When Xiao Mochen returned to Yan Qingqing's courtyard, he was already dressed in new clothes.
Yan Qingqing's eyes lit up when she saw him. Xiao Mochen was already very good-looking, and with this little bit of dressing up, he looked even better.
This person is practically a walking clothes hanger.
At this moment, Yan Qingqing couldn't find the words to describe Xiao Mochen; all that remained in her mind was "handsome."
Furthermore, it's somewhat regrettable that such a promising child wasn't born to them.
In a sense, Yan Qingqing is also someone who is attracted to good looks.
Xiao Mochen noticed Yan Qingqing staring at him and wondered if something was amiss.
So she asked, "Auntie, is there anything wrong with me wearing this? I think it looks fine."
Yan Qingqing then smiled and said, "Of course it's fine. How could clothes I designed myself be inappropriate?"
"I just think, Mo Chen, you're so handsome, what kind of wife will I be able to find to be worthy of you?"
Xiao Mochen felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this. Although he had experienced a lot, he was still quite old, and no one had ever mentioned marriage to him before. His face flushed slightly.
Yan Qingqing was as if she had discovered a new continent. Xiao Mochen usually acted like a little adult. He was alright in front of her, but he was always very serious in front of others, to the point that Li Yueniang was a little afraid of him.
Yan Qingqing teased Xiao Mochen a few more times until he almost lost his temper, at which point she stopped.
After calming down, Xiao Mochen explained his purpose. Yan Qingqing was at a loss for words, wondering why everyone wanted to see her family rules. However, she eventually had Ruyi take it out.
Xiao Mochen looked at it carefully, and then praised, "The rules set by Aunt seem strict, but they are actually very meaningful."
As a member of the Li family, Mo Chen will try his best to abide by this rule.
Yan Qingqing doubted her ears. Did Xiao Mochen mean that he also abided by these family rules?
That would be a huge problem. Even if he doesn't become emperor in the future, it will be difficult for him to keep up with the family rules.
Yan Qingqing said helplessly, "Mo Chen, why don't you think about it again? These family rules might not be suitable for you."
Xiao Mochen nodded and said, "Auntie, I know, that's why I said I'll try my best to comply."
Yan Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
As long as the child isn't stubborn or gets stuck on trivial matters, that's fine.
If the emperor finds out, and his only legitimate son has to abide by the Li family's rules, he'll probably wipe out the entire family without anyone else even lifting a finger.
Before she knew it, it was the tenth day of the eighth lunar month. Yan Qingqing calculated the days and estimated that Li Xiangkang should be back soon.
Li Xiangkang will take the exam on July 28th. There will be one exam every three days, so two exams will take six days.
The exams should be over by the third day of the eighth lunar month. It will only take three days to travel to and from the prefectural city. Even if I rest in the prefectural city for two days, I should be home by then.
Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, a great day for family reunions.
Sure enough, Li Xiangkang arrived home in the evening.
When Yan Qingqing heard that Li Xiangkang had returned, she quickly asked Ruyi to instruct the kitchen to prepare several of his favorite dishes to welcome him back.
The first thing Li Xiangkang did after getting off the carriage was to pay his respects to Yan Qingqing.
When the rest of the Li family heard that Li Xiangkang had returned, they all rushed over in a hurry.
Even Xiao Mochen came. Li Xiangkang greeted them one by one, and then began to answer their questions.
Yan Qingqing looked at Li Xiangkang, who had lost a lot of weight, and said with heartache, "Silang must have suffered a lot these days. Look at how thin his face is."
Li Xiangkang smiled and replied, "I guess it's because I was in such a rush to get here and there, plus I've been eating and sleeping in the exam hall all this time, so I've lost a little weight."
However, my son thought it was okay overall.
Ah Wu chimed in, "What the Fourth Young Master said is true. Madam, you don't know that many candidates were carried out of the examination hall halfway through."
Some barely made it to the end of the exam, and they had to be carried out of the room.
The clinics in the city were packed with people, and the doctors were so busy they didn't even have time to drink water.
Our fourth young master is only slightly thin, which is already considered very good.
You know the young master of the Ding family, right? He's gotten noticeably thinner. I didn't even recognize him when he came out of the exam hall.
Not only have her eyes gotten bigger, but her chin has also become more pointed.
If he hadn't been by the Fourth Young Master's side, I would have thought he was a new friend the Fourth Young Master made during the examination.
Ah Wu's vivid descriptions made Yan Qingqing and the others laugh heartily.
Yuan Huiniang asked incredulously, "Is it really that exaggerated?"
Before A-Wu could answer, Yan Qingqing said, "What A-Wu said is probably true. These students study hard for ten years, all for the sake of passing the exam, changing their family background, and bringing glory to their ancestors."
The quality of one's knowledge is secondary; many people simply cannot withstand this kind of psychological pressure.
The exam room was packed with time and heavy workload; the more you wanted to get good grades, the more anxious you became.
The more panicked a student is, the greater the psychological pressure becomes, which is why some students have fainted during the exam.
Yan Qingqing had been to the examination hall in her previous life, so she had a good understanding of the psychology of some students.
After saying all that, Yan Qingqing asked Li Xiangkang about what he had seen and heard in the prefectural city.
Li Xiangkang laughed and said, "The prefectural city is indeed much more prosperous than our Chengyang County. My son went to see it after his exam."
However, there are also many places that are not as good as our Chengyang County.
After listening, Yan Qingqing said "Oh" and asked in return, "Then tell me, where is it inferior to our Chengyang County?"
Li Xiangkang thought for a moment and replied, "If Magistrate Ling issues a decree in our Chengyang County, it can be implemented immediately."
Take cotton planting as an example. Even though no one had cotton seeds, they all did their best to go up the mountain to find them, and they were able to follow orders without question.
But it's different in the prefectural city. Take the patrolmen on the streets, for example. Even though they've already collected the stall fees, other officials have to pay again.
This never happened when we used to run a stall."
After Li Xiangkang finished speaking, he glanced at Xiao Mochen subtly, but Xiao Mochen didn't react much.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "That's normal. After all, Lord Ling is the only one who truly governs Chengyang County, so everyone is likely to obey his management."
But the prefectural city is different. It is said that there are officials of the seventh rank and above in front of the prime minister's gate.
They all thought they were in charge, so their subordinates also bullied others by taking advantage of their power.
This is one of the major drawbacks of having too many officials.
Xiao Mochen's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly returned to normal.
Ah Wu thought for a moment and then said, "I wonder if someone is deliberately making trouble for our family."
Before the Fourth Young Master's last exam, I checked the carriage the night before and found that there was no problem, but the next day I found that the ruts were broken.
Fortunately, the fourth young master knew how to ride a horse, so he didn't miss the exam.
Yan Qingqing's face darkened upon hearing this; he didn't believe it was just a simple accident.
She had no enemies in the prefectural city besides the Shen family, which suggests that the Shen family was living too comfortably.
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