I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

When the first snow of the year fell, Qin Li finally led his men back to the capital.

However, Qin Li did not return directly to his Crown Prince's residence. Instead, he took Zhou Biao and followed Cao Quan and the Chen brothers to find a way to make a living.

The three men from the same hometown were traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, but they didn't have much money with them. If Qin Li hadn't been in charge of their food along the way, they would have spent all their money long ago.

With several months to go before next year's imperial examination, they couldn't keep relying on Qin Li, so they had to find a way to make a living while studying.

"My benefactor, you don't need to do this. Even if you don't buy a house in the capital, you could stay in the best inn in the capital for ten years and have more money than you could spend. Why do you have to suffer like this with us?"

The three of them couldn't understand why Qin Li insisted on coming with them.

Qin Li laughed and said, "I already said we came here to experience life. How can we experience life if we stay in an inn? Alright, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and find something to do. If it gets any later, it will be dark. In the dead of winter, if we don't have a place to stay, we'll freeze to death on the street."

Since Qin Li had said so, the three of them couldn't refuse, so they wandered around the city looking for a way to make a living.

In fact, there are quite a few people like them in Beijing.

There are countless impoverished students across the country who spend several months in the capital, incurring considerable expenses. If they don't work part-time while studying, they simply cannot survive, let alone take the imperial examinations.

However, every year at this time, the imperial court would open up many places in the capital to provide free food and lodging for students who came to the capital to take the imperial examinations, demonstrating the court's high regard for the students.

But how can places that are free be enjoyed by truly impoverished students?

Therefore, truly impoverished students had to find other ways.

As darkness fell, the group finally found work in the capital.

A rice shop that provides food and lodging, but no wages.

However, upon looking up at the name of the rice shop, Qin Li exclaimed that he was going home.

The rice shop belonged to none other than Song Qian's family.

"Here you can stay."

The rice shop owner was a short, stout man with a mustache and small, beady eyes; he looked like a very shrewd person.

He led them all to the backyard of the rice shop, pushed open the door of the storeroom, and nodded to them, saying good morning.

This will be the group's residence in the capital from now on.

"This is way too rudimentary! They're making us sleep in the storeroom?"

Looking at the surroundings, Zhou Biao couldn't help but say something.

The warehouse was filled with bags of rice, piled up higher than a small mountain. Dry straw was piled up in the corners. There were no windows in the upper part of the warehouse, and the wind howled in, making it as cold as an ice cellar.

The rice shop owner stroked his mustache and sneered, "Simple? My rice shop is the best on this street. You know the Song family, right? These days, among the imperial merchants, you can't find a better rice shop on this whole street."

"Shopkeeper, that's not what I meant," Zhou Biao explained.

He had no objection to sleeping in the storeroom; he'd even slept in freezing weather before.

But His Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince, has never slept in the storeroom.

If this gets out, people will laugh their heads off.

Besides, if Qin Li gets sick from the cold here, he won't be able to explain it when he gets back.

"So what do you mean?"

The rice shopkeeper glared at him and said, "You poor scholars from the countryside are complaining about my storeroom? My storeroom is much better than the drafty thatched huts in your hometowns."

Zhou Biao wanted to argue further, but the Chen brothers stopped him.

Chen Wangju stepped forward and patted the rice shop owner's chest, saying, "Shop owner, don't be angry, don't be angry. I was just joking with you. This place is like a fairy palace to us. We are only able to stay here because you think highly of us."

Chen Shoutian quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, this place is not shabby at all; it's already very good to be able to stay here."

After saying that, Chen Shoutian couldn't help but glance at Zhou Biao.

He just couldn't stand people like Zhou Biao, Qin Li, and Cao Quan, who came from wealthy families and couldn't endure any hardship.

"That's more like it."

The rice shopkeeper waved his sleeve and said, "You can live here from now on. I'll bring you a few more blankets later, so you can be secretly happy."

After saying this, the rice shop manager flicked his sleeves and left the storeroom, thinking to himself that he had done a great act of kindness.

