Time flies, and the provincial examination is approaching. The provincial examination did not attract much attention in the capital. Recently, the hot topic in the capital is the wedding of the second prince.
The second prince's wedding date has been set, and it will be after the college entrance examination. Because the Ministry of Rites had secretly prepared in advance, there was no rush.
The eldest son of the Li family got the task, and with the assistance of the Sixth Son of Wen, he did a good job. Recently, the second prince has also been visiting the Li family frequently, so the Li family has become more cautious.
At the Zhou Marquis's residence, Li asked uncertainly, "Mother, what gift should we give to the Second Prince for his wedding?"
"Just half of the prince's."
Li had a clear idea in her mind, "My daughter-in-law knows it."
Zhu Lan added: "Send a gift to the Li family as well. The gift should be half of what you gave to the Second Prince."
"The Second Prince's Consort's home?"
Li was puzzled, as the two families had never performed any formalities.
Zhulan motioned Yujiao to write honestly, raised her head and said: "Well, the Li family's foundation is still a little weak, but there will be a lot of gifts, so don't fall behind."
She was sure that the Prince of Qi and others would send a gift. They were all capable of guessing the emperor's mind. A gift might not be much, but it could save the royal family's face and make up for the emperor's guilt. They were all very smart!
Li felt that she still lacked a lot and had a lot to learn.
Zhulan also said: "The nobles of the Li family should pay more attention to the taboos when giving gifts."
"My daughter-in-law doesn't know much about the Li family, so I'll send someone to find out."
"Well, thank you for your hard work."
Li smiled, "It's not hard."
Yujiao waited for her aunt to leave, then put down the pen in her hand and said, "Grandma, it's really hard to be the mistress of a family."
"Yes, the hardest part is maintaining the network of relationships."
Yu Jiao, "Sister Yu Lu is tired too. Every time I go to the Wang family to see my sister, she is always busy."
I have to look for Sister Yu Lu for everything, as if I can't live without her.
Zhulan tapped the table with her fingertips, "Don't try to kill time, just keep writing, your sister is still waiting for your homework!"
Yu Jiao wailed, "My sister is too strict."
Zhulan tapped her granddaughter's forehead and said, "You are such a heartless girl. Your sister is doing this for your own good. You should cherish the present life."
Yujiao looked depressed. The motherly love of an elder sister was too heavy!
In Pingzhou City, Changzhong and his party were very low-key when they arrived at the city. Several horse-drawn carriages drove into the Zhou family's house in Pingzhou. Even though it was low-key, it still attracted the attention of the neighbors.
The Zhou family is too famous in Pingzhou. If they were not cautious and low-key, the door of the Zhou family would have been trampled down. Every time the door of the house in Pingzhou is opened, it means that another child of the Zhou family has come to take the exam.
This time, those who were well-informed knew that the youngest son of Marquis Zhou in the capital, the younger brother of the Princess of Qin, had returned to take the examination for the scholar and had won the first place in the county examination.
Some people in Pingzhou City had been waiting early, but no one showed up after waiting for a long time. When the servants guarding near the house saw the carriage arrive, they ran away quickly to inform the police.
Changzhong and Minghui's personal servants were carefully selected, and the guards who came back with them were highly skilled in martial arts and noticed them before they even entered the yard.
The gate closed, and the group got off the carriage. The guard came forward and said, "Young Master, there are people guarding the door."
Changzhong walked in and said, "If someone sends me an invitation, I'll accept it. No one will come as the provincial examination is approaching. As for gifts, I'll refuse them."
Guard, "Yes."
The house has always been guarded by someone. Before the palace examination, the clan leader sent people to take care of it, and the rooms for the group have been divided.
Changzhong and Minghui lived together. Minghui didn't even have the chance to hide the newspaper. As soon as he entered the room, he lay down on the bed and didn't move. "I'm so tired."
"You've been eating all the way here, I don't see how tired you are."
Minghui, "I eat because it's boring."
