out a breath of relief. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he thought the capital was far too small, nobles seemed to be everywhere. When he returned, he’d have to ask Fang Qin who Cao Lian was. It was one thing to beat someone, but causing trouble for Ye Jinghua would be bad.
After all that, it was already well past noon. Zhao Baozhu looked up at the sky and judged it was nearing the hour of Shen. Ye Jinghua had told him to return at the second quarter of You hour, there was still about an hour left. He could stroll around the capital and ask along the way if anyone had found his name card.
So Zhao Baozhu went to a bookshop to buy some brushes and ink, then followed the crowd to the busiest street. Vendors lined the road, selling food, jewelry, books, story collections, and all sorts of novel trinkets. Zhao Baozhu found it fascinating.
One particularly tall vendor had a stall filled with colorful objects of unknown material, dazzling to the eye. Among them was a slender tube, looking through it revealed a vivid, ever-changing pattern of colors. Zhao Baozhu was delighted, reluctant to put it down. The vendor, seeing this, eagerly promoted: “Young master, buy one! Only fifty coins, buy one!”
Holding the wondrous tube, Zhao Baozhu hesitated. Fifty coins could buy two meals, this little thing was quite expensive. The vendor spoke with a strange accent, his eyes slightly blue, it seemed he was one of those Westerners said to come from across the sea, selling imported goods.
Zhao Baozhu examined it for a long while, still undecided, when suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar face. Looking closely, he saw it was the peddler who had given him wrong directions that day, now pushing a cart in a corner.
!!
Zhao Baozhu immediately threw down the tube and rushed over, glaring at the peddler: “Well, well, finally caught you!”
Business hadn’t been very good today, and the peddler was idling in a corner. He didn’t expect someone to suddenly rush up in front of him. The peddler looked up and saw a very good-looking young boy glaring at him with a pair of cat-like eyes full of anger. He was puzzled, but seeing that Zhao Baozhu was well dressed and fair and handsome, he guessed he wasn’t someone to offend, and cautiously said: “…May I ask who you are?”
“Well now! You actually don’t remember me!”
Zhao Baozhu glared angrily at him and asked: “Let me ask you, when I asked you for directions that day, did you deliberately point me the wrong way!”
Only then did the peddler suddenly realize, recalling how he had tricked a little beggar days ago. Connecting that ragged, dirt-faced child in his memory with the Zhao Baozhu before him, he was instantly shocked. He hadn’t expected that in just a few days, this person would go from such a miserable state to this, he must have encountered some opportunity in the capital.
The peddler’s mind raced, and he quickly made up his mind. Bowing his head, he apologized:
“That day I gave the wrong directions. It was my loose tongue, I made you take a long detour. Please spare me this time!” Then he glanced at Zhao Baozhu’s expression and, seeing he was still angry, rolled his eyes and added, “If you don’t mind, how about I give you these sugar figures as compensation?”
As he spoke, he picked something up from his stall. Zhao Baozhu saw what he was holding and immediately stared in astonishment. It was an exquisitely crafted sugar figure, of Guan Gong. Only about two finger-widths tall, yet the details were incredibly fine, painted in blue and red. Guan Gong’s red face was no bigger than a fingernail, yet vividly lifelike.
It was Zhao Baozhu’s first time seeing such a thing. He hesitated: “Th-this… this is for me?”
Seeing that he liked it, the peddler quickly stuffed it into Zhao Baozhu’s hands, then grabbed the other small sugar figures from his cart and shoved them over as well.
“All of these are yours, take them as thanks!”
Struck by this sudden stroke of luck, Zhao Baozhu stood there at a loss, not even noticing the peddler pushing his cart away. He only stared at the little sugar figures in his hands, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
But at that moment, a sharp voice rang out behind him: “What are you doing?”
Holding the sugar figure, Zhao Baozhu turned and saw Cao Lian standing behind him, wearing a deliberately stern expression.
“I saw everything.”
Zhao Baozhu had just been wondering why this man kept showing up when he heard this and asked, puzzled, “Saw what?”
Seeing his confusion, Cao Lian narrowed his eyes, clasped his hands behind his back, and stepped closer, looking him up and down. His gaze stopped on the sugar figures in Zhao Baozhu’s hands.
“If you take someone’s things, you have to pay for them.” Cao Lian deliberately lowered his voice, adopting the tone of scolding a younger sibling. “At such a young age, how did you learn to be so overbearing? How much are those sugar figures worth that you’d go and intimidate someone? Could it be your family’s master didn’t give you enough money?”
Zhao Baozhu was inexplicably scolded and only then realized, Cao Lian must have seen the earlier scene and mistaken it for him threatening the peddler!
“I—” Zhao Baozhu widened his eyes and hurried to explain. “N-no, it’s not like that. He gave these to me himself, to apologize–”
Halfway through, he suddenly stopped. Why did it sound more and more like he was making excuses? Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw Cao Lian squinting at him, brows slightly furrowed, clearly unconvinced.
Zhao Baozhu grew anxious. “It really wasn’t like that!”
His skin was fair, and when anxious he easily flushed. Seeing one side of his face turn pink and his big eyes mist over, Cao Lian’s heart softened. He thought that at such a young age, being caught doing something wrong and reacting with embarrassment was understandable, better to leave him some dignity. He turned his head and quietly instructed a servant to go after the peddler and pay him. Then he cleared his throat, about to casually scold Zhao Baozhu and let the matter pass, when suddenly someone rushed over from the side.
“Baozhu!”
Zhao Baozhu felt his arm grabbed. Turning his head, he saw Deng Yun looking at him anxiously.
“Where have you been running off to? Hurry and come back with me!”
Seeing him, Zhao Baozhu froze for a moment, then glanced at the sky. “…It’s not yet the You hour.”
Judging by the light, there was still at least a quarter of an hour.
Hearing this, Deng Yun grew even more annoyed. “Are you really going to cut it so close? It’ll take at least a quarter of an hour to walk back from here! The young master waited half the day and you didn’t return, he was worried you’d been kidnapped, so he sent me out to find you. And here you are hiding, ”
He rattled on before noticing someone standing beside them. Irritated, he looked over, then his expression changed abruptly.
“Young Master Cao?”
Cao Lian looked at him with a hint of a smile and nodded.
Deng Yun quickly let go of Zhao Baozhu and stepped back, bowing. “Greetings, Lord Cao. I was blind just now and didn’t see you–”
“No matter.” Cao Lian waved it off casually, then smiled at Zhao Baozhu. “Earlier I guessed he was from your household. Now it seems I was right.”
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