As for the Cen family, Old Master Cen frowned. The family had been trying to get some more people involved these days. The Cen family's previous in-law relationships weren't strong enough, and those people were mainly on the Third Prince's side.
Now, the Third Prince is useless, and those people can't even protect themselves. How can they possibly consider the Cen family?
Old Master Cen knew that marrying a girl was easier than marrying her. Those people might not necessarily be willing to marry their daughters into the Cen family, but they might be willing to marry a girl from the Cen family. Although Concubine Cen was demoted, and the reputation of the Cen family's daughters was damaged, the Cen family's daughters had been well-received for so many years. There were always people who thought the Cen family's daughters were good.
"How's Prince Su doing?" Old Master Cen asked his eldest son. Seeing his son shake his head, he asked again, "How's Duke Cheng's mansion?"
"None of them will work." Master Cen had already sent people to test the waters, and he also used many methods to bribe the staff in Prince Su's mansion, so that the staff could propose to Prince Su that he take the daughter of the Cen family as a concubine.
After that aide mentioned it, he was expelled from the palace by Prince Su.
In this case, who would dare to say more about the Cen family girl in front of Prince Su? Master Cen was worried that his daughter would be affected and afraid that his daughter would not be able to marry into a good family in the future.
Alas, how did things come to this?
"It would be better if the emperor were younger." Master Cen sighed. If the emperor were younger, they would send the Cen family's daughter into the palace again.
The daughter of the Cen family used to be so good, but now she is despised by so many people.
Mrs. Cen in the northwest didn't know what was happening in the capital, as the news of the capital hadn't spread yet. Mrs. Cen was still thinking about marrying her daughter to General Xu's son, thinking that her daughter would have a good life in the future and that her son-in-law's family would bring benefits to the family.
"They don't see me much." Miss Cen went to the Xu family, but the Xu family's servants said that the master was busy and had no time to see her. Miss Cen had no choice but to return and could not continue to stay outside the Xu family's door.
"Just go more often." Mrs. Cen didn't think it was a big deal. "Your aunt has come many times, and sometimes she encounters situations where the host is busy or sick. The more this happens, the more you have to go. Slowly, it will get better."
"Okay." Miss Cen believed what her mother said. Besides, if someone had succeeded, then she could do it too.
Mrs. Cen and Miss Cen had never thought about what to do after failure. At most, they thought that the Xu family had no vision. The Cen family was so confident that they thought their daughter was very good.
Madam Xu had no intention of meeting Miss Cen at this time. She felt that Madam Cen and Miss Cen were not on the same page, so she simply decided not to see them often. The northwest was full of military commanders, and many of the military commanders' families disliked Madam Cen and Miss Cen very much. They all felt that Miss Cen was too pretentious and that Madam Cen's hands were too long.
Even if some generals had concubines here, Madam Cen had the ability to talk to them about taking a concubine, so what should the concubine do? They were concubines themselves, and some were sent to the northwest by their in-laws. Even if they were treated as principal wives in the northwest, they were not true principal wives and were still different from principal wives.
Mrs. Xu didn't plan to see Miss Cen much, fearing that someone would say she was so fond of the Cen family's daughter that she wanted her to be their daughter-in-law. Then, the Cen family could come and say that their daughter's reputation had been ruined, and they could force her to marry her to their son.
The Cen family attaches great importance to women's reputation and also likes to make a fuss about this aspect.
"Mr. Cen, why are you here today?" General Xu happened to be at home and learned about this.
"It's the girl from the Cen family." Madam Xu said, "Who knows how she got here? Just don't see her."
"It's up to you to decide." General Xu had no objection. They didn't need to have a good relationship with the Cen family.
There is a spring examination at the beginning of spring. According to the regulations of this dynasty, students and scholars can take the examination twice a year, juren can take the examination once a year, and jinshi can take the examination basically once every three years. Sometimes, special examinations are added, so there are two examinations within three years.
It mainly depends on the imperial court. If the emperor is happy, he will allow those people to take the exam again.
For example, if you take the top few places, one more time means one more opportunity, and more people can come forward.
Liu Yanbo also hoped to pass the examination for the title of "Xucai" (School of Scholars) and take the Juren (Civil Scholar) examination that year. He also went to visit the teacher, thinking that the teacher would know some teachers in the prefecture. He planned to visit some of them after arriving in the prefecture to see if he could choose a good teacher and then go to the academy.
