Bing Xin was the courtesy name of his cousin, the only daughter of Prince Mu. She was of higher social status than him and had a clear personality, but she did not like to deal with cousins like them who were related to her.
Later, she opened a bookshop, wrote books and biographies, became a celebrity in the capital, and was given the title, Bing Xin Jushi.
Jiang Mengzhen's courtesy name was Hengzhi. In order to strike up a conversation with his cousin, he catered to her interests and wrote a storybook, and even took the pen name Mingxin Jushi.
Jiang Mengzhen has learned a lot, and he wrote the book just for fun, just as a tool to curry favor with others and start conversations.
Unexpectedly, he actually achieved some results later. However, he discussed with his cousin and decided to keep the true identity of Mingxin a secret, so that everyone thought that Mingxin was also a woman.
The world is more harsh on men, thinking that men do not need to learn so much if they do not enter the court. There are many scholars who admire Mingxin Jushi, but if his identity is exposed, there will definitely be more people who ridicule him than those who agree with him.
His writing style, which was originally praised for its delicateness, would also be described as being too masculine. Moreover, his reputation in the capital was not very good, so this identity could not be revealed.
After reading the letter, Jiang Mengzhen twisted the note and placed it on the flickering candlelight. The thin paper touched the weak candlelight, and the pale yellow flame suddenly opened its mouth, licking the end of the note, swallowing up most of the paper in a moment. He let go, and the letter instantly turned into a small pile of black ash.
Although Hao Cheng was a scholar, he had sold all his valuable pens, ink, paper and inkstone in order to bury his mother and father. Later, when Hao Cheng came, he only used finely ground carbon sticks instead of pens and ink, and unused plain clothes instead of rice paper, and never bought paper and ink.
Before leaving, she was still stingy, tore off a worn-out piece of clothing, and wrote a lot of words. The content of her writing was much richer than that of Jiang Mengzhen's cousin, and her tone was also sincere and heartfelt.
The image of a timid, lonely and helpless weak scholar is vividly portrayed on paper, no, on cloth. But if Hao Cheng is really timid, then she should have been patient and kept quiet about the matter with the pawnshop and her uncle. She ran away temporarily because she disliked his trouble.
Hao Cheng's words and actions had given signs of what she was thinking. He should have guessed what she was thinking long ago, but the rice wine he had drunk yesterday was too sweet. He drank a few more cups and fell into a deep sleep. He didn't even hear her getting up in the middle of the night.
He lit a fire in the brazier, picked up the white cloth with charcoal words written on it between his fingers, and hung it over the brazier. When it was about to fall, he suddenly had a change of mind and reached out to pick it up.
When the fire in the brazier gradually died down, he folded the old cloth with densely written words on it, folded it neatly and put it in the small package that Hao Cheng had prepared for him when he drove him out.
Jiang Mengzhen didn't like to go out, so not many people in the village knew him. If he wanted to leave, it wouldn't attract other people's attention.
He took some time off to go to the town and exchange the gold leaves for silver notes, which were more convenient to carry. It cost him some money to persuade the owners, and it would also cost him some money to find out where Hao Cheng was.
With Hao Cheng around, it was still a bit interesting. Without Hao Cheng, and without identity documents, it would be inconvenient to get things done. Money makes things easier, but without identity documents, it would cost several times more.
He had no source of income and was not someone who could endure hardship. He stayed in the best inn in town for a few days. Thinking that the time was almost up, he bought a carriage and went to the escort agency to hire a few people to escort him.
Hao Cheng didn't know that Jiang Mengzhen had already left Xinghua Village. He would leave sooner or later. One was a nobleman of extraordinary origin. Even if she passed the imperial examination in the future and didn't become an official, there would definitely be no chance for them to meet in the future.
When this person said his name, she instinctively knew that he was lying. A person who was unwilling to easily reveal his real name must have some stories behind him that people with her family background could not get to know. Although Jiang Mengzhen was indeed good, Hao Cheng could not have any improper thoughts about this person.
If the man she saved still had a conscience, he shouldn't have any hatred towards her. After all, she waited until Jiang Mengzhen recovered before running away.
She fled overnight, riding in someone's ox cart. Luckily, she ran into a caravan that took her for a ride. The original owner had never left the courtyard, but because she had to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, she still went to Mingzhou, which governed the surrounding towns.
Mingzhou was probably equivalent to the provincial capital of her world, prosperous and bustling. If Hao Cheng wanted to take the imperial examination, he would have to take it in this place, so settling down here was a plan Hao Cheng had made long ago.
The person she saved was just an accident, at best a catalyst for her to complete her plan ahead of schedule.
After several days of traveling, the metropolis, which was completely different from Xinghua Village, finally revealed its true appearance in front of Hao Cheng. The caravan that had given her a ride stopped, and the woman who was tightly hugged by Hao Cheng said impatiently: "We have arrived, you can get off now."
Hao Cheng was awakened from her dream, rubbed her buttocks which were sore from the saddle, and then carefully got off the horse carrying her small package.
When she went out, she sewed her valuables into the pockets next to the body of her clothes, and sewed them in several places. The small package only contained some scattered silver, clothes and dry food.
Fortunately, she had a good character, and the caravan on the road saw that her clothes were shabby, but they never became greedy.
She stood at the edge, took a breath of the fresh air with the scent of flowers, and before she could get excited about the bustling city in front of her, a group of young girls rode past on horseback, raising dust all over her face.