Since the identity of the old marquis was exposed, his status as master uncle came into play. The old marquis tutored Qin Zhao and Qi Qige from morning to night to prepare for the competition.
Because they were in the political whirlpool, the old Houye had sharper views than Dean Xu and saw the problems more thoroughly. Qin Zhao and Qi Qige benefited a lot from this. They sincerely regarded the old Houye as their uncle.
During this period, Cao Xi went shopping alone twice. The popularity of Runxiangyuan in Beijing shocked Cao Xi.
Although there is a fixed income, Cao Xi wants to make money, but the money-making projects are strictly controlled by the court, such as the sugar industry.
She could make paper, but she couldn't.
After wandering around for a few days, Cao Xi discovered that there were not many entertainment projects in the capital, especially for women. Cao Xi suddenly had an idea, mahjong, and started doing it. Cao Xi scribbled and drew on the paper, and the mahjong samples and gameplay were presented on the paper.
Cao Xi could find the biggest partner with a wide network and many shops, and it was Qi Qige, but it was a pity that the time was wrong. He had no choice but to settle down and wait for the end of the Qi Qige test.
.....................
On the day of the examination, Mr. Hou came over in advance to send the two of them into the examination room.
"You must take the exam well. If you don't get first or second, all my teachings during this time will be in vain."
"Look there, did you listen to me?"
The old Marquis was very angry because of Qi Qiqi's inconsistent personality. He didn't know how this kid had such a long head and could still pass the examination.
"Master, listen to that. Don't worry, we will take the exam well."
Qi Qige rolled her eyes inwardly, no matter how good it was, he had never gotten first place in the exam since he met Qin Zhao.
Cao Xi wanted to laugh when she saw them being scolded. She secretly tugged on Qin Zhao's sleeves and whispered, "It doesn't matter if you don't do well in the exam. You won't starve to death anyway."
"If you don't have ambition, you just know how to eat." When the old Marquis heard Cao Xi's words, he turned around angrily and cursed.
Qin Zhao regarded Cao Xi as behind him, "Master, don't be angry, we will take the exam well."
The old marquis couldn't see that Mr. Qin Zhao was protecting Cao Xi, so he rolled his eyes and said, "You can't do anything if you're afraid of yourself."
Qin Zhao:............................
The old Marquis didn't even think about himself. If he wasn't afraid of guilt, why would he write books secretly and set up a street stall to earn pocket money.
.....................
Qin Zhao and Qi Qige lined up along the flow of people to wait for the inspection. This time, their examination rooms were close to each other, with only two people in between.
Qin Zhao laid out the pen and ink he used for the exam and sat down to wait for the papers to be handed out.
The invigilating soldiers who were watching the excitement were stunned the moment they saw Qin Zhao. Hallucination? He rubbed his eyes, but the scene remained the same.
The invigilator soldier never expected that the exam would be so easy in recent years. He looked at Qin Zhao and then at the spear in his hand. He seemed to be able to give up martial arts and follow literature.
He patted his head to clear away distracting thoughts, and gave Qin Zhao a hard look, a dandy.
When I turned my head, I saw another examinee, who was sitting unsteadily and leaning on the chair, which one was more extreme.
Is this the current exam culture? Fortunately, the two candidates in the middle were normal. Their hands were shaking from nervousness. The invigilating soldier felt that he had come to the right place and that this was indeed the examination room.
The invigilator took a deep breath and told himself not to be affected, he could do better.
Not long after, the examiner came in, said a few words in a high-sounding manner, and began to hand out test papers.
The three days are neither long nor short, and the continuous tension and thinking make most candidates physically and mentally exhausted.
Qin Zhao and Qi Qige, one has been working since childhood and the other has practiced martial arts since childhood. The two of them are in better condition than the others.
Cao Xi had been waiting outside early. When he saw them coming out, he hurriedly asked the boy to help them get into the car.
Hot water has been prepared at home, and Qiqige is taken care of by the housekeeper, so no one needs to worry.
