Chapter 25: The Hard Road Ahead

"It is not a salt-household registration! It is not!"

Bai Tingyi waved his hands, terrified of any misunderstanding. "My household registry is truly under the commoner category. My ancestors once served as officials; we are a proper scholarly family. It is just... just that my maternal relatives have a small business, merely a means of profit..." His voice trailed off, growing quieter by the second.

"Hmph, 'small business'?" Xu Qi deliberately glanced around the empty inn, mocking him. "Falsifying one's household status leads to collective punishment. The examinee loses his degree, the guarantor is exiled, and the examiner is demoted. Do you want to guess if the Censor sitting beside me cares about that?"

She had expected Bai Tingyi to be frightened, but to her surprise, he grew defiant, much like a cornered dog ready to bite. He slammed his hand onto the table and stood up abruptly. "I, Bai Tingyi, have studied hard for ten years. My success in the examinations was earned through genuine talent! I am upright and honest! I only acted with caution because I feared the gossip of the masses. How can you call this falsifying my registration? You... you go ahead and shout it from the rooftops! I have the official appointment documents of my ancestors to prove my innocence! I will accuse you of false accusation and see you punished in kind!"

*Thwack.* A teacup was set heavily onto the table. "Pull your finger back and think before you speak. The palace examination is imminent. If this causes a scandal, who suffers the consequences?" Tan Jiuding’s tone was like the wind on the river—chilling and biting to the bone.

Doused with cold water, Bai Tingyi finally regained his composure. He coughed awkwardly and slowly sat back down.

"There is no need for such an ugly scene," Tan Jiuding said with a sly smile. "It is merely a matter of securing two spots. Salt merchants are rarely scrutinized in detail when passing through checkpoints, especially during the busy autumn trade. Young Master Bai must have known this, which is why you dared to join a merchant caravan to make it in time for the spring palace examination."

Bai Tingyi pouted, clearly unhappy, but seeing no other choice, he ultimately compromised.

"I understand... I will inform the manager in a moment. But sir, I must warn you: the two of you must not stir up trouble and bring disaster upon the caravan! Otherwise, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Are you lecturing us now?" Xu Qi retorted with a cold glare.

Before they could start arguing again, Tan Jiuding raised a hand to mediate, readily agreeing: "That goes without saying. Keeping a low profile is beneficial for everyone, is it not?"

He looked at both of them with a smile, though both were puffed up like pufferfish, ignoring one another.

He had a premonition right then: this matter was far from over.

Three days after departing from the Shaobo Sluice, with dust obscuring the sun along the imperial road, the grand salt caravan finally arrived at the Yucheng Post Station.

Throughout the journey, the two kept to themselves, treating each other as if they were invisible. It was peaceful enough, yet there was an underlying tension; neither was willing to yield to the other.

Tan Jiuding increasingly felt that both were acting like children.

Bai Tingyi was one thing. Tan had only met him once at the Bai residence while using a false identity for a ruse, and they hadn't spent much time together. He knew him to be around twenty, full of unspent passion, spouting rigid theories, and perhaps a bit naive from too much book-learning.

But Xu Qi’s temper tantrum was something he truly found unexpected.

Previously, she had always displayed a level of calm and steady judgment far beyond her years. At times, she was more decisive and sharp than he, a man who had spent his life navigating the treacherous waters of the officialdom. She understood right from wrong and knew the weight of matters, never causing him concern. How was it that she had completely unraveled before Bai Tingyi?

During a meal, he took the opportunity to ask: "I just can't stand him."

Xu Qi muttered, throwing "daggers" with her eyes toward Bai Tingyi’s table, making no attempt to hide her feelings.

"Zhiwei’s fate is unknown and she is missing, yet he acts as if nothing has happened! He didn't even show his face or express concern back in Suzhou, and even now, I haven't heard him ask a single question. After all, the two are betrothed. How can there be such a heartless man in this world?"

This reason left Tan Jiuding speechless, almost wanting to laugh.

It was a match made by matchmakers and parents; Bai Tingyi had likely never even met Zhou Zhiwei. Why should he be expected to worry about someone he had no connection to? It was true that his lack of inquiry seemed cold, but it hardly warranted such harsh criticism.

Xu Qi was so intelligent; how could she not realize this?

He asked directly: "What is the real reason?"

"..." Xu Qi looked as if her lifeline had been gripped. Her eyes flickered, she fell silent for a moment, and finally, she pouted and set down her bowl. "I just think... he is unworthy of Zhiwei. He’s not even fit to carry her shoes. Hmph."

"Heh." A laugh escaped Tan Jiuding’s teeth, and he stuffed a piece of greens into his mouth to silence himself. So, it was just a child’s pique. Even if Bai Tingyi had the looks of Pan An and the talent of Cao Zhi, she still wouldn't think highly of him.

"Do not vent your anger on him," he advised. "We still need his favor along this journey. Don't look down on salt merchants; though their status is low, they travel constantly and have extraordinary connections. Perhaps when we reach Huai'an, we will need their help to find Huang Zhang."

Xu Qi huffed, knowing she was in the wrong, and bowed her head to focus on her food.

It was rare to see her act so petulant, and Tan Jiuding found it somewhat endearing, feeling an urge to poke her puffed-up cheeks.

The next moment, as if suddenly remembering something, he snapped back to reality.

The arched brick gate stood open, with a long line forming beneath it. Flags fluttered atop the battlements, and frost, thick as ice, clung to the corners of the ceremonial gate, which bore the inscription "Investigating Traitors and Evildoers."

The Inspection Bureau’s barricades blocked the road. A few lazy guards were cursed into rising by a petty official, their spears held casually across the path.

"Travel permit! Cargo manifest!" The minor officer held out a rough palm, his eyelids drooping with lethargy.

The old manager hurriedly offered a sycophantic smile and handed over the permit book, which bore a blurred red seal. Some extra items were tucked inside the booklet. The officer took it, weighed it in his hand, and understood. He flipped through it perfunctorily and was about to wave them through when a voice suddenly called out from behind: "Wait a moment—"

Turning around, he saw the usually lazy Inspector had arrived for some reason. The minor officer tucked his sleeves away, rose, and asked eagerly, "Does the Magistrate find something amiss?"

"I think there is something wrong with this caravan, heh." The martial officer, dressed in a blue round-collared robe, paced toward them with his hands behind his back.

Fearing trouble, the minor officer had the old manager hand over the permit again, specifically to show the Inspector. "Magistrate, would you like to take a look?"

"Eh, the problem is not in the booklet."

Xu Qi shrank her neck, feeling an icy chill run through her. The caravan being stuck at the checkpoint was not a good sign. She glanced up, only to lock eyes with the Inspector’s scrutinizing gaze!

*Oh no.*

She quickly lowered her head.

Disguised as a man, she knew that even if the permit were genuine, her identity alone would cause endless trouble. While traveling with the caravan, she had learned to make herself appear rougher, but her face was still far "cleaner" than the others.

"Let me see, why is there a little song-boy hidden in the caravan?"

What? That term made her head throb even more than being called a "concubine’s maid."

"Eh, official," the old manager hurriedly stepped forward, smiling as he explained, "this is a servant of our young master. He is just a bit young."

"A servant? Where is the deed of sale? Bring it here for me to see."

"You are a magnanimous official, here is the 'deed of sale'." A few heavy pieces of silver rolled into the Inspector’s thick palm.

But the man immediately slammed them onto the ground and bellowed in rage: "Insolence! How dare you try to bribe and fool me? Guards!"

"Here!"

"Seize all these unruly rabble!"