Merchants have far better eyesight and intelligence than ordinary people like them.

By observing the movements of the wealthy families in the city, one can generally guess the situation at the front.

To prevent Lin Zhongde from worrying too much, Lin Xue explained this principle to him in detail.

"From now on, when our dads and the others set up their stall, they should keep an eye out for the wealthy families in town. As soon as those people run away, we should run away too, that's the right thing to do!"

With a plan in mind, Lin Zhongde was no longer as afraid as he had been at the beginning.

His second brother was right; those merchants were very well-informed, and they could be sure of success by simply following their example.

I stayed in the county town for another three days before the exam results were announced.

Early in the morning, Lin Zhongde took Lin Xue to the place where the list was published.

This time, he didn't search from back to front. He used to lack confidence in his second brother, so he would start searching from the tail.

He is now certain that the reason his second brother failed the exam was because of his poor health.

He had more confidence in his younger brother's knowledge, so he began to search from the beginning to the end.

Lin Zhongde didn't have to put in much effort; he found his second brother's name at number two on the list.

This result was achieved because Lin Xue deliberately threw the game.

She originally wanted to get first place; being the top scorer in the county would sound better, after all.

Unfortunately, Lin Xue didn't want to be too high-profile. She originally wanted to rank fifth or sixth, but she didn't expect the students in this year's class to be so disappointing. Even though she gave them a hard time, she still managed to get second place.

Second place is fine, it's the same as his birth order at home.

Congratulations, Brother Zhongyi!

"Congratulations! Brother Yu Huai, we both passed the imperial examination and became scholars this time. We'll have to discuss things more in the future!"

The teacher brought more than ten students this time, but only six of them passed the imperial examination and became scholars.

In this era of fierce competition, it was already considered a great achievement for an academy to produce six scholars.

Next year, his academy will be able to enroll more students.

After seeing the name, the group returned to the inn to wait for the officials to come and deliver the good news.

Lin Xue took some loose silver from her bosom and handed it to her elder brother, telling him to wrap it in red paper and give it to the official when he brought good news.

This is a celebratory gift. If someone in your family becomes a scholar and you don't even give them a celebratory gift, you'll be laughed at by others.

It was alright when I took the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai, because it was only held in the county.

It would be even more troublesome when it came to taking the imperial examination for the title of Juren, as it required going to the prefectural capital for the exam.

After the exam results were released, the county government would first go to the scholar's home to deliver the good news.

At that time, not only will we give money to the official who brings good news, but we will also offer incense to our ancestors to inform them of our good fortune.

After Lin Xue and the others left the county government office and returned home.

The entire Linjia Village became lively, as Linjia Village had only produced one scholar before this.

Now that Lin Zhongyi has joined the family, the village elders are overjoyed.

When the county official who came to deliver the good news arrived at Linjia Village, he was warmly welcomed.

After receiving the official document confirming his status as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations from the messenger.

Lin Xue also had to bathe and change clothes, burn incense and pray to comfort her ancestors.

This whole process takes up a whole day.

Two days later, the Lin family held a grand banquet to entertain people from all around.

Some local gentry and noble families, with whom they had never interacted before, would also send a symbolic congratulatory gift.

This can be seen as a form of financial assistance from wealthy families to scholars, so that if one of them becomes a high-ranking official in the future, the family can also benefit from it.

If we don't go now, who will recognize us when they become successful?

After Lin Xue finished her teacher appreciation banquet, life returned to its usual routine.

But not long after he had settled down, the academy's teacher sent someone to summon him.

Seeing that the man was in a hurry, Lin Xue didn't delay and went back to the teacher's place with the students in the academy.

“Zhongyi, I called you here today to tell you that the border defenses in the north have been breached.”

“Those barbaric foreign tribes will be attacking soon. I have received word that the general guarding the city will not be able to hold out for long.”

"Now I must close the academy and go to my father-in-law's house to avoid disaster!"

“I have notified all the students in the academy, but I am worried about you students who have just passed the imperial examination and are on holiday at home, so I specially sent someone to invite you over!”

For the other teachers, they would simply send someone to inform them.

However, Lin Zhongyi was his most promising student, and now that he was leaving, he naturally had to give him some good advice.

"Before the northern lands attack, you should hurry home and discuss it with your family. It would be best to head south!"

"If you happen to pass through Yunshui City, you can come and find me inside the city. My father-in-law lives there. No matter how brave these outsiders are, they can't reach that side!"

Upon receiving the news, Lin Xue thanked the old master again.

"Thank you for your concern, sir. But if I leave this place, will my degree as a scholar still be valid?"

The war certainly wouldn't last long, especially since it was just a border war between the two countries, at most involving the capture of a few cities.

No more is possible, after all, large-scale wars are unlikely to occur in the next few years.

"Keep your identity document safe. As long as you have this, your status as a scholar will be recognized by the imperial court wherever you go!"

"Even if you settle down elsewhere in the future, with this status, your family will still receive preferential treatment!"

After speaking with Lin Xue, the teacher dismissed the man.

He was in a hurry to go back and pack his luggage with his wife. The fact that he was able to personally explain so much to Lin Xue already showed the deep bond between them as master and disciple.

Lin Xue came out of the academy and strolled around the town.

Sure enough, the wealthy families had already taken action; several houses had their doors tightly shut, and the huge iron locks proved that the person had left.

Lin Xue didn't dare to delay and hurriedly went to the livestock market.

The livestock market is deserted these days. All the better animals have been bought, leaving only a lame donkey, listlessly grazing.

This donkey is the best one left in this batch; if it weren't lame, it would definitely fetch a good price.

The others are either sick or frail, or have more serious disabilities.

Lin Xue and her companions needed to get going, so they definitely couldn't afford to buy a sick donkey.

He examined the donkey's lameness and found it was caused by an external injury.

At worst, we can find a secluded spot on the way back and treat the donkey.

It's not a big problem; it won't delay our family's journey.

I negotiated the price with the owner. If this donkey were in good condition, it might sell for five or six taels of silver. But because it's lame, it would normally cost at least three taels of silver to get it.

After all, even if you buy it to eat, three ounces is still a good deal.

I'm currently facing a famine, and the boss doesn't have time to sell meat.

So he sold the lame donkey to Lin Xue for only two and a half ounces.

After buying the donkey, he went next door and bought a cart frame, then drove the donkey cart back to Linjia Village.

When they arrived home, Old Man Lin and Old Mrs. Lin immediately surrounded him, asking why the teacher had come to see him.

After hearing Lin Xue's explanation, the elderly couple immediately became anxious.