Wei Chang hastily wiped away her tears and asked: "What method?"

  "Isn't there a list of successful candidates next spring?" asked Mrs. Mu, "Nowadays, the number of scholars going to take the exam has already reached 70 or 80. Although our Wei family is not considered a prestigious and wealthy family, we have produced officials for three generations, so it shouldn't be difficult for you to become a jinshi!"

  Wei Chang originally heard that Mu Shi said that Uncle and Auntie didn't want to be in the capital themselves, then mentioned having a son-in-law, and thought she could stay in the capital. Who would have thought that it was just to marry her off to a scholar from another place, and couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed, saying: "If he's a successful candidate for the imperial examination, those who are outstanding will definitely pass, if he's young and handsome, many noble ladies will be vying for him, how could I possibly be his match? If he has flaws, Mother, this..."

  She definitely doesn't want someone with flaws.

  Flawless and top-notch ones are basically out of reach; those that are slightly inferior may not have such a big chance of being admitted!

  If I fail to make the list, with so many talented people emerging one after another in this world, who knows when I can make it to high school?

  What if I were to meet someone with great talent but poor fate, who would never succeed in life? Wouldn't I be doomed to be a "scholar's wife" for the rest of my life?

  Although it is already quite good to marry a successful candidate in the eyes of ordinary people, Wei Chan comes from an official family, her aunt is a princess, and her cousin is a first-class imperial decree. Even if she doesn't have any thoughts of seeking power or benefit, the vision she has been exposed to since childhood makes her not think that being a successful candidate is anything special - her aunt's ex-husband Song Yuan, who was abandoned by her aunt, was also a number one scholar!

  Mrs. Mu saw her daughter's discontent and sighed: "Your physical condition can still be covered up! But the matter of you and Mr. Lu San breaking off the engagement is impossible to conceal, a girl who has broken off an engagement once, our family status is not high, even if your uncle and aunt did not intervene, in this capital city where nobles are everywhere, what good marriage can we still get?"

  He lowered his voice again, and whispered in my ear: "The method of disguise is like the real thing, but the fake one is still fake. If you are a young master from a rich family, even if you keep yourself clean and good, it's hard to guarantee that there won't be any experienced old men around who can see through your tricks! What will you do then? On the other hand, those scholars from outside who have humble origins, in order to get their names on the golden list, don't have the time or energy to go out and fool around, they are inexperienced and lack worldly knowledge, so it's easier to deceive them!"

  Wei Chang's face changed, she clenched her fists for a moment, although tears fell in her eyes, but finally nodded: "Then follow mother - but what kind of person did you find for me?"

  "We'd like to help you find someone, but this time it's really not possible!" Mu Shi sighed and said, "Otherwise, as your cousin said, you're only thirteen years old. Even if you break off the engagement with Lu San Gongzi and wait a couple of years before talking about marriage again, it still wouldn't be too late. Now that there are only a few months left until the imperial examination, why bother looking among the examinees? Can't we just wait for the results to come out next year?"

  Seeing her daughter's confusion, she sighed and said, "Because there are really too many people who have made up their minds to become a scholar this year!"

  Wei Chang exclaimed, "How can that be? Although it's also common in previous years for new jinshi to be recruited as sons-in-law by high-ranking families, the imperial capital has many noble families, and in most cases, they still prefer to intermarry with each other!"

  After all, the new jinshi is talented and outstanding, but if he comes from a poor family, in the eyes of the truly powerful and wealthy, his foundation is still too shallow, far less than the benefits brought by a good marriage.

  "That's from the past!" Mu said, pursing her lips. "But now the movements of the two princes vying for the throne are becoming more and more obvious - there is news in the palace that Your Majesty intends to let Prince Zhao enter the court for training after the beginning of spring. This is originally a treatment only the crown prince should have! It can be seen that even if Your Majesty still doesn't have the heart to change the heir, it's also not wholeheartedly maintaining the crown prince!"

  In this case, "those who have the heart of a dragon will naturally want to expand their power greatly. Compared with officials who have already entered officialdom, new jinshi are generally much easier to buy!"

  What about those who don't want to muddy the waters? "They're afraid of delaying their own daughter's youth, and also afraid that if they're not careful in choosing a son-in-law, they'll be dragged down by the other family. And they're unwilling to marry off their daughter at a low price, so apart from choosing those newly-minted scholars who are like blank sheets of paper, where else can they go to pick?"

  Although it is said that one subject should take three to four hundred people, after excluding those who are older, already married, ugly, of noble birth and cannot be approached, and have personality problems, how many can still remain?

