What is Duan Youyan’s father-in-law, the county magistrate, doing here!

He is here to help Duan Youyan!

He also knows that his son-in-law has been studying medicine for the past 23 years, and has only started to study for the imperial examinations in the past two years. He has never learned to write properly, and his hands have been worn out by the doctors in the clinic teaching him to write plasters. The words he writes are crooked and ugly.

But he does have real skills!

How can a medical student have a bad head? He can even memorize those difficult and complicated books, but he can’t memorize a few small books for the imperial examinations?

And he has read his son-in-law’s articles, and his ideas for solving the questions are very sharp, but he tends to go off track when writing, which may be related to the fact that he studied medicine for the past 23 years.

But as long as he corrects this problem, he believes that his articles and questions will not be too bad.

He was afraid that the examiner would see his handwriting and not even want to read his essay, and would directly reject him.

If he lost because he had no real talent, he would just accept it. If he lost because of this handwriting…

Just thinking about it, Sheng Zhiyuan felt a heart attack.

It just so happened that his Jin ger came to ask for help, and he thought about it for a while and came to the city to do a favor.

Although Sheng Zhiyuan was just a small county magistrate, he was at least a second-class Jinshi in his time, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy and worked as a reviewer. However, he was not interested in sorting out those boring manuscripts. Later, when there was a vacancy in the Ministry of Personnel, he asked to work in the Ministry of Personnel.

However, the work in the Ministry of Personnel was not easy. He offended his superiors and was assigned to a remote area. He was demoted and sent to Changnan as a county magistrate.

That’s why Song Yunfan agreed to meet Sheng Zhiyuan after taking a look at his visiting card.

If a county magistrate who had never been to the Hanlin Academy came to visit him outside the examination hall in the middle of the night with a visiting card, it was a good thing that he didn’t send him out.

Song Yunfan received Sheng Zhiyuan in the main hall of the examination hall: “Brother Sheng, I haven’t seen you for three years. I hope you are well.”

After three years, Sheng Zhiyuan felt mixed emotions when he saw Song Yunfan again. They were both reviewers in the Hanlin Academy back then. Now one of them was sent out to be the academician of this prefecture, and the other was demoted to be a county magistrate. Life is really different.

“Sir Song.” Although the reviewer of the Hanlin Academy was only a seventh-rank official, one level lower than the seventh-rank county magistrate, he was born in the Hanlin Academy and was noble. He might be heard by the emperor one day and rise to prominence. Therefore, Sheng Zhiyuan gave Song Yunfan all the necessary etiquette.

 Song Yunfan dodged his greeting: “You and I are colleagues. What is Brother Sheng doing here? I should be greeting you instead of you greeting me.”

Sheng Zhiyuan smiled: “Times are different now.”

“What’s the difference? It’s the same.” Song Yunfan shook his head. Everyone was sitting on the bench, so there was no need to meet each other. He said bluntly, “Brother Song, what is the reason for your visit today?”

Sheng Zhiyuan blushed. He had been upright all his life. This was the first time he used his connections for personal gain. He was inevitably a little uncomfortable: “It’s like this. I am not talented. I have a son-in-law who is from Yong’an Prefecture. This year, he happened to take the imperial examination…”

Song Yunfan understood it as soon as he heard it, and his expression was a little cold: “Brother Sheng, do you want me to give him a break?”

Sheng Zhiyuan didn’t have the face to do that. If the chief examiner of the imperial examination allowed someone to cheat openly, he would lose his head if he was found out.

 Besides, he and Song Yunfan were not so close, at most they were just nodding acquaintances. Even if he had a lot of face, he would not let him do such a shameless thing, so he shook his head: “Not really, although my son-in-law is a little dull, he is not completely without talent.”

Hearing this, Song Yunfan’s expression improved a little: “Then why is Brother Sheng acting like this?”

“Ah!” Sheng Zhiyuan sighed and said helplessly, “It’s a pity. My son-in-law is talented, but his handwriting is really unbearable to look at…”

“Knowing that the academician this time is you, Brother Song…” Sheng Zhiyuan paused, not knowing how to flatter, and faltered a little, “Suzhou is home to many talented people. Lord Song has seen countless literati. Yong’an is a remote place, and the articles written there are not worthy of Brother Song’s attention, let alone my son-in-law’s bad handwriting.”

