To be honest, everyone would be swayed by such a temptation, including Chen Zhongda.
When he heard these words, he really stopped in his tracks, thinking to himself that this was someone else who took the initiative to find him, and it was not that he wanted to use connections to go through the back door, so it didn't seem to matter.
But he immediately remembered what Chen Zhongqian said, "If you take a shortcut once, you will want the shortcut again and again, and in the end you will lose everything for the shortcut."
He shook his head and turned back and said, "I want it, but I have to get it on my own. Even if you get something that you shouldn't take by yourself, you will lose it through other means one day."
The man said, "Don't be so hasty in drawing conclusions. You can regret it before the imperial examination. My people will be waiting for you here."
Chen Zhongda shook his head again, "I don't know who you are, and I don't know why you came to me, but I want to tell you now that you have come to the wrong person, and I will not accept it."
After saying that, he turned around and left, not daring to stay for a moment longer. He was afraid that he would be unable to withstand the temptation if he stayed.
After leaving the teahouse, he glanced towards the second floor, and then gasped for air. What was going on?
After he left, the man who had just spoken came behind the screen and said, "Sir, everything that needs to be said has been said."
The man behind the screen nodded, "Well, I'll arrange for someone to wait here for the next two days to see if he will come back."
"yes."
The housekeeper also looked puzzled. Why is the master paying attention to a poor scholar from this small place, whose knowledge is not top-notch? Why on earth?
But this is not his responsibility, he just needs to do things well with his heart.
When Chen Zhongda returned to the inn, he was still panicking. Although he knew who had deposited the one hundred taels of silver, he could not figure out the other party's purpose.
Do you really just want to make money from him?
No, there are so many people like him, why is it him?
This unknown feeling makes Chen Zhongda feel uneasy. He still likes things that can be obtained step by step.
Liu Zhaofei saw that he looked wrong and patted him on the shoulder, "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Zhongda was startled and quickly patted his chest, "Why don't you make any sound?"
"I've called you several times from behind, but you were absent-minded. What were you thinking about?"
It was about to have lunch, and the four of them gathered together. Chen Zhongda thought for a while and told them what happened today.
"I don't know who that person is. Those words really frightened me. Is there anything going wrong in this palace examination?"
Chen Zhongqian and Yue Ye obviously did not expect that Chen Zhongda would encounter such a thing. They looked at each other and there was nothing they could do.
"Let's make peace with him now. How can we do anything to him if we can't even figure out the identity of the other party? Besides, with just a few of us, even if we get the evidence and go to the government, it's probably of no use."
Chen Zhongda said, "I'm just afraid that he will get angry because of shame. I can obviously do well in the exam, but if someone stumbles me behind my back, what should I do?"
Yue Ye thought for a while, "If we cooperate with him, we will indeed gain both fame and fortune."
Chen Zhongda immediately shook his head, "I don't want it. I don't want to have trouble sleeping every day."
Yue Ye smiled and said, "Look, don't you already have the answer?"
Chen Zhongda was stunned for a moment. What Yue Ye meant was that he didn't want to agree anyway and had already refused. There was nothing he could do about it, so he could only pretend that he didn't know what to do and go for the exam in a down-to-earth manner.
Chen Zhongqian asked, "If you think about it carefully, have you ever dealt with anyone who seems to be powerful?"
He also felt that the man would not have come to Chen Zhongda for no reason. He must have met him before.
Chen Zhongda thought about it carefully and said, "I'm pretty sure not. I've been studying in the academy, and the people I'm most familiar with are you. This is your first time in the capital, so how can I know any powerful people?"
Several other people also thought this was true. In this case, it was really a coincidence.
After much discussion, we could only let nature take its course. We couldn't even figure out the other party's identity, and there was nothing else we could do except prepare well for the imperial examination.
On the day of the palace examination, everyone got up even earlier and went to the palace gate to wait in the middle of the night. The father-in-law from the palace would take them in. There were rules in every word and deed, and no mistakes could be made.
It was the first time for everyone to enter the palace, so naturally they were very nervous. They were afraid that they would be speechless when the emperor asked, and they felt like their tongues would be tied.
He waited from midnight until the sun rose, finally opened the palace door, and then entered the palace.
There were many carriages parked outside the palace gate. A well-informed person pointed at those carriages and said, "There are some official ladies in there. The best ones in each scientific examination will become the virtuous son-in-law selected by the dignitaries.
"
"You all have to behave well, and you might be chosen by some young lady."
Everyone around laughed. The person in front of Chen Zhongqian also lived in that inn. Because Chen Zhongqian did very well in the exam and was very popular these days, everyone in the inn knew him.
"Brother Chen is so talented and handsome that he can be called a young talent. I am afraid that the ladies from the official families on the roadside have already spotted him. This time he comes to Beijing, Brother Chen will soar into the sky."
Chen Zhongqian smiled and said, "I have been married for many years, and these things have nothing to do with me."
The man smiled and said, "You are really sincere. I don't know how many people have wives at home. Once they become successful, they forget about the bad wife and just want to find a good future for themselves."
Chen Zhongqian said nothing, thinking to himself, those people are just stupid and don't know it.
At the same time, Liu Xun was standing in the back row. After hearing that there were many official ladies in the carriage next to the road, he paid special attention to his manners.
He and Du Xuejiao will definitely not be together for a long time. How can he continue to endure the injustice he has suffered for so many years?
When he gets an official position, he will make peace with Du Xuejiao. If that fails, he will divorce his wife.
If you get a good rank in the exam this time, you may be able to become the son-in-law of a big shot in Beijing, and you won't have to worry about it in the future.
In a carriage not far away, a young lady looked at him for a long time. The maid said, "Mr. Chen is right there. Haven't you seen enough? We should go back."
The young lady smiled slightly and said, "We have already started entering the palace. I will wait for a while and watch him go in before returning."
The maid sighed, "Miss, if the master finds out, he will scold me, and maybe even beat me."
The young lady smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. If my father gets angry, I will protect you and I will never let you suffer."
The maid was puzzled, "There are so many wealthy young men in the capital surrounding the young lady, but the young lady doesn't like any of them, because they always leave the capital with the master, and this time they come back quietly."
"Why do you choose Mr. Chen? I think he is just average and not worthy of a young lady."
The young lady held her face, smiled and stuck out her tongue, "Who can tell such a thing clearly?"