  Families that can be called high-ranking and wealthy generally have many children. Even if the daughters are of varying ages, each family has one or two who need to choose a husband at just the right time. In the imperial capital, where members of the royal family and nobles are as common as dogs, their numbers are not small!

  So next year's jinshi on this list became the capital's son-in-law!

  "Our family is not even qualified to fight for you, and we can only hope that your cousin will show mercy again and help you with this matter!" Mu said with a sigh. "Your grandmother said she would rush to cancel the engagement on your behalf, and then let you decide before the wedding day, otherwise, if the other family gets a better offer, they may not even consider you anymore!"

  Wei Chang listened to the mixed flavors, shed tears for a while, and then said: "Sister has been busy lately, you see just now she didn't sit for long before being called away to the Linghu residence. If she still wants to worry about my lifelong major events on top of this, won't it... annoy people?"

  "But now, who else can we ask for help besides her?" Mrs. Mu said helplessly, "Your aunt's side, even if she agrees to help, do we dare accept it? This is a lifelong matter, if you don't thicken your skin now, I'm afraid you'll regret it later!"

  She saw Wei Zhuo biting her lip and not speaking, so she continued, "Your grandmother heard that among the top scholars who went to take the exam, there are a few who have been looking down on each other lately. But tomorrow is the Saint's Birthday Festival, and in a few days it will be the Emperor's Birthday Festival, even the stupidest person wouldn't dare make trouble during these festivals. So she plans to gather at the Peach Blossom Building at the end of the month with her friends and have a literary duel!"

  "When the time comes, I'll ask your older cousin to take you there?"

  Wei Chang hesitated for a while before saying, "If we're going to break off the engagement, I definitely can't continue living here. Otherwise, no matter what reason our family comes up with, others will think that I have something going on with my sister's husband and that's why I want to break off the engagement. Let's break off the engagement first, then talk about this!"

  Ms. Mu didn't force her either, she just said: "I thought you were still sick and couldn't move around. In that case, I'll have your mother go back first and come pick you up the day after tomorrow?"

  After leaving the Yannational government office, Ms. Mu looked at the imperial plaque above the gate through the gap in the curtain, and a complex look appeared in her eyes. She let out a deep sigh before putting down the curtain: "Let's go!"

  At this time, Song Yi Xiao's carriage had just stopped in front of the Song Mansion.

  "It's cold and windy, mother and sister hurry up and get in, don't catch a chill!" Song Yi had originally planned to send the person off and then leave, but unfortunately Lu Shi was not cooperating. After getting out of the car with Song Yi Bao, she did not say goodbye immediately, but instead stood still by the side of the carriage.

  Seeing this situation, she had no choice but to get off the bus as well. With a polite tone, she said, "It's going to snow again - Mother and sister can't stand in the wind like that?"

  She was already eager to leave, but Lu Shi hesitated: "In this wind and snow, the eldest daughter of the Song family has arrived at our doorstep, specially sending us mother and daughter back. How can we not invite her in for a cup of tea or a meal? But what about Mother-in-law and Father-in-law's attitude towards her..."

  At a loss between right and wrong, the tightly closed gate suddenly opened - Song Yuan in purple fox fur, accompanied by two attendants, happened to step out of the door!

  "Daddy!" Song Yibao turned around and looked up, suddenly delighted, "Daddy's hug!"

  "Behave yourself!" But upon hearing this, Lu was secretly shocked - her daughter usually acted spoiled with her husband, but now she's doing it in front of her older half-sister! Who in the Song family didn't know that Eldest Miss Song had been driven out of the house by her own grandmother and father?!

  What kind of mood would Song Yixiao be in now that she sees her younger half-sister being treasured by their father?!

  Even a three-year-old child, no matter how well-behaved, can't understand so much. Scolded by his mother, he shrunk his head in grievance, but still gazed at his father with eyes full of affection that cannot be expressed in words.

  "Father!" Lu was shocked and furious, but Song Yi smiled calmly, her eyes only meeting Song Yuan's for a moment before she bowed down, saying warmly, "It's been a long time since we last met, Father looks healthier than usual, I suppose it's due to Mother's careful care."

  Song Yuan looked at her and didn't say a word. He first bent down to pick up his little daughter, then calmly asked, "What are you doing here?"

  "It was Yixiao who sent us back." Lu's heart sighed repeatedly, her daughter was young and didn't understand things, but her husband was also adding fuel to the fire. She could only try her best to mediate, saying: "Just now, our car broke down on the halfway point between the village and the store, if Yixiao hadn't passed by and sent us back with her car, we'd probably still be stuck on the road!"

