It must be said that Lin Yuqiao was quite shocked when she left the mansion for the first time.

Although I sat in the carriage the whole time, I didn't have a chance to get off and look around.

Sitting in the same car as Lin Yuqiao were her nanny, Madam Fang, her maid, Chifeng, and the second young lady, Lin Yumei, along with her nanny and maid.

Lin Yuqiao and the second young lady Lin Yumei now loathe each other. After exchanging greetings, they haven't spoken to each other again.

Lin Yumei didn't really like Lin Yuqiao to begin with, and because of the previous commotion between Lin Yuqiao and Lin Yuxuan, Lin Yuxuan had spread a lot of bad things about Lin Yuqiao. In addition, the discord between Madam Li and the second wife He Qingfang had become undeniable, and now she didn't even have a superficial friendship with Lin Yuqiao anymore.

However, Lin Yuqiao had no interest in paying attention to Lin Yumei. She secretly lifted a crack in the carriage curtain and saw a view of another world.

The streets were teeming with tourists, and large red lanterns hung in front of the shops, while some also had flags fluttering in the wind. The restaurants were packed with people, with diners filling the second floors to enjoy the view.

The streets were lined with stalls displaying lanterns of various colors, and several groups of people were gathered around them, admiring the lanterns and solving riddles. Hanging alongside the lanterns were also prizes such as sheng (a type of reed pipe instrument), xiao (a type of flute), writing brushes, and inkstones.

Occasionally, scholars and literati would spontaneously set up tables and chairs, placing their own handmade lanterns on them. The lanterns were decorated with words and pictures, and those who could guess the riddles could take the lanterns home. If they were lucky enough to meet someone, they could even become acquainted.

The streets we passed were brightly lit by the moon and lanterns, bustling with people and incense smoke. Amidst the noise and commotion, the crowd suddenly dispersed, and everyone was packed tightly together, with the clothes of the passersby even very close to Lin Yuqiao's car window.

It turned out there was a parade in front of the street, and a group of performers walked through the center of the street to the accompaniment of lively music.

The people in the front section were all on stilts, dressed in brightly colored clothes and wearing all sorts of bizarre and exaggerated masks. In the middle was a sedan chair carried by four people, with a young girl dressed as a goddess sitting on it. She was wearing white gauze and had a plum blossom-shaped flower on her forehead. Behind her were musicians playing gongs and drums, all dressed in black with green sashes around their waists.

"What kind of show is this?"

Amidst the deafening drums and music, Lin Yuqiao pointed to the performance outside and asked Granny Fang a question.

"This is an old tradition of our Lantern Festival. Because it is only performed in Luoyang, it is called Luokun Opera. The elders say that if you invite the Goddess Kun, your family will have peace all year round."

After the last drum and music troupe dispersed, the carriage slowly began to move. Lin Yuqiao looked at the rabbit lanterns and the spinning carousels on the street and felt a strong urge to buy one for her, so she asked Granny Fang to go down and buy one for her.

At first, Granny Fang refused, but later, unable to resist her coaxing, she sent the servant sitting in front to buy her two cups.

"Hmph." Watching Lin Yuqiao send someone to buy lamps, Lin Yumei was very disdainful, secretly thinking that Lin Yuqiao was so low-class, only caring about those junk.

Lin Yuqiao felt that Lin Yumei's humming was provocative. She had originally planned to give her another lamp, but now she immediately gave up on the idea.

Looking happily at the revolving lantern she had bought, Lin Yuqiao couldn't help but admire the craftsmen of this era. Without machines or assembly lines, every exquisite handmade item they produced was unique.

The lantern has the frame of a palace lantern, with three rows of silk cloth inside and out. The innermost part contains a thick candle that is fixed in place, and a fan is on top. The three rows of lampshades of different shades rotate slowly, forming a pattern of blooming flowers and wealth that changes as the lantern rotates.

The carriage drove around the market without stopping and went straight back; the original purpose was simply to take them to see the excitement.

