More than a decade ago, the Song family was just an ordinary family in Yunzhen. They owned fertile land, shops, and a few servants, and lived a comfortable life.

The Song family only had two children: Song Kangcheng and his concubine.

Song Kangcheng was a promising student from a young age, progressing through the ranks from a child scholar to a county-level scholar, then to a provincial-level scholar, and finally to a tribute student. However, he failed when it came to the imperial examinations.

He, who was originally one of the top students, couldn't even become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), let alone take the imperial examination.

This defeat dealt a heavy blow to him, who had been enjoying a smooth and successful career. He was bedridden and lost all desire to read.

Even so, he is still a member of the Song family, and a remarkable person in Yun Town.

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Seeing that Xu Yi did not respond, he continued.

The student took shelter from the rain at the Song family's house that night. The old servant was about to send him away the next day when he discovered that the student had a fever and was somewhat delirious.

After the doctor examined the student, Lady Ru finally saw him, and upon seeing him, she was utterly astonished by his extraordinary talent.

With just that one glance, Lady Ru deeply imprinted that face in her heart.

Not to mention that the student was recuperating at the Song family home. When the concubine learned that he was a student going to the capital to take the imperial examination, she was even happier and would chat with him from time to time.

The student was handsome, well-mannered, and eloquent, which stirred the lady's heart.

At that time, Concubine was also a naive and lively beautiful young girl. After spending a few days with her, the students actually fell in love with each other.

The students have recovered, but they are reluctant to part and neither wants to leave.

Lady Ru wanted to go to the capital with the students, but the journey was long and arduous, and if she went along, it would probably slow down their progress considerably.

Undeterred by not being able to go with the student, Lady Ru made a bold move: on the day before the student was to leave, she held an incredibly simple wedding with him.

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The only people who knew were the old servants.

The old servant desperately tried to persuade the young lady to wait for her father and brother to return, but the lady refused to listen and insisted on getting married before the students left.

Left with no other choice, the two were finally allowed to get married.

Before parting, the two naturally cried, reluctant to part, showing how affectionate they were. But all of this could not withstand the temptation of wealth and glory.

After that night, Consort Ru became pregnant, and the student passed the imperial examination. Song Kangcheng, however, failed the examination that year, but he was unaware of the student's affair with his sister.

All he knew was that a promising young man from high school had married the daughter of a veteran official, and the two were a perfect match, a celebrated story in the capital.

Of course, this also led to more secure official positions for the students.

When Lady Consort learned of this news, the child had already been born, and the same old pair of servants were still by her side.

At the same time, her father was also coming back to take her to the capital, because his brother Song Kangcheng had become the top scholar in the imperial examination.

After this period of time, Madam Ru calmed down. She panicked, fearing that her family would find out about this and cause trouble for the students.

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At that time, scholars already held positions in the imperial court, while Song Kangcheng was merely a minor official.

She was also afraid that if her father found out about her affair, it would drive him, a man who strictly adhered to traditional morals, to his death.

So, before Song's father arrived, she gave all the money in the house to the two old servants, asking them to take the child away and go as far away as possible.

At that time, she was conflicted about the child. On one hand, it was the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to, and on the other hand, it was the daughter of the unfaithful man she hated.

Later, Lady Ru followed her father to the capital and, by chance, gained the favor of Marquis Qi. At that time, the Song family did not have a high status, and Lady Ru was just one of his concubines.

After arriving in the capital, Lady Ru was like a different person. She was romantic but no longer naive. In Lord Qi's backyard, she used her own methods to become a concubine.

She was even more favored than the principal wife. However, the principal wife was the Marquis's first wife, had done nothing wrong, and had no children of her own, so there was no way to depose her. Otherwise, the Marquis would probably have also made the concubine the principal wife.

Although Lady Ru was only a concubine, she held the power of a principal wife in the Marquis's mansion. Even after the Marquis of Qi passed away, it was Lady Ru's son, Qi Heng, who inherited the title. Lady Ru was now the head of the Marquis's mansion.

"But the conviction she holds in her current position is something neither you nor I can truly understand." He did try to stop his sister from marrying Lord Qi, but since they were both in love, he couldn't stop them.

