Gu Qingyan noticed something was off in his expression and grew nervous. “What happened to her? Is she in trouble?”

Li Mingwei sighed. “She’s no longer with the Li family.”

Li Mingwei felt some guilt toward his “younger cousin” whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.

In his memory, this cousin had always seemed weak but had a good temper. As a child, he was cute and gentle, calling him “brother” obediently and following him everywhere.

Unfortunately, their father had no control over matters related to their Third Uncle’s family, much less someone like him who was the junior generation.

Gu Qingyan frowned. “If she’s not with the Li family, then where did she go?”

Cuihong had said that Hongdou’s family didn’t know about this and had always thought she was still with the Lis.

Li Mingwei glanced back at the government office. “After Li Jingtin came home, he caused a lot of trouble. He got sick halfway through the county exam and gave up, then wanted to enter the Hongshan Academy.”

“Getting into Hongshan Academy is no easy matter. With so many people in the Li clan school, only one passed.”

“My father didn’t help, and Li Jingtin blamed my dad. Somehow, he got connected with the Lu family from Hongshan Academy and actually found a way in.”

Gu Qingyan had a bad feeling. “What does this have to do with Sister Hongdou?”

“The academy’s dean’s legitimate second son, Lu Yanhe, is a womanizer. He took a fancy to Hongdou.”

Li Mingwei patted his shoulder. “Although Lu Yanhe isn’t as outstanding as his elder brother, he’s still the dean’s legitimate second son. For Hongdou to become his concubine is actually a kind of blessing.”

Gu Qingyan’s frown wouldn’t loosen. “Was she willing?”

Li Mingwei was helpless.

Gu Qingyan knew immediately that willingness didn’t really matter.

Hongdou had signed a slave contract — a binding servitude contract. Legally, she was Li family property. If Li Jingtin wanted to give her away, she had no say.

Now that she was with the Lu family, it was too late to say anything.

Seeing Gu Qingyan’s changing expression, Li Mingwei thought that since Hongdou was so beautiful, maybe Gu Qingyan had feelings for her.

“Brother Yan, there are plenty of beauties everywhere. She belongs to Lu Yanhe now, so stop thinking about her.”

He advised, “Focus on your exams. Once you succeed, why worry about not having a lovely companion?”

“Brother, I’m only grateful to Sister Hongdou. There’s nothing else,” Gu Qingyan quickly explained.

Li Mingwei gave a knowing nod. “Alright, I understand.”

It seemed there was no clear explanation.

Gu Qingyan said goodbye to his former cousin and boarded the ox cart.

After some distance, Zhang Nian kept looking back, obviously curious about the gold bracelet that had been in the cart but now was missing.

“Shh, we’ll talk about it when we get home,” Gu Qingyan said with a smile.

Zhang Nian quickly nodded, not wanting to cause more trouble for Brother Gu.

Sitting in the cart, Gu Qingyan sighed slightly, thinking at least he’d gotten news of Hongdou.

Since Xu Shi and Li Jingtin were both difficult to deal with, maybe Hongdou would be better off with the Lu family.

He resolved to find a chance to confirm Hongdou’s situation, though things were complicated now.

He couldn’t go to the Lu family to bribe anyone — if discovered, it would only bring trouble to Hongdou.

For now, Gu Qingyan put that matter aside and entered the carriage compartment.

The next moment, a bamboo travel case appeared before him.

The case was sizable, like a double-layer suitcase. It was the one he had originally obtained by signing in on Pei Xuan.

This item was good for traveling, but Gu Qingyan mostly rode in carts and hadn’t used it, so he stored it in his system.

When trouble suddenly arose, Gu Qingyan knew the bracelet was stolen property and could not be found on him, or else his reputation would be ruined, and he could never sit for exams again.

The scheme by Li Jingtin and Xu Shi was vicious — they wanted to completely destroy Gu Qingyan’s life.

Fortunately, Gu Qingyan had his “golden finger” (special ability).

Opening the travel case, inside lay the gold bracelet.

He reached out to take it — a heavy bracelet with exquisite patterns, Xu Shi’s favorite piece of jewelry.

When he was little, he had seen Xu Shi dress up and was never allowed to touch such things.

