"These people don't even know my cousin, so why are they so sure he's just a little white rabbit who's wandered into a wolf's den, instead of a soaring eagle?" In a private room on the second floor of Zuixianju, Ye Jingyu listened to the increasingly outrageous remarks downstairs and asked with a subtle expression.

During this period, Wu Zemin, the newly crowned third-ranked scholar, was definitely the most dazzling young man in the capital, and the topic of conversation for everyone.

Following his title of 'the youngest third-ranked scholar in Dayuan,' he also earned titles such as 'the youngest official appointed by the imperial court in Dayuan' and 'the youngest prefect in Dayuan.'

Whether on the street, in teahouses, taverns, or brothels, you can hear talk about him everywhere. Even the storytellers in teahouses talk about his life.

I don’t know what a sixteen-year-old boy could possibly have to tell about his life, but the people of the capital city like to listen, and the storytellers are happy to tell it.

The position of Prefect of Beiping had been vacant for some time, so after the imperial decree was issued, the emperor only gave Wu Zemin three days to prepare before he was to take office.

He left in such a hurry that Ye Jingchen simply skipped a day of classes and took the children out of the palace to give him a farewell party in advance.

After leaving the palace, they realized just how famous Wu Zemin was!

People in the capital recognized his scholarship, as his fellow scholars all held him in high esteem; however, they were generally pessimistic about his career prospects.

Just like right now, in the lobby on the first floor of Zuixianju, several richly dressed noblemen are betting on how long Wu Zemin can hold out in Beiping County.

The normal term of office for the head of Dayuan County is three years. Under normal circumstances, once the imperial decree to appoint him has been issued, Wu Zemin should at least serve a full term in Beiping County.

However, his status was different from that of ordinary officials, and he had strong connections in the court. If he couldn't adapt after going to Beiping County, both the Minister of Rites and the Crown Prince had ways to bring him back early.

Most of the sons of noble families felt that Wu Zemin was just good at studying and relatively smart, but he couldn't endure hardship at all. They thought he might not even last a year, let alone three years.

Some even bet he wouldn't last a month. After all, the harshness of the northern frontier wasn't just the climate and environment; he also had to deal with the border guards and Xie's army. How could a frail civil official communicate with those fierce warriors who fought and died against the northern barbarians on the battlefield? He'd probably be driven to despair!

"It's precisely because they don't understand Zemin that they have such outrageous speculations. Once Zemin has established himself in Beiping County and achieved political success, they will naturally no longer dare to underestimate him," Ye Jingchen said with a smile.

"Wu Zemin, you must shine brightly in the Northern Frontier and dazzle their eyes!" Yun Shu patted Wu Zemin on the shoulder and said solemnly.

"You must also give it your all in the provincial examination and strive to pass it as a Xiucai!" Wu Zemin nodded and encouraged Yun Shu with a smile.

"He's just a scholar, what's so difficult about that?" Yun Shu withdrew her hand and said vaguely.

If he fails the exam the first time, he can take it a second time. He's so young, why should he be afraid of failing?

Ye Jingchen handed Wu Zemin a booklet, saying, "The environment in the Northern Frontier is completely different from that in the capital. Some places may not be suitable for growing rice, so we need to adapt to local conditions. This booklet records some crops that may be suitable for growing in the Northern Frontier. You can use it as a reference. After you go to the Northern Frontier, take this booklet and ask the local people for advice."

This booklet was compiled by him by combining the land and climate of the northern region and the northern part of Dayuan in his previous life, based on his memories of the previous life, and by reading many books related to agriculture in Dayuan, consulting experienced old farmers and veterans of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion who had returned from the northern frontier battlefield.

"Some of the crops listed in this booklet may not be grown in northern Xinjiang now, but they are indeed edible or usable. If you can find wild ones, you might as well cultivate them first and see the results. The contents of the booklet may not be entirely accurate, so don't blindly believe them. You still need to look at the experimental results," Ye Jingchen reminded.

Wu Zemin flipped through the booklet and read a few pages, as if he had found a treasure.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" With this booklet, he had even more confidence in governing Beiping County.

Gu Beichen gave Wu Zemin a stack of books. Some of these books were about agricultural planting, some about the climate and climate of northern Xinjiang, and some about the folk customs of northern Xinjiang. In short, they were all summaries of the experiences of predecessors, which would be very useful to Wu Zemin.

Xie Chang'an gave Wu Zemin two people, veterans who had returned from the northern frontier battlefield. They were not only highly skilled but also very knowledgeable about the northern frontier. They could also be used to contact Xie's army.

Ye Jingyu generously gifted Wu Zemin a thousand taels of gold.

Gold is the most valuable and practical thing at any time and in any place.

Yun Shu gave Wu Zemin a letter of introduction, recommending him to a general in the border defense army.

Since Yun Shu's grandfather, no one from the Marquis of Zhongyong's family has gone to the battlefield. Those who go to the battlefield to earn military merits are all from the collateral branches, while the direct descendants are responsible for protecting the collateral branches in the court. Therefore, although this general's blood ties with the Marquis of Zhongyong's family are very weak, their contact is still quite close.

Wu Zemin was the eldest son of the Minister of Rites, the third-ranked scholar appointed by the emperor, and the tutor of the Crown Prince. With these three identities alone, no one dared to make things difficult for him after he went to Beiping County. But if you add the gifts that Ye Jingchen and the others carefully prepared for him, it would be even easier for him to do whatever he wanted.

Although he had not yet set off for Beiping County, his future was already bright and promising.

Wu Zemin was the first person to graduate from the Wenhua Hall. Following him, in the autumn of that year, when Ye Jingshu turned sixteen, the emperor granted her permission to leave the palace and build her own residence, and presented her with a magnificent princess's mansion.

According to ancestral rules, princesses should only be allowed to leave the palace and establish their own residences after marriage. The emperor had always doted on Ye Jingshu and was naturally reluctant to let her leave the palace and establish her own residences so early. However, Ye Jingshu was adamant in her attitude, and under her persistent pleading, the emperor finally gave in.

To make it convenient for Ye Jingshu to enter and exit the palace, the princess's residence was located very close to the Donghua Gate of the Imperial Palace.

Not only was the Princess's residence built according to the standards for princes, but the emperor also assigned her a staff of equal rank to that of a prince, established government offices, appointed chief officials, and provided her with personal guards.

Moreover, although Ye Jingshu left the palace to establish her own residence, she did not hold a coming-of-age ceremony for her sixteenth birthday.

In Daeyu, most women hold their coming-of-age ceremony at the age of fifteen or sixteen. Once the coming-of-age ceremony is over, it means that they can get married and have children.

Ever since he learned about the significance of the coming-of-age ceremony, Ye Jingchen began to instill in the four princesses the risks of childbirth in this dynasty, with the risks being higher the younger the princess was.

Of course, he couldn't tell Ye Jingshu and the others this himself. Instead, he had Fangfei train several palace maids according to his wishes and then subtly arrange them to be by the side of the four princesses.