059 Big Brother's Prestige

"Father, why are you so happy?" Xie Wenjing asked as she walked over.

Over the past few days, Xie Wenjing had remained very vigilant toward Wenbao, keeping her eyes glued to her younger brother almost all day long. However, seeing him quietly and obediently studying alongside their cousin Wenfeng brought her a great deal of comfort.

"Your brother is holding a grudge against you for tying him up and making him kneel as punishment! He says that as soon as we have another little brother or sister, he's going to follow your example and tie them up to make them kneel too! But your brother is soft-hearted; he says that if we don't have any more little brothers or sisters, he'll let it slide and won't tie them up for punishment! Hahaha!"

Xie Chengyu laughed heartily, his health having improved significantly. His son was also starting to show maturity; although his words sounded like he was harboring a grudge against Wenjing, they actually stemmed from a touch of jealousy, driven by the fear that his parents might not love him anymore.

"Wenjing, don't listen to your father's nonsense!" Dujuan could hardly bear it, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. Her husband was impossible—how could he bring this up in front of the children?

"That sounds great! In the future, any younger brothers or sisters we have will be placed entirely under Wenbao's discipline. If they refuse to study, we'll whip them with bamboo strips. If they misbehave and talk back to their elders, we'll make them kneel—kneeling for a whole day! If they dare to sneak out without telling anyone, we'll drag them back, hang them up, and whip them until they beg for mercy and swear never to do it again. Wenbao, you'll really have the majestic air of an older brother then, won't you?"

Xie Wenjing said this with a smile, seemingly joining in the joke, yet her words sent a cold shiver straight down Xie Wenbao's spine.

So his sister had actually gone easy on him by *not* hanging him up and beating him mercilessly when he sneaked out?!

"Don't talk such nonsense!" Dujuan couldn't bear to listen any longer. What on earth was all this talk about hanging people up and whipping them?

"Wenbao wants to be an older brother, doesn't he? To be a big brother, you have to set a good example yourself before you can discipline your younger siblings! If they truly misbehave and refuse to listen to reason, how can you keep them in line without a whipping? Right, Wenbao?"

Xie Wenjing pressed her advantage, secretly using this to overawe her stubborn little brother. She wanted to hint to him that misbehavior would still result in a beating!

Xie Wenbao puffed out his cheeks angrily. This older sister of his only ever knew how to bully him!

Still, if his parents really did have a baby brother or sister, and there were two more troublemakers for her to manage, wouldn't his own life become much easier? If that happened, his sister wouldn't have to keep a constant eye on him every single day, right?

"Father, Mother, then you should hurry up and have a baby brother or sister! I can manage and discipline them in the future!"

With this thought, Xie Wenbao instantly felt that having younger siblings wouldn't mean losing his parents' affection after all—who knows, maybe the new babies would turn out even more exasperating than he was!

"Good, good, your mother and I will definitely work hard to give you a younger brother or sister so you can discipline them properly!" Xie Chengyu's smile made Dujuan's eyes blur with warmth and emotion.

The very thought of being able to bear more children for her husband in the future filled Dujuan's heart with eager anticipation.

Backed by the guarantees of Xie Chengyu and his brother, the Du family had successfully resolved their debt issue with the Qin family.

The Qin family granted the Du family a three-year grace period. If the debt was not repaid after three years, the Xie family would have to shoulder it. The principal stood at fifty thousand taels of silver, and the annual interest alone reached ten thousand taels. If repayment was delayed until the full three years were up, the total would mount to eighty thousand taels. The Qin family claimed that this interest rate was already exceptionally low, arguing that adjusting for inflation, the amount should at least double every year.

The Du family raised no objections, and Xie Wenjing had nothing to say either. Three years? Give her half a year, and she could pay off her maternal grandfather's debt to the Qin family entirely. Therefore, no further discussion was needed.

Though fallen on hard times, the Du family could still afford to purchase a simple courtyard enclosed by a wattle fence in the countryside. Over the past month, many farming households had been too poor to afford a single meal. Although the crown prince subsequently ordered the prefect of Hangzhou to open the granaries and distribute grain, living conditions remained desperately grim.

When people who had previously lived in relative comfort and built extra courtyard houses found someone willing to buy, they naturally jumped at the opportunity. Thus, the Du family purchased several small farm courtyards in a village called Mountain Waist, situated near Fajing Temple. After a bit of tidying up, the spaces were fit for habitation.

Despite Xie Wenjing and her family's earnest pleas for her maternal grandfather's family to move into their own home, the grandfather firmly refused, giving the same reason as Third Uncle: it simply wouldn't feel comfortable or free.