He never expected that after so many years, when they met again, it would be used to frame him.

Gu Qingyan sighed, put the bracelet back, and stored the travel case back into the system.

The travel case disappeared.

He smiled slightly — this was an unexpected gain.

If not for his quick thinking this time, he wouldn’t have known the travel case could be used this way.

The system came with a storage but only accepted system rewards; other items couldn’t be stored, and space storage devices were expensive — far beyond what Gu Qingyan could afford.

Today, Gu Qingyan found a bug.

By putting items into the travel case, they could be stored in the system together. Maybe the system regarded the travel case itself as a reward, regardless of what was inside.

Gu Qingyan tried it several times for fun — the internal space wasn’t large, about the size of a 20-inch suitcase.

But that was enough.

Free portable storage — just put things inside the travel case, and carry them without anyone noticing.

That was an unexpected bonus.

Free things are always sweet.

Gu Qingyan missed Pei Xuan especially — the rewards signed from him always had surprising uses.

Ah, he missed him the day after leaving.

Finally home, Gu Qingyan said only: “I lost that thing. Don’t mention it again.”

Zhang Nian nodded repeatedly. “Yeah, it should be lost. Such bad luck. What kind of minds do they have, always scheming to harm you?”

Gu Qingyan said calmly, “They just can’t stand to see me do well.”

Zhang Nian grumbled a bit, but seeing Gu Qingyan’s indifferent expression, she worried: “Brother Gu, you’re great. Everyone in Lingchuan County likes you. If they don’t like you, that’s their problem.”

“Don’t let them affect your mood. If you’re sad, just cry. My mother said crying from the heart makes it better.”

Gu Qingyan laughed at her nervousness.

“Got it, I won’t be sad over them anymore.”

Why bother being sad and upset over those kinds of people? If he’s sad and upset, the mother and son from the Xu family will probably be overjoyed.

Gu Qingyan smiled and said, “I have my godmother, two little sisters, my uncle and other relatives’ care, and you by my side. With so many people, there’s no room in my heart for anyone else.”

Zhang Nian saw his smiling face and realized he really wasn’t affected by what happened, so she smiled shyly.

“That’s right, Brother Gu. These days, study hard. When you pass the prefecture exam, make them furious.”

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow: “Alright, let’s make them furious.”

They didn’t even need to wait for the prefecture exam — the Xu mother and son were already furious to death.

Trying to steal something but ending up losing more than expected — their supposedly flawless poison plan ended up with this outcome.

Li Jingting was carried back home.

The Li clan chief’s resentment was clear on his face: “Xu Shi, you caused such trouble. I will definitely write to my third brother and have him deal with this.”

“Take care of yourselves,” he said, then left, not wanting to say more.

Xu Shi felt shocked and scared inside. Looking at her son lying on the bed, barely clinging to life, her heart ached unbearably.

She sharply scolded, “Are you all dead? Hurry and call a doctor! If the young master dies, I want you all to pay with your lives!”

Her outburst made the maids and servants tremble in fear.

Xu Shi collapsed on the bed crying: “My son, your wounds hurt me too. You must get better soon.”

Li Jingting groaned as her weight pressed on his wounds, causing more pain.

He grimaced: “How did the bracelet disappear?”

Xu Shi cried, “Who knows what tricks that kid played? I suspect the magistrate has ill intentions, surely deliberately biased.”

Li Jingting also considered this possibility.

But he didn’t know about the relationship between Magistrate Ding and the official wife Bai Shi. Instead, he thought only about the Lu family connection and hated Gu Qingyan deeply.

If Li Jingting hadn’t rushed about after returning and looked down on the Li clan people due to his birth, he might have heard these secrets from the Li clan chief.

Unfortunately, he was too proud, considering himself the only son of Deputy Minister Li, and looked down on the clan members who depended on Deputy Minister Li.

Because of this arrogance, he hastily planned the poison scheme.

Feeling a stabbing pain from behind, Li Jingting bitterly cursed, “Is this going to be over just like this?!”

Xu Shi hesitated: “The clan chief just warned us not to make any more trouble and said he’d write to your father.”

Li Jingting was even more annoyed. If this matter reached Deputy Minister Li’s ears, wouldn’t he despise his as-yet-unmet son?

