“Look around.” Brian Carter interrupted William Grant.

The latter only now realized that several tables of people had already noticed what was happening here. Although they still pretended to be eating and drinking, the glances cast over had clearly become much more frequent.

“Waiter, over here, over here!” As soon as the waiter turned around, a table of people immediately called out.

“See? There’s no need to spend all our money on this.” Brian Carter picked up a peanut and tossed it into his mouth. “Since others are willing to pay, it’s better to let them have the chance. As long as we can confirm this isn’t the first time the scholar’s exam is being held here, it doesn’t matter who we ask. Besides, if we can think of this, the Privy Council surely can too. If the proctors don’t forbid us from talking to the locals, then they must be confident that no one will leak the questions in advance. If we ask too much, it might even work against us.”

William Grant frowned in thought for a moment before suddenly looking up. “You mean—the money?”

“Ten taels of silver isn’t a small amount, but it’s not a huge sum either,” Brian Carter nodded. Calculated by grain purchasing power, a tael of silver in this era was about five hundred yuan. Ten taels in cash was a huge sum that neither he nor his cheap master could afford, but for disciples of big families, it was just a drop in the bucket. “Why are we only allowed to bring this amount into the town? I’m afraid it’s related to the exam. Didn’t that person just mention it? Hiring a local guide costs more than ten taels of silver, and that’s already several people pooling their money together.”

“That’s… something I hadn’t thought of.” William Grant finally let out a sigh. “May I ask, who is your esteemed master?”

“Esteemed master?” The image of his cheap master popped into Brian Carter’s mind—a middle-aged uncle who would tell everyone ‘your brow is dark, I can help you ward off disaster.’ “He can’t even scrape together the exam fee for the scholar’s test and needs his disciple to pay up front. Do you have some misunderstanding about what an ‘esteemed master’ is?”

“But your insight truly amazes me. I grew up in a shop and consider myself quite sensitive to money, but compared to you, I’m still far behind,” William Grant said admiringly. “If it’s not because of your master, then you must have traveled to many places before.”

Brian Carter couldn’t help but laugh. He had indeed stayed in many places with his cheap master, but it was never adventuring—just aimless wandering.

If you counted both his lifetimes, it was even more.

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell the other that.

Besides, the things that made Brian Carter sense something was off weren’t limited to just the teahouse.

For example, the reactions of the locals.

Qingshan Town had at most a hundred or two residents, while there were over four hundred examinees. If such a large group of outsiders flooded into this closed-off place, it would surely cause resistance and wariness. But after walking around, he found the locals’ behavior was just too natural—they went about their business as usual, even greeting the examinees, as if… they were already used to this sort of thing.

“Your family runs a shop?”

“Big Bowl Grain Shop is my family’s store,” William Grant replied.

“Pfft,” Brian Carter almost choked. Wasn’t that the most successful grain shop in Fenghua County? And the owner would sometimes hand out free porridge—his master often went to take advantage of that. Anyone who could run a grain shop in Qi Country, even if not from a noble family, was definitely not an ordinary merchant.

“You’ve seen it before?”

Of course he had. It was in the very center of the county. Brian Carter shot him a look, already classifying him as a bourgeois enemy in his mind. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Heh, after the scholar’s exam is over, I’ll definitely treat Brother Carter to a good meal in Fenghua County.”

“No, this meal is enough.” Brian Carter stood up and cupped his hands to him. “Thank you.”

“…Wait, wait,” William Grant was momentarily stunned. “You don’t want to—”

“Cooperate?” He shook his head. “You’re actually right about one thing. Those sect and noble family disciples have a much bigger advantage over us independents. Even if we pass the scholar’s exam, our ranking probably won’t be high. So for you, the best choice is to deliberately fail—the Privy Council doesn’t really affect you, and if you fail the exam, your father can’t say much. Back in Fenghua County, you’re still the second young master of your family, living a life of luxury. That’s a lot better than being assigned to some town and eventually dying to some evil anomaly.”

“So you should hurry home—” Brian Carter waved his hand as he spoke, “Isn’t it nice to be a rich second generation living a peaceful, boring life?”

He could tell that William Grant didn’t have the determination to pass the scholar’s exam at all costs.

The latter’s face flushed red.

For a moment, he thought the other would fly into a rage and start cursing, but in the end, William Grant actually managed to hold it in.

That was rare. Brian Carter secretly praised him—boys between fifteen or sixteen and adulthood cared most about saving face. They could lose anything but face; in short, they loved to show off and get stuck on things. Yet, despite his reluctance, the other had faced his own heart.

After a while, William Grant finally spoke. “What about you? You’re just like me, unlikely to get a good ranking. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Who says I’m not? I care about my life.”

“Then why…”

“Because of ignorance, I suppose.” Brian Carter sighed softly.