"Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations cousin! Congratulations cousin, you have won the top spot in the imperial examination!" Yiyami said with a smile.

"Sister, come in quickly. Thanks to your water and Miss Du's blanket, otherwise I'm afraid I can't hold on..." He Tuyuan said excitedly when he saw him.

Qin Chaochao and Gu Wanping were curious, so He Tuyuan welcomed everyone into the house and began to tell them about the dangers he had experienced in Kyoto.

Everyone present sighed and lamented how difficult his journey had been.

Yi Yami was the first to speak, "Okay, cousin, don't dwell on the past. This is a blessing and a curse."

He Tuyuan nodded when he heard that. "Who said it wasn't? But I'm really grateful to you and Miss Du. You don't know that many candidates were mentally broken at that time. I almost collapsed too, but after drinking the water you gave me, I felt a little more at ease."

"As long as it's useful to you." Yiyami said with a smile.

"By the way, when are you going to find Mr. Du and tell him that you want to marry Sister Yinye?" Yi Yami asked.

"It's definitely too late today. We can only wait until tomorrow. Prepare some expensive gifts tomorrow and I'll ask my father to take me there." He Tuyuan said.

Yi Yami heard this and said, "Okay, I will witness it with you tomorrow."

The He family nodded, and the other guests left after their meal. Yi Yami stayed at the He family and lived in He Huaixiu's room.

In the afternoon of the second day, He Tuyuan, accompanied by He Heihu and Yi Yami, entered the Du family's gate, bringing carefully prepared gifts.

His face was filled with confidence and anticipation, because he firmly believed that this would be a memorable moment in his life.

The Du family's reception room is spacious and bright, elegantly decorated, revealing the owner's taste and status.

He Tuyuan and others were waiting for Mr. Du's arrival in the hall. He Luyuan was both excited and uneasy. He was excited because he could finally tell Mr. Du about marrying Du Yinye, but he was also uneasy because he didn't understand what he was really uneasy about.

Soon, Master Du walked slowly into the hall, a gentle smile on his face, but a hint of worry in his eyes. "Mr. He, how come you have time to come to my place today?"

He Tuyuan stood up to greet him and bowed respectfully to Master Du, "Hello, Grandpa Du!" Then he got straight to the point and stated his purpose, "Grandpa Du, I'm here to keep my appointment. You said before that as long as I passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, you could come and marry Yin Ye..."

"So I came here this time hoping to get your permission to let me marry Yin Ye." He Tuyuan's voice was firm and sincere, his eyes full of longing for the future and deep affection for Du Yin Ye.

Upon hearing this, Master Du's smile faded, replaced by a barely concealed embarrassment. He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Top Scholar, I understand your sincerity. But I originally said we'd wait until you're successful, not that I had to marry my granddaughter to you. Besides, my little granddaughter, Yinye, was engaged to a wealthy family in town when she was a child. Although the father of the man who arranged the engagement has passed away, the engagement was, after all, a promise between our two families. Cancelling it would be... difficult... If word got out, it would be accused of our Du family not keeping their promise and of trying to curry favor with the rich and powerful. That would be truly unacceptable..."

He Tuyuan's eyes froze for a moment, and his heart sank. He had not expected that there would be such an obstacle.

But he was not discouraged. Instead, he took a deep breath and continued, "Grandpa Du, I understand your difficulties. But my feelings for Ye'er are sincere, and I am willing to make every effort for this. I believe that as long as we truly love each other, any difficulties can be overcome."

Seeing that Master Du still looked very embarrassed, Yi Yami spoke up, "Master Du, don't be embarrassed. Of course, it would be better for us to handle this matter. Master Du, please tell us the address of the family of the child marriage. We can visit them and see their intentions. If they don't want to renew the contract, then we can cancel it. Your Du family won't have to bear the stigma of climbing the social ladder. If they do want to renew the contract, then we have no choice but to persuade them with reason and emotion and see if we can make some concessions."

Master Du looked at He Tuyuan's determined eyes, and his heart couldn't help but be moved. Listening to what Yi Yami said, he felt that there was some truth in it. He knew that He Tuyuan in front of him was a promising man, and he really passed the exam when he said he would. However, the family's reputation and traditional concepts forced him to consider it carefully. He sighed and said: "Zhuangyuan, Shopkeeper Yi, I understand your intentions and feelings. But I really can't decide this matter alone. But I am willing to give you this opportunity and point out the address of that person. You can go and ask them yourself. If the other party is unwilling, then it doesn't matter if we cancel it. If they want to continue, it depends on you. I can only keep my promise anyway." Master Du shrugged.

Upon hearing this, Yi Yami bowed and said, "Please show me the way, Master Du!"

Mr. Du told a few people the man's address and surname. He Tuyuan knew it was inappropriate to say anything more at this moment. He nodded, indicating that he understood. Then, he presented the generous gift he had brought, expressing his sincerity and respect. Although Mr. Du accepted the gift, his brow remained furrowed, clearly still troubled by the matter.

He Tuyuan and others said goodbye to Mr. Du and left the Du family.

After leaving the Du family, He Luyuan felt heavy and complicated. He knew that if he wanted to marry Du Yinye, he had to solve this thorny marriage problem first. He was determined not to give up and fight for this love no matter what.

Du Yinye was also quietly watching all this. She eavesdropped in the living room and was very anxious when she heard that she really had an engagement. At the same time, her heart was filled with anticipation and anxiety. She hoped that He Luyuan could successfully resolve this matter, but she was also uneasy because the future of the two of them seemed to have a long and tortuous road ahead, and she didn't know if the two of them would be able to be together in the end.

The He family returned home and began to discuss what would be a better approach.

He Tuyuan and the others returned home and relayed Mr. Du's words to He Shoushan and Zhao Hongying. After hearing this, the two frowned, knowing that this was not just a matter of marriage, but also related to the reputation and credibility of the Du family and Miss Du.

Gu Wanping and Qin Chaochao returned to town by carriage yesterday and came again today, wanting to be the first to eat the melon. After He's father explained the situation, everyone started discussing it.

Qin Chaochao suggested communicating directly with the family and explaining the current situation; Gu Wanping advocated mediation through an intermediary; Yi Yami's idea was to give the other party a certain amount of compensation in exchange for canceling the engagement.

After a heated discussion, everyone reached a consensus and decided that He Heihu and He Tuyuan would personally go out and conduct preliminary communication with the other party.

He Heihu prepared a generous gift and took He Tuyuan to the town to find that family in the afternoon.

…………