No way, he absolutely could not let Deputy Minister Li find out.

Several thoughts flashed through Li Jingting’s mind as he grabbed Xu Shi: “Mother, send someone to intercept the letter.”

“This…” Xu Shi was a bit scared.

Li Jingting hurriedly said, “Last year, father wanted to bring us to the capital but kept delaying. Surely that poisonous woman is behind it. If she finds out, she’ll make a huge fuss, and my future will be ruined.”

“How could that be? You are the old master’s only son now,” Xu Shi said anxiously.

Li Jingting sneered: “How could it not be? Why did father suddenly change his mind about not taking us to the capital? Maybe he already has another son.”

This shocked Xu Shi.

She knew well she was only a concubine, had lost out to the official wife and been sent away to Qingzhou for so many years.

If Deputy Minister Li had another son, even if he was young, that would threaten Li Jingting’s position.

Xu Shi immediately nodded: “Alright, mother will listen to you and won’t let the letter be delivered.”

Li Jingting was satisfied and added: “Mother, we need to think of a way to get to the capital quickly. Only by reaching father can I achieve something.”

Xu Shi frowned: “But the old master said to let you focus on studying first. It’s not too late to enter the capital after you pass the exam.”

“Mother, have you considered? What if in these years the Li family has more bastards, and when Bai Shi adopts them as legitimate sons, where would I have a place in the Li family?”

Li Jingtin sneered coldly, “I’m afraid that by then, not only will my future be gone, but even my life won’t be safe.”

These words made Xu’s heart tremble.

“I was foolish. I shouldn’t have wasted my time trying so hard to get into Hongshan Academy. I should have gone to the capital early on, straight to Father. As for titles and rank, there are so many officials who get positions through connections—why waste my time?”

Xu was convinced.

After a long pause, she said in a low voice, “Alright, once you recover, we’ll immediately head to the capital.”

Li Jingtin gritted his teeth fiercely, “This time, no one will stop me.”

But the moment he moved, the pain in his body worsened.

Clenching his teeth, Li Jingtin couldn’t help but think of Gu Qingyan.

In the courtroom was the first time he saw the person who had been swapped with him fifteen years ago, the one who had taken away his fifteen years of wealth and status.

At first sight, Li Jingtin disliked him immediately.

Gu Qingyan, a poor scholar from a remote mountain village, looked even better than him, standing there bright and dignified.

Especially after their confrontation, where Li Jingtin lost and was beaten right in front of him.

Li Jingtin never reflected on his own mistakes; he only grew to hate and envy Gu Qingyan, convinced that everything was because Gu Qingyan had deliberately taken over his life.

The stabbing pain wracked Li Jingtin’s body, but he showed a cruel grin: “If that brat got away this time, I don’t believe he can get away every time.”

Xu’s heart jumped.

“Jingtin, you’re right. The urgent thing now is to go to the capital immediately. As for that brat, when you hold a high position, what fear will you have in dealing with him?”

Li Jingtin nodded, “Mother, I understand.”

But in his heart, he kept scheming. Before leaving, he would leave Gu Qingyan a big ‘gift.’

Suddenly, a cruel smile tore across Li Jingtin’s face.

When the doctor came, Li Jingtin was treated and fell into a deep sleep. Xu then left the Li residence through the back door.

She rode in a carriage all the way to Qingcheng Taoist Temple outside the city.

After climbing up to the temple, Xu did not immediately pray, but instead bypassed the main hall and entered a small side hall.

“Daoist, he’s back.”

Closing the door, Xu burst into tears and complained urgently: “You said at the beginning that swapping the two children for fifteen years would mean my son would bear all the attacks and return after fifteen years, and then he would soar to glory and wealth.”

“But after enduring fifteen years, when the child was swapped back, my son’s life has been nothing but difficult—he first got sick and delayed going to the capital, then got sick again and missed the county exams, and now he was beaten at the government office, lying helpless on the bed.”

“Daoist, this isn’t what you told me.”

The Taoist, sitting calmly in meditation with an ethereal aura, spoke slowly after she finished: “Xu, don’t be anxious yet. Let me ask you: these fifteen years, has your son grown up safely and soundly?”