The farmland beneath this Mountain Waist village was entirely the property of Fajing Temple, and the local villagers were all tenant farmers without land of their own. The total failure of the wheat crop this year had dealt them a devastating blow.

After surviving for over a month on wild herbs and tree bark, several frail elderly villagers and young children had starved to death. The monks of Fajing Temple were equally distressed, as they hadn't been able to collect a single copper of rent for the first half of the year.

In fact, some tenants who had previously rented large plots of land were now completely incapable of sustaining such a burden. They surrendered a large portion of their rented fields to free up labor, scattering to beg for food, work as household servants, or take on odd jobs, no longer daring to rent so much land in hopes of a profit. Consequently, they had accumulated substantial debts to Fajing Temple that could only be repaid slowly over time.

The monks of Fajing Temple grew increasingly anxious. With vast estates lying idle and no one to rent them, wouldn't the land simply go to waste? Moreover, with wheat crops failing across the entire Jiangnan region, the temple was bound to suffer a severe blow. At that moment, even securing the daily rice and flour for three hundred resident monks was becoming unsustainable.

After taking stock of the temple's assets, the abbot of Fajing Temple, Master Yideng, ultimately decided to lease out a portion of the farmland at a low rate. However, he stipulated that the tenants must pay their rent in advance to resolve the monks' food crisis and prevent the paddy fields from lying fallow.

"Kudeng, go make the arrangements. Lease out the paddy fields below at a rate of five hundred cash per mu, and let out as much as we can. Those paddy fields cannot be left uncultivated; once they go fallow, it will be even harder to lease them out in the future. Remember, this price is for a one-year lease only. Understood?"

Master Yideng was not entirely detached from worldly affairs; even eminent monks had to worry about feeding the monastic community and securing the temple's future development.

Master Kudeng was the senior monk in charge of administrative and general affairs at Fajing Temple. Faced with a disastrous year and unable to pressure tenants who simply could not pay their rent, he had no choice but to implement this plan, hoping that the coming year would bring a bountiful harvest to make up for the current losses.

When Xie Wenjing heard the villagers in Mountain Waist—where her grandfather now lived—discussing how Fajing Temple was leasing out paddy fields for a mere five hundred cash per mu for a single year—a quarter of the usual price—her heart stirred.

She happened to have enough seed grain on hand to sow eight hundred mu of paddy fields, having intentionally purchased extra reserves beforehand.

Right now, the villages surrounding Fajing Temple were severely affected by the disaster. How many people actually had the silver to pay Fajing Temple in advance for such cheap paddy land?

She, on the other hand, had some surplus cash. Although she didn't know how to farm the land herself, she could hire the villagers to do it for her and pay them wages! This way, the villagers would earn a modest income through odd jobs, and she could secure a harvest of rice. Over the next few years, the price of rice was bound to remain stable at a relatively high level of twenty cash per catty.

Back when the disaster was at its worst, the price of rice in Yangzhou and Hangzhou had skyrocketed from two cash to twenty cash, and even then, it was virtually unprocurable at any price.

Curiously, after the crown prince's visit, although the official granary reserves were used to forcefully stabilize the market price of rice, very little rice actually appeared for open sale on the market. Many rice shops had been forced to close down, yet what became of the grain inside those shuttered shops remained a mystery. Xie Wenjing still found this deeply suspicious. Even if the shops went out of business, the rice previously stored by merchants shouldn't simply vanish into thin air, right?

In her past life, she hadn't found it strange. After all, with the government supplying relief grain at fair prices, the closure of high-priced rice shops felt like poetic justice—who told them to hoard grain and wait for prices to skyrocket?

Yet in this lifetime, Xie Wenjing sensed something amiss. Regardless, the price of rice would steadily maintain a high level of twenty cash for the next few years, while the price of seed grain was destined to surge to an unprecedented and absurd level, matching the exorbitant price of rice—an occurrence without historical precedent.

"Grandfather, whatever money you have on hand can be used to lease Fajing Temple's paddy fields. You won't suffer a loss. With so many villagers sitting idle simply because they lack the silver to rent land, we can lease the fields and hire them to farm for us. Not only will this give them a lifeline, but we might also accumulate some capital for future business ventures."

Even a sinking ship has three nails of iron. Though her grandfather's family had suffered a sudden ruin, they still had tens or hundreds of taels of silver tucked away. Furthermore, when her parents bought their new home following the family split, they had provided some financial support under the guise of house-warming gifts.

