"Stop, I have money, I have money... You give me the hairpin, later your head will be empty, everyone will think you're not decent..."

  Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, finally taking her hand off the hairpin, saying: "If it really can't be helped, I'll pawn this dress on my body, it's worth one or two taels of silver."

  Shen Mu Qing nodded repeatedly, but then said in surprise: "When I made this garment, the labor cost was worth four taels of silver. How did it become one or two taels of silver when you mention it?"

  He smiled complacently: "What does a pawnshop owner make money from? It's the 'urgency' that makes the money. I said one or two silver coins, and that's because you met me. If it were ordinary times, seven or eight tenths of a silver coin would also be acceptable."

  A tranquil and clear mind is suddenly chilled by an uninvited thought.

  Often wandering around the pawnshop, what good stuff!

  She smiled without changing her expression: "How did you know about the pawnshop?"

  Xiao Xiao saw Shen Mu Qing's face slightly displeased, but his eyes, like apricot kernels, were full of laughter, with a somewhat flirtatious tone. He felt relieved and chuckled: "My family originally started out as pawnbrokers."

  Shen Muqing let out a sigh of relief and smiled: "So it's because of family ties!"

  Xiao Xiao's face sank slightly after hearing this.

  Did I say something wrong again?

  But thinking of his sincere comfort earlier, Shen Muqing felt that her unhappiness was somewhat ignored. She smiled: "What's wrong with you? You were talking and suddenly became unhappy!" The tone was a bit long, with a hint of coquettish intimacy.

  Xiao Xiao felt a warmth in her heart, but suddenly didn't know how to speak up.

  "Is it because there's been some misunderstanding at home?"

  Xiao Xiao stared at her in surprise.

  Shen Muqing blinked at him with a sly smile: "The things given by the elders are not taken seriously, and I made shoes for you; I said your family has a deep foundation, but you turned your face - is it because of some conflict with your family or something?" She tilted her head, her slender eyelashes fluttering, looking very cute.

  Xiao Xiao's face turned slightly red as she pouted and said: "Why didn't you show such cleverness earlier!"

  Shen Mu Qing covered her mouth and smiled: "Want to find someone to talk to?"

  Xiao Xiao glared at her with disdain, his tone dripping with arrogance, yet his eyes shone with a pure and untainted pride that not only didn't make people dislike him, but instead evoked a maternal tenderness in Shen Muqing.

  She was in a great mood. She puffed out her chest, raised her face, and imitated Xiao Xiao's mannerisms with an air of pretended disdain: "What? You look down on me?"

  He gazed at her snow-white face, where a faint rose-purple hue had risen due to the cold, and suddenly thought of the rare peony named Zi Wei that his mother had raised in the warm house. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and smile out loud.

  Bright eyes shining with dazzling light, like the sun breaking through the clouds, illuminating this dark space.

  Shen Mu Qing had a moment of dizziness.

  "I indeed don't get along with my family." The passionate and enthusiastic words only lasted for a moment, the gentle smile gradually faded away, and there was a hint of melancholy in his voice, "Grandfather had always hoped that I would become an official... but deep down, I'm not actually a patient person."

  Looking at his despondent expression, Shen Mu Qing's heart was filled with compassion. She spoke softly: "What does being an official have to do with patience?"

  Xiao Xiao's face was expressionless, her eyes dim: "Entering officialdom, if you don't get a double promotion, no matter how capable you are, it's hard to become a main official. Not being a main official means following orders from others all the time, what's the point of entering officialdom then? But becoming a jinshi is not that easy either. Ten years of studying behind closed doors can't be faked. I've been restless since childhood and rarely calm down to read books, I don't have the patience to study. Being able to pass the institute exam was all thanks to my small cleverness. And this small cleverness can only fool people in a small place, but when it comes to the provincial exam, imperial exam or palace exam, I'm afraid it won't work... I feel extremely frustrated, yet I don't want to go against my elders' wishes. It's been half a year since I came to Kyoto, and my mood has only gotten worse... The other day I went to Mount Suzaku was also because I got scolded by the teaching assistant at the Imperial Academy..."

  Shen Muqing was very surprised.

  She didn't think that someone as proud and aloof as Xiao Xiao would actually share his embarrassing story with her. This made her even more determined to tell him her true identity in person, so he wouldn't misunderstand anymore. However, this wasn't the right moment to say it. But when she thought about it, she had never found reading books difficult. After thinking for a while, Shen Muqing could only comfort Xiao Xiao with a tone that made even herself feel guilty: "How about we find a good teacher privately and secretly make up for it?"

  Xiao Xiao listened, but he was very grateful. He said sincerely: "I'm not without this idea either. But first, the rich merchants of Lin City are all over the world - two of the four famous merchants are from Lin City, it's easy to find someone with money, but hard to find someone who reads books; secondly, at that time I was following Master Lao, and every move was too eye-catching, couldn't secretly cross the river."

  Shen Mu Qing didn't understand: "Why do you want to secretly cross the Chen Cang? You can directly tell Old Master, I think he'll be very happy to know that you're working so hard and will definitely find a way to invite a famous teacher to guide you."

  "There's something unnatural about it... My family situation is very complicated..."

