"You're not allowed to go!" The old lady's face was full of anger. She was the legitimate mother, and the illegitimate son was already of lowly status. For her, the legitimate mother, to beg the illegitimate son was to humiliate her.

Furthermore, because of what she did in the past, she had always suppressed Mo Zhong's advancement. Now that Mo Zhong has embarked on the path of the imperial examination, she must be filled with resentment. Going there would only make her a laughingstock, and she wouldn't gain any advantage. She would only bring shame upon herself.

The old Marquis beside him also tried to stop him, saying, "Listen to your mother." He had never looked after his third son since he grew up, and he was too ashamed to even see him. Now, all he could do for his third son was to keep an eye on the family and not disturb his peaceful life.

Although the people in the Jiangning Marquis's mansion were indignant, they knew in their hearts that they did not have a good relationship with Mo Zhong, not to mention that they had bullied and looked down on him when they were in the Marquis's mansion. Going there would only make them a laughing stock.

Three years later,

"Father, don't be nervous, relax." At this time, Mo Qian and the other two returned to the capital to accompany Mo Zhong to take the exam.

During these three years, Mo Zhong passed the imperial examinations and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examinations). Meanwhile, Zhang Jinxin, whose culinary skills were improving and who had nothing else to do, opened a restaurant called Lou Wai Lou in Liangzhou City.

With its rich variety of dishes and delicious taste, Lou Wai Lou became an instant hit after opening, attracting a constant stream of customers. Soon, it spread all over the country, with branches in various places.

As for Mo Qian, she had a father striving for officialdom and a mother working hard to earn money. She also had maids to serve her at home. Living off both her parents, she didn't get out of bed until late morning. When bored, she would either watch movies and read novels with Xiao Bai, or go out shopping and listen to storytelling with her maids and servants—she was quite carefree.

As Mo Qian grew older, students from the village and wealthy businessmen from the city naturally came to propose marriage. However, because Mo Zhong and his wife doted on Mo Qian, and there were no particularly outstanding men around, they went along with Mo Qian's wishes and rejected all the matchmakers who came to their door. They thought they would try one more time to find a good husband for their daughter in the capital.

When Mo Qian and her two companions first arrived in the capital, they arrived early, half a month before the start of the imperial examination. Mo Zhong was able to focus on preparing for the exam in the house he had purchased in the capital, while Mo Qian and her mother would go to teahouses every day to drink tea, and also to learn about the news in the capital and inquire about the events that had occurred since they left.

The biggest event was probably the power struggle among the princes. The eldest and second princes were defeated, the third prince was eliminated, and the fourth prince seized the throne effortlessly.

With the old emperor's passing and the third prince being given a muscle-relaxing drug and confined to bed, those who had previously surrounded him gradually distanced themselves upon seeing his current state, becoming dejected.

During this time, I also learned that the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Hengrui had eloped with a scholar. The story goes like this: around that time, stories of talented scholars and beautiful women were circulating in the market, such as the tales of a down-on-his-luck scholar and a rich girl, or a poor top scholar marrying the daughter of a prime minister... They quickly became very popular.

Women yearn for the sincere love of the men in the book, a love that lasts a lifetime, while men long to become the male protagonist in the book, to ascend to heaven, and to marry a beautiful and wealthy woman. Most young women can still view this rationally, seeing such books as nothing more than fantasies written by frustrated scholars to satisfy their desire for a life of wealth and luxury.

Although they yearned for it, having enjoyed the family's resources, they naturally had to prioritize the family. However, there were exceptions. The illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Hengrui, after reading these books, longed for a lifelong monogamous relationship. After a few ambiguous love poems from a down-on-his-luck scholar, and with the promise of a marriage proposal after passing the imperial examination, she ran off with him.

Originally, such a shameful matter should have been publicly announced by the Hengrui Marquis's mansion as the death of their illegitimate daughter, and should not have been allowed to spread. However, as expected, in the end, they encountered a treacherous wolf in sheep's clothing, someone they could not entrust their lives to.

The illegitimate daughter, dressed in rags, ran back to the Earl's mansion, only to be refused entry. The story later spread widely after eyewitnesses witnessed it.

It turned out that after the two eloped, the concubine's daughter had money, and at first they were very happy together. But when the money ran out, the man revealed his true colors, beating and scolding the concubine's daughter and forcing her to do laundry to earn money. He was addicted to gambling all day long. When the concubine's daughter realized that the man wanted to sell her to pay off his debts, she ran away first and returned to the capital by begging all the way.

This incident spread widely among the people, and even now, prominent families still use it to warn their daughters to prevent similar incidents from happening. Because of this, impoverished students were also affected and became ostracized.

When Mo Qian first arrived, she heard that the person the original owner was in love with was the top scholar Yuan Jiang. Before this incident, he was one of the most desirable men for young ladies in the entire capital. In addition to the original owner, several other noble ladies were also in love with the top scholar.

After this incident, the noble ladies immediately turned their attention to the young men from well-to-do families who were suitable for marriage. Although the top scholar had already achieved fame and success, they were afraid that he would follow in the footsteps of that illegitimate daughter.

Although the top scholar is talented, his family is poor. He is afraid that his mother will leave him and take his son away and seize the family fortune when he is about to marry with a dowry of ten miles. On the other hand, the aristocratic families have accumulated wealth over generations and are not short of money. In addition, they value their family reputation. Although there is no love between them, they treat each other with respect.

In the end, the top scholar married the daughter of a military general, and now his reputation for being henpecked resounds throughout the capital. Mo Qian couldn't help but sigh, thinking how pitiful the man was, but she couldn't help but burst into laughter inside.

"Father, I passed the exam! I ranked fifth in the top tier!" Mo Qian said with a beaming smile. If nothing unexpected happened, she would definitely get an official position.

"Brother Zhong, I passed the exam! I passed the exam!" Zhang Jinxin exclaimed excitedly, clutching her heart.

"That's great! After years of scientific expeditions, we're just one step away from a successful conclusion." Mo Zhong said excitedly, "It's finally almost over, and I won't have to get up early every day anymore."

After Mo Zhong participated in the palace examination, he ranked second in the top rank and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy, where he was granted the title of fifth-rank official.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he discovered traces of Mo Qian in the incidents involving the eldest, second, and third princes. Mo Qian's involvement was found in all their downfalls, which pleased him greatly.

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