The Cen family in the northwest hadn't had a good time since Madam Cen and Miss Cen were driven out by Princess Zhaoyang. Princess Zhaoyang didn't take any further action, but everyone knew that she didn't like Miss Cen.

If that were the case, it would be fine. The news of the Cen family's accident has already spread to the northwest.

Those who had originally intended to be engaged to Miss Cen all backed off. They didn't want a daughter-in-law who would not benefit the family. Concubine Cen had become Concubine Cen. Who knew what Concubine Cen would become in the future? It was all unpredictable.

The Cen family girl wasn't irreplaceable; others could easily find other girls. Besides, the people in the northwest didn't like the Cen family girl's style to begin with, and now they were even further away from her.

This made both Madam Cen and Miss Cen uncomfortable; Madam Xu clearly didn't care to pay attention to them. Finding a good marriage for her daughter was difficult, and this was giving Madam Cen a headache. She had originally considered it, but Princess Zhaoyang and Liu Yanjing's relationship disrupted her plans.

"Mother." Miss Cen has not dared to go out much recently, and people outside have begun to laugh at her.

Miss Cen had never been laughed at like that before. She believed that if anyone was to be laughed at, it should be done by others. But now, the person being laughed at was herself.

She had clearly read the Rules and Regulations for Women and knew the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, but those girls and ladies still criticized her.

Before, those people had listened to her and said bad things about Princess Rongning. But now, those people were blaming her, and their parents didn't like them having any contact with her.

This made Miss Cen very sad. She had originally thought that she could become a small leader and take the girls to participate in poetry gatherings. She wanted to be the phoenix leader, but now it was impossible.

"Don't worry," Mrs. Cen said. "It's still early. You've only just reached the age of marriage, so you can wait another year or two."

Miss Cen looked at Madam Cen and thought, "In a year or two, she will become an old maid. By that time, will anyone still want her?"

"In a few days...your father..." Mrs. Cen said helplessly, "Maybe we should find a way to return to Beijing earlier. But...it might be better for him to stay here."

Madam Cen wanted to return to the capital, but her husband didn't. Lord Cen thought that returning to the capital wouldn't help his family, wouldn't change the situation. If he stayed in the northwest and managed to protect himself, things would be better.

"What do you want?" asked Miss Cen. She was a grown-up girl and could not afford to delay.

"It's okay." Mrs. Cen comforted her daughter, "There will always be a suitable candidate."

"But you've been saying this for a long time." Miss Cen was skeptical. If there was a suitable candidate, why hadn't she gotten engaged yet?

"Wait." Mrs. Cen had no choice but to use the Cen family's most famous tactic of procrastination. They would not let their daughter marry casually. Mrs. Cen also did not want her daughter to marry the children of those military commanders in the northwest. Those people guarded the frontier and might be like that for the rest of their lives.

Even if those men inherited their father's business, they would most likely go to the battlefield in the future. So how long they could live was uncertain.

Mrs. Cen didn't want her daughter to be a widow, so she wanted her daughter to choose a scholar.

The daughters of officials in the northwest originally thought Miss Cen was pretty good, but when they realized that Miss Cen was not that good and that she always led them to think otherwise, they no longer dared to get close to her.

Their family members have repeatedly warned them not to get close to Miss Cen.

What Miss Cen said about Princess Rongning was ambiguous.

Now, even though Princess Rongning didn't say anything bad about Miss Cen, Miss Cen had already gotten herself into trouble. Things like this were bound to be exposed sooner or later. If Miss Cen stepped on other daughters, it would depend on whether those daughters were willing to let her do so.

"Waiting again..." Miss Cen was irritated. She was afraid that if she waited any longer, she wouldn't be able to marry into a good family. "Mother, you won't let your daughter become a successor, will you?"

Miss Cen knew that there was an aunt in the family who was a concubine, and her uncle had been a concubine for more than ten years and had both a son and a daughter. Miss Cen also knew that the aunt did not like to go back to her parents' home and that she hated the Cen family.

If her family asked her to be someone's concubine, she would not want to do it. If she did, those people would laugh at her.

