The Ji family entered the Gu Mansion.
The courtyard of the Gu Mansion was very lively today, with long open-air tables lined up and people chatting everywhere. Gu Changzhou wore an elegant silk gown and greeted guests in the courtyard for the first time.
Master Ji and Gu Changzhou were familiar with each other, and the two soon started chatting in the corridor. Ji Zhifei never liked such small talk, so he waited alone in the courtyard.
"Young Master, the one at the door just now, is that Mr. Zhaoli?" A servant came up to Ji Zhifei and whispered.
"Yes." Ji Zhifei said calmly.
The servant asked, "Then the person next to him, isn't he the Gu family's teacher, the third-place winner Qin Zhao?"
"Most likely." Ji Zhifei hummed, "I thought he was someone important, but today I see that he is nothing more than this."
Since knowing that Jing Li and Gu Heng knew each other, Ji Zhifei quickly found out Jing Li's identity.
The husband of the Gu family teacher.
This identity was somewhat unexpected for Ji Zhifei.
Although he was a little surprised, he didn't find it strange. Everyone knew that the person Gu Heng respected the most, besides his parents, was Mr. Qin who taught him to read. It was perfectly normal for him to stand up for his husband.
But... compared to Ji Zhifei's previous guess, this identity is really not good enough.
Ji Zhifei sneered: "A man from a small teacher's family is trying to learn from others to bully others..."
"Then do you want to... teach him a lesson?" The servant lowered his voice and said pointedly.
Ji Zhifei heard the implication of his words and laughed coldly: "What are you thinking about? Today is the Gu family's banquet, we are here to congratulate them, how can we do something that is ungentlemanly?"
The servant continued, "But Qin Zhao went to the government office a few days ago to report to the authorities and requested a thorough re-investigation of Boss Chang's case... This is probably what her husband wanted, right?"
"Is that even necessary?"
As the two were talking, they saw the teacher of the Gu family leading her husband into the house.
Ji Zhifei looked at the two people's clasped hands and narrowed his eyes slightly: "He thought he could find something against me like this. He really underestimated me."
It is true that Chang Lao Er was not killed by Boss Chang, but was planned by Ji Zhifei.
The person who did it was a killer he bought from the black market. He killed and dumped the body, and put the blame on Boss Chang. The series of actions were clean and neat. Moreover, long after the incident, the killer left the city at the instruction of Ji Zhifei, without leaving any loopholes.
No matter how hard the authorities investigated, they could not find the blame on him.
Ji Zhifei had not originally intended for the situation to turn out like this.
From the very beginning, his purpose was just the title deed.
He bought the second brother and asked him to mortgage the bookstore to him, and then successfully got the land deed. This matter should have ended. Who knew that Mr. Zhaoli suddenly appeared and asked Gu Heng to come forward to embarrass him in public.
If the title deed is returned like this, how can he hold his head up in the capital city in the future
It is absolutely impossible to return the title deed.
Since you don't want to pay it back, we can only let something happen to Boss Chang first.
Ji Zhifei naturally thought of Chang Laoer who was hidden by him.
However, Ji Zhifei did not expect that Mr. Zhaoli, who looked weak and frail, had such courage and went to the government to request a thorough reinvestigation of the case.
He was not worried about being discovered, but this action was undoubtedly a provocation to Ji Zhifei.
Thinking of this, Ji Zhifei raised a subtle smile: "But you are right, it seems too easy to just let him go."
"Young Master—"
Ji Zhifei ignored him and walked towards Qin Zhao and Jing Li with a swagger.
"Isn't this last year's top three winners, Mr. Qin?" Ji Zhifei stopped in front of Qin Zhao and said with a smile.
His voice was neither loud nor soft, and immediately attracted a lot of people's attention.
Those who were invited today were all well-known figures in the city, and they had some connections with the Gu family. Everyone knew that Qin Zhao was Gu Heng's teacher, and that Qin Zhao was the number one contributor to Gu Heng's passing the county exam in his first year.
However, since this young Sanyuan was frail and sickly and seldom showed up in public, not many people had seen him in person.
For a moment, many people turned around and wanted to see what kind of person this legendary Mr. Qin Zhao was.
But the person who was stopped by Ji Zhifei just nodded slightly and said in a light tone: "Who are you?"
He was calm and didn't seem to take the person in front of him seriously.
The eyes of everyone present became quite interested.
Mr. Ji is a man of vigor and decisive conduct, and is quite capable in business. He is highly regarded by Gu Changzhou and has some reputation in the capital.
But this was not the case with his only son.
Ji Zhifei was arrogant and domineering, and many people had long secretly disliked him, so they were happy to see Master Ji make a fool of himself.
Qin Zhao's expression was natural, and it was hard to tell whether he did it on purpose. Ji Zhifei looked him up and down for a moment, barely suppressed his displeasure, and smiled at him: "My last name is Ji, the Ji family of Jiangling Silk Shop, Mr. Qin, have you never heard of it?"