Even though her grandfather's family now lived in a wattle-fenced courtyard much like the local tenant farmers, they were still considerably wealthier than the ordinary peasants.

After a moment of thought, Grandfather nodded and agreed with Xie Wenjing's proposal.

Just two days prior, Grandfather had a private meeting with an envoy sent by General Shangguan. The envoy reported that while shipments of rice were finally reaching the First Prince's forces, the market supply of rice was plummeting rapidly, causing numerous merchants to go out of business, and the army's demand for grain remained overwhelmingly high.

Upon learning that the Du family had shouldered fifty thousand taels of debt to the Qin family precisely for transporting grain to the front lines, the envoy, despite deeply respecting the family, could only scrape together two hundred taels in bank notes. He offered it as a symbolic consolation, promising that once the First Prince won the campaign and secured spoils or imperial rewards, they would find a way to subsidize the Du family and clear their debts.

However, there was no telling when that day would actually arrive. In the interim, the Du family had to rely entirely on themselves to survive.

Consequently, Xie Wenjing's maternal grandfather produced five hundred taels of silver to lease a thousand mu of farmland, covering the majority of tenant plots in Mountain Waist village and an adjacent village.

Xie Wenjing likewise contributed two thousand taels to lease four thousand mu of farmland from tenant farmers across several villages surrounding Fajing Temple.

Several villagers from the area were hired by Xie Wenjing and her grandfather, slightly improving their livelihood while the majority of the local labor force abandoned their fields to seek work elsewhere.

Fajing Temple used those twenty-five hundred taels of silver to genuinely purchase and stockpile food rations. This transaction also introduced Xie Wenjing to the abbot of Fajing Temple, Master Yideng, as well as Master Kudeng.

"So the benefactor has come from Yangzhou specifically to pray for your father's health?"

Master Kudeng pressed his palms together. "My Buddha is merciful and will certainly bless your father. Here at Fajing Temple, we also have special Longevity Lamps available for dedication. By inscribing the birth characters of the devotee and making annual incense offerings, we can ensure the blessed believer's peace and prosperity!"

The corners of Xie Wenjing's mouth twitched violently. Was this master asking her for incense money? Her father was already recovering nicely, wasn't he?

If she didn't give anything, it would look a bit improper. Besides, leasing so much land from Fajing Temple at such a cheap rate this year would easily net her several thousand taels in profit. Very well, she might as well inquire about the price.

"Master, how are these Longevity Lamps dedicated?" Xie Wenjing probed cautiously. If it was outrageously expensive, she would pass; if reasonable, dedicating one for her father's health wouldn't hurt.

"That depends entirely on what the benefactor seeks from the Buddha. To pray for peace and safety, an annual offering of a few dozen taels is necessary. To pray for wealth and prosperity, anything from hundreds to thousands is given according to one's heart. If one prays for supreme fortune and nobility, naturally even more is required—it all rests on the benefactor's sincerity!"

Xie Wenjing felt a sharp twinge in her teeth. This master certainly knew how to talk! His phrasing ensured no one could ever accuse him of being worldly; instead, people would feel his words were entirely logical, reasoning that greater prayers naturally warranted greater offerings.

"Master, my father has been bedridden for nearly two years. When we came here the first two months of this year, what we prayed for at your esteemed temple was lifelong peace. Now that my father has received the Buddha's blessing and is indeed much better, I wish to dedicate a Longevity Lamp on his behalf, once again praying for lifelong peace. Only those who have known illness can truly understand that in this world, nothing surpasses peace. Master, please help me light a Longevity Lamp for my father!"

Xie Wenjing decided not to haggle further with the master; lighting a Longevity Lamp for her father was a worthy cause.

Master Kudeng cast a meaningful glance at the young girl whose refined features were now becoming apparent. He had half-expected her to make more extravagant requests on her father's behalf.

Ah well, this benefactor's actions could be considered sending charcoal in snowy weather for Fajing Temple; he shouldn't give in to greed. The abbot was always afraid that getting too bogged down in administrative affairs would stain the temple's purity, but so many monks had to be fed!

Part (1/3)

Part (2/3)

Especially this year, when a number of impoverished boys had their heads shaved and were sent to Fajing Temple by their parents just to secure a bowl of rice. Times were hard indeed!

"Does the benefactor have any brothers?"

Master Kudeng could not help himself and blurted out the question.

"Reporting to Master, I do have one younger brother. He is as sturdy as an ox!"

Xie Wenjing subtly hinted to the master that her brother was already boisterous enough and didn't need any Longevity Lamps. If they had a lamp that could cure a spoiled brat of his unruliness, she wouldn't mind dedicating one of those! She wondered if Fajing Temple stocked such a lamp.

