Hier gibt es Liebe für dreihundert Tael

Kapitel 6

Zhao Gou looked at the setting sun that had already sunk below the palace walls and asked Zhao Yong, who was standing beside him, "How many hours has it been?"

"Your Highness, it has been two and a half hours."

The Grand Tutor had assigned him two hours of practice, and he would usually practice for an extra hour, but today he decided to stop there.

"Go back and change your clothes. Also, prepare a carriage for me; I'm leaving the palace."

Zhao Yong asked in surprise, "Is Your Highness going to leave the palace again tonight?"

"Yes, today is the day the results of the imperial examination are announced. I'll go to the Qin residence to take a look."

Zhao Yong was taken aback. He rarely saw Zhao Gou care so much about other people's affairs, so he was inevitably a little surprised.

After returning to his own palace to wash and change, Zhao Gou and Zhao Yong left the palace lightly. When they exited the Zhuque Gate and arrived at the Qin Mansion along Panlou Street, they found red paper scattered all over the ground in front of the mansion. Upon seeing this, Zhao Gou smiled.

Congratulations, teacher, on achieving top marks in the exam!

Zhao Gou entered the inner courtyard to congratulate Qin Hui. His soft, sweet voice drowned out Qin Zhenle's giggles, drawing the attention of the Qin family.

"Why did the Ninth Prince come to offer his congratulations in person? I'm so flattered."

"Teacher, you have achieved great success in the exam. As your student, I should come to congratulate you. However, I came in a hurry and did not prepare any gifts."

Qin Hui said with a beaming smile, "Your Highness is giving me such face; I am truly flattered."

Zhao Gou, recalling the red paper he had just seen at the door, asked, "Teacher, were you among the top three?"

Qin Zhen chimed in from the side, "That's right, he's the third-ranked scholar in the top three. My father rode around the streets all day wearing a red flower, looking very impressive."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou exchanged pleasantries with Qin Hui for a long time in a very formal manner.

Qin Zhen watched the teacher and student being so polite to each other and found it rather boring, so she walked over to Wang Shi, tugged at her mother's sleeve, and asked, "Mother, when are we going to eat? Zhenzhen is hungry."

Upon hearing her words, Zhao Gou realized that the Qin family was about to leave, and his sudden visit had prevented them from doing so.

"Teacher, you were about to leave. I'll congratulate you properly in class tomorrow. I'll be going now."

Qin Hui said awkwardly, "We were just planning to have a celebratory meal at a restaurant. If Your Highness doesn't mind, how about coming with us? We have no relatives or friends in Bianjing, and you are my only student. It would be nice to have a lively gathering together."

Zhao Gou had come hungry, and upon hearing Qin Hui's words, he gladly went.

Since it was a celebration of their high school graduation, they naturally wanted to choose a good restaurant, so they went to Fanlou, the largest restaurant in Bianjing.

Fanlou was a very famous restaurant in Bianjing, frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles. However, it was rumored that in earlier years, Fanlou had a bad reputation because its owner, Fan Jiutian, often bullied and monopolized the business, making it impossible for other restaurants to do business. Even worse, it was said that Fan Jiutian had also forcibly abducted women!

Fortunately, Fan Jiutian suddenly turned to good one day. No one knows what happened to him. Outsiders rarely see him anymore, and Fanlou is handed over to his younger brother to manage. Thus, it has become what it is today.

Fanlou was a large building consisting of five pavilions in the east, west, south, north and center. When Qin Hui walked into Fanlou with a ruddy complexion, a clever waiter immediately stepped forward to lead the way and take them to a private room on the second floor.

Qin Zhen skipped and hopped along ahead, but tripped on the stairs while going upstairs. Luckily, the waiter caught her quickly and said, "Miss, be careful!"

After Qin Zhen regained her footing, she was slightly surprised to clutch the note that the waiter had slipped to her, and then she walked into the private room with the others.

After the waiter led them to their seats, he said with a smile, "Gentlemen, I am in charge of these rooms. If you have any requests, just let me know, and I will be there anytime."

Qin Hui was very satisfied with the service and was in an even better mood, so he ordered a table full of dishes. Just as they were about to start eating, the waiter knocked on the door and entered, leading in a man of about thirty years old with a dignified demeanor and impeccably dressed.

The waiter introduced, "This is our master of Fanlou, Master Fan the Second."

Master Fan politely cupped his hands and smiled, "I heard from the waiter that the third-ranked scholar has graced our humble establishment with his presence, so I came to pay my respects. Congratulations!"

Qin Hui stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Greetings, Second Master Fan."

When Master Fan saw Qin Zhen and Zhao Gou sitting next to him, his eyes lit up and he said enviously, "The third-ranked scholar not only has a successful career, but also has such a perfect son and daughter. What a blessing!"

