Chapter 74, the announcement of the results, was rather ugly.

His parents did not get what they wanted, and Zhao Qingyun held on until the guards rushed in and rescued him.

The old emperor died before a successor could be chosen.

Perhaps it was because Zhao Qingyun's destiny was too strong, or perhaps it was because his desire for power and status, and his unwillingness to be manipulated by others, was too intense.

He eventually reached the highest point on earth.

Peace and tranquility were never Zhao Qingyun's wish; no one knew what he truly desired.

Whether Tianqing knows it or not, some of the sins Zhao Qingyun committed will eventually come back to haunt him.

Heaven has always been kind to its "own" children.

Taking away even a tiny bit of power is considered punishment.

However, Tianqing already believed that Heaven was going to abandon him, and in his panic, he became even more certain.

Only after Zhao Qingyun's death did some of his memories return to his original self.

Tianqing suddenly realized something.

The Merit Pool has been completed, the Map of the State has been destroyed, and Zhao Pingfeng is serving his sentence.

Everything gradually slipped out of his control.

Tianqing had considered ways to salvage the situation, but most of the male immortals under his command remained secluded, fearing that Tianqing would ask them to offer sacrifices at the Merit Pool.

Left with no other choice, Tianqing went to find Xuanyu.

Xuan Yu kindly lent him Sui Gu. Fang Xiangshi and Sui Gu were always inseparable, so it was like a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Even after they descended to the mortal realm, Tianqing was still uneasy and ordered Yang Jian to go and assist them.

As a judicial war god, Tianqing trusted him the most.

Right now, the three immortals and their dog are enjoying themselves in the mortal world, eating, drinking, and having fun.

Di Yan could tell that Tian Qing was putting on a brave face. He was clearly at a loss because of his own stupidity. He dismissed the servants and hid away to isolate himself. He was unwilling to admit defeat and discuss with him how to salvage the situation.

"Stop secretly guiding Zhao Pingfeng and stop interfering in this matter. I will handle it. After this is over, you should think carefully about how to apologize to your 'mother'."

"Of course, it's all part of my job."

Di Yan could easily detect the resentment in his words, but there was nothing he could do about it.

People of their status are bound to keep their word, and Di Yan felt somewhat at ease as long as there was a promise.

Tianqing still had doubts in his heart. He usually calculated his own power very clearly. It was like a small hole was suddenly drilled in the ocean. Even if it was leaking out drop by drop, it was because his power was being stolen by something unknown!

With the current mess still unresolved, he couldn't say much to Di Yan.

A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth.

If Di Yan stays here any longer, who knows what earth-shattering changes will happen down below.

Without saying another word, he flicked his sleeves, turned around, and went back to the underworld.

In the blink of an eye, the imperial examination will be held in less than three days.

The imperial examination, which was originally scheduled for spring, was moved to late July.

Scholars from all over the country gathered in the capital, making it a time of great excitement and confusion.

During this period, no other fools have caused trouble.

Jiang Yuzhi felt strange, but also carefully enjoyed a period of peaceful life.

The immortals had gone off to play somewhere, leaving only Zhao Qingyun hiding in the backyard and the children from the orphanage working in the huge mansion.

Diting always stayed close to Jiang Yuzhi, afraid that the newcomer Jin Xiaohua would take away its precious position. Chichi could only stay with them, and when it was far away, it always wanted to nibble on something.

Jin Xiaohua made it clear to everyone that she was a younger sister from her hometown, with no relatives and only one older sister.

Madam Zhou adored her and made several new outfits for Xiao Hua. She even complained that the fabric in the shop was too old-fashioned, so she went to the Bai family's cloth shop across the street to pick out a few bolts of fresh, soft, and beautiful fabric.

The shop was empty of customers, and the worse the business was, the happier Jiang Yuzhi felt.

The bustling crowd outside was mostly heading in one direction—the Ministry of Rites.

