The two of them would benefit immensely from associating with these people throughout their lives.

"At the Peony Festival, you will be appreciated by His Majesty. If you write a good essay for the palace examination, you should be able to become the top scholar."

"I dare not presume to presume."

“You don’t need to be modest. My father and elder brother have tested your knowledge. It’s not surprising that Ling Xun won the top prize. Young Master Zhang should be able to get into the second class. We’ll know the results in a couple of days.”

She spoke casually, and her praise was genuine.

Ling Xun and Zhang Xiangsheng clasped their hands in a fist salute again, expressing even greater gratitude to Xie Zhaozhao and the Xie family. They understood perfectly well that the young lady's confident words must have been to help them make arrangements.

What are your plans for the future?

"Please enlighten me, young lady!"

Top scholars are rare, but not uncommon. The imperial examination is held every three years, and new top scholars are always produced. The Hanlin Academy has no shortage of top scholars.

To get ahead, you need someone to mentor you.

"Have your elder brother take you to the Ministry of Revenue or recommend you to other departments for training. If you want to stay in the Hanlin Academy or take up a local post, that's fine too, it depends on your own wishes."

"It's all up to the eldest son," Ling Xun said. "Yesterday, the crown prince approached us and said he had two vacant villas on West Street and wanted to give them to us, but we politely declined."

“You did the right thing. It is precisely at times like these that we must avoid suspicion. You are the Emperor’s disciples, so naturally you must be loyal to the Emperor.”

The crown prince is not the same as the emperor; they differ by only one character, yet the difference is enormous.

Although they were not part of the Crown Prince's faction in their previous lives, they were loyal to Tu Qianyue because Tu Qianyue was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, and were thus indirectly used by the Crown Prince.

In this life, she will not allow the Crown Prince to control them again.

"There is something I need you to do. If you do it well, it will greatly benefit your future."