mother's dowry, and she was also uneasy in her heart, afraid that her mother had really done such a thing. If it got out of hand, her mother would lose face, not to mention herself, who would be point...The next day.

Before dawn broke, candidates who took part in this year's Qiuwei exam had already arrived at the Shuntianfu貢院. They waited outside the貢院 for the examiners to call their names, then were searched and entered the examination hall.

As darkness descended, many exam-takers could be seen holding torches or lanterns, waiting anxiously. The crowd was a sea of black, with candidates of all ages. There were teenagers in their teens, and there were elderly men in their fifties and sixties, still clinging to the hope of success. They were old scholars who refused to give up even at this late stage in life, determined to give it one last shot.

The Qiu Wei examination was an important test, and many candidates had their families accompany them. Whole families would travel together to send the candidates to the Gongyuan examination hall. Some families put pressure on the candidates, while others comforted them not to be too nervous.

Among the examinees were the three brothers, Gu Xiuyuan, Gu Xiuhong, and Gu Xiuming.

Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong both had family members accompany them to the exam. Although their fathers didn't come, each of them was accompanied by their mothers and younger sisters.

Zhang shi is also a demanding grandparent, repeatedly urging, "Xiuyan ah, you must study hard and strive to pass the examination this year so that you can participate in the Chunwei next year. Set a good example for the children who haven't been born yet."

Gu Xiuyan was already nervous, hearing this, he became even more nervous, his palms were sweating from nervousness.

But Chen didn't say anything like Zhang did. She just told Gu Xiuhong, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You're only seventeen years old. At worst, you can take the exam again in three years. Don't worry, even if you don't pass the exam, your mother won't force you to get married. If you want to study hard, then just study hard. Your mother can wait a few more years to hold her grandchildren."

Gu Xiuhong smiled and said, "Mother, holding a grandson is the same as holding your own son. Your second sister got married this year, and it's possible that you could hold your first grandchild next year."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Gu Xuanying blushed furiously, her face turning red. She shyly lowered her head to minimize her presence.

Mrs. Chen glanced at her adopted daughter and softly hummed in response. This girl had been raised by her side for over ten years, and she was extremely filial to Mrs. Chen. She had called her "mother" for over a decade. Even though she wasn't biologically related, there was still a maternal bond between them.

Gu Xiuhong continued, "Speaking of the second younger sister, I suddenly remembered her future brother-in-law, Master Liu, who also participated in this year's Autumn Examination. And the future eldest brother-in-law, Prince Wuan, is also

Upon hearing this, Chen's competitive spirit flared up. If her son-in-law failed the exam, and Zhang's son-in-law passed, wouldn't Zhang's family be even more arrogant She looked around, but the crowds were too dense. She couldn't see her future son-in-law or the son of Duke Wu'an. She had to give up and look away.

Over there, Gu Xiuming saw both his elder brothers being seen off by their families, getting along harmoniously. He only had a book boy to see him off; his father didn't come to see him take the exam. He felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart, once again feeling the huge difference between being born into a family and not.

Zhang noticed Gu Xiuming, who was silent on the side. She said earnestly, "Xiuming, you've worked hard too. Your father has high hopes for you."

High hopes

Gus Xiaming didn't think much of it. He couldn't see where his father had high hopes for him. His father probably wanted to raise him uselessly, and then adopt the fourth brother, making him the crown prince. Otherwise, why would he help the fourth brother enter Ling Shan Academy Of their four brothers, only the fourth brother went to Ling Shan Academy.

On the surface, he still nodded in response: "I will, Auntie."

-

Changxing Houfu.

Meng Jin Yao woke up just as the sky began to lighten. She had gone to bed early last night and wasn't sleepy at all now. After opening her eyes, she saw the man standing by her bed, already in his official attire, and said, "Husband, good morning."

Gu Jingxi heard the voice and looked over at her, nodding in response: "Madam, good morning."

Meng Jiny Yao saw that he was still at home today and questioned, "Today is the autumn examination, husband didn't go to see our son off Yesterday I heard the second sister-in-law and others say that many people sent candidates for the exam. The eldest sister went to see Xiuyan off today, and the second sister-in-law sent Xihong."

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi smiled nonchalantly: "He's sixteen years old, not a child. Does he still need me to send him If he were six, I would definitely personally take him to the Gongyuan. When I took the imperial examination in the Gongyuan, my parents didn't come to see me off either."

Meng Jin Yao nodded lightly: "That's right, he is so old, he won't get lost. Besides, he went with Xiu Yuan and Xiu Hong."

Gu Jingxi asked, "Madam, did you wake up now, or do you want to sleep for a while longer"

Meng Jin Yao replied, "Now get up, I'm not sleepy anymore."

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jingxi pulled the bell and summoned a maidservant to attend to her. He went to wash up and have breakfast himself; he still had to rush to the Dali Temple for duty and couldn't wait for her to finish washing up before eating together.

Over the next few days, both the Zhang and Chen families were on edge. Though their sons were still young, who wouldn't want their child to be top of the class, bringing honor to the family

The examination conditions were harsh, exposed to wind and sun. If you were unlucky enough to have rain, it would be even worse. So basically, every time there was an exam, some candidates would get into trouble, either fainting or getting a stomach ache. After all, many pampered young masters who lived a life of luxury and fine dining couldn't stomach the dry rations. Eating them often caused digestive problems and stomachaches were common.

However, these are minor matters. The most serious issue is that people could die inside. This kind of thing happens in almost every imperial examination, but the deceased are usually those with poor health or advanced age.

Meng Jinyao didn't have anything to worry about. Her son wasn't her biological child, so his life and death had nothing to do with her, nor did she care about his exam scores. Seeing the two sisters-in-law so nervous, she, as an outsider, didn't push forward.

Before we knew it, it was the fifteenth day of the eighth month.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, officials are allowed to take a day off.

On this day, the streets were bustling with activity. People engaged in various festivities such as climbing high places to admire the moon, offering sacrifices to the Moon Goddess, solving riddles, eating mooncakes, appreciating osmanthus flowers, drinking osmanthus wine, and releasing lanterns on rivers. The sales of alcoholic beverages saw a significant surge on this day.

As usual, the Marquis's residence was bustling with activity for the festival. However, this year, the young master was still taking the imperial examination at the academy, and the masters were all on edge. Who had the heart to fuss about these things They simply went through the motions of celebrating the occasion. The Marquis's mansion even gave the servants half a day off, resting in shifts. Some rested in the morning, others in the afternoon, ensuring that someone was always working during each time slot.

"Grandma Gu thought that her son would always come to accompany her to admire the moon, but this year was different. She told Feng MaMa: "Go tell Yao Ling that he doesn't need to worry about me today, this old woman doesn't mind him accompanying me. Let him spend time with his daughter-in-law going shopping, tonight there's no curfew, the streets will definitely be bustling, little girls love a good crowd."

Feng Mama said, “With such an open-minded matriarch, the Marquis and his wife are truly blessed to have you as their elder.”

Mrs. Gu sighed softly, "As long as the two of them are happy together, even if I pass away someday, I can leave peacefully. Seeing their relationship grow stronger brings me comfort."heard this, her face lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "That's great, thank you, husband."Gu Jingxi said in a gentle voice, "Madam, you don't have to be so polite. I still have official business to a...