"Haha, Mr. Wang, what a rare guest! What brings you here today?" A richly dressed man wearing a jade thumb ring squinted as he spoke to the man next to him with his hands clasped in greeting.

Judging from the two men's attire, they most likely came from a prominent family. The man addressed as Boss Wang smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, replying, "My daughter is not very talented, but she is participating in this year's spring examination! So she came to accompany me!"

"Oh? What a coincidence! My little girl is the same!" The man with the thumb ring said, waving to the girl sitting next to him.

Seeing this, the girl walked to the man wearing the thumb ring and whispered, "Father!"

The man with the thumb ring nodded in satisfaction and pointed to Boss Wang beside him, saying, "This is Uncle Wang. His daughter is here to take the imperial examination, just like you!"

The girl nodded after hearing this, politely addressed Mr. Wang as "Uncle Wang," and then said to the girl next to her who was about the same age as her, "Hello, Sister Wang!"

Seeing his daughter's impeccable manners, the man with the thumb ring smiled even more broadly. He looked at Mr. Wang and continued to tease him, "Look at how confident you are, Mr. Wang. Your daughter is sure to win first place!"

"Oh dear, what are you saying? If it weren't for running into..." Boss Wang seemed to have let something slip, and he quickly patted his mouth to change the subject.

Jiang Ling glanced at the two of them again with displeasure, thinking to herself, "Could it be that the preliminary examinations for students are as filthy and disgusting as those at Linghui Academy?"

Jiang Ling was startled by her own thought. She shook her head and quickly erased the idea from her mind. She smiled and said to Jiang Suihe, "Come on, let's go, Mom will take you to see the world!"

The Qingzhou Prefectural Government Office was a place that any ordinary person in Qingzhou could easily find out by asking anyone. Jiang Ling and Jiang Suihe quickly arrived at the entrance of the Prefectural Government Office.

Jiang Ling glanced at the servant at the door, thinking that she should avoid suspicion since her daughter was here to take the exam, but then she thought that since she had come to their territory, she couldn't just not pay a visit.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling said to the lazy servant at the door, "I am Jiang, a sixth-rank lady. I am passing through Qingzhou today and have come to visit the prefect of Qingzhou!"

The servant, who had just looked tired, perked up immediately after hearing Jiang Ling announce her name. Although he was just a servant in the mansion, he had seen many high-ranking officials and nobles over the years. Although Jiang Ling was dressed plainly, she had an indescribable aura about her.

He didn't dare to be negligent at all and led Jiang Ling and her daughter to the hall.

A moment later, Chen Qiyu, the prefect of Qingzhou, hurriedly walked in. Upon seeing Jiang Ling, he cupped his hands and said, "It has only been a few months since we last met, Madam An. Now I must call you Madam An!"

Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Prefect, you flatter me. What are you saying?"

“I think we shouldn’t be so formal. Since we’re all acquaintances now, you can call me Brother Qiyu, and I’ll call you Sister Jiang. You won’t lose out, right?” Chen Qiyu said.

Jiang Ling nodded, placed the gift on the table, and said, "My daughter, Jiang Suihe, is here to take the imperial examination. I should have avoided suspicion, but since I'm here with Brother Qiyu, I can't not pay my respects, can I?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qiyu waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. You are Jiang Suihe?" As he spoke, Chen Qiyu turned his gaze to Jiang Suihe.

Jiang Suihe was not intimidated. She nodded, recalling her mother's previous appearance, and respectfully bowed, saying, "This humble girl, Jiang Suihe, greets Your Excellency the Prefect!"

"Oh dear, no, no! You're such a sweet and adorable girl. Your mother and I are of the same rank now. You're making me feel so bad by saying that!" Chen Qiyu waved his hands repeatedly, signaling Jiang Suihe to get up.

Jiang Suihe stuck out her tongue and hid behind Jiang Ling.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Qiyu glanced at the sky outside and continued to Jiang Ling, "Since you're here, why don't you stay for lunch? It's rare for you to come. You weren't scared by what happened with Luo Cheng last time, were you?"

Jiang Ling shook her head and politely declined, saying, "Brother Qiyu, how about I treat you to this meal after I finish the spring exam? As for Luo Cheng's matter, let's just forget about it and not mention it again!"

Chen Qiyu was a shrewd person, especially after so many years of navigating the officialdom. Seeing Jiang Ling's refusal, he didn't try to persuade her further, but simply nodded, "Alright, then I'll wait for you to invite me, Jiang sister. If anything happens in the future, don't hesitate to have Duan Kang'an contact me. I'll back you up!"

After thanking her again, Jiang Ling left the residence of the Qingzhou Prefect with Jiang Suihe.

As Jiang Suihe walked into the bustling city of Qingzhou, she was drawn by a sound. It turned out that the teahouses here would create a buzz every year during the spring and autumn imperial examinations.

To attract customers, they deliberately put up things that resemble refined literati and poets. For example, this teahouse posted a notice for a competition to select the most talented woman.

The winner will also receive a gift exclusively from their tea house.

When Jiang Ling saw that the gift was shampoo developed by her own company, she smiled helplessly and sighed, "This stuff really sells well."

Seeing Jiang Suihe's eager expression, Jiang Ling asked softly, "What? You want to participate?"

Jiang Suihe hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded timidly and said, "Mother, I... can I go?"

Looking at Jiang Suihe in front of her, Jiang Ling knew it was time to let the girl get some experience. Based on Jiang Ling's understanding of Jiang Suihe, a small place like Qingzhou was definitely not where Jiang Suihe would eventually settle down.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling smiled and encouraged, "Okay, go if you want to. Our family isn't lacking anything! Just do your best. I don't expect you to win any prizes!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the waiter at the teahouse entrance struck the gong placed outside. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it, and Jiang Ling and Jiang Suihe quickened their pace.

"Thank you all for your support. Our Fengya Teahouse's twice-yearly First Talented Woman Selection Competition is about to begin. Are there any other girls who want to sign up?" The waiter said, bowing and clasping his hands in greeting to the crowd.

Jiang Ling nudged Jiang Suihe, who glanced at her. Jiang Ling nodded in encouragement.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm her slightly nervous feelings, Jiang Suihe walked up to the waiter and said, "I'm signing up!"

The waiter glanced at the simply dressed Jiang Suihe and paused for a moment. In his memory, those who could pass the imperial examinations for girls were usually high-ranking officials or women from prominent families. He seemed to have never seen anyone dressed like Jiang Suihe before. But he still waved his hand and said, "Miss, please come in!"

After the gong sounded again, Jiang Ling and the onlookers all rushed into the teahouse. The small teahouse had several tables set up. Since Jiang Suihe was the last to sign up, she was assigned to the most inconspicuous corner and was now looking around for Jiang Ling.

The mother and daughter smiled at each other, and Jiang Ling gave Jiang Suihe a thumbs-up to cheer him on.

The old scholar from Qingzhou Academy walked slowly in, briefly explained the rules, and then had two sheets of Xuan paper placed on each table. The rules were simple: one sheet for drawing, and the other for composing a poem, with a time limit of two incense sticks. Finally, everyone would vote anonymously, and the person with the most votes would win!

The gong rang three times, signaling the start of the competition, and all the girls began to think seriously.