At first, Qin Ke was still able to rely on his solid mahjong skills to win a few rounds. But before long, he realized that none of the tiles he needed ever seemed to appear. He quietly glanced at Lu Youqing, who was pressing her lips together in thought.
After Lu Youqing won several rounds in a row, Qin Ke asked in disbelief, "My dear… you didn't memorize the tiles, did you?"
Cui Yuanyuan and Li Nanqiao both turned to look as well.
Lu Youqing didn't understand the deeper implications. She raised her head with an innocent expression. "What's wrong? Is that not allowed?"
She genuinely didn't think this was anything noteworthy.
Qin Ke choked.
He had forgotten—his wife was a true scholar. While she might not possess perfect photographic memory, she could recite entire texts after reading them only a few times. Memorizing a few dozen tiles was hardly a challenge.
"It's nothing," Qin Ke said with a smile. "I just think my wife is incredible."
He didn't tell her that playing like this would earn her everyone's hatred. He didn't want to ruin her enjoyment.
They had come mainly to relax anyway. Lu Youqing and Cui Yuanyuan were both sitting for the academy examination the next day—this wasn't the time to get carried away with games. After just two rounds, they wrapped things up.
Once they had sent Cui Yuanyuan home, Qin Ke was finally able to pull Lu Youqing into his arms. Earlier, at Jade Pool Immortal Baths, he had seen her after bathing—skin like snow, translucent and luminous, like jade in sunlight, serene and beautiful. If not for others being present, he would have already hugged and kissed her without restraint.
"Once Jade Pool Immortal Baths opens, business will surely be booming," Lu Youqing said, relaxing obediently against him.
Women had few forms of entertainment to choose from. Jade Pool Immortal Baths offered not only bathing but also many group activities—especially mahjong. Even after playing for such a short while, she had found it genuinely enjoyable.
Let alone those who spent their days shut indoors with nothing to do.
Qin Ke laughed softly. She really thought he had taken her there just to try it out.
"Alright, don't worry about these things," he said gently. "Today, you just need to rest well."
In truth, Qin Ke was uneasy. The weather was cold, and the academy examination lasted three full days, during which candidates were not allowed to leave. Though the women's examination conditions were better than the men's, they were still harsh.
Lu Youqing had never stopped exercising, but her physique was still rather delicate. He didn't know if she could endure all three days.
Lu Youqing, however, had already prepared herself mentally. Besides, Qin Ke had done everything possible to prepare for her—far more than most impoverished scholars ever received.
Compared to the provincial examination, the academy examination followed a similar overall process, but its regulations were far stricter. Male and female candidates were examined separately. The women's examination hall had female proctors, and each candidate was given a small individual cubicle.
During the three days of the exam, meals were provided at set times by the examination hall. If one needed to use the restroom, an attendant would escort them.
Very few women participated in the academy examination, so Lu Youqing didn't need to queue. After her luggage was inspected, she was led inside.
As the proctor walked past her during rounds, she saw Lu Youqing fully focused on her answers, brush moving smoothly like flowing clouds, her handwriting elegant and lively. The proctor couldn't help but glance at her a few extra times.
Lu Youqing noticed none of this. All her attention was fixed on the examination paper.
After Lu Youqing entered the examination hall, Qin Ke returned to Lixiang Courtyard with Li Nanqiao. That night, lying alone on the bed, he tossed and turned.
Ever since he and Lu Youqing had begun sharing a bed, they had hardly been apart. Now, lying alone in the empty space, he found it deeply unsettling.
Qin Ke stared at the ceiling, wide awake.
He wondered how his wife was doing in the examination hall. Had she eaten properly? In such cold weather, could she even sleep?
The more he thought, the more anxious he became. Afraid of spiraling further, he forced himself to change focus and opened the system marketplace.
Since arriving in Jinzhou, he had been constantly busy and hadn't checked it in a long time. When he finally opened it now, he noticed several new items had appeared.
Qin Ke froze for a moment, then subconsciously glanced around. Though the room was clearly empty, it was an instinctive reaction born of embarrassment.
Thankfully, only he could see the items in the system marketplace. Otherwise, this would have been a mortifying scene. After hesitating for a long while, he couldn't help but click on it.
One box only cost one point, but it contained just ten units. Being disposable items, they wouldn't last long at all.
After arriving in Jinzhou, Qin Ke had once gone alone to a medical clinic. He deliberately chose a time when there were few people and asked the physician about contraception.
In the original owner's memories, there was no information on this topic. Ancient people valued having many children, and most families never even considered contraception.
There was no one in his village he could ask, so he had gone to the clinic instead. If he wanted a safe method, consulting a physician was the most reliable option.
Most importantly, the doctor didn't know him—and he wouldn't have to see him again—so Qin Ke could shamelessly ask.
However, the answers disappointed him greatly. The contraceptive methods were limited to just a few.
One involved mercury—adding a small amount to tea or daily food to prevent pregnancy.
Even Qin Ke knew mercury was toxic.
Another involved inserting silk oil paper, rags, or sponges into a woman's body as a physical barrier.
There was also the method of placing musk on a woman's navel to prevent conception. Applied this way, it would permanently destroy her fertility.
Anyone who had watched palace dramas knew what musk did.
No matter which method it was, all of them harmed the woman's body. Unwilling to give up, Qin Ke repeatedly asked if there was a harmless method that targeted men instead.
The physician stared at him in bafflement for a long time. In all his years of practice, he had never been asked such a question.
Qin Ke had felt both furious and sorrowful. As a man, things were far too easy—only his own pleasure mattered, while a woman's well-being was expendable. In matters that both sides could share responsibility for, women were always the ones sacrificed.
Men would never choose a solution that harmed themselves.
He didn't know when this item had appeared in the marketplace. Perhaps it had shown up the moment he had begun thinking about it.
Though it couldn't solve the problem at its root, it was at least a temporary measure. Qin Ke secretly redeemed one box and immediately tossed it into his storage space like a hot potato.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several new medicinal items had appeared as well. Remembering what the system had said before, a sense of unease crept into his heart.
These three days were difficult for Lu Youqing, but for Qin Ke they felt endless. He had no mind for anything else, each moment dragging on unbearably.
When the three days finally ended, Qin Ke arrived early at the examination hall with Nanqiao to wait.
He didn't know how many times he had paced back and forth before the dark red gates finally opened. Then he saw that familiar, slightly haggard figure.
Lu Youqing felt her steps waver. Seeing Qin Ke running toward her, she managed only a faint smile before everything went black.
---
Extra Scene
Qin Ke didn't know that the clinic he had visited was also owned by the Gu family. He didn't recognize the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper recognized him.
So within a few days, the matter reached Gu Lanxi's ears.
Listening to her subordinate report that Qin Ke had stubbornly asked that question multiple times, Gu Lanxi couldn't help but laugh softly.
---
Currently at chapter 246 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08