Sheng Zhiyuan bowed to Song Yunfan and asked for a favor in vain: “Coincidentally, in a few months, teacher will retire. I want to give teacher a merit tablet and place it in teacher’s hometown. If Lord Song can not mind my son-in-law’s ugly handwriting and mark the papers fairly, regardless of the results, I think Brother Song is more suitable to give this merit tablet than me.”

Sheng Zhiyuan stopped talking and offered the favor. As for whether Song Yunfan wanted it or not, he did not ask and left immediately.

Anyway, he had done what he should do for Duan Youyan. If Duan Youyan’s article was really unacceptable and he failed the exam, it would be his own fault for not working hard in his studies!

 “Father-in-law.” Duan Youyan didn’t know that Sheng Zhiyuan came to the city for him, and thought he was here to do business. He saw him bow respectfully from outside the carriage.

Sheng Zhiyuan helped Duan Youyan, but he was furious when he saw this son-in-law. Especially when this son-in-law spoke coldly to him and his Jin ger as if his family had wronged him, and he had no good face for him.

“Get up,” Sheng Zhiyuan glanced coldly at his face that collapsed when he saw him, “Why don’t you go home to serve your husband after the exam? What are you doing hanging around outside for so many days? What? Do you think you have passed the exam? Can you get rid of your status as a son-in-law? Set up your own business?”

Behind Duan Youyan were Pei Wangshu and others. Sheng Zhiyuan said the most shameful and embarrassing thing to him in front of his friends so unceremoniously, and his whole face was a little distorted.

 He didn’t dare to think about what his friends would think of him if they knew about his status as a brought in husband. If Xu Huaiqian married into the family because of physical discomfort and had no choice, then what about him, a man with healthy limbs and a harmonious family, why did he marry into the family?

Would they think he was a person who tried to curry favor with the rich and powerful and flattered others?

When he thought about his friends looking at him with an expression that was hard to describe and he turned out to be such a person, Duan Youyan felt uncomfortable even breathing.

He didn’t dare to turn around to look at the expressions of his friends, because he really couldn’t afford to offend his father-in-law, the county magistrate. He could only clench his fists, lower his head in shame, and responded: “I dare not.”

“I will go home and serve my husband.”

“Mm, come up.” For some reason, Sheng Zhiyuan felt happy when he was unhappy with him.

 If his son Jin hadn’t had a hot flash in advance, and he, as a doctor, hadn’t been able to treat it, causing Jin to have unbearable hot flashes and kiss him in public, how could he have agreed to let a herbalist be his son-in-law!

Duan Youyan hurriedly said to Pei Wangshu and the others, “Goodbye.” He didn’t even dare to see their faces, and hurriedly climbed onto the carriage, waiting to serve Sheng Yunjin in a corner of the carriage.

“Dad! Why are you doing this!” Sheng Yunjin didn’t expect Sheng Zhiyuan to say these words in front of Duan Youyan’s classmate. He was completely dumbfounded, and when he came to his senses, it was too late!

“What about me?!” Sheng Zhiyuan was also not happy with his son who always turned his elbow outward.

If he hadn’t had a hot flash in advance, he wouldn’t have torn off someone’s clothes in front of so many outsiders! Shouldn’t he have immediately closed the door and said to hire him as a son-in-law, but he had to swallow his anger and say that he would marry his son to him? ! 

“Ah!” Sheng Yunjin was really mad at him! But this was his father, he couldn’t yell back! He could only go over and coax his Duan Youyan.

“Ah Yan,” he stuck to Duan Youyan, “My father is like this, he always says unpleasant things, so don’t be angry with him.”

Duan Youyan lowered his eyes: “I dare not.”

Sheng Yunjin saw that he was still unhappy, and took out another medical book and handed it to him: “Ah Yan, look, this is a new medical book that I asked my friend in Beijing to find for you. It is not on your bookshelf. When you pass the imperial examination this time, you can go back to be a doctor. These books will definitely be useful to you.”

“…Thank you.” Even if Duan Youyan was as hard-hearted as a stone, he was inevitably touched when he saw his husband handing him the medical book earnestly, and raised his hands to take it.

Sheng Zhiyuan, who was sitting in the upper seat, saw his ger be so spineless and said angrily: “My Jin ger is sincere to you. If I were you, I would never stop at being a scholar and let him lose face in front of those relatives and friends in Beijing!”