  She then took out the hand warmer from her pocket and turned it on, "This hand warmer was also given to me by Yishiao, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to take it!"

  She thought that by saying so, her husband should have said some soft words even if he didn't like their eldest daughter.

  Song Yuan didn't even glance at Song Yi, but instead looked at the little girl who was being playful in her arms and said coldly: "You're her mother, Bao'er is her younger sister. On such a cold day, you two are stranded by the road. If she hadn't passed by, it would be fine, but since she did see you, if she doesn't lend a hand, is she still human?"

  Lu said: "......"

  "Dad is absolutely right." Song Yi smiled, having learned from this father's ruthlessness in her past and present lives. Song Yuan's response was entirely within her expectations. She still managed to smile and say, "I told you, Mother, you're being too polite - look at the snowstorm getting worse, you're pregnant, and my sister is young, let's hurry inside!"

  Lu had always been obedient to her husband, but at this moment, she felt a burning sensation on her face and was so embarrassed that she couldn't express it in words. She couldn't say anything to blame her husband, but she couldn't stay there any longer either. Tightly pursing her lips, she took Song Yibao from Song Yuanhua and hastily said: "Thanks for your help today, be careful on your way back!"

  He carried his daughter and took three steps back and two steps forward before entering the gate, it was simply a chaotic retreat!

  She just left, but Song Yuan was still standing there, his eyes deep and staring at Song Yixiao, saying: "Your mother and sister's car broke down, and it happened to be you who encountered them, which is also a coincidence."

  His previous partiality, Song Yi Xiao's followers could still tolerate.

  But this remark clearly implies that Song Yixiao's intention in sending Lu Shi and her mother back was not pure!

  As a father, he repaid kindness with enmity to this extent. Although the servants like Cui Jin and Li Yu were restrained by their status and didn't dare to be presumptuous, they all showed some signs of annoyance on their faces.

  Fortunately, Song Yixiao was still calm and said steadily: "It's not that coincidental. Lord Huo is in mourning, I met him on my way back to the mansion after paying condolences at the Huo residence. Otherwise, I wouldn't normally walk down that street."

  “……I'm leaving, you should go back too.” Song Yuan furrowed his brow upon hearing this, but didn't say anything else. He nodded slightly and led the two attendants down the steps——Song Yi Xiao bowed her knees behind him and said respectfully: “The road is slippery with snow, Father, please walk slowly!”

  The horse carriage had not gone far from the Song Mansion when Cui Xian could no longer hold back her anger, and she exclaimed: "Milady, it's not that this servant is talking too much, but Master has been too overbearing! You didn't mind past grievances and sent his mother and wife back home, yet he still...!"

  "That's always my dad!" Song Yi smiled, closing her eyes and leaning against the car door, hiding her true emotions: although she had been prepared for a long time, how could she really be unmoved when facing it?

  She tried to speak in a nonchalant tone, "Besides, he may not necessarily be suspicious of me, maybe he was just making small talk? Later I explained the reason and he didn't say anything, did he?"

  Qiao Xian used to be a servant of Wei Mengying - when did Wei Mengying ever suffer such humiliation? Listening to her words, she felt even more suffocated: "The aunt is not a good person either! If it weren't for Madam today, how could she and the second miss have arrived home so smoothly? Just now, when the uncle was speaking, she actually walked away!!!

  "She's pregnant, and the Song family still doesn't have a male heir. What if something goes wrong? I personally escorted her back, just in case she catches cold with Second Sister. She should be grateful for my kindness! You should have gone inside earlier!" Song Yi's mood was already bad, and Cui Chen's words, although spoken on her behalf, were like poking at her wound. She couldn't help but say angrily, "You're giving me a headache - all of you be quiet!"

  Good fortune never comes in pairs and misfortune never comes alone, this is probably what happened to Song Yi Xiao today.

  She had just rebuked Cui Xian, when the carriage suddenly made a loud "crash" and swayed violently to the left!

  The master and servant were almost rolled into a ball!

  Qiao Xin rushed over to help Song Yixiao while scolding the carriage driver: "You rascal! How did you drive the carriage?!"

  The coachman was also frightened: "Madam, spare me! The snow is falling too fast, covering up the potholes on the road..."

  "Hurry up and get the car out!" Chuo Jin impatiently interrupted, "You've hurt Madame, be careful with your skin!"

  A moment later, the master and servant reluctantly got out of the carriage wrapped in fox fur, looking at each other in dismay as they gazed at the carriage wheel hub that had clearly changed shape: Alright, now it's their turn for the carriage to break down, but they've only walked less than half the distance to the Yan State Duke's mansion!