The newcomer was none other than the legitimate grandson of the Chang family whom Zhao Baozhu had glimpsed from afar outside the examination hall that day.
He wore black robes with narrow fitted sleeves embroidered with subtle patterns that faintly gleamed beneath the candlelight. Zhao Baozhu’s thoughts were muddled like paste, yet even so he vaguely wondered why this man always dressed more like a martial officer than a scholar.
Chang said nothing, merely fixing his gaze upon him.
Though half drunk, Zhao Baozhu still remembered proper etiquette. Swaying slightly, he raised his hands in greeting and bowed toward the man. “G-greetings, Young Master Chang—”
He hiccuped softly and abruptly froze.
The man before him still did not speak. Seeing Zhao Baozhu suddenly stiffen in place, amusement flickered in his eyes. He wanted to see what exactly this drunkard intended to do.
Only after quite a while did Zhao Baozhu slowly lift his head and ask in confusion: “Young Master Chang… I have yet to ask your honored name.”
The man paused, then nearly burst out laughing. This drunk really was remarkably polite.
Folding his arms, he leisurely replied: “Chang Shouguang.”
“Ah.” Zhao Baozhu smiled faintly and bowed once more. “Baozhu greets Young Master Chang.”
Only after completing the bow did he suddenly feel something strange. Hadn’t he already greeted him once just now?
Before Zhao Baozhu could puzzle over it for long, low laughter drifted down from above him. Straightening up, he saw Young Master Chang shaking his head as he stepped out from the shadows.
“Your name is Baozhu?” Standing before Zhao Baozhu, Chang Shouguang lowered his head slightly, curiously studying his face. “You looked so fierce just now. Why are you suddenly so polite now?”
From the moment Zhao Baozhu had rushed out of the restaurant earlier, Chang Shouguang had already noticed him. He still remembered what a sharp-tongued little fellow this was. Earlier that morning, every sentence Zhao Baozhu spoke had been barbed and biting, fiercer than freshly pounded chili peppers.
Who would have thought he would be even more impressive now? Not only had he beaten someone until their teeth nearly fell out, he had even forced a man over ten years older than himself to kowtow.
Truly an overbearing temperament.
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu’s face reddened slightly. Earlier, he had not realized there were other people nearby, much less this Young Master Chang.
And truthfully… all he had done was use the same style of fighting village boys used back home.
Was it too crude?
Zhao Baozhu felt somewhat embarrassed. “Young Master Chang must have laughed at me just now.” Pressing his lips together, he softly added, “His mouth was filthy. That’s why I hit him.”
Chang Shouguang laughed lightly.
He had no interest in Wang Ren whatsoever. The person he found interesting was Zhao Baozhu.
Slowly sweeping his gaze up and down over Zhao Baozhu, he leisurely remarked: “You don’t look very big, but you hit people quite viciously. Who taught you?”
That only made Zhao Baozhu more embarrassed.
Who could have taught him? What village boys did not fight growing up? Though he studied books, he had always been stubborn by nature, and with his mother having died early, he had gotten into no small number of fights as a child because his appearance was more delicate and beautiful than the other boys in the village.
Pressing his lips together, Zhao Baozhu cupped his hands again. “I didn’t know Young Master Chang was here. I-I drank too much. Young Master must have found it laughable—”
Chang Shouguang raised a brow and interrupted him. “You were doing it for Ye Jinghua? What exactly are you to him?”
Zhao Baozhu froze.
Only then did he realize that after all the commotion he had caused, anyone with eyes could probably tell he was acting on behalf of the Ye family…
Yet Zhao Baozhu did not know how to explain it.
Now that he had passed the jinshi examination, he was officially someone soon to hold government office. It would not be appropriate to openly say he was merely a servant of the Ye family. If that brought trouble upon Young Master, it would be terrible.
“I, I…” Zhao Baozhu stammered, “I only admire Young Master Ye’s talent.”
Chang Shouguang narrowed his eyes. Too lazy to keep bending over like this, he simply squatted down in front of Zhao Baozhu, tilting his head up to look at him sideways. “Only admire? That day at the examination grounds, I heard everything you said bad about me.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu was first stunned, then suddenly remembered that before entering the examination hall that day, he had made a snide remark about this Young Master Chang, saying he would definitely not do as well as Ye Jinghua and so on. At the time, this Young Master Chang had slightly tilted his head, and Zhao Baozhu had wondered if he had heard it. He had never expected that he really had!
Zhao Baozhu immediately flushed red with embarrassment, not knowing where to put his hands.
“I… I was just talking nonsense.” Zhao Baozhu, face red, bowed deeply toward Chang Shouguang. “I’m truly sorry, Young Master Chang! It was all my loose tongue, please don’t take it to heart.”
Chang Shouguang had only meant to tease him, but seeing Zhao Baozhu take it seriously, he quickly waved his hand. “Hey, it’s fine. I’m not that petty. Losing is losing.”
“I just want to know, ” Chang Shouguang narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Zhao Baozhu, “why do you all think I can’t compare to him?”
