$70, Daily Life of Farmers in Imperial Examination (15)

When the results came out, not only the county magistrate was overjoyed, but Duan Qingen and his friends were also happy.

There were three people in the first class, and the three of them occupied two.

Zhang Daoyuan was still the first in the second class.

It can be said that in this year's imperial examination, the three of them completely attracted the attention of most people in the capital.

After all, the three of them came from the same county. Every time the imperial examination was held, those who could pass the examination were already blessed. It was considered a blessing for a county to have one person, but their county produced three at once.

And two of them were the top scholar and the third scholar.

Duan Qingen was the top scholar, and Ma Ruxiao was the third scholar.

Zhang Daoyuan was not sad at all. He was completely occupied by the happy thing that his stepmother and brother were unlucky. It was just that he did not enter the first class. Although he did not enter, he was the first in the second class. Duan Qingen and Ma Ruxiao, the two first-class scholars, were also his good friends. How could he be unhappy?

To a certain extent, Zhang Daoyuan was the least fame-seeking of the three.

He took the imperial examination just to make his family regret and let them know how great he was.

One sentence to describe Zhang Daoyuan's state of mind.

Today | You are indifferent to me, tomorrow I will make you unable to reach me.

As long as he can prove that he is better than his brother or even his father, he will be happy.

In addition to the ranking, what makes Zhang Daoyuan most happy is that he finally got the skills to deal with his stepmother and brother.

That is to pretend to be pitiful in front of Mr. Zhang, and to show concern for his stepmother and second brother on the surface, but the so-called caring words he said were all squeezes.

When he was young, his stepmother did this, and Zhang Daoyuan, who was still young, didn't know how much grievance and suffering he had suffered openly and secretly.

It's so cool to be able to get revenge now.

Ma Ruxiao was a little uneasy. Since his name came down, he has been a little afraid to face Zhang Daoyuan.

Zhang Daoyuan has been busy fighting wits and courage with his stepmother and brother recently, but he didn't notice this. Duan Qingen saw it and encouraged him to take the initiative to talk to Zhang Daoyuan.

So on the way back home in the carriage, Ma Ruxiao rarely took the opportunity to read, but apologized to Zhang Daoyuan with a face full of shame.

Zhang Daoyuan listened to his apology with a puzzled face: "What does it have to do with you that I didn't pass the first place?"

Ma Ruxiao blushed again and said what he was thinking.

The general meaning is that he knew that his talent and knowledge were not as good as the two of them. The reason why he was able to pass the exam was that Duan Qingen and Zhang Daoyuan helped him review. As a result, he passed the exam, but Zhang Daoyuan, who was obviously better and smarter than him, did not pass the exam. He felt very sorry.

To put it bluntly, it was like a person competing with his friend. Originally, this friend had a greater chance of winning, but his friends tried hard to help this person with tutoring along the way. It would be fine if it was a win-win situation.

As a result, when the results came out, it turned out that this person got the ranking, but his friend who was smarter than him and helped him with tutoring fell behind.

In his heart, he would feel that he had robbed his friend of his honor.

That's what Ma Ruxiao thought.

He felt that he was definitely not as good as Zhang Daoyuan. No matter whether he was in the county school or anywhere else, he had to study repeatedly to memorize what Zhang Daoyuan could easily memorize. Zhang Daoyuan could recite poems and compose essays in a flash, so he had to think hard.

All along, the two top students led him.

In the end, he actually scored better than one of the top students.

Ma Ruxiao would think in his heart, is it because Zhang Daoyuan helped him and delayed his own efforts, so this happened.

Zhang Daoyuan really didn't expect Ma Ruxiao to think so.

After listening, he thought how could Ma Ruxiao be so good and so sincere to people, and he felt like laughing again.

"Okay, Ruxiao, what does this have to do with you? You can be the third place, that's your own ability."

"Qingen and I have seen how hard you have worked along the way. I'm afraid you even read books in your dreams. I'm not surprised that you can rank so high."

"Yes."

Duan Qingen saw that Ma Ruxiao was still a little uneasy, and helped to say; "Daoyuan and I still go out to drink and go shopping from time to time, but you have hardly left the house since you came to the capital, and have been studying hard behind closed doors. How can you belittle yourself?"

"That's right, let me tell you, in fact, I knew I wouldn't pass the first place."

