Jiayin didn't even look up, and casually replied, "I'm curious, but they don't want me to know, so I'll just pretend I don't know. They're father and daughter, and it's not appropriate for an outsider like me to get involved in their affairs."

"His Majesty treats you like his own daughter..." Shui Ling protested, about to say more, but Shui Yun slapped her on the back of the head and scolded her in a low voice, "You said it yourself, it's 'like' his own daughter, not his own daughter!"

Shui Ling stuck out her tongue after being slapped, pouted, and stopped talking.

Jiayin glanced at them and smiled, "Don't be curious, Brother Mu will send a message over in a little while."

"Oh right, I forgot about Guard Mu." Shui Ling perked up immediately, like a seedling that had been watered.

At that moment, the window frame was gently tapped twice and then pushed open.

Mu Xu leaped in through the window in an instant, like a little fish, with practiced ease.

Shui Ling was overjoyed and quickly helped pour tea and served it to the tea maker.

Mu Xu finished his drink in one gulp before sitting down and saying, "Princess, the Emperor has left."

Jiayin nodded and asked, "Have you asked which scholar the Third Princess has chosen as her consort?"

Mu Xu smiled and replied, "You can't hide it from me, it's true. The Third Princess mentioned Prince Lu, but the Emperor didn't immediately agree."

Jiayin closed the booklet, rested her fair chin on her hand, fluttered her long eyelashes, and sighed softly.

"Uncle Huang probably thinks our family is behind this and wants to investigate further."

Mu Xu shrugged, his smile mocking. "It's to be expected that emperors are suspicious."

Shui Ling, however, was displeased. "What does the Third Princess's interest in Prince Lu have to do with our family?"

Shuiyun, annoyed by her talkativeness, tugged at her arm and then said to Jiayin, "Miss, it's getting late. We have to leave the palace to go home tomorrow, so you should get some rest."

Jiayin thought for a moment and then said, "If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. You don't need to worry."

"Tomorrow is the day the results are announced, and I want to congratulate my eldest brother in person. The day after tomorrow, my eldest brother will be parading through the streets on horseback, and I want to watch him a few more times so that I can tell Grandma and Mother when they return."

Mu Xu took two fruits from the plate on the table, stuffed them into his arms, said nothing, and jumped out of the window again.

Since the weather got a bit warmer, he has refused to sleep indoors.

This secretly relieved Shui Ling and Shui Yun. Heaven knows how many handkerchiefs they tore to shreds in their anxiety after guessing the truth.

They were afraid that if others found out about this, it would ruin the young lady's reputation.

Soon, the two helped Jiayin wash up, change into her nightgown, and then went to the outer room to sleep.

Meanwhile, Mu Xu lay sprawled on the roof, enjoying the cool night breeze, happily munching on fruit, his toes dangling triumphantly. It was unclear what he was so pleased about…

The next morning, Jiayin left the palace.

Sure enough, their own carriage was right in front of the palace gate.

Today is the grand court assembly, and Li Lao Er, Li Lao Si, and the Marquis are all attending.

Therefore, the only people in the carriage were Li Ge'er, who was eager to know his ranking, Lu Zong and Jia Xu, Jia Huan, the village chief, Uncle Zhao, and others.

As for Jiaren, he had to wait at the Earl's mansion, as there were still officials to entertain who came to deliver the good news.

Everyone was delighted to see Jiayin arrive.

Li Ge'er also calmed down and ate snacks with his sister while waiting for news.

Lu Zong felt no pressure and joined in the laughter and banter.

Jia Xu, on the other hand, was so anxious that he could hardly sit still...

Countless students and their families dared not get too close, waiting just a few dozen feet outside the palace gates for the results to be posted.

When the sun was high in the sky, Steward Feng personally led his men out.

Three large red lists with gold lettering were posted on the palace walls.

To prevent crowding and any potential trouble, the Imperial Guards loudly recited the names.

But Li Ge'er was impatient and still led his men to squeeze in.

As expected, Jiaren topped the list and became the new champion.

The runner-up was a middle-aged man in his thirties.

Unexpectedly, the third-place winner was Lu Zong.

This stunned not only everyone else, but even Lu Zong himself.

It should be noted that his ranking before the imperial examination was not considered high.

Even if one performs well in the palace examination, it's impossible to rise to the top in one step like this.

Jia Xu was happy for his friend, patting him heavily on the shoulder and repeatedly exclaiming, "Brother Lu, you are truly amazing! A third-place scholar from a family of military generals!"

Lu Zong snapped out of his daze, suppressing his surprise, and returned the greeting with a smile, "Luckily, luckily!"

Jiayin's eyes flickered, and she smiled and congratulated him, then added, "Yesterday, I also secretly went to watch the excitement. Brother Lu was the least nervous of all the students, so naturally he did well on the exam. He truly deserves the title of third place."

Lu Zong smiled even more happily and replied, "Thank you, Princess. Yesterday, I saw a section of blue skirt under the screen and guessed that you were secretly watching the fun."

Jiayin waved her hand and laughed, "The one wearing the blue dress isn't me, it's the Third Princess. We watched for a while, almost got caught, and then quickly ran away."

Lu Zong was taken aback and wanted to ask a few more questions, but Li Ge'er had already excitedly run back.

"I ranked fiftieth on the second list, while Brother Jia ranked thirtieth!"

"Really?" Jia Xu was so excited that he pulled Li Ge'er into the car.

Li Ge'er nodded vigorously and laughed, "Brother Jia, this is your true skill. You were delayed in showing your abilities because of illness before."

Just then, the soldier also sang Jia Xu's name loudly.

Upon hearing his name and ranking, Jia Xu threw a powerful punch into the air.

The previous defeat was a huge weight on his mind, and he carried too much pressure.

Fortunately, his experience abroad had made him much more mature and he withstood the pressure, finally earning the honor he deserved.

However, compared to Lu Zong, he was still far behind, but he was satisfied that he hadn't been left behind by his younger brother, Li Ge'er...

A troop of soldiers, riding horses adorned with red flowers on their heads, galloped off to various mansions to deliver the good news.

Needless to say, they're about to make a fortune again.

Jiaren and Wan'er saw everyone off early in the morning and then waited at the mansion.

Finally, upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves and receiving the good news, the young couple could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Congratulations, my husband!" Wan'er bowed with tears in her eyes, then pulled her son to bow to his father.

Jiaren hugged his wife and children tightly, and wiped away his tears of emotion on his wife's shoulder. "Wan'er, you've worked so hard! These past few years, you've single-handedly supported the family so I could study. Today's top scholar title is half thanks to you!"

Wan'er glanced at the maids and servants standing guard at the door with their heads down, and blushed slightly.

She quickly broke free from her husband's embrace and said reproachfully, "Husband and wife are one, it's only right that I support your studies. While there aren't many people around, you should quickly write a letter to Grandma to share the good news, otherwise you probably won't even have time to sleep for the next three or four days."

Jiaren smiled and agreed, then went straight to the study.

Meanwhile, at the palace gate, everyone was overjoyed upon hearing the good news.

The village chief and Uncle Zhao couldn't wait any longer, so they immediately took a horse-drawn carriage out of the city and back to Suijintan.

Hundreds of villagers in Suijintan are eagerly awaiting good news!

Jia Xu and Lu Zong naturally had to return to their residence, so they both left in a hurry.

Leaving aside how happy the Jia family was, Lu Zong entered his own residence, gathered his men, and gave them one instruction...

Today's update is here!