Xu Yan had no money on him and couldn't continue wandering around. After all, he was now engaged to the Li family, and if some people with ulterior motives saw him, they might deliberately set a trap to force him to spend money. This wasn't an exaggeration; such a thing could indeed happen.

Since his engagement to Li Qingruo, some people have become jealous and have smeared him with a lot of slander. Some have even provoked him to his face on several occasions. Although he has managed to get through it all, being surrounded by a swarm of flies has eventually become quite annoying.

Thinking this, Xu Yan continued walking straight home.

When Xu Yan arrived home, his family had just finished lunch.

"Yan'er, why are you back at this hour?"

His aunt, who was picking up the dishes, exclaimed in surprise when she saw him come in from outside.

"What? The Li family is so rude? They won't even invite you, their future son-in-law, to lunch?"

Xu's mother had already returned to her room, but when she heard her sister-in-law calling Yan'er, she ran out. Seeing her son return at this hour, she couldn't help but complain about the Li family.

"Don't talk nonsense. Yan'er is the future son-in-law of the Li family. How could we possibly mistreat him?"

Mr. Xu was a dark-skinned man who followed Mrs. Xu in.

“Father is right. I’ve had lunch. Uncle Li said he would try to find a way for me to get into the county school. I’m worried that the teachers there will test my knowledge, so I’m feeling a bit anxious and came back to review my lessons.”

When he said this, Xu Yan subconsciously didn't tell his family that he had eaten lunch outside.

"Is this really true?" Xu Yan's aunt couldn't help but exclaim, "Yan'er is so promising!" She said this as if Xu Yan had passed the exam himself.

"Yan'er, is this matter settled?"

Xu Yan's grandfather also came out. He was a sprightly old man, smoking a pipe, the ash billowing as he exhaled.

“Grandfather, Uncle Li said that this matter can be left to him.”

"Good, good, good." Old Xu was overjoyed. If Xu Yan could go to the county school, he would be one step closer to becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

"My second brother has given birth to a fine son! If our Yan'er weren't so outstanding, why would the Li family favor him so much? They must have seen that Yan'er has the potential to become a scholar!"

Xu Lao Da looked at Xu Lao Er with envy, and this gaze and praise made Xu Lao Er feel very proud.

"Yes, yes, yes, eldest brother knows how to talk! That's right! I think our Yan'er not only has the potential to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), but he will definitely pass the imperial examination and bring glory to our Xu family!"

"Haha, Third Brother is right."

“My family has a prodigy who will surely lead the Xu family to great heights.”

“May our ancestors bless us.” Mother Xu wiped away her tears of joy, repeatedly saying that it was thanks to the ancestors’ blessings.

The room was filled with a joyous atmosphere, as if Xu Yan had already passed the imperial examination and become an official. Xu Yan's expression was also quite matter-of-fact; ever since he demonstrated his talent in his studies, his family had always treated him this way.

"Alright, let's not crowd here anymore. Let Yan'er go back to her room and rest."

When Old Man Xu spoke, everyone quickly made way for Xu Yan, afraid of disturbing his rest.

Xu Yan remained calm, gave the old man a student's salute, and then turned and went back to his room.

"Look at the demeanor of our Yan'er, he was born to be an official."

Xu's mother watched Xu Yan's retreating figure with great satisfaction.

Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.

The Li family members were also discussing Xu Yan.

“Mother, Xu Yan came to visit today, and the more I looked at him, the more I felt that something was off about him.”

“That’s normal. You used to treat him as your future son-in-law, but today you treat him as an enemy. Your perspective on him has changed.”

"Hiss... No wonder people say that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Mother's words make a lot of sense."

Of course! I've watched tons of TV dramas, Pan Jinhua thought happily.

"He wants to get into the county school and wants me to help him."

"Let him in. Among scholars, character is the most important thing. If he betrays the Li family, breaking off the engagement will be a matter of course. I will also make sure he can only stay with the title of Xiucai for the rest of his life!"

These days, she feels a closer connection with the original owner of the body, and often feels as if those memories are her own. Therefore, she shows no mercy to these hidden enemies of the Li family.

"Okay!" Li Xushi felt like he was just playing the straight man, so all he could do was cheer.

“Mother, I checked the Qian family, and there’s nothing going on. But Qian Shanshan is definitely interested in Xu Yan.”

Li Xuchang recounted the information he had gathered that day.

"However, based on the information I've gathered over this period of time, Xu Yan did indeed intend to make a name for himself in front of our family. He had also contacted several other families before, including the Qian family."

"So you're saying Xu Yan is fishing? And my Li family is the fish?!"

Li Xushi gets angry, Li Xushi loses his temper, Li Xushi breaks down!

“I understand. The Xu family is indeed not good enough. He can’t afford the money to take the imperial examination. Why is Second Brother so angry? We’ve known all along that Xu Yan’s purpose in getting engaged to our family. Our family is only interested in his good looks and talent.”

"Hmph, I originally thought he was only after our family, but I didn't expect that our family was just one of many fish. He'd catch whoever he could. No wonder he was so ruthless to Qingruo later."

"It seems that Xu Yan saw the Li family's downfall and knew that Qian Shanshan was deeply in love with him, so he conspired with the Xu family to harm Qing Ruo and then climbed up to the Qian family," Li Xuming murmured.

"It's almost certainly true."

"Mother, what exactly is the plan you mentioned?" Li Xushi was very concerned about this.

"You don't need to worry about it. We'll let you know when we need your help. Go about your business, time is running out," Pan Jinhua said calmly.

"Yes, Mother. The female instructors we hired for the women have arrived, and the children will be able to start practicing tomorrow."

“Very good, this is a big deal. The road to exile is difficult, so it’s good to learn some self-defense skills. If your wives have nothing to do, they should also learn some.”

Li Xuming looked troubled. "It's not the right time to reveal this information yet."

“That makes sense. Let’s talk about it after we get to the temple. You all go ahead, Chang’er stays here.”

Li Xuming and Li Xushi exchanged knowing glances as they left. Time was indeed tight, and there were still many things to deal with.

"Chang'er, have you thought about how to protect Wan'er?"

After that night, Pan Jinhua gave Li Xuchang a few days, but it was clear that he had not yet figured out what to do.

"Mother, I really don't know how to ensure Wan'er's safety on this journey."

“I haven’t seen what will happen next, and I’m even more afraid that I can’t change this outcome. Chang’er, you should divorce Wan’er.”