Agreement
Upon hearing this, Defu looked up at the speaker, a refined-looking young scholar. He was nearly seven feet tall, rather thin, and wore a slightly faded dark-colored robe. Defu's gaze settled on the scholar's face as he asked, "May I ask who you are, sir?"
"My name is Zhou Lizhang. I need to see Miss Fu. Please inform her if you need my assistance."
Zhou Lizhang passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) with the eighth-highest score in Qingzhou.
Upon seeing the list of successful candidates, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. During the time he was waiting for the results, he was in great turmoil, worried about failing the exam and about his promise to Fu Zhi Qiao. Now that the results were out, he could finally relax.
"Congratulations, Brother Lizhang, on achieving your wish!" Shen Hong patted him on the shoulder to congratulate him, and the students in the academy also congratulated him.
"Congratulations! I wish you a bright future, Brother Zhou. Don't forget us when you become successful."
"Yes, Brother Zhou, among all of us who took the exam, you had the best score."
Hearing everyone's congratulations, Zhou Lizhang was very excited, but his expression remained calm. To others, his composure seemed as if he had already foreseen the outcome, and they secretly praised him for his composure and promising future.
After a brief moment of excitement, Zhou Lizhang quickly calmed down. Now that he had passed the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), he had the confidence to stand beside Miss Fu.
As he thought about it, a confident smile appeared on his face.
Remembering his promise to Fu Zhiqiao, Zhou Lizhang suppressed his excitement and went to Fu's residence. After inquiring, he learned that Fu Zhiqiao was not in Qingzhou but had gone to the capital.
Zhou Lizhang was somewhat disappointed.
Why did Miss Fu leave Qingzhou without saying goodbye? Did she forget her promise to him?
For some reason, Zhou Lizhang thought of the person who came to the academy looking for him that day.
A sense of crisis arose spontaneously.
It must be said that human intuition can sometimes be frighteningly accurate.
After considering his options, Zhou Lizhang immediately decided to go to the capital to settle down in advance. Since he would be taking the imperial examination in the capital next year anyway, finding accommodation in advance would allow him to focus on his studies.
He entrusted his younger brother, Zhou Limin, to the care of a neighbor with whom he had a good relationship, gave him ten taels of silver as living expenses, and came to the capital with only a few simple belongings. Before coming, he had inquired with the servants in the Fu family and learned that Fu Zhiqiao owned a property in the capital called Taibai Tower, so as soon as he arrived in the capital and found a place to stay, he went straight to Taibai Tower.
He was also very lucky, as he happened to run into Fu Zhiqiao making her rounds at Taibai Tower.
In a private room on the second floor of Taibai Tower.
Zhou Lizhang was a little uneasy. Before he came, he heard from the Fu family that she had businesses in the capital, and he thought they were about the same size as Taibai Wine Shop. He didn't expect it to be such a spacious and grand restaurant.
After taking a sip of tea, he gradually relaxed, put down his teacup, looked up at Fu Zhi Qiao, and smiled, "Thank you, Miss Fu."
Fu Zhi Qiao ordered several dishes for Zhou Li Zhang to welcome him. Noticing Zhou Li Zhang's discomfort, Fu Zhi Qiao took the initiative to pick up her chopsticks and said, "Don't just stand there, quickly try my dishes. These dishes were all developed by me personally. Please give them your opinion, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Lizhang smiled, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up immediately. "Delicious!"
Considering that Zhou Lizhang had come all the way from Qingzhou and might have an upset stomach, Fu Zhiqiao ordered him light dishes such as steamed chicken with rice wine, fish slices with sake, and lotus seed tofu.
Fu Zhi Qiao only ate a few bites; Zhou Li Zhang ate most of the food on the table.
Zhou Lizhang looked at the empty plate, his face flushed with embarrassment. He wondered if his eating manners were unsightly and if he had frightened Miss Fu.
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't care at all about his eating manners. Seeing Zhou Li Zhang enjoying his meal made her feel that her family's dishes had been appreciated.
After putting down his chopsticks, Zhou Lizhang wiped his mouth, his eyes filled with anticipation, and said, "Miss Fu, I have passed the imperial examination and become a scholar."
"Congratulations!" Fu Zhiqiao was not surprised. She knew that Zhou Lizhang was a talented person, and passing the imperial examination was just the first step he had taken.
"Is Young Master Zhou here in the capital to prepare for the imperial examination?"
Zhou Lizhang nodded: "The imperial examination will be held soon, and I want to come here first to get used to the environment in the capital, so that I won't suffer from acclimatization problems later."
Fu Zhi Qiao smiled in agreement and asked, "Have you found a place to stay?"
"Watch closely."
He had already found a small house in a hutong, surrounded by students preparing for the imperial examinations. Fu Zhiqiao had given him fifty taels of silver before, and he had saved most of it without spending it. In addition, he had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, so suddenly many local gentry and wealthy people came to curry favor with him. People who usually didn't visit him came to his door with gifts, saying they wanted to share in the good fortune of the God of Literature.
He doesn't lack money right now.
"Okay, then come find me at Taibai Tower if you need anything."
