spoiled brat

Chapter 135 134. Empty Flowers (4)

Staff member?

Many candidates who failed the imperial examinations would seek refuge with officials and nobles, living off them while preparing for the next exam.

Officials and nobles were also happy to keep scholars, who were used to handle official documents and carried with them when entertaining guests as a status symbol.

Some advisors are lucky enough to receive guidance from their masters and be recommended for official positions, thus obtaining a minor official post without having to take the imperial examinations. This is what is known as "achieving fame through unconventional means."

Xie Xiaoqing found it strange: "I've read the policy essay that Lord Li wrote when he passed the imperial examination. It was a first-rate piece of writing, criticizing current affairs and offering effective solutions. With such talent, why..."

Why did it take ten years to finally succeed?

"Correct."

"Because you followed the wrong person."

"..."

"When I first went to the capital to take the imperial examination, I suddenly fell seriously ill and almost lost my life. A certain gentleman saved me, and I have been following him ever since."

"My benefactor has become my talent scout, isn't that good enough?"

“He was a minor official with no power or influence, so he couldn’t pave the way for me. He was also illiterate and couldn’t tell my worth from my words. He treated me like a secretary. He handled documents and offered advice on a daily basis. When I went out, he acted as my attendant, running errands for me.”

Remembering certain things, Li Qingwen chuckled:
“You say my writing is good, and I think it is too. But he doesn’t like it; he only likes to go to brothels. I follow him around and write some vulgar and erotic poems at banquets. When he’s happy, he’ll reward me with some silver.”

Xie Xiaoqing sighed: "You really followed the wrong person. You have great ambitions, but he treats you like a plaything for pleasure."

"In ancient times, there was Emperor Yang of Tang and Consort Yang and Li Bai. Later generations only know Li Bai's frivolousness in meeting the emperor while drunk and the glory of the strongman removing his boots, but they do not know the bitterness that Li Bai suppressed in his heart."

"He wanted to become an official and fight for the people of the world, but Emperor Tang and Consort Yang treated him like a parrot or myna bird that could write poetry. It was a disgrace to him."

"Lord Li, did you continue to follow him afterward?"

Xie Xiaoqing didn't ask him if he had passed the exam, but he became a tribute student overnight. Everyone who studied in the country knew that the imperial examination system in this dynasty had long been corrupted. From the provincial examination onwards, one had to ask for favors and bribes. The metropolitan examination required both wealth and talent. It was as difficult as climbing to heaven for a poor scholar with no power or influence to pass the exam.

Li Qingwen nodded and said calmly, "Once, a colleague pointed out that I was no ordinary person. He said to me earnestly, 'You should follow me. I have old acquaintances in the Ministry of Rites. I can easily pull some strings with just money. Once I've saved up enough, I'll get you on the list for the next imperial examination. When you enter officialdom, never forget to repay your former master.'"

This dynasty is corrupt; bribery and favoritism are commonplace.

Li Qingwen spoke awkwardly, while Xie Xiaoqing listened without changing his expression: "What happened next?"

“I followed him wholeheartedly and waited for him for three years after three years. In the first three years, he was obsessed with pleasure and spent all the money he had embezzled on prostitutes. He had very little left and naturally had no money to bribe people.”

"After three years of study, he had saved up enough money, but there were too many high-ranking scholars taking the imperial examination that year, and the price soared. His little money wasn't even enough to meet the threshold."

"In the three years that followed, he grew old and weary, longing for a younger man to care for him in his final days, and strained with all his might to carry me. But at the last moment, he said—"

Li Qingwen glanced sideways, his dark eyes fixed on Xie Xiaoqing: "There's a junior in the old family who's about to take the imperial examination, and they want to save the money for him."

Xie Xiaoqing frowned deeply: "That guy really deserves to die. How many decades does one have in a lifetime? All wasted because of a few words he said."

Li Qingwen laughed: "Yeah, damn it."

As they spoke, they arrived at the students' dormitory. Li Qingwen escorted him to the door, and the students inside all stood up to greet him.

Li Qingwen responded amiably, his gaze passing over everyone's heads, sweeping over the empty bed by the window, recognizing Xie Xiaoqing's bed, before taking his leave.

"Thank you, brother!"

His peers surrounded Xie Xiaoqing and joked, "You're usually so quiet, but you associate with all the wealthy and powerful. You really can't judge a book by its cover."

Another person said, "That's right, that's right. I glanced at the official documents in Lord Li's arms. He has to go to Mingjing Hall to handle his business, and it's not convenient for him to come here. He specially went out of his way to deliver them to you. Isn't that intentionally showing you support?"

Xie Xiaoqing paused in his tea drinking, his hand still holding the teacup. He had been so engrossed in the conversation that he hadn't even realized they weren't going the same way.

Only now, after being pointed it out by others, do I realize how strange it is.

He went to Shensi Hall to find Pang Xuan. What was Li Qingwen doing there? Besides, the two had only met once. For Li Qingwen to reopen old wounds was a bit too forward for someone he barely knew.

