Chapter 185

After the young men had their meal downstairs, Mu Er Pang brought some light dishes to the room for Shen Cui, who also took her herbal soup.

After falling asleep, when she woke up the next day, she felt much better and wasn’t as drowsy.

However, Dr. Huang changed the prescription to more nourishing herbs, so her condition had only improved by 1 point.

It seemed that as Dr. Huang had said, she needed to continue taking the medicine for a few more days to fully recover.

Although the young men knew she was eager to select a site for the academy, as if they had agreed beforehand, they refused to let her leave the inn until she was completely better.

They said they were all grown up and could handle things themselves.

If Shen Cui was really in a hurry, they could go to the city with Lao Buyu first.

They could select a few locations, and when Shen Cui was fully recovered, they could make the final decision.

Shen Cui naturally refused. Logistics had always been her responsibility, and with the imperial exam coming up in a few months, how could she let them divert their attention to these trivial matters?

So, they made a pact: Shen Cui would rest peacefully in her room while they focused on their studies.

During this time, Wei Shu and Wei Xi went home for a visit.

Wei’s parents hadn’t seen them for a long time and had been eagerly awaiting their return since they received the family letters, knowing that they had returned to the capital to prepare for the winter exams.

When relatives reunite after a long separation, there’s naturally a lot to talk about.

But the imminent imperial exam was the most important thing.

After a few months, the whole family wouldn’t have to part ways again. So, Wei’s parents decided to let the brothers stay with the others from the academy until after the exams before returning home.

Wei’s parents’ reaction was almost exactly as Shen Cui had imagined.

After expressing their longing for their sons, Wei’s mother sighed, “If it weren’t for you saying that Headmaster’s health was not well, we would have definitely gone to see her to thank her for taking care of you all these days.”

They also asked about Shen Cui’s plans for the future.

Wei Shu replied, “Headmaster intends to rent a house in the city first, so we can continue studying as before. She took some medicine yesterday, and her complexion has improved a lot this morning. It’s likely that in the next couple of days, we’ll start looking for a site.”

“It’s not easy to find a secluded place suitable for studying but also affordable,” Wei’s father remarked.

That was indeed the truth.

The Wei family’s business had moved from Yongning County to the capital, where they had been living for several years.

They were well-off compared to ordinary people, but the house they lived in was just a second-rate mansion.

It was nowhere near as grand as the place in Qingzhou Prefecture where Shen Cui used to live.

This was because space was limited in the capital, and land was scarce and expensive.

Finding a place to settle down wasn’t difficult, but finding a spacious and secluded place was.

The best locations were reserved for the emperor’s rewards, followed by residences for high-ranking officials.

After that came the territories of lower-ranking officials, leaving only the scraps for ordinary folks to scramble for.

Wei’s parents exchanged a glance and decided to send someone to search around in the next few days.

If they were lucky, perhaps they could help Shen Cui find a suitable place.

…

After Shen Cui and her group settled in at the inn, it didn’t take long for the inn to become less peaceful.

Although they usually rested and studied in their own rooms, the young men still had occasions to come out for meals, water, and socializing with other candidates at the inn.

The news that the top four in the provincial exam of Dongning Province were all from an unknown academy in Qingzhou Prefecture had spread to the capital, becoming a topic of conversation.

If it weren’t for the chief examiner being Minister Wang, the situation might have been interpreted as suspicious, like the failed scholars from Qingzhou Prefecture.

Although they didn’t doubt the fairness of the exam, it became a topic of discussion during meals and gatherings.

Once Mu Er Pang and the others became familiar faces, they naturally exchanged introductions and had discussions with others.

Since they hadn’t done anything wrong, there was no need to hide their identities. However, they soon became inundated with visitors asking for advice, seeking insider information, or wanting to befriend them through scholarly discussions.

Just like in the original plot, Mu Er Pang and the others found themselves constantly bothered by these interactions, but since they were all staying at the same inn, they couldn’t avoid them.

Seeing that the young men couldn’t study peacefully at the inn, Shen Cui, who had regained some strength, didn’t listen to Mu Er Pang’s advice to rest a few more days and immediately went into the city.

Just like when they first arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture, Shen Cui was equally unfamiliar with the layout of the capital. So, she asked Wei Shu and Shen Aoshuang about the old and reputable toothshops in the city and had the coachman take her directly to one.

After meeting with the toothshop’s receptionist, Shen Cui made the same request as before: she needed a small place, not too big, just enough for one or two people to live in. As for the budget, it wasn’t much, just a hundred taels.

