I am the villain in the book

Before long, Wei Changtian walked into the front hall of the small courtyard.

It wasn't large and didn't have much furniture. Like the courtyard Duan Fangping and the other three had chosen, it was clearly a rented residence.

“Young Master, please have some tea first.”

Taking the pastry box from Wei Changtian's hand and placing it aside, the maid poured him a cup of tea very politely.

“I'll go and call my young master to greet the guest.”

“Okay.”

Smiling, Wei Changtian sat down and watched the maid walk quickly out of the front hall, then picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The aroma of tea lingered around his nose. Although Wei Changtian didn't understand tea, he had been influenced by his surroundings since crossing over, and now he could tell that this tea was of high quality.

This once again confirmed that the young man in the blue shirt came from a wealthy family, definitely from a large household in a prefecture of Daqian.

But probably not from a scholarly family or a family of eunuchs.

He should be a wealthy merchant doing business.

Military is greater than literary, literary is greater than commerce, and commerce is greater than agriculture. This is basically the “hierarchy of contempt” in this world.

Under roughly the same official rank, military officers are superior to civil officials.

Merchants are even more needless to say, feudal society naturally wouldn't give them much status.

Therefore, most wealthy merchants will try their best to cultivate the younger generation in martial arts and reading first. If they really don't have the talent for cultivation, or if they really aren't cut out for reading, they will choose to let the younger generation take over the family business and become a merchant.

And this young man in the blue shirt probably reads quite well.

Cupping his hands, Wei Changtian said politely, “I'm taking the liberty of visiting, disturbing you, and I hope you'll forgive me.”

“Ah! No worries, no worries!”

Although the young man in the blue shirt was somewhat dull, he wasn't so “bookish” as to be completely clueless, so he immediately returned the salute and said:

“You're too kind, brother. May I ask your honorable name? And where is your residence?”

“My surname is Wei, and my given name is San.”

Wei Changtian made up a name: “I live in Linchuan Prefecture and do a little horse trading.”

“Wei San...”

It was obvious that the young man in the blue shirt was a little surprised by such a perfunctory name, and he muttered softly.

Wei Changtian smiled and “explained”:

“Haha, my father is a martial artist, and I just happen to be the third child in the family, so he gave me such a name. I hope you don't laugh.”

“Brother Wei, you're too kind. It was my momentary lapse that made you laugh.”

The young man in the blue shirt cupped his hands again, looking slightly apologetic, and then asked curiously, “But Brother Wei, since your father is a cultivator, then you...”

“Oh, I am indeed a cultivator.”

Following the young man in the blue shirt's words, Wei Changtian seized the opportunity and said, “I'm here in the capital to participate in the military examination.”

“Is that so?”

His eyes widened, and the young man in the blue shirt was somewhat surprised.

After all, if the two were both participating in the imperial examination, they might be able to exchange ideas on weekdays.

But if Wei Changtian was a martial artist participating in the military examination, then why would he come to visit him?

The doubt flashed through his mind. In any case, the visitor was a guest, so the young man in the blue shirt didn't think too much about it, and just sincerely exclaimed:

“Ah, Brother Wei has an extraordinary temperament. I imagine you have already achieved great things in cultivation, and you will definitely be granted an official position and become a general in the future.”

“Unlike me, my martial channels are blocked, so I can only read dead books. I don't even know if I can pass the exam...”

“Ah! Brother Wei, please forgive me, I was so busy talking that I forgot to offer you a seat! Please sit down quickly!”

“Hahaha, okay.”

“...”

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window and fell on the small courtyard, painting it with a golden hue.

In the courtyard, the maid was sweeping the ground, occasionally looking up at the front hall, probably calculating the time to go inside to pour tea and serve.

After chatting with the young man in the blue shirt for a while, Wei Changtian had a general understanding of the latter's situation.

The young man in the blue shirt was named He Jing and was from Lean Prefecture in Daqian. His family ran several large pawnshops in the local area.

Pawnshops and money houses were not businesses that could be started at will; they needed to have a certain background in the government.

The He family had prospered because they once had an elder who served as a deputy magistrate in the prefectural government.

Unfortunately, this person died of illness a few years ago.

It is said that it's good to enjoy the shade under a big tree. Sometimes, “background” is like nuclear weapons in the previous life. You may not use it, but you can't be without it.

Since that elder died, the He family had been squeezed out by their peers everywhere, and their business had deteriorated year by year.

Although the He family often interacted with the government and was familiar with some important local officials, relationships maintained by money were never as close as blood ties. Therefore, He Jing was forced to shoulder the important task of “revitalizing the family.”

As long as he could pass the imperial examination this time and be assigned a small official position, the He family's situation would improve a lot.

After all, officials protect each other, and the officials in Lean Prefecture would at least give the He family more respect because of this.

But if he failed this time, then perhaps before the next imperial examination, the He family would be squeezed out.

The above is He Jing's general situation, which strictly speaking has nothing to do with Wei Changtian.

In fact, Wei Changtian didn't even intend to deliberately inquire about these things, but just casually asked a few questions out of “instinct.”

He had previously dealt with Ning Yongnian, Chu Xianping, Li Zimu and other “calculation masters.” Even if his questioning skills weren't at their peak, at least they weren't something that ordinary people could detect.

Therefore, He Jing almost inexplicably revealed all his details, and also developed a feeling of meeting Wei Changtian too late.

Fortunately, Wei Changtian did not forget what he was here for, so after chatting for a while, he subtly changed the subject and said:

“By the way, Brother He, did you bring this maid from your home, or did you buy her in the capital?”

Looking at the figure busy outside the house, he smiled and said, “I only brought a few servants with me when I came to the capital, and I feel that the service in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation is not very good. I was thinking of buying another maid.”

“If you bought her in the capital, I wonder if you could introduce me to the seller?”

“Ah, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Brother Wei.”

Without suspecting the truth of Wei Changtian's words, He Jing answered truthfully:

“I brought this maid from my home. She has been by my side for seven or eight years.”

“Is that so?”

Wei Changtian shook his head “regretfully”: “That's a pity. This maid has a lively personality, and I quite like her.”

“Yes, Cuier's personality is quite pleasing, and she works efficiently.”

He Jing nodded with a smile: “If she hadn't been with me for so long, I would have given her to Brother Wei.”

“Hahaha, you're joking, Brother He. How could I take what you love?”

Wei Changtian laughed loudly, and noted down the name “Cuier” in his heart.

Looking again at that face extremely similar to You Jia's, he hesitated for a moment, and suddenly said to He Jing:

“Brother He, don't laugh at me, although I am a martial artist, I usually like to study poetry.”

“I just happened to write a poem yesterday, which corresponds to the scenery of dusk at this moment. I wonder if you can help me correct it?”

“Hmm? Brother Wei, you can write poetry?”

Stunned, He Jing was obviously a little surprised.

However, he quickly realized that his reaction was a bit inappropriate, so he quickly cupped his hands and made amends:

“Correction is out of the question, Brother Wei, just say it.”

“Okay, then just listen to it for fun, Brother He.”

Wei Changtian smiled, withdrew his gaze, and slowly recited:

“Wild flowers bloom by the Zhuque Bridge, the setting sun slants over the Wuyi Lane.”

“Swallows that once frequented the halls of the Lu Family, now fly into the homes of ordinary people.”