When the teacher of the county academy met Liu Yanbo, he also received a gift from Liu Yanbo.
"Since you've said so, and given such gifts, I'll be frank with you," the Master said. "I've also heard what you and your wife said in the academy. Your legitimate mother is vicious, but how could your illegitimate son and his wife be so kind?"
The Master was not stupid and did not take those words seriously.
Ordinary people just want to listen to the fun, but how many of those rich, powerful, and educated people will stand on Liu Yanbo's side?
Liu Yanbo and his wife ruined the reputation of his legitimate mother. Is this what a bastard should do?
Liu Yanbo's biological mother is the Marquis' wife. If the Marquis' wife really wants to deal with Liu Yanbo and his wife, how can they run this shop successfully?
"Master." Liu Yanbo's expression changed slightly.
"I don't know what the people around you have told you, but with your current knowledge, passing the exam to become a scholar is already a difficult feat," Master Zhang said. "Being a juren only reflects your luck, but anything more than that is basically impossible."
"How could that be?" Liu Yanbo didn't believe it.
"Although you haven't shown off too much in front of your teacher before, you must have been studying a lot in private," Master Zhang said. "Isn't that right?"
It's true that Liu Yanbo had been reading a lot in private, and Aunt Qing had been urging him to study privately. Liu Yanbo thought he was just being useless in front of the Marquis's teacher, but in fact, he was very capable.
He didn't rank high on the Tongsheng exam, but he told himself it was because he hadn't read for a while and was busy with his shop business. If he just studied harder, things would naturally change.
Liu Yanbo didn't expect that Master Zhang would know this and say so.
"Perhaps you still believe that your understanding is correct and the Master's is wrong," Master Zhang said. "You have asked the Master many questions and studied blindly. Do you really know everything?"
"Master." Liu Yanbo's expression changed slightly. "I'm going to the capital city, and I'd like you to see if you know any masters who could introduce me to you."
"If you really want to meet a master in the provincial capital, go find someone else." Master Zhang was reluctant to introduce Liu Yanbo to his friend.
Master Zhang believed that people like Liu Yanbo might seem self-reliant, but in reality, they were selfish and had bad morals, and were not the kind of people who cared about the overall situation. If such a person could abandon his mother and brother in times of crisis, he would definitely abandon his friends in the future.
Such people basically don’t think there is anything wrong with themselves, they just feel that the people around them have let them down.
Master Zhang couldn't possibly bring a wolf like Liu Yanbo into his friend's side, lest his friend be implicated. Master Xu before the academy did have some other thoughts, but Master Xu was also somewhat capable. Even if Master Xu's daughter was at fault, it was not right for Liu Yanbo and his wife to make such a big fuss.
Master Zhang also noticed that Su Qiuya and her husband always made a big fuss about the smallest things. Perhaps they thought that small things were life-threatening to them. They liked to make the people think they were right, but many people were just joining in the fun.
After Liu Yanbo heard what Master Zhang said, he knew that Master Zhang was unwilling to make an introduction for him.
"Take those things back with you." Master Zhang saw that Liu Yanbo's face was not in a good mood, so he didn't think about accepting Liu Yanbo's things. "After all, you studied under me, so let me tell you a few things. This dynasty values legitimate and illegitimate children. No matter how outstanding a illegitimate son is, he can never surpass the legitimate son. After all, those who over-discipline illegitimate children are a minority."
Master Zhang didn't know why Liu Yanbo was so resentful. It might have something to do with Liu Yanbo's concubine. Master Zhang didn't say much. It was not for him to interfere in his students' family affairs.
When Liu Yanbo returned home with the things, Su Qiuya hurried forward and asked, "Why did you bring the things back again? Didn't you go to Master Zhang's place?"
"The Master confiscated it," Liu Yanbo said. "He didn't introduce me to anything and refused to write a single letter."
"The eldest wife doesn't allow them to write?" This was the first thing Su Qiuya thought of.
"I don't know." Liu Yanbo knew that none of the people from the first wife's family had gone to the academy, and neither had anyone else from the first wife's family gone to look for the teachers. But Liu Yanbo just thought that those people must be concerned about the first wife's family. Didn't Master Zhang say something about legitimate sons and illegitimate sons?
