The doctor concubine who broke off the engagement was forced to rush to the wedding, but became the

The warm spring sunshine shines on the streets of Kyoto. The pedestrians on the streets have changed their cautious walking posture in winter and now walk more freely and elegantly.

The breeze blows gently, and the leaves sway in the breeze, making a rustling sound, as if whispering the secret of spring.

On the lawn, tender green grass breaks through the soil.

What a beautiful scene of all things coming back to life.

In Baoning Lane, in a quaint large house, three women were sitting in the hall.

The leader was an old lady of about fifty, wearing a brocade and satin jacket. The following was a young lady, wearing fashionable brocade patterns, except for the hairpins and rings on her head that were from several years ago.

Sitting next to her was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with a pretty face. She wore a fashionable hairpin on her head and clothes with new patterns for spring. Judging from the craftsmanship of the weaving and embroidery, it was inferior to those of the Xiangyun Pavilion, which was the favorite of the noble ladies in Kyoto. They were probably bought from an ordinary ready-made clothing shop.

The young lady sitting at the bottom was the first to speak: "Mother, don't worry. Zhu'er has always been the top student since he was young. Even the nobles and nobles on this street know that our Zhu'er is very hardworking. He will definitely pass the exam this time and revive our Chiayi Earl's Mansion in the future."

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl also smiled and said to the old lady at the top: "Yes, grandmother, even my close friends who like to read and learn know that my cousin's poems and calligraphy are very good. They even asked their brothers who went to the same school as my cousin to ask for his calligraphy to copy."

The old lady sitting at the top is the mistress of the Earl's Mansion in Chiayi, Mrs. Lu Wang. The middle-aged lady sitting at the bottom is her married daughter, Mrs. Zhang Lu. The young girl is Mrs. Zhang Lu's only daughter, Zhang Zhitao.

As the imperial examination was approaching, Lu knew that her mother would be worried about Zhu Ge'er's exam, so she brought her daughter here to stay for a few days to accompany her mother and hear good news from her nephew earlier.

Madam Lu had been staring at the door, not knowing when the messenger would come back. After hearing what her daughter and granddaughter said, she relaxed a little and said, "How could I not know that Zhu Ge'er was a great student? But this exam is not about writing beautiful words and writing good essays, and you will definitely pass it."

As he spoke, he recalled the past: "If the master and Zhu'er's father had not passed away long ago, our Lu Mansion would not have no connections in the court, and would be left with an empty shell of a title. For so many years, I held on to my breath and took care of Zhu'er, hoping that he would be able to serve as an official in the court after passing the imperial examination and revive the Earl's Mansion in Chiayi, so that I could go to the underworld to meet the master."

Lu knew that her mother became a widow at a young age and raised her older brother and herself alone. Later, her brother died young, and her sister-in-law could not bear the blow and also died. Zhu Ge'er was left without a husband at a young age, and it was his mother who raised him. The bitterness of it all made her, as a daughter, feel sad.

So he thought of saying something nice to cheer up his mother: "The final palace examination will be decided by His Majesty after all. His Majesty naturally hopes to recruit a talent like Zhuge'er into the court and will not miss him. As for Zhuge'er's marriage, it's time to arrange it after he passes the imperial examination. Isn't it mainly because we don't have many sons to support the family? We should let him get married as soon as possible so that he can have many children."

Zhang Zhitao muttered after hearing this, "Didn't they say that the daughter of the Duke of Weiguo's mansion was sent to live in a manor when she was a few years old because her fate offended her elders? How can such a rude girl who doesn't know etiquette be worthy of my cousin, who is as elegant as an orchid? What if my cousin wins the first place in the imperial examination and marries a rude first place wife? Wouldn't it make people laugh at our Earl's Mansion in Chiayi?"

Mrs. Lu quickly scolded her daughter: "Shut up! Don't speak ill of others behind their backs! You are so young, don't learn to be like the gossipy women on the street. Where have you learned the virtues and cultivation of women?"

Turning back, he comforted her mother and said, "Don't listen to Sister Tao's nonsense. Even if she was sent to the manor for the sake of the elders at home, wouldn't the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion hire a nanny to take care of the eldest daughter?"

But they were sent to the farm. Even if they were abandoned children, how could they be carefully educated? How could they not know the ways of these aristocratic families in the capital?

Zhang Zhitao's words clearly touched upon Mrs. Lu's concern.

Madam Lu sighed and said, "The wife of Duke Weiguo and Zhuge'er's mother are close friends, and this marriage was arranged when Zhuge'er's father was still alive. And the girl from the Xie family came of age two years ago, and the two families have exchanged engagement letters. I am a widow with Zhuge'er, and it is only because of this marriage with Duke Weiguo that your uncles dare not come to ask for this house. Just think of it as a debt owed by my family to this girl. If she is really not decent, it is not impossible to give Zhuge'er a decent concubine to manage the household."

After saying this, his cloudy eyes fell on Zhang Zhitao, as if he was thinking about something.

At this moment, the voice of the servant outside the door was heard shouting: "Got it! Got it! Sir, you got it!"

He shouted all the way from the front gate into the front hall of the yard.

The three people in the hall were all very excited. They stood up from their chairs and stared at the boy and asked, "What did you win?!"

"Number one! The young master has won the first place in the imperial examination! The emperor personally selected him in the Golden Palace!"

"Okay!" Old Madam Lu slammed her hands heavily on the lacquered nanmu table, tears welling up in her eyes. She was so excited that she could no longer speak.

Lu and Zhang Zhitao were also delighted and said happily, "That's great!"

After a while, Mrs. Lu said to the boy, "Go down and claim your reward."

The boy went away happily.

-

On the other side, in Changxing Lane, a few streets away from Baoning Lane, is the Duke of Weiguo’s Mansion.

Lady Xie Hang, wife of Duke Weiguo, was lying on a couch by the window, reading a travelogue, when she saw her wet nurse hurried over. Standing by the window, she smiled and said to her, "Madam, the Lu family's son has passed the exam! You can finally take the eldest daughter back home!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Hang happily threw away the book, ran from the couch to the door, took the hand of the wet nurse and asked, "Did you really win? What did you win? Tell me now!"

The wet nurse, Nanny You, was so excited that her voice trembled: "He won the first place in the imperial examination! The maid who came to report the news said that the name was at the top of the list! The first one is the name of the Lu family's young master!"

Mrs. Xie Hang couldn't help stamping her feet and said, "Great! The Lu family's boy is really a good one. It's worth it that his mother and I decided on this marriage early on and paved this way for Ayuan. Let's go! Let's go and ask the master to bring Ayuan back as soon as possible!"

Aunt You also laughed and said, "Yes, with the support of the future son-in-law, look at that bitch Yang Wan, she still dares to ride on your head!"

They can finally vent all the humiliation they have endured in the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion over the years.