Because Lin Yuqiao and Lin Yumei were girls, although they were still young and didn't need to wear veils, they were still not allowed to walk outside in public. Lin Yutian, on the other hand, was not with them. He was led by Lin Yucheng and Lin Yufeng, along with his cousin from his maternal uncle's family, to participate in some entertainment activities that young men could enjoy.

After the lively Lantern Festival, Lin Yuqiao waited patiently until she returned to the mansion to offer incense with Madam Zhang.

However, before leaving home, Lin Yuqiao suddenly heard that Lin Yucheng was sick.

Lin Yuqiao went to pay her respects to Madam Li in the morning, but because Marquis Chen Liang was also there, she didn't dare to ask any questions in detail. After having breakfast at Madam Zhang's place, she returned to Madam Li's Huifang Courtyard and finally spoke.

When Lin Yuqiao asked, Li's eyes reddened again. Because Lin Yuqiao was so young, she didn't know what to say to her, so she just said, "Studying is too tiring. Your brother has it tough. You should go and see him when you have time."

If Lin Yuqiao were truly only five years old, she might have let it go after hearing Li's explanation. But now, she sensed something was amiss from Li's behavior.

Therefore, after lunch, Lin Yuqiao went to Lin Yucheng's courtyard.

Before they even entered the inner room, Lin Yuqiao heard Lin Yufeng's voice, filled with anger and trembling, "Second brother, how could Father do this! You can't just listen to him like this. Let's go find Uncle and have him talk to him! If that doesn't work, we'll all go to our maternal grandparents' house. There's really no place for us in this house!"

"I'm fine. You should go back and study hard. Don't get distracted with the exam coming up. I have a plan for this."

Lin Yufeng's voice sounded low and weak, carrying the weight of illness. Now that things had come to this, he didn't want Lin Yufeng to be affected as well.

"But Second Brother, you've studied so hard for so long, all so you could pass the imperial examinations and make something of yourself! Now you're being forced to postpone your exams by three years? What kind of father does that?!"

Of the brothers, Lin Yufeng understands Lin Yucheng the best. He knows his hard work and struggles. Now that he is finally about to have a chance to make a name for himself, his father forcibly suppresses it. Even Lin Yufeng can't stand it.

Seeing his younger brother start to cry as he spoke, Lin Yucheng knew he was upset on his behalf. But now, with Chen Lianghou pressing him on the matter of filial piety, if he insisted on taking the exam, he would inevitably be branded as disobedient. People in this era valued character above all else; with such a stigma, even if he passed the exam, he would have no future.

"Why are you crying? A man doesn't easily shed tears. You haven't encountered real difficulties yet, so why are you so easily upset? Go back to your studies and don't say anything to your fourth and fifth brothers. They are still young and not of much use, so don't cause them any trouble."

After persuading Lin Yufeng to go back, Lin Yucheng closed his eyes again, feeling a deep sense of exhaustion.

When Lin Yufeng lifted the curtain and came out, he bumped into Lin Yuqiao. Because he was not in good condition, Lin Yufeng said a few words to her and left.

Gently lifting the curtain, Lin Yuqiao approached Lin Yucheng, who had his eyes closed and looked haggard, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

From Lin Yufeng and Lin Yucheng's conversation, Lin Yuqiao had already guessed the reason for Lin Yucheng's illness, and couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment towards Chen Lianghou. How could a father be so biased? It was simply incomprehensible.

Not wanting Lin Yucheng to have to muster the energy to deal with her again, Lin Yuqiao looked at Lin Yucheng's sleeping face, smoothed the frown between the boy's brows, and then left without saying a word.

Smelling the sweet aroma of pastries, Lin Yucheng knew his younger sister had arrived. She left without a word, and he felt a warmth in his heart for her thoughtfulness. His mood gradually improved, unlike the gloom he felt when he first learned of the incident.

Lin Yucheng originally thought that Chen Lianghou, as his father, was at most biased, so he never thought he could rely on him. But he never expected that his hard work and striving for a better future would also be an obstacle to Chen Lianghou's approval.

