Your brother loves woodworking?

Judging from the young man's demeanor, attire, and even the two imposing, clay-sculpted attendants behind him, Jia Yun knew that this man was either rich or noble.

He had the idea that "it's better to avoid trouble," after all, their statuses were worlds apart, and they shouldn't get involved with each other, lest it bring trouble upon themselves.

But for some reason, Jia Yun felt a mix of hope and curiosity, and as if possessed, she followed the young master upstairs.

After the young master went upstairs, he casually waved his hand, and his two towering attendants silently retreated to the door and closed it behind them.

Only the two of them remained sitting in the room. The young man then spoke, "To be honest, my elder brother's birthday is approaching, and I would like to find a unique birthday gift to express my gratitude."

Jia Yun nodded in agreement, "It is only natural to celebrate an elder brother's birthday. You are very kind, young master."

Upon hearing this, the young master sighed softly, a shadow passing over his brow, and said in a low voice, "However, my elder brother contracted a serious illness half a year ago, and his health has not improved since."

"My elder brother has always believed in Huang-Lao philosophy, so I thought I would find someone with good calligraphy to transcribe a copy of the Tao Te Ching for him in meticulous small regular script and bind it into a book. Perhaps this can bring him blessings, calm his mind, and relieve his worries. I always feel that those woodblock printed books on the market are too craftsman-like and lack sincerity."

Jia Yun suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

He pondered for a moment and then cautiously asked, "Young Master's filial piety is admirable. However... in this capital city, there are countless skilled calligraphers, and the major bookstores and literary societies are filled with masters. How could my meager skills possibly meet your standards? I am not being modest, but while my calligraphy is passable, it is hardly worthy of being called exceptionally brilliant."

"You're too modest. In my opinion, your...brother's calligraphy is well-proportioned and elegant, with an inner spirit that already possesses considerable grandeur. It's quite a coincidence, even somewhat absurd. I just happened to be strolling around here today, just looking at things casually."

Upon hearing this question, a rare hint of embarrassment appeared on the young man's face. He raised his hand to touch his nose and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"When I saw the handwriting on the page, I was startled—your handwriting and mine are five or six parts similar in structure and stroke style! Of course, your writing is more calm and refined, and I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to you. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed that such a coincidence could exist in the world."

"Oh?" Jia Yun was also surprised. "Is that so?"

"Words are no proof, brother, you might suspect I'm lying," the young master said, clearly a straightforward person. He immediately raised his voice and said, "Someone outside, go ask the shopkeeper for a set of writing implements."

A soft "Yes" was heard from outside the door, and a short while later a complete set of writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone was brought in.

The young master said to Jia Yun, "To avoid your suspicion, let's each write the two characters 'Shenjing' in ordinary regular script, and it will be obvious at a glance."

Jia Yun nodded, and the two of them picked up their pens, licked their ink sticks, and simultaneously began to write on the two corners of the paper.

A moment later, the two pieces of paper were placed side by side, and even Jia Yun herself was stunned.

But the two "Shenjing" characters, with their structural density, flowing brushstrokes, and even the indescribable charm between pauses and turns, were indeed extremely similar!

Although Jia Yun's calligraphy shows greater skill, a closer look at the direction of his brushstrokes and the connecting strokes reveals that it is indeed written by the same person, only differing in the depth of his skill.

"This..." Jia Yun looked up at the young master, her eyes filled with disbelief.

His calligraphy was the result of years of immersion in his previous life. Although he had won numerous awards, his grandfather had scolded him for his calligraphy being neither fish nor fowl. He never expected to find someone so similar here.

The young master looked at the two pieces of calligraphy, clapped his hands, and laughed, "How about it? I told you they were extremely similar! My elder brother knows my handwriting well; if you had written them on his behalf, he would have thought they were written by me personally. Doesn't this show even more sincerity and earnestness?"

Only then did Jia Yun realize the reason, and he couldn't help but marvel at how wonderful the twists and turns of fate in this world truly were.

He pondered and said, "Although the Tao Te Ching is only a little over five thousand words, copying it carefully in fine calligraphy would be mentally and physically exhausting, and would take quite a long time."

The young master waved his hand, his words revealing his generosity: "Money is no problem! As long as you are willing to accept, the fee can be settled at two coins per word! There is only one condition: every word must be written neatly, without a single alteration or defacement."

"In addition, it is not a regular binding; it needs to be made into an accordion-style book, produced in separate volumes, so that my elder brother can easily read it while lying in bed. And there is an even more important point: it must be finished before the 20th of the twelfth lunar month."

Jia Yun understood that this "accordion-style binding" was like a memorial to the throne, with each page folded up, making it more elegant and convenient to read and preserve, and requiring a higher level of craftsmanship.

Jia Yun weighed the timeline; there were still ten days left. Although the job was mentally taxing, the pay was astonishing, making it a truly rare and lucrative opportunity.

