Qin Yao was in front of a newly bought dressing table, calculating something with paper and pen.

Three lamps were lit inside the room, one in the outer hall, one beside the bed, and another on the dressing table. The light was ample, too bright for any romantic ambiance to arise.

It only took Liu Ji a second to realize he might have misunderstood; there was no such transaction awaiting him inside the room.

He sighed inwardly and brought the warm sugar water to the dressing table.

Qin Yao naturally reached out, drank half a bowl, returned the bowl to the tray, and continued to scribble a few more strokes on the paper before stopping.

"I spent about seventy taels of silver today. The cost of living in the Capital City is high; the money simply doesn’t last." Qin Yao complained and silently used the pen to erase the balance calculated on the paper.

No matter how quick Liu Ji’s eyes were, he only caught a glimpse of the number one. But he was certain that this one was followed by at least four digits!

With so much money, what’s the big deal about seventy taels of silver. A little man in Liu Ji’s heart laughed confidently.

Qin Yao gestured for him to go to the small hall, and the couple sat facing each other to discuss serious matters.

Liu Ji sat upright, hands resting on his knees, looking serious.

Qin Yao said, "Tomorrow morning, the two of us will head out to the State Preceptor’s mansion to check out the area and observe their defense situation. I’ll be in charge of scouting the route, and you’re responsible for gathering information related to the State Preceptor, as much as possible..."

As Qin Yao spoke, Liu Ji took notes. Although he didn’t understand why they needed to inquire about the State Preceptor’s preferences, associations, and adversaries, he knew his wife must have her reasons.

They discussed for a little over half an hour, finalized the main actions for tomorrow, planned the meeting points, and other details. Then Qin Yao yawned and kicked Liu Ji out of the room.

Looking at the now quiet room, Qin Yao took a deep breath of the soothing air and fell onto the newly laid bedding, sleeping soundly.

At dawn, when the neighbor’s rooster crowed, Qin Yao woke up.

From outside the courtyard came cries of: "Collecting night soil! Collecting night soil!"

The cold morning air seemed to carry an indescribable scent.

Ah Wang was already up, opened the back door, and called out to the old man collecting night soil, dumping several buckets from their outhouse into the large wooden barrel he brought.

A new day began with this peculiar smell.

Without having breakfast at home, Qin Yao and Liu Ji tidied up a bit and headed out.

Before leaving, Qin Yao instructed their four children to organize their written reflections, which she would check upon returning home tonight.

The siblings, who had been somewhat sleepy, instantly became alert at her words, quickly agreed, and lined up to see their parents off.

Understanding that adult matters were not for kids to inquire about, the siblings sensibly refrained from asking questions and each returned to their rooms to prepare their reflections.

Qin Yao and Liu Ji walked out of Yongtong Square, each buying a bun from a street vendor, eating as they headed north.

Both spoke with an accent, but whenever they asked for directions, most people helpfully guided these new arrivals.

In this manner, asking and walking along the way, they finally reached a place to cross the river.

It turned out there were three bridges over the Yang River. One main bridge led directly to Ziwei Palace, the necessary path for officials attending court, where ordinary people were not allowed.

Another bridge led to the far west to Upper Yang Palace, a royal retreat and rest area, closed year-round.

Only the eastern bridge was for commoners heading to the North Market.

Under the bridge were many boats for river rides, and both riverbanks were lined with taverns and restaurants, quite average during the day.

But at night, the banks were ablaze with lights, songs, and dances, accompanied by fine wine, delicacies, beautiful women, and poets, a place where people lost themselves in indulgence, considered the Capital City’s top money pit.

Thinking of having fun there, you’d need to have thousands of gold in your pocket to feel confident.

Qin Yao grabbed Liu Ji, who was staring at the singing beauties across the river in the brothel, and they crossed the bridge heading north.

The National Master Mansion was easy to find, the largest house closest to the Eastern Palace.

Here, the couple split up as per their plan.

"Meet at the West Chu Building across the river in the evening." Leaving this sentence, Qin Yao disappeared in a flash.

Liu Ji didn’t have a chance to say a word before his wife vanished. Helplessly, he shrugged and followed the sound of singing beauties he had glimpsed earlier. Straightening his back, exuding the air of a nouveau riche, he swaggered into the brothel.

The hour was still early, but these self-proclaimed elegant establishments opened early, frequented by offspring of officials who didn’t attend court, mumbling some cheesy poetry and listening to a couple of melodies, feeling they were different from those playboys that only emerged at night.

Liu Ji, with his good looks and unfamiliar face, immediately attracted attention upon entering.

With thirty taels of private silver in his pocket and having received a promise from his wife that expenses could be reimbursed, he confidently invited everyone in the establishment to have a pot of tea, drawing glances from these young gentlemen.

Some sneered, mocking him as a tasteless upstart from the countryside.

However, for someone to steal the spotlight from them was absolutely unacceptable!

In no time, Liu Ji’s riverside compartment was surrounded by a group testing, feigning politeness, or ridiculing him to uncover his background.

With a skin as thick as the city wall, Liu Ji handled these naive young gentlemen with ease, effortlessly.

After all, when traveling, one’s identity is self-created. He claimed to be a scholar from Wang City in the Northwest, hinting at having a family salt mine and relatives residing in the Xiuwen Square area where high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries lived.

Those who had secretly mocked him as an upstart instantly changed their tune. A real mine owner? What kind of wealth does that entail?

And with Six Ministry officials as relatives, he must indeed be from one of those reputable families in the Northwest.

The leader among these gentlemen sat down opposite Liu Ji, "I am Lu Xiaofeng, may I invite Brother Liu to join me in a private room on the second floor to listen to a tune? Let’s make friends?"

Liu Ji replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Lu, but I’m not interested in listening to music. I’ve heard that Lord State Preceptor’s Taoist techniques are profound, and I just want to be closer to him to gain some fortune."

"If I could have the opportunity to see Lord State Preceptor from afar, that would be even better, ensuring my success in next year’s spring exams." Liu Ji appeared expectant and reverent, inadvertently revealing a corner of the peace charm he carried at his waist.

These young gentlemen appeared glamorous but owed their privileges to family protection. Few became scholars.

Upon hearing Liu Ji’s confidence in entering the spring exams, their perceptions of him subtly changed.

Lu Xiaofeng responded with an "Oh~", another follower of Taoism. Though he personally believed in nothing, he understood it enough to inform Liu Ji that the State Preceptor was currently in seclusion and advised him not to wait as he wouldn’t be seeing anyone for the next month.