Chen Maoli's constant praise made Xu Yan feel a little embarrassed.
As expected of a scholar, even his praises are so good!
"Uh...Brother Lu Qing, that's too good..."
Xu Yan swallowed his saliva, stretched out his right arm and made a gesture of invitation: "Brother Lu Qing, why don't you come in and chat with me?"
Chen Maoli nodded and said, "That's exactly what I meant."
The two of them went into Xu Yan's upper room one after another and found chairs to sit down. Shuangxi hurriedly poured two cups of tea and served them carefully.
"There's something I don't understand. Brother Lu Qing doesn't look like someone from a poor family. How could you not be able to afford the rent?"
Xu Yan took a sip of tea and asked cautiously.
"Oh, it's a long story."
Chen Maoli shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I came to the city a while ago to prepare for the provincial examination. Seeing that this Tailai Inn is close to the provincial school, I decided to stay here. To be honest, although my family is not wealthy, we can still afford three taels of silver a day. But things happen unexpectedly, and people are subject to misfortunes at any time. Yesterday, I went to the street to buy some snacks to eat while studying at night, but who knew... my package was stolen by a thief."
Xu Yan nodded. "I see. But that waiter is too snobbish. Seeing that Brother Lu Qing couldn't pay the rent, he actually wanted to kick him out and wouldn't even give him a day's grace."
"It's not entirely his fault. Ultimately, it's my fault for not being careful enough. Fortunately, I met you who came to my aid. Otherwise, I would have been helpless."
Chen Maoli picked up the teacup and said in a gentle voice, "Come, I will offer you a cup of tea instead of wine."
Xu Yan hurriedly raised his glass and drank with Chen Maoli.
Just as they finished their drinks, the waiter arrived at the door carrying food. He bowed and said with an apologetic smile, "Master Xu, Master Chen, I've brought you breakfast."
Xu Yan raised his hand and nodded, saying, "Put it on the table."
Seeing that the two were talking happily, the waiter did not dare to disturb them. He went into the room, put down the food, and then bowed and left.
"If you need anything, just let me know." He said and closed the door.
"Brother Luqing, is this your first time taking the provincial examination?"
Although Xu Yan knew that Chen Maoli was a Jinshi in the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, he had no idea when he had passed the prefectural examination. In theory, as long as one obtained the title of Xiucai before the provincial examination, one could participate in the autumn examination.
Chen Maoli nodded slightly. "I'm really ashamed to say this, but this is my first time taking the provincial exam. My master is very strict with me and won't let me take it unless I'm sure I can pass three times in a row."
Wow, it seems that Chen Maoli’s mentor is also a wonderful person.
To be honest, it is not considered old for a scholar in his early twenties to take part in the county, prefectural, and academy examinations. It is just that because Xu Yan is only fifteen, Chen Maoli looks a little older.
"Brother Luqing is full of talent and knowledge. He will surely pass the three exams in a row."
"No, no, my dear brother is a young talent, and the title of scholar will be easily achieved."
After the two of them exchanged some business boasts, Chen Maoli said leisurely, "My dear brother, do you know that a strange thing happened in Ningbo Prefecture recently?"
"Well, Brother Lu Qing, why don't you tell me about it?"
Chen Maoli glanced at Shuangxi and said with a smile, "He is my personal servant. Brother Luqing, please feel free to speak."
Chen Maoli nodded and lowered his voice, "I heard that a white turtle appeared in Ningbo Prefecture recently. This is an auspicious sign from heaven. I heard that the prefect has already presented the white turtle to the governor and is preparing to send someone to the capital to present it to the current emperor."
Uh... Xu Yan thought it was some kind of miracle, but it turned out to be a white turtle appearing...
He was the one who invented this thing and was in charge of it all. Is there anyone who knows it better than him?
Of course, Xu Yan couldn't say these words to Chen Maoli.
Young Master Xu pondered for a moment and said, "This auspicious sign from heaven, the arrival of a white turtle, speaks volumes about the wisdom of the current emperor. We should study even harder, striving to pass the imperial examinations soon, so we can serve the court and relieve the emperor's worries."
Chen Maoli was very excited after hearing this: "My dear brother, you are absolutely right. I have been studying hard in seclusion for more than ten years, all for the purpose of becoming a king as great as Yao and Shun. Since I have the honor of meeting you on this trip, let us encourage each other!"
"Brother has given the order, how dare I disobey you."
Xu Yan and Chen Maoli smiled at each other.
The two were having a great conversation when they suddenly heard a loud noise outside the house.
Before they could react, the door was pushed open.
Two yamen runners, dressed in narrow-sleeved, coarse blue robes, walked in menacingly. The more portly of the two glanced at Xu Yan and Chen Maoli and said in a dignified tone, "According to the order of the venerable master, Japanese pirates have recently invaded Ningbo Prefecture. From now on, all guests staying in the hotel must register to prevent anyone from colluding with the Japanese."
Seeing his domineering attitude, Chen Maoli felt extremely angry.
It's just like using chicken feathers as a token of authority. What's so great about it?
He was about to speak when Xu Yan spoke first, "Thank you for your hard work, both of you. We are both scholars who came to the city to take the imperial examinations. We have found an inn close to the school to stay. I am from Dinghai County, and my brother is from Cixi County."
"A scholar?"
The portly yamen runner raised an eyebrow and said, "Even scholars have to register. Why don't you take out your travel permits?"
Although Xu Yan was unhappy, he knew that it was pointless to argue with these yamen runners, so he ordered Shuangxi to lead the way.
The little servant boy took the pass from the package very easily and handed it to the young master. Xu Yan took the pass and handed it to the yamen runner with both hands.
The pass recorded Xu Yan and Shuangxi's names, identities, where they came from, and where they were going.
The yamen runners who were responsible for patrolling and registering were carefully selected from the government office. They could recognize all the basic characters and write commonly used characters.
After reading it, the yamen runner took out a small notebook and wrote it down.
After recording it, he turned to Chen Maoli, glared at him and said, "Where's your pass? Are you deaf?"
Chen Maoli had never been treated so rudely before, but he hesitated for a moment before finally giving in and saying, "Excuse me, sir, please allow me to explain. Yesterday, I went to the street to buy something, but my package was stolen. It contained not only silver, but also a travel permit..."
"Can't produce the pass?"
The officer rudely interrupted Chen Maoli and said, "If you can't produce a travel permit, you are a rioter and will be treated as an accomplice of the Japanese pirates in times of emergency. Come, follow me to the yamen!"
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Xu Yan quickly stepped forward and said, "Brother Constable, please calm down. My brother is out and about and there's nothing we can do about it. Now that his pass has been stolen, I'm willing to testify on his behalf and prove his identity."
After saying this, he winked at Shuangxi, and the little boy understood and went to the package to take out a silver ingot and ran back.
"This is a small gift from Xu. You two officers have worked hard on your patrol. Please use it to buy some food and wine."
The officer wanted to scold him but when he saw that Xu Yan was so well-behaved, he was overjoyed.
"Since Master Xu is willing to vouch for him, there's naturally no problem. I'll just write his place of origin down after Master Xu."
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