Chapter 36: One Cannot Judge by Appearances (Part 2)

  Fengyinlou is one of the few hotels in Shaoxing City, located opposite Xuantingkou.

  This wine building is elegant and simple, which is quite different from the luxurious style of today. It is said that the eldest sister of the host family does not like luxury, so it was renovated again in the spring this year. Perhaps by chance, the newly reopened Fengyin Building has become more popular than before.

  From the first floor hall for ordinary people's meals to the second floor's luxurious seats and third floor's private rooms, each layer is more expensive than the last, yet every layer is packed.

  From the most expensive three-layered private room, looking outwards, one can see the situation at Xuan Ting Kou without any obstructions. Especially on a day like today when everyone wants to watch the excitement, it's already fully booked several days in advance.

  But for real VIPs, there is no such thing as "fully booked" anywhere. As long as their entourage makes a move, the best private room with the best view will be vacated immediately.

  No one expressed any objection, and everyone thought it was normal. Because in that private room, there is now a casually dressed Li County Magistrate, and a handsome man in his thirties with a refined appearance.

  That man was quite familiar with County Magistrate Li, but they didn't seem to get along. All he heard was the man chuckling and saying, "Old fellow, I hope your little kid isn't still wetting his pants?"

  "Lu Hou Sheng, calm down." County Magistrate Li said with a stern face: "Isn't it not yet time?" It turned out that the young man was none other than Lu Hou Sheng, nicknamed 'Green Bean Fly' by County Magistrate Li of Shan Yin.

  "It's also unknown who can't hold their breath." Lü County Magistrate smiled and said, "In less than a minute, the old predecessor will be defeated without a fight."

  The white-faced Li County Magistrate was speechless, and could only vent his anger on Shen Mo, secretly vowing: 'If you make a single mistake for me, as long as I, Li Yunxiu, am in Kuaiji County for one day, you can forget about any honors or achievements.'

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  The two county lieutenants at Xuantingkou also became impatient. Hou County Lieutenant cleared his throat twice and said, "Has the noble county magistrate Shen Mo arrived?"

  "Don't worry, let me think for a moment." Zhang Xiancheng tapped his foot and looked around with both eyes searching everywhere. After a while, he suddenly remembered that he didn't know who it was either.

  The crowd is also a mess. Everyone got up at the fifth watch to catch the excitement, without even having breakfast. Now that the actor hasn't arrived, the show can't go on, and they can't shout "Refund! Refund!" You say it's infuriating or not?

  "I guess you won't dare to come again." County Magistrate Hou sneered, "I don't know what your family's elders are thinking, actually letting a naive and inexperienced young man take the challenge. Now it's all over, you've fled in disarray."

  The incense stick was left with less than one-fifth, Zhang Xiancheng hurriedly shouted: "Has Shen Mo come?"

  "Coming, coming." A faint response came over, barely audible.

  County Magistrate Zhang's ears were a bit deaf, and he almost didn't hear clearly, so he couldn't help but ask: "Has it really come?"

  As soon as they heard the crowd of onlookers from the east, they responded in unison with excitement: "He's coming! He's coming!" The sound was like a tidal wave, and the crowd parted like a tide, making way for a six-foot-wide path, fearing that they would bump into the child and ruin the good show.

  Everyone held their breath, staring tightly at the entrance of the corridor. After a long wait, a young man led out a handsome young boy, who walked out of the crowd with a twisted and awkward gait.

  The two of them hung their heads and walked along the path cleared by the crowd to stand before the two adults, looking as if they were not attending a competition but rather rushing to an execution ground...

  County Magistrate Hou had already burst out laughing and couldn't help but tease: "I say, you two, it's not even three quarters past noon yet, no need to be so tense."

  Two people murmured and nodded, still not daring to raise their heads.

  "Look up!" Zhang Xiancheng felt embarrassed and angrily said: "Didn't you bring eggs to the street?"

  Scolded by him, the two of them suddenly lifted their heads, and indeed they were tense all over their faces.

  Looking at the young man with a pleasant face, Zhang Xiancheng said displeased: "Are you Shen Mo?"

  "No, no." The young man hastily shook his head and pointed at the youth, saying: "He is Shen Mo, he doesn't know the way, so I brought him here."

  The onlookers all let out a collective "boo" and jeered: "Get down!"

  The young man indeed fled with his tail between his legs, and had melons and fruits thrown at him as a farewell gift.

  Looking at the young man who was still wet behind the ears, Wang Xiancheng asked what everyone else was thinking: "Are you up to it?"

  "Give it a try." Shen Mo said timidly.

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  The county magistrate on the second floor also burst out laughing and patted the table, saying: "Are these two little guys here to perform a comedy?"

  Magistrate Li was so angry that his intestines were about to burst, "This kid, usually pretending to be mature and wise like a prodigy. Who knew he would turn out to be such a disappointment!"

  Upon hearing the words 'prodigy', Lü County Magistrate suddenly came to his senses, and he finally knew what Li County Magistrate's intention was in wanting to compete. He couldn't help but sneer: "A Xu Wenchang appears once every five hundred years; it's not like you can find one just because you want to."

  "What's the reason that your county has Xu Wenqing and Zhu Duanfu, while my county doesn't have a single one?" County Magistrate Li said in exasperation: "They are all masters of Shaoxing city, I just don't believe that heaven is so biased!"

  "You still aren't satisfied with Tao Yu Chen?" Magistrate Lü also glared and said: "He's a talented scholar from the Hanlin Academy."

  "How did I hear that you boasted that Zhu Da was a top talent?" said County Magistrate Li, his tone not quite right.

  "That's right," said Lü County Magistrate with a pleased smile: "If Duandu were to top the imperial examination in the future, I wouldn't be surprised."

  "Ah!" County Magistrate Li pounced like a starving tiger.

  "A gentleman uses his mouth but not his fists." Lü County Magistrate hid behind the back of a chair and said with a stern face.

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  Not to mention the two upstairs with swords drawn and bows bent, the two parties downstairs also walked to the table, signed their names on the contract book, and stood facing each other.

  On the left, there was a tall and majestic figure of Wang Da Guanren, also known as Tongda and nicknamed "Old Tiger". He stood over six feet tall, with a strong and dark complexion. With just one hacking knife, he had established himself from scratch and built up a vast business empire over the course of more than ten years. Under his name were numerous businesses, including carriages, gambling dens, pawnshops, and more than twenty other establishments. He also founded an organization called the "Tiger Head Society", which employed over a hundred thugs.

  On the right, there is a young man named Shen Qingsheng, who has not yet taken his civil service exam. He is less than five feet tall, pale and thin, with no official position or property to his name. He currently resides in the Shen family's large compound, where he supports an elderly father who is disabled. However, their silver coins are scarce and not within reach. Additionally, there is a loyal brother named Yao Zhangzi, but he has been detained by Magistrate Wang until now, with no news of whether he lives or dies.

  These two people who were originally worlds apart are now standing here to decide the outcome due to some people's petty schemes, fortunately it's not a martial arts duel.

  After the contract was signed, according to the rules, Wang Lao Hu went first with the first question. He clapped his hands and a big man brought up a delicate small box, apparently the question was inside.

  Division line

  There's still one more chapter, should be released at 12:30. Considering the monk has been working overtime, please spare the tickets for 0 o'clock...