After the rice shop manager left, Cao Quan packed his luggage and said, "As expected of someone doing business in a big city, they're shrewd, incredibly shrewd."

Chen Shoutian asked, puzzled, "Cao Quan, what do you mean?"

Cao Quan took out all his belongings and said, "Think about it carefully. We are all strong laborers. The shopkeeper only provides food and lodging but does not pay wages, saving a lot of money. He also lets us stay here. He wants us to watch over his storeroom for free, not only to prevent fires and thefts but also to keep out rats from stealing rice. Tell me, isn't he shrewd?"

Chen Shoutian suddenly realized, and couldn't help but sigh, "Merchants, not a single one of them is any good!"

"Alright, bro, stop talking and come tidy up."

"My benefactor, it's less windy inside, so you can sleep on the innermost side. Cao Quan, you can sleep on the inner side too. My brother and I can sleep on the outside," Chen Wangju said.

"How can this be? Wangju, you are the hope of our entire Chen family. You must sleep in the innermost room," Chen Shoutian said.

"Alright, stop arguing. You two surnamed Chen can sleep on the inside, and my benefactor and I can sleep on the outside. I believe my benefactor thinks the same way." After saying that, Cao Quan looked at Qin Li.

Qin Li nodded. Actually, he could sleep anywhere. With his current cultivation level, even if he slept in the wilderness, he wouldn't get cold.

After the group tidied up the place, the shopkeeper sent someone to throw in a few tattered cotton quilts, which were black and obviously unwanted.

But Chen Shoutian was overjoyed, for whether he could survive the winter in the capital depended on these few quilts.

In the dead of night, none of them felt sleepy. Instead, they leaned against the corner of the wall, with thick straw under them and tattered quilts covering them.

The Chen brothers were studying hard, making the most of every minute. This spring imperial examination was an opportunity to change their entire family's fate.

Cao Quan was also reading, but his mind wasn't entirely on the book; he was chatting with Qin Li in a casual manner.

"My benefactor, what do you think the world will become in the future?"

Looking out the window, Cao Quan's gaze fell on the swirling snowflakes and he asked a question.

Qin Li smiled slightly: "Judging from your tone, you seem quite pessimistic."

Cao Quan is not only pessimistic now, but he has been pessimistic all along, always giving people a sense of despondency.

Cao Quan closed the book, rested his head on his hands, and couldn't help but sigh, "I'm not that pessimistic, but I feel that I, Cao Quan, have a lot of skills but nowhere to use them."

"cut!"

Hearing this, Chen Shoutian, who was sleeping at the very back, couldn't help but say:

"Cao Quan, where did you get all these skills? All you do is flirt with young women, do cockfighting, and walk your dogs. If anyone has any skills they don't know how to use, it's my brother Wang Ju."

"Brother, don't talk nonsense," Chen Wangju said.

This is why Cao Quan is easy to talk to and doesn't mind, and he grew up with them.

If anyone else dared to say such things about the landlord's son, the landlord would have stopped renting land to them long ago, and their whole family would have starved to death.

"Wangju, what do you want to do after high school?" Qin Li suddenly asked.

Through his observations along the way, Qin Li discovered that Chen Wangju was a rare talent.

Not only is he intelligent and well-educated, but he is also very tactful in his dealings with others, much better than his older brother Chen Shoutian.

"Of course, we'll return home in glory and become the magistrate of our county. Then we'll see who dares to mess with the Chen family," Chen Shoutian eagerly said.

"Brother, stop talking." Chen Wangju said, somewhat displeased.

Perhaps he shouldn't have brought his brother Chen Shoutian to the capital this time; not only would it not help him, it would also easily cause trouble.

Seeing that his younger brother was really angry, Chen Shoutian quickly shut his mouth. Only then did Chen Wangju say, "My benefactor asked me what I wanted to do after passing the imperial examination? Of course, it's to benefit the people and serve the court."

"Ha ha ha ha……

Suddenly, Cao Quan burst into laughter, a laugh so maniacal it carried a hint of mockery…