"Hehe, your brother must be quite mischievous! Children of that age are entirely ignorant and cause adults the utmost headache when it comes to studying. By the way, our Fajing Temple also has a lamp specifically dedicated to such children, called the Academic Lamp. Kept lit year-round, it ensures the child applies himself diligently to his studies and eventually achieves academic success."

The moment the master finished speaking, he felt a twinge of worldly taint in his heart. Fajing Temple didn't actually have any such thing as an "Academic Lamp"—he had just made it up on the spot. Right now, plenty of people came to worship Buddha empty-handed, while those willing to offer substantial incense money were few and far between. He really needed to find ways to develop new sources of revenue, and this idea seemed rather promising. What family didn't wish for their son to study hard and become a top imperial scholar?

Xie Wenjing gave a wry smile. They actually had such a lamp too? Fajing Temple truly had a lamp for every occasion! If her brother were genuinely willing to apply himself to his studies, he would naturally come to understand the ways of the world.

Very well, she would dedicate one of those as well, seeking peace of mind and a touch of hope. It couldn't possibly be too expensive, could it? After all, their family had fallen on hard times—did they even count as a wealthy household anymore?

"I wonder how this Academic Lamp is dedicated? How much is it per year?"

"That also depends on what one prays for. Praying simply to understand the principles of books is naturally different from praying for official rank. And even official ranks vary—there are scholars, provincial graduates, metropolitan graduates, and even top imperial scholars. It all depends on what the benefactor seeks."

Master Kudeng spoke with unhurried grace, though internally he couldn't quite figure out why he was suddenly so eager to extract a bit more silver from the young girl before him. Could it be because she had taken advantage of this disaster year to lease Fajing Temple's paddy fields at such a bargain price?

The master shook his head with a bitter smile; he clearly needed to recite more sutras to clear his mind.

Xie Wenjing smiled faintly. The master was quite an interesting character; if he hadn't taken monastic vows, he would undoubtedly have made an exceptional chief merchant. That eloquence and persuasive skill were simply unmatched by ordinary people.

"Master, if I merely pray for him to understand books and reason, how much is it per year?"

In truth, Xie Wenjing only desired for her brother to become sensible and avoid the dissolute path of her past life; that alone would satisfy her. Achieving official rank was something she wouldn't dare extravagant hopes for.

Though obtained through prayer, there was no absolute guarantee it would come to pass. However, since she now had business ties with the master—having leased a considerable amount of farmland from the temple—making a polite gesture to patronize his establishment was well within reason.

"Hehe, the benefactor possesses great wisdom. The more one prays for, the greater the vexations; the less one prays for, the fewer the vexations. This old monk concedes. Very well, let us say one hundred taels a year to cover both your father's Longevity Lamp and your brother's Academic Lamp. That will suffice."

One hundred taels a year didn't strike Xie Wenjing as overly expensive. Leasing Fajing Temple's paddy fields for a year would easily yield several thousand taels in profit; she could well afford this sum to foster a favorable connection with the temple.

Thus, Xie Wenjing cheerfully paid for a Longevity Lamp for her father and an Academic Lamp for her brother.

"Miss, why didn't you pray for official rank for both master and young master?" Zhihua, who had accompanied Xie Wenjing to the temple, asked in bewilderment.

"If you aren't running the household, how could you know the cost of firewood and rice? The young lady is currently managing the food and expenses for so many people all by herself; how could she possibly have enough silver to pay for so many prayers? Think about it—besides the master and young master, there is also Third Uncle and Cousin Wenfeng. Should we pray for them too? The master is in poor health, so praying for peace is appropriate. The young master is insensible, so praying for him to understand reason is also fitting. If we asked for too much, wouldn't Third Uncle and the others feel awkward?"

Meilan, who had come along, possessed a far more comprehensive view of things.

Xie Wenjing smiled faintly. Meilan was always so thorough in her considerations; what she said made complete sense.

"Mm, just make sure Wenbao doesn't find out about this, or he'll start throwing tantrums again!"

Thinking of her younger brother, Xie Wenjing couldn't help but fret, always afraid he might pull off some unpredictable stunt that caught her off guard.

These days, watching her brother anxiously stare at their mother's belly, Xie Wenjing found it somewhat amusing. Was he secretly hoping Mother would have a baby boy so he could boss him around and discipline him, or was he dreading the arrival of a new sibling altogether?