Cao Xi saw that Qin Zhao's eyes were black and blue, and his clothes were wrinkled and stained with ink stains everywhere.
"Should we take a nap first or take a shower first?"
"Let's take a shower first. We are covered in dirt and smell strange." Qin Zhao frowned and moved away from Cao Xi. He was so dirty that he even disliked it.
Cao Xi: "Let me help you."
Cao Xi was afraid that he would accidentally sleep in the tub.
Of course, Qin Zhao would not refuse the sudden benefit. He took Cao Xi's hand and walked to the bathroom.
Heat enveloped the entire bathroom. Cao Xi helped Qin Zhao take off his clothes, helped him sit in the tub, and wiped him carefully.
Qin Zhao was in a relaxed mood, closing his eyes and enjoying. Looking at his appearance alone, he thought the eminent monk was in meditation, but his increasingly red ears exposed his true heart.
Cao Xi thought he was so tired that he didn't even want to say anything, so his wiping hands gradually became gentler.
The room was silent, and only the sound of water could be heard. Cao Xi thought about whether mahjong could be put on the agenda. Her thoughts drifted away, and she wiped her hands all the way until she accidentally... Out of the water.
Cao Xi Xingshen's face turned red and his heart was beating fast.
On the other hand, Qin Zhao's eyes were playful and his eyebrows were raised slightly, "Why don't you wipe it?"
You had the nerve to ask, but Cao Xi was angry: "I think you are still a little tired."
Cao Xi threw the washcloth on Qin Zhao's face. Qin Zhao couldn't stop giggling. He took off the washcloth and opened his lustful eyes.
"It hasn't seen you for three days, how can it not be excited?"
"How dare you say that?" The shy Cao Xi slapped the water hard.
Qin Zhao took a deep breath in pain and glared at Cao Xi, "I think you deliberately don't want me to rest."
Qin Zhao raised his arms, put his arms around Cao Xi's waist, and pulled him into the bathtub. Wow, half of the water in the bathtub overflowed, and then there was the sound of an argument.
Cao Xi gritted his teeth and "let go"
"Don't let go"
"I've rebelled against you. Get up quickly and go to bed to rest."
"I don't"
"Oh, oh, oh, let go, I'll go to the bed myself." Cao Xi grabbed Qin Zhao's ears and dragged him to the bed to force him to rest.
Qin Zhao was wronged, but he was not tired, he thought.
...
the next day
Qin Zhao: "Stop hiding and come out to eat."
When Qin Zhao came in with breakfast, he happened to see Cao Xi getting under the quilt. Thinking of last night's incident, he smiled even more. With a face full of adoration, he dug Cao Xi out of the quilt, held her red little face, and kissed her.
"You haven't washed your face in the morning," Cao Xi pushed back. His face was so oily that there was nothing to kiss.
Qin Zhao said, "I don't mind you." He kissed her again before letting her go.
Breakfast was very simple, a plate of steamed buns with rice porridge and pickles. Cao Xi took a sip of the porridge and thought of Qin Zhao's bad behavior last night.
“Don’t mess around next time”
Qin Zhao squinted his eyes and asked evilly, "If you can't do it last night, can you do it tonight?"
"Eat, eat." Seeing that the topic had strayed, Cao Xi hurriedly picked up the buns and blocked his mouth.
Qin Zhao, who was gagged, smiled and took a bite.
"Qin Zhao, what are you fussing about in there? Come out quickly."
The warm and loving scene was broken into pieces by the old Marquis, and Qin Zhao was completely embarrassed. He gritted his teeth and said to Cao Xi: "You eat first, I'll go out and take a look."
Cao Xi blushed, wishing that he would leave immediately and stop talking nonsense in front of her.
The old marquis pulled both Qin Zhao and Qi Qige to the study room and asked them carefully about the examination process and the content of the questions. After reading the answers, the old marquis breathed a sigh of relief.
He leaned on the back of the chair and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad, as expected of what I taught you."
After being praised by the old marquis, the two of them felt at ease, and the next few days were waiting for the results to be released.