"You flatter me!"

Unwilling to reveal Zhao Gou's status as a prince, Qin Hui smiled and brushed it off. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was diverted, Qin Zhen quickly glanced at the note he was clutching tightly in his hand. It read: "Found, Liquan Temple in the east of the city, named Miaoxue."

Master Fan exchanged pleasantries with Qin Hui and waived the cost of the banquet, saying it was a small congratulatory gift to Qin Hui for passing the imperial examination.

Zhao Gou kept a close eye on Master Fan. After he left, he said with some confusion, "My brother said that Master Fan has always been very arrogant. Once, when Grand Tutor Cai wanted to see him, he refused to see him. I don't know why he would treat his teacher with such courtesy. It's really strange."

Qin Hui was also completely bewildered, while Qin Zhen was the only one secretly laughing.

Today was Qin Hui's special day, so the meal was quite lively. Qin Zhen and Zhao Gou were also very cooperative, and they didn't argue at all, which was quite rare.

Finally, seeing that her father was very happy, Qin Zhen suggested, "Father, there are three great joys in life: passing the imperial examination, the wedding night, and meeting an old friend in a foreign land. Now that you've become the third-ranked scholar, how can you just have a meal and call it a day? In my opinion, you should go out and have some fun."

Qin Hui was about to nod happily, but suddenly hesitated and said, "Although it's a good suggestion, I still have to teach His Highness the Ninth Prince tomorrow, this..."

Qin Zhen blinked her bright eyes and stared at Zhao Gou's face, saying, "You want to go to class? You want to go to class? Are you sure you really want to go to class?"

As Zhao Gou watched Qin Zhen approach, his heart suddenly raced. He turned his head away in a panic and said, "Go ahead and have fun if you want! I'd be happy to give you a holiday!"

"Great, Father, he agreed. Let's go to Liquan Temple tomorrow." Qin Zhenyou nudged Zhao Gou and said, "Come early tomorrow so we can leave the city sooner."

"Me too?"

"You don't want to go?"

Zhao Gou had never left the inner city of Bianjing and longed to go to the mountains and countryside, so he quickly nodded.

——

Note: There is some debate about whether Qin Hui was the top scholar or the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations, but it is certain that he was among the top three. Here, I have adopted the view that he was the third-ranked scholar.

**++ I've been so irritable lately, my gums are so swollen I haven't eaten for three days, I'm starving...

I managed to drink some porridge last night, and my teeth started bleeding profusely. My mouth tasted blood all over it. It was terrifying!

Volume One: Destiny's Fate 011 - A Visit to Liquan Temple Outside the City

The next morning, as soon as the city gates opened, a carriage roared out of the city. Inside the carriage were Qin Hui, his two children, and the guard Zhao Yong. Wang Shi, because of her bound feet, could not climb the mountain and stayed at home.

In less than half an hour, the carriage arrived at the foot of the mountain where Liquan Temple is located.

As the autumn sun bursts forth, its golden rays beautifully illuminate the still verdant mountains. Clouds rise and fall in the mountains, thin white clouds clinging to their waists, behind which the Liquan Temple appears and disappears in the mist.

Qin Zhen jumped off the carriage excitedly and ran up the mountain path first, with Qin Hui quickly catching up behind. Zhao Gou had been practicing martial arts for several months and was already quite strong, not to mention Zhao Yong. So in the end, Qin Hui was the last to fall behind, panting heavily as he climbed.

"Zhao Gou, let's see who can get to the front of the temple first," Qin Zhen said, turning around from the front.

Upon hearing his daughter address the prince by his given name, Qin Hui gasped, "You mustn't be so disrespectful to His Highness!"

Zhao Gou didn't take it to heart, and only said to Zhao Yong, "Help the teacher up, I'll go up first."

So the two little ones started running on the mountain path. Qin Zhen didn't use his lightness skill and eventually lost to Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou crossed his arms and said, "I won. How should I punish you?"

Qin Zhen walked slowly to Zhao Gou's side and said, "Then I'll show you this treasure!"

Treasure? Zhao Gou looked at Qin Zhen with considerable puzzlement. Born into the royal family, what treasures hadn't he seen? Although the Liquan Temple behind him was quite large, it shouldn't contain any treasures that would surprise him!

Zhao Gou, with a dismissive attitude, followed Qin Zhen into the temple. Qin Zhen didn't go to the main hall, but went straight through a side door to the back courtyard. In the back courtyard, there was a large tree, and under the tree was an ancient well. A young female Taoist priest was drawing water from the well. Qin Zhen ran up to her and asked, "Sister Taoist priest, where is Sister Miaoxue?"

