’He acted all prim and proper on the surface, but once his clothes were off, he became a completely different person. Not only did lewd words flow freely from his mouth, but he was also shameless, with no regard for propriety or his status.’

’Honestly, she just couldn’t handle him at all.’

Zhao Jing couldn’t tell her it was well past breakfast time. He was afraid Wanqing would remember his unbridled behavior from last night and get angry with him again. So, he made an excuse, "Father had urgent business and had to go back."

"What did Father come here for?"

"To remind us to be careful for the next few days and not to go out if we don’t have to."

"Why?"

Zhao Jing led Chen Wanqing to the kitchen, taking out warm soy milk, fried dough sticks, and meat buns from a pot. He had gone out to buy them a short while ago and kept them steaming over a pot of hot water, so they were still nice and warm.

Zhao Jing said, "It’s a bit complicated. Wanqing, have your breakfast first. I’ll explain it to you while you eat."

Chen Wanqing nodded, then picked up the soy milk and took a sip.

She was terribly thirsty. The half-cup of tea she had drunk after they finished last night seemed to have done nothing at all.

But after just one sip of the soy milk, she couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath from the pain.

"What’s wrong, Wanqing? Is the soy milk too hot?"

’The soy milk wasn’t hot; the temperature was perfect. But last night, a certain someone had indulged himself wantonly, not sparing a single inch of her body.’

’But how could Chen Wanqing bring herself to say that out loud?’

She couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing caught on immediately and couldn’t help but chuckle. "It’s all my fault. I’ve put you through so much, Wanqing."

Chen Wanqing grumbled softly, "You’re always like this. Quick to admit you’re wrong, but you never change your ways. It’s better if you don’t say anything at all."

"Apologizing shows my sincerity. The reason I don’t change is because I’m utterly infatuated with you..."

"You always know just what to say to placate me. Stop teasing, and get to the real issue."

The issue was this: Chen Song had gone to Guyuan County and uncovered something major.

The matter involved Cui Junrong, the County Magistrate of Guyuan County, and, more importantly, several hundred of its students.

The problem occurred during the county examination.

As Cui Junrong had reached a marriageable age, the County Magistrate’s wife wanted to find a wife from a noble family for her son. So, she had him participate in this year’s county examination. With a scholarly title to his name, arranging a marriage would be much easier.

He was the youngest son of the Guyuan County Magistrate. He hadn’t spent much time reading the Four Books, but he was no stranger to the Red House and other pleasure quarters. Despite his lack of learning, his ambition was sky-high—he wanted to place first in the exam.

Cui Junrong’s father, Cui Wei, the County Magistrate of Guyuan County, knew exactly what his son was (or wasn’t) capable of, and naturally refused. However, Mr. Cui had a wife as fierce as a tigress and a mother who doted on her grandson as if he were her own flesh and blood.

With the two of them joining forces, Mr. Cui had no choice but to comply.

But Mr. Cui didn’t dare to engage in blatant fraud. So, he came up with a desperate measure: after receiving the list of registered candidates for the county exam, he selectively "removed" anyone more capable than his son, leaving only those with far less talent to make his son look good by comparison.

This method was technically reasonable, legal, and compliant, with no risk of future trouble. The only downside was that the overall quality of this year’s candidates from Guyuan County would be poor, and he might earn a reprimand from the Lord Prefect.

But the Guyuan County Magistrate felt a reprimand was a small price to pay for securing a Scholar title for his son.

So he took the risk, manipulated things carefully, and brought about the current situation.

But alas, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!

Even though he entered the Prefecture with the title of top county candidate, Cui Junrong was nearly eliminated during the prefectural examination.

If it weren’t for the fact that the candidates ranked behind him were utterly without merit, Cui Junrong would never have had a chance to take the academy examination. As it was, court regulations required a certain percentage of candidates to advance, and that was the only reason he made the cut.

On top of that, embarrassed by his poor ranking in the prefectural exam, he supposedly dragged a candidate—one he accused of "hiding his true abilities"—to a tavern and forced him to down two entire jars of wine.

The candidate was drunk for two days and missed the academy examination entirely. He was huddled in his inn room, weeping bitterly. After a bit of coaxing from Chen Song, he finally spilled the whole story.

Zhao Jing said, "Father also found some witnesses in Guyuan County. There were many registered scholars more learned than Cui Junrong. If they were sensible, they received a sum of silver. If they weren’t, they ended up with broken arms or legs. In other cases, their registration forms went missing, their travel permits were endlessly delayed, or they were otherwise prevented from coming to the Prefecture."

None of this was accidental, of course. But these candidates’ families had lived in Guyuan County for generations. When Cui Wei threatened their wives, children, relatives, and friends, who would dare to truly defy him?