However, this hundred taels would only cover the rent until after the palace exam and the grand ceremony of presenting the scholars, which was about half a year later. After that, they would decide whether to renew the lease depending on the circumstances.

After all, there were several possible scenarios.

If Mu Er Pang passed the exam and the others didn’t, she would have to stay in the capital with her son and continue running the academy there.

If Mu Er Pang didn’t pass but the others did, there would be no need to keep the academy in such an expensive location, and they could move it back to Qingzhou Prefecture or Yongning County.

If everyone passed, she would distribute the Bone-refining Pills, and Mu Er Pang and the others would graduate from her academy.

At that point, there would be no need to rent a large mansion with no students. They could wait until they received more students in the future before choosing a new location.

In any case, everything would become clear in half a year, and they would need to make new plans then.

In the capital, finding a house wasn’t difficult, and lease agreements usually started at three to five years, which made it challenging for the toothshop receptionist.

He could only say that he would go and search, and if he found anything suitable, he would inform Shen Cui at the inn outside the city.

In the afternoon, Shen Cui returned to the inn.

As soon as she got off the carriage, a waiter approached her and bowed, saying, “Madam, you’ve returned just in time. Someone is looking for you.”

There had been too many visitors these days, not only candidates staying at the inn but also people from other places who had come to see her.

So, Shen Cui had informed the waiter in her capacity as Headmaster that if anyone came to visit, they should inform her first.

She played the role of the “bad guy” and helped shield the young men from unnecessary social interactions.

Shen Cui asked who was looking for her.

The waiter first mentioned someone with the surname Shen, but quickly added, “But it seems they’re not here to see Master Shen, but another person with the surname Shen.”

In the academy, besides Shen Cui, was there anyone else with the surname Shen?

Shen Cui nodded in acknowledgment and walked into the inn.

As soon as she entered the lobby, she saw a young woman dressed in a plain embroidered jacket, sitting anxiously near the entrance, scanning the area.

It was none other than Zhou Shi, who had been separated for three years.

As soon as she saw Shen Cui, Zhou Shi stood up abruptly, her voice tinged with tears as she cried out, “Mother!”

Shen Cui raised her eyebrows in surprise at first, then quickly approached and asked, “How did you find your way here?”

As she got closer, Shen Cui noticed that Zhou Shi not only looked different in her attire and appearance from before but also had two maidservants accompanying her.

Zhou Shi wiped her eyes and said, “Mother, you wrote in the letter that you would come to the capital before winter, but you didn’t specify the exact time. I thought about sending someone to watch at the city gate, but considering your preference for simplicity, I wasn’t sure if they could recognize you even if they saw you. So, I went to the city gate myself every day.”

Shen Cui reached out and took her hand. “Are you being silly? After we settled in the capital, I would naturally have someone inform you.”

Zhou Shi took her “scolding” without offense.

Instead, she couldn’t help but smile and wipe her eyes again before continuing, “It was only this morning that my husband told me about your and Er Pang’s arrival at the inn, so I immediately came over.”

Shen Cui’s spirits lifted.

Mu Yunchuan was still building his reputation in the Hanlin Academy and hadn’t gained much influence yet.

But if he knew, didn’t that mean their academy had attracted attention from other factions?

Mu Yun Chuan deliberately informed Zhou Shi, expecting her to come immediately and relay the message to Shen Cui.

If even he did this, and Shen Cui couldn’t sense anything amiss, she would truly be naive.

Perhaps because Shen Cui’s mindset had changed, although Mu Yunchuan’s actions remained circuitous, Shen Cui appreciated his gesture of goodwill.

She sat Zhou Shi down and scrutinized her from head to toe, confirming that she was indeed doing well, just as stated in the letter.

This “well-being” was not just apparent from Zhou Shi’s attire but also from her overall demeanor — despite her emotional excitement, there was no trace of sorrow on her face.

As mother-in-law and daughter-in-law began to converse, Mu Er Pang, upstairs, faintly heard Shen Cui’s voice and knew she had returned.

He came out of his room and descended the stairs.

However, being a fifteen-year-old young man now, he couldn’t be as close to Zhou Shi as before.

When he approached her, he stopped abruptly, bowed, and addressed her as “sister-in-law.”

Mu Er Pang was still wearing the robe that Zhou Shi had sewn for him before she left Qingzhou Prefecture.

However, it had become faded, and the adjustments Zhou Shi had made for his growth were now fully extended.

In a few more months, the robe would be completely unwearable.

Zhou Shi couldn’t recognize him at first, but upon seeing the familiar robe, she couldn’t help but shed tears again.

Concerned, she said, “Er Pang, why have you lost so much weight? And why do you only have one chin now?”