"I, I..." Fang Weiyan still lowered his head and said nothing.

It seemed that once he met Mi Niang, his mind was no longer working so fast. He hated himself for being like this. He also felt that it was no wonder that she had always been favored by the gods in her previous life. She was really born to be able to absorb people's souls. No matter how hard he tried, he was not immune.

Seeing him like this, Mi Niang stopped teasing him and said, "I know what you mean and thank you for coming to see me. Let's sit down and talk. Actually, I feel relieved to hear that you passed the exam. You don't have to endure it anymore."

This was true, Fang Weiyan also sat down and said: "Yes, the examination will be held next month. If you stick your head out, you will be cut. If you shrink your head, you will also be cut. If you can survive, it will be fine. If you can't, you still have to endure it."

How many people have survived this way? Who hasn't been like this? To be a farmer in the morning and to be an emperor in the evening, the temptation is really too great.

If a man has no achievements in the world, his wife and children will be bullied.

Mi Niang nodded secretly. Fang Weiyan's mentality was much better than Ruan Shiyi's. Ruan Shiyi had only failed the exam twice and was already discouraged. She heard from Zhou that she became absent-minded when studying and always had nightmares at night.

However, Mi Niang still advised him: "The exam is next month anyway, you can only relax for a few days and don't think about the imperial examination. Once you have relaxed, you can take part in the examination with peace of mind."

In fact, the two of them were not very familiar with each other. Mi Niang took out a book he had sent her before and asked him a few questions. Then she suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."

Seeing how serious she was, Fang Weiyan taught her for a stick of incense. Then Mi Niang said, "I think the banquet is about to start outside. You should go now. It would be bad if you keep them waiting."

After saying this, he left without any further ado, leaving Fang Weiyan feeling a little lost.

He felt that he was too unromantic and not good enough to please young girls, so Mi Niang turned around and left without any reluctance.

Mi Niang was actually very satisfied with Fang Wei Yan's performance. If he was too slick, she would think he was dishonest, which was also good.

Today is a good day for Ruan Jiading. Although he wants to appear humble, everyone who comes is very enthusiastic. Ruan Jiading also drinks a lot of wine. Fang Weiyan, the future son-in-law, is also drinking on the side. Many people who come and go envy him for having such a good son-in-law. It is rare to have such a handsome son-in-law at the age of 19.

After the New Year, many nobles from Huguang came to pay a visit to the mansion. When Ruan Jiading went to the yamen, he asked Long Erbo and Ruan Shiyi to entertain them. They were all scholars and were free to come and go. The Ruan family was also very polite, and all the visitors gave ten taels of silver as a gift.

Because Ruan Jiading was promoted and had a higher salary, Second Mistress Ding was always generous in her interpersonal relationships and never stingy.

The husband's promotion in official position is more important than having a large dowry. For example, although Ji Chunfang had a large dowry, her father came from a merchant family, so she was still far inferior to her other sisters-in-law. Although she had everything she wanted, she was still criticized.

So this is also the case. Although Second Madam Ding knew that the Tao family had a good family tradition and that Mrs. Tao was a rare mother-in-law, they were a merchant family with no educated people, and her daughter would be just an ordinary person all her life after marrying into the family. There was not much difference between a girl's family before marriage, but after marriage, the difference was huge.

Since ancient times, the husband's honor makes the wife noble. For example, she was an orphan, but because of her husband's success, the direct branches of her family did not dare to look down on her.

Now the son-in-law is already a son. If he passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, my daughter will become an official's wife after she marries him.

Although the Fang family is a marquisate, and once you enter the marquisate's door, it is as deep as the sea, but the son-in-law is an official and has a loud voice at home, so the daughter's status will also be high.

Such words were always on the mind of the Second Mistress before, but now that her daughter was about to reach marriage age, she had to tell her everything.

Mi Niang agreed with her mother's words: "Although we don't admire vanity, if we can find a good one, why would we choose a bad one?"

"That's right. Oh, by the way, when I went to the mansion to pay New Year's greetings the other day, I saw the fourth girl had returned to her parents' home. She didn't look very good and was crying in front of the second wife. I heard that it was because the son of the Nanping Earl was too romantic, and she, a mere concubine, couldn't control the situation. Those concubines and maids were all troublesome people." Second Madam Ding felt sympathetic when she heard this.

