Jin Huihuang successfully befriended Lord Su and others by using his ability to speak to people in a way that suited them.
He also vowed to keep today's secret.
"Butler, do you think all these officials are crazy? What's so shameful about not being able to catch fish?"
"Your master has had people hang the fish on the walls for so many years, have I said anything about it?"
"Go, let the brothers underwater come up."
The butler's expression changed: "The brothers underwater have come up. Brother Nian would like to speak with you in private."
Brother Nian is Jin Huihuang's brother-in-law, so if he says that, it must be something important!
Jin Huihuang didn't dare to delay and bypassed the surrounding groves of trees to find Niancheng. "Why did you choose such a place?"
Jin Huihuang complained softly, the tall man in the light green clothes looking somewhat comical, like a lewd burly man who had stolen a little girl's clothes. But he didn't actually look lewd.
Niancheng had regular features and a heroic air about him; he didn't seem like the kind of person who would hang fish underwater.
"Brother-in-law."
"Why did you call me over in such a hurry? Those people aren't gone yet. Let me tell you, they're a bunch of cunning old foxes!"
Niancheng still felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled what he had seen underwater.
There was something underwater just now.
"What's the point of fishing if there's nothing at the bottom!" Jin Huihuang tapped his head. "Have you been underwater too long and gotten water in your brain?"
Nian Cheng smiled wryly, "I just saw a little girl underwater."
"What?! You...you encountered death...that kind of unclean thing?"
"To be precise, it was a phantom. The phantom circled around the red koi, and it disappeared in the time it took me to catch my breath."
He also found it strange; the phantom seemed very unreal. He even wondered if he had been possessed by an evil spirit.
But the phantom wasn't scary at all; it was a chubby little child that melted anyone's heart. He thought he was hallucinating because he'd been in the water for too long, but when he secretly swam ashore, he discovered the little girl had reappeared.
"The girl that Lord Su was holding in his arms was the phantom I saw."
"Shh!" Jin Huihuang covered Niancheng's mouth, warning him, "You don't want to live anymore!"
You can't just say things like that!
“This little girl looks like she’s blessed. The master I met some time ago said that our family has a connection with water. Maybe this is our destiny.”
"What about Wen Yunbo..."
“Reject it.” Jin Huihuang wasn’t superstitious, but he felt that Marquis Wenyang was more reliable than Earl Wenyun.
However, there is still an uncontrollable factor at home...
"Keep a close eye on Feng Nian lately. With his temper... don't let him offend the grandson of the old Marquis Su."
Nian Cheng dared not guarantee anything to his brother-in-law; news of what happened before the exam had already reached his ears. This kid had offended a large number of people before even entering the exam hall. He was lucky he hadn't been beaten to death.
"Today is the last day of the first event, you should go back and talk to him yourself."
Jin Fengnian was unaware that her father had placed such high hopes on her, and her legs were trembling as she was the last to walk out of the examination hall.
It wasn't because he was beaten, but because he needed to pee.
His knowledge, built up with gold and silver, was far from enough to pass the imperial examinations; becoming a mere licentiate was already a stroke of good fortune.
He had a clear understanding of himself, but things could change if he was provoked.
Su Yunyi and Gao Wenyan grabbed his arms on either side and dragged him out. "Brother Jin, it's just a small test. You don't need to be so serious."
Originally, everything was peaceful, but the examination hall was crowded and someone deliberately stirred up trouble. After a few words, no one knew who had tricked this fool into coming to Su Yunyi to make a bet.
"You said you were betting on whether you could pass the exam, fine, but who gave you the confidence to be better than Brother Su?"
Gao Wenyan looked at him with disdain, but also admired his courage. If he had his inexplicable confidence, he would never feel inferior in his life.
Jin Fengnian's lips were pale, and his voice was weak: "I can't remember, but some people started it up. Men, you know, they're all about appearances."
Su Yunyi's lips twitched; he simply couldn't understand Jin Fengnian's thought process.
Is someone coming to pick you up?
Jin Fengnian pointed in the crowd and said, "My dad and my uncle are here."
Upon seeing Jin Fengnian emerge, Jin Huihuang and Niancheng immediately rushed over. The two looked him up and down as if he were a precious treasure, saying, "My son, you've worked hard. We won't make things harder for yourself after the exam."
Gao Wenyan stood with Su Yunyi and whispered, "Now I know why Jin Fengnian is so confident."
He's spoiled rotten by his family. Judging by his father's demeanor, anyone who didn't know better would think Jin Fengnian had taken the imperial examination.
“He doesn’t mean any harm,” Su Yunyi patted his shoulder. “He’s just a smart aleck. There’s nothing more for us here, Brother Gao, farewell. Go back and get some rest.”
"Brother Su, farewell."
Gao Wenyan answered the first question perfectly; he just needed to maintain that level. In high spirits, his steps became much lighter, and he was thinking of hurrying back to wash up and rest.
"Gao Wenyan!"
He had walked a short distance when Jin Fengnian caught up with him. "What is it?"
Jin Fengnian held a silver ingot in each hand, grinning foolishly at Gao Wenyan. Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly pulled back his bared teeth.
He shoved the silver ingots into Gao Wenyan's arms. Caught off guard, but not wanting to drop the silver, Gao Wenyan stared at Jin Fengnian in astonishment, one ingot in each hand: "What do you mean by this?"
"It's payment, I guess." Jin Fengnian shook his arm, finally feeling alive again. "My uncle only has this much silver on him. I don't like owing people anything."
Although he didn't usually associate with poor boys, Gao Wenyan suited his taste. His family was poor, and this much silver should be enough for him to spend until the end of the imperial examinations.
"You helped me out just now, this little bit of silver is my reward."
Jin Fengnian hated sentimental talk from mothers-in-law the most. He was afraid that Gao Wenyan would be moved and say a lot of nonsense. He would hand over the money and run away.
Gao Wenyan stood there, completely bewildered, having no idea what Jin Fengnian was up to.
"How strange! The reward?" Gao Wenyan looked down at the two silver ingots and chuckled. "His arm must be made of gold, right?"
If you want to help him, just say so. He's not the kind of high-minded person who wouldn't bow down for a pittance.
But there are too many; I need to find an opportunity to return them to him.
Jin Fengnian ran very fast, and Gao Wenyan planned to return the money to him next time, but he didn't know that all of this was being observed by others.
A pair of dark eyes in the alleyway watched everything unfold. Seeing Gao Wenyan put the silver away, a cold smile crept across their face.
After standing there for a while, he turned around and went through the back door of a house behind him.
"Young master, Gao Wenyan accepted money from Jin Fengnian."
"Is that so?" The man, who was half-lying down and feeding the fish, suddenly poured all the fish food into the pond. After watching the fish scrambling for the food, he spoke after a long while, "Gao Wenyan and Su Yunyi are on good terms..."
"The Marquis of Wenyang's mansion is no longer of my use. I'll find an opportunity to get rid of them."
"Make it cleaner!"
"yes!"
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