Sheng Zhiyuan was not born in a poor family. He was born in the Sheng family in Jiangnan. Although it was not a big family, it was also a descendant of a famous family.  He and his wife had only one son, Sheng Yunjin, who was brought up innocent and carefree since childhood. He had a good reputation both in Beijing and in the Sheng family. Even if he was exiled to this remote area to be a county magistrate, it would not delay finding a marriage for Sheng Yunjin.

Originally, they had been looking for him. Not to mention how good the marriage was, at least he would have a family of status and a lifelong worry-free life. But it all happened because of Duan Youyan, the quack doctor!

He mistook hot flashes for fever and used needles to open up all of his son’s meridians. He was torn by the unbearable hot flashes on the spot, so that his son could only marry him, a herbal doctor.

He didn’t let him take the imperial examination. Later, those families who had taken a fancy to Jin ger but were rejected by him asked what kind of husband Jin ger had found. When they asked, oh, a doctor in a herbal medicine hall.

Just think how embarrassed Jin ger must be.

Besides, did he harm him by asking him to take the imperial examination? With a father-in-law like him, the county magistrate, let alone anything else, as long as he passed the imperial examination, he would be a county magistrate, which would be more glorious than being a doctor in a herbal medicine hall, right?

Sheng Zhiyuan had thought of everything, but he didn’t expect Duan Youyan to not like it! He didn’t like being an official!

Born in a family that made a living by running a herbal medicine hall, he was exposed to herbal medicine and healing since he was a child. He made up his mind at a very young age that when he grew up, he would become a doctor who healed diseases and saved lives like his grandfather and father, and develop his own herbal medicine hall into a medical clinic.

In order to learn medical skills, he even went to other medical clinics as an apprentice and had not married at the age of 23.

 If he hadn’t helped his master go to the county magistrate’s house that day to treat the county magistrate’s ger, he wouldn’t have…

After listening to Sheng Zhiyuan’s words, Duan Youyan paused with his hand holding the medical book, and was in shock: “… What? … Still need to take the exam?”

He hasn’t studied medicine for two years. If he wastes a few more years, he will never be a doctor in this life.

Seeing him like this, Sheng Zhiyuan snorted: “If I were you, I would continue to take the exam until I become an official!”

“Dad!” Let alone Duan Youyan, Sheng Yunjin felt angry after hearing it, “Didn’t we agree that it’s enough to pass the exam to become a Xiucai!”

“If you are only willing to be a Xiucai’s husband and don’t mind others laughing at you, it’s up to you!” Sheng Zhiyuan glanced at them and got off the carriage angrily. He was annoyed when he saw them, and he would rather get off the carriage and walk.

Sheng Yunjin was almost mad at his father. Was he trying to force Duan Youyan to death? !

 “Ah Yan, don’t listen to my father’s nonsense.” As soon as Sheng Zhiyuan left, Sheng Yunjin grabbed Duan Youyan’s arm, “You are you, do whatever you want, don’t be affected by my father’s words.”

If he wants to blame someone, blame him. If his hot flashes hadn’t occurred two years earlier than ordinary people, Duan Youyan wouldn’t have been so tortured to marry into his family.

“If…” The belief that had always supported Duan Youyan collapsed. He grabbed the carpet on the edge of the carriage and kept repeating the word “if”, but he never said the complete words.

If he had never been to the county magistrate’s mansion that day, it would be fine. But if he hadn’t been to the county magistrate’s mansion, he would have never been with Jin ger in this life.

On one side is the ideal and on the other side is the husband. It’s hard to have both. Duan Youyan was torn apart by the impermanence of the world, and he didn’t know how to deal with himself like a walking corpse.

 Let’s not talk about how Pei Wangshu and the others looked at each other in bewilderment after Duan Youyan and the others left.

Let’s just say that night, after Sheng Zhiyuan left, Song Yunfan returned to the annotation room, looking at the test papers on the desk, and kept recalling Sheng Zhiyuan’s words in his head.

Is Sheng Zhiyuan’s teacher going to retire?

Sheng Zhiyuan’s teacher He Jianghai was not a big shot. He was just a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, a fourth-rank official, responsible for lecturing the emperor and the prince.