Zhao Baozhu was stunned. This… how was he supposed to answer? He said awkwardly, “Young Master Chang is naturally of extraordinary literary talent, ”
“You don’t need to say that kind of thing to brush me off.” He snorted coldly. “In the palace examination this time, I will definitely take first place!”
He spoke firmly, with a hint of unwillingness to accept defeat. Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu felt a bit unhappy. The small bit of rationality he had just regained seemed to vanish again, and he raised his head and said, “The top scholar will definitely be our young master’s!”
Chang Shouguang’s expression immediately became subtle. “Young master?”
“Ah.” Only then did Zhao Baozhu realize he had let something slip. Just as he was at a loss how to explain, Fang Qin’s voice suddenly came from upstairs: “Baozhu, what are you doing? Come back quickly.”
Zhao Baozhu felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He quickly said to Chang Shouguang, “My friends are calling me, so I’ll take my leave first.” At the end he did not forget to add, “I wish Young Master Chang success in the palace examination and a name on the golden list!”
With that, he slipped away quickly, as if oiling his feet, and ran out of the alley. Chang Shouguang stood there, watching him dash off, the corner of his lips curving up slightly as he braced a hand on his knee and stood up.
Standing in the shadow of the alley, he mulled over what Zhao Baozhu had just said and narrowed his eyes. He had only heard of Ye Jinghua by name and had never seen him; he had wanted to know what kind of person this reclusive, eminent son of a grand minister really was. Unexpectedly, before even meeting him, he had encountered something amusing. A dignified jinshi calling someone of the same cohort “young master”? Truly a strange matter.
He stood there pondering for a while but could not figure it out. After glancing once more at the still brightly lit tavern, he slowly turned and left.
***
It was not until the third watch bell had sounded that Zhao Baozhu and the others returned to the Ye residence.
By then, both Deng Yun and Zhao Baozhu were so drunk they could not tell north from south. The Fang brothers each carried one of them, and after much effort finally half-dragged and half-pulled them into the side rooms and settled them down.
Several young maids tried to help Deng Yun change and wash up, but they simply could not move him. He slept like a dead pig, sprawled on the bed with long limbs splayed, leaving the maids at a loss for what to do.
Fang Qin directly told them, “Leave him. Let him sleep it off.”
Seeing this, the maids smiled and withdrew. Fang Qin and Fang Li did not concern themselves much with Deng Yun, knowing he would wash himself the next day. Unwilling to stay in the alcohol-filled room, they turned and went to Zhao Baozhu’s courtyard.
Yueqin was sitting by Zhao Baozhu’s bedside, using a damp cloth to wipe the sweat from the boy’s forehead.
Zhao Baozhu was not as dead asleep as Deng Yun. After returning to the tavern, he had drunk several more pots. Now the alcohol was hitting him hard, his brows were tightly furrowed, lying on the bed and groaning uncomfortably.
Seeing Fang Qin and Fang Li enter, Yueqin put away the cloth and glanced at them with slight reproach. “Why did you take him out drinking? Look at how red he is all over.”
Zhao Baozhu was as red as a boiled shrimp. Fang Qin stepped forward, looked down at him, and knowing he was in the wrong, said, “He passed the jinshi exam, everyone was happy, so we drank a bit too much.”
“He really passed?” Yueqin brightened at the news, looking down at Zhao Baozhu’s pouting, murmuring face. “We’ve got a jinshi in our quarters too, truly something to offer incense for.”
Ye Jinghua passing and Zhao Baozhu passing felt completely different to them. They all knew what kind of person the second young master was, born to be an official, becoming one sooner or later. But Zhao Baozhu was different; he ate and lived with them, much closer. Hearing that he had truly passed brought even greater joy.
Yueqin sighed. “If my younger brothers could be half as promising as him, I’d be satisfied.”
Yueqin worked as a servant in the Ye household, earning a decent wage, and her two younger brothers were studying. She did not expect them to become jinshi, if even one could pass the provincial exam, it would already be a great blessing.
Seeing Zhao Baozhu restless on the bed, Fang Qin said, “Has the sobering soup been prepared?”
Fang Li replied, “Qi Mama just went to the kitchen to make it.” Upon hearing Zhao Baozhu had passed, Qi Mama had been overjoyed and hurried off cheerfully.
Seeing Zhao Baozhu tugging at his collar as if too hot, Fang Qin said, “Maybe we should heat some water and wipe him down?” Fang Li nodded and went out to fetch hot water.
Lying on the bed, Zhao Baozhu vaguely felt as if he were dreaming. The alcohol he had drunk now felt like fire, starting in his stomach and spreading through his body, making him dizzy.
In the darkness, he could only vaguely sense people moving him, placing him on the bed, loosening his belt, removing his outer robe soaked with the smell of alcohol. Voices drifted by his ears: “I’ll take off his shoes.”
“Move him this way a bit… look how red his neck is, how much did he drink…”
“Where’s the water? Bring the water…”
It was a bit noisy.