When she was in the capital, Miss Cen was a very aloof person. Even though there were other girls in her family, she still felt that she was very special when she went out. After all, the Cen family's daughters were well-known, and those people in the capital praised the good things about the Cen family's daughters.

How could Miss Cen not be a little aloof? Even if she is aloof, she will still do a good job of pretending. This is the Cen family.

In the prefectural capital, Liu Yanbo failed to get into the academy he had dreamed of. The academy's teacher knew who he was. The academy's teacher didn't deliberately target Liu Yanbo, but told him not to apply to the academy, as his ability was far inferior to others.

"You should spend more time on studying." The master told Liu Yanbo bluntly, "No matter what academy it is, the master always teaches students with all his heart. It's good for me to study in any academy."

What else could Liu Yanbo do? Since he failed the exam, he could only go to another academy.

When Aunt Qing learned that Liu Yanbo didn't get into the academy he had chosen, she subconsciously said, "It must have been the eldest wife's fault."

"..." Su Qiuya was upset after hearing this.

The people from the first wife's house had already returned to Beijing, and they didn't know which academy Liu Yanbo had applied to. Could it be that the people from the first wife's house had sent someone to keep an eye on Liu Yanbo? How could that be possible?

They've all broken off relations!

"Don't say that." Su Qiuya said, "It's embarrassing."

"What's there to be ashamed of? They just can't stand seeing my son succeed. They..."

"So many teachers say that my husband's level is not good enough. Are they all bribed by the people in the first house?" Su Qiuya asked, "Have they already gone there one by one? If that's the case, how could there be no movement at all?"

Su Qiuya thought that it was okay for Qing Yi Niang to think that the people of the first house were bad, but it was really ridiculous that Qing Yi Niang still thought so. There was no need for the people of the first house to deal with them. With Liu Yanbo's academic level, Liu Yanbo was delayed by Qing Yi Niang.

If a son has a mother who is not well educated and who makes trouble for others, then his son will most likely be ruined.

Su Qiuya thought it was a good thing that Liu Yanbo still listened to her. If Liu Yanbo didn't listen to her, she really didn't know what to say.

"They can do it quietly." Aunt Qing said.

"Scholars have backbone." Su Qiuya was speechless, "How could they bow their heads and do such disgusting things?"

"Whose daughter-in-law are you?" asked Aunt Qing.

"I know whose wife I am, and I just want the best for my husband," Su Qiuya replied. "There has to be someone with a clear mind in the family. If someone isn't clear-headed and something goes wrong, who can I blame?"

Su Qiuya was still thinking about returning to the capital, thinking that Liu Yanbo would at least pass the imperial examination. In that case, Liu Yanbo could teach people to read and write, or manage the shop. That would be fine. Su Qiuya didn't have many demands. She just wanted to live a stable life with her husband, not daydream all day.

The eldest wife has returned to Beijing, but Concubine Qing still thinks so.

Su Qiuya wondered where Qing Yi Niang got such a big face, why did Qing Yi Niang think that the people from the first house would deal with the second house. Su Qiuya knew what to do just by thinking with her toes, and Qing Yi Niang's thoughts were all wrong.

"You..." Aunt Qing was angry. Su Qiuya was saying that her mind was not clear.

"Just sit down and rest." Su Qiuya said.

When Liu Yanbo came back, he saw Aunt Qing looking at Su Qiuya with great dissatisfaction.

"What's wrong?" No matter how stupid Liu Yanbo was, he could feel that the atmosphere at home was not right.

"Go ask your wife." Aunt Qing said dissatisfiedly.

Liu Yanbo frowned. Su Qiuya, who was kneading dough, heard what Aunt Qing said. Su Qiuya poked her head out and said, "I just blame you for not getting into the academy you wanted. It's not the eldest wife's fault. The people from the eldest wife have already returned to the capital. I guess they are back in the capital now."

"So that's it..." Liu Yanbo looked at Aunt Qing. He knew that his mother cared about him very much, but he was really not that capable.

