Besides that.
Xinghua was a cook in the Li Family. No matter what, he had to pay a visit to the Li Family to see Xinghua.
Of course.
Wei Tu had not forgotten Li Yaozu's attempted misconduct back then. It simply was not the time for him to dwell on it.
He knew which mattered more and which less.
He could still tell the difference.
In outsiders' eyes, he was still a Li Family servant who had received the Li Family's favor.
Though he had already redeemed his status, the "stain" of his origins could never truly be washed away.
Leading his horse through familiar streets, Wei Tu found that the sights before him—every scene, every blade of grass, every tree—stirred a state of mind vastly different from that of half a year ago.
There was a little more leisure, a little more composure.
Wei Tu guessed it was because he had earned Martial Graduate Dan's approval while at the Shan Family, gained confidence in the county and prefectural martial examinations, and... after learning the Martial Way's killing arts, gained confidence in his own strength.
"Once I go around that alley, I'll reach the Li Family's front gate."
Wei Tu fixed his eyes ahead and led his horse forward.
Yet when he reached the street where the Li Residence stood, he was briefly surprised by the bustling visitors at its gates and the carriages filling its entrance.
The Li Family had begun as traveling merchants a century ago and established themselves here. In Qingshan County, they were merely an ordinary wealthy household, nothing particularly exceptional.
By rights, they should not have drawn so many gentry to call upon them.
Seeing Chun Lan and Cai Xia standing by the side gate to receive guests, Wei Tu tied the Green Dappled Horse to a hitching post beside the main gate and walked over.
After asking around for a while, Wei Tu learned that the spectacle before the gates was because Li Xingye's name had appeared on the posted examination list yesterday.
And his ranking was not low.
He had placed seventh in the County Examination!
"Seventh in the regular examination..." Wei Tu was genuinely startled when he heard this.
There were no fewer than a thousand candidates taking the imperial County Examination in Qingshan County. It was already no easy feat to stand out among them and make the examination list, much less achieve the excellent result of seventh place in the regular examination.
(The examination list only recorded the top fifty scores. Failing to make the list meant failing the examination.)
Li Xingye had made the list in the County Examination at barely twenty, and ranked seventh at that. Though he could not compare to the child prodigies and County Top Scholars of past County Examinations, his achievement was still extraordinary within Qingshan County.
Furthermore, seventh place in the regular examination did not necessarily mean he was weaker than candidates ranked above him. In literature, there was no absolute first place, and the county magistrate had his own preferences when grading papers.
"If the candidates of this year's Qingshan County are not weak, Li Xingye is very likely to earn the xiucai degree this autumn."
At that thought, Wei Tu finally understood why so many carriages from wealthy households had come to the Li Residence today.
A xiucai degree was not particularly precious, but a young xiucai was an entirely different matter.
It meant he might very well sing all the way to victory, pluck a branch from the moon palace in the Autumn Provincial Examination and Spring Provincial Examination, then enter the Son of Heaven's hall by evening...
After his surprise faded.
Wei Tu explained his purpose to Cai Xia and asked her to go inside and inform Madam Li. He intended to see Xinghua and stay overnight at the Li Residence.
"Once the martial County Examination is over, I'll leave the Li Residence and head for the Prefectural City."
Wei Tu gave a specific time.
Hearing this, Cai Xia nodded and headed toward the inner quarters.
About a quarter of an hour later, Cai Xia returned. She shook her head at Wei Tu and said, "First Mistress is receiving the female relatives brought by the guests in the main hall. I waited for a long time, but never found a suitable chance to speak to her..."
"Why don't you wait at the gate for now, Young Master Wei? In a little while, when it reaches the hour of the Rooster, the visiting guests should be leaving." Cai Xia looked up at the sky. Seeing the sun already sinking westward, she said this.
"Alright." Wei Tu nodded, left the side gate, and sat on the hitching post where the Green Dappled Horse was tied. He stroked its mane as he waited for the Li Residence's guests to depart.
After more than half an hour, when the sky had grown somewhat dim, movement finally stirred at the Li Residence's side gate.