He was inconspicuous on weekdays and had no real power. He was able to accept Sheng Zhiyuan as a student because he happened to be the same examiner as Sheng Zhiyuan in the imperial examination. Sheng Zhiyuan was a respectful teacher, and he often visited Jiang Hehai when he entered Hanlin Academy. After a few visits, the two became familiar with each other, and gradually their friendship was no different from that of a real master and apprentice.

 The Jin Dynasty was founded only for 45 years, and the current emperor relied on such a method to get to the throne. He didn’t like to listen to lectures. The prince even had a special tutor to teach him. Jiang Hehai, the lecturer, sat on the bench in the Hanlin Academy every day. Even Sheng Zhiyuan couldn’t help him when he went to the Ministry of Personnel. Later, Sheng Zhiyuan was demoted to Pingxi County as a county magistrate, which was even more out of reach.

But if he wants to retire, it will be different!

After all, he is the emperor’s lecturer. Although the emperor has never listened to his classes, if he retires without any merit or fault, the emperor cannot save his face.

Let’s not talk about things like promoting a rank and sending people back to their hometowns for honor and retirement. Generally, before retiring, the emperor will ask the retired old ministers if there are any young people who are optimistic about his job, or ask if there are any outstanding people among his younger generations who are pleasing to him.

 As long as he is not a flatterer, a playboy or a bad person, the emperor will give him some face, and promote or reward him. This is also a face for the old minister.

If he accepts Sheng Zhiyuan’s olive branch and sends a tablet of his merits to his hometown before Jiang Hehai retires, Jiang Hehai will be happy to say a few good words for him in front of the emperor, and his promotion will be promising.

It’s not that Song Yunfan wants to flatter. It’s like this in the officialdom. When an old minister retires, everyone gives him some face. Even the emperor has to give face to the old minister. As long as they don’t go too far and waste money and hurt the people, the emperor won’t care.

He was exiled to Changnan to serve as an academician for three years. He knows more about the affairs of the court than most. For example, probably few people know the news that Jiang Hehai is going to retire, except Sheng Zhiyuan. If he can curry favor with him before he retires, he can get a piece of meat.

A tablet inscription doesn’t cost much. It’s not enough to fill the teeth of the censors.

And the price is just to ask him to review the papers fairly. Sheng Zhiyuan really did him a big favor!

It’s impossible for Song Yunfan not to be moved!

Thinking of this, he hurriedly turned out the article in the son-in-law’s handwriting that Sheng Zhiyuan showed him.

 The handwriting was so easy to recognize. It was crooked and twisted, like a dog’s handwriting. Wasn’t it the article that made his eyes hurt?

He found the test paper he had thrown away in the pile of papers that were rejected, and tried hard to read the answer sheet of this candidate carefully again.

“…… mm, not bad! Not bad!” Although the handwriting was really ugly, the answer was fluent, and the solution was novel that he had never seen before.

It proved that this student had a solid knowledge and could recite the Four Books and Five Classics by heart, so he could answer the questions so fluently. What’s rare is that he is not a bookworm. His solution is also very clever, the kind that makes people feel fresh.

It’s no wonder that his father-in-law ran around for him. If his answer sheet was so good, but he was rejected because of the ugly handwriting, it would be really uncomfortable.

 “…Pick this one up,” Song Yunfan raised the test paper and handed it to the schoolmaster and the teacher. After thinking for a while, he said, “Just put it at the end.”

After all, it’s just a good answer, but the handwriting is still ugly, so we can’t do too much.

The teacher and the schoolmaster saw that Song Yunfan picked up this article with ugly handwriting again, and asked in confusion: “Sir, didn’t you say that his handwriting is too ugly, and wait for him to practice for another two years?”

Song Yunfan: “…”

“I suddenly think he answered the questions well,” Song Yunfan was asked by his subordinates. He felt that he had said too much just now, which made him embarrassed, but at least Duan Youyan’s answer was still acceptable, which saved him a little face, “His handwriting is not so ugly.”

Schoolmaster: “…”

Teacher: “…”

Okay, you are an adult, what you say is what it is!

The two wrote the name of this candidate at the end of the list that had been recorded.

 Each prefecture has a fixed number of candidates for the examination each year, usually around 100. However, Yong’an Prefecture is located in a remote area, and only about 200 or 300 candidates take the exam each year, and only 50 or 60 can be admitted.

This year’s questions are difficult, and they have only selected 10 or 20 candidates so far, and there is still a large blank space on the whole paper.