Changzhong kicked Minghui's shoes and said, "Get up and read. Don't stop reading just because you think you can succeed. Many people fail because of carelessness."
Minghui thought he was not a careless person, so he got up and read. He took out the book he wanted to read and said, "Uncle, you won't have any free time after the prefectural exam. Why don't we wait until we get to the courtyard?"
Changzhong glanced at him and said, "Just stay here until the entrance exam is over."
Minghui: "Oh."
Half an hour later, the doorman received a lot of letters. The servant came in with the letters. Minghui put down the book in his hand and looked through the letters.
Minghui pulled out the Zhao family's invitation, "Tsk tsk, they actually dared to send an invitation. Lord Zhao has taken refuge with the Wang family."
Chang Zhong didn't even raise his head. "The Zhao family didn't expect us to reply to the post. The Zhao family just followed the crowd and sent it here."
The Zhao family was afraid that if they didn't send the invitation, the Zhou family would think too much.
Minghui also reacted, "I'm being more cautious this time."
Chang Zhong, "The Zhao family relies on the Wang family, no matter which family dares to offend our Marquis' Mansion."
Naturally, the Zhao family had to treat the matter with caution. They had some affection for each other before, but now all of it was gone. The Zhao family was deeply afraid of making any mistake and getting into trouble.
Minghui took out the prefect's letter again, "The prefect's son's letter."
Chang Zhong, "I heard that the prefect's term is about to expire. He wants to follow in his father's footsteps."
Minghui clicked his tongue twice, "It's better to stay in Zhoujia Village."
When I have nothing to do, I teach the children in the clan school or discuss academic matters with the younger members of the clan. There are not so many twists and turns to disturb my leisure.
Time passed quickly, and the provincial examination was over in a blink of an eye. All that was left was to wait for the results to be announced. In the capital, Zhulan had already met Miss He's grandmother. The two met in a temple. The old lady of the He family brought her two granddaughters, a concubine's daughter who had already married, and Miss He.
Zhulan and Suxuan brought Yuwen and her siblings. After investigation and understanding, Suxuan was very satisfied with He Sishi and even drew a portrait of the girl for Mingjia to see.
When the two families met, Zhulan and the old lady of the He family went to worship Buddha together. The old lady did not mention her granddaughter, but asked: "I heard that the youngest son of the lady returned to his hometown to take the examination for the scholar. I heard from the master that the young master is very smart and will definitely get a good score."
In fact, what the master said most was that the young master of the Zhou family was surrounded by either the Fourth Prince or the future Prince Consort. It was rare for him to be able to keep a stable mind at such a young age. Marquis Zhou knew how to educate his children.
Zhulan smiled and said, "It's your good wish."
When her son's county examination results were sent back to the capital, her reaction was reasonable. Her son's teachers were either the top scorer or the second place in the imperial examination, and he had also taken classes from great scholars. She was looking forward to her son taking the top scorer position and bringing it back for the family.
Zhu Lan looked at the illegitimate daughter of the He family who was kneeling in the distance, "I have long heard that the He family is kind to their offspring. Today I see how kind the He family is."
The old lady turned her head to look at her illegitimate granddaughter, "I can't say I treat her equally, but I haven't treated her harshly either."
Zhulan's good impression of the He family also comes from this. The He family did not mistreat their illegitimate daughters, and they were careful in choosing marriages for their illegitimate children. They did not treat them as tools to be exploited.
Even though the He family has a concubine's child, the backyard is considered peaceful in the capital.
On the other side, Yuwen and He Sishi went to see the scenery together. The two had met each other more often recently. Miss He was trying to please Yuwen, and Yuwen was trying to get along with her, so the two became much closer.
Su Xuan pushed her son and said, "You saw the real person today. Tell me how you feel?"
Mingjia was a chatterbox when he was young, but he changed a lot when he grew up and became a calm young man. The boy's ears turned red, "Mom, this is not the place to talk."
Su Xuan curled her lips, "You are not as decisive as your sister. If your mother had not been more decisive, you and your sister would not have been born."