Zhao Baozhu frowned. He was very dizzy and just wanted to sleep quietly, but the others seemed unwilling to let him rest, moving him around.
The commotion in the room lasted for some time, then suddenly, in an instant, all the voices around him vanished completely.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze, and the sound of the night wind rustling leaves outside became clear.
Zhao Baozhu felt it was no longer noisy; his brows gradually relaxed, and sleep deepened.
After an unknown amount of time, he heard faint, disordered footsteps. Some people seemed to leave quietly, and then a clearer set of footsteps came to his bedside.
A slightly cool hand touched his face.
Zhao Baozhu trembled, murmuring in his sleep.
The person seemed to think they had woken him and did not speak. Zhao Baozhu turned his head, his eyelashes fluttering a few times, but ultimately did not open his eyes. His tightly knit brows gradually relaxed, and he tilted his head and fell back asleep.
After a while, a somewhat low male voice sounded: “How much did he drink?”
Fang Qin’s voice replied, “One jar of Daughter’s Red wine… the four of us shared it, and later he drank several pots more.”
His slightly trembling tone faded into the air. The room fell silent again.
After some time, Zhao Baozhu, in his sleep, felt that cool hand touch him again, first lightly brushing the flushed side of his neck, then moving downward, gently pulling open his collar.
Someone said, “The sobering soup.”
Footsteps sounded again.
Soon after, Zhao Baozhu felt a hand slip behind his back, lifting him up so that he leaned against a firm chest. A familiar cool fragrance spread around him. Though still asleep, somewhere deep in his consciousness he felt it resembled Ye Jinghua’s scent.
Has young master come back?
Zhao Baozhu thought hazily, half-dreaming.
He struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand jin and would not move.
The arm behind him held him tightly. He heard the clear sound of porcelain touching, and a moment later, something cool touched his lips.
Zhao Baozhu instinctively parted his lips slightly, and something warm flowed into his mouth, faintly bitter with the fresh scent of herbs.
Having drunk so much alcohol, he was very thirsty, so he did not mind the bitterness. His throat moved, and he gulped down all the liquid offered to him.
The person holding him seemed satisfied with his cooperation and let out a very soft laugh.
Zhao Baozhu, eyes closed, drank until no more was offered. Then he heard a soft clink, as if an empty bowl had been set aside.
Next, a hand reached over and gently, tenderly touched his temple. Half-dazed, Zhao Baozhu only felt that the cool hand against his burning skin was extremely comfortable, and unconsciously tilted his head upward to nuzzle against it.
At this moment, Fang Qin’s voice sounded again: “Young master… the water is here, I’ll wipe him down.”
The room fell silent once more.
After drinking the slightly bitter soup, Zhao Baozhu grew even sleepier. He sank into dreams, only to be woken again by the heat of the alcohol. In his haze, he felt someone turn him over and wipe his back with a warm cloth.
The movements were gentle, brushing lightly over his flushed skin. Soon after, his shoes and socks were removed, and his feet were placed into hot water. Zhao Baozhu felt someone grasp his ankle, a thumb brushing over the top of his foot, as if noticing something, and gently turning it.
That voice, so much like Ye Jinghua’s, sounded: “What happened to his foot?”
After a brief pause, Fang Qin’s somewhat flustered voice replied, “Th-this… how did this… perhaps he bumped it somewhere.”
The questioner seemed very dissatisfied with that answer. The hand gripping his ankle tightened slightly. Long fingers slid across the top of his foot, bringing with them a faint sting of pain. Even within his sleep, Zhao Baozhu sensed the discomfort and let out a soft little hum.
The man seemed to notice his unease and released his foot, saying calmly: “Have a doctor come tomorrow.”
It sounded as though Fang Qin responded with a yes, but Zhao Baozhu could no longer hear clearly.
The heat of the wine gradually faded. The unbearable warmth all over his body slowly eased into a comfortable, gentle heat. At some point, he was placed back beneath dry, soft bedding.
Sleepiness rose steadily over him. Zhao Baozhu stopped mumbling, and just before he fully drifted into dreams, it seemed someone said something beside his ear.
Zhao Baozhu did not catch it.
He fell completely asleep.
In his dream, he saw his father laboring in the fields. The sun was blazing hot, sweat soaking through the short jacket on his father’s back. Zhao Baozhu saw himself running over, climbing onto his father’s back, telling him that he had passed the examination.
But the moment he threw himself forward, his father’s figure scattered apart like the moon reflected in water.
Zhao Baozhu felt himself about to fall to the ground when suddenly a pair of arms caught him firmly.
Looking upward along those arms, he saw the face of Ye Jinghua.
As always, he wore white robes. His features were dazzling, like a figure painted into a scroll. His smiling gaze rested upon Zhao Baozhu. Though he said nothing, Zhao Baozhu somehow knew that he was happy for him for becoming a jinshi.
The two simply smiled at each other face to face.
Then, after a while, Ye Jinghua’s face suddenly drew closer and closer—
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