After solving Sheng Zhiyuan’s problem, Song Yunfan, who had nothing to do, thought of the inscription again.

This gift of a stele cannot just be a stele, the inscription and handwriting are also crucial.

A good inscription can be passed down through the ages, but it is too ordinary and cannot be used to flatter.

At this juncture, where can he find someone who can write the deeds on the inscription in a touching way?

Changnan is located in a remote area and there are not many literati, but there are some in Suzhou, but it takes too much time to go back and forth, and it is too blatant. Wouldn’t it let everyone know that he wants to flatter?

 He has to keep a low profile!

He still has to hang around Changnan, but where can he find such a talented scholar in Changnan…

Song Yunfan suddenly stopped when he thought of this, picked up the paper he had chosen as the first place and took a look at it. He then picked up the second place paper he thought had a talented article and read it over and over again, comparing it repeatedly.

This time he saw something.

The first place paper he chose wrote good poems, lyrics, and songs, but they were full of craftsmanship, as if someone was holding a ruler and writing according to the preferences of the people in Suzhou Prefecture.

And the second place paper he chose, except for the article, was full of spirituality in other places.

Although the poems, lyrics, and songs were not the type he liked, they were all realistic and documentary. At first glance, they were ordinary, but after reading them carefully, they had an endless aftertaste.

Just like the same is about snow, the first place paper only recites the snow scene, while the second place paper uses snow to describe people and writes about the misery of poor people in the cold winter.

 The first part is beautifully written and makes people yearn for it, and the latter part is realistic and full of true feelings.

Song Yunfan read it slowly and carefully, and read the candidate’s paper from beginning to end. The more he read, the more shocked and fascinated he became.

“Good! Good! It’s really well written!” After reading it, Song Yunfan read it again.

This is completely different from the stereotyped answer sheets in Suzhou Prefecture. The whole paper is full of true feelings, without a single word of nonsense. Although the words and sentences are not as beautiful as those used by Suzhou people, every word is like a finishing touch.

It can move scholars and make people cry. It is indeed a rare talent.

As long as he studies hard, his official position will not be lower than his in the future.

This time, he not only wanted the candidate to write an inscription for him, but also sincerely crossed out the first case he had filled in and wrote the candidate’s name again.

 The inscription can be taught to the new candidate, but what about the characters on the inscription?

Song Yunfan knocked on the edge of the table.

He was actually very interested in the scroll of characters he had loved so much before. Jiang Hehai was old, and if he was given a too sharp inscription, he might not like it, nor might he notice it.

Other soft characters were too soft, and they looked limp and undignified, and they looked out of place on the inscription.

Xu Huaiqian’s characters were just right, neither soft nor hard. It was just right, and could calm the mind, which was most suitable for such an old man.

Unfortunately, he had read the article at least dozens of times, and he really couldn’t find the point of adding it, otherwise he would definitely be admitted.

Thinking of this, Song Yunfan was tempted by the handwriting again. He picked up the test paper on the ground and looked for the characters again.

…Hm, let him appreciate it again! Appreciate it!

However he looked for it but he couldn’t find the words. It was as if the words didn’t exist…

He panicked and flipped through the test paper again. He was so anxious that he was sweating. He slammed the table and asked the teacher below: “Where are my words?! Where are my words?!”

The teacher below was also confused: “Sir, what words?”

“It’s the one I’ve been reading for several days!” Song Yunfan was almost dying of anxiety. This feeling of wanting to read more but not being able to see it was the most torturous.

“Didn’t sir say that he had nothing to recommend except good handwriting?” The teacher tilted his head and looked at Song Yunfan’s anxious look curiously.

“I want to take another look!” Song Yunfan thought that he saw the trick after reading the second test paper of Meng Fangxun. Maybe if he read a few more articles of Xu Huaiqian, he could also see some progress?

 “It may have been taken to the warehouse by the servants and sealed.” Such rejected papers will be sealed in the examination hall, so that if there is any change in the future, they can be checked at any time. However, there are also bad luck. The servants are lazy and don’t put them away properly. They are wet by rain and dried by the sun, and the marks will be gone…

Before he finished speaking, Song Yunfan hurried out of the door and ran to the warehouse in a hurry. He remembered that it had just rained last night.

The teacher was stunned. How could this be the usually selfless and heartless person? It was obvious that he said one thing and meant another!