Her family has no concubines, and Mi Niang lives such a simple life. What will happen to her in the future?

Mi Niang said, "Given the Fourth Lady's personality, she is not very capable, so she should enter the palace. With her status, plain looks, and mediocre personality, she will not be favored. On the contrary, no one in the palace bothers you."

The least targeted people in this world are those who are mediocre and do nothing.

But a girl like Fan Yuzhen is a smart and intelligent person. Except for her weak body, she is very good in other aspects. She can be a good mistress of a wealthy family. She is also good-looking. Even if she marries a playboy, her life will be easier.

The mother and daughter sighed.

When it came to the joint examination, Fang Weiyan ranked 80th. After that, he passed the palace examination and was awarded the status of Jinshi as the first in the second class.

"It's such a pity for Fang Weiyan. He was a worthy candidate for the top spot in the imperial examination, but because Yuan Fu wanted to support his own son, he fell from the first place to the second place."

"Yuanfu is really partial."

"That's right. Zhang Ao is the son of Yuan Fu and is the top scholar. The third place is the son of Li Tan, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The second place is a missed prize."

Everyone knows that the examiners of the palace examination would use five grades: circle, point, straight and cross to mark the quality of the test papers. When the examiners read the ten test papers submitted for the palace examination, Fang Wei Yan was ranked first in the first round and fourth in the second round.

Finally, Emperor Yonglong said in person: "Yuan Fu is the backbone of the government, and I should take care of Yuan Fu's son."

Therefore, Zhang Ao was ranked first, and Fang Weiyan was ranked fourth.

That is to say, he was the first in the second class and was awarded the status of Jinshi.

This did not surprise Fang Weiyan. At that time, Prime Minister Zhang Wei was in favor and had more power than the emperor. The emperor also gave him face. As for Li Tan, he and Zhang Wei were from the same hometown, and his son Li Guan was also talented and famous.

But the Marquis of Dong'an was extremely happy, and the Xu family was even more honored. Fang Weiyan himself was very low-key and entered the Hanlin Academy as a scholar.

It seemed that apart from marrying Ruan, nothing else had changed in his life, especially when looking at the records of Jinshi candidates, it was all the same. The first line said that Fang Weiyan was a member of the Jinyiwei Army, a native of Kuaiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province, a student of Shuntian Prefecture, studied Yijing, with the courtesy name Jiying, the fourth child in the family, twenty years old, born on the sixth day of the first Lunar month, his great-grandfather Ling was posthumously awarded the title of Prince Taifu, his grandfather was the late Dong'an Marquis, his father Rulin was Dong'an Marquis, and his former mother was Ruan and his mother was Xu.

There was another line that read "Ancestor's Ci", and attached were my first brother, the commander of the Beijing Guards, Zhenfu Weichang, my second brother, Weishi, my third brother, Yibin Weijun, and my fifth brother, Weijun. These were all familiar to me in my previous life, except for the one at the very bottom that said "marrying Ruan", which was different from my previous life.

Of course, he himself overlooked the fact that he was ranked 20th in the second class in his previous life, but ranked first in the second class in this life.

I only remember that in my previous life I married Ms. Dong, and in this life I wrote that I was marrying Ms. Ruan.

Mi Niang was of course very happy for Fang Wei Yan, and the family officially began to prepare for their wedding. Ruan Shiyi was in charge of purchasing wedding supplies. Originally, Second Madam Ding wanted Second Uncle Long to do it, but he took the initiative to ask for permission, so Second Madam Ding had to agree.

The dowry cost 1,200 taels of silver. They were not the kind of people who would show off, and Mi Niang did not want to empty the family's pockets for the dowry.

But Zhou and Ruan Shiyi added another 500 taels. The couple changed their residence and studied in Beijing, and opened a shop relying on Ruan Jiading's status. They were greatly taken care of by Ruan Jiading and his wife, so this little money was not much at all.

In addition to the dowry from the mansion, Ruan Yuxin's father, Shang Sibo, was originally doing business in Jiangnan, and his son followed Ruan Jiading to work in the six ministries. Not only did he add 800 li, he also personally took Ruan Shiyi to buy dowry for Mi Niang.

While the Ruan family was busy preparing for the wedding, Guan Huiqing also showed up as expected. However, it was not as lively as expected. They just set up a few tables of wine at home.