After listening to Chen Lianghou's so-called words of concern in his study, and then being told in an irrefutable way to postpone the exam for three years, Lin Yucheng felt a surge of hatred that he could not suppress.

After returning home, he recalled how, when he was a child, he learned from his second aunt that his father had found blood ginseng but had given it all to his eldest brother. The grievance and resentment he felt then remained vivid in his memory all these years later.

Although Lin Yucheng was usually mature, he was still a teenager after all. Overwhelmed by a mix of old and new grievances, he couldn't hold on any longer and started to have a fever that night.

When Li came to visit him while he was ill, Lin Yucheng couldn't help but tell her what had happened. He was filled with hatred and didn't even want to call her "father" anymore.

"To him, only Lin Yuqi is his son. What are we? Just weeds and rubble. We're not worth his attention. He can throw us around and throw us away whenever he doesn't like us."

Li Shi was also surprised that Chen Lianghou would do such a thing. In his eyes, wasn't it glorious for his son to be successful? Then she thought about it again. Chen Lianghou cherished Lin Yuqi the most. He was probably afraid that Lin Yucheng would become more successful and surpass Lin Yuqi, so he wanted to suppress Lin Yucheng first.

Lin Yucheng could guess the reason, which made him even more resentful.

Hearing Lin Yucheng's words, Li Shi couldn't help but feel resentment towards Chen Lianghou. For over a decade, no matter how well they had done, Chen Lianghou had been blind to it. It was one thing for him to ignore it before, but now he was even suppressing Lin Yucheng and preventing him from standing up for himself.

Unable to bear seeing Lin Yucheng suffer such injustice, Madam Li could no longer hold back and spoke firmly to Lin Yucheng.

“I’ll write to your uncle right away and ask him to talk to your father on your behalf. If he insists on not allowing it, we’ll go back to your maternal grandparents’ house. It won’t affect him and Qi’er anyway.”

Despite his illness, Lin Yuqi quickly comforted his mother. He knew the hardships she had endured over the years, and he was determined to study hard and become self-reliant so that he could support his mother as soon as possible and stop her from being in such a predicament.

But because she understood their current situation, Lin Yuqi was even more clear-headed. Filial piety is paramount, and Chen Lianghou was still her father. During this festival, a father could justify his son's decision to postpone the exam for three years, let alone worry about him being discouraged. He could even justify his son's death anywhere.

Even if they had their uncle speak to Chen Lianghou, it wouldn't have been of much use. In fact, if the two sides didn't speak well, they would become enemies in the future, and even relatives would be unable to visit each other.

After persuading Li to go back and stop arguing with Chen Lianghou for his sake, Lin Yucheng wrote a letter to his teacher, Guo Hong, explaining his situation in detail. Even in his most difficult circumstances, there was no other way; he knew his teacher, with his vast experience, could always offer him a solution, which would be more helpful than suffering in silence.

Because Guo Hong was a son born out of wedlock, he had to make a living under the care of his stepmother since childhood. His stepmother was a strict woman, and it was quite difficult for him to get into school as a young man. Now, he can empathize with Lin Yucheng more.

Sure enough, Guo Hong replied the next day, saying that if Marquis Chen Liang insisted on him taking the exam again in three years, there was really no other way. However, he also advised him not to be discouraged, as although he was doing well in his studies, he was not particularly confident. If he missed this year's exam, he could study diligently and might be even more successful in the next provincial exam.

The best course of action now is to temper our ambitions and plan for the future.

Lin Yucheng had completely given up on Chen Lianghou, and couldn't help but think about how difficult things were now, and how he was at the age of marriageable age during the three years he had to wait for the exams. Although he didn't want to be distracted, he couldn't bear the thought of Chen Lianghou choosing an even more troublesome wife for him.

He couldn't disobey his parents' wishes as a son, so he had to endure it, but he was unwilling to accept it.

The future is neither too far away nor too far away, but one problem after another is looming ahead. I was already anxious and numb just because the provincial examination was postponed for three years, but I never thought that this matter of marriage would require even more careful consideration.