Chai Jun nodded and didn't continue the topic. He continued, "Lord Qin has a good reputation as an official and is very capable. You are related to my second aunt by blood. When you go to the capital, please come to the Nanyang Princess's residence to find me."

He was actually willing to get close to the Qin family because of Chai Qingyan. This made Qin Ru very happy and he agreed repeatedly.

Hearing both cousins ​​mention the Qin family simultaneously, Xu Lanyin felt a pang of sadness. They were relatives, yet she didn't dare acknowledge them. Especially this cousin Qin, he was so attentive to Chai Jun, surely it was because of his aunt, Chai Qingyan?

At the end of the afternoon, the teahouse was about to close. Liu Zhaohou refused to leave, insisting on staying and playing. Later, several high-ranking officials arrived. Xu Lanyin only knew Qin Che. It was unknown how those people persuaded him, but Liu Zhaohou, with a very reluctant pout, went to the post station with Chai Jun to rest.

He even came to Xu Lanyin and told her, "Sister, you must come and watch me play chess tomorrow. I like to hear you talk."

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Definitely."

Xu Lanyin went home, and Manager Wu and others began to prepare the venue for tomorrow's competition.

When he got home, he unexpectedly saw Xu Ershi. He was sent by Old Man Xu to deliver a letter. Xu Lanzhou had passed the county exam, placing relatively high, eighth, and would be traveling to the prefectural capital to take the provincial exam early next month. Since Qin was a woman, a widow, it would be difficult for her to accompany him, so Xu Dashi would be accompanying him.

This is really good news, Xu Lanyin was very happy.

Xu Ershi's smile widened as he said, "I've already given Lord Min's letter to Lord Tang. He asked me to write a few words." Xu Ershi blushed slightly and smiled again, "He assigned me to the recruitment office, specifically responsible for filling out forms for the defendants and compiling confession transcripts..."

Because of his ugly handwriting, he was not assigned to the sixth room despite his strong connections, but was assigned to the second-best recruiting room.

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Oh, congratulations."

Xu Ershi tugged at his brand new clothes and added, "I'll be starting work in a few days. My mother even made me a few silk robes, and my grandfather and grandmother also told me to work hard and repay Sister Yin for her help."

Xu Lanyin had just noticed that he was wearing a long, azure-blue robe today, which made him look even more fair and delicate. With a jade hairpin in his hair and a relaxed smile, he had a somewhat scholarly air. It would have been better if his eyes had been more composed, not flickering, and his body less swaying.

She smiled and said, "Yeah, not bad, very handsome."

Xu Ershi blushed and smiled, "This is all thanks to Sister Yin and Second Aunt. Grandpa and Grandma, my parents, and I are all very happy. Thank you. Oh, these are two pieces of silk fabric my mother bought for Sister Yin and Brother Ting. Grandpa and Grandma also asked my mother to make two silk gowns and two pairs of thousand-layer-soled shoes for Brother Zhou."

Xu Ershi's job as a clerk had nothing to do with Xu Lanzhou's money, yet he gave him the most generous gift. Xu Lanyin repeatedly explained that it was Qin who asked her to do this, but Qin did not give her a penny, only a "thank you".

Xu Lanyin believed that the ruler must have been given to her by the old lady, otherwise she would not even have this ruler, and all she would have was a "thank you" from her mouth.

Xu Ershi said it so openly, he must not think that there was anything wrong with it, and he even thought that giving a generous gift to the eldest son of the second wife was justified.

Xu Lanyin no longer cared about the gifts they gave her, and she knew that this was a unique way of thinking among many ancient people, but she was just not very happy.

She lost interest in talking, encouraged Xu Ershi a few words, and finally said, "Let Yang Zhong accompany Brother Ershi to have a good time in the provincial capital for two days."

Xu Ershi's personality is somewhat similar to Gu's. He is a little clever and likes to take advantage of small things, but he is not a wicked person. He will still help out his relatives in small matters.

Xu Lanyin didn't like him very much, but she didn't hate him very much either, so she kept her distance from him.

Xu Lanyin asked Ding Gu and Yang Zhong to accompany him for a drink in the outer courtyard. He also quietly instructed Yang Zhong to take Xu Ershi to the most prosperous Huangshi Street and several famous government offices in the next two days, and to avoid going to Qingqu Street. He also told Yang Zhong to accompany him to eat, drink and have fun, buy some gifts for his hometown, and send him back home in two days.

Xu Lan did not tell the old man Xu and his wife about opening a teahouse, for she was afraid that the old man would make a fuss if he knew the teahouse did not belong to the Xu family, which would be very upsetting.

The next day, Xu Lanyin, Xu Lanting and Min Jia got up early, ate quietly, got up early quietly, and went out quietly.

Thinking that Zhao Xingchen would burst into tears when she woke up, Min Jia felt very sorry for her. She said, "Why not just lock Xiao Xingxing up in the backyard?"

Xu Lanting also said, "Yes, if the door is locked, he can't get out."

Xu Lanyin's excuse for not letting Zhao Xingchen go was that there were too many people at the competition and she was afraid that he was too young to be kidnapped by the beggars.

Xu Lanyin said, "What if we lock him up in the room and he starts crying? It will affect other people's competitions."

Hearing that it would affect the game, the two children fell silent. Sleepiness took over and they fell asleep in the car again.

Xu Lanyin lifted the car curtain. It was still dark, and a few stars were still twinkling in the sky. The cool morning breeze cleared her mind a little. She thought about what she had planned for the day and whether there were any unexpected things...

I didn't go to pick up Wang Sanni. She, Ding Xiaoran and some teahouse employees all rested in the teahouse yesterday.

When I arrived at the teahouse, I found that Min Can, his two sons and Qin Ru were all there.

Min Can said to Xu Lanyin, "Lord Qin asked me to tell you that Mr. Liu is a distinguished guest. Because he is participating in the competition, officials such as Governor Li, Commander-in-Chief Xu, and Academician Liang will be attending. You must prepare tea and snacks, and make sure nothing goes wrong. Mr. Qin and my second son are at your disposal. Also, Lord Zhou and I will not present the awards. Lords Li, Xu, and Liang will do so. Then, Lord Qin will offer a few words of congratulations..."

Mincan said a lot of things, meaning that this was no longer a simple chess competition in a teahouse, but a political task that only allowed success and no accidents.

Xu Lanyin hadn't expected a folk competition held by her family to attract such high-ranking government officials, with the scale of the event becoming comparable to the Olympics of the past. The need for widespread publicity was self-evident. She looked around and saw numerous soldiers and yamen runners, both in formal attire and plain clothes, patrolling the compound.

Her expression also turned serious, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement, going to discuss it with Manager Wu and Wang Sanni.

Around noon, a chief referee and eight referees arrived.

Wang Sanni handed them referee badges. The badge was a small, round wooden plaque with the Chinese character "裁" (Cai) engraved on it, hung from a cloth strap and worn around the neck. The chief referee's badge was purple, while the referees' were brown.

Qin Hongyu and Min Nan put the badges around their necks, their faces flushed with excitement, yet they pretended to be completely serious. This was their first time participating in such a meaningful event; it was truly remarkable.

Min Can smiled when he saw his daughter like this. He has three children, and this precious daughter is his favorite.