Recalling how bitterly her parents had toiled in her past life—left with only herself as an unfilial daughter and her brother as a dissolute spendthrift who broke their hearts—Xie Wenjing felt a pang of sorrow.

If her parents were blessed with another son or daughter in this lifetime, it would surely bring them immense joy. Should new siblings arrive, she would certainly cherish and guide them with utmost care, ensuring they grew up sensible and obedient, avoiding both her own past foolishness and her brother's dissolute ways.

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, today I finalized the agreement with Master Kudeng of Fajing Temple. At five hundred cash per mu of paddy field, we have leased two thousand mu. We already had eight hundred catties of seed grain on hand, which is enough to sow eight hundred mu. As for the remaining seed grain we lack, Master Kudeng agreed to let us exchange the soybeans we are about to harvest for the seed grain they received from the prefectural government office. It's a catty-for-catty exchange, meaning we'll need about two thousand catties of soybeans, and we can include enough to exchange for Grandfather's seed grain as well. Our family's soybeans are ready for harvest right now. Once that's done, we can prepare to sow the rice. For all this work, we only need to hire the local villagers. However, starting from the soybean harvest, I'll be taking Du Mama, Zhihua, and Meilan out frequently. Father is still recovering his health, and Mother needs to look after him, so I must ask Third Aunt to bear the burden of managing household affairs."

Xie Wenjing laid out her expenses and plans one by one, even mentioning the Longevity Lamp for her father's peace and the Academic Lamp for her brother's education at Fajing Temple.

Household accounts were best kept entirely transparent; otherwise, prolonged silence would breed estrangement.

"Wenjing, it has been too hard on you. Your third uncle and Wenfeng will be returning to Yangzhou to take the imperial examinations in a few days, so they haven't been able to handle any of this. I... I am not good with dealing with people over such matters either, and it has all fallen on your shoulders!"

As Third Aunt spoke, her eyes gradually reddened. When the Xie family split up, it was because Grandfather blamed the root of the family's decline entirely on the eldest branch. Yet, as she witnessed with her own eyes, her own branch counted for nothing in the eyes of the grandparents either—they could withhold every single copper without hesitation, effectively dumping her branch onto the eldest branch for support.

Furthermore, her husband's household lacked anyone adept at making money. Her husband wished only to pass the imperial examinations, stand on his own feet, and provide a pillar of support for the family, leaving him no mental bandwidth to ponder commercial ventures. Their son and daughter were still young and incapable of such foresight. It was only these past few days, as Wenjing had her assist with household management, that she realized just how much daily expenditure the household required.

Food, clothing, housing, transportation, school fees, wages for maids, wet nurses, and footmen—every single day brought substantial costs. Yet the eldest branch was living off dwindling reserves brought from their previous home; even the most precious heirlooms wouldn't last forever if they only ate without replenishing. Thus, this capable niece of hers had shouldered the heavy burden of the entire household at such a tender age, filling Third Aunt with profound shame.

Third Uncle sat to one side with his head bowed in deep humiliation and remorse, silently vowing that this time he must pass the provincial examination, secure a pillar of support for the entire family, and never again let his young niece expose herself to the elements just to sustain their livelihood.

"Third Aunt, we are a family. Now that we've separated from the household in Yangzhou, our lives will only get better and better. In truth, the wealth we currently hold far surpasses that of the ordinary farmers outside. My reason for wanting to lease paddy fields is simply to accumulate more silver for our household while also benefiting the villagers in the nearby communities by giving them a chance to earn some wages.

"I'll be fine; I won't be interacting with unsavory characters—just dealing a bit more with these honest, hardworking peasants. They are sincere people who will only speak well of me, not ill. Even Master Kudeng of Fajing Temple treats me with kindness. It's just that for a period of time, I'll be frequently out and about dealing with the villagers, which means I might neglect the household. Especially regarding Wenbao—I must ask Third Aunt to keep a close eye on him."

"Wenjing, you can rest easy about the home front; I will take good care of everything. But... Wenjing, you are already twelve years old. What if the Zhao family finds out about all this? Will they try to—?"

Third Aunt's greatest worry was her niece's reputation. If the young girl ruined her reputation merely by stepping up to sustain the family, Third Aunt would feel she deserved a thousand deaths and could never forgive herself.

"Hehe, Third Aunt, do you still not understand my heart? Madam Zhao is petty and sharp-tongued, and Zhao Qiusheng is unfeeling and fickle. I saw that clearly back in Yangzhou. At that time, I already made up my decision: such a Zhao family is a place I refuse to enter! Serving a household of cold, unfeeling people would be far worse than simply taking care of our own family. Why should I work myself to the bone in their home only to live under their constant condescension?

