Ji Wenyan understood Yan Xiaoyu’s concerns.

“The new county magistrate is a cousin of the Xu family, the Imperial Uncle. We don’t get along with the Imperial Uncle’s faction, so I don’t think we can count on him. However, Father has already instructed the Criminal Investigation Bureau to spare no effort in identifying the person who framed you as soon as possible. ”

Yan Xiaoyu had a somewhat foreboding feeling, but he still told Ji Wenyan what Zhu Sheng had uncovered.

Ji Wenyan nodded: “Go back and tell Father. Have the officials in the Criminal Bureau use the clues you found to interrogate them, see if they can extract anything, so we can arrest and question them with full justification.”

Yan Xiaoyu thanked him repeatedly.

Ji Wenyan was set to depart in a few days, so Yan Xiaoyu personally cooked a lavish meal to see him off. At the last moment, he also gathered plenty of non-perishable food from home and packed a few freshly prepared travel rations for him to take along, leaving Ji Wenyan deeply moved.

“This man really has no luck,” Ji Wenyan said with a wistful expression. “I’ve been waiting for you to open a restaurant in the county seat for ages—half a year, to be exact. Now that you’ve finally found a place, I’m leaving. Once you’re gone, who knows if I’ll ever get to eat your cooking again.”

Yan Xiaoyu actually quite liked Ji Wenyan. Hearing this, he smiled and reassured him: “You’re heading to Daifu County near the capital. I’m sure there are plenty of skilled chefs there! Besides, since we’re meant to meet, who knows—maybe we’ll run into each other somewhere else someday.”

Ji Wenyan laughed upon hearing this: “You’re right. With your excellent cooking skills, you might even open a shop in the capital someday. And with Yan Erlang around, he might take the imperial exams next year, so we could meet in the capital then. ”

Yan Xiaoyu paused in surprise. Although he and Yan Shaoxuan were close, their relationship wasn’t so close that he’d accompany him to the capital to take the imperial exams, was it?

Moreover, Ji Wenyan seemed far too confident in him and Yan Shaoxuan. Yan Shaoxuan hadn’t even passed the provincial exams yet, and Ji Wenyan was already certain he’d be able to take the imperial exams next year?

Yan Xiaoyu was genuinely curious: “Young Master Ji seems quite certain that Yan Erlang will be able to take the Imperial Examinations next year?”

“Of course.” Ji Wenyan looked utterly convinced.

“Yan Erlang’s tutor once served as Vice-Chancellor of the Imperial Academy; he is a renowned Confucian scholar. Had he not been implicated by a disciple, he might well have been promoted to Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. Otherwise, my father wouldn’t have insisted so fiercely that I take him as my teacher. Yan Erlang is exceptionally gifted, and with Master Luo’s guidance, he’s had eight years to prepare since the prefectural exams. He’s sure to pass the academy exams, and the provincial exams shouldn’t be a problem either. It’s just the imperial exams—those might be a bit tougher.”

He sighed as he said this: “In recent years, the top two ranks of the Jinshi examination have consistently been dominated by the sons of prominent families from the capital and the Jiangnan region. These young men have been taught by renowned masters since childhood; they know past exam questions by heart, understand the question-setting styles and literary preferences of the ministers of the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites, and possess a grasp of court affairs that scholars from humble backgrounds cannot match. How can ordinary people possibly compete with them?”

“Your Honor, Yan Erlang’s natural talent is top-notch here, but things are different in the wider world. ‘There are heavens beyond heavens, and people beyond people.’ Out there, there are plenty of people just like him.”

Yan Xiaoyu was a complete novice but even he could grasp the gist of it. Ji Wenyan was saying that the educational environment in Weishi County couldn’t compare to that of the capital or the towns in the Jiangnan region.

Yan Xiaoyu could help figure out solutions for other matters, but when it came to studying, he was truly powerless to assist. All he could do was pray that Yan Shaoxuan would have good luck and encounter questions he could answer.

Three days later, Ji Wenyan left with his family, and Yan Xiaoyu received some unexpectedly good news.

Tan San had been arrested by the constables; it seemed that the evidence Zhu Sheng had uncovered had paid off, and the case had moved forward.

After hearing this from Nian-ger, Yan Xiaoyu was so pleased he ate an extra bowl of rice.

In the days that followed, he continued to busy himself with household matters.

A few days before the new house was completed, Yan Xiaoyu went to town to find a well-digger to dig a well for the family. The workers he hired were all diligent, and the house and the well were completed almost simultaneously.

Once the house was built, Yan Xiaoyu and his father, Yan Xingmao, went to Dongling Village to bring back the custom-made furniture. With the help of Aunt He and Uncle Li, the whole family thoroughly cleaned the new house and arranged all the furnishings they had purchased in advance.

In those days, new houses didn’t pose a formaldehyde problem; after construction, they could be moved into after airing out for a few days. However, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua took this matter seriously and even asked the village elders to help choose an auspicious date.

Since the house was finished ahead of schedule and the shop in the county town wasn’t ready yet, Yan Xiaoyu wasn’t in a hurry. His parents said they wanted to wait until the ninth day of the third lunar month to move, so he went along with them.

On the ninth day of the third lunar month, the family loaded the remaining belongings onto a donkey cart and moved into their new home. Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua were overcome with emotion once again, recalling the past; they nearly shed tears.

Yan Xiaoyu and his sister weren’t as emotional as their parents, but they were happy nonetheless. As they set about tidying up the house, they seemed to have boundless energy.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

On the third day after moving into their new home, Yan Xiaoyu’s family hosted a banquet at home and invited their neighbors and celebrate their housewarming. Aside from a few households with whom Yan Xingmao was close to, almost everyone in the village was on the guest list.