Maidservants carrying lanterns emerged alongside the gentry and noblewomen following behind them, like fiery snakes winding through the darkness.
As the carriages rumbled away, the front of the Li Residence returned to its former silence, while insect cries gradually rose.
Wei Tu saw Li Yaozu and Madam Li standing at the gate, seeing off the gentry. Leading his horse over, he bowed slightly and stated his purpose.
"First Madam, Young Master Wei arrived early this morning. But you were occupied just now, and I never found an opportunity to report it to you." After Wei Tu finished, Cai Xia chimed in as well.
"Young Master Wei?" Madam Li looked over the young man before her, surprise on her face.
She had noticed Wei Tu standing outside earlier, but the night was dark, and she had not recognized him at first glance. She had only assumed that the young man by the hitching post was some gentryman's servant, waiting nearby.
Madam Li's lips moved as she prepared to say something.
But just then.
By the light at the gate, Madam Li finally saw Wei Tu's current appearance clearly, as well as the lean, valiant air unique to a martial man about him. After some thought, she immediately swallowed the words at her throat.
—Had the purple wool-padded jacket he wore not been cloth she had bestowed upon Xinghua, Madam Li would never have believed that the Wei Tu before her was the sturdy servant who had redeemed himself from the residence half a year ago.
"We have neglected you. Our Li Family has failed in our hospitality." Madam Li repeated the words she had used today to receive their honored guests.
"By the way, it is nearly time for the county martial examination. No wonder you have come to the county seat—you've returned from Martial Graduate Dan's place..." After Madam Li finished apologizing, Li Yaozu greeted Wei Tu with a broad smile.
In his view, he had promoted Wei Tu and recommended him to study under Martial Graduate Dan... making him, beyond all doubt, Wei Tu's benefactor.
Since he was Wei Tu's benefactor, Wei Tu should naturally feel gratitude toward him.
A scholar would die for one who recognized him.
—He had to cultivate this relationship properly.
"Yes, Master Li." Wei Tu nodded and responded with a few simple words.
"As for lodging here, that is a trivial matter. You did come from my Li Family, and you have always been loyal and honest. I agree to it."
Feigning intimacy, Li Yaozu patted Wei Tu's shoulder and smiled.
Hearing this, Wei Tu frowned inwardly, a trace of displeasure rising in his heart.
—Loyal and honest? His instincts told him Li Yaozu's words carried another meaning. Did he still see him as a household servant?
However, Wei Tu did not speak up to refute him. Instead, he quietly reminded himself to relax.
Perhaps he was being too sensitive whenever he came to the Li Family.
A gentleman judged deeds, not hearts.
After Li Yaozu moved a little farther away, Wei Tu bowed slightly and offered his thanks.
"Come into the inner quarters for dinner."
Madam Li entered through the side gate and led the way, speaking warmly to Wei Tu.
As for the Green Dappled Horse Wei Tu had led over, the Li Residence's newly hired stableman took its reins and led it to the stables in a side courtyard of the front residence.
"Wei Tu?"
Inside the dining hall, a young man in a scholar's robe sitting on a small stool raised his brows slightly when he saw Wei Tu being led in by Li Yaozu and Madam Li.
As for Wei Tu.
Li Xingye was naturally familiar with him.
When he was young, the family had hired a tutor to teach him the Confucian classics. The tutor had also taught several maidservants and servants in the residence how to read.
Wei Tu had been one of them.
At the same time, he had also been one of Li Xingye's few playmates in the Li Residence during his youth.
PS: I previously got the imperial examination system wrong, and no one pointed it out. I only noticed the mistake while writing this chapter.
The imperial examinations were divided into the County Examination, Prefectural Examination, Dao Examination (Academy Examination), Autumn Provincial Examination, Metropolitan Examination, and Palace Examination.
Only after passing the county, prefectural, and dao examinations could one obtain the xiucai degree. The Autumn Provincial Examination granted the juren degree. The martial examinations were the same. Only after the Provincial Martial Arts Examination could one obtain the martial graduate degree.
Before you continue