“Well… yes…” Xu replied reluctantly, “But that child also grew up safely, so that means even if the children had not been swapped, my son could have grown up fine.”

The Taoist scoffed, “Whether that child is safe, Xu, you know better than anyone.”

Xu opened her mouth but had no words.

She knew full well: over these fifteen years, the Bai family in the capital had sent people multiple times, attacking in secret and openly.

At first, the wet nurse was poisoned, and the child was poisoned along with her.

She thought the child would die young but he miraculously survived.

Later, as the child grew and went to clan school, he was almost kidnapped by traffickers but was luckily rescued by clan members.

Each time, outsiders thought Gu Qingyan was just frail and unlucky.

But Xu knew that Bai Shi could not tolerate her or her child—that wicked woman would never allow Li Shilang to have another son.

Despite everything, Gu Qingyan survived every time.

Xu had become numb.

But now, thinking that if these things had happened to her real son even once, she would never be able to accept it.

Seeing through her thoughts, the Taoist continued, “By rights, after fifteen years, your son should have replaced that child’s fate of great wealth and smooth sailing. Now that things have gone wrong, Xu, you should carefully think about where the mistake lies.”

Xu’s expression changed slightly.

She thought carefully: where exactly did it go wrong?

Was she too anxious and swapped them back immediately after the fifteenth birthday?

Or was it because she drove Gu Qingyan away, making him change his surname and forbidding him from staying in Qingzhou?

Regret flooded Xu’s heart. Had she known, she would have kept him for at least a while longer until she was sure of her real son’s situation before driving him away.

“Daoist, is there still a way to fix this?” Xu hurriedly asked.

The Taoist said calmly, “Of course there is.”

Xu said urgently, “Please help me. I don’t care how much silver it costs.”

The Taoist smiled, “No need for silver. Actually, you and your son should leave Qingzhou as soon as possible and head to the capital. If you can gain Li Shilang’s protection, changing fate is still possible.”

Xu’s eyes brightened.

Leaving aside what else they talked about, Xu left satisfied.

Once she was gone, the Taoist sneered coldly, “What a foolish woman—so stupid as to believe she can defy heaven and change fate.”

If he really had the power to change fate, he would have long ago swapped his own fate with that of the emperor’s—why else would he be stuck cultivating in this shabby Taoist temple?

But the Taoist didn’t lie to Xu Shi either; if they hadn’t switched the children back then, the biological son might not have survived to adulthood.

“Old friend, I have done all I can; the raging waves are unstoppable,” the Taoist stroked his long beard. “Looks like I can no longer stay at Qingcheng Temple. I’ll have to find a new place.”

What happened at Qingcheng Temple was known only to Xu Shi and the Taoist at this point.

After hearing about Hongdou’s fate, Gu Qingyan couldn’t find a good opportunity for a while, so he simply closed his door and buried himself in study.

Lu Yanchi, however, came upon hearing the news.

He stormed in full of righteous anger: “The Li family has gone too far. It’s one thing to deny the fifteen years of ties, but how can they turn around and frame you?”

“Brother Gu, don’t listen to those rumors outside. I absolutely believe in your character. If you were greedy, you could have asked me for money—I would give you whatever amount. Why would you need to steal some bracelet?”

“What’s infuriating are those who can’t tell right from wrong, even saying you enjoyed fifteen years of wealth from the Li family and shouldn’t pursue justice for Li Jingting getting beaten.”

“Getting beaten? That’s his own fault. Brother Gu, I’ve already clarified things for you, so don’t worry.”

Gu Qingyan replied calmly, “The magistrate has already investigated and cleared things up; I’m not worried.”

Lu Yanchi only relaxed after seeing Gu’s indifference.

“That’s good.”

He then took out some books he brought along: “These are my elder brother’s notes and insights from back in the day. Brother Gu, keep them and study them slowly. Even if you get a bit of use from them, it won’t be a waste.”

Lu Yanjun’s notes were indeed very precious.

Gu Qingyan now knew the name well—he was a well-known figure throughout Qingzhou Prefecture.

“Thank you,” Gu Qingyan said sincerely, accepting the kindness.

Lu Yanchi smiled, “It’s nothing. He wasn’t using them anyway.”