Zhang Daoyuan simply clapped his hands and told the two of them the unspoken rules of the first place in this dynasty.

Generally, as long as the emperor is not crazy, every time the imperial examination, the first place three people will represent three classes.

For example, Duan Qingen represents the children of poor families, and Ma Ruxiao represents the scholarly family.

And Zhang Daoyuan, he represents the children of officials.

It was just that he was unlucky. In this imperial examination, there was also a son of an official who was as talented as him. Only one of the two sons of officials could be chosen. The father of the candidate had more power in the court, so Zhang Daoyuan was the one who got the second place.

Zhang Daoyuan didn't feel angry at all, "My father also told me that he had inquired about it. It's not that I am not as talented as him, but that he has more influence in the court. It doesn't matter. Anyway, it's good that I can get the first place in the second place."

Compared with the ranking, he paid more attention to people knowing that he is talented.

After speaking, Zhang Daoyuan patted Ma Ruxiao on the shoulder: "So it has nothing to do with you. There is no conflict between the two of us. You are competing with those scholarly families, not with me."

Seeing Zhang Daoyuan's casual words, as if he really didn't care, Ma Ruxiao smiled shyly and let go of his knot.

They said this on the road.

The Jinshi scholars of this dynasty will first select officials after their results come out.

Those lower-ranked Jinshi and their fellow Jinshi would be sent abroad to become officials somewhere, and then they would be promoted after their political performance improved.

These people are all disciples of the emperor. No matter where they are placed, they generally have relatively greater power. However, they are not as good as the officials in the capital. They can enjoy the prosperity of the capital and have close contact with the emperor's superiors. If they are liked, they can get a promotion or something. .

It is easy for officials working abroad to collect money, and it is also easy for them to step on a mine and be blown up.

Moreover, you also have to worry about the people and various local affairs. It can be said that it is tiring and painful. You have to worry about your boss taking the blame and worry about your subordinates doing wrong things in your name.

The three of them were relatively lucky. They were all detained in Beijing and entered the Hanlin Academy.

Of course, although Duan Qingen, the number one scholar, looked quite majestic when they were parading around the streets, when they entered the Hanlin Academy, they could only be regarded as interns at most.

After all, one number one scholar will emerge in three years, and three of the four number one scholars in twelve years will be in the Hanlin Academy. There will definitely be no privileges.

After telling everyone where you should go to work and what class, the court will usually give family leave, which means that you can go back to your hometown to pay homage to your ancestors and tell your parents and fellow villagers that they have passed the Jinshi exam and are successful, and then they will make arrangements at home before continuing. Go to work at your position.

Duan Qingen and the three of them are on their way back to their hometown at the moment.

It was a long journey, and except for such a small episode, the three of them returned to Beijing to visit relatives, but it was as peaceful as when they went to the capital to rush for the exam.

And when the three of them read books every day, and occasionally stopped to hunt and eat roasted rabbit meat with a little childlike innocence, Duan Qingen raised a soul question; "Do you think our family knows about our admission?"

Ma Ruxiao: "You should know that after we are selected, the messengers from the capital will rush to our home to inform our families. Logically speaking, the county magistrate should also send someone to congratulate us."

Zhang Daoyuan rarely had any expectations; "I really want to know how happy my grandparents will be when they find out, but it's a pity that I'm not here and can't see it."

He has no feelings for Mr. Zhang, and his heart has no fluctuations when he sees Mr. Zhang being happy that he has a promising future. But as long as he thinks that his grandparents will be proud of him, Zhang Daoyuan is extremely satisfied in his heart.

Ma Ruxiao was similar, but besides thinking about how happy his parents would be if they knew, he also thought about whether his future wife would know about it and whether she would also be happy for him.

Duan Qingen knows his family well, "My family must be very happy too, but my future wife may be worried that I won't want her after I get the top prize."

His guess was actually pretty close.

When the news came down that day, the county magistrate didn't care whether it would be disrespectful to express his congratulations in the past, so he directly went to the three people's homes to congratulate them in person, beating gongs and drums.

Anyway, he can be said to be a parent official, so there is nothing wrong with him being happy that his child has become successful.

Thinking of this, the county magistrate happily went from door to door to express his congratulations.