Mrs. Li certainly had her own considerations. It was unacceptable for the wife and concubine to be at odds with each other, at least she couldn't let outsiders laugh at her. Li Guan was now the third place in the imperial examination, and Mrs. Wu had compromised and didn't cause trouble, so she also had to give her daughter-in-law this face.

Mrs. Wu was a little anxious after giving birth last time, and often had sex right after her period, which caused her menstruation to come back and she suffered from hemorrhage.

Now Guan Huiqing is very much favored. She is not some other maid or concubine, but Li Guan's childhood sweetheart and a legitimate second wife. Even Mrs. Wu cannot do anything to her.

Little did she know that Guan Huiqing also had her own frustrations. Although she was able to stay with Li Guan as she wished, she was a concubine and had to follow the rules from time to time. Everything she used was given to her by Wu, and she received money according to her monthly allowance. Li Guan did not really favor his concubine over his wife. Although he doted on her, he also had feelings for Wu.

During this period, in order to control Li Guan, Wu even used her maidservant as a concubine to seduce others, and gradually she lost interest in Li Guan.

She began to focus on taking care of her body, but Guan Huiqing became pregnant before her.

Compared to Mrs. Wu's hard-working housekeeper, Guan Huiqing recites poems and composes verses every day. Li Guan also supports her privately. She does nothing but rest when waiting for Li Guan to come. She looks more frail than Mrs. Wu, but she is pregnant steadily.

Mrs. Ding Er taught her daughter: "When you get married, don't try to snatch the housekeeper. This housekeeper is hated by cats and dogs for three years. Look at why Guan Huiqing got pregnant so quickly. It's because she didn't worry. No matter how many tonics you take, it's better than your peace of mind."

Mi Niang laughed. Others were concerned about the quarrels among Li's wives and concubines, but her mother, on the other hand, was concerned about how someone got pregnant.

"Okay, I understand."

She had no choice but to agree.

In two months, she will be getting married, and the days she spends at home will be getting shorter and shorter.

Eleventh brother has returned from Jiangnan. Second Madam Ding and Zhou took Mi Niang to see the dowry, a total of sixty-six sets, which has already consumed all the family's efforts.

Mi Niang came out in person to thank Ruan Shiyi, who waved his hands and said, "Stop it, we are a family, why bother saying this. Besides, Uncle Ding has been kind to me since I was a child. Without Uncle Ding, I wouldn't even have been able to get the title of scholar. Now that I can see the world in Beijing, I am already much better than before."

After this trip out, he seemed to be reborn.

Second Madam Ding smiled and said, "That's not enough. Your uncle told me privately that you are good at everything. If you can become an official, you will be a good official. If there are more good officials in the world, there will be one less corrupt official. Isn't that a good thing? Don't put so much pressure on yourself. If you really can't make it, as long as you make the second list, we can enter the Imperial College, and your uncle will go to the Ministry of Personnel to find someone, and you can become an official anyway. Isn't that what Mr. Rong did? So don't be discouraged."

All men hope to pursue a career in politics, but it is not easy.

But Second Mistress Ding had no choice but to encourage him in this way, because she really didn't know what to say.

I can't just watch Ruan Shiyi suffer like this forever, without any hope at all.

Ruan Shiyi was more open-minded: "Auntie, don't think too much. If I fail the exam next time, I will go to study under a master of criminal law. In the future, whether I work under my uncle or somewhere else, I can do something."

Now that he had come to terms with it, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

As they were talking, they heard that Madam Li had come over, and that she had come to get some makeup, and that she had brought her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wu, with her. Mrs. Ding Er took Mi Niang out to meet the guests.

"Tsk, tsk, they're getting married in the blink of an eye. When I saw her then, she was still a little girl. Now look, she's taller than me, she's really a grown-up girl."

Mrs. Li was very emotional. She still felt very regretful for not marrying Mi Niang.

Otherwise, after Mi Niang reaches adulthood, and Li Guan has won the third place in the imperial examination, they will be a perfect match.

With Mi Niang around, there is no place for Guan Hui Qing to stand.

But now he could only bury his sigh in his heart and let others take his makeup in with a smile.

Mrs. Li was also very generous. She sent six boxes at once. Mrs. Ding Er quickly declined, saying, "This is too much. I can't accept it."