Liu Yanbo had recently become fully aware of the extent of his problem, but he found it difficult to change his mindset. When he wrote, he still preferred to pile up words, but his writing lacked substance and seemed to hang in the air.

The Master said that such articles are flashy and have no real effect.

The imperial examinations were not just about the words used in the writing, but also about the students' thinking. If they didn't have a clear mindset and their writing wasn't good enough, it would be difficult for them to pass.

Liu Yanbo had previously listened to how the Master analyzed the article he wrote, and he felt that what the Master said was very right.

In fact, the teacher of the academy didn't need to tell him so much, but he still told him. This made Liu Yanbo feel that the teacher was very good. It was a pity that he couldn't become the teacher's student because he didn't have that much ability.

"Mom, please don't talk to the eldest wife." Liu Yanbo said, "It's not their fault."

"If it's not their fault, whose fault could it be?" Aunt Qing was unhappy.

"It's my fault." Liu Yanbo didn't dare to say it was his mother's fault, so he could only say it was his own fault.

"I don't think it's your fault, it's my fault." How could Aunt Qing not know what Liu Yanbo and Su Qiuya were thinking? These two people must think it was her fault and that she was the one who delayed Liu Yanbo.

Qing Yi Niang really didn't know that her son's writing skills were not that high at the beginning. She just looked at the words her son wrote and thought that his handwriting was good, good in every way. Qing Yi Niang's handwriting was not that beautiful, and she was not a lady from a high family. There were many things she couldn't understand.

"Mom, if you really say so, then it's really your fault." Liu Yanbo knew that this matter had to be resolved sooner or later, and they couldn't always blame the eldest wife.

Could it be that whenever they encounter a setback, no matter how big or small, they will think that it is the eldest wife's fault?

That's impossible!

Liu Yanbo thought that was ridiculous. He didn't know about those things before, so he always thought it was the eldest wife's fault, that she didn't want him to be well. But now he has figured it out. It's not that the eldest wife didn't want him to be well, but that his own perception was wrong.

"You..." Aunt Qing stared at Liu Yanbo with wide eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"That's just how it is," Liu Yanbo said. "Mom, we need to move on and not dwell on these things. If you're really worried, we can move to a place where no one knows us. Then, will you still blame the eldest wife?"

"Move? No!" There was no way Aunt Qing was willing to move to a place where no one knew them, maybe even a very remote place.

Aunt Qing likes the prosperity of the provincial capital and doesn't want to stay in a place with worse conditions.

The capital city in the northwest is not as good as the capital city, but she is not going back to the capital city now, so Aunt Qing wants to stay in the capital city.

"Then we won't move," Liu Yanbo said. "You'd better not say those things. No one knows about our relationship with the eldest wife. If you keep making such a fuss, others will find out. They'll want to help the eldest wife deal with us and try to curry favor with her. Even if the eldest wife doesn't care about us at all, they might still do that."

"This..." Aunt Qing opened her mouth.

"You've lived in the Marquis's Mansion for so many years, you should know this," Liu Yanbo said. "It's because the Marquis's wife manages the Mansion well that the servants don't dare to be so rude to you. If the Marquis's wife didn't take care of the servants more, and you weren't so favored, wouldn't the servants be rude to you?"

This is the case with the palace maids, the servants in the marquis's mansion, and the homes of ordinary wealthy families.

A favored servant is not afraid of a master who has fallen out of favor, and they even dare to bully their master.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Aunt Qing didn't want to hear what the eldest wife said. These people now had other ideas about the eldest wife. They just felt that the eldest wife would never harm them.

Aunt Qing wanted to wait until these people suffered losses so that they would know that what she said was not wrong.

As soon as Liu Yanbo saw Aunt Qing's expression, he knew that Aunt Qing had no intention of changing her mind.

In the capital, at the Duke Cheng's Mansion, He Xiyuan was planning to go find Liu Yulian. He hadn't been there for the past few days because she had a lot of things to deal with, so they had moved back to the capital. He Xiyuan didn't go to the Marquis Jingning's Mansion the day after returning to the capital. Before going there, He Xiyuan planned to prepare some things.