Liu Yanbo refused to believe that his knowledge was not that high. He would know once he passed the exam. If he didn't get the first place, could he not get the third place? He didn't believe it!
"It should be them." Aunt Qing said, "They just can't stand us getting better. Liu Yanjing came here before, and those people must be scared." "What should we do when we get to the provincial capital?" Su Qiuya thought, can't her husband have a good wife?
"They belong to the Marquis' Mansion. Madam Xu, the aunt of Liu Yulian's fiancé, is in the capital." Aunt Qing said, "Even in the capital, it's still their territory."
That's what Aunt Qing wanted to say, as if the whole family of the eldest wife was staring at them and not wanting them to be well.
The reality was that the people in the first house didn't keep an eye on them at all, and no one said those words to the teacher, let alone prevent the teacher in the provincial capital from teaching Liu Yanbo.
The Jingning Marquisate had been raided once before, and its influence was no longer what it once was. Father and Mother Liu were preparing for their return to the capital, so they had no plans to cause any more trouble in the northwest, nor did they intend to make a big fuss.
"But you should relax. There is still a difference between civil officials and military generals." Aunt Qing said, "It's impossible for all the examiners to suppress Yanbo. They don't know which paper is Yanbo's. Just be more careful when writing."
Aunt Qing was still waiting for Liu Yanbo to help her win the top spot in the imperial examination, so that she could give the eldest wife a slap in the face.
"Okay." Su Qiuya always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what it was for a moment.
In the provincial capital, He Xiyuan arrived at the Xu family. Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan had not yet gotten married, so Liu Yulian did not come with him.
"Are you willing to come?" Mrs. Xu raised her eyebrows.
"Come and see." He Xiyuan said, "I also brought you some strawberries, which were grown on Sister Lian's farm."
"You only care about your sister Lian." Madam Xu said, "People say that a good wife is a good husband. Do you plan to be a good husband in the future?"
"That's fine." He Xiyuan nodded. "Sister Lian does so many things, and she can support me, so it's fine."
"..." Madam Xu twitched her lips slightly, "Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"What are you afraid of?" He Xiyuan was not afraid at all. "If they really want to say it, they must be jealous that I have such a good wife."
He Xiyuan is not afraid of rumors. Many rumors are false, and sometimes they cannot immediately clarify them. But they can manage their own lives and not suspect their other half. He is not without other things to do. He can help Sister Lian with other things.
Even if others only remember Sister Lian's name, He Xiyuan doesn't think it's a big deal. A grown man should not expect a woman to bring them things, nor should he think about taking possession of his wife's things.
"That's fine." Madam Xu didn't think He Xiyuan was doing anything wrong. "I just hope you'll still think this way in the future."
"Do you all think that I am young and will change in the future?" He Xiyuan asked.
He Xiyuan thought of Liu Yanqing's words, about a man having three wives and four concubines, and how a man's mouth can be deceiving. He Xiyuan couldn't do that, but he still heard others say that things would not be the same in the future. How many people originally said this and that, but they changed their minds later.
"Yes," said Madam Xu, "that's exactly the case."
“…” He Xiyuan was silent. He didn’t explain. These people were all like this.
"Spend the night here?" asked Mrs. Xu.
"No, I'll be back soon." He Xiyuan said.
"Why are you going back?" Mrs. Xu was a little surprised.
"Well, I'll go back to the barracks with my brother then." He Xiyuan said.
"You just want to see your fiancée, don't you?" Madam Xu chuckled. How could she not know what her nephew was thinking? That was the way with the young Mu Ai.
Madam Xu looked at her nephew. This nephew had a very different personality and had done so many things. If the nephew continued to be like this in the future, perhaps the story between the nephew and Liu Yulian could become a good story.
Mrs. Xu didn't think a marriage where lovers took a concubine after they got together was a good story. The real good story was the one where a couple lived together for life and could truly live a happy life.
"Forget it, you can go back." Mrs. Xu said.
"I have to buy some things." He Xiyuan did not intend to go back empty-handed. He brought some silver with him just to buy some things.
"Go, go, go." Mrs. Xu waved her hand. There was no way she could stop her nephew.