"It's useless. I'm giving it to my disciple, not to you." Mrs. Li still looked angry.

Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "Madam Ruan, Sister Ruan, please accept it quickly. After all, it is a token of our wife's love."

Mrs. Ding Er then asked Mi Niang to come and pay her respects and express her gratitude. Mi Niang hurried forward and said, "I don't know how to repay your love and care for me. I just hope that you will be safe and sound in the future."

"My good girl." Mrs. Li really loved her from the bottom of her heart.

Everyone knew that Mi Niang was very likable. Zhou even learned from Mrs. Ding that Madam Li had wanted her to be her daughter-in-law, but everyone knew that Li Guan already had a beloved woman, so she moved out from Madam Li's place later.

Unexpectedly, until now, Mrs. Li still really loves her.

Mi Niang couldn't help but hug Madam Li back, "Madam has always loved me, I know that. Even if I am very busy now, I will practice pipa, and I will definitely live up to Madam's reputation in the future."

Seeing Madam Li and Mi Niang reluctant to leave, Wu felt a little jealous. Her mother-in-law was just average to her and nice to outsiders, but people are attracted by what is far away and what is close. If Ruan Mi Niang really came into the family, how could the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law be so good?

Fortunately, Mrs. Wu had seen the world before. She smiled and said, "Aunt Ruan and our grandfather are of the same age. Our grandfather has always said that he is well-educated and talented. In the future, whether it is the original friendship between our two families, or the current friendship between Aunt Fang and our grandfather, we will be even closer than before."

Everyone laughed when they heard it and felt closer.

Here, Mrs. Wu also sent some makeup, which was half of what Mrs. Li sent.

Mi Niang stood up and bowed again, thanking Mrs. Wu, and went back to her room to get the headband and purse she had made. She smiled and said, "I was going to give them to you later, but you two are so kind to me, so I'll give them to you in advance."

The needlework she does is always different from the crowd, very fresh and lively, the kind that makes you feel that the ones you have worn before are particularly tacky.

The gift given to Madam Li was a crimson headband with an embroidered picture of a white crane fairy. The white crane fairy was dancing gracefully with a few cranes standing beside her. She looked very noble and had a very pretty complexion.

And it is made of silk cloth, which is the best to wear in this season.

Mrs. Li couldn't let it go: "How did you come up with this? It's so icy."

"It was soaked in mint because I knew you were afraid of heat, so I soaked it in mint water before making it, and then I soaked it in incense. When I first saw you, I always felt that you looked like a person, but I couldn't remember who you were. Later, when you taught me to play the pipa, I had an impression of you. You looked like a white crane fairy in the sky."

The white crane has always been associated with good luck and longevity. Madam Li was not very old, but the painting of a beautiful white crane fairy has a sense of ethereal beauty and the scarlet base gives it an air of wealth.

Mrs. Li heard this and said, "I'm wearing it now."

Mi Niang put it on her personally, and it fit her perfectly. She didn't feel uncomfortable even in the summer.

As for Mrs. Wu, she gave a chubby little baby in a bellyband eating a pomegranate, which at first glance symbolizes many children and good fortune.

Although it is straightforward, it is really very cute, which makes Mrs. Wu admire Mi Niang's thoughts. It is really clever. I heard that she is very good at painting. Her paintings are very different. They are not traditional pomegranate flowers or traditional round patterns. They are all painted by herself. She only does it after she finishes painting, and never repeats the same patterns with others.

Madam Li went back wearing a headband. Her husband Li Tan happened to be at home. The old couple sat opposite each other. It was a rare opportunity for Li Tan to see the rosy red on her forehead, which contrasted with Madam Li's fair skin. The white crane fairy looked even more noble and elegant.

He said, "You should normally wear a headband like this. The ones with lotus flowers painted on branches look nice, but they make you look older."

Madam Li smiled and said, "Although needleworkers are good, they have never learned painting, so how could they have such thoughts? I read in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that there is only a white crane boy, but no white crane fairy. This is certainly not a gift from an ordinary person. It was given to me by Miss Ruan."

"Oh, it's her." Li Qin suddenly realized.

With such a clever mind, she must be a very clever girl.

Madam Li said, "Her mother is really good at choosing a son-in-law. Fang Weiyan was ranked second at the age of 20. He will definitely have a bright future. The last time Mi Niang was sent to the palace by the wife of Duke Cheng'en, Fang Weiyan helped her a lot. He is a really good person."

