"The prefectural city is under curfew now. If we go out and get caught by patrol officers, it won't be a good look."
"Why don't we just stay the night at Xuanhe Tower?"
After the banquet, Kou Liang glanced at the sky. Estimating that it was already the second watch of the night, he made the suggestion.
Though their sworn brotherhood wasn't exactly a secret, it wasn't ideal for too many people to find out about it either.
"Earlier, Third Brother said he wanted to ask me about the county martial examination. Tonight, I'll share a room with him." Fu Zhizhou's eyes lit up at the opportunity, immediately agreeing to the plan.
Xuanhe Tower had common rooms with multiple beds, but those were mostly for lower-class travelers and servants.
For them, as officials, staying in a common bunkhouse would diminish their status.
The best rooms were the upper suites, but those only came as twin-bed rooms.
"Sharing a room with Wei Tu?"
Hearing Fu Zhizhou's choice, Wei Fei's brows twitched slightly, and he felt a little displeased.
He was worried that if Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou grew closer, he—the lowest-ranked among their sworn brothers—would end up being distanced.
"Then I'll share a room with Second Brother."
Kou Liang didn't notice Wei Fei's concerns and simply followed Fu Zhizhou's arrangement.
Since Kou Liang was their eldest sworn brother, this arrangement was considered appropriate.
The four had no objections.
Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou shared a room and slept side by side.
During the night, they discussed the county martial examination and the methods of advancing from external to internal energy cultivation.
The former was Fu Zhizhou guiding Wei Tu, helping him strategize for the upcoming examination.
The latter was Wei Tu teaching Fu Zhizhou, sharing his personal experience in martial arts cultivation.
Both of them gained significant insights.
"Fourth Brother, your foundation in martial arts is already solid. What you're lacking now is simply grasping that elusive sense of internal energy..."
"Back when I first sensed it, I had practiced several rounds of forms, then, after clearing my mind…"
Wei Tu patiently explained.
Since Fu Zhizhou had placed ninth in the last county martial examination, his martial skills were already exceptional.
Compared to Wei Tu, what he lacked was merely the moment of enlightenment—that fleeting sensation that allowed him to generate internal energy.
"Thank you for your guidance, Third Brother."
Fu Zhizhou took out a brush and paper, carefully writing down every single word Wei Tu had said.
Watching this, Wei Tu couldn't help but feel admiration.
It was no wonder that Fu Zhizhou had placed so highly in the examination at only eighteen years old.
Beyond his innate talent, his hard work and meticulous approach played a crucial role in his success.
"Fourth Brother, could you go over the county martial examination details once more? I'd like to write them down as well."
Wei Tu imitated Fu Zhizhou's approach and asked earnestly.
Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou smiled and handed over the brush and paper.
At that moment, his opinion of Wei Tu reached a new level.
Very few people, especially those of rank and position, would put aside their pride to learn from others.
Over the years, Fu Zhizhou had met many talented individuals, but none who adopted his methods so quickly.
This made him genuinely respect Wei Tu.
After parting ways with his sworn brothers, Wei Tu paid a visit to the Dan family residence in the prefectural city.
There, he greeted Dan Yanfang and Dan Min, and collected a letter they had prepared for Dan Yi Wu.
Only then did he and Wei Fei ride back to Qingmu County.
Upon returning to Qingmu County, time passed quickly.
Ten days later, the county military office finally issued the rewards for the Martial Luck Pavilion suppression operation.
1. Wei Tu had earned two major merits, resulting in two rank promotions and one position upgrade.
• He was promoted from "Military Officer" (Du Jun Shi) to "Records Officer" (Ya Si) in the county military office.
• Although still classified as a low-ranked officer, his status and authority far exceeded that of a regular Military Officer.
2. Wei Fei, having also contributed to the operation, was assigned to Wei Tu's previous position as "Military Officer" (Du Jun Shi).
Upon seeing these appointments, both Wei Tu and Wei Fei shook their heads and laughed.
