Because he had someone in his heart, the scholar studied even harder, and the following year he passed the provincial examination with flying colors, becoming the top scholar.

This is how one obtains the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

It is said that poor scholars become rich officials, and the scholar's life did indeed become much more comfortable after he passed the imperial examination. Although the fox spirit was reluctant to let him go, she could not help him much given his talent.

So the fox spirit said she wanted to leave, and now it was the scholar's turn to object.

The scholar, realizing he was now capable of supporting his family, confessed his feelings to the fox spirit.

Upon hearing this, the fox spirit was first startled, then overjoyed. But upon closer reflection, she realized that humans and demons were destined to be apart, and their fates had rarely been good. Her own life had been saved by her benefactor, so even if her soul were to be scattered, it wouldn't matter. But her benefactor was different!

Her benefactor was a man of great vision and boundless potential, and fearing she would hold him back, she resolutely refused.

The scholar wasn't the type to pester, but he was still depressed because of it. Seeing his dejected state, the fox spirit decided to tell him the truth.

The fox spirit told the scholar that she was a spirit repaying a debt of gratitude, and then revealed her true form to him.

The scholar was surprised to see this, but there was no fear in his eyes. In the end, the scholar was still determined to ask for her hand in marriage. The fox spirit was moved by him and agreed.

The two got married and were very much in love.

Another year passed, and the fox spirit accompanied the scholar to the capital for the imperial examination, where the scholar became the top scholar that year.

This was supposed to be a good thing, but the problem was that when the top scholar was parading through the streets on horseback, he caught the eye of the daughter of the prime minister, who lived in a restaurant.

The prime minister doted on his daughter and valued the scholar's talent, so he wanted to take him as his son-in-law. The scholar was already married and naturally did not want to.

The Prime Minister was furious that the fox spirit had disobeyed him. He couldn't do anything openly, but he secretly targeted her at every turn. The Prime Minister's daughter was even more unforgiving towards the fox spirit.

After a series of thrilling events, the prime minister was finally brought down, the scholar rose to the highest ranks of officialdom, and the fox spirit was granted an imperial title. The two remained together until the end, and although they had no children, their love for each other was praised by later generations.

The female teacher spoke for nearly an hour, taking three breaks along the way, which Tong Cheng'er and the Third Princess Consort found very enjoyable.

Especially the part about the scholar and the fox spirit dealing with the prime minister.

It's exhilarating to see the small triumph over the large, and the righteous triumph over the evil, even if you know the story is fake.

After the man finished speaking, Tong Cheng'er smiled and asked someone to give her a lot of tips.

The Third Prince's wife was pleased to hear this and gave him a generous reward.

Then Tong Cheng'er finally got rid of him.

After the female teacher left, the Third Princess Consort spoke up, saying, "This story is quite novel. I've read stories about scholars and fox spirits repaying kindness before, but most of them end tragically. Moreover, most of the stories portray the fox spirits as seductive and alluring, and they usually end up with their souls scattered. This female teacher's story is much more pleasant to hear, with a happy ending that doesn't upset me."

The image of scholars in storybooks is mostly that of pedantic and naive people. So the sudden appearance of a story that is not pedantic and is not afraid of fox spirits is indeed very thoughtful.

Tong Cheng'er nodded; she agreed.

She dislikes tragic stories the most. Although listeners may empathize with the grief and indignation, well, who wouldn't want to hear something happy?

"Third sister-in-law is right, it makes me feel comfortable."

There's a reason why Tong Cheng'er particularly enjoys reading detective stories. Initially, she wasn't picky about what she read, but detective stories were the first thing she did. Later, on the recommendation of the bookstore owner, she bought a book about a scholar and a young lady.

The plot shattered her worldview, and from then on she became allergic to novels about love and romance. It was terrifying!

A poor scholar sneaked over the wall at night to visit a woman's boudoir, only to be caught eloping with the woman's daughter. They lived a life of hardship until the scholar passed the imperial examination and became her concubine.

Everything about it was a point of contention, practically challenging her values, which she naturally couldn't stand and found quite disgusting.

Looking back now, it's not entirely the fault of those romance novels; it's not that there weren't good stories, it's just that she hadn't encountered them.

"If Third Sister-in-law likes it, she can come and listen every day. If she finds it inconvenient, she can take the person back with her."

She couldn't listen to both female teachers at the same time.

Upon hearing this, the Third Princess smiled and shook her head: "I appreciate your kindness, but there's no need to take the person back. My Fourth Brother specially found this person for you, and I can't bear to take away someone else's beloved."

Tong Cheng'er: "It's not that serious, he won't say anything!"

The Third Prince's wife was adamant: "That won't do either."

"Alright, come often if you like."

Life was already quite leisurely, and the Third Prince's wife also liked to come over for fun; even just chatting casually was enjoyable.

"Okay, just don't complain about how often I come."

"How could that be? I wish I could be with my third sister-in-law all the time."

The Third Princess smiled and shook her head: "That won't do. If the Fourth Brother heard that, he might not let me in."

The Third Prince's wife has recently come to understand some of Yinzhen's true nature; he turns out to be a jealous person, and he's jealous of people regardless of age or gender.

"It's not that bad."

The two chatted for a while and time passed quickly. Before leaving, Tong Cheng'er asked Ru Xue to prepare a recipe for the Third Princess Consort.

The Third Princess Consort was somewhat surprised: "This matter?"

Tong Cheng'er explained, "This is a recipe book. It contains some dishes that are suitable for children. It's even better if you eat them together."

Upon hearing this, the Third Princess Consort smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful, thank you."

Tong Cheng'er: "Why are you being so polite with me, Third Sister-in-law?"

She's not stupid. Although the Third Prince's wife used to like visiting her, it wasn't this frequent, almost every single day.

She appreciated the gesture.

She knew that Yinzhen was behind this, but she still had to express her gratitude to the Third Prince Consort. She had heard from the banquet that Hongqing was a picky eater, so she had someone prepare a menu that was a good mix of meat and vegetables, nutritionally balanced, and delicious, suitable for children.

After seeing off the Third Princess Consort, Tong Cheng'er noticed that it was almost time, so she had someone start preparing dinner. She then lay down on the sofa to rest for a while, feeling a bit sleepy.

When Yinzhen returned, he saw his little princess lying on the sofa with her eyes closed, covered with a wool blanket. Her breathing was even and her face was rosy. Her belly was not very obvious. To Yinzhen, she was absolutely adorable and he couldn't get enough of looking at her.

Tong Cheng'er felt as if she was being watched by something in her sleep, so she opened her eyes groggily and saw Yinzhen.

"You're back!"

She had just woken up, and her voice was a little hoarse and soft.

Hearing this, Yinzhen's heart softened, and he said softly, "Yes, you're back. Are you still sleepy?"

As he spoke, Yinzhen sat down on the sofa.

Tong Cheng'er habitually rested her head on his head and rubbed it against him with her fluffy head: "I'm almost awake, wait for me a little longer."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen gently rubbed her face with his hand and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

Tong Cheng'er closed her eyes, and after a while she indeed woke up.

Yinzhen carefully helped the person up before ordering the dinner to be served.

Dinner was very plentiful, and Tong Cheng'er ate quite a lot. Seeing that she had a good appetite, Yinzhen also ate quite a lot.

After the meal, Yinzhen began by asking, "What did you do today?"

Tong Cheng'er explained everything in detail.