"But, after all, it's because Mi Niang is so likable, I..."

Li Qin knew what his wife was thinking, and quickly said, "Let's forget about the past. Why do you have to keep brooding over it?"

"I know, I know." Mrs. Li stroked the headband on her forehead, feeling more and more that she seemed to have missed something.

"Mom, don't be jealous. Everything my daughter reserves for you is the best." Mi Niang covered her mouth and laughed secretly.

Her mother just saw the headband she gave to Madam Li and was quite jealous. Of course Mi Niang did the best for her mother, but she kept it secret. What a good thing it was. Once it became known to the whole world, no one would have any expectations anymore.

Just like the few times Fang Weiyan came to her house, she disappeared.

That's how it is. You could see it before, but now you can't see it or eat it.

This will make him more worried.

Mrs. Ding also felt sorry for her daughter: "Don't be too tired."

"I know. Many of them were made for me by the maids around me. Only the purses given to the elders and those closest to me were made by me." Mi Niang also knows her limits.

While the mother and daughter were talking, there were sounds of gongs and drums outside, and even firecrackers, and the joyful music was deafening.

Dancao came in from outside and said, "It's the Jian family sending the dowry to Yuan Fu's house. The dowry weighs 188 kg, so it's not an exaggeration to say it's a lot of red dowry."

Mi Niang was surprised: "Isn't Jian Yuehua only thirteen years old? How come she got married so early?"

Second Madam Ding said disdainfully: "Maybe it's to suppress you. Besides, thirteen is not too young. Didn't the girl from the Tao family you know marry into the Luo family at the age of thirteen?"

"Just to put me down, that's all..."

Mi Niang couldn't believe it.

Although her dowry was not much, but because of the additional dowry given by Madam Li and her mother-in-law, and by Ji Chunfang, Guo Yaoyu and others, the total amount was seventy-six pounds, which was already very good.

Mrs. Ding Er touched her daughter's head and said, "People are always like this. They like to compare everything."

The granddaughter of the Jian family married into the Zhang family smoothly a month before Mi Niang got married. Her rich dowry simply stunned everyone in the capital. Even Old Lady Weng was amazed when she mentioned it to her daughter in private.

"If your aunt plucked a few hairs at random, it would be nearly two hundred loads of dowry. I heard that she was afraid that it would exceed the princess's, so she squeezed them together. The box would be half a person's height. It may seem like a lot to you, but it's nothing to your aunt."

Fang Furong was also a noblewoman from a noble family. Her dowry of 108 kg was already eye-catching enough, but 200 kg was really unimaginable.

She took a sip of her iced cherry yogurt and asked curiously, "How does she have so much money?"

Old Madam Weng smiled and said, "She has also worked hard to get here. Anyway, I think Wei Yan's daughter-in-law will get married next month. I wonder if she will get this much too? We can't favor one over the other."

Fang Furong shook her head: "That's not necessarily true. I heard that Miss Ruan is a domineering person with a strong temper. I don't think there can be any hatred between parents and children. Mrs. Ruan is my aunt's daughter. My aunt is a loving mother. How can she ask someone to kneel down? In this case, the daughter-in-law that my eldest sister-in-law found is also a foolish person who only cares about her own happiness."

She and Mrs. Xu had always been at odds, and she sighed, "I heard that Miss Ruan is only good-looking. No matter how pretty a woman is, she can't help much, and men will get tired of her in ten days. Wei Yan is now the top of the second class, and he can choose any wife, but he has to marry her. If he marries Jian Yuehua, Wei Yan will get nearly two hundred taels of dowry. He will have to separate from the family in the future, and it would be great to have the support of the Jian family and money to pave the way for him."

"Let's wait and see what the relationship between the Ruan family and your aunt is like." said Old Lady Weng.

Fang Furong nodded. The Weng family was now in decline, and her mother relied on her younger sister, Madam Jian. Although Fang Furong had her mother to support her after her return, her mother was already old. If her mother passed away and her sister-in-law took charge of the family, what would she do?

Therefore, she and Mrs. Jane spent a lot of time there.

How to treat Wei Yan's wife? If she and her aunt are reconciled, even if she doesn't like her sister-in-law, she can tolerate her a little. But if she doesn't know how to behave, don't blame her.