The warehouse of the examination hall was not as rigorous as that of the examination hall. Here were the papers of the rejected students. If there was no accident, there was no possibility of taking them back for re-examination.

Therefore, except for a few lazy servants guarding the door, the county’s chief clerk and county magistrate could check them at will.

 When Song Yunfan entered, Gu Fengchao, the magistrate of Yong’an Prefecture, was holding a test paper and examining it carefully. He didn’t care. After asking the servants, he looked through the newly handed in test papers.

Still nothing!

He was so anxious that he was about to get angry at the servants holding the test papers. He noticed that Gu Fengchao was standing there looking at the test papers without moving, so he walked over to take a look!

Hey! Isn’t this the test paper he was looking for!

Song Yunfan walked up and snatched the test paper back: “Why are you here looking at the test paper!”

“I found it in the box of the fallen test papers,” Gu Fengchao was fascinated by it. When the test paper was snatched away, he was stunned for a moment. When he saw that the person who snatched his test paper was Song Yunfan, he was furious, “You all rejected such a good test paper, which shows that there are so many foolish officials in the world!”

Gu Fengchao was checking the candidates’ information to see what policy papers the candidates in their county had answered this year.

 He is different from other county magistrates who just want to get by. He really wants to make achievements in the county!

However, Yong’an Prefecture is too poor!

Not only are there few coins in the warehouse, but there is also a Yong’an prefect who is suppressing him.

This Yong’an prefect is domineering and greedy. Yong’an Prefecture is like his personal purse. Anyone who prevents him from getting money from his purse is his enemy.

When he saw that Gu Fengchao was not the same as him, he directly overrode Gu Fengchao’s power as a county magistrate and controlled the entire Yong’an Prefecture.

Gu Fengchao, who had no place to vent his passion, had to come to the examination hall warehouse every day to look at the students’ answer papers and understand what Yong’an Prefecture looked like in the eyes of scholars.

As soon as he stepped in, he saw a stack of failed papers coming from the examination hall, and the top one was Xu Huaiqian’s answer paper with very bright handwriting.

He was attracted by the handwriting at first, but as he looked at it, he was completely attracted by the content on it. 

Song Yunfan ignored the words that Gu Fengchao, the little county magistrate. He scolded him, caught the words between the lines, spread out Xu Huaiqian’s paper and asked him: “What did you say? You said this paper was well answered? What’s good about it?”

Gu Fengchao pointed to the one about people’s livelihood and showed it to him: “This one is better than any other student’s paper of the county magistrate.”

Song Yunfan looked over and saw a very straightforward sentence: “To get rich, you must first build roads.”

“Fake and empty!” Song Yunfan directly refuted. Who doesn’t know that if you want to get rich, you must first build roads? The key is where the money for building roads comes from? And this is too straightforward. Who writes an article like this?

 “Don’t deny it in a hurry,” Gu Fengchao knew that the academician from Suzhou only cared about reading the articles with beautiful words and sentences, and whoever used beautiful words and sentences was the best, without paying attention to the actual situation, “Read on.”

“…the poor will be poorer, the rich will be richer, encourage people’s livelihood, adapt to local conditions, integrate resources…”

“What the hell is this?!” Song Yunfan couldn’t read it anymore. If he didn’t have such a good handwriting, he wouldn’t even want to read this article.

 Gu Fengchao: “Put aside the article and look at it. His suggestions are not groundless. Each one is feasible.”

“Look at this one. It encourages the cultivation of large-scale farmers in the countryside. I have calculated that the price of a piglet ranges from 200 to 300 wen. After feeding it for a year, it can be sold for about 2,000 wen. If every household feeds two pigs every year, the annual income can be increased by about 300 to 400 taels, excluding the harvest from the fields.”

“It’s easy to say,” Song Yunfan still shook his head in disagreement, “How to feed these pigs? How to encourage feeding? Do you know?”

“And feeding so many pigs can easily cause swine fever, how to sell them? Every household has pigs, who will buy pork?”

Gu Fengchao refuted him with the test paper: “So he said that merchants should drive and establish channels.”

Xu Huaiqian’s words were written so straightforwardly. If they still couldn’t understand them, they would be really stupid.

 After hearing what he said, Song Yunfan patiently read through the plain words, frowned and thought: “These suggestions sound good, but no one has ever implemented them. Who knows if they are true or false?”

