He Tuyuan was thinking about Du Yinye, so after getting the emperor's permission to go home, he said goodbye to Yao Dingliang and others, and traveled overnight, shortening the journey from one month to half a month.

Chen Nu, the county magistrate of Furui County, received instructions from above early on, saying that He Tuyuan had won the top spot in this exam.

Chen Nu received He Tuyuan in the county seat of Furui County.

Under Chen Nu's arrangement, He Tuyuan wore a red top scholar robe, rode a tall horse, wore a big red flower on his chest, and sent people to Shandandan Village with gongs and drums.

The He family was tending to the blueberries on the mountain when the villagers rushed up the mountain. "He family, Brother Black Tiger, your son, He Tuyuan, passed the exam!"

He Heihu was startled and the scissors in his hand fell.

"Ouch, be careful, you are the father of the top scholar now!" The villager hurried up to check if he was injured.

"What did you say? Did my son really pass the exam?" He Heihu asked in disbelief.

"Not only did he pass the exam, he also got the top scorer!" The villager felt proud that his son had passed the exam.

He Heihu couldn't stop laughing when he heard this. He was in a hurry to go down the mountain without even taking his tools.

The villager followed happily.

Fang Caixiu also learned about it from the villagers and hurried down the mountain.

When the He family arrived home, He Tuyuan happened to arrive on horseback.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back." He Tuyuan got off his horse and ran towards his parents with a smile.

"Son, I'm glad you're back. I'm glad you're back. You must have traveled a lot along the way. It would have taken a month to get here, but you came back in 15 days. Mom, I'm so happy for you." Fang Caixiu said, holding He Luyuan's hand tightly, unable to suppress her joy.

He Heihu was so happy that he couldn't say a word. Looking at his son wearing the bright red champion robe and the official hat, looking so high and proud, he suddenly burst into tears.

"Dad, what's wrong with you? I won the first place in the imperial examination, aren't you happy?" He Tuyuan asked

"I'm so happy, I'm just too happy! I'm crying with joy! Son, you've won the exam. It's really a blessing for our He family. There's so much luck coming out of our ancestral graves. It's great!" He Heihu kept holding He Tuyuan's hand and was reluctant to let go.

He Shoushan and Zhao Hongying were relatively calm. They first took care of the yamen runners, then invited a few people in for tea, and also invited other villagers to join in the joy.

At the Du family, Mr. Du listened to the housekeeper's report that the boy from the He family had won the top spot in the imperial examination, and the yamen runners were now talking at the He family.

Mr. Du looked in the direction of the He family in deep thought, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Master, do you want to go to the He family to congratulate them? Or not?" asked the housekeeper.

"I won't go. If anyone of them invites us to a drinking party, you can just go on my behalf." Mr. Du hasn't been feeling well recently.

On the Du family's high building

When Du Yinye saw He Tuyuan, wearing a red robe, riding a tall horse, slowly walking towards the He family, her eyes filled with tears.

He is back, he is back with his promise!

Dongmei was also happy for the two of them, dancing with joy beside them and saying, "Miss, this is great! He Daizi really got the top spot in the exam. You two can get married now!"

Du Yinye smiled and nodded, saying "hmm" softly.

Lu Tingting heard their conversation and said with a contemptuous smile, "Sister, don't be too proud. I just heard from Grandpa that you were engaged to another family when you were a child. Now that you are old enough, you may have to fulfill the promise you made as a child."

Du Yinye's face turned pale when he heard this. "No, no, no, sister-in-law, you must have heard it wrong! How could Grandpa?"

Du Yinye's mood instantly turned bad.

Seeing Du Yinye's face turn pale in an instant, Lu Tingting smiled and walked away. "As for whether it's true or not, you can wait for that young master of the He family to come and see what grandpa has to say, then you'll know."

As they walked, Lu Tingting whispered to her maid, "It's such a relief! At first, I thought it was a good idea for her to marry that peasant from the He family; at least it matched her self-deprecating personality. But I didn't expect this He family kid to be so impressive and actually get the top spot in the imperial examination! I thought she was finally getting what she wanted, but she didn't expect another child marriage to happen. It's such a relief! Fengye, go warm up the wine and make me feel even happier!"

Maple Leaf left with a smile.

Dongmei heard the conversation between the two and became angry. "Miss, this young lady is really dislikeable. She builds her happiness on the suffering of others. What kind of person is she!"

Du Yinye waved her hand. "Let her be. That's just her personality. Maybe she feels that her looks aren't as outstanding as mine, so she wants to be ahead of others in everything. When I get married, there will be no one in this family to compare with her. She'll probably be very lonely."

Du Yinye appeared calm on the surface, but she was extremely anxious. If there really was a child marriage, what would she and He Tuyuan do?

Dongmei also knew that her young lady was anxious, but she had no choice but to follow her quietly.

Dongmei: "When do you think he will come to my house to propose marriage? Today or tomorrow?" Du Yinye asked nervously and expectantly.

"It's only going to be for these two days, miss. Relax and don't worry too much about it. The most urgent thing is that you should pick out a few nice clothes that you like, so that Mr. He will be impressed when he sees them, right?" Dongmei gave her advice.

Du Yinye thought it made sense and went back to her room.

The He family invited the Yi family, the Yao family and everyone in the village to a grand banquet and invited many people to dinner.

When the Du family was invited, Butler Du said that their master was not feeling well and would not attend, so Butler Du went to the banquet on his behalf.

The Yi family and Yi Yami were happy for them when they heard the news.

Gu Wanping went to the banquet with them.

Gu Wanping happily told Qin Chaochao, "Look, Xiuxiu's family isn't that bad, is it? Now that she has a nephew who is the top scholar, Xiuxiu's status has improved a bit. When they return to Kyoto, do you think I should hold another big banquet?"

Qin Chaochao thought for a moment and said, "Forget about the wedding banquet. But I think you can organize a grand banquet to welcome them both."

"I think what you said makes sense. Let's do this then." Gu Wanping smiled.

Yi Yami was traveling with them, but in a different car.

He Tuyuan originally planned to go to Du Yinye right from the start. However, he thought that since he had just returned, it would not be appropriate to go empty-handed, so he decided to go to the Du family the next day with a generous gift.

…………