Although the rankings of the three people were different, the county magistrate also knew that they had a good relationship. He simply did not sort them according to their rankings. Instead, he congratulated each family in the order of which one was closest to the county government.

The first person to go was Ma Ruxiao's house. Mr. Ma and Mrs. Ma were naturally happy. After the county magistrate left, they immediately sent someone to the future in-laws' house to deliver the letter and share the joy.

Next came Zhang Daoyuan's family. Zhang Daoyuan's father was also a retired official. He was relatively stable and chatted with the county magistrate for a while.

Then there is the Duan family.

Duanjia Village is still some distance away from the county, but because it was the last one to announce the good news to the Duan family, some people in the county saw the county magistrate personally beating gongs and drums, and they all speculated that the list of those who had won the Jinshi was down. .

After such a long time, Huang Wu, who could make money by setting up a stall in the past, had already established his own store. When he heard the sound of gongs and drums outside, he asked his waiters to go out and inquire.

Aunt Duan is also here to help.

Nine years have passed, and not only has she not aged or become ugly, but she has become more mature and feminine than before, making her very beautiful to look at.

This is thanks to Huang Wu's keeping his promise and always doting on his wife. Ever since the two moved out of the house and came to the county in the name of doing business, Aunt Duan has hardly done any rough work in the sun. .

She was already good-looking, but after being raised like this, she had a fair complexion, a delicate and gentle face, and her gentle temperament. Huang Wu would be envied for a while every time he went out to drink and talked about his wife.

The more he was envied, the more proud he became. Sometimes he would go to Yincui Building to buy jewelry for his wife when he was so happy.

Naturally, he does not deny that a large part of the reason why he does not take concubines even when he is rich is because of Duan Qingen, his nephew.

When Duan Qingen was a scholar, Huang Wu was already walking on the street without even casually glancing at other women.

When he was admitted to the Juren Examination, Huang Wulian rarely drank wine and spent more and more time with Aunt Duan.

After being with her for such a long time, he gradually felt that it was not bad to just guard a woman like this.

Looking at the past, no one in the county could be as lucky as him.

There is such a beautiful, gentle and supportive wife who is willing to help her son-in-law.

If the Duan family hadn't given him the idea of ​​getting rich for his wife's sake, how could he, Huang Wu, be where he is today.

Now that the child underneath is older, he is more and more respectful to Duan Qingen.

After all, although he didn't expect to take the imperial examination, his children could. If he had Duan Qingen, a juren uncle, to help him with his advice, he might be able to become the father of a juren master like Duan Qingen's father and his third uncle.

Huang Wu felt that he and the Duan family would rise and fall together. Ever since Duan Qingen went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, he had been paying attention to the news about the imperial examination and the capital.

That's why he asked someone to go and find out when he heard the noise outside.

Aunt Duan happened to see this scene when she opened the curtain and came out. She was stunned and walked forward with some expectation; "Husband, is Qingen back?"

"No, no, I just asked someone to ask."

Huang Wu raised his neck and kept looking at the big tree outside: "Look, my wife, there was no bird nest on this tree before, but this year there is a magpie nest. Isn't it here to announce the good news? Qingen will definitely pass the exam."

Compared to Huang Wu's eager expectations, Aunt Duan was more rational and said softly: "Even if he doesn't pass the exam, it doesn't matter. Qingen is still so young and will pass the exam."

Although she also wanted Qingen to pass the exam and her family to jump directly into the dragon gate, she was more worried that Qingen had always been smooth sailing. If he didn't pass the exam, would his mentality be affected.

If Huang Wu knew what his wife was thinking, he would definitely laugh until his stomach hurt.

That was Duan Qingen.

At the age of seven, he was still a little boy and could talk Huang Wu around. How could he lose his mentality because of failing the exam?

"I think Qing'en will definitely pass the exam. We all know how smart he is. If he hadn't had to wait three years to take the exam, he would have already passed the imperial examination."

As he was talking, the waiter who was asking around outside came back.

Huang Wu hurriedly stopped him who was panting because he ran too fast: "Tell me quickly, is the name of the imperial examination announced? Did my Qing'en pass the exam?"

"Yes! Yes!"

The waiter took a breath: "Boss, I just went to see it, and it says No. 1 Duan Qing'en. Is he your nephew?"

"No. 1!! No. 1!!!"

