After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 568 The Treasure Map at the Poetry Gathering

"Lord Qiu! You've come too?"

"Oh dear, Lord Jiang, when you're out and about, you should pay attention to your manners!"

Qiu Feng, suppressing a laugh, handed his father an embroidered, shimmering brocade handkerchief. Jiang Xiaoqi glanced at the golden handkerchief and wanted to say that cotton cloth actually absorbs water better.

"Ahem, I'm so sorry, I really apologize."

"Alright, alright, let's just forget about it since we're all working at the Hanlin Academy!"

When Qiu Cheng said this, he covered half of his face with the handkerchief his son had given him and gave Jiang Xiaoqi a wink, which shocked Jiang Xiaoqi to the core.

This Lord Qiu, he really hasn't changed at all. You seem to want everyone to know that the two of you have something going on.

Jiang Xiaoqi didn't change seats to avoid suspicion, as that would have made it even more obvious.

Qiu Feng surprised Jiang Xiaoqi; the boy was more mature than his father.

That's true; the more unreliable the father in a family, the earlier the child will learn to be independent.

Jiang Xiaoqi thought of her father, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time. Hmm? It really has been a long time since her father made an appearance!

I wonder what Dad has been busy with lately. Does he spend all his time with his fishing rod?

After Jiang Xiaoqi returned to Beijing, she no longer needed to send things back to maintain contact. Now that they were closer, it seemed that she had even less contact with her nominal father.

The monthly allowances for Master Qian and Master Xing are now directly drawn from the profits of Liuxiang Pavilion by Wenbin, with settlements made quarterly and additional bonuses and red envelopes given at the end of the year.

Once things calm down, I can go to Tongzhou to take a look, since Tongzhou Wharf is a good place for shipbuilding.

Then I can also take a look at my unreliable old man.

"Achoo, ah~choo~, achoo!"

First, I think about it; second, I curse it; third, I worry about it. I sneezed three times—was someone thinking about me?

Is it the father or the son?

Jiang Wenqing cast another line, the arc of which was quite perfect and beautiful.

Despite being in his forties and exposed to the elements every day while fishing, he shows few signs of aging; he is truly blessed by heaven.

'Hmph, what's the use of thinking about it? It's been so long, half a year, and nobody's paid any attention to me!'

Jiang Wenqing muttered to himself, seemingly feeling somewhat aggrieved.

He may be a bit unambitious, but we can't just ignore him or pretend he doesn't exist!

These occasional thoughts won't let me find peace, they won't!

Jiang Xiaoqi didn't believe she could have any telepathic connection with her adoptive father, but she felt inexplicably guilty at the moment, and she didn't know why.

Cough cough, I must have just sprayed tea and felt embarrassed.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang!"

"Oh? Sorry, I was thinking about something else."

"It's alright, I only called you because you seemed lost in thought. The Tong family has announced their lucky draw for this year, guess what it is?"

Jiang Xiaoqi, of course, didn't hear it; she was thinking about her cheap father.

However, Li Mo heard it and was about to tell his master when Qiu Feng interrupted him.

"Hey! You little rascal, stop talking! Let your master guess for himself! There'll be a reward if he guesses right!"

Jiang Xiaoqi smiled helplessly and began to think.

I heard Liu Peng say a few days ago that the Tong family has always been extremely generous with their poetry gatherings, and the prizes in previous years were extremely rare and sought-after by literati.

However, since Qiu Feng specifically asked, we can't follow common sense; this year's poetry festival must be something special.

All sorts of rare and precious treasures flashed through his mind, but he crossed them all out and rejected them.

“I guess… it’s a luminous glass lamp that was brought as tribute from the Western Regions?” Jiang Xiaoqi said tentatively.

Qiu Feng shook his head, a sly look on his face. "No, no, guess again."

Jiang Xiaoqi frowned, carefully recalling the Tong family's preferences and the prizes they had won at past events. Suddenly, a thought struck him, "Could it be a rare, ancient book treasured by the Tong family?"

Qiu Feng's eyes lit up. "Oh, it's getting close, but it's still not right."

Jiang Xiaoqi scratched his head, pretending to be troubled.

At this moment, Qiu Cheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Lord Jiang, here's a little hint: the prize is related to gold and silver jewelry, but it's not actually gold and silver jewelry."

Jiang Xiaoqi's eyes widened instantly, and she knew the answer in her heart.

"Really? It's a treasure map?"

Qiu Feng clapped his hands and laughed, "You got it right! As expected of Lord Jiang, you're really sharp-minded."

However, the reward for guessing correctly is a box of Chen Ji's latest limited-edition pastries!

Jiang Xiaoqi was both amused and exasperated. Chen's Pastry Shop really does keep the good stuff within its own ranks.

"You have no idea, there have been rumors for a long time that the Tong family has a treasure map from the previous dynasty, and I never expected that it would actually be true!"

Tell me, what is the meaning behind the Tong family bringing out this treasure map as a prize for the poetry gathering at this time?

Why didn't they keep the treasure for themselves to search for? Isn't that just handing over countless gems to someone else? Are the Tong family really that stupid?

Qiu Cheng asked a series of questions, then looked at his son on the left and Jiang Xiaoqi on the right.

"Father, could this treasure map be incomplete? Or perhaps the Tong family has actually been searching for it secretly for many years but hasn't found it, so they're using it as a prize?"

Qiu Feng's words made some sense, but Qiu Cheng still kept his eyes on Jiang Xiaoqi.

"Ahem, what Young Master Qiu said makes some sense, but it's also possible that the Tong family has already found most of the treasures and left some scraps to appease those who want to get rich."

As soon as Jiang Xiaoqi finished speaking, the Qiu father and son's eyes widened, and they exclaimed in unison, "Is it really that mean?"

"Ahem, keep your voice down."

Jiang Xiaoqi was glad that they were sitting in a relatively secluded spot, so no one had noticed what they were saying yet.

"Oh my, I got so excited! Wow, the Tong family really knows how to pull this off!"

"Um, what I just said was just a guess, just a guess, don't take it seriously."

For some reason, Qiu Cheng didn't take his son Qiu Feng's words seriously, but the words of his young colleague Jiang Xiaoqi made him feel instantly that they were the right answer.

At this moment, the surrounding people's discussions gradually grew louder. Jiang Xiaoqi's five senses were very sensitive, and she could hear clearly even from a distance. However, the more she listened, the more she felt that something was wrong.