Not long after Lady Ru arrived at the Marquis's residence, he came to Yunzhen to serve as the county magistrate.

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"How did you know that Madam Ru had a child?" Xu Yi asked.

"last year."

"Do you remember when you came to visit my house and I rushed out?"

Xu Yi remembered that time; it was the first time he had ever seen Lord Song lose his composure like that.

"When I learned about the old servants, I was eager to find out what was going on. But to my surprise, the person I was looking for was right next to me."

That's right. Fu Man'er was right behind Xu Yi at the time. If he hadn't been in such a hurry and had just glanced at Fu Man'er, perhaps things wouldn't have taken so long.

It can only be said that fate is cruel. Although it was not discovered at that time, at least Song Kangcheng had seen what Fu Man'er looked like when she was a child. In this respect, he was much luckier than Madam.

"After hearing so much from me, is there anything you'd like to say?" Song Kangcheng looked a little tired and had already leaned back in his chair.

"I just want to say that Man'er shouldn't have returned to the capital." Seeing Song Kangcheng frown, Xu Yi continued.

"Since Madam only came to Yunzhen to look for someone after the old Marquis Qi passed away, naturally the Marquis's mansion was unaware of this matter."

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"She is now the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, and you are probably more aware than I am of the attention her every move receives in the capital."

"Her status doesn't allow her to openly bring Man'er back. I guess she'll either use your name or raise Man'er in a separate courtyard."

This is what Xu Yi just mentioned: Fu Man'er went to the capital and became the daughter of a wealthy family.

It now seems that being the daughter of a marquis is absolutely not a good idea.

Song Kangcheng frowned in thought, and Xu Yi continued, "Whether she is kept in the Song residence or in a separate courtyard, Man'er cannot stay in the room all the time without going out to see people."

“As soon as she goes out, people who have seen Madam Ru and her will become suspicious. At that time, even if you say that Madam Ru is just Man'er's aunt, you can't stop everyone from gossiping.”

“That’s the capital, not a small place like our Yunzhen. Lord Song, you’ve been in officialdom for so many years, you should know the stakes involved.”

Song Kangcheng remained silent with a somber expression, only his chest heaving slightly.

His wise eyes looked at Xu Yi, "You little brat, you're threatening me." His voice was authoritative without being angry.

Xu Yi said calmly, "I just feel that no matter which family's daughter you are, it's not as good as being the Xu family's daughter."

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He was gambling, gambling on whether Song Kangcheng would side with Lady Ru or with him.

There has been a saying since ancient times: "One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer." Song Kangcheng can be described as a good older brother and a good uncle, but at the same time, he was also an official.

No matter how good or considerate an official is, he is still an official. Moreover, Song Kangcheng knows best how difficult it was for him to climb up from the bottom to where he is now.

Or rather, one should be able to empathize with the hardships that enabled the brother and sister to achieve their current power and status.

Song Kangcheng suddenly laughed, "You really dare to speak your mind for Man'er."

"You're quite capable; you managed to uncover all those old stories."

Xu Yi smiled, which was a response to Song Kangcheng's praise.

"Alright, let's call it a day." Song Kangcheng stood up and put his hands behind his back.

"It's too late today, so I won't bother you at your house."

"Go back and tell Man'er that her uncle will visit her tomorrow."

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He wasn't going to bring Fu Man'er to the Song residence; rather, he was going to condescend to visit Man'er at the Xu residence himself.

Thinking of that little girl from his childhood, Song Kangcheng couldn't help but smile. When they were little, Fu Man'er said he would become a high-ranking official. He would go to the capital tomorrow and ask the little girl if that official position was high enough.

As Xu Yi escorted Song Kangcheng downstairs and was about to board the carriage, Xu Yi suddenly asked, "Sir, that student from back then..."

Xu Yi wanted to ask if he was still an official in the capital, and what rank he held.

Song Kangcheng paused in his step, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

As the carriage curtain fell, he said, "Have you forgotten what my full official title is?"

The inspector-general investigated officials at the highest level, including those in the imperial court, and local magistrates at the lowest level.

Anyone who gets investigated will be severely punished, if not killed.