Huang Wu expected Duan Qing'en to pass the exam, and also expected that his ranking would not be too low.

But he never expected that Duan Qing'en would pass the exam and become the No. 1.

That's the No. 1! !

He was nervous and excited, and grabbed the waiter's arm: "Did you see it right? Is Duan Qingen really the top scorer?"

"I saw it for real. Duan Qingen from Duanjia Village passed the exam and just now he had the guts to ask the official who was accompanying the county magistrate to congratulate him. They were the last to go to Duanjia Village. Shopkeeper, aren't you related to the Duan family? Otherwise, go and talk to the county magistrate to see if you can go together."

"Oh, you blockhead! Hurry up, prepare the car, I want to go back to Duanjia Village with my wife now."

Huang Wu pushed the waiter away, and walked around the room with excitement on his face.

This is a great opportunity to sell favors.

He must hurry back to the village with his wife, and then tell the Duan family about this.

So that the Duan family knows that he, as an uncle, has always been paying attention to Qingen.

Aunt Duan, who was listening on the side, was also full of joy, "Husband, Qingen is the top scholar!"

"Yes, yes, he is the top scholar."

Huang Wu couldn't stop smiling.

He actually had a relative who was the top scholar.

His son actually had an uncle who was the top scholar.

It was not just the Duan family's ancestral tomb that was burning green smoke, but even his Huang family had smoke.

Because he was quick enough, Huang Wu still arrived at Duanjia Village before the county magistrate.

Duanjia Village is now much richer and calmer than before. Grandpa Duan and Grandma Duan no longer work in the fields, but the men in the family are still doing the same.

Usually, Grandma Duan would sit under the tree with Li Baojun to make clothes, and sometimes they would read books together.

They came here not because it was cool, but because they were looking forward to the news from the capital. The key is that no one knows how much time it will take along the way. Even if they know that the imperial examination has been completed and the results have come out, as long as they don't know the ranking, they will feel empty and uncertain.

When Huang Wu and his friends came, Grandma Duan was discussing with Li Baojun about making new clothes for the family. As they were discussing, the sound of a carriage running over was heard.

Li Baojun looked up and recognized the carriage: "Grandma, it's my aunt's carriage."

"Your aunt's?"

Grandma Duan raised her head and squinted her eyes to look at it. She felt a little strange: "Why are they back? Didn't they just come back to the village a while ago?"

After Huang Wu took Aunt Duan out to live alone, in order to prevent others from thinking that they were unfilial, they would buy big and small gifts to come back to see their family every few days.

Of course, the Duan family, who brought him such a happy life, must also be seen. After almost ten years of visiting each other, the Duan family has become much closer to Huang Wu.

The carriage stopped in front of them under their sight, and Huang Wu directly lifted the curtain and jumped out of the car.

Grandma Duan was helped to stand up by Li Baojun: "Why are you here?"

"Mom, we are here to congratulate you."

Huang Wu turned around and helped Aunt Duan down from the car, saying: "Dear, you passed the exam and became the top scholar!!"

"Top scholar?!!!"

Grandma Duan's eyes widened suddenly.

Even when Duan Qingen was not in school, she knew about the top scholar. After all, there were many plays with the top scholar as the male protagonist.

In the same category, the second and third overall picks have less presence to ordinary people. Anyway, I have only heard that the number one pick is the male lead, but I have never heard that the second and third overall pick can become the male lead.

Grandma Duan simply thought she was dreaming, "My dear grandson, has he passed the exam? Are you kidding me?"

"Mom, what are you talking about? I'm full and have nothing to do to coax you to do anything."

Huang Wu spared no effort to brag about himself: "Since Qing En went to the capital, I have been asking around in the county from time to time. As soon as I heard about it today, I will be back. Don't worry, he is really the number one scholar. The officer under the magistrate said it himself."

Aunt Duan also helped and said: "Yes, mother, she really is the number one scholar. When we were driving the car, the guy who went to inquire also said that the young masters of the Ma family and the Zhang family had also passed the exam, and there was another one. It’s Tanhua.”

Huang Wu took over: "Now the county magistrate is congratulating the two families. Our homes are far away, so we are the last ones to come. You can wait with peace of mind. After a while, the county magistrate will come beating gongs and drums." "

"The county magistrate will come again..." Grandma Duan was really shocked.

