In fact, Ding Xiu was not an ambitious person. He felt that it was good enough to have enough to eat and drink and to inherit the family business in a stable manner.
But after passing the imperial examination, he changed his mind. In the past, people fawned over him mainly because his family was considered wealthy in Chengyang County.
However, ever since he passed the imperial examination and became a student, people have shown him more respect when they try to curry favor with him.
Although both involve flattery, there are genuine differences between them.
However, Ding Xiu himself knew that his talent was limited, and at best he could pass the imperial examination at the lowest level, which would be considered good.
But now his good brother has given him another option: to study at the Imperial Academy.
There are many famous Confucian scholars in the Imperial Academy. If he could get some guidance from them, and with his own efforts, Ding Xiu believed that passing the imperial examination should not be a problem.
Even if he only gets third place in the palace examination and becomes a Jinshi, he can still become a minor official in the local area, completely changing the Ding family's reputation.
Of course, Yan Qingqing was not very clear about Ding Xiu's thoughts.
Yan Qingqing noticed that they had been standing in the courtyard for a while before she remembered to invite them inside.
Too lazy to go to the front yard reception room, Yan Qingqing had a room specially set up in her yard to entertain guests.
Master Ding looked at the living room's decor and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.
The living room doesn't look very big, but the table and chairs are arranged in a very orderly way, and they are all high-quality items that you might not be able to buy even if you have money.
Just look at these tables and chairs; they're all made of Phoebe zhennan wood, and the porcelain pieces on them are antiques from the previous dynasty.
The teacups were a complete set of nine-dragon glass cups, clearly gifts from the emperor.
Yan Qingqing invited the Ding family to sit down before asking about their journey.
Master Ding told Yan Qingqing that they had been planning to come to the capital after receiving Li Xiangkang's message, but with the New Year approaching, caravans and escort agencies were all closed.
They were worried that it wouldn't be safe if there were no pedestrians on the road.
After the second day of the Lunar New Year, a security escort agency took on a job in the capital, so the father and son quickly went along.
Besides Ding Jun, who was expelled from the family, Ding Yuanwai only had Ding Xiu as his son, and all his hopes were pinned on him.
Madam Ding was also worried about him coming to the capital alone, so she asked Master Ding to personally escort him.
Yan Qingqing smiled after hearing what Master Ding said, "Since I invited this child here, Master Ding, you can rest assured."
As long as he doesn't cause trouble in the capital, I guarantee no one will bully him.
Master Ding quickly cupped his hands and said, "Madam Mingzhao, what are you saying? This is such a great thing, and you are thinking of Xiu'er and our Ding family. This is already a great favor to our Ding family."
Since the Ding family had no property in the capital, Ding Xiu, who was studying alone in the capital, would definitely have to live in the Mingzhao Mansion.
Li Xiangkang had already explained this to Ding Xiu when he wrote the letter.
Master Ding also mentioned the Han family, saying that when they went to the capital, the Han family was also preparing to set off, but they had brought too much stuff, so it would probably take them some time to reach the capital.
Yan Qingqing was relieved to hear this, it seemed that the marriage between Li Yueniang and Han Yu would be settled soon.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Master Ding suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory, how could I forget about this?"
After saying that, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing took the letter and saw that it was addressed to Lady Mingzhao in large characters.
Looking at the strong and vigorous handwriting, which had a certain style, Yan Qingqing asked with some doubt, "Where did this letter come from?"
Master Ding replied, "This was written by Magistrate Gao. He repeatedly instructed me to personally deliver the letter to you."
Since Magistrate Gao is taking this so seriously, the contents of this letter must be of great importance.
So he said to Ah Da, "Master Ding and Young Master Ding must be tired from their journey. Take them to the guest courtyard to rest."
Also, send someone to the Imperial College to tell the Fourth Young Master that if he has finished school, he should go home immediately and tell him that his good friend has arrived.
Upon hearing this, Ah Da quickly agreed and then gestured for Master Ding and his son to proceed.
Yan Qingqing only opened Magistrate Gao's letter after the Ding family left.
The more Yan Qingqing looked, the more her brows furrowed.
The letter was about a custody battle between two women.
After extensive investigation, Magistrate Gao finally confirmed that the child was indeed not the son of the wealthy merchant and the two women.
Later, the two women admitted it, but they didn't know whose child it was. They only said that they and the wealthy businessman came from the capital. One day, the businessman suddenly brought back a child and told them to pack their things and leave the capital.
The two women had been with the wealthy businessman for many years, but neither of them was able to have a child.
The two men both wanted to raise the child because he was so cute, so that he would have someone to rely on when they got old.
But the wealthy businessman told them not to mess with the child, as he was someone they couldn't afford to offend.
The wealthy businessman usually treated the child exceptionally well, practically indulging his every whim.
Both women harbored the same thought: whoever raised the child would inherit the vast fortune. So they both poisoned the wealthy merchant's food, killing him.
However, both of them wanted to raise the child, which eventually led to the dispute being taken to the county government.
The case is now considered solved, but the child's biological parents have never been found.
Later, a servant that the magistrate's family bought was someone who had been sold from the capital to Chengyang County. He happened to be a servant from a wealthy family.
According to the servants, the wealthy merchant had once met a nobleman, and then one day suddenly sold all his property and servants, leaving in haste with only two concubines.
That important person was none other than the eldest prince, Xiao Moyan.
Therefore, Master Gao suspected that the child might be the eldest prince's child.
However, Chengyang County is located in a remote and mountainous area, and Magistrate Gao had no way to investigate. Since Yan Qingqing was in the capital, Magistrate Gao asked her to keep an eye out for her.
Finally, he added that if the child really was the eldest prince, he probably had grand ambitions, and advised Yan Qingqing to be careful.
After reading the letter, Yan Qingqing threw it into the brazier.
Magistrate Gao was a good official; he certainly didn't want outsiders to know that he had taken such a great risk to send her such a letter.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing burned the letter after reading it, Ruyi and Ruxue exchanged a glance and wisely refrained from asking any questions.
Yan Qingqing returned to her room, took out her homemade charcoal pencil, and began to draw. Soon, a handsome child appeared vividly under Yan Qingqing's pen.
Yan Qingqing's painting depicts the child that was fought over by those two women in the Chengyang County government office.
Yan Qingqing observed carefully and found that the child's eyebrows and eyes did resemble those of the eldest prince.
However, the eldest prince's eyes had become somewhat sinister, which ruined his originally good-looking features.
We'll have to ask Xiao Mochen about this later; he's a prince and should be quite familiar with royal affairs.
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