Qin Zhao said "Oh" and nodded calmly: "Nice to meet you."
Ji Zhifei: “…”
Jing Li lowered his head, almost unable to hold back his laughter, and squeezed Qin Zhao's fingers tightly.
The latter glanced back.
Ji Zhifei couldn't tell that this person did it on purpose, but he didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "No wonder, Mr. Qin doesn't go out often. If he walks around more in the future, he will naturally become familiar with it."
Without waiting for Qin Zhao to answer, Ji Zhifei glanced at Jing Li again: "However, Madam Qin was still having fun with me in the gambling house a few days ago. Why didn't she tell Mr. Qin?"
Qin Zhao's eyes darkened slightly.
Seeing this, Ji Zhifei's smile deepened: "Mrs. Qin is a very secretive person. She made me lose miserably at the gambling table. It seems that she must have dabbled in these things a lot in her daily life, right?"
When Jing Li heard his words for the first time, he did not immediately understand the deeper meaning of his words. It was not until more and more people around him began to look at him that he realized something was wrong.
In Jing Li's mind, going out for some fun was no big deal. After that day, he didn't even take it to heart.
But he forgot that he was living in a special era.
In the eyes of outsiders, she was a husband of two daughters. If she hid it from her husband and went in and out of places like gambling houses with other men, one could imagine what kind of criticism she would face if the news got out.
If the situation develops more seriously, it may even affect Qin Zhao's reputation in the capital.
Jing Li didn't know how to respond for a moment.
He could feel the strange looks cast upon him, mocking, surprised, and contemptuous.
This should be the first time that Jing Li faced the malice towards Shuang'er in this era. Compared with witnessing Ayi's experience before, such direct experience made him even more frightened.
This feeling made Jing Li very uncomfortable. Perhaps Qin Zhao noticed this and gently squeezed his hand.
Then, Jing Li heard Qin Zhao chuckle, "Thank you for the compliment. I taught you that."
Ji Zhifei's expression froze slightly.
His move was naturally intended to ruin Jing Li's reputation.
At first, he was just interested in this handsome boy, but now, after being provoked and offended by this man several times, he really wanted to teach him a lesson.
But he didn't expect that Mr. Qin would be so protective of his shortcomings as to sacrifice his own reputation.
The young man in front of him was frail and handsome, but he didn't look very well, and he looked pale and weak, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
But even such a person did not seem weak in front of him at all. Ji Zhifei even felt that he was almost outshined by this man's aura.
No wonder she is loved by Mr. Zhaoli.
Ji Zhifei gritted his teeth lightly, not even realizing that he had lost his composure. "I thought that the teacher was well-versed in the books of sages and should stay away from these places of trouble. I didn't expect that... the teacher is indeed an extraordinary person."
"That's wrong." Qin Zhao said, "Bo was first popularized by the royal family, and then spread to the people. Even now, the princes and nobles in the capital still enjoy Bo. Does Master Ji want to say that they are all incapable of distinguishing right from wrong?"
"you-"
"Mr. Qin, you are finally here!" A shout interrupted Ji Zhifei's words at the right time. Not far away, Gu Heng walked over quickly and said to Qin Zhao, "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Don't stand in the yard and blow the wind. Come in with me."
Gu Heng arrived at the right time, and being interrupted, Ji Zhifei had no choice but to stop pestering him.
Moreover, Gu Heng's shout was full of energy. Gu Changzhou, who was chatting with friends in the corridor, finally noticed Qin Zhao's arrival. He quickly found an excuse to say goodbye and came forward to greet him.
"Mr. Qin is here." Gu Changzhou said, "Mr. Qin is not feeling well. Please come in and sit down."
Ji Zhifei's expression darkened again.
Since many people were invited to the Gu family's banquet this time, they simply held the banquet outdoors in the courtyard. Only one table was set up in the main house as the seat for the guests of honor.
Even the Ji family is not qualified to sit in the guest of honor seat.
What's the reason for Qin
Ji Zhifei's eyes were gloomy, but he didn't dare to act rashly in front of Master Gu. He could only watch Qin Zhao being led into the main house by Master Gu himself.
There were already several people sitting in the main room.
In addition to Mrs. Gu, there was also the prefect of Jiangling and his wife.
The two ladies were chatting happily, but when the prefect saw Qin Zhao come in, his face suddenly became ugly.
Qin Zhao seemed unaware and bowed to the prefect: "Greetings, Mr. Prefect."
The prefect uttered an unpleasant "hmm".
"Okay, Brother Yue, you are still angry." Gu Changzhou tried to smooth things over. "Today is a family dinner, there is no prefect. Everyone please sit down."
Qin Zhao took Jing Li's hand and sat down.
Gu Changzhou found an excuse to divert the prefect's attention. Jing Li seized the opportunity and whispered to Gu Heng who was sitting next to him: "What's wrong with the prefect?"