Even though Duan Qingen had taught her before that the county magistrate was actually a very small official, and he could become one if he wanted to, but for an old man who had been a common man for most of his life, the county magistrate was still a high official to them.

"Then, what should I do now? That's the county magistrate. What should I say when I see him?"

Seeing that Grandma Duan was in a panic, Li Baojun quickly supported her. The beautiful and gentle girl comforted her softly: "Grandma, don't be afraid first. The county magistrate is definitely coming to our home. Let's go back now." Call everyone at home in case someone is outside when the adults come later. "

"But that's the county magistrate. I and our family are farmers in the countryside, and Qing En is not at home. What are we going to do when we meet..."

Li Baojun patiently advised the flustered and happy Grandma Duan: "How about this, let's go back first. Didn't I just make you a new dress a while ago? It's just right for such a happy day, and so is grandpa. Our family has all put on new clothes, and we are not rude in front of the county magistrate. Don’t worry about anything else. The county magistrate is just here to congratulate you, not to pick up anyone from our house. Besides, there is also my aunt. My uncle is here. They have been in the county for a long time and have seen more of the world than we have. Since they are here, they can naturally help take care of it. "

After finishing speaking, the seventeen-year-old girl looked at Huang Wu and Huang Wu with a smile; "I will bother my aunt and uncle in a while."

"No trouble, no trouble. What a happy event this is. It's not too late for me to be happy."

"My parents are still in the fields. I will go to the fields to make friends. My aunt and uncle should take grandma back first."

Huang Wu responded, and Aunt Duan quickly stepped forward to support his mother.

Li Baojun saluted again, then turned around and headed towards the field.

Huang Wu turned his head and glanced at her back several times.

Maybe it was because Li Baojun had been taught by Duan Qingen since he was a child. He always felt that this future niece-in-law was just like Duan Qingen, his eldest nephew, and was different from their countrymen inside and out.

How should I put it, the energy in my body is a little calm and a little elegant, as if I can handle it without panic no matter what happens.

Because of Duan Qingen's actions when he was seven years old, Huang Wu is still a little afraid of his nephew.

Seeing Li Baojun grow bigger and bigger, he actually started to be a little afraid of his future niece-in-law.

This may mean that those who are close to ink are black and those who are close to vermilion are red.

***

In fact, Li Baojun was not as calm as Huang Wu thought.

It's just that Grandma Duan was a little panicked at the time and couldn't help but feel happy. She forced herself to calm down and comfort the old man first.

As what Huang Wu said just now caused the villagers to stop, the whole village was in an uproar. You spread the news to me and I spread the news to you. Some people got the news and ran to their families to tell them the good news. .

This is the top pick! ! !

Number one pick! !

From their village! !

If any villagers who knew the news saw Li Baojun passing by, they would quickly come up to him and ask nervously: "Junjun, it is said that Qing'en has won the first prize in the exam, is it true?"

Li Baojun nodded: "That's what my uncle said."

"This is the top pick. Congratulations to you. You will be the top pick lady from now on."

In response to such words, Li Baojun always smiled and thanked him.

Of course, not everyone will congratulate her.

Most of the people in the village are illiterate, and their knowledge of the outside world comes either from others passing it on from one person to another, or from operas that come to the village once a year to perform.

In these dramas, a scholar went to Beijing to take the exam and stayed at a girl's house. As a result, he and the girl fell in love. The two agreed to marry the scholar after he finished the exam. However, the girl's family disagreed and thought he was a poor scholar.

As soon as the scholar left, the girl's family forced her to get married. If she didn't marry, she would be kicked out of the house. The girl was really kicked out of the house in order to wait for the scholar, and then suffered a lot of hardships and suffered a lot of sins. Finally, the scholar came back with the first prize. Marrying the face-slapping girl's family and so on and so forth.

It's just that in these dramas, the ones who can be married by the number one scholar are usually young ladies. When the two met, most of them were scholars when they were poor. People like Li Baojun were usually abandoned in the dramas, and then the scholar married another princess, and was finally discovered. Then beheaded with a click.

The people in the village are uneducated, so naturally some people take these things seriously.

While saying that their village would be much better after a top scholar appeared in the village, and that people would treat them well for Duan Qingen's sake when they went out, they also wondered whether Duan Qingen would still marry Li Baojun since he was already a top scholar and was going to be an official.