The female Taoist priest saw that Qin Zhen was quite cute and said with a smile, "Young fellow Daoist, are you here to see Miao Xue? I'll go and fetch her."

"Thank you, sister," Qin Zhen said sweetly.

After the female Taoist priest left, Zhao Gou asked Qin Zhen, "Is that nun Miaoxue the treasure you mentioned?"

Qin Zhen nodded, but Zhao Gou became even more dismissive. Could it be that this nun had become a fairy?

After waiting for a short while, a graceful and beautiful nun came out; she was none other than Miaoxue, whom Qin Zhen had mentioned.

The moment Zhao Gou saw Miaoxue, he was stunned, not because of her beauty, but because Miaoxue was the very Qingmei he had been searching for!

"Sister Qingmei!"

When Zhao Gou saw Qingmei, he acted like a child. Qin Zhen felt a pang of sadness when she saw Zhao Gou rush into Qingmei's arms.

"How did Your Highness get here? How did you find me?"

Qingmei looked at Zhao Gou with some excitement. Only then did Zhao Gou realize that it was Qin Zhen who helped him find Qingmei. How did she do that?

Zhao Gou turned around and saw Qin Zhen pouting. He pointed at her and said to Qingmei, "She brought me to see you."

Qingmei was somewhat surprised. She released Zhao Gou and walked towards Qin Zhen, saying, "You are the Seventh Miss? I didn't expect you to be so young. Qingmei thanks you for saving my life!"

Zhao Gou looked at the two women, puzzled. Qin Zhen said, "No need to thank me. I'm only thanking you because of Zhao Gou. You should thank your master instead."

"Sister Qingmei, what's going on?"

Qingmei said solemnly, "Your Highness, there are some things I need to tell you."

Zhao Gou listened attentively, and then Qingmei said, "Your Highness, please be very careful of the Third Prince! I have served you for many years, and Your Highness has faced danger many times. Although they seem like natural disasters, they are actually man-made! I learned this by overhearing a conversation between a eunuch in the Third Prince's palace. I didn't know if this was true, so I investigated the Third Prince's affairs everywhere, but he found out. Then he conspired with Grand Tutor Zhu to say that I had corrupted Your Highness and banished me. After being banished from the palace, I had nowhere to go, so I found a maid in an ordinary household. But the Third Prince did not let me go and even sent people to kill me. The family I sought refuge with all died unjustly. Fortunately, I went out to buy things that day, otherwise Qingmei would never have seen Your Highness again..."

Qingmei burst into tears as she spoke, and Qin Zhen shuddered. Only then did she realize that the house she was living in had been the site of a massacre that had befallen her entire family!

"After I fled in panic, I had nowhere to go, so I prepared to return to my hometown. Who knew that when I returned to my hometown in Sichuan after traveling for several months, those villains were already waiting there. Fortunately, the Seventh Miss also sent people to look for me, so I survived by chance. Those righteous people took me back to Bianjing and settled me here, telling me to wait, and someone would come to find me."

Zhao Gou frowned and said, "You're so foolish. How could I not know about what Third Brother did to me? It's too dangerous for you to go and investigate all by yourself!" As he finished speaking, his face grew increasingly gloomy, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Suddenly, Zhao Yong's voice came from the front hall. Zhao Gou quickly said to Qingmei, "You stay here for a while longer. I will take my sister back!"

Qingmei nodded, and Zhao Gou quickly returned to the front hall with Qin Zhen. On the way, Zhao Gou whispered to Qin Zhen, "Why are you the Seventh Miss again?"

"Don't worry about it, and don't tell my father!"

Zhao Gou originally thought that the Qin family had some unknown background, but after hearing what Qin Zhen said, it turned out that Qin Hui was unaware of it. It seems that even he, as a father, did not understand his own daughter!

When they rushed back to the main hall, Zhao Yong was anxiously searching for him. Upon seeing Zhao Gou, he said, "Where has the master gone? Please be careful."

“This Taoist temple is huge. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, so I’ll just wander around and take a look.”

Ignoring their conversation, Qin Zhen ran straight to Qin Hui, who was leaning against the doorframe panting, and said with a grin, "Father, a scholar is useless. Look at you, you can't even climb a mountain!"

"A scholar is useless? Zhen'er, don't talk nonsense! Although I am weak and powerless, I still hope to do something for the country and the people."

Qin Zhen stuck out her little tongue and said with a smile, "Then let me ask you, Father, now that the Jurchen people in the Northern Wilderness have raised an army and established a state, and are launching a major attack on the Liao Kingdom, what is your opinion on this matter?"

"The Jurchens' disturbances in Liao have caused Liao to suffer greatly, leaving them with no energy to cause trouble on the borders of our Great Song, which is naturally a good thing."