Chapter 377: Reunion of Old Acquaintances

Chapter 377: Reunion of Old Acquaintances

The study in the east courtyard had towering bookshelves filled with Confucian and Taoist texts, among others, as well as military texts and historical treatises. On the back wall hung a long sword adorned with red tassels and fringes.

This was Qiao Hui's private study.

Under the dim light, the two were intimately close, their necks entwined, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Qiao Hui's knuckles were scraped, the thick layer of skin peeled off, revealing deep flesh and blood.

The pillar was adorned with hollowed-out gilded reliefs, an old artifact bearing the marks of time. Qiao Hui dismissed it as a minor wound, continuing his morning routine of lifting stone kettles for training. Sweat soaked the wound, and after four or five days, it not only hadn't healed but had also reddened at the edges.

Clearly, it was infected.

In these times, there was no iodine.

Xianjin disinfected the wound with cotton balls soaked in high-proof alcohol, making Qiao Hui hiss in pain. After a while, he finally spoke: "If I had landed that punch, I might have had to pay with my life! Those old civil officials in our court, weighing 120 pounds, 119 pounds of that is scheming, and the rest is loose bones and scattered flesh!"

The first application of alcohol stung, but the second was less painful.

Xianjin instructed, "Don't let it touch water these few days," then shifted the topic: "After this incident, you can only be a loyal subject now."

Attempting to punch the Censor-in-Chief had alienated the civil officials; dismissing several second-generation officials from the Western Mountain Camp had angered the military officials—now, he could only wholeheartedly follow the Grand Princess.

Qiao Hui hummed in agreement, shyly adding, "I've always been quite pure."

Xianjin pursed her lips.

Had Qiao Hui finally gotten a clue?!

He was racing ahead on such a niche track!

Xianjin tilted Qiao Hui's chin and leaned in for a kiss.

Qiao Hui couldn't help but smile. After the kiss, he naturally and skillfully sat on the daybed, rocking back and forth: "Now that I'm suspended and confined to the house, I plan to do some renovations—those four-clawed foreign dragons with blindfolds on the walls, I'm thinking of scraping them all off?"

Qiao Hui tentatively sought Xianjin's opinion: "And some of the grand decorations and color schemes, they're too heavy-handed. If you don't like them, we can change them too?"

The four-clawed foreign dragons and grand decorations represented the former emperor.

Qiao Hui was worried they might upset Xianjin.

Xianjin shrugged and shook her head: "The four-clawed dragons can be scraped off, but the decorations aren't necessary. Though heavy-handed, they're still good pieces. Let's not waste them." She paused, then added: "Besides, we might not stay here much longer. Once the three shops in the Capital City are set up, I plan to travel around—the old folks have all arrived, and we have enough hands. It's time to expand. Every day delayed is a day of lost profit."

A few days before Qiao Hui's incident, Aunt Du arrived with Du Junning, Li Sanshun's daughter-in-law, and their eldest grandson.

Originally, Aunt Du had been managing affairs, staying with Du Junning in Xuancheng's Orange Courtyard to study. Three years ago, the boy had passed the county-level imperial examination, and this year he came to the capital to prepare for the provincial exam under Master Qiao, hoping to gain some confidence in front of Baozhu.

Li Sanshun's daughter-in-law wanted to work outside. Since Li Sanshun had been assigned to a specialized workshop handling ancient banknotes and foreign trade, his son naturally followed his father. With the grandson needing to study, they had sent a letter to Xianjin early on, making no demands for the daughter-in-law but insisting that Xianjin "must find a good tutor for the grandson—someone reputable, knowledgeable, and kind-hearted, preferably from Jing County"—as if they might as well have written Master Qiao's household registration number.

Xianjin casually mentioned these matters to Qiao Hui.

Qiao Hui's focus was a bit strange: "With the elderly, weak, women, and children, why didn't Cui Heng arrange an escort? Did they come on their own?"

Xianjin thought for a moment: "Probably no one was sent."

Qiao Hui lowered his gaze, his eyes deep. After a while, he shifted the topic to Du Junning: "How old is he now?"

"Fifteen or sixteen? Still quite young."

"What about this year's exams? After another two years of seclusion, when I am eventually posted out, you can accompany me on my travels. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; rote memorization is not as effective as personal experience." Qiao Hui frowned, unusually solemn: "Young people shouldn't rush into things. I was famous at a young age, look at where it got me."

He spoke with the air of an older brother, deliberately provocative.

Xianjin raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong with you now?"

Qiao Hui continued to frown, his tone serious and earnest: "Look at me now, living under someone else’s roof, relying on Boss He for support—I’ve already asked the Ministry of Revenue, suspension means no salary, at least for a year or more. No pay for me!"

Xianjin nodded: "No worries, Master definitely has some savings! You live off your father, I'll live off my Master. We may take different paths, but we’ll end up in the same place, all roads lead to Rome."

Qiao Hui: "Hehehe—"

Xianjin: "Hehehe—"

The two exchanged a knowing smile, perfectly in sync.

Outside the study in the East Garden, in the corridor, Qiao Fangzhi, limping and wrapped in an outer robe, nearly twisted his ankle.

What a pair of wolves in sheep's clothing!

"Knock knock knock—" Qiao Fangzhi knocked, his knocks filled with the resignation and tolerance of a father and a teacher.

With a creak, the study door swung open.

Qiao Hui looked knowingly at Qiao Fangzhi's back: such a group of elderly, women, and children traveling a thousand miles, even in these peaceful times, one must be wary of bandits and marauders—how could they not have an adult male with official status?

"Erlang." Qiao Hui smiled, his gaze clear and honest: "Long time no see."

Behind Qiao Fangzhi stood Chen Jianfang, hidden in the glow of the candlelight.

Xianjin also smiled warmly: "Erlang, long time no see."

Chen Jianfang slightly raised his eyes, seemingly unsurprised by Xianjin's presence, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Baoyuan, Xianjin—long time no see."

The three spoke in calm tones.

Qiao Fangzhi glanced around the room, finally settling his gaze on Xianjin. He furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes, completely ignoring the obvious issue at hand, and instinctively focused on the main issue. He said with a pained look, "What are you doing in the east courtyard in the middle of the night!? Although your teacher is not one to stand on ceremony, he is still a leading figure in the court's scholarly circles and a model of scholarly integrity—you two haven't yet gotten married..."

He swallowed the words "gotten married."

His eldest son, who would eventually take the surname "He," had been quite blunt in his warnings—no pushing them to marry! And absolutely no talk of heirs! It would be best not to even mention the word "marriage"! If Xianjin were to back out because of this, he would undoubtedly gain another son who would shave his head and become a monk...

To be honest, whether Qiao Hui became a monk or not didn't pose much of a threat to him.

What he feared more was Xianjin backing out, as this son would be a lost cause.

Qiao Fangzhi bit his tongue, muttering, "When Mr. Chen returns, I will definitely have a good talk with him..." He then turned to the matter at hand: "Baoyuan, since you're currently idle at home, if you have time, you and Erlang should look for a place near the National Academy."

With a tone of complaint, he turned to Chen Jianfang and said, "The house is so big, yet you insist on living outside... I guess you merchants have deep pockets!"

Chen Jianfang lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, his refined and handsome face finally showing a bit more life: "Thanks to your auspicious words, after my mother took over the Chen family business, costs have been reduced by thirty percent, while profits have increased by fifty percent. It truly seems that the God of Wealth has entered our home."