Duan Qingen was good-looking, had a good temper, was well-educated, and was a top scholar. What if the emperor really took a fancy to him and let him marry the princess?

No one thought that Duan Qingen would choose Li Baojun between the princess and Li Baojun. What's wrong with growing up together? Although Li Baojun looked much better than other girls in the village, she was still far behind the princess.

Besides, she was a child bride bought by the Duan family. She was raised from a young age. It was considered a great kindness to her that she could be brought up to this beautiful appearance without suffering. Even if Duan Qingen did not marry her and found a good family for her to marry, the villagers would understand.

Li Baojun walked along the way. Although those who were talking about these things would quickly stop talking after seeing her, she also heard some bits and pieces.

A seventeen-year-old girl, no matter how strong she is, can't help but worry about the good things of the people she cares about.

But she couldn't be sad.

As soon as the bitterness came out of her heart, Li Baojun remembered that when she and Duan Qingen watched operas together when they were young, Duan Qingen, who was still very young, seriously refuted these unreliable operas.

The prince consort was not allowed to participate in political affairs, so the princesses of golden branches and jade leaves usually married the second sons of the rich and powerful families.

Choosing a poor scholar was completely impossible.

And the poor scholar counterattacked and slapped the girl's family, which Duan Qingen did not approve of.

This girl and the scholar got married privately without the permission of their parents and the words of the matchmaker. If this were put in reality, both of them would be sent to the government.

I won't mention this. Duan Qingen himself did not agree with the idea that children are property in the hands of their parents.

More importantly, the young lady was a daughter of a rich family. She was raised by her parents with dignity since she was a child. As a result, she abandoned her parents for a man.

And the scholar was even more so. He was a poor scholar who had no money to stay in an inn. People kindly let him stay to avoid the rainstorm, but he seduced the girl. In the end, he did not explain it clearly to the girl's parents. As soon as the rainstorm was over, he retreated very casually, leaving the girl alone to face her parents who wanted to choose a husband for her.

After saying that, Duan Qingen, who was still very young at the time, said in a childish voice that he and Li Baojun would have children in the future. Whether it was a boy or a girl, they should be well educated, and they must not grow up to be irresponsible like the ones in the opera.

With this memory, the last trace of sadness in Li Baojun's heart disappeared.

My husband said that these operas were all fake.

The writer of the play himself did not pass the imperial examination, but he speculated about the love life of the imperial scholar. You know, if you get engaged when you are poor, but break the engagement when you are rich, both the man and the woman can go directly to the government to file a complaint.

At that time, if the truth is found out, those who have achievements will be deprived of their achievements, and those who have no achievements will be beaten and exiled. Anyway, it will definitely not be easy.

Duan Qingen told Li Baojun all this, and he joked that if he really let Li Baojun down in the future, he would let her file a complaint.

At this moment, thinking about Duan Qingen passing the imperial examination, Li Baojun's mood is no longer as certain as before.

She believes in Duan Qingen, but at the same time she is inferior to herself.

She is just an orphan, raised by the Duan family, and because of the Duan family, she can live so easily and read books and learn to write. It is no exaggeration to say that her life is completely saved because of the Duan family.

It's okay not to think about repaying, but how can you repay kindness with enmity?

Li Baojun walked on the ridge of the field, her face still calm, but she was thinking in her heart.

If that day really comes...

She must be quiet and not cry or make a fuss, just pretending that there is no such thing as a child bride.

After the county magistrate came to announce the good news that day, the Duan family continued their peaceful and happy life.

Compared with the usual slightly irritable, they completely settled down after knowing that Duan Qingen passed the imperial examination.

Only Li Baojun, countless nights, she would think about her future before going to bed.

There was anxiety, sweetness, and a calmness that could accept anything.

At this moment in the carriage, the three of them had played leaf cards together before, so they were in a carriage. Fortunately, the carriage was big enough and not crowded.

Zhang Daoyuan was sleepy because of the shaking of the carriage, so he simply lay on the table to sleep.

Duan Qingen chatted quietly with Ma Ruxiao.

He was very sure: "My Junjun must be thinking about what to do if I go back and don't want her anymore, or, if I don't want her anymore, she will definitely not make a fuss and quietly accept the reality or something."

