On the surface, Chen Mianmian nodded and lowered her eyebrows, appearing obedient, but inwardly she was frantic—don't agree! Fengchu, please don't agree!

At the same time, Bai Qingzhou's thoughts were also in turmoil—his mother was right. The Jiang family was a family of scholars, producing many talented people who passed the imperial examinations. Not to mention anything else, Jiang Yinjin's father, Jiang Hongji, who is now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was a top scholar.

His eldest son, Jiang Shenyan, although not the top scholar, became the third-ranked scholar at the age of eighteen. How glorious it was for an eighteen-year-old boy to become the third-ranked scholar!

If he were to ask Vice Minister Jiang for help, his path to the imperial examinations would surely be smooth, but... how could he possibly have the face to do so!?

He married Jiang Yinjin, but brought back a woman from Jiangnan two days before the wedding. The day after the wedding, he gave the woman the title of concubine. He has not yet consummated the marriage with Jiang Yinjin. Now, because he is preparing for the imperial examination, he went to ask someone for help.

Shameless, but not this shameless!

He doesn't intend to consummate the marriage.

Before they got married, he had fought against his parents, which resulted in his father's family discipline and his mother's threat of suicide. From then on, Jiang Yinjin became a symbol of his parents forcing him.

His marriage to Jiang Yinjin meant he was submitting to his parents... although his weak and powerless resistance had no effect.

The lack of effect does not mean there was no resistance; he was secretly resisting inside.

After their marriage, he secretly hoped that Jiang Yinjin would cause trouble, scold him, beat him, curse him to die a horrible death, and curse the Anning Marquis's family to be childless. Only her insults could relieve the guilt in his heart.

However, she didn't scold him.

Not only did she not scold him, but she also respected her parents-in-law, managed the household affairs, and even offered Mianmian the title of concubine.

Jiang Yinjin's act of repaying evil with kindness was like a steel whip, lashing him severely, a hundred or a thousand times more cruel than her father's family discipline.

He was even less inclined to consummate their marriage.

He didn't consummate the marriage before because of his resistance to oppression; now he doesn't consummate the marriage because he feels he is not good enough for her.

She's such a good person; she deserves a refined and virtuous man, not a weak and incompetent good-for-nothing like him.

He hoped to wait two years, until everything calmed down, to discuss a divorce with Jiang Yinjin. If Jiang Yinjin was still a virgin, he believed his new husband would treat her even better.

Besides this, there was another reason why he didn't want to contact the Jiang family: Mianmian.

He's a complete scumbag!

Two women were injured at the same time.

Outsiders all thought he was attracted by Mianmian's beauty and deeply in love with her, but actually... he wasn't that in love. He brought Mianmian back for two reasons: first, to show that he had someone else in his heart and wouldn't marry Jiang Yinjin; and second, because Mianmian told him many novel stories.

He was like a fish trapped in a cramped water tank, imprisoned, barely surviving, with no way to escape. Reading was his spiritual escape, and listening to Mianmian tell stories that didn't exist in the world was another kind of escape.

If Jiang Yinjin symbolizes the constraints her parents placed on her, then Chen Mianmian symbolizes her pursuit of freedom.

Even on his wedding day, he had planned to read in his study all night, but the noise outside made it impossible for him to escape into his world. The forced repression and the guilt in his conscience tormented him to the point of being unable to breathe.

He went to Mingyue Courtyard as if possessed.

I had originally planned to listen to Mianmian continue telling the story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," but he drank some alcohol—not drunk, just slightly tipsy—and then…

He never dreamed that Mianmian would change after that night.

Before, Mianmian would cling to him and stick to him. Every time she saw him trying to leave, she would try her best to seduce him.

Ever since that night, when Mianmian said she couldn't pretend anymore, she immediately stopped talking to him, chased him away, and even picked fights with him. What puzzled him was that he couldn't forget her...

After waiting for a while without receiving a reply from her son, Madam Ding asked impatiently, "Qingzhou?"

"Huh?" Bai Qingzhou then realized that she had been openly daydreaming. "I'm sorry, Mother. I thought about it all night yesterday and I'm feeling a bit listless."

Looking at her son's pale face and haggard appearance, Ding nodded with heartache. "Why don't you go back and rest first? Once you've rested, you can discuss it with Yin Jin tomorrow?"

"No!" Bai Qingzhou said firmly.

"What? Why not?" Ding asked, puzzled.

When Shen Mianmian heard Fengchu's rejection, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down—good Fengchu, your life is not meant to end!

Bai Qingzhou's gaze swept quickly over the woman sitting by the door, pretending to be nonchalant as she drank tea, before she looked away.

“It’s like this, Mother,” Bai Qingzhou lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing her guilt at deceiving her mother, “For now, I don’t want to spread this too thin. I want to take the exam secretly, so that even if my results aren’t ideal, I’ll get less ridicule. Besides, I’m taking the preliminary exam, not the provincial exam, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask the Jiang family for help now…”

Only then did Madam Ding realize, "That's right! You've thought this through. You should prepare well first, and it won't be too late to go to the Jiang family after the imperial examination."

Bai Qingzhou stammered, "There's one more thing."

Ding asked eagerly, "What is it? Tell me."

Bai Qingzhou said awkwardly in a low voice, "Because I want to focus on my studies recently, so... I want to wait a while before talking about Jiang Yinjin. Besides, she just said a few days ago that she was going to fast."

Ding's face instantly darkened. "What's the conflict between studying and married life? So many scholars go through the imperial examinations from youth to old age, are they all destined to remain unmarried their entire lives?"

Bai Qingzhou said helplessly, "What I mean is, wait a little longer... Once the exam results are out, we'll naturally have a say."

Madam Ding snorted coldly, "I support your taking the imperial examination, but there's no room for discussion about your relationship with Yin Jin!" As she spoke, she looked coldly at someone standing at the door.

Shen Mianmian hurriedly put down her teacup. "Madam, please understand, this matter has nothing to do with me! I am willing, even if Miss Biao were to enter the family, I would still be willing!"

He thought to himself—who does she think she is? The female lead probably wouldn't agree to this.

Seeing Shen's reaction, Ding was very satisfied, but she also felt that something was strange.

Why did Madam Shen react this way? Qingzhou dotes on Madam Shen, and even if Madam Shen doesn't take advantage of this favor, she shouldn't act so indifferent.

Thinking of this, Madam Ding said, "The young master is reluctant to do so, so as his attendants, we should share his burden. Madam Shen, I'll entrust this task of persuading him to you."

Shen Mianmian asked, "Madam, should we advise the young master or the young mistress?"

"I'll persuade both of them."

"This..." Shen Mianmian hesitated, "It's like this, Madam. I can definitely persuade the young master, I'll do it in a moment! But as for the young mistress... I'm not familiar with her!"

Madam Ding raised an eyebrow slightly. "She's the wife, and you're the concubine. How can you not be familiar with each other as family? Have you forgotten that it was Yin Jin who elevated your status as a concubine?"

Without saying a word, Shen Mianmian immediately began to express her loyalty, "Madam is right! The young mistress has promoted me to a concubine, and I should repay her! What's this about being familiar? We'll get to know each other better after a while. I'll take the first step and go see the young mistress in a bit."