He added, “We really are on the same wavelength. I called you ‘Brother Lin’ just now because I was thinking of your close relationship with Lin Chengdao.”
Yu Qing pointed between them. “Is my relationship with you not good?”
Yin Jizhen laughed out loud, neither confirming nor denying. There was no need to say insincere things now, but he genuinely wanted to be friends with this sort of person. Changing the subject, he asked, “Where are you living now? I would like to visit you another day, to see just how carefree you really are without official duties.”
Yu Qing’s gaze suddenly met Wen Xin’s on the bridge. They held eye contact for a moment before he looked away, lowering his head slightly and remaining silent.
Yin Jizhen paused for a moment, then broke the silence. “What is wrong, Brother Shiheng?”
Yu Qing took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and smiled. “Let us talk about you first. There is a prominent family in Ningzhou called the Wan clan. I heard you are about to become their son-in-law?”
Yin Jizhen glanced towards Wan Shengqun and gave a faint smile. “Yes. Returning home to visit family was mainly to settle this major life event. The wedding will take place soon. Will you be available to attend the banquet then?”
Yu Qing said, “I will not go. I do not want to cause you trouble.”
Yin Jizhen understood his meaning, and he actually had some concerns himself. “I assume you are not using your real name now, otherwise you could not be hiding in Ningzhou unknown to everyone. It would be fine to attend the banquet under your current name.”
Yu Qing said, “Put your wedding aside for now. You and I are about to become opponents. Let us resolve this matter first, so we do not end up destroying each other.”
“Opponents?” Yin Jizhen was taken aback. “Why would you say that?”
Yu Qing said, “Do you not know what the Wan family is doing today? Are you not participating in the literary gathering they are fighting to host?”
Yin Jizhen looked doubtful. “I am participating. I actually strongly dislike it. As you know, I am a censor at the Censorate, which makes it inconvenient. But after all the persuasion, I simply could not decline. Wait… what do you mean by that? Are you also going to participate?”
Yu Qing smiled. “Besides the famous Wan family, Ningzhou also has the equally famous Wen family. When you just asked where I lived, the answer is the latter.”
Yin Jizhen was speechless.
Wan Shengqun, who had been watching from a distance, looked puzzled. He wondered what was wrong with his future brother-in-law and why he looked so shocked.
After a good while, Yin Jizhen finally spoke, his tone uncertain. “Only members of each respective family can participate in this literary gathering. How could you possibly intervene, Brother Shiheng?”
Yu Qing replied, “Look at what you are saying. If you can participate as the Wan family’s son-in-law, why cannot I? The Wen family has plenty of descendants. Is it difficult to pick a few daughters to fill the roles? Since the Wan family started this unorthodox approach, the Wen family can naturally be shameless too.”
Yin Jizhen stood stunned for a moment before asking awkwardly, “Will you compete under your real name, or your current alias?”
Yu Qing said, “Real name or alias does not matter anymore. Before seeing you, Brother Yin, I had never considered stepping down. But seeing that you still treat this wandering rogue as a friend, there is nothing more to say. I will simply tell the Wen family that I admit defeat and withdraw. This way, we avoid destroying each other and making a spectacle of ourselves, while upholding your excellent reputation. Honestly, always carrying the title of the greatest scholar in the realm makes me terribly uncomfortable. It is better to let you have it. I will be free from the burden of fame, enjoy some peace and quiet, and avoid being hounded wherever I go. Besides, you placed second in the imperial examinations, and I placed third. Second place should naturally rank above third. It is only right and proper, and you truly deserve it!”
Yin Jizhen was stunned again, completely floored by those words. His eyes twitched stiffly as he grabbed Yu Qing’s wrist. “Stop! Brother Shiheng, can you please fix your impulsive habits? Why do you always act on a whim? You threw away your official hat in the capital on a whim, shocking everyone, and now you are doing it again? Look, being spontaneous is fine, but please do not drag me into your mess. What do you mean by admitting defeat to support me? I… sigh, what exactly are you thinking? Even if you admit defeat and withdraw, people have to believe it. This is not something we can just settle privately. If you really withdraw because of me… wait, on what grounds would you lose? Are you not just putting me on the spot?”
Yu Qing casually replied, “Then should I lose to you after we both enter the competition?”
Yin Jizhen fell silent, then let go of his wrist with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “Brother, please stop joking. To beat you publicly, I must have something that actually proves I can win. Beating you is different from beating anyone else. Your reputation is too massive. If you lose, people will claim there must be other reasons. Do you not believe someone will suspect the court pressured you? Brother Shiheng, to win against you, the competition material must convince everyone. Your four-subject examination papers are a peak I cannot possibly surpass. If I were to beat you, that would be the start of real trouble. Scholars across the realm would stir up endless controversy, and I would never have a moment of peace in my life. Besides, your title of the greatest scholar in the realm is far too heavy for me to carry. Please do not ruin me.”
Yu Qing stared blankly. “Brother Yin, I cannot admit defeat, and I cannot lose to you on stage either. You are really asking the impossible. Are you trying to pull rank on me? I am telling you, I do not tolerate that sort of behaviour.”
Yin Jizhen held up his hand. “Stop, I know you do not care about that. I would not dare pull rank on you even if I wanted to. Who are you? You resign from office when you please, throw away your official hat without a second thought, and call off an engagement just like that. You are so wilful. Would pulling rank on you actually work?”
Yu Qing asked, “Then what do you want me to do? You want me to let you win, yet you dare not win. I cannot admit defeat. Must I stage a scene where I lose on purpose? Why would you insist on going up just to lose? Do you not care about face, or is the dignity of a court official worthless? Alternatively, should I compete under an alias and lose to you?”
