"Did you go to the prefecture city today? Was it because of the refugee situation?" Xin He asked.
Mu Houchu closed his eyes, speaking in a relaxing manner, "Hmm, I went to investigate in detail who is pulling the strings behind this."
"Is it Duan Lan?"
How fitting for a couple, they really do think alike.
Mu Houchu curved his lips, "Who else could it be? I even started to suspect that this wave of refugees to Yu State was secretly orchestrated by him."
After all, Lian City’s common people are not from Yu State. Even if they wanted to seek refuge, they should run to the emperor’s foot, not to Yu State. It’s not even close by.
Xin He’s look turned solemn, "He really won’t let go of this opportunity. Once the refugees enter the city, our Yu State will inevitably become chaotic. If he takes the opportunity to find any evidence, that will be troublesome."
Mu Houchu sneered, "If he can find anything easily, wouldn’t I have wasted these many years? What’s more, even if he did find something, do you think I would let him leave Yu State alive?"
One who knows a secret is doomed not to live.
Xin He pursed her lips, finally saying, "You need to be careful. Duan Lan... he’s quite cunning."
Mu Houchu turned his head to look at her, smiling, "My wife really does stand by me. Just for that statement, I can’t bear to let you continue helping me bathe."
Xin He knew exactly what he was thinking from his gleaming eyes. She threw a wet towel at his face, ready to walk away, "Then I’ll go first... Ah!"
Before she finished speaking, Mu Houchu dodged the wet towel and easily pulled Xin Her into the water.
With a splash, water flew everywhere. Xin He fell directly into his arms, soaking wet. Angrily, she cursed, "You rascal! This skirt is made from top-grade cloud-patterned brocade and cannot be soaked directly in hot water!"
"I’ll buy ten more for you later."
"I’ve already bathed!" Xin He was livid.
Mu Houchu smirked, "It doesn’t hurt to wash one more time. Besides... I didn’t pull you down here to bathe."
Mu Houchu’s voice was enchanting.
"I... Uh..." Xin He wanted to scold him some more, but Mu Houchu quickly sealed her lips. His wife was great at everything, only that she talked too much sometimes.
Xin He, initially furious, but after much teasing from Mu Houchu, she lost her mind to argue. This man understood her more and more over the years. He could easily control her temper most of the time. Right now, she couldn’t even find the anger to be mad!
The little maids standing outside, hearing the big commotion inside, couldn’t help but blush. They whispered amongst themselves: This noise is too much, isn’t it?
——
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Lai Fu and Li Saner had already become fully familiar with the duties at Winding Pavilion and Flower Mansion. They began to help Xin He with some tasks and did quite beautifully. Xin He was very satisfied.
The refugee situation could not be avoided. Yu State certainly began to aid the refugees. However, Mu Houchu had already put some protective measures in place. If any problems were to arise, they would have to respond accordingly.
Xin He has not been idle these days. She has been trying to gather information about the secret behind the relief mission, especially concerning Master Wang’s movements. But there have been no significant movements, which worries Xin He.
In view of the current situation, Master Wang is of crucial importance. If Duan Lan does not put Master Wang into action soon, Xin He will have no other means to understand Duan Lan’s plans.
If they cannot find out about Duan Lan’s next steps, they will still be in a defensive position, unable to prevent or avoid anything beforehand.
However, today is an exception. It is the day when Xiaochaihuo and Xiaobei return home after their exam. Xin He puts aside all the tasks at hand and personally goes to the prefecture city to pick them up.
The Autumn Examination, also known as the provincial examination, is held in the prefecture city. Even though the area centered around Lian’an Town has developed into the most prosperous city in Yu State, the prefecture city is still truly the prefecture city. Some old customs simply cannot be changed. If they must be replaced, it will be after Mu Houchu has decided to transform Lian’an Town into the prefecture city.
Xin He didn’t care about these details and there wasn’t much to do about it. Now that she was in a horse carriage in the prefecture city, the place seemed lively.
Shulan looked around the bustling street, unable to restrain her astonishment, "The prefecture city is really bustling today. The crowds are packed so tight you can’t squeeze through."
Xin He chuckled, "Isn’t it? After all, it’s the Autumn Exam. Such a massive event. Many people are concerned about it."
Some homes, particularly concerned about this examination, have a man on the inside for three days while the whole family waits anxiously outside.
"I wonder how Young Master Xiaobei and Xiaochaihuo did." Shulan murmured.
"What’s the use of wondering about this now that the exam is over?" Xin He took a more relaxed view. Although the chance comes only once every three years, there is still plenty of time. They are young and have nothing to fear.
Xin He’s carriage managed to park outside the examination hall after much difficulty. Those who arrived late would probably have to park a street away.
After waiting for about half an hour, the exam hall began to let people out little by little.
Those who came out first are naturally those who finished their exam papers earlier. The moment they stepped out, they were in the spotlight.
Shulan watched for a while and didn’t see their young master. She couldn’t help but say, "Young Master Xiaobei hasn’t come out yet. Did he not do well on the exam?"
Xin He shook her head with a smile, "There’s not much difference between coming out early or late in this kind of examination. It’s not a race of who finishes the paper first, is it?"
Just as they were talking, Xiaobei and Xiaochaihuo finally came out together.
Shulan hurriedly went out to greet them, waving her handkerchief, "Young Master Xiaobei! Little Nan! We’re over here!"
Xiaobei looked exhausted, clearly fatigued from the past three days. However, there was an element of relief in his face. Xiaochaihuo, on the other hand, showed no emotion, not even weariness...
This made Shulan wonder if Xiaochaihuo simply accompanied Xiaobei for the exam.
As soon as they were in the carriage, Xin He asked with a smile, "How did the exams go? Are you tired?"
Xiaobei scratched his head and laughed, "It was alright, I answered everything. I finished the essay as well. Whether it was good or not, we’ll have to wait for the results."
Xin He turned to Xiaochaihuo. With a blank expression, he said, "It was okay."
Xin He: "..." Despite raising both children in the same way, why is there such a big difference?!
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