He Xiyuan thought it would be hard to carry all the bags, so he looked at how much silver he had. However, Sister Lian probably wouldn't need that much silver anymore. Sister Lian had been appointed as the director of the research institute by the emperor, and her future research would be funded by the court, not her own money.

Sister Lian is no longer short of money...

He Xiyuan thought it would be better to take the silver with him, in case Sister Lian needed it. Even if Sister Lian didn't need it, they could still buy some things and count it as their property.

"Just go like this?" When He Xiyuan was about to go to Jingning Marquis Mansion, the old lady came over.

The old lady was standing on the road that He Xiyuan had to take when leaving the house. She had long known that her grandson would definitely want to go to see Princess Rongning. She couldn't stop her grandson from going to see Princess Rongning, but she thought that her grandson couldn't go there empty-handed, so he still had to prepare something.

"Grandma." He Xiyuan didn't expect to meet the old lady here.

"If you're going, bring some extra things with you," the old lady said. "Tomorrow, your brother and sister-in-law will also go over there to formally thank Rongning."

"I'll go my own way." He Xiyuan said. He couldn't possibly wait for his brother and sister-in-law to go together. If he waited for them to go together, he wouldn't have to chat with Sister Lian for too long.

He Xiyuan could imagine whether he would be standing or sitting at that time, and he would most likely just listen to his brother and sister-in-law talking.

"Okay, go ahead." The old lady said with a smile, "You're right. Princess Rongning is your fiancée. You can go whenever you want, and you can go as many times as you want."

“…” He Xiyuan looked at the old lady and always felt that there was something wrong with her.

"Those people in the capital... even though some people think women can't hold official positions, they're actually envious. Our dynasty has always had female officials, but women haven't been as powerful in recent years, which is why there aren't so many," the old lady said. "Be careful, there might still be people trying to break off your engagement with Rongning."

"Impossible." He Xiyuan would never let others take advantage of him. "I'll go over there."

"Wait." The old lady asked someone to bring the wooden box over. "Inside this is a set of headdresses, and there's also a food box with the cakes I asked the kitchen to make this morning. Take them all with you. Rongning is not an ordinary girl, but even so, she is still a girl."

The old lady didn't care what other people thought of Liu Yulian, but she knew that a woman still cared a lot about her appearance, jewelry and the like, but she just didn't pay as much attention to it on the surface as other people did.

"They say women dress to please themselves," the old lady said. "Rongning wants to study, so it's inevitable that she won't pay as much attention to her makeup. You'll have to get used to it."

"I'll get used to it. I must get used to it." He Xiyuan said hurriedly. He didn't want to stand here any longer when his grandmother would let him out.

The old lady saw He Xiyuan's anxiety, waved her hand, and asked He Xiyuan to go directly to Princess Rongning.

"Don't forget to be sweet-mouthed." When He Xiyuan took a few steps with the things, the old lady gave him a special reminder.

“…” He Xiyuan wondered if he was his grandmother’s biological grandson.

The old lady was in a good mood and went back to the courtyard to rest with the help of her maid. She just wanted to remind He Xiyuan more. Young people don't understand those things, so it's inevitable that there will be omissions. So they reminded He Xiyuan and let him do better.

The old lady also had a very bold idea, such as whether Liu Yulian could get a hereditary title without being demoted. Even if it was a demoted title, it would be excellent.

What Liu Yulian did was much more powerful than many people. Although Liu Yulian did not make any achievements on the battlefield, her abilities were not bad at all.

"Young man," the old lady sighed, "you should be more careful. If you don't have sincerity, who would be willing to be with him?"

The old lady was an experienced person. She knew that when a man had three wives and four concubines, he could no longer expect his wife to love him. The old lady understood this, so she had said before that He Xiyuan wanted monogamy and a lifelong couple. That was to pave the way for He Xiyuan.

If the young masters in the capital want to intercept Princess Rongning, they have to see if they can stay together for the rest of their lives.

Haha, as for those lazy young men...I don’t believe they can do this.