Sensing Fu Zhi Qiao's friendly attitude, Zhou Li Zhang's brows furrowed with joy, then turned to a hint of hesitation. His expression shifted rapidly, but he finally couldn't hold back and asked in a low voice, "Then... does our agreement still stand?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Lizhang realized that he had been too hasty. His eyes immediately showed a hint of anxiety, and his palms were sweating nervously.
Well, Fu Zhi Qiao isn't sure either. Things are different now. It should have been valid, but Xie Zhuo probably won't let go easily.
Fu Zhi Qiao was caught in a dilemma: whether to agree or not.
Noticing that Fu Zhi Qiao's expression was off, Zhou Li Zhang frowned slightly in regret and explained in a low voice, "Miss Fu, I didn't mean to force you..."
Seeing his eyes suddenly dim, Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't bear to lie to him. She straightened her expression and composed herself: "Young Master Zhou, I'm sorry, something unexpected happened to me... Our agreement will probably have to be put on hold for now. I'm so sorry about this..."
“It’s alright!” Zhou Lizhang immediately chimed in, “Miss Fu, it’s alright, I can wait.”
Zhou Lizhang repeated "It's okay" twice, as if he was trying to convince her, and at the same time, he was trying to convince himself.
"Young Master Zhou," Fu Zhi Qiao called out to him, but didn't know what to say next.
She hadn't expected Zhou Lizhang to say he would wait for her, and immediately looked apologetic. "But I don't know when it will be resolved."
There was a moment of silence.
Zhou Lizhang knew he had put her in a difficult position, and a warmth crept onto his face. In fact, he had prepared himself mentally before coming to the capital, but he only asked the question with the last glimmer of hope. He forced a smile and said, "I understand what Miss Fu means."
Then, the two of them tacitly changed the subject.
Fu Zhi Qiao felt guilty for breaking her promise. According to their previous agreement, Zhou Li Zhang would marry into the Fu family after passing the imperial examination. She knew Zhou Li Zhang was a proud man and couldn't say anything to him directly. She could only instruct De Fu to take good care of him behind his back.
Zhou Lizhang returned to his small house and wondered if things would have turned out differently if he hadn't insisted on upholding his pride and had immediately agreed to marry into the Fu family when Miss Fu proposed.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes helplessly.
Nobody knows what might happen in such a world.
*
On the other side, Fu Zhiqiao was busy preparing the winter menu for Taibailou and had no time to think about anything else. Xie Zhuo and Zhou Lizhang were completely forgotten by her.
Just as she was thinking about the new menu for Taibai Tower, she received an invitation to Qin Xiyu's birthday celebration.
Qin Xiyu will be of marriageable age next year, and this is her last birthday before that. She invited a group of noble ladies to a gathering at Taibai Tower, and Fu Zhiqiao was among those invited.
Qin Xiyu chose Taibai Tower as the venue for her birthday banquet, and Fu Zhiqiao, as the boss, naturally had to help her organize it.
Fu Zhi Qiao personally supervised the setup of the birthday banquet. From the placement of the flowers and greenery to the fruits and candied fruits on the table, she did everything herself to ensure there were no mistakes.
The banquet was held in the evening. Fu Zhiqiao came in to do a final check in a luxurious private room on the third floor of Taibai Tower. There weren't many female waitresses in Taibai Tower, so Fu Zhiqiao specially transferred some people from Fuyun Pavilion to help. She was relieved after confirming that there were no problems.
The next day, before the banquet officially began, Qin Xiyu arrived early, followed by six maids in purple.
Fu Zhi Qiao personally greeted them at the door. Upon seeing Qin Xi Yu, a smile appeared on her lips: "Let me see which beauty is hosting this banquet today!"
Faced with Fu Zhi Qiao's teasing, Qin Xi Yu was slightly embarrassed, with a faint smile on her face: "Sister Fu, you always know how to make fun of me."
Qin Xiyu wore a pomegranate red, high-waisted gauze dress with cloud and butterfly feather patterns, looking charming and beautiful. She rarely wore such bright clothes, which made her look more noble. Everyone who saw her would sincerely praise her.
Fu Zhi Qiao handed the prepared brocade box to Qin Xi Yu. The gift she gave her was a red gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones. Qin Xi Yu happily accepted it and handed the box to the maid behind her to keep it.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two walked hand in hand into the side room.
The room was very large. As soon as you entered, you could see a long table that was three or four meters long, on which all kinds of food were laid out.
"There are empty plates next to each dish. You can ask the maids to pick out what you want, or you can choose it yourself." As she spoke, Fu Zhi Qiao demonstrated, holding a plate in one hand and a pair of tweezers in the other, and placed a piece of osmanthus cake on the plate.
Qin Xiyu was indeed attracted by this novel way of eating. Looking at the exquisite and beautiful decorations in the room, her smile became even brighter. "Sister Fu, thank you for your trouble."
Fu Zhiqiao specially emptied the most luxurious room in Taibai Tower, which was decorated like an indoor garden, where one could enjoy flowers and chat, creating a unique atmosphere.
As the banquet time approached, the guests invited by Qin Xiyu arrived one after another. After entering the private room, they were all amazed by the environment and decoration, and praised Qin Xiyu for her ingenious birthday banquet.
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