Ma Ruxiao didn't quite understand: "A gentleman's words are worth a thousand gold, how could she think so."

"You don't understand, after all, she is living under someone else's roof, it's normal for her to think so much, and it will be fine after we get married."

Ma Ruxiao didn't quite understand these, but nodded: "Women think more than men."

"Nothing, nothing, before marriage, women think too much, that is, they feel uneasy, after marriage, I treat her well, she will naturally settle down."

Duan Qingen was very sure: "My Junjun, that is not inferior to many men in talent and learning, it's a pity that she can only talk to me about what she has learned. If she can take the imperial examination like us and get a good ranking, she will definitely not be so timid."

In the final analysis, I still have no confidence.

A woman's confidence these days is not whether she is strong or knowledgeable, but whether her family is strong, whether she has brothers, whether she is favored at home, etc.

Duan Qingen added: "When I have a place in the officialdom in the future, I will propose that women can also be elected officials, or women can also be wives."

If others heard it, they would definitely think that Duan Qingen was whimsical or crazy.

But Ma Ruxiao didn't think anything of it at all. He had always had a clear and clear heart. Whether he was a man or a woman, in his opinion, as long as he had good conduct, he deserved his respect.

"That's fine. There are many women in the world who are no worse than men."

"Yes, for example, my Junjun."

Ma Ruxiao blushed: "And Miss Wu too."

Zhang Daoyuan was awakened by their voices: "... I knew you were engaged. Along the way, either Miss Wu or Jun Jun, did you bully me for not being engaged?"

Ma Ruxiao asked in a low voice with some embarrassment: "Daoyuan, since you have canceled your previous engagement, why don't you invite other people to your family?"

Zhang Daoyuan: "My second brother was sick before, my mother was also sick, and my elders are all sick, so I'm not in a hurry."

Duan Qingen smiled and said nothing.

He was not in a hurry. He wanted to quickly settle on a gentle and beautiful woman, but because he had lied to Liu Xinrong before, he couldn't get engaged.

Ma Ruxiao really thought that Duan Qingen was not engaged because the elder in the family was ill. Hearing this, he was a little worried for him; "You are in your late twenties. If you don't get engaged, some people will suspect that there is something wrong with you."

"It doesn't matter." Zhang Daoyuan waved his hand: "It will be fine after a while."

According to the trends he has studied in the DPRK, His Majesty is probably going to attack the general.

When the time comes that the woman with the moustache has nothing to rely on, he won't be afraid of anything anymore.

Oh, my sweet and soft wife, wait for him!

The three of them chatted for a while, read a book for a while, and played cards for a while, before arriving in the county in a bumpy way.

After bidding farewell to his two friends who both live in the county, Duan Qingen continued to sit in the carriage and headed toward the village.

In Duanjia Village, since she knew that he was on his way back to his hometown, Grandma Duan took Li Baojun with her at the entrance of the village to do needlework and wait for him every day.

This was also a statement in response to the gossip in the village, saying that she was very satisfied with this future grandson-in-law, and it was impossible for her grandson to lose this grandson-in-law just because he got the top prize.

Now she was the grandma of the number one scholar, and no one in the village dared to say anything when they saw her like this. Li Baojun felt at peace.

Only she knew how uneasy she was.

When Duan Qingen came back, she was embroidering green bamboo.

When the carriage sounded, Grandma Duan pulled her to her feet eagerly and stared at the carriage.

Finally, Duan Qingen got out of the car.

When Grandma Duan saw her grandson whom she had not seen for a long time, she immediately burst into tears: "Qing En!!!"

"You haven't been away from grandma for such a long time. How are you? Have you lost weight? Grandma is old, and her legs and feet have not been very good these past two days. She always thought that if you haven't come back yet, I will leave. Then how sad it will be for you to come back..."

She cried and laughed again, and hugged Duan Qingen.

"Grandma, what are you talking about? Don't cry. I'm back."

"I'm fine, and so are you. Stop crying."

Duan Qingen coaxed Grandma Duan softly while looking at Li Baojun who was looking at him.

"You still have to watch me marry Junjun and help us take care of your great-grandson. Don't worry, you will definitely live a long life."

The author has something to say: The setting has been changed. Instead of everyone having the same level of armor, only Duan Qingen and Ma Ruxiao have the same level of armor~

Some random little angels send red envelopes, good night