The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Tong Huaqiong did not hide the fact that Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao were engaged from the village.

Almost as soon as Tong Huaqiong set off for the prefectural city, word had already spread in the village that Gu Jingzhe was to be engaged to the young lady of the Lu family, a wealthy merchant family in the prefectural city.

Some people may not know about the Lu family, the imperial merchants of Fucheng, but everyone will know them once you mention that they are related to Master Huang by marriage in Fucheng.

At this time, everyone in Qinghewan knew that Gu Jingzhe's brother-in-law, who was also the son-in-law of Master Huang, had become the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Many people in Qinghe Bay had seen Lu Zhaozhao, and they couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Gu Jingzhe had managed to snag such a beautiful girl.

But with Lu Zhaoyang being the top scorer in the high school, everyone's jealousy subsided.

You can't be jealous of that.

Such a brother-in-law deserves to be the first to be punished.

As soon as Tong Huaqiong returned to the village, she smelled a faint lemon scent in the air.

Everyone says that Gu Jingzhe has married into a good family.

"My dear in-law, we've all heard that my brother-in-law, Jingzhe, has become the top scholar in the imperial examination. Congratulations!" Zhao said with a smile as she helped Tong Huaqiong down from the carriage.

A crowd gathered around to inquire about the top scholar's situation.

It wasn't that they thought the top scholar was related to them; it's just that in this era, the top scholar always attracts a lot of attention. Plus, the top scholar was Gu Jingzhe's brother-in-law, so everyone was curious and wanted to know more about the situation.

Tong Huaqiong praised Lu Zhaoyang for a while, and then took out various candies she had bought in the prefectural city from the carriage and distributed them to everyone.

"My son Jingzhe is engaged. Everyone, please enjoy the wedding candy."

Tong Huaqiong made no secret of her satisfaction with the marriage to the Lu family.

The head of the Gu family was taking a stroll in the village when he naturally saw Tong Huaqiong looking smug.

It seems like all the good things happen to Tong Dajiao. Her son's glory as the top scholar in the imperial examination has not yet faded, and now she has found another good match with a family that has produced a top scholar.

The clan chief gritted his teeth in frustration, secretly regretting that he hadn't cultivated a good relationship with Tong Dajiao.

The news naturally reached the old family home. Originally, Old Master Gu felt that his grandson's engagement to a merchant's daughter, who was the top scholar in the imperial examination, was an insult to the family's ancestral graves. However, he now thought the marriage was excellent. The Lu family was already wealthy as imperial merchants, and now they had produced a top scholar. They could control both politics and business, and have both money and power.

This is beneficial to the Gu family.

Gu Jingzhe is a lucky person.

However, the thought of Gu Ruinian brought a shadow of sadness to Old Master Gu's eyes.

If only this marriage had been arranged for Gu Ruinian.

Thinking of Gu Ruinian, Old Master Gu felt resentment towards Tong Huaqiong. It was really outrageous that he didn't invite him to such an important event as his grandson's engagement.

When Granny Gu, Gu Youtian, and Madam Jia heard that Gu Jingzhe's brother-in-law had been named the top scholar, their faces darkened so much they looked like they could be squeezed for water.

Especially Jia, who was kicked in the heart by Gu Youtian, and thinking about how Gu Ruinian failed to pass the imperial examination, she lay in bed crying all day. She had only recently recovered enough to get out of bed.

Even after so many days, Jia still refused to face the fact that Gu Ruinian had failed the exam.

She didn't believe that her youngest son's failure to pass the exam was due to a lack of skill, and instead blamed the eldest son's parents, Tong Huaqiong and Gu Jingzhe.

It is said that ancestral graves can only have one chance to emit auspicious smoke. This chance originally belonged to Gu Ruinian, but it has now been taken away by Gu Jingzhe.

Madam Jia pounded on the bed and berated the eldest son's family.

He also berated the coachman who had thrown Gu Ruinian off the carriage.

In short, in her heart, Gu Ruinian had done nothing wrong.

Since failing the exam, Gu Ruinian has become unusually quiet, and he no longer wanders around the village as he used to. He can't stand the way the villagers look at him, their eyes filled with ridicule, mockery, and incomprehension.
Before passing the imperial examination in this life, whether in his previous life or in this one, Gu Ruinian had always lived in praise and envy, and now he was experiencing the pain of failure for the first time in his life.

