"Your Highness."

He swallowed back any attempts to ingratiate himself with the term "niece," and Wen Mingke led the way, bowing respectfully.

No need for formalities.

Qin Zhaoyue sat upright at the head of the table, her voice clear and cold, conveying a sense of nobility and aloofness.

Actually, she never quite understood this kind of response. The other person had already performed the proper etiquette, so she didn't know why they were exempting her from it.

Wen Mingke had the illusion of being in late autumn, and under the gazes of those around him, a chill ran through him.

Are these the Azure Phoenix Guards? They should be.

Thirteen people in total—this favor is something even the two princes above haven't received.

When Qin Zhaoyue had just left the palace to establish her own residence, the Wen family frequently visited her.

Wen Mingke was responsible for traveling outside and came most often.

I still remember that Zhao Yue was like a ball of fire back then, doing everything in a whirlwind.

But what about now?

Wen Mingke only dared to glance at it quickly. It was still the same face, but it had the imposing aura of a superior without being angry.

She became increasingly certain that she had changed her appearance.

If that's the case, then we need to do our best to repair the rift caused by our previous estrangement.

"Your Highness, my third brother wrote home earlier, urging me to pay him a visit."

His third brother was naturally Qin Zhaoyue's biological father.

"Hearing that Your Highness is unwell, I specially collected a few old medicinal herbs."

Although the Wen family is not a wealthy or powerful family, it has a history spanning several centuries.

To put it bluntly, their ancestors were wealthy.

With such family wealth, how could they not produce a few old medicinal herbs? It's just a plausible excuse.

Qin Zhaoyue raised her arm casually, and Tao Yao stepped forward to take the brocade box.

"Then thank you, Second Master Wen."

"Of course, of course..."

Two thousand taels of silver, plus three century-old medicinal herbs, were given as a gift to mend the relationship.

However, judging from this title, it's still far from being satisfactory.

Although Qin Zhaoyue's reputation wasn't great in the past, she would still call him "Second Uncle" when she saw him.

"I wonder what brings you here, Second Master Wen? I have other guests at your residence, so please forgive me for not being able to stay any longer."

Wen Mingke naturally knew who the guests were; the two imperial heirs were at the residence.

The fact that he could find the time to see him suggests that the commander of the Azure Phoenix Guard is quite influential.

He silently kept this in mind, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and a troubled expression appeared on his face.

"This... Your Highness..."

In the past, Wen Mingke could have simply asked everyone to leave.

But the maids and servants around him now are not ordinary maids and servants, so how could he possibly name them?

"Scrap ink".

"yes."

Watching the guards on both sides leave the main hall, Wen Mingke breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Their mere presence alone was enough to create immense pressure, except for the one named Suimo who remained by Zhaoyue's side.

"Second Master Wen, please don't worry about this. This is my personal guard, one of my own."

Wen Mingke agreed verbally, but his heart skipped a beat.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the commander of the Azure Phoenix Guard.

One of their own? How did Zhao Yue manage to win them over?

He held her in even higher regard, and a bold guess began to form in his mind:

Was she pretending all along? Did she only reveal her true colors now, taking advantage of the two imperial missions?

If that's the case, the Wen family will have really suffered a huge loss.

Fortunately, it's not too late. Zhao Yue has just shown promise, and this is precisely the time when she needs support.

Wen Mingke couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Had his third brother figured something out, which was why he was so eager to send the message?

"Your Highness, I have come for my daughter, Wan'er."

Wen Tingwan stepped forward and curtsied.

Qin Zhaoyue vaguely remembered that this girl had come quite often when the original owner of this body had a relatively close relationship with the Wen family.

But we lost contact and never saw each other again.

"What is it?"

Hearing this calm tone, Wen Tingwan felt uneasy.

Her father used to bring her to the princess's residence often, and because they were close in age, she was an important tool for cultivating relationships.

Because of his generosity and his constant attempts to curry favor with the princess, their relationship was quite harmonious.

The Wen family was known for its scholarly traditions, and Wen Tingwan was naturally proud of it.

The places the princess visited... those extravagant and depraved scenes...

Wen Tingwan looked down on this cousin and later lost contact with her. She breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that it would ruin her reputation.

Three years later, it's like he's a completely different person.

Sitting at the head of the table, it felt as if there were thousands of miles between them and me.

Suppressing my worries, I listened as my father began to speak.

"Your Highness knows that Wan'er has studied diligently since childhood."

Hearing of the provocation from the princess of the Shuofeng Dynasty, Wan'er, though lacking the strength, still wishes to lend a helping hand to the women of Daqian.

Ah, if she were so talented, why didn't Third Sister invite her to the literary gathering?

Being ignored and refused entry outside the mansion, while being offered a thousand taels for a single meeting—these were all tests.

Now Qin Zhaoyue understood what the Wen family was after.

"This is good news. The registration for the supplementary examination for the provincial examination has not yet closed, has it?"

"Yes, yes, Wan'er has already been registered, but..."

Seeing that Qin Zhaoyue didn't respond at all, Wen Mingke could only bite the bullet and put on a one-man show.

"Wan'er is good at poetry, but lacks experience in policy essays."

With the first exam just around the corner, I'm feeling a bit uncertain.

Of course, there's no certainty; policy essays account for about 70% of the provincial examinations.

If you're not good at policy essays, what's the point of taking the exam?

Judging from this behavior, it's clear that he doesn't just want to gain fame; he genuinely wants to seize the opportunity and pass the imperial examinations.

The Wen family has a long tradition of scholarship and poetry, and two of their ancestors were ranked third in the imperial examinations.

However, by the time of Wen Mingke's generation, only one of the four branches of the family remained—a third-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!