“But aren’t livelihood articles supposed to be suggestions?” Gu Fengchao disagreed and refuted him, “Are there any livelihood articles in the exam papers you admitted that can be used?”

“Aren’t most of them just flowery nonsense?” Gu Fengchao could recite them by heart, “Light labor service, low taxes; I am in a constant state of anxiety, how miserable! How miserable!”

“Is this a good article?” Gu Fengchao said disdainfully, “If someone sincerely puts forward opinions, then it is not a good article?”

Song Yunfan was very hesitant. He really had no interest in such articles, but he felt that what Gu Fengchao said made sense.

But he felt that it was wrong. As a school administrator, he only admitted candidates based on the quality of their articles. People’s livelihood and other issues were not issues he should consider.

“And this candidate’s handwriting is very good. He has reached the qualification of your Suzhou Prefecture to be admitted based on his handwriting.” Gu Fengchao had participated in the imperial examination before and knew how talents were recruited in the imperial examination. But now that he was a county magistrate, and had different ideas.

He only felt that those colorful articles were just good to look at and not practical at all. On the contrary, Xu Huaiqian’s article was simple and straightforward, and he could see at a glance how to reform the county.

It was a pity that he was just a nominal county magistrate now and could not implement it. But it was also very uncomfortable for him to see such a talented student fail the exam, so he indirectly instigated Song Yunfan.

 “Sir Song,” he persuaded him with reason and emotion, “You are willing to come back to look for this article, which proves that it is not completely without merit. It’s just that you have always been fair and just, and you are unwilling to show favoritism, right?”

“Why not admit it with a low profile?” Gu Fengchao suggested to him, “Give it a humble title, it won’t make things difficult for you, and no one will notice it.”

Song Yunfan thought about it and it made sense. Other examiners also admitted students based on their writing and poetry, so why can’t he.

And…

He glanced at Gu Fengchao: “Is this article about people’s livelihood really good?”

“It’s really good!” Gu Fengchao nodded to him, “I want to meet this candidate in person when I have time, and listen to him talk about the suggestions in the article in detail.”

“Then admit it with a low profile.”

Song Yunfan was persuaded, and when he went back, he wrote Xu Huaiqian’s name above the last one with a pen. The last one was too conspicuous, and no one would notice the second to last one.

 Besides, writing a merit stele for a fourth-rank lecturer, you can’t still be a commoner without any honors. It’s much better to have honors!

Xu Huaiqian didn’t know what happened in the city. After he got the money from Pei Wangshu, he turned around and gave it to Chen Liejiu, and said to him: “Let’s go home.”

It’s too expensive to stay in the city!

They have no place to stay in the city. Living in an inn, eating, drinking, and defecating every day costs money, so it’s better to go back first.

“What about your imperial examination and treatment?” Chen Liejiu has been looking for a place to stay in the city recently. He wants to take Xu Huaiqian and the others to live in the city.

 “I’ve seen that Doctor Miao only uses the same few acupuncture points every time. Let him write them down. We can still treat them when we return to Mishan County. As for the imperial examination, we don’t have to worry about it.”

 Xu Huaiqian remembered that Ji’an Medical Clinic was a chain store. “Anyway, the results will be announced next month. If I pass, someone will come to the village to notify me.” 

“If I don’t pass, I’ll know I didn’t pass when Brother Meng passes and invites me to his scholar banquet.” 

“Okay.” Seeing that Xu Huaiqian had arranged everything in an orderly manner, Chen Liejiu didn’t refuse. 

He really couldn’t find any way to make money quickly in the capital, unless he went to the casino to fight black boxing and get ten taels of silver for a fight, but if he couldn’t get up and down the ring, what would happen to the whole family? 

Hearing Xu Huaiqian talking about returning to his hometown, he thought about it and thought it would be good to return to his hometown. He seemed to be able to burn bricks and sell them when he returned to his hometown! It’s just right to burn in winter and sell in spring!  

The Chen clan members who made money from coal this year will definitely build houses in the spring of next year, and they won’t have trouble finding sellers.

When he thought that this method was accidentally revealed by his young husband, Chen Liejiu thought about the two hundred taels of silver that Xu Huaiqian gave him. He looked at Xu Huaiqian who was covering his eyes with a cloth strip, looking more and more beautiful. His heart was burning. How could his young husband be so powerful? !