On the day the results were announced, the notices were posted on the outer wall of the Ministry of Rites.

Candidates, their families, servants, and onlookers gathered here, eagerly watching and craning their necks in anticipation.

"Miss, aren't you going to join the fun? It's so boring staying in the shop all the time, isn't it, Xiaohua?" Madam Zhou combed Jin Xiaohua's hair and casually advised Jiang Yuzhi to go out for a walk.

Jin Xiaohua fiddled with a few scraps of cloth in her hand, letting Zhou Niangzi's hands fly over her head. "Auntie, I'm not bored. I like my sister and auntie, and I like being with everyone."

The scraps of cloth transformed into two colorful silk flowers in Xiaohua's hands.

Madam Zhou patted Jin Xiaohua on the shoulder, "Alright, our Xiaohua is so sensible."

Jin Xiaohua stood up, holding up two silk flowers in her short, chubby little hands. "One for Auntie, and one for Sister."

"Oh, good, Xiaohua, you're so skillful," Madam Zhou said with a smile, taking the hairpin and tucking it into her hair, which was only held up with a single silver hairpin. "I'll go tidy up in the back. Thank you for watching the shop, Miss."

Jiang Yuzhi carried Jin Xiaohua to a high stool behind the counter and carefully put the silk flowers into a small bag. "I don't like going to crowded places. I'll stay here in the shop. If Madam Zhou wants to go, she can invite Madam Zhang and Madam Shen from next door to come with her. They can come back with me later."

"Okay, okay, I'll go after I've tidied up the backyard." Madam Zhou wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, and as she turned around, she secretly wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes with the back of her hand.

The son is doing very well in the young lady's house. He can now read and write, and he may even pass the imperial examinations in the future.

Although she didn't understand why her mistress wouldn't allow her and her son to live together, Madam Zhou didn't want to delve into it.

They have no worries about food and clothing, and they can still go to school; this is already a great favor from Miss.

When Madam Zhou went to the backyard, Di Ting came to the front with its leash in its mouth.

"How is A-Ting?" Jiang Yuzhi was sorting through the list of lost ghosts she had recently collected from various places when she glanced at the listless Di Ting.

The normally fine and soft white fur now appears somewhat dull and lackluster.

Even if there are techniques for listening, most of the time one can block out most of one's inner thoughts, but listening to all things is innate and instinctive.

Especially in the days leading up to the announcement of the results, crowds surged and minds were filled with complex thoughts.

The candidates' and their families' hopes for success almost filled the poor Di Ting's mind; the stronger the desire, the harder it was to block it with magic.

"...Oh no, Zhizhi, you have to make it up to me!" Diting forced himself to stay alert, staring intently at Jiang Yuzhi with wide eyes.

"Of course, of course, A-Ting can have whatever she wants." Jiang Yuzhi felt sorry for her and agreed to everything.

Jin Xiaohua, who was secretly trying to feed Chichi with a small section of her own body, twitched her ears slightly, ignored Chichi's disgusted spitting sound, retrieved the small piece of golden thread, and hopped over to Di Ting's side, "Brother A Ting, I have a way!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaohua stretched out her hands, and golden threads appeared out of thin air, intertwining layer upon layer to form a pair of extremely luxurious golden earmuffs.

The earmuffs were exceptionally dazzling, with small, dark gold floral patterns floating on them.

It's really ugly!

Jiang Yuzhi and Diting silently expressed their shared sentiments.

The earmuffs covered Diting's ears perfectly.

The world is quiet now!

"Hey, Brother A-Ting, you can use these earmuffs for now. I can recycle them when we don't need them anymore, so please don't throw them away."

"It's...not bad, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Jiang Yuzhi knew that Xiaohua was no ordinary thing, and that she would need to use it to repair the Sheji Tu (a map of the land and state) in the future. She never expected it to have this other use.