That day, Xiling Village was exceptionally lively. By noon, villagers were streaming in small groups, carrying gifts toward the Yan family’s home.

“I saw it yesterday when I came over to help—the Yan family’s feast is lavishly prepared, with dozens of meat and vegetable dishes. We’re in for a real treat today!”

“That sounds about right. Brother Yan has always been generous. The men who helped build the house at the village entrance said that when they worked for him, they were fed well every day—plenty of food and plenty of tofu at every meal. If the laborers got that kind of food, imagine what the feast will be like today!”

“I heard Brother Yu’s new house is even more impressive than those of the wealthy families in Nanling Village. Our village has finally produced a man of distinction…”

The villagers chattered away as they walked, their faces beaming with excitement. But as they passed the entrance to the Yan family’s home, they all fell silent at once.

Yan Xingsheng and his wife were both away today, but Old Master Yan was at home. He was standing at the entrance to the courtyard, listening clearly to every word outside, and was so furious that he was fuming.

“Pah!” he spat through clenched teeth, muttering under his breath, “Bunch of ignorant fools—a few pieces of tofu and you’re already bought off!”

The villagers heard him, but didn’t take it personally. They merely exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in silence.

Originally, if Brother Yu’s family had struck it rich, this old man could have enjoyed the benefits too. But who could blame him for looking down on others and being biased back then?

Now that they’ve severed ties, he can’t get a single advantage out of it, so all he can do is grumble a few words behind their backs.

When they arrived at Yan Xiaoyu’s house, the villagers let out another round of gasps.

Although many people had come to take a look at the house a few times after construction began and knew that the Yan Xiaoyu family had spent a fortune, seeing the clean and well-organized house now still filled them with envy.

The two-courtyard home, with its blue bricks and black tiles, was solidly built; even the outer walls were brick-built, and the courtyard featured two paths paved with stone slabs. 

Though the design wasn’t overly complex, it looked quite grand—better than many shops in town.

Not only was the home impressive, but Yan Xiaoyu’s family had also spared no expense on the banquet. Each table featured three meat dishes, five vegetable dishes, and a total of eight courses, all served in generous portions.

Yan Xiaoyu had purchased dozens of pounds of pork and pork bones from Zhu Sheng. Dishes like braised pork with spring bamboo shoots, pork rib and radish soup, and braised pork with pickled cabbage… each was served in a large bowl.

The villagers ate to their hearts’ content and showered Yan Xingmao and his wife with praise.

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua were honest and generous people who never skimped on their workers. They were very generous to those who came to help, and now the villagers were eagerly waiting for the next time they would hire people, greeting the couple with extra warmth.

They had been praised so often lately that they had grown somewhat numb to it, but they still politely thanked everyone.

With the housewarming banquet over, Yan Xiaoyu was finally less busy.

He made a few more trips to town, still to inquire about the case.

A few days after Tan San was arrested, an old servant from Qian Hong’s household was also taken away by the constables. He had originally thought the matter would be resolved immediately, but unexpectedly, a new magistrate took office, and the officials at the county office suddenly became very busy, causing Yan Xiaoyu’s case to be delayed once again.

However, the constable at the market said that the clerks in the Criminal Bureau had already found evidence; once they were free from their current tasks, they would be able to clear his name.

Meanwhile, in the city of Peiyang Prefecture.

Yan Shaocheng returned from outside looking thrilled. As soon as he walked in, he exclaimed to Yan Shaoxuan, “You passed! Shaoxuan, you passed the exam! And you even came in first!”

“The officials will probably be here any minute to deliver the good news. Hurry up and get the silver coins ready—we’ll need to reward them!”

Yan Shaocheng was so overjoyed he didn’t know what to do with himself. One moment, he was pulling his younger brother up from his chair to inspect his clothes, the next, he was pulling out red envelopes to wrap the silver, muttering to himself.

“I wonder when they’ll come with the news. Will four red envelopes be enough? You’re the top scorer—there’s bound to be a crowd!”

“That’s enough, big brother. Sit down, have a drink of water, and rest a bit.” Yan Shaoxuan poured his older brother a cup of tea with a helpless look on his face.

Yan Shao ignored him and excitedly slapped him on the shoulder: “You’ve really made us proud. On your very first attempt, you’ve come back as the top scholar!”

“Now things are looking up. Our Xiling Village finally has a scholar. Once we get back, I bet the villagers will all be lining up to have you register their fields under your name. That’s for the best—they’ll be exempt from land taxes, and you’ll earn a bit of silver…”

Yan Shaocheng had waited for this for many years, and now that his wish had finally come true, he couldn’t calm down for a long time.

The results were announced today. Before dawn, he had gone to the examination hall to wait. Yan Shaoxuan had said that if he passed, an official messenger would come to deliver the good news, but he still couldn’t rest easy and insisted on going to see the list himself.

Even in this early spring weather, he had worked himself up into a sweat.

Yan Shaoxuan had already figured it out when he left the examination hall; now that he had received confirmation, he wasn’t particularly excited—his mind was preoccupied with other matters.

“Big Brother,” he glanced at Yan Shaoyi, putting on a nonchalant air. “Now that I’ve passed the exam, it’s time to go to Brother Yu’s house to ask for his hand in marriage. I’ve heard from others that we need to prepare some items for the proposal. Will you accompany me tomorrow to get them ready? Then we can set off for home the day after tomorrow?”

Yan Shaocheng suddenly calmed down.