"Third Aunt, I know what you are concerned about. But what you care about is not what I care about. My only concern is whether this family of ours lives well. Apart from that, I care about nothing—not even bearing the stigma of a broken engagement. What I want is a genuinely comfortable and peaceful life, not a superficially glorious existence that is miserable and painful beneath the surface."

Xie Wenjing delivered these words with resolute and forceful clarity, without the slightest hesitation. This was the agonizing lesson of her past life; she was firmly resolved never to let history repeat itself.

"Wenjing, you...? Oh my..." Third Aunt burst into tears and pulled Wenjing into a tight embrace. This ill-fated child had perceived her wicked grandmother's malicious intentions at such a tender age.

She had carefully hidden her hatred, bided her time, and finally rescued her critically ill father out of a sea of misery. It should have been a joyful conclusion. Yet shortly after, her maternal grandfather's family fell to ruin. Wenjing's careful planning was not just for her paternal family, but for her maternal family as well.

And that wasn't even the cruelest part—the cruelest thing of all was that she had been betrothed to the wrong family. That Madam Zhao—she had witnessed her character firsthand—was indeed a vicious and petty woman. And that Zhao Qiusheng wore an expression of undisguised aversion whenever he looked at her niece. If Wenjing truly married into such a family, Third Aunt had zero confidence she would ever know happiness.

Just as Wenjing said, it might look impressive on the outside, but inside it would be endless torment. Such a life was truly inferior to living a simple, contented existence right here with her own family.

Yet public opinion could be a terrifying force; rumors and slander carried immense weight. Once Wenjing bore the stigma of being rejected in an engagement, what kind of respectable family would ever consider her a suitable match in the future?

Could it be that Wenjing was destined to remain unwed at home for the rest of her life? That would be too cruel! *Sob, sob, sob!*

Thinking of Wenjing's future, Third Aunt felt a stabbing pain in her heart. How could anyone fail to cherish such an exceptional niece?

Seeing this, Third Uncle wiped away a tear rolling down the corner of his eye and declared, "Don't cry! Wenjing, Third Uncle will definitely pass the provincial examinations, and later the metropolitan examinations as well! Once I pass, even if you marry into the Zhao family, they won't dare bully you. And even if the Zhao family breaks the engagement, as long as I achieve success, Third Uncle will personally find you an even better noble family!"

"Third Uncle, thank you for wanting to be my pillar of support. But I no longer wish to marry into a noble family. We've experienced firsthand everything that goes on in those aristocratic households—beneath the glamorous surface, how much filth is hidden?

"After what happened to my father, all I want is to stay close and watch over my family. If fate wills it, I'd rather marry into an ordinary household. It doesn't matter if there are no fields or family wealth; as long as he treats me with genuine sincerity, I'd be more than happy to live a simple, contented life with him."

*Xu Yin, in this lifetime, if you fail the examinations once more, I will surely stand by you, love you deeply for all my days, and repay the profound devotion you showed me in my past life. And if you place first in the imperial examinations and still hold feelings for me, I will firmly follow by your side regardless of how others sneer at me for marrying above my station. But if you have forgotten me and found another love in this life, I will quietly guard you from afar for the rest of my days and never marry—just as you spent all those lonely years in my past life while I remained utterly ignorant. How agonizing must your heart have been back then? And I was unable to offer you a scrap of comfort.*

"No! Wenjing, you are the finest legitimate eldest daughter of a gentry family, and you deserve the finest scion of a noble house. Third Uncle is determined to pass for your sake; I will never let you be treated with such humility!"

Stung to the quick by Wenjing's heartfelt words, Third Uncle swore a silent oath that even if he had to tie his hair to the rafters and pierce his thigh with an awl, he would study with furious dedication and pass the exams to provide his niece with a proper backing.

A niece this extraordinary—this outstanding—deserved far better than such a lowly station. Absolutely not!

Though Third Uncle didn't take Wenjing's words at face value, he interpreted her speech as a bitter, defeatist outburst born of despair. In his mind, noble young masters—whether in social standing, erudition, or family assets—were simply incomparable to ordinary men.

He assumed Wenjing was merely suppressing her aspirations for a grand marriage because she feared the social stigma of a broken engagement.

For a young lady of a gentry family, gaining the respect of her husband's household relied primarily on having influential supporters in her maternal family. Madam Zhao treated Wenjing so poorly precisely because she lacked backing—her eldest uncle was in poor health, Wenbao and Wenfeng were still young, and out of the entire household, only he, Third Uncle, was striving with all his might to provide Wenjing with that backing. Only then could she live with dignity and comfort.

