The day for the results to be released arrived quickly, and the area around the notice board was already packed with people.

The Duke of Zhenguo thought it would be a good opportunity to take Xu Yuehuai out for a look around and get some fresh air.

"Ah Yue, today is the day the results are announced. Shall we go out and take a look?" The Duke of Zhenguo went to find Xu Yuehuai.

Xu Yuehuai was playing hide-and-seek with her two children. She had heard that the results of the imperial examinations had been released, and going out to see the results meant that she could go out and play.

Xu Yuehua readily agreed: "Sure, let's go out and take a look."

"Grandma, we want to go too." Jiang Shichen stopped trying to catch Jiang Qianqian and ran out to follow Xu Yuehuai.

"Okay, okay." Xu Yuehua readily agreed, and Jiang Qianqian also came out. They tidied themselves up a bit and then went out to check the results.

"Top scholar, second-place scholar, third-place scholar." Jiang Shichen stood in the crowd reading the names on the list, while Jiang Qianqian watched intently from the side.

"Xu Cheng?" Xu Yuehuai was curious when she discovered that the top name was Xu Cheng, whom she had never heard of before.

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo immediately perked up: "A-Yue, this Xu Cheng is no ordinary rich young master; he is a true dragon among men."

Seeing the high praise from the Duke of Zhenguo, Xu Yuehuai became even more curious: "Is he really as good as my godfather said?"

"Of course, didn't you want your godfather to find you a marriage partner?" The Duke of Zhenguo then brought up the topic of marriage.

"I heard that this child is proficient in both literary and martial arts, and is not only talented but also filial to his parents."

The Duke of Zhenguo got more and more excited as he spoke: "If His Majesty really arranges a marriage between you and the top scholar, then you will be very fortunate."

He said with a smile on his face, "Then your mother and I can rest assured."

Xu Yuehuai was initially curious about who Xu Cheng was, but after hearing what the Duke of Zhenguo said, he might be her future husband, and she immediately lost interest.

"Xu Mingzhi?" Xu Yuehuai was taken aback when she discovered that Xu Mingzhi's name was actually ranked second.

"The runner-up is actually Xu Mingzhi." Xu Yuehuai was truly incredulous.

Something's not right. There's definitely something fishy going on here. She frowned as she thought about it.

"Ah Yue, don't worry, I'll have someone investigate right away." The Duke of Zhenguo expressed his willingness to help with the investigation.

Xu Yuehuai felt very uneasy. She felt that there must be something wrong with this. It seemed that she still had to go back and see Cui Rou.

Thinking of this, she immediately told the Duke of Zhenguo, "Godfather, I want to go back to Tianxiang Tower for a visit."

“Alright, I’ll take you there.” The Duke of Zhenguo agreed and took her and the child there.

When she arrived at the entrance of Tianxiang Tower, before she even went inside, she heard Xu Mingzhi smugly showing off.

"Mother, what do you think of your son?" Xu Mingzhi said with a smug look on his face. "If I just write a few words, I'll be the runner-up."

When Cui Rou heard that Xu Mingzhi had actually taken the imperial examination and even passed, she burst into tears of joy.

"Oh my, it's truly a blessing from heaven, our ancestors must have burned incense so kindly!" Cui Rou said, as if she wanted to kneel and worship the gods.

"My son, you've really made something of yourself. Now I can rest easy."

Xu Mingzhi sat in the chair with his legs crossed, shaking his head and looking extremely smug.

"Mom, do you know what? I came in second place! I was the runner-up!" Xu Mingzhi continued to boast.

Cui Rou was overjoyed and kept repeating, "My son got second place! My son got second place!"

Hearing Xu Mingzhi boast so proudly, Xu Yuehuai angrily pushed open the door.

"Xu Mingzhi, stop lying to people." Xu Yuehuai began mocking Xu Mingzhi as soon as she entered.

"Your so-called second-place score is not something you achieved at all."

Cui Rou was also a little unhappy when she heard this. She had already accepted the glorious achievement of Xu Mingzhi coming in second place, and now she was being told that it was a lie.

Xu Mingzhi was even more enraged: "Xu Yuehuai, you're talking nonsense! I got into this school based on my own merit, what right do you have to bark like a dog here?"

Xu Yuehuai was so angry she laughed. There really were people who were shameless to this extent.

"You know best how you got these grades," Xu Yuehuai said with a sneer, without revealing the details.

This struck a chord with Xu Mingzhi, who became furious and raised his hand to rush over and hit Xu Yuehuai.

Upon seeing this, Cui Rou rushed over and stood in front of Xu Yuehuai.

With a "smack," Xu Mingzhi struck Cui Rou squarely on the left side of her face, instantly causing it to swell up considerably.

Xu Yuehuai was shocked and touched, but also surprised. She hadn't expected Cui Rou to shield her.

"Quickly, find a carriage." Xu Yuehuai snapped out of her daze and hurriedly ordered someone to prepare one.

She gently helped Cui Rou out, waiting for the carriage to arrive so they could find a doctor.

"Doctor, how is it?" Xu Yuehuai asked, her heart pounding with anxiety as she looked at the doctor's pained expression.

The doctor shook his head: "The situation is not good. The patient must have been subjected to too much force, which caused him to lose hearing in his left ear."

Xu Yuehuai felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this. She hadn't expected Cui Rou to shield her, and she certainly hadn't imagined that she would be injured so severely.

"Is there any good treatment?" Xu Yuehuai asked.

The doctor got up and wrote a prescription: "I can prescribe some medicine to reduce swelling and relieve pain in the face, but there's no good way to treat this hearing loss."

The doctor handed Xu Yuehuai the prescription, which she quickly took and accepted, and thanked him with silver.

Cui Rou seemed to have heard these words as well, and a look of dejection immediately appeared on her face.

"Why did you help me?" Xu Yuehua had imagined an answer in her mind, but she wasn't sure.

Cui Rou became anxious when she saw Xu Yuehuai speaking, but she couldn't hear him clearly.

Xu Yuehuai remembered that she couldn't hear in her left ear, so she slowly walked over, sat down on her right, and whispered, "Why did you help me just now?"

Cui Rou held Xu Yuehuai's hand and said gently, "Silly child, you are also my daughter, and I will protect you."

Xu Yuehuai was deeply moved, especially after hearing those words so clearly; her heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

Xu Yuehuai hugged Cui Rou: "Thank you."

She originally thought that the original owner's life was devoid of parental love, but she never expected that Cui Rou would stand up for her. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't moved.

After getting the medicine, Xu Yuehuai took Cui Rou back to Tianxiang Tower. Her heart was filled with conflicting emotions the whole way.

Cui Rou was injured while saving her, and she would definitely keep her here. However, Xu Mingzhi would surely take advantage of the situation, so she couldn't let such a bloodsucker stay.

With medicine in her left hand and Cui Rou helped her down from the carriage with her right, Cui Rou began searching for Xu Mingzhi as soon as they entered Tianxiang Tower.

She looked several times but still couldn't find it.

"Stop looking, we kicked him out a long time ago." Zhou Wan knew from her expression that she was looking for Xu Mingzhi, and the thought made her furious.