I am the villain in the book

The next day.

Early in the morning, Duan Fangping and the other three hurriedly left the small courtyard and began to prepare for the assassination of Jing Guoqing in advance, according to Wei Changtian's arrangement last night.

The latter, however, stayed in bed for another half an hour, and only got up slowly when the sun was high in the sky, deciding to take a casual stroll around the capital of Daqian today.

After getting dressed and washing up briefly, he stepped out of the small courtyard.

The courtyard where Duan Fangping and the others were staying was in the north of the city, in a very remote location, and most of the residents around were scholars from other places.

They had come to the capital in advance to prepare for the imperial examination in August, probably in order to have a quiet place to study during this final period, so they rented a place here.

Of course, to be able to rent a house here to "prepare for the exam", these people's families must be quite well-off, at least "middle class" or above.

As for those with ordinary family circumstances, they can only set off for the exam when it is near, which is not as leisurely as these people, but fortunately the cost is very low.

Unlike the previous life, supporting a scholar in this world is not cheap, and even the number of literate people is not many.

After all, "compulsory education" has nothing to do with feudal society.

Studying in private schools, buying books, and hiring teachers—if you want to pass the imperial examination and not just know a few words, these are all necessary expenses, which poorer families simply cannot afford, and ordinary families have to tighten their belts to support one person's studies.

In comparison, the path of "cultivation" is much easier to take.

As long as all eight main meridians are open, meeting the minimum requirements to become a martial artist, then you only need to find a martial arts school to learn an internal skill, and in a few years you can join the army or find a job in the yamen.

Even if you are just a servant for those wealthy families, the monthly salary is not low.

If you have good talent and can break through to the middle three ranks, then it is definitely considered a "meteoric rise", and the whole family can benefit from it.

It's just a pity that "Heaven is unfair", and not everyone can cultivate.

Therefore, although this is a world of cultivation, for the vast majority of living beings, "studying" is still the only way to climb the social ladder.

"Ancient sages' teachings, earnestly instruct you."

"Collect rhymes and expand knowledge, see and hear more."

"Observe the present and learn from the past, without the past there is no present."

A slightly rigid reading sound echoed in the alley, and a young man in a blue shirt was holding a book and shaking his head under an old willow tree.

Wei Changtian glanced at him as he passed by, thinking that this person might be wasting his time.

It's not that Wei Changtian has the "ability to recognize people" and has already seen that this man in the blue shirt will definitely not pass the exam.

It's just that this year's imperial examination in Daqian is likely to be unable to be held as usual.

Once Jing Guoqing dies tomorrow, the Daqian court will be in chaos.

In addition to the subsequent "change of dynasty", it is unknown how long this turmoil will last, and by then, who will care about such trivial matters as the imperial examination.

"Oh."

The man in the blue shirt seemed to still be immersed in the "ocean of knowledge", and although he agreed verbally, he didn't move his feet.

The maid didn't urge him either, seemingly accustomed to this, just standing aside and waiting.

A scholar going to the capital for the exam, a maid accompanying him to serve.

Their identities and relationship are very clear, and besides showing that the man in the blue shirt's family is indeed well-off, there seems to be nothing more worth noting.

But Wei Changtian, who had already walked a few steps away, suddenly paused after hearing the voice and casually looking back.

Because the maid's appearance was very similar to You Jia, who had been "out of contact" for nearly two years.

After walking out of the alley, he casually ate breakfast by the roadside.

Today during the day, Wei Changtian first went around the Imperial Palace, then ran to the Meridian Gate to "survey the area", and finally listened to storytelling in a teahouse for a while, and unknowingly it was already near dusk.

Although he did a lot of things, Wei Changtian was a little absent-minded from beginning to end, and the maid's appearance would pop into his mind from time to time.

In fact, Wei Changtian knew very well that the latter was absolutely impossible to be You Jia.

Not only did the age and height not match, but even the appearance was somewhat different.

To put it bluntly, the two were just similar in appearance.

The world is so big, there is nothing strange about two people looking alike.

For example, Wei Changtian couldn't tell Xia Yu and Zhang Yishan apart for a long time in his previous life.

So, this was undoubtedly just a coincidence.

Of course, if it were someone else, they might spend money to buy the maid or simply snatch her away to make up for some "regret" in their hearts.

Although Wei Changtian would not do such a thing, however...

After casually buying a few boxes of pastries in a dim sum shop, he walked into the alley in the setting sun and stopped at the gate of the small courtyard where the man in the blue shirt lived.

Wei Changtian hesitated for a moment, and then reached out and knocked on the courtyard door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"."

"Creak ~"

Not long after, accompanied by a burst of light footsteps, the courtyard door opened, and it was the maid who came to open the door.

"This young master, I wonder if you..."

Blinking her eyes, the maid should have some impression of the encounter this morning, so now her eyes are just a little curious and not wary.

"Oh, I just moved here yesterday and live in the courtyard next door."

Looking at the red little face in front of him, Wei Changtian suddenly had a feeling of being in another world.

But he quickly regained his composure and explained with a smile:

"When I passed by this morning, I saw your young master reading, and I knew he was here to take the imperial examination."

"It just so happens that I am also here to take the exam, so I wanted to pay a visit so that we can take care of each other in the future."

"Ah, so that's how it is."

The maid immediately stepped aside and said, "Young master, please come in quickly."

"."

Perhaps it was because she was simple-minded and had no precautions against others.

Or perhaps it was because Wei Changtian's face was too deceptive and didn't look like a bad person at all.

Or perhaps because the surrounding residents were all scholars who were about to participate in the Beijing examination, this kind of thing had happened before.

In short, the maid did not doubt Wei Changtian's statement, and even without going into the house to ask the man in the blue shirt, she immediately let him into the small courtyard.

"This young master, my young master is still reading in the house."

"Please sit in the hall for a moment, I will go and call him out..."

Walking ahead to lead the way, the maid's voice was crisp, and it was a bit similar to You Jia's.

"Okay, thank you, miss."

Wei Changtian followed behind, walking and looking up at the hairpin in her hair.

Obviously, it was not the one he gave to You Jia.

But the pendant was indeed in the shape of a peach blossom.

The summer sunset was quite poetic, the afterglow sprinkled gold, and a ray of sunset fell on the peach blossom pendant, reflecting a little pink.