Qi Jiu had never thought about this before, because they had been married for more than ten years, and he doted on Pei Qinglan and always granted her requests.

Even though they later divorced, there were no conflicts between the couple before that.

Why did Pei Qinglan want him dead?

"Uncle Jiu, don't worry. I will lead a team to thoroughly investigate this matter after we return to the capital," Qi Chengshuo said.

"Okay." Qi Jiu nodded, but felt a weight on his heart, as if a stone was pressing down on him, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He had been married to his wife for over a decade and never doubted her.

Is the human heart really that terrifying?

First it was his father, then Pei Qinglan. Qi Jiu felt that his past life was like a joke.

...

For the next two weeks, the group encountered no further trouble and arrived safely at Xiyuan City, the capital of Tianhe Province.

The autumn imperial examination of the Great Yan Dynasty was held on the sixteenth day of the eighth month, with three sessions, each lasting three days, for a total of nine days.

Ye Xianya and the others rented a small courtyard and waited for a few days before sending Ye Qingze to the examination hall.

"Qingze, relax and take your time with the exam. Don't rush. Xianya said you'll definitely pass the exam and become a Juren," Zhou said with a smile, holding her son's hand.

"Okay." Ye Qingze nodded.

My cousin said he could win, so he definitely could.

He has studied diligently for twelve years and will definitely not let his family down.

With the sound of a gong, Ye Qingze hurriedly joined the queue and entered the examination hall shortly afterward.

"Let's all go back too," Ye Jinghuai said with a smile.

"Father, I'm going to buy some things. When Qingze comes out, I'll cook a good meal and we'll celebrate properly." Zhou was overjoyed, her face crinkling with laughter.

Although her son hadn't taken the exam yet, she knew he would definitely pass and become a scholar this time.

Their family now believes everything Ye Xianya says without a doubt.

"No rush, he won't be out for nine days. We can prepare slowly then," Hua said with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Mother.” Madam Zhou nodded.

“Before, I’ve never been anywhere except Weiyang County. I never thought I’d be able to come to the prefectural city at this age. This prefectural city is really prosperous. I’ve been here for several days and I haven’t been anywhere. Eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, Miaoyun, Xianya, let’s not make hawthorn cakes today. Let’s go out for a stroll together.” Madam Hua said with a smile as she looked at Ye Xianya and the others.

“Grandmother, you go ahead, I won’t go. I’ve been wandering around the streets these past few days, I’ve been to many places, and besides… I have an appointment with someone today to tell their fortune.” Ye Xianya said quickly.

"Fortune telling for people!" Hua and the others were somewhat surprised.

Even Ye Miaoyun didn't expect it.

They have been in the prefectural city for six days. Her daughter leaves early and returns late every day, but she is at ease because Qi Chengshuo is with her.

Ye Miaoyun was a diligent person who couldn't stay idle. In addition, since everyone was traveling and would be going to the capital later, there would be many places where money would be needed. So she took Qi Jiu and her two sisters-in-law to make some hawthorn cakes and pancakes to sell. Although business was so-so, it was still passable.

Unexpectedly, my daughter also started making money by telling fortunes.

"Well, I've been setting up a fortune-telling stall in the west of the city these past few days, and business has been pretty good. Today I'm going to an official's residence to tell the fortune of their young lady." After Ye Xianya finished speaking, she waved to everyone and said, "I'm going now. I'll be back before dinner."

"Then be careful," Ye Miaoyun quickly instructed her daughter.

"With Cheng Shuo here, it's no problem," Qi Jiu said with a smile.

Qi Chengshuo would accompany Ye Xianya whenever she went out.

As a maid, Shen Furong stayed by Ye Xianya's side at all times.

"Furong, once I've earned some money today, I'll buy you two more outfits," Ye Xianya said with a smile, looking at Shen Furong.

Just like her before, Shen Furong had never seen new clothes since she was a child. She always wore old clothes made from the clothes of adults. When she left with me that day, Shen Furong had a change of clothes in her small bundle. The clothes were not only very old, but also full of patches.

Ye Xianya herself was also short of money. Although she bought two sets of clothes for Shen Furong after arriving in the prefectural city, she would definitely have to buy more as autumn was approaching.

The place where Ye Xianya sets up her fortune-telling stall was specially chosen by her; it was believed to bring her good fortune!

Aside from the first day, her business has been doing quite well these past few days.

One person tells ten, ten tell a hundred.

Her divinations were extremely accurate.

However, since her fortune tellers were all ordinary people, she only charged ten coins per reading. Sometimes, if she found that someone who came for a reading was unwell, she would take their pulse and prescribe a medicine, considering it an act of charity.

After setting up her stall for several days, Ye Xianya finally got her "big business".

Actually, her real intention in setting up a stall here wasn't the food itself, but rather to wait for Ms. Yang, who could make her a fortune.

If things go smoothly today, my mother and aunt won't have to get up early and work late to make and sell pastries.

Yang Wu, the eldest daughter of Yang Bingchuan, the former prefect of Yuancheng, is sixteen years old this year.

She was engaged to Wei Lin, the second son of Wei Minghui, the governor of Tianhe Province, and was to be married in two months.

But for some reason, this Miss Yang's personality changed drastically a month ago. She talked nonsense all day long, not only arguing that she refused to marry Wei Lin, but also repeatedly carrying silver notes and gold and silver jewelry, trying to escape from the Yang family.

Madam Yang had no choice but to send people to tie up her daughter.

They not only invited a Taoist priest from a Taoist temple outside the city to exorcise the evil spirits from their daughter, but also invited a high-ranking monk to chant scriptures. They used every method they could, and Miss Yang gradually returned to normal.

She stopped talking nonsense, stopped threatening to run away from home, and was even willing to marry Wei Lin.

But just yesterday, Yang Wu suddenly instructed her maid to find a powerful fortune teller for her.

When the young maid arrived in the west of the city, she happened to see a long line of people in front of Ye Xianya's stall, while no one was interested in other stalls. So she gave Ye Xianya five taels of silver as a deposit and asked her to go to the Yang residence today to tell the fortune of their young lady, Yang Wu.

When Ye Xianya arrived, Yang Wu was watching several maids play shuttlecock in the courtyard.

"Have you guys not eaten? Kick it higher for me!" Yang Wu shouted.

"Yes," several maids replied cautiously, and ran off to retrieve the shuttlecock.

"Reporting to Miss, the fortune teller I invited for you yesterday has arrived," the maidservant said, bowing as she stepped forward.

Upon hearing this, Yang Wu turned around, looked Ye Xianya up and down, and then her gaze fell on Qi Chengshuo behind her.

“These days, it’s not uncommon for women to cultivate Taoism, but… for a Taoist to set up a stall with not only a maid but also guards shows that you are not pure of heart and have no real skills. Don’t waste my time here.”

Yang Wu waved her hand as she spoke: "Give them a few taels of silver, send them away, and find me a skilled fortune teller again. If there isn't a suitable one, take my father's invitation and go to the Taoist temple to find one for me."