"Third Uncle, please don't push yourself to such extremes. In my eyes, nothing matters more than all of you living well—that is the life I truly desire. The imperial examinations are grueling; we cannot spend our whole lives torturing ourselves this way.

"In the past, we lived in hardship under Grandmother's thumb. But now, we have broken free from her control; we can live according to our own hearts, pursuing the comfortable life we want and deserve. A young man studies not merely to pass exams, but to understand the principles of the world. Third Uncle, you are past thirty; you are no longer a youth.

"Third Uncle, do not push yourself too hard. To live in bitterness, exhaustion, or even madness—that is not what we want; that is only what our vicious grandmother wishes to see. True happiness and comfort for our family is what we want—and it is precisely what our malicious grandmother would hate to see. We must treat ourselves kindly; why should we play right into her cruel hands?"

Xie Wenjing could not afford to indulge Third Uncle's obsessions. In her past life, Third Uncle had devoted his entire existence to the imperial examinations, yet by the time she died, he had achieved nothing higher than a mere scholar's degree.

If things followed the trajectory of her past life, Third Uncle would fail once again this time around. Since he had set his sights unrealistically high, holding onto such obsession would only bring suffering to himself, Third Aunt, and even Wenting and Wenfeng.

With no other choice, Xie Wenjing had to counsel Third Uncle in this manner, hoping to temper his fanaticism—not only to spare him misery, but out of a deeper fear that obsession might drive him to madness.

Every year, numerous scholars driven mad by failing the exams made the news; she desperately wanted to prevent Third Uncle from ever reaching that dark precipice.

Stung by his niece's earnest persuasion, Third Uncle instead grew even more resolute in his determination to pass. Third Aunt, on the other hand, felt a flicker of doubt. *That's right... what if he fails the exams? Are we expected to keep enduring such hardship forever?*

On the day Third Uncle and his son Wenfeng set off for Yangzhou, Xie Chengyu was well enough to come out and see them off. Surprisingly, upon learning they were heading to Yangzhou, Xie Wenbao did not kick up a fuss.

Watching the nervous expression on his cousin Wenfeng's face, Xie Wenbao couldn't help feeling a sudden surge of sympathy for him.

*If it comes to my turn in a year or two to take the child scholar exams, will I fail too?* Children as young as ten could take the preliminary child exams, followed later by prefectural and provincial exams.

The various tiers of examinations in the Great Zhou Dynasty were held annually, but admission rates grew progressively abysmal.

The initial child exams were relatively merciful, passing about one-third of candidates and granting the status of a licentiate child student. These preliminary qualifications had to be acquired locally, which was why Xie Wenfeng had to accompany his father back to Yangzhou.

By the time candidates reached the prefectural and county examinations, the pass rate plummeted to a staggering one in fifty. Passing this hurdle conferred the formal title of a *Xiucai* (scholar). These tests were held annually within the prefectural and county capitals for any candidate possessing local household registration.

The provincial examinations (*Xiangshi*) boasted a success rate of barely one in a thousand. Passing them yielded the title of a *Juren* (provincial graduate). Attaining this rank essentially meant one had distinguished oneself from the common herd.

The Great Zhou government provided *Juren* graduates with a monthly stipend sufficient to sustain one person independently, or two or three if they lived frugally. Furthermore, the Ministry of Personnel could appoint *Juren* to various local posts, such as assistant magistrate—essentially equivalent to a deputy mayor with a civil service salary.

The provincial examinations were held once every two years in the provincial capitals of the empire's twenty-odd provinces, with Yangzhou being one such exam venue.

The metropolitan examinations (*Huishi*), however, were akin to thousands of troops crossing a single-log bridge. At least tens of thousands of scholars—every single one holding *Juren* status—competed annually in examinations held once every three years.

Since the capital of Great Zhou lacked the capacity to house such massive throngs, the imperial court had thoughtfully established two separate examination centers—one in the northern capital of Yanjing, and another in the southern capital of Jinling—to accommodate the candidates and ensure the exams ran smoothly.

During exam season, both cities became utterly choked with people—not only scholars, but family retainers, dependents, and swarms of small merchants trailing in their wake.

Xie Wenfeng's preliminary exam was scheduled for the day before Xie Chengyun's provincial exam. Consequently, father and son departed for Yangzhou a day early.

"Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, please head back! I will definitely pass. Wenting, stay home and help your mother manage the household. Wenbao, study diligently while I'm away; when I return, I'll bring you some Yangzhou fried chicken."

