I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

107 First time meeting my mother-in-law

Xu Qing squatted on the riverbank, twirling a handful of soil in his hand, still thinking about that vast expanse of land.

Su Man stood beside him, about to speak.

Almost simultaneously, their eyes were drawn to three boats sailing on the river.

The lead boat was twice the size of a regular fishing boat.

The ship's hull was painted with dark tung oil, and four or five lean guards stood on either side of the ship's gunwale, their scabbards gleaming.

Two smaller boats followed behind, but they were still much larger than ordinary fishing boats.

The people standing on the side of the boat were not ordinary boatmen; their feet were firmly planted on the ground, and their eyes scanned the surroundings, clearly indicating that they were all skilled in martial arts.

Su Man's gaze lingered on the bow of the large ship for a moment, her expression suddenly changed, and she lowered her voice to speak.

"The people on the boat are Chengping and the Crown Prince of Zhao."

Xu Qing followed her gaze and recognized the person standing at the bow of the boat.

Chengping, dressed in a scholar's robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the ship's side, talking to the person next to him.

Li Jingyan stood beside him, the two of them side by side, their eyes both fixed on the shore.

Beside them were two other people, a middle-aged couple dressed simply.

The man was of medium to thin build, with a gaunt face and a calm demeanor that suggested he had seen it all before.

The woman next to him was wearing a slightly worn blue cloth shirt, with a gentle face and eyebrows that resembled Song Yao's by about 70-80%.

Even the slight downward curve of their eyes is exactly the same.

Xu Qing's gaze lingered on the woman's face for a moment, and a certain guess surfaced in his mind.

He walked a few steps and waited for the boat to dock.

The bow of the boat gently touched the pebbles on the riverbank. Several guards jumped off first. After confirming that there was no danger, Chengping disembarked, followed by Li Jingyan. The middle-aged couple also disembarked.

Su Man stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Chengping nodded, his gaze passing over her and landing on Xu Qing, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Young Master Xu, we meet again."

Xu Qing bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness; greetings, Crown Prince."

Li Jingyan chuckled and asked, "Mr. Xu, do you know who these two people are?"

Xu Qing turned his head and cupped his hands in greeting.

"...Greetings to Uncle Song and Aunt Song."

Song Huaiyuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qing, his words carrying a scrutinizing tone.

"You've got a good eye, kid. You guessed it before you even introduced it."

Xu Qing smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Auntie and Yao Yao look seven or eight parts alike. Considering their identities and whereabouts, it's not hard to guess."

Song Huaiyuan nodded without saying anything.

Xu Qing then turned to Song Yao's mother and bowed respectfully.

"Auntie, you must be tired from your long journey."

Song Yao's mother's surname was Lin and her given name was Su Niang. She smiled and spoke gently.

"It's not hard work at all. Yao Yao mentioned you many times in her letters, saying that you can write poems and couplets, and you can even make some kind of bra."

She smiled slightly at this point and didn't continue.

Su Man chimed in from the side.

"Young Master Xu is quite famous in Hengyang County now. Half the county can recite the couplets in Zhuangyuan Tower."

Xiao Mingyuan also chimed in.

"Yes, yes, and bras too. Those things are selling like hotcakes right now. People even come all the way from the capital to buy them."

The two of them praised each other back and forth, and Song Huaiyuan stood to the side listening for a long time. The expression on his face gradually changed from scrutiny to frowning.

He suddenly interrupted them, his tone becoming serious.

"What they say is quite right. Since you, Xu Qing, are so intelligent and resourceful, why have you never passed the county-level examination?"

Upon hearing this, Su Man and Xiao Mingyuan simultaneously stopped praising him.

Xiao Mingyuan opened his mouth to explain, but Song Huaiyuan stopped him with a raised hand.

Su Man thought for a moment and carefully chose her words before speaking.

"Young Master Xu's foundation was indeed somewhat weak before, but he has made rapid progress in the last few months..."

Song Huaiyuan's brows were still furrowed, and his tone was still unfriendly.

"It's good to make rapid progress, but the county exam tests real knowledge, and rapid progress can't make up for the gaps that have been missed before."

Lin Su Niang gently tugged at Song Huaiyuan's sleeve and whispered something.

"What are you doing? You've scared the child."

Although Song Huaiyuan did not speak, he still looked at Xu Qing, waiting for his answer.

Xu Qing remained silent for a moment, but did not avoid his gaze, and spoke frankly.

"Uncle is asking the truth. I won't hide it from you. In the past, I was young and naive, and I was deliberately framed and led to drinking and gambling, which almost ruined me."

He paused, his tone becoming longing and gentle.

"Fortunately, Yao Yao never gave up on me, which allowed me to climb out of that pit and pick up my books again. There's still some time before the county exam, and I'm confident that I can make up for my weaknesses before the exam. Even if someone tries to sabotage me behind my back, I can expose them."

Song Huaiyuan's brows remained furrowed, but his tone softened slightly.

"What do you mean? Is someone preventing you from passing?"

Xu Qing nodded.

"County Magistrate Chen Chengsong and Instructor Chen Chengbai have been obstructing my participation in the county examination. They are worried that if I pass, it will cause dissatisfaction among some people."

He didn't spell it out, but when Song Huaiyuan heard about certain people, his brows furrowed again.

He glanced back at Chengping, who nodded slightly.

Song Huaiyuan stamped his foot, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Outrageous! These scoundrels are trying to cut off my brother's son's escape route!"

The brother he was referring to was naturally Xu Qing's father, Xu Wenhan.

Although Lin Su Niang did not speak, her gaze on Xu Qing was much gentler than before.

Chengping asked, frowning.

"Is this true? Do you have any evidence? If you can produce it, put them in jail right now."

Xu Qing shook his head. "The previous evidence was hard to find, but it will be available soon."

Chengping raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Xu Qing briefly recounted the princess's attack and Li Yedao's treatment of Sun Decai, then added a sentence.

"They failed in the last academy competition, but the next one will be the entrance exam and the county exam. They will definitely make their move then, and the evidence will naturally come to them."

After listening, Chengping looked at Xu Qing for a long while before speaking solemnly.

"Xu Qing, you are a descendant of loyal officials. Since they dared to attack, I will make them pay the price."

Xu Qing bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Chengping waved his hand and turned his gaze back to the river.

"You've probably guessed why we're here today. That's right, it's about the sunken treasure in Jiangkou. Someone in the capital has sent word that someone is secretly buying up land along the riverbank, suspected to be related to the treasure."

He glanced at Xu Qing and continued speaking.

"Looks like you discovered it before us."

Xu Qing did not deny it, and took the treasure map out of his sleeve and handed it over.

"This was left behind by Dan Tusheng. There's only half of it; the other half was taken away by his apprentice."

Several people nearby tensed up at the same time.

Such a treasure map was presented to Chengping without any warning.

What was even more surprising was:

Chengping took the blueprints and scanned them over...

Then, the action he took was equally unexpected...