Even in this state, he can still make money!

Xu Huaiqian didn’t see Chen Liejiu’s fiery gaze, but since he put on the eye strap to adapt to the darkness, his ears became more sensitive and he heard Chen Liejiu’s obviously unusual breathing.

He asked: “Did you just think of something bad?”

“No!” Chen Liejiu didn’t admit it.

Xu Huaiqian curled his lips and didn’t believe it: “Really?” He heard it all, his wife missed him!

Xu Huaiqian left the village alone and returned to the village blind.

The village exploded immediately?

 How could he go blind after entering the city for the imperial examination? !

Is the imperial examination so terrifying and torturous? ! Can it make people blind? !

Now the villagers know that the methods of burning charcoal and hatching chicks were invented by Xu Huaiqian. As early as when they went to the city for the imperial examination, the villagers were discussing it.

 “Mr. Xu is so capable, I’m afraid he will really pass the exam to become a scholar!”

“It’s hard to say. For someone who can make money from books, it doesn’t seem to be a big deal to pass the exam to become a Xiucai.”

“Oh, then Chen Liejiu will be blessed. Not only does he have Mr. Xu, his husband. He makes money for him, but he can also easily become a Xiucai’s husband.”

“It’s true. Chen Liejiu is lucky. A bully who can’t even find a husband can easily snatch a sickly man and have such great ability. Who would have thought of this before?”

The wind direction in the village changes every day. When Xu Huaiqian married into Chen Liejiu’s family, no one was optimistic about him. They thought that they would definitely live a chaotic life and break up sooner or later.

Now that they have risen, their words are full of envy. They envy why they don’t have Chen Liejiu’s good fortune?

 Unfortunately, the envy lasted only two days. Seeing Xu Huaiqian coming back blind, Dr. Sun came to his house every day to give him acupuncture. The villagers suddenly felt that they were not so envious.

What’s wrong with finding a capable husband? A sickly person is a sickly person. He will be in trouble if there is a little trouble.

Now he is just blind, and they don’t know what will happen in the future. They have endless worries every day, and they don’t know how tired they are.

Whether others are tired or not, Chen Liejiu is not tired at all. He is now staying at home and playing with his little husband to write on his palm.

Last time, after Xu Huaiqian entered the examination room, he wrote his name on his palm. After returning home, Xu Huaiqian insisted that he write it back on his palm.

He can’t see it so only on his palm can he see it!

Chen Liejiu had no choice but to spread his palm and write three words on it.

Xu Huaiqian curled his lips: “Did I write these three words at that time?”

“Yes.” Chen Liejiu affirmed, “These are the three words!”

“Okay, I miss you.” Xu Huaiqian leaned on him, half raised his face that was gradually getting better, “Did you miss me?”

Chen Liejiu didn’t say anything, because he was burned by the line between his eyebrows, which seemed to be hotter than the last time he kissed Xu Huaiqian.

Time quickly entered September. A month passed, and no news came from the city.

Everyone in the village was saying that Xu Huaiqian might not have passed the exam. It has been a month. If there was any news, the news would have by now.

 There is no news. They are afraid there is no news.

Now the villagers still want to curry favor with Xu Huaiqian. They don’t see that the coal and chickens are burning and hatching every day. Even if he is blind, he can still support himself. They dare not say discouraging words, but feel sorry for Xu Huaiqian.

“What a pity for Mr. Xu’s eyes!”

“He didn’t pass the exam even if he was blind. It shows that the imperial examination is really difficult. I was planning to support my second child to study, but now it seems that I should forget it. It’s good to be a healthy country boy.”

“If you can afford it, support it. Don’t you see that Mr. Xu is blind and he still asks Xiaomei to read to him at home every day. Who knows one day he will find a way to make money from the book!”

They remember what Xu Huaiqian said. You can’t pass the imperial examination by studying, but maybe you can make money!

 The villagers thought that Xu Huaiqian had no hope of becoming a Xiucai, and Xu Huaiqian also thought that if he didn’t pass the exam, then he didn’t pass it. Then he could concentrate on treating his eyes.

As a result, when he and Chen Liejiu went up the mountain to see the newly burned white charcoal, the person who brought the good news came to the village, and the villagers were so excited that they ran around to tell each other.

“Mr. Xu passed the exam and became a Xiucai!”