Xin He chuckled, "You better behave yourself, I’m not in a good mood right now."
Xiao Bei replied seriously, "Sister, I’m telling the truth. With my current abilities, passing the scholar examination would be considered lucky. I wouldn’t dare to dream of becoming a Jinshi in the capital city next spring, please don’t assume I’m as amazing as my brother-in-law."
Initially, when Marquis Mu Houchu became Jieyuan at the age of fourteen, he became Huiyuan in the spring imperial examination the following year and got the third place in the final court examination. His achievements, still recited by test-takers these days, were beyond counting.
Xiao Bei was very proud of this. Every time he heard someone discussing it, he would add with great satisfaction, "That’s my brother-in-law!"
Xin He gave him a gentle glare, "Don’t you have any ambition? Regardless, you can’t let examination anxiety get the best of you. Study hard. Even if you don’t pass next year, you have to give it your all and try your best."
Xiao Bei quickly responded with a chuckle, "I got it, sister. It’s still early yet, let me rest for a few days."
Xin He hummed lightly before saying, "Indeed, you need a few days to rest. After all, you haven’t settled your marital matters yet."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Bei’s eyes lit up with joy, "Marriage?! Have you already brought it up for me?"
Xin He smiled, "I’ve already discussed with the Song Family and plan to settle this marriage proposal in a few days. However, the marriage will probably take place next fall. First, marriage preparations take time, and second, you’ll have to rush to the capital city for your examination next spring. So now, you have to focus on preparing for your exam, hence it’s not appropriate to delay for the marriage."
Xiao Bei almost jumped with excitement, "Sister! You are the best!"
Xin He responded grumpily, "You better study hard. I will treat you even better in the future."
"Absolutely!"
Then, Xin He looked at the child, the servant boy, and chuckled, "Seeing how Xiao Bei eagerly wants to get married, don’t you have any thoughts? If there’s a girl you’re interested in, just tell me."
The servant boy responded without expression, "I’d like to establish my career first before starting a family. If I want to get married, I should wait until I’ve achieved some standing. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the other party."
The servant boy figured out, if he didn’t find an excuse to sidestep this issue, Xin He, seeing Xiao Bei getting married, might not be able to resist finding a wife for him as well.
Hearing this, Xin He scowled, "You know about establishing a career? Get back to studying!"
The servant boy quickly assured, "I’ll start studying hard from now on and will prepare well for the Autumn Examination."
That’s three years from now. At least there’s no worry for three years.
How could Xin He know what the servant boy was scheming in his mind? Upon hearing his words, she nodded in satisfaction, "It’s good that you understand the need to strive now. Three years from now, you’ll definitely excel in your exams."
"Yes."
Ah Guai gleefully said, "Great! Mother isn’t angry anymore, and Uncle is getting engaged. Ah Guai is going to have a new aunt!"
The engagement was scheduled for half a month later.
This half month was probably the most torturous period for Xiao Bei. He was nervous and excited all day, and when he couldn’t sleep at night, he would go and bug the servant boy. Eventually, the servant boy couldn’t stand him anymore and kicked him out.
Every day Ah Guai would watch Xiao Bei lost in his thoughts, giggling, "Is Uncle suffering from lovesickness? Like in the stories?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Xin He pinched her little face, "You’re not allowed to read those messy storybooks!"
Ah Guai blinked, "Ah Guai found them in Mom’s room."
Xin He: "..."
Days passed by leisurely. The whole royal mansion seemed full of vigor. The children brought something new and exciting every day. Despite such a big royal mansion only having a woman as its master and a small princess, it never seemed desolate.
In a blink of an eye, ten days passed. Before the engagement date arrived, Duan Lan rushed back to the capital city on fast horses.
Even though it normally took more than half a month to make the trip, Duan Lan didn’t rest, reducing the travel time by half. To him, every moment mattered for the pile of mess in the capital city. No one was in more of a hurry than he was.
As soon as he arrived in the capital city, without even changing his clothes, he went straight to the palace to meet the Emperor.
He didn’t complete his mission to Yu State and had delayed for such a long time. The Emperor was somewhat unsatisfied. At first, he thought Duan Lan was there to apologize, but was surprised when he asked for a marriage grant.
"Granting marriage? Who do you want to marry? Don’t you already have a wife?" The Emperor voiced his annoyance.
He didn’t take care of his duties but was instead preoccupied with romantic affairs.
However, Duan Lan looked up and said, "Not for me but for Prince Pingyang!"
The Emperor’s eyes flickered, and he frowned, "Mu Houchu?"
"Prince Pingyang has been governing Yu State for a short five years, but he has already completely taken its control. To say he has broken free from the Imperial Court’s control is not an exaggeration. So, does the Emperor feel relieved letting him do whatever he wants there?"
The Emperor’s face darkened. At first, he had "exiled" him to Yu State to weaken his power in the Imperial Court, waiting for the day when his influence would be weakened enough to kill him off unnoticed.
Who would have thought that sending him away would actually provide him with a better opportunity – an opportunity to expand his power unrestrictedly and secretly, beyond control!
The Emperor was filled with nothing but regret.
But what could regret do? Back then, six years ago, did the Emperor have any other choice apart from this? Could he continue letting Houchu flip the Imperial Court upside down?
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