So he nodded in agreement: "Since you have shown me such favor and trust, I will take this job. The payment will be as we agreed before, one coin per word."

When the young master saw that he had agreed, his smile widened, clearly showing his genuine delight.

He then asked, "Where do you currently reside, sir? I will send someone to deliver to you later with specially made gold-ink ink, a purple-tipped brush, and porcelain-blue paper. The paper is of a serene and elegant color, and writing with gold ink makes it most dignified and luxurious, shining brightly when the book is opened."

Jia Yun then gave his address: "Tonight I'll be staying at my home in the west corridor of the back street of Rongguo Mansion. After tomorrow, I'll be at Tiekan Temple, twenty li outside the city."

"The west corridor of Rongguo Mansion? Iron Threshold Temple?" Upon hearing this, the young master raised an eyebrow, a clear look of surprise flashing across his face. "Why would you choose to live in a temple outside the city, brother?"

"It's just to work for the manor and earn a living," Jia Yun replied calmly.

"I see." The young master seemed thoughtful, then suddenly asked, "Do you hold any official rank or title?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the young master realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself, saying, "I was being presumptuous. If you already had official rank, I imagine you wouldn't..."

"I'm still preparing for the exam, hoping to make progress," Jia Yun replied calmly.

"Oh? Are you confident?"

"We'll do our best and leave the rest to fate," Jia Yun replied with a slight smile, his answer perfectly tactful.

Now that the matter had been settled, the young master was about to get up and take his leave. Unexpectedly, Jia Yun suddenly reached out and gently tugged at the corner of his sleeve.

The young master paused, turning back to look at him with a mixture of doubt and curiosity in his eyes: "Is there anything else, brother?"

Jia Yun remained calm and composed, extending his palm and stating bluntly, "Young master, please pay the deposit."

The young master was taken aback at first, then seemed to have heard something extremely ridiculous, and laughed angrily, "What? Are you afraid I'll run away and renege on your debt?"

The young master thought to himself that he was of such noble status that he was usually the one being flattered and fawned over. He had never been asked for a deposit so openly before. This experience was both novel and somewhat annoying.

Jia Yun nodded earnestly: "Exactly. As the saying goes, 'Words are no proof, a written agreement is the best proof.' Besides... you haven't even told me your name. If there's no deposit, I might take another job tomorrow, which would be a pity for you."

"You..." The young master was somewhat speechless with anger at Jia Yun's bluntness. However, Jia Yun's calm demeanor of "it's only natural, no money, no deal" made him unable to vent his nameless anger, and instead he felt somewhat helpless.

The young master snorted sullenly, rummaged through his pockets for a moment, and was slightly embarrassed to find that he had not brought any loose change with him when he went out today.

After hesitating for a moment, he unfastened the white jade dragon pendant from his waist.

The young master stroked it reluctantly for a moment before placing it in Jia Yun's hand: "Here, keep this as collateral! Is that alright? This is one of my most cherished possessions, so please take good care of it. If anything happens to it, watch out for your dog..."

The latter part of the threatening sentence, under Jia Yun's clear gaze, made him unable to utter it.

The young master turned to leave again, but Jia Yun called out to him, "Young master, please wait a moment."

"What is it now?" The young master's tone already carried a hint of genuine impatience. Today's events were something he had never encountered in his life.

Jia Yun calmly cupped his hands and asked, "I would like to ask another question: what other hobbies does your brother have? For example, epigraphy, calligraphy, painting, or other refined objects?"

The young master looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Why do you ask this, brother?"

Jia Yun explained, "Young master's gift of a handwritten copy of the Tao Te Ching to celebrate his elder brother's birthday is certainly a very kind gesture, but its main purpose is to calm the mind, and it is ultimately a common item."

"If we can cater to his preferences, perhaps we can come up with a birthday gift that will make your brother even happier? Perhaps... I can help come up with some novel ideas, who knows?"

Jia Yun thought to himself that he had seen the world in the past, and perhaps he could have some ingenious ideas that were different from those of this era. If he could help and make a good connection, that would be good.

Upon hearing this, the young master stopped in his tracks, his impatience fading as he turned to contemplation.

He hesitated for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, and finally said it almost in a whisper.

"My elder brother... he's fine in other respects, but there's one thing about him that's quite different from ordinary people... he really enjoys doing things himself, like... doing carpentry work."

Jia Yun's heart skipped a beat. Carpentry? This hobby was truly unusual among such distinguished people.

In a flash, he suddenly remembered the Tianqi Emperor from the Ming Dynasty history books of his previous life, who was obsessed with woodworking and neglected state affairs, and he also remembered that the current reign title was "Tianyou".

The emperor's younger brother was also granted the title of Prince Xin... When these clues were pieced together, a thin layer of sweat instantly broke out on his back.

If that's true, then the identity of this young man before us...