What he found particularly unbearable was Gu Jingzhe's repeated smugness.

He knew that Gu Jingzhe was engaged, and the matchmaker was the magistrate of Pingchuan County.

He learned from Old Master Gu that Gu Jingzhe was talking about a merchant's daughter. Influenced by Old Master Gu's dissatisfaction, he thought that Gu Jingzhe's marriage was forced by Magistrate Liu for the sake of money, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Gu Jingzhe.

Now I hear that Gu Jingzhe's marriage is not only to a royal merchant, but his brother-in-law has also become the top scholar in this imperial examination.

That brother-in-law's name is Lu Zhaoyang, why does he sound so familiar?

By the way, the stunningly beautiful girl who came to visit Gu Jingzhe after he was beaten in the prefectural city was surnamed Lu.

Gu Ruinian felt a surge of jealousy coursing through his chest.

Gu Jingzhe's marriage has everything: good looks, wealth, and connections. What incredible luck he must have had!

If he can get the top score in the exam this year, this marriage will be his.

Gu Ruinian felt a pang of sadness when he thought about the marriage of the second young lady of the Lian family.

Before the results were released, his family looked down on the Second Miss Lian because she was born out of wedlock. Ever since she failed the exam, Matchmaker Wang has stopped visiting.

I wonder if Matchmaker Wang conveyed her message to the second young lady of the Lian family.

He's in an awkward position at home. His grandparents and mother firmly believe he's a hidden gem and support his continued education. His father, while supporting his studies, has given him the cold shoulder and made it clear he'll only support him for a year. His sister-in-law opposes his homeschooling and makes strange remarks all day. His older brother neither opposes nor supports his education.
The atmosphere at home made him feel suffocated, and he always wanted to go out and explore the world.

Now he is looking forward to the matchmaker Wang coming to his door. He will agree to the marriage with the second young lady of the Lian family without hesitation, so that he can get away from Qinghe Bay with the help of the Lian family.

Despite waiting and waiting, Wang the matchmaker never came to the door.

Tong Huaqiong returned home and washed up.

The early summer in Qinghewan is pleasant, and the whole village is filled with the fragrance of flowers. Tong Huaqiong sat in the courtyard enjoying the breeze and looked up to see the starry sky.

"Is there anything strange going on at the old house?" Tong Huaqiong asked Chen Sufen.

It wasn't that she cared about the old house's condition, but rather that she was worried about the impact the old house would have on her own family.

Especially Gu Ruinian, who was harboring malicious intentions.

Chen Sufeng said nervously, "Grandpa came to ask Dahan to borrow twenty taels of silver. Dahan didn't want to lend it, but he couldn't resist Grandpa's request and gave him ten taels."

Tong Huaqiong knew that her stepson was always soft-hearted.

However, she did not stop Gu Dahan from associating with Old Master Gu.

It's unrealistic to expect Gu Dahan, a pure traditionalist, to sever ties with the old house.

His ability to reduce the price from twenty taels to ten taels already signifies an awakening.

Anyway, Gu Dahan doesn't control the family finances, so even if Old Master Gu asks for more, he can't do with it. He can do whatever he wants with the money she gives to the eldest son's family. Even if he gives it all to Old Master Gu, it has nothing to do with Tong Huaqiong.

However, if Gu Dahan were to lose his livelihood because he gave the money to the old house, she would not care.

Tong Huaqiong said, “I don’t care about your dealings with the old house, but you should know that everything should be done in moderation. If you give them ten taels this time, they might ask you for a hundred taels in the future. I’m telling you, I have no objection if you give all the money I give you to the old house, but if you ask me for money in the future, I won’t give it to you.”

Chen Sufeng said, "That's what I told Dahan too. Dahan is soft-hearted, and he always feels it's hard to refuse. Just wait and see, one day he'll see through it all. Grandpa said this money was a loan for his own household expenses, but I reckon it's for Ruinian's schooling."

Then Chen Sufen told Tong Huaqiong some gossip about the old house. Gu Fengnian's wife, Wei, disagreed with Gu Ruinian continuing his studies and had a terrible outburst at home, scolding Gu Ruinian severely.

Tong Huaqiong wasn't surprised by the messy events that Gu Ruinian had caused at the old house; given everyone's thoughts and intentions, it would be abnormal if there hadn't been some turmoil. (End of Chapter)