With Zhang Tingyu and Qiu Wen's marriage settled, they no longer needed to hide their relationship, and they could occasionally meet up.

The two meet occasionally, not often, but they are both quite satisfied, as they haven't been able to see each other for a while, and this situation is much better.

After discussing it with Lady Hesheli, Madam Zhang decided to hold the wedding the following year after Zhang Tingyu passed the imperial examination. During this period, there would naturally be various gift-giving ceremonies.

When Faka first learned that his daughter's marriage was arranged, he was momentarily stunned. His daughter had only been back with him for less than a year! She was getting married next year, it felt like a joke, and Faka found it hard to accept.

However, the marriage was arranged by the Emperor, and he had no choice but to accept it. Besides, he had heard of Zhang Tingyu and thought he was indeed a good candidate for a son-in-law.

Forced to accept this, Faka could only try to put more effort into his daughter's dowry.

Before they knew it, it was time for Zhang Tingyu's elder brother, Zhang Tingzan, to get married. Zhang Tingzan's wife was the daughter of an official in the Hanlin Academy. Her official rank was not high, but her family had a good reputation. Besides, Madam Zhang only hoped that her eldest daughter-in-law could take good care of her eldest son's daily life and didn't have many other requirements.

So even if the household is a bit small, it doesn't matter to her. After all, she has seen the child, and Zhang Tingzan himself is satisfied. He is steady yet lively. If he can take good care of Zhang Tingzan, the young couple won't be too dull and have nothing to talk about.

Qiu Wen naturally attended Zhang Tingzan's wedding; she was now practically a member of the Zhang family, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her not to go.

However, she didn't have a chance to speak with Zhang Tingyu. As the groom's younger brother, Zhang Tingyu was naturally busy entertaining guests. Although Qiu Wen's marriage wasn't hers, she was still the Zhang family's chosen daughter-in-law, so she was not immune to teasing.

The two only met once, exchanged a few polite words, and then Qiu Wen and Zhang Tingyu didn't get to speak until Qiu Wen left.

After finishing Zhang Tingzan's wedding, the New Year was just around the corner. Madam Zhang had a very comfortable New Year this year. Her eldest son had a wife, her second son was engaged, and her youngest son was well-behaved. As a woman, Madam Zhang felt very content.

Bobo returned from Cangzhou, and Zhang Tingyu also met with Bobo. The two discussed the naval training plan for next year and tentatively decided to go to the other side of the sea to settle accounts with Japan by the end of next autumn.

In recent years, Yinzhen's secret guards have uncovered many clues in Jinghai County. It turns out that Japan is indeed very ambitious and has begun to try to disrupt the railway here. Although it has not caused any significant impact, those little tricks are indeed very annoying.

The railway from Beijing to Jiangnan has now been initially completed. With Beijing as the center, the railway is now being laid out in all directions. At present, the people are quite happy to see this happen.

How could the people possibly have any objections!

Although railways were laid, the taxes on the people were not increased, and no able-bodied men were conscripted. Where labor was needed, money was demanded.

This infrastructure construction has solved the "employment" problem for people to a certain extent, which has also enabled more people to have an additional source of income.

Zhang Tingyu calculated the time; by then, he would have almost finished the imperial examinations, and he could go to Bobo's place to help him. Bobo also had this intention; otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen the time after his examinations.

At this time, Madam Zhang had no idea that her son actually wanted to go to the battlefield, and even the battlefield at sea.

After making the promise with Bobo, Zhang Tingyu began to focus on his studies. He was intelligent, but not a child prodigy. His current knowledge was more the result of good teaching and hard work.

Therefore, he couldn't say for sure that he would pass the imperial examination next year, so there was no harm in studying more.

The year passed in the blink of an eye. After the New Year, Bobo went to Cangzhou to continue his military training. At the same time, he also began to get involved in some government affairs. Even when he was not in the capital, Yinzhen would send him some memorials.

Bobo has always been very knowledgeable about the situation in North Korea.

Zhang Tingyu has completely focused his energy on his studies, while Qiu Wen is finding it rather boring in the capital. Now that there are trains available, and before the new year, the trains could reach Cangzhou, making the journey from the capital to Cangzhou take less than a day.

Qiu Wen went to Cangzhou three times in between, after all, she still had a system, and she couldn't just leave it unused.

Zhang Tingyu is about to take an exam, and the entire Zhang family is paying close attention to it. Zhang Tingyu himself is also looking forward to it, since he can get married after the exam, which is something he has been longing for.

The imperial examination system had been reformed, so the examinations were no longer so arduous. Zhang Tingyu felt that the few days of the examinations passed in the blink of an eye, and he felt that he had performed normally.

Zhang Ying was relieved to hear his words. Although he couldn't say that he had personally taught his son, he knew his son's abilities and was certain that he would perform well if he performed normally.

"Mother, why did you call your son here?"

Madam Zhang looked at Zhang Tingyu and said with a smile, "You've finished your exams, now let's talk about your marriage."

Upon hearing that it was his own wedding, Zhang Tingyu immediately took it seriously. He listened as Madam Zhang began to explain some important points, as it was a once-in-a-lifetime event and he didn't want to leave any regrets or imperfections.

Zhang Tingyu listened attentively. While Madam Zhang was gratified, she also felt a pang of sadness. Her son had grown up and was about to marry someone else's son. From now on, the woman closest to him would no longer be his mother.

This wasn't the first time she'd felt this way; she'd had similar feelings when Zhang Tingzan got married. However, this time the feeling was even deeper. After all, she had definitely sensed something different after her eldest son's marriage. Although she wouldn't do anything about it, the feeling was indeed quite subtle.

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