Filled with high ambitions, Xie Chengyun bid his family farewell and turned away with a firm, resolute expression that looked so absolute it even made Xie Wenjing's heart twitch with lingering anxiety.

"Wenfeng, once you reach Yangzhou, stay glued to your father's side and don't wander off or get lost. As soon as the exams are over, return promptly with your father. The whole family is waiting for your safe return!"

Xie Wenjing gave these parting instructions to her younger cousin trailing behind Third Uncle, hoping he would take her words to heart and stick close.

*If Third Uncle is anything like he was in my past life, he won't pass the exams.* A wave of sadness washed over her as she looked at his resolute expression, tasting a bittersweet sorrow.

"Wenjing, watching your third uncle and cousin set off so full of fighting spirit for Yangzhou makes Father feel's blood boil too. Father knows recovering my health is paramount, but by the year after next, I will surely be able to head off to the exams just like your third uncle. If fortune favors me and I pass the provincial exams, I too can become your pillar of support, and you won't have to toil so bitterly. It is all my fault for being so useless!"

Watching the transport boat carrying his brother and nephew grow smaller in the distance, Xie Chengyun felt a turbulent storm raging in his chest. Back when his mother was alive, he had stubbornly refused to pursue further imperial examinations after earning his initial *Xiucai* degree, preferring to immerse himself entirely in painting and calligraphy.

That stubbornness had infuriated his mother. With her protection gone, he had fallen victim to his hypocritical stepmother's schemes, leaving him bedridden and half-dead for over two years—rendering him incapable of studying, let alone pursuing his beloved art.

Looking back, he realized he had been entirely in the wrong. His mother's constant urging to pursue official rank wasn't merely to secure his future; it was born of her terror that he would be abused by that wicked woman.

Regrettably, he had failed to comprehend his mother's profound intentions back then. Now that he understood, she was gone.

And his young daughter, who should have been living out her carefree, blossoming youth, had been forced by cruel adversity to mature prematurely in mind and spirit. It was all because he was utterly useless!

The corners of Xie Wenjing's mouth twitched uncontrollably. *Oh no. Third Uncle has his obsession, and now Father has caught the bug too! They're both entirely fixated on passing imperial exams!*

If her father and third uncle were mere teenagers, she would naturally welcome their ambitions. But they were men in the prime of thirty, and if their obsessions turned too fierce, disaster might well follow.

A headache blooming behind her temples, Xie Wenjing had no choice but to humor her father and play along. "Father, your daughter might just become an official's daughter before long!"

"That's right! Once Father earns his *Juren* degree and passes the metropolitan exams as well, I'll at least be an official of the eighth rank. By then, you'll naturally be an official's daughter!" Xie Chengyun declared with immense pride.

"Father, being the daughter of an eighth-rank official is far too low! If Father manages to become the top imperial scholar, you'll at least be a fifth-rank prefect. And if you govern your territory exceptionally well, His Majesty might even bestow upon you the title of a first-rank Grand Secretary of the Cabinet! If you become the Chief Grand Secretary, that's first rank! Wow, by then I'll be the most envied young lady in the entire Great Zhou!"

Xie Wenjing deliberately exaggerated, speaking with spoiled, girlish whimsy, hoping such wildly impossible heights would make her father realize how absurd it all was.

"You child, who talks such wild nonsense? A first-rank Grand Secretary of the Cabinet? Chief Grand Secretary? Don't make your father ruin his health studying for some unrealistic fantasy."

Dujuan immediately reached out to lightly flick her precious daughter's forehead, marveling at how freely she could spin stories just to tease her father.

"Exactly, your mother is right. A person must be pragmatic, not reach for the clouds. Focus on doing what is within your grasp; once you harbor unrealistic ambitions, not only will you fail to accomplish anything, but you'll trap yourself in misery."

As expected, Xie Wenjing's extravagant talk drew a joint scolding from both her parents.

*Splendid! Father still seems to have his wits about him and understands the danger of being unrealistic. That's a huge relief. Later, when Third Uncle comes back, I'll encourage him to try again the year after next, urge him to aim for top scholar and Chief Grand Secretary, and then have him lecture me the same way. That should settle things nicely.*

"Hmph, my sister doesn't study, so how could she understand these profound truths? These days she runs around the fields all day long and has practically turned into a farmwife—what discernment does she have? Father, Mother, I know full well that a person must be grounded and not aim too high. For a start, I know for a fact that Father is definitely not going to become the top scholar!"