Chapter 211: The Man Who Sought the Sword

Chapter 211

In Xu Mo's cognition, people who did this kind of thing should be impoverished students, just like the fellow students he had secretly followed before.

However, the facts were that the students who came to find him were either rich or noble, wearing gold and silver, and their every move was filled with the arrogance of wealthy young masters from Fengjing, making people who didn't know think they were from some prestigious family.

This person said directly, "I was as poor as you before, but later I was fortunate to be appreciated by nobles who helped me, so I could molt and become what I am now, able to live a decent life here in Fengjing."

Xu Mo's heart sank immediately.

This person was too smart, almost perfectly grasping the mentality of poor students longing for appreciation, and his straightforward tone added a sense of trust. If it was a student with weak willpower, he would soon look up to him.

Fortunately, Xu Mo still had some composure. He said softly, "What is this fellow student talking about? Xu doesn't really understand."

After speaking, he took out books to cover the patches on his clothes.

This move pleased the wealthy student, and also eliminated the wariness in the eyes of the wealthy student.

"You are Xu Mo, right? I've checked on you. You came from Xieyang County and entered the imperial examinations, but you are from a poor peasant family with dead parents and no one to rely on, so you came to Fengjing to take the examinations." The student murmured softly, as if recalling something, with a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

Xu Mo did not refute.

On his household registration, only his name was listed. His second brother had opened a new shop but only used Zhao Yuanqi Huai and Zhu Sihou as the names.

There was no need to mention Zhu Sihou. Qi Huai was a smart man who would not reveal anything. Zhao Yuan was simple-minded and stubborn. If Xu Mo said he had no money, then he had no money, and never doubted it.

"I also found out that you are temporarily living in your aunt's house. It must be uncomfortable to live relying on others, right?" The wealthy student went on.

Xu Mo blinked.

This aunt... should be Aunt Zhang, right?

Xu Mo's surname was Xu, and Aunt Zhang's surname was Zhang. One look and you know she wasn't his real aunt, so she could only be his cousin.

Very good guess, don't guess anymore next time.

The corner of Xu Mo's mouth twitched. He turned his head sadly, as if to admit it.

The wealthy student spoke with a hint of pride, "I also found out that your aunt has several young children at home, and they must be chattering noisily all day, making it hard to be at ease."

But in fact, when Xu Mo was alone, although it was quiet, he always felt a little lonely. When his younger siblings were there, the whole yard was like it was filled with vitality, and the words in the books also came alive.

So these students who ghostwrote articles were called ghostwriters.

The refined young master was not bothered either. After making an appointment for the next meeting place and time, he strode away arrogantly.

He didn't care at all whether Xu Mo would write or not. Even if Xu Mo didn't write, there would always be others who wrote. If Xu Mo was willing to write, he could earn a sum.

The contact between the two was also limited to one-on-one, eliminating the possibility of spreading the news, while also preventing leaks of the client's privacy.

This was extremely satisfactory for the nobles who bought exam questions.

But it made Xu Mo feel tricky.

He stood still for a long time, until the birds resting on the branches flew away again, before footsteps sounded.

The refined Young Master Qi Huai walked out, with an unusual worried look on his fair face. "Brother Xu, you have really stirred me into a mess."

It turned out that half a month ago, Qi Huai had noticed Xu Mo's abnormal behavior. After several heartfelt inquiries yielded nothing, and being earnestly begged by Xu Mo, he reluctantly erased the intimate traces between the six siblings, and also put the name of the tenant of the second courtyard under Aunt Zhang's name.

So in the eyes of outsiders like the wealthy young master who came to investigate, it was just Xu Mo, orphaned and relying on his aunt, disturbed by noisy younger siblings, and therefore urgently needing money to change his circumstances.

In return, Xu Mo did not point out Qi Huai's prying.

Firstly, to satisfy Qi Huai's curiosity.

Secondly, he wanted to observe whether Qi Huai was useful or not without revealing his hole cards.

Thinking back to the three friends he met at the Imperial College.

Zhao Yuan was simple-minded, reckless and impulsive. Zhu Sihou was prudent, but had limited power. Only Qi Huai had both status and intelligence, and was the best candidate.

His barely passing the imperial examination as a juren also made it difficult to associate him with buying exam questions.

If it turned out that this juren Qi Huai's background was problematic, Xu Mo could take this opportunity to get on the line of Qi Huai's exam in order to delve deeper into the world of ghostwriters.

It really killed three birds with one stone.

Fortunately, Qi Huai did not disappoint him.

After the refined young master put away his fan, he smiled helplessly, "Since you really want to investigate, I will certainly accompany you."

"After all, I am the heir of the Minister of Rites."