A vague thought surfaced in Xie Xiaoqing's mind, and he suddenly sprang to his feet, startling his companions: "Brother Xie, what's wrong?"

Xie Xiaoqing shook his head, dismissing the absurd thought, and said:

"It's nothing... When Pang Xuan comes back later, don't mention how I used that girl to bully others, lest he make fun of me."

His peers nodded in agreement, afraid of offending this powerful figure.

As darkness fell, Pang Xuan stepped across the threshold.

Seeing the worry on his face, Xie Xiaoqing guessed that he hadn't found any poor students willing to do dirty work, so he handed him a cup of tea and asked knowingly, "Did something happen?"

Everyone else in the room was already asleep. Pang Xuan sipped his tea, dimmed the candlelight on the table, and said in a low voice:

"A hot potato has fallen into my hands."

"Can't let go?"

“How could I dare to give it up? I’m penniless, with no family background or connections. If I want to gain a foothold in the capital, I have to be resourceful in all aspects.”

Pang Xuan smiled bitterly: "I finally managed to get to the side of officials and nobles. They entrust me with troublesome matters. If I handle them well, I'll be promoted. If I don't, they think I'm disobedient and kick me aside..."

Seeing Xie Xiaoqing's gloomy expression, he changed the subject and asked, "What are you worried about now?"

Xie Xiaoqing pulled out his bundle and opened his empty silver bag: "I've spent all my travel expenses to the capital, I have no money left."

"What's there to worry about? It's just a matter of saying something."

Pang Xuan shook his sleeves and took out a few pieces of silver:
"You're a bit simple-minded and not good at socializing, but you're lucky; you're my only true friend. Take this and spend it; if you need more, ask your brothers."

The silver ingot looked as if it were plated with gold under the candlelight, but Xie Xiaoqing didn't accept it directly.

"We can't keep relying on your help all the time. Do you have any ways to make money?"

Pang Xuan pondered for a moment: "...The person you like is really not that girl from the Prince of Ning's mansion?"

Xie Xiaoqing shook his head.

"That's good. There's something you can do. If you succeed, you'll earn enough money to buy a house in the capital."

Xie Xiaoqing pretended his eyes lit up: "What is it?"

Pang Xuan extinguished the candle wick, plunging the room into darkness, with the faint moonlight falling on the window.

He whispered, "That girl from the Prince Ning's mansion saved you. After you establish your own mansion, find an opportunity to invite her to a restaurant under the guise of thanking her. Wait until she's half-drunk..."

He pulled open Xie Xiaoqing's sleeve and ran his finger along his shoulder: "Open up his clothes and see if there's a prostitute's mark here."

Xie Xiaoqing's eyelids twitched, and he wanted to ask more questions, but Pang Xuan interrupted him:
"Don't ask me anything, I'm clueless too. If you're not willing to do this..."

“I’ll do it.” Xie Xiaoqing grasped his hand in return. “You’d be a bastard not to make money.”

Pang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say "Good brother" when a hissing sound rang in his ears.

He turned his head in horror and saw that the window next to Xie Xiaoqing's bed was not closed tightly, and a snake was creeping in. It was a five-step snake with a branding head, which was extremely venomous!
"Watch out!" The snake's head was already close to Xie Xiaoqing, but he was still completely unaware. Pang Xuan suddenly pulled him away, and the two rolled to the ground, dodging a deadly bite.

"Wake up, everyone! There's a snake in the house!"

The men awoke with a start, lit a fire for light, and saw two strangely patterned iron heads protruding into the room through the window, flicking their tongues as they slithered around.

The group wanted to escape, but the dormitory had rules: the doors were locked at night and people were not allowed to go out.

"Open the door! Help!"

The door was kicked loudly, but it didn't budge.

The snakes noticed the commotion and curiously swam over.

People screamed and fled, some covering themselves with blankets, some jumping onto tables, and some using their hands and feet to climb onto the roof beams...

Xie Xiaoqing pressed himself against the wall, trembling all over, his face covered in cold sweat, staring in terror at the snake coiled around his leg.

The snake seemed to know he had nowhere to go, so it didn't rush to bite him, but slowly coiled upwards.

Calf, thigh, slipped into clothes, wrapped around waist.

Xie Xiaoqing dared not move, letting the cold, sticky touch spread throughout his body. His fear grew stronger, as if he were suspended in mid-air by a string, until—

The snake emerged from his collar, its head pressed against his neck, its cool, fishy tongue brushing against his chin.

Xie Xiaoqing's breathing stopped abruptly, his body stiffened and turned cold. Overwhelming fear made it hard for him to breathe, his mind went blank, and he wished he could die immediately.

Bang!
The door was kicked open from the outside, and the night patrol guards were drawn by the screams. Several flashes of cold light appeared as two snakes, their heads separated from their tails, writhed on the ground.