"Didn't Mr. Qin go to beat the drum to appeal a few days ago? The prefect sent people to investigate the scene where the body was dumped and the Jing'an Bookstore. As a result, they really found some suspicious points." Gu Heng whispered to me, "They found the suspicious points, but they couldn't catch the criminal. I heard that the government office hasn't had a rest for several days. I don't know how much hair the prefect has lost!"
Jing Li blinked: "Isn't this what he should do?"
"That's what you said." Gu Heng glanced over there and said angrily, "The prefect claims that he has never wronged a case. If Mr. Qin hadn't stepped in this time, he would have wronged a good person. He has been feeling awkward these past two days."
“… When you’re middle-aged, you need to save face.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhao knocked on Jing Li's head, "Be careful with your words and actions."
Gu Heng instantly became intimidated and quickly shut up.
The dinner was a great pleasure for both the guests and the hosts.
The delicious dinner quickly made Jing Li forget the unpleasantness that happened earlier. Mrs. Gu even asked the kitchen to make an extra portion for him to take away before the banquet ended because she found that he liked the white peach soft cake so much.
Jing Li rubbed his bloated belly, carried the packaged white peach cake, and walked out of Gu's house alone.
The carriage sent to them by the Gu Mansion was waiting at the door.
It has been a while since the banquet ended, and there are few people on the street in front of Gu Mansion. The carriages from various mansions have all turned back, leaving only a few still waiting at the door.
Not far away, Ji Mansion's carriage was still parked there.
Jing Li glanced over there, feeling a little puzzled.
Hasn’t Ji Zhifei left yet
"Mrs. Qin, be careful." Jing Li, the servant of the Gu Mansion, helped him onto the carriage and asked, "Is Mr. Qin not out yet?"
Jing Li said: "He said he wanted to discuss something with Master Gu, so let's wait a little longer."
Most of what Qin Zhao could discuss with Mr. Gu was the issue of how to continue teaching Gu Heng in the future.
Jing Li and Qin Zhao discussed this matter privately.
According to his idea, Qin Zhao had made an indispensable contribution to Gu Heng's passing the county exam, so it was time to ask the employer for a raise in price.
After all, ever since Gu Heng passed the county exam, many students have come to visit him in the past few days, wanting to become Qin Zhao's disciples.
His worth is no longer comparable to what it used to be.
But... isn't it inappropriate to talk about this today
Jing Li felt uneasy.
Today is the wedding day at the Gu Mansion, and the master of the Gu family is obviously in a good mood this evening. It seems a bit like Qin Zhao is spoiling the mood by bringing up these things at this critical moment.
Mr. Gu is not happy, right
Jing Li lifted the car curtain and glanced into the brightly lit Gu Mansion, thinking tremblingly.
The carriage that the Gu Mansion sent to them was much more exquisite than the ones they usually saw. It was covered with a thick velvet carpet and had a heater burning, making it warm and comfortable.
Jing Li rubbed his eyes, and soon fell asleep in the corner of the carriage.
Most of the guests at the Gu Mansion had already left, but Ji Zhifei was led deeper into the mansion.
"This direction is Mr. Gu's study, right?" Ji Zhifei asked, "What does Mr. Gu want to talk to me about?"
The servant replied, "I don't know."
Ji Zhifei made a "tsk" sound.
He and his father were ready to say goodbye and leave an incense stick ago, but unexpectedly the other party did not let them go. Instead, they made them wait in the front yard for a long time.
This guy is still mysterious and doesn't know where he wants to take him.
Could it be that Mr. Gu also wants to stand up for Mr. Qin
Ji Zhifei only thought about this for a moment and then put it out of his mind.
How is that possible.
It was understandable that Gu Heng was grateful to Qin Zhao, but who was Gu Changzhou? He controlled the Jiangling Weaving Factory and was also an imperial merchant. Even the prefect of Jiangling Prefecture did not dare to do anything to him.
This kind of person would stand up for a poor scholar
It's impossible no matter how you think about it.
But if it wasn't for this matter, why would Mr. Gu want to meet him alone
Ji Zhifei couldn't figure it out, but he didn't have the chance to think about it anymore because the servant had stopped.
The servant knocked on the study door and said, "Master, Master Ji is here."
An echo came from inside the door: "Come in."
The servant pushed open the door, but immediately lowered his head and stepped aside, not even daring to look inside.
Ji Zhifei's doubts deepened, and he stepped in.
The study was simply furnished, divided into two rooms. The air was filled with a faint scent of tea, but the outer room was empty.
Ji Zhifei walked around the curtain and first saw the neatly arranged bookshelf facing the door. Then, he saw the man sitting behind the desk.
Qin Zhao turned a page of the book he was reading. Beside him, Gu Changzhou personally poured him a cup of tea.
Ji Zhifei did not immediately react to the deep meaning of this action, but he intuitively felt a chill in his heart.
Qin Zhao picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip slowly, then raised his head: "Master Ji, it's me who wants to see you."