After two years, they had finally overcome the suppression by Prefect He and had effectively "restored" their former ranks.
If not for Prefect He's suppression, both Wei Tu and Wei Fei would have received these ranks when they were first appointed as officers.
"If it weren't for the suppression in Qingmu County, we would have spent our entire lives stuck at our original positions."
That afternoon, after receiving their official appointment documents, Wei Tu and Wei Fei went to Cuiyun Tower, ordered a luxurious banquet, and chatted over drinks.
As they talked, they felt a deep sense of bittersweet irony.
If it hadn't been for Fu Zhizhou's warning two years ago, they wouldn't have prepared their armor and secretly trained, allowing them to earn merits in the Martial Luck Pavilion suppression and ultimately receive promotions.
In other words—
If not for Prefect He's retaliation, and if Fu Zhizhou had not changed their course, they would likely have been trapped in low ranks for life.
This proved just how severe Prefect He's suppression had been against them.
Of course, this assumed that Wei Tu's martial progress had followed an ordinary path over the past two years.
If his cultivation had advanced as it did now, even Prefect He wouldn't have been able to stop his rise.
"The moment my soldiers heard you got promoted, a bunch of them started thinking about proposing to Caixia!"
Wei Fei laughed as he spoke.
Two years ago, Wei Tu had tried to arrange a marriage for Caixia, wanting to find a good match for her.
However, the county military guards were realistic men.
They had heard rumors that Wei Tu and Wei Fei had offended a superior officer and had been demoted.
So, when Wei Tu suggested the marriage, none of them dared to accept, fearing they might suffer the same political backlash.
Of course, some soldiers were interested, but those men were either too old or too poor to be suitable matches.
Thus, Caixia's marriage had been delayed for two years.
"Are there any good candidates now?" Wei Tu asked immediately, clearly taking the matter seriously.
Caixia had been kind to him, and they had entered the Li Manor together as servants.
They shared a long history, and he genuinely wanted her to marry well.
"Two good candidates."
Seeing how much Wei Tu cared, Wei Fei thought carefully before responding.
"The first is a man named Quan Shun. He's an honest man with a clean background. He runs a tea shop—one that you've visited before."
"The second is Yue Jing, a smart and capable errand-runner at the county military office. You've interacted with him before too."
Wei Tu trusted Wei Fei's judgment.
He nodded and said, "I'll let Caixia meet both of them and see which one she prefers."
Since Wei Fei had been the Chief Instructor of the Garrison, he was familiar with the character and reputation of many soldiers.
If he said someone was a good match, it was unlikely there would be any major issues.
Five days later, Caixia met both Quan Shun and Yue Jing.
She ultimately chose Yue Jing—even though his wealth was modest, his future looked promising.
Soon, they were only one step away from finalizing the marriage.
All that remained was for a matchmaker to make a formal proposal.
Seeing this, Wei Tu called Yue Jing to his office at the county military office and spoke frankly.
"Caixia is a good woman. Back at the Li Manor, she valued herself and never served the masters in that way."
"Later, she was taken advantage of…"
Wei Tu briefly explained Caixia's past, though he did not reveal which member of the Li family had wronged her.
This was to protect the Li family's reputation.
Hearing this, Yue Jing hesitated for a moment before giving a straightforward response.
"Sir, us common folks don't care about chastity as much as nobles do."
"Any maidservant released from a wealthy household—especially a beautiful one—everyone knows she likely had relations with the master."
"And yet, these maids are still highly sought after."
Caixia's situation was common.
Among ordinary people, it was similar to how Pan Jinlian from Water Margin had been a maid in a wealthy household before marrying Wu Dalang.
Even though everyone knew her past, Wu Dalang never minded.
It was not unusual for maids from rich families to have been involved with their masters before being married off.
Thus, Wei Tu had never sought an "innocent" man for Caixia.
Rather, he just wanted to find someone with a good heart, willing to treat her well.