Furthermore, the gold thread can be recycled, so there's no need to worry about running out of thread when repairing the "Sheji Tu" (a type of ancient Chinese painting).

Diting happily ran around inside and outside the shop. It really couldn't hear anything anymore. It could hear normal conversations, but those annoying, mundane words no longer entered its mind.

So what if it's ugly?

"Will Xiaohua feel bad?" Jiang Yuzhi patted Jin Xiaohua's head.

"No, sister, I am the spirit of the golden thread, but I am not like an ordinary artifact spirit. Hmm... I am more like the collector of the golden thread? That's right, that's it."

"That's good."

After the provincial examination ended, the palace examination was next. Bai Yan was unable to get away for a while, so he asked A Zhao to report his whereabouts every day.

Jiang Yuzhi felt sorry for him; he spent all his time in the imperial study and had never been home.

Ah Zhao could summarize Bai Yan's actions throughout the day in one sentence, and add a couple more sentences to convey his master's longing.

Today, they added another question: "Would you like to stay at the palace for a while?"

Before Jiang Yuzhi could even consider it, Sun Chengjian, who hadn't been there in a long time, suddenly appeared at the shop entrance.

As soon as Ah Zhao turned around, he saw the innocent examinee who had been thoroughly investigated by his young master.

During this brief moment, Jiang Yuzhi felt something rubbing against her feet. Looking down, she saw a familiar little paper figure.

The paper figure surged vigorously at her feet, and when it noticed her, it pointed to the backyard.

Jiang Yuzhi nodded knowingly; the Black and White Impermanence had arrived.

The little paper figure completed its task and wobbled back to the backyard.

“Ah Zhao, I still have some things to take care of, so I can’t go for the time being.” Jiang Yuzhi paused for a moment, deciding it was best to explain to Bai Yan what she was doing. “You just need to tell your young master that my brother has arrived, and he will understand.”

"Understood, I'll be going now."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Ah Zhao calmly turned around, and as soon as she was out of Jiang Yuzhi's sight, she moved with lightning speed.

Oh no, could it be that the young master guessed right? That examinee surnamed Sun really has feelings for Manager Jiang? And Manager Jiang even rejected the young master's request for him? No, no, I have to tell the young master right away.

"Why is Young Master Sun here?" With Ah Zhao gone, there's still Sun Chengjian that Jiang Yuzhi needs to deal with, so she can't get away for the time being.

"I passed the exam. Although I didn't get first place, third place is still a good result." Sun Chengjian slowly stepped into the shop and stopped some distance away from the counter.

"Congratulations, Young Master Sun."

Sun Chengjian's eyes shone brighter than the last time he visited. "I heard your sister is here. Is that the young lady over there?"

"Mmm." Jiang Yuzhi was choosing her words, thinking about how to get him out of there.

Night had already fallen, and the shop was quiet. The hawking sounds from the night market outside seemed to be blocked out by an invisible barrier.

Diting finally got some peace and quiet, and was sleeping soundly with Chichi and Xiaohua nestled together on a pile of cloth that was half a person high.

“It’s cute. It’s better for young children to stay away from livestock, lest they get sick.” As soon as Sun Chengjian said this, Jiang Yuzhi’s expression turned cold instantly.

Sun Chengjian was just being kind. He had seen children from the same village who often played with the village's stray dogs and died before they were even ten years old.

The doctor said that the dog had a disease that it had given to the child.

Jiang Yuzhi was of course unaware of these things, and even if she did, she wouldn't like outsiders casually pointing fingers at her family's affairs, especially those related to Di Ting.

"Does Young Master Sun have anything else to do? We're closing up shop."

Sun Chengjian keenly sensed the change in Jiang Yuzhi's attitude and realized that he might have misspoke. "I'm sorry, I said too much. I have passed the exam, but I have no one at home to share my joy with. I would like to invite you, shopkeeper... and my sister, to have a meal together to celebrate. I wonder if you have time?"