  Shen Mu Qing's mind was racing quickly, thinking about Xiao Xiao's temper and behavior style, and then applying all the melodramatic stories she had seen or heard to him. Then she laughed and said: "I wonder if it's because your parents were unhappy at home, and you've been clever and capable since childhood, able to do everything with ease and success, so you often rely on this to bully your older and younger male cousins. And relying on your cleverness, you passed the imperial examination and became a scholar-official, but now you're in a difficult situation and don't dare to start your own family, fearing that those you've oppressed will not obey your authority. Seeing that the situation is not favorable, you borrowed a donkey to slide down the hill and came to the Imperial Academy to study!"

  "Are you all mush in the head?!"

  Shen Mu Qing smiled quietly, feeling that her guess was about 80-90% correct!

  She pulled his sleeve: "What's the point of getting angry? As the saying goes, the process doesn't matter, what matters is the result!" When she said this, she suddenly thought of Min Luan.

  Wasn't Min Luan also very moved by him that day?

  "Shua shua!" Shen Muqing was excited as if he saw a glimmer of hope for his own future, "My former teacher, Min Luan, is a disciple of Xiangshan Minshi and has great knowledge. You can go ask him for guidance."

  Xiao Xiao looked at the slender fingers pinching his clothes, gently swaying back and forth, like those grandchildren and great-grandchildren who cling to their elderly grandfather during Chinese New Year, asking for sweets - relying on their young age and ignorance to do as they pleased. In the past, he was most annoyed by this, but somehow, seeing Shen Muqing like this, his earlier slight displeasure suddenly dissipated, replaced by a hint of sweetness in his heart, feeling that he had the power to manipulate Shen Muqing's emotions, just like an elderly grandfather sitting in a sedan chair.

  He straightened up and smiled: "Is it Mr. Min of Bie Shan, the one who was invited by Governor Shen to be a house tutor?"

  Shen Muqing didn't expect that he had also heard of Mr. Min's great name, and said: "It is indeed Mr. Min Bieshan!"

  Xiao Xiao shook her head: "He's going to take part in next year's Spring Examinations soon, and outside they're all saying he'll enter the top three - what chance do I have of studying under him?"

  This Shěn Mù Qīng really didn't think of it.

  "Besides him, I don't know anyone else!" Shen Muqing couldn't help but sigh.

  Xiao Xiao saw her low mood, as if it were his own concern, and felt a few touches in his heart. Smiling to comfort her: "I didn't like reading books anyway, this is also an unavoidable thing. Can only take one step at a time."

  She herself was someone who changed her fate through reading, but she didn't believe that there were people who wouldn't read books, only that they hadn't found the right method yet. She muttered: "Is it really that you don't like to read any kind of book?"

  Xiao Xiao saw that she still didn't give up and explained: "I only like reading military books!"

  Shen Mu's calm heart stirred, his eyes shining brightly as he gazed at Xiao Sa: "How many military books have you read!"

  Sighs and faintly pensive.

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and said: "You quickly tell me! Maybe I have a way!"

  Xiao Xiao saw her confident appearance and couldn't help but feel a few curious, said: "Generally books have been read! What Sun Wu's 'Sun Tzu's Art of War', Huang Shi Gong's 'Three Strategies', Zhuge Kongming's 'Sixteen Convenient Strategies', Ma Long's 'Eight Arrays General Description', 'Grip Strange Classics', Tao Hong's 'Ancient and Modern Sword Record', Li Qian's 'Divine Machine Enemy Taibai Yin Jing' , 'Yin Fu Jing', Li Jing's 'Tang Li Wen Dui'……and many more!"

  Serene and clear eyes stared blankly. There were many books that this modern person had never even heard of.

  Xiao Xiao saw it, but had a few self-conceited words to say: "I spent a lot of effort collecting these books. Like Huangshi Gong's 'Three Strategies', which is almost a solitary edition. And Ma Long's 'Qiqi Jing' and Li Qian's 'Shenji Zidi Taibai Yinjing' are also very rare in the world!"

  Shen Mu Qing nodded repeatedly, and then said: "How about your fist and footwork? Can you lift...?" As she spoke, she looked around and saw the stone table and stools under the grape arbor beside Taihu Stone Mountain, which were covered with snow. "Can you lift that stone table?"

  He gazed at her coldly and quietly.

  Shen Muqing immediately surrendered and said: "It's like this... I heard a piece of news, don't know if it's accurate or not, but you can take it as a reference..."

  Her slender eyebrows slightly furrowed, she asked: "Where did you hear that from?"

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and said: "I heard it from Master!"

  Xiao Xiao listened intently and became very interested, saying: "Tell me more."

  "Everyone in your family must be hoping you'll win an award!" Shen Muqing said with some embarrassment, "But there shouldn't be a rule about what kind of award you win, right?"

  "Hmm!" Xiao Sa nodded and said, "I hope I can change my identity. Firstly, it's to change my status, and secondly, it's also for the convenience of doing business."

  "You can write an article about this!"

  Xiao Xiao's eyes widened in shock: "You're saying bribery!"

  "You just know how to throw money at people!" Shen Muqing cried and laughed, scolding, "I'm saying if the Emperor opens up the Wu Jinshi examination, you can consider it!"

  Cried and wept... thank you sisters... didn't expect to reach 1200 points just after updating... (wiped away tears)... the starting point for girls' network is doing an activity, consuming one pink ticket will give one pink ticket, casting 15 pink tickets is enough for 300 points... O(∩_∩)O haha~