His peers were relieved, but Xie Xiaoqing was ashen-faced. The snake wrapped around his neck was startled and tightened its grip, its pupils narrowed sharply, and its bloody mouth opened wide as if to bite!
Xie Xiaoqing abruptly closed his eyes. At the critical moment between life and death, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound, a cool breeze cleared away the fishy smell in his nose, and the snake on his neck suddenly loosened and collapsed limply.

Warm snake blood dripped onto the back of his hand. Xie Xiaoqing slowly opened his eyes and saw that the snake's body, which was wrapped around his neck, had no head. There was an arrow on a beam not far away, firmly fixing the snake's head in place.

"Brother Xie!" Pang Xuan rushed up, ripped the broken snake off Xie Xiaoqing's neck, and anxiously checked him: "Were you bitten?!"

Xie Xiaoqing shook his pale face.

Still in shock, he slid down the wall little by little, his mind racing, unable to hear anything around him.

Then a mocking voice sounded from above: "So afraid?"

is her.

It's her again.

Xie Xiaoqing raised his head and met Zhao Zhao's condescending gaze. His eyes inexplicably reddened, and he felt an indescribable grievance in his heart: "...I almost died."

Zhao Zhao didn't care whether he lived or died. She kicked aside the snake at her feet and said to the night patrol guards:

"As the weather gets warmer, the area around the dormitory is full of dense forests and grass, so it's normal to see snakes. Tomorrow, get some realgar powder and sprinkle it around the area properly."

She glanced down coldly: "So that some people won't be scared out of their wits."

After the group left, the companions were still shaken. They cleaned up the snake blood on the ground and then used a hammer to seal the window shut.

When it was time to blow out the lamp and go to bed, he realized someone was missing from the room and asked in confusion, "Hey, where did Brother Xie go?"

With his back to everyone, Pang Xuan took out a heavy silver pouch from his robes and stuffed it into Xie Xiaoqing's bundle:
"He went to find that girl, didn't he?"

Xie Xiaoqing followed Zhao Zhao and her entourage from a distance. After she separated from the guards, he jumped out and blocked the way: "...I have something to say to you."

Zhao Zhao wasn't surprised at all, and didn't even lift her eyelids: "Another thank you?"

Xie Xiaoqing hesitated, but Zhao Zhao, impatient to wait, walked past him. A voice sounded behind her:
"Some people say you used to be a prostitute."

Zhao Zhao stopped, standing alone in the night wind, her beauty sharp as a knife.

She turned her head calmly, without saying a word.

"I don't know which young master deliberately made things difficult for you, spending a lot of money just to hire someone to check if you have any lowly status marks on your shoulder."

Xie Xiaoqing honestly replied, "The person who sent the errand found me, and I took on the task myself. I'll tell him later that you don't have any—"

He suddenly couldn't speak.

Under the moonlight, Zhao Zhao pulled up her sleeves, revealing her arms covered with fine marks, and gradually revealing her shoulders.

There is no branding mark.

There was only a hideous, horrifying scar.

Xie Xiaoqing could tell that this was the result of scraping away the surface layer of skin and flesh with a knife and then haphazardly bandaging to stop the bleeding.

"you……"

Zhao Zhao pulled up her sleeves, her voice soft in the night breeze: "Go and report back and collect your reward. I used to be a prostitute."

"...Aren't you afraid?"

"What am I afraid of?"

Zhao Zhao's eyes were as deep as a cold pool, clear and intimidating: "Are you afraid that others will laugh at my background, or are you afraid that some ignorant fool will keep harping on my past? Do you dare to admit that I used to be a prostitute? Would the person who is behind this dare to openly proclaim that the princess's personal attendant was of lowly birth?"

"Who is investigating you? And who is trying to harm me?"

Why should I tell you?

Surrounded by mist, Xie Xiaoqing couldn't see anything clearly. The slightest mistake could cost him his life. The cold, sticky sensation of being coiled by snakes spread out, and overwhelming fear pressed down on him like a mountain.

thump.

He knelt down.

He crawled slowly to Zhao Zhao, raised his handsome face, looked at her cold and mocking eyes, and begged for a bit of pity.

"You've saved me time and time again, which means I'm useful to you... maybe I am."

Xie Xiaoqing lowered his head, his gaze shifting from Zhao Zhao's face to the knife at her waist, its dark blue blade trailing silver, and the dusty surface of her boots.

"You know all the inside information, but you don't tell me because you don't trust me enough. I can wait until you're willing to tell me what kind of conflict I've gotten myself into."

He raised his sleeve and gently wiped the dust off his boots: "Before this, I obeyed you without question, and listened to everything you said..."

Xie Xiaoqing lowered his head to the ground, and with a thud, the lanterns above them went out.

"I only ask that you spare my life."

There was no response from above for a long time; all I could hear was the sound of the night wind blowing.

Xie Xiaoqing's heart sank, and just as he was about to fall to the ground, Zhao Zhao's toe lifted his chin.

She looked down at him, her features hidden in shadow.
"The way you're saying that makes it sound like you want me to be your dog."