“Brother Gu, I’ll take my leave then. You just focus on studying. Don’t bother with outside matters. When you pass the imperial exam, those people will see how powerful you are.”

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but smile and then stopped Lu Yanchi as he was leaving.

“Brother Lu, there’s something I want to ask for your help with, but I don’t know how to bring it up.”

Lu Yanchi hadn’t heard what it was yet, but confidently patted his chest and said, “Just say it. I’ll definitely help.”

Gu Qingyan brought up Hongdou.

“When I was at the Li family, Sister Hongdou took good care of me. To be honest, when I left last year, I had no money at all; the few of them pooled together my travel expenses.”

“I heard from the Li family that Li Jingting gave Hongdou to your second brother, Lu Yan, as a concubine. With that status, I don’t dare go look for her directly, afraid I might bring her trouble instead.”

“So I want to ask you to help—have someone check on her, see if she’s doing well. If she is, I’ll feel relieved.”

Lu Yanchi frowned a bit but, looking at Gu Qingyan, agreed without hesitation.

“That’s nothing. When I get home, I’ll have my younger sister visit her. They’re women, so it won’t cause problems. Once I get news, I’ll tell you.”

Lu Yanchi smiled, “A servant girl with such loyalty and affection, even without a lifesaving debt, I’m happy to help.”

Gu Qingyan finally felt at ease.

Since Lu Yanchi was family, sending his own sister to visit made perfect sense.

Even if Lu Yan found out, he probably wouldn’t say much.

Lu Yanchi stopped him before leaving: “You came to me for this because my younger brother is petty. If you try to ask yourself and he finds out, it’ll just cause another lawsuit.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell my sister to be careful. She’ll say it was just a coincidence, won’t mention you.”

He thought everything through thoroughly.

Gu Qingyan was very grateful: “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. These small things don’t require thanks,” Lu Yanchi waved off and left, promising to come back with news.

Gu Qingyan thought that given Lu Yanchi’s status, news would come quickly.

But half a month passed until the prefectural exam, and Lu Yanchi never appeared.

Gu Qingyan guessed something must have come up, so he put the matter aside for now and focused on the exam.

The prefectural exam was basically the same as the county exam—registration, sponsorship, similar content and sessions—just one more sponsored student.

Only by passing the prefectural exam could one be called a tongsheng (a candidate student) and qualify to take the academy exam.

And only by passing the academy exam could one earn the title of xiucai (cultivated talent), stepping one foot into the ranks of the local gentry.

In other words, Gu Qingyan had taken exam after exam but was still an ordinary commoner; participating in the prefectural exam was just to secure a spot for the academy exam.

After grumbling a bit about the ancient imperial exam papers, Gu Qingyan quietly joined the queue.

While lining up for the body search before entering the exam hall, Gu Qingyan still wondered if Xu Shi and her son might try to sabotage him.

For example, planting someone to sneak a cheat sheet onto him, giving him a reputation for cheating.

But all through the entrance, paper distribution, and answering questions, none of the things he worried about happened.

He smiled to himself, thinking his paranoia was unfounded, always feeling like Li Jingting was hiding some bad trick.

[You have successfully checked in at the Qingzhou Prefecture Examination Hall and received the answers for this prefectural exam.]

Gu Qingyan raised his brow.

The check-in point at the Examination Hall’s entrance stubbornly kept sending him the prefectural exam questions along with the answers.

Cheating was impossible, so Gu Qingyan ignored it and started answering.

The weather in April was neither cold nor hot. Gu Qingyan was lucky—the day of the prefectural exam was clear, without wind or rain.

The way Magistrate Ding set the questions was completely different from that of County Magistrate Hong.

The prefectural exam paper had noticeably fewer questions but was much more difficult. Some questions were so unfamiliar at first glance that Gu Qingyan had to dig them out from obscure corners.

It was clear that Magistrate Ding was somewhat petty and intended to make things hard for the candidates.

He quickly started answering the questions, and after finishing, he didn’t rush to submit.

[Detected Qingzhou Prefecture Examination Hall exam point. Consume 10 points to check in?]

Gu Qingyan rubbed his hands eagerly. Last time, at the county exam, when he checked in at the exam point, he had directly unlocked the Reputation Points system.

This time it was another 10 points—what reward would it give?