Mrs. Xu thought that He Xiyuan was fine as he was, and Liu Yulian should like him very much. Liu Yulian herself was a very nice person, and the children He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian would have in the future would surely be very good too.
When He Xiyuan returned to the Liu family's main house, he brought some things, such as some silk cloth, rouge, etc.
"Why did you buy these things?" Liu Yulian asked, "We already have them at home."
"That's different." He Xiyuan said, "I bought it."
"Okay, you bought it." Liu Yulian looked at the things and said, "I made some hand cream a few days ago. You can use it. It will be useful if your hands get frozen when you are outside."
"It's okay, we're cold-resistant." He Xiyuan said, "And the down jacket you gave us is warm."
"It's cold there too, with your hands out in the open." Liu Yulian didn't think they wouldn't be cold. Frozen hands hurt, too. "The shop also sells hand cream, and some for frostbite. Why, we've sold all of it here, so why don't we give you some?"
Liu Yulian thought that she was not someone who was obsessed with making money, and it was just some things that were not very expensive.
"Send it, I want you to send it." He Xiyuan said hurriedly, fearing that his sweetheart would be unhappy.
It was unbearable to watch. Liu Yanjing thought that he shouldn't have stood there and watched these two people giving things to each other.
"Brother has it too." Liu Yulian looked at Liu Yanjing.
"You still know you have an older brother." Liu Yanjing said softly.
“…” Liu Yulian was silent.
Business at Suixin Shop has been pretty good lately, especially with hand cream. Since Liu Yulian hasn't made more cosmetics yet and hasn't sourced them elsewhere, she only has two or three varieties of hand cream and frostbite cream, and not much cosmetics, so she hasn't opened another shop.
Liu's mother's shop did sell cosmetics, but she didn't ask Liu Yulian to take them there to sell. In Liu's mother's opinion, her daughter would get married sooner or later, so she should let her sell her things in the shop herself. There was no need for her to make money for her as a mother.
If Liu Mu's shop sold those things, Liu Mu would definitely give Liu Yulian money.
"Brother, you are not transparent." Liu Yulian muttered.
"But don't you all pretend that I don't exist?" Liu Yanjing said.
"I won't talk to you anymore." Liu Yulian simply turned around and went out with her maid. She had to prepare some things.
Liu Yanjing looked at He Xiyuan and said, "There will be time later."
There will be time in the future, so don't be so anxious to be together.
Liu Yanjing figured that in the northwest, where people were more open-minded, unmarried men and women in the countryside met more often than in the capital, unlike those men and women who were so particular about sex. Otherwise, they would definitely have locked He Xiyuan out and prevented him from coming over more often.
"That's for the future," He Xiyuan said. "There's less time."
The present time is also time, and He Xiyuan is not stupid. It is impossible for him to give up the present time because of the future time.
"Okay, you can do it." What else could Liu Yanjing say.
On the other side of town, Zhen Wen Ze and Liu Fang had a quarrel. After they returned to their residence from the third room, Liu Fang started to make a fuss. She felt that Zhen Wen Ze didn't consider her at all and that Zhen Wen Ze was always talking nonsense.
Zhen Wen Ze also didn't allow them to say anything bad about the eldest wife. If they said anything more, Zhen Wen Ze's face would turn sour. Liu Fang felt that Zhen Wen Ze had made her lose face in her family. Didn't she see how kind Tui San Ge was to his third sister-in-law?
"Do you regret marrying me?" Liu Fang asked.
"I really regret it." Zhen Wenzhe did not comfort Liu Fang. He really regretted it. Aunt Chai and Liu Fang were just bad teammates. They were impossible to lead.
Zhen Wenze thought he had explained everything to them, asking them to keep their conversation to themselves. He believed there was no such thing as a wall without holes. But these people didn't care about that at all. They only cared about their own comfort.
"You..." Liu Fang opened her eyes wide. She didn't expect Zhen Wenzhe to actually say that.
"Do you regret this? How many times do you need to ask me?" Zhen Wenze said, "Even if I ask you to change, you can't."
Zhen Wen Ze had long regretted marrying someone who was obedient, sensible, and willing to change. He was lucky enough to not have become enemies with the first wife by marrying someone like Liu Fang, so he didn't dare to think about any other benefits.
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