Yin Jizhen replied, “An alias? Who can guarantee the truth will not come out later? The Wen family managed to find you. Would they accept losing and swallow their pride? If it gets exposed, it will become a scandal. Why should I jeopardise my career over this? Enough, stop talking. I will withdraw. I will step back, alright? I did not want to join this wretched literary gathering anyway. Perfect, you have actually helped me make up my mind.”
Yu Qing was slightly surprised. He had not even finished preparing his arguments, yet the other party cooperated so readily. It saved him the trouble of speaking further. He said insincerely, “Is that appropriate? How will you explain it to the Wan family?”
Yin Jizhen said, “Do not worry about that. If I insist on not participating, they cannot hold a knife to my neck to force me. Asking me to join was rather absurd to begin with. I would probably have to write a memorial to the Censorate to explain myself later. It is best to just drop it.”
Yu Qing said, “Very well. If you are not participating, I will also have a reason to decline on behalf of the Wen family, which saves me from being exposed in Ningzhou. By the way, please keep my presence in Ningzhou a secret to avoid unnecessary complications.”
“Understood.” Yin Jizhen nodded and looked around. “It is about time. Since we have decided this, let us catch up another day. I must give the Wan family an answer before the gathering begins. It would be inappropriate to catch them off guard once the competition starts.” He sighed as he finished speaking.
Yu Qing nodded in agreement and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
“That moustache of yours really does not look good. You should shave it off,” Yin Jizhen remarked. He cupped his hands, turned, and strode away, calling Wan Shengqun to leave with him.
Soon, the group departed along with their guards.
Yu Qing stroked his moustache, feeling that Yin Jizhen’s aesthetic taste was indeed rather poor and lacked appreciation. Besides, he only kept the moustache for disguise purposes.
Wan Shengqun caught up with Yin Jizhen and asked again, “Jizhen, who is that man?”
Yin Jizhen sighed with a bitter smile. “I cannot say who he is, and you should not ask. Even if you did, I would not tell you. In short, he is a peerless genius!”
“A peerless genius?” Wan Shengqun was startled. He felt his future brother-in-law’s description was rather exaggerated. If there were such a figure in Ningzhou, how could he not know about it?
After watching the group leave, Yu Qing turned back to look at the bridge. Sure enough, Wen Xin and the others were already approaching.
Xiao Hong was the first to run over. She had deliberately snapped off a willow branch, stripped the leaves, and gave Yu Qing a light tap with it. “Brother Lin? Tell me honestly, how did you become Brother Lin?”
“Xiao Hong!” Wen Xin, walking quickly behind her, reprimanded her again. She realised the girl’s attitude towards A-Qing had recently crossed the line. She even resorted to physical contact. Seeing it strike A-Qing, Wen Xin inexplicably felt a pang of sympathy and injustice for him.
Of course, she also wondered why that man had called A-Qing “Brother Lin”. If that man was Yin Jizhen, he should know A-Qing’s real name. Why use “Brother Lin”?
Calling him “Brother Wang” on one side and “Brother Lin” on the other felt rather convenient for him.
Yu Qing did not hold it against Xiao Hong. He replied casually, “When you are out here trying to make a living, everyone needs at least a couple of aliases to save face.”
Song Pingping approached and asked indifferently, “Who is that Brother Wang?”
Yu Qing made up a story offhand. “He used to be a beggar like me, but now he has made it big.”
Song Pingping stared at him for a moment but said nothing more. She had already arranged for someone to investigate his background.
The literary gathering was about to begin, so the group did not linger any longer and set off.
Along the way, taking advantage of the distance they had put between themselves and Yu Qing, Song Pingping whispered to Wen Xin. “Xin’er, this A-Qing definitely has something going on. The fact that he beat Yuwen Yuan at chess was already highly suspicious. That ‘Brother Wang’ is almost certainly Yin Jizhen. This explains why A-Qing used a game of chess to prevent Yuwen Yuan from competing. This A-Qing is very likely a spy sent by the Wan family to infiltrate the Wen clan!”
Wen Xin stared at her speechlessly, actually feeling that her words made perfect sense.
Xiao Hong, who had overheard everything, was trembling with fear, her face filled with disbelief. Song Pingping gave a soft hiss to warn her not to show any signs.
Xiao Hong immediately agreed submissively, not daring to look at Yu Qing, and a touch of dejection showed on her face.
Yu Qing noticed the unusual behaviour of the three women, but he paid it no mind.
Bumping into Yin Jizhen so suddenly, anyone with a brain would realise he had something to hide.
He did not care anymore.
He had already decided that during the literary gathering, he would slip away quietly while the crowd was large.
At this point, since suspicions had already been aroused, safety came first.
He knew the secret entrance and exit of the Wen residence. Old Seven and Old Nine were his contacts inside, and Zou Yunting was handling matters for him. Therefore, whether he returned to the residence or not no longer mattered. He could leave.
The sudden encounter with Yin Jizhen forced him to advance his departure plans.
Before leaving, he had blocked Yin Jizhen on behalf of the Wen family, which served as an apology for Yuwen Yuan being unable to compete.
In truth, he knew Yin Jizhen’s capabilities perfectly well. The man possessed the talent of a true top scholar. Even if Yuwen Yuan had competed, he would hardly have been a match.
However, before leaving the Wen family, he did not want to owe Wen Xin anything. Blocking Yin Jizhen was his way of repaying the debt, leaving them square from now on.
In his past life, he would kill and rob without batting an eye. The concept of owing someone anything never existed for him.