It has been almost three years since we last parted.
Don't worry, it's not a long-awaited reunion, but rather a resurgence of long-standing hatred.
Xu Mo never expected to see Zhu Zhi at the entrance of the Imperial College.
Now past thirty, he sported a short beard and still retained the clean-cut, almost pretentious look I remembered. Perhaps having relinquished the burden of being a county magistrate, he exuded a scholarly air, and entered the Imperial Academy with a sense of ease and comfort.
But why is he so relaxed and carefree?
Xu Mo's eyes reddened as he thought of his parents who had been falsely accused, the heroic act of their suicide, the hastily concluded case, and Zhu Zhi's smugness when he was rescued.
The oppression made him walk slowly, the hatred made his hands tremble, and the intense killing intent spread everywhere.
Even my younger siblings who live a little further away felt it.
"What's wrong with my brother?" Zheng Ruqian asked in a low voice. "I've never seen him like this before."
Wen Zhiyun opened her mouth.
Actually, I've seen it before.
When the former governor of Anshui County rushed to Xieyang County to handle the case of Magistrate Xu and his wife, the eldest brother was truly terrifying back then. He was like a hurricane with suppressed energy, capable of ravaging the entire land at any moment.
"How exactly did my elder brother's parents die?" Changyan arrived the latest and knew the least about these matters.
But Xu Mo was unwilling to mention it, so they never asked.
Jiang Sheng whispered, "The Magistrate Xu and his wife were betrayed by the clerk, who falsely accused them of accepting bribes and even imprisoned them. Originally, Zhu Zhi was not qualified to deal with Magistrate Xu, but something went wrong. After settling things with his elder brother, Magistrate Xu and his wife committed suicide."
Thus, the suspect, who was originally awaiting interrogation, ended up committing suicide out of fear of punishment.
After hastily closing the case, Zhu Zhi settled down to serve as the magistrate of Xieyang County, and allowed his wife and brother-in-law to commit evil deeds and wreak havoc on the people.
Thinking back to their difficult early days, it was almost all thanks to Zhu Zhi. If the siblings hadn't been a bit smart, they wouldn't be where they are today.
In the end, the Gao siblings paid the price, while the culprit, Zhu Zhi, went unpunished and even became a student at the Imperial Academy.
How could this not make the elder brother hate him?
"I'm afraid my elder brother won't be able to study peacefully at the Imperial Academy," Wen Zhiyun said softly.
The others remained silent, watching as Xu Mo's trembling transformed into calmness, and then he walked confidently into the Imperial College.
He even brushed past Zhu Zhi, nodding with a smile.
The younger siblings all trembled.
It's not scary when a tiger roars at you; what's scary is when it quietly lurks down, making you mistake it for a kitten.
Once your vigilance lowers, your death is imminent.
Zhu Zhi walked inside with his hands behind his back, chatting and laughing with the other disciples.
One of the boys, around fifteen or sixteen years old, asked with a grin, "Third Uncle, you've finally passed the provincial examination after nine years. What's your next step, the metropolitan examination or to become a local official?"
Zhu Zhi's face darkened, clearly recalling something unpleasant. "I will not go to serve as an official in the provinces; I will stay in Fengjing."
While the status of a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) is certainly prestigious, if one wants to become an official, one can only be sent to a local area and cannot establish oneself in Fengjing.
When Zhu Zhi said this, he meant that he had decided to take the imperial examination and then, with the help of his family's influence, enter the officialdom of Fengjing.
"It seems that Brother Fangyuan is also going to take the imperial examination." The youngest boy suddenly said with longing, "I wonder who will succeed in becoming a Jinshi between Uncle San and Brother Fangyuan."
Zhu Zhi's face instantly darkened.
He was Fang Yuan's uncle, nearly twenty years older than Fang Yuan, yet they both passed the imperial examination at the same time.
Such things are not uncommon when taken individually, but when put together, they always evoke an unspeakable sense of shame in Zhu Zhi's heart, which gradually turns into humiliation.
The boy who had spoken first noticed something was amiss and quickly nudged his younger brother, saying, "We can both pass together, then our Zhu family will have double the joy."
Zhu Zhi sneered, "Fang Yuan is a member of the Fang family. Even if he passes the imperial examination, it's the Fang family's joy. What does it have to do with the Zhu family?"
Everyone fell silent.
They walked on in silence, heads bowed.
Completely unaware that Xu Mo, who had initially walked past, had somehow reappeared behind them, looked at the several figures whose backs were not friendly but inwardly hostile, and sneered.
He turned around and looked at his younger siblings, whose faces were full of worry, and waved his hand again.
Don't worry, your older brother will always be your older brother, he won't act rashly.
The boy, holding the envelope, walked forward with his back straight, composed and calm.
Unafraid of power, undaunted by the abyss.
Only after their figures disappeared from sight did the siblings board the carriage and depart with a sense of melancholy.
"Is Big Brother really alright?" Jiang Sheng asked, resting her chin on her hand. "But I feel like he's so full of hatred."
“As much as I hate him, my elder brother has his own methods.” Chang Yan remained relatively calm. “Besides, we haven’t established ourselves in Fengjing yet, so my elder brother won’t act rashly.”
The word "establish a foothold" is easy to say and simple to demonstrate, but extremely difficult to do.
Xu Mo's entry into the Imperial Academy was the simplest of all.
When it came to Zheng Ruqian's turn, it was the most stressful and difficult time to make money.
Fortunately, Jiang San and Jiang Si arrived with a cart full of cured meats, all of which were top-quality products that Liu Cui had specially dried and stored for more than a month without spoiling.
Everyone in the courtyard joined in the sorting.
As Zheng Ruqian tidied up the food, he was also worried about whether to sell the cured meat and sausages at the small stalls in the west of the city or send them to Fengjing Youranju.
In theory, since both You Ran Ju in Xieyang County and You Ran Ju in Anshui County accepted his goods, You Ran Ju in Fengjing would not refuse to accept them.
But when Zheng Ruqian thought about the arrogance of Fengjing Yaren when he rented the house, he felt insecure.
If a mere broker is this arrogant, wouldn't the manager of a grand restaurant be strutting around with his nose in the air?
Unexpectedly, Jiang Sheng changed into a clean dress, picked up several pounds of sausages, and walked out.
"Little Jiang Sheng, where are you going?" Zheng Ruqian was extremely surprised.
Jiang Sheng said earnestly, "Go to Youranju to sell sausages, cured meat, and cured fish."
The young girl was simple-minded. She thought that the workshop used to belong to her second brother, and that he always took the initiative to sell preserved meats at Youranju and then sign contracts to supply the goods.
Now that the workshop has changed owners, from Zheng Ruqian to Jiang Sheng, the task of selling preserved meats naturally falls to Jiang Sheng.
If it's her responsibility, she'll take it on.
If it's her job, she'll do it.
Whether Youranju was a behemoth or whether the natives of Fengjing were too arrogant were not within Jiang Sheng's considerations.
"Little Jiang Sheng," Zheng Ruqian's voice was a little hoarse, "Are you so confident that Fengjing Youranju would want our preserved meat?"
Jiang Sheng revealed her gap-toothed baby teeth, "Second brother, how will we know the result if we don't try?"
When it comes to courage, even if all five brothers in the family were folded up, they might not be as tall as their sister alone.
Zheng Ruqian felt his handsome face burning. His inferiority complex quickly swelled into pride, then shattered into self-mockery, and finally settled on self-respect.
He suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Alright, your second brother will go with you."
In the blink of an eye, the brother and sister stood at the entrance of Fengjing Youranju.
Then, they were stunned.
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