Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 241 Palace Examination
Zhang Zhaodi kept glancing outside, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Yaoguang waved her hand in front of her and said, "Mother, Wangshu has just entered the palace. It's still early. Don't be so nervous."

"I wasn't nervous," Zhang Zhaodi refused to admit.

In the past, she never expected Zhou Wangshu to pass any official examinations. Back then, everyone said Zhou Wangshu wasn't cut out for academic success, so the whole family thought it would be good enough if he could even read a few characters. Of course, it would be even better if he could master numerology, so he could help Su Yaoguang manage the business.

As Zhou Wangshu repeatedly surprised his family, their expectations for him grew ever higher. Now that he had become the top scholar in the provincial examination, so many eyes were watching; even gambling dens were betting on the scholars, and many were on Zhou Wangshu. If he could become the top scholar in the imperial examination, it would be a remarkable achievement. If he didn't…

It's okay if he doesn't make it; he'll still be a son-in-law they're proud of. But who wants to be a soldier if they can be a general? Until the results are in, anything is possible.

“Mother, you’ve already cleaned that area five times.” Su Yaoguang told Zhang Zhaodi to stop. “Why don’t you go to the theater today? There’s not much business anyway.”

“My aunt is also…” Jiang Jing said from the side, “My aunt also looks absent-minded.”

Zhang Yingdi blushed and said, "I'm not hoping that my son will become the top scholar or second-best in the imperial examination. I'm just worried that he's weak. Now that he's going to meet the emperor, will he get nervous and feel even worse, which will affect his performance in the examination?"

"No, no, none of that is true. Stop overthinking it," Su Yaoguang said. "How about this, the shop is closed today, let's all go out and have some fun."

“I even asked someone to gather information. If we get the news but we’re not in the shop, that would be terrible!” Zhang Zhaodi said.

"When the top three results are announced, the list will be posted, and the top three will be paraded through the streets. Mother, there's no need to send anyone to inquire; the news will naturally reach our ears."

"I'm not going out. I'm not going anywhere today. I'll just stay in the store and wait for news."

"Alright, then the guys can watch the shop, and Mom and the two aunts can take a break." Seeing that they weren't focused on managing the business, Su Yaoguang gave them a day off, letting them do whatever they wanted.

"Yaoguang..." Cui Rong swaggered in, fanning himself with a fan. "This young master has arrived in the capital. Are you surprised?"

When Su Yaoguang saw Cui Rong, her eyes were full of smiles: "What a pleasant surprise! It is a great joy to have a friend come from afar."

"I've just arrived in the capital and don't have a place to stay yet. Do you have any spare rooms in your house?"

"Of course, I'll arrange it for you right away." Su Yaoguang poured him a glass of water. "How did you find my place?"

“Your Peach Blossom Pavilion is so famous. I heard people talking about it as soon as I entered the city, so I came here immediately.” Cui Rong said, then addressed his attendants outside, “Don’t just stand there like an idiot, hurry up and move things. Move everything to the backyard. Oh, by the way, Yao Guang, I brought you a gift, and I also brought gifts for all the aunties.”

Watching the Cui family's convoy enter the backyard in a grand procession, Zhang Zhaodi pulled Su Yaoguang to a corner and said to her, "Young Master Cui is carrying so much stuff; I think we'll have to buy him a house to house it all. You should entertain him well and ask him if he's planning to come here to discuss business or if he has other plans. If he wants to stay in the capital, then he'll have to move!"

They are not stingy people. It's fine if a male relative comes to visit occasionally, but it would be inconvenient if he stayed long-term.

Putting everything else aside, there are just too many women in this family.

Su Yaoguang personally settled Cui Rong in and mentioned to him that she and Zhou Wangshu had held a belated wedding banquet.

Cui Rong was showing off the gifts she had brought when she heard Su Yaoguang say those words, and she stopped what she was doing.

He looked at Su Yaoguang and said sullenly, "Didn't you say before that you only had a brother-sister relationship?"

“I thought so before. I always lied to myself by saying that he was still young and that I, as his older sister, should take care of him. But actually, my feelings for Wangshu were romantic love.”

Cui Rong lowered his eyes, looking listless.

Su Yaoguang nudged him: "Hey, don't look like that. There are so many women in the world, I'll introduce you to some good ones."

"You know I like you, yet you're still so heartless towards me," Cui Rong sighed. "It seems I truly have no value to you."

"Who said that? You're my friend, my business partner." Su Yaoguang held out her palm. "Isn't it time for a share of the profits? You brought it this time, didn't you?"

Cui Rong felt even more frustrated.

He rummaged through the box and pulled out a small box. After opening it, he confirmed that it was full of silver notes and stuffed it into Su Yaoguang's hand: "Here, your share of the profits."

"Thank you, Young Master Cui, Young Boss Cui." Su Yaoguang accepted the box. "Are you planning to stay in the capital for a long time or just a short while?"

"I was originally planning to stay long-term, but now that you don't even like me anymore, why should I stay? I just arrived, so I'm not in a hurry to leave. I'll go back when I'm done having fun!"

“Since it’s just a temporary stop, then stay here and rest easy. We can go back whenever you want,” Su Yaoguang said. “It’s just that you have too many servants.”

"Don't worry, the Cui family has a residence in the capital, but it's been too long and is in a bit of disrepair. I'll have the servants go back to take care of the old house, and I'll stay here to catch up with you all."

Su Yaoguang told him to rest well, and then she went out to attend to her work.

"I've been here for so long, why haven't I seen your new husband?" Cui Rong said. "Given his personality, shouldn't he be showing off in front of me?"

“He has entered the palace,” Su Yaoguang said.

"He was castrated before entering the palace? He's so willing to do that?"

"Pah, what nonsense are you talking about?" Su Yaoguang said irritably. "You're really petty, always finding a chance to scold him. He went to the palace to participate in the imperial examination."

Cui Rong was surprised.

This was something he didn't expect.

However, Zhou Wangshu had performed very well before, so it's not surprising that he has now advanced from the provincial examination to the palace examination.

“He was the top scholar in the provincial examination before, and now he’s very famous in the capital. Many people know his name,” Su Yaoguang said. “Back in the county town, everyone knew my name. When people mentioned Zhou Wangshu, they all said he was my husband. Now, he’s really famous. Everyone knows that the wife of the newly appointed top scholar is the owner of Taoyaofang.”

Seeing Su Yaoguang's happy and smug appearance, Cui Rong was completely heartbroken.

He knew he had no chance.

Zhou Wangshu passed the provincial examination with top honors, and regardless of the outcome of the palace examination, he had already surpassed himself by a great deal.

Su Yaoguang told Cui Rong to rest inside. She vaguely heard some noise outside and needed to go check it out; perhaps Zhou Wangshu's palace examination results were out. Although, normally, the palace examination wouldn't end so quickly.

"What's going on? What are you arguing about?" Su Yaoguang rushed to the front hall.

"Yaoguang, Wangshu has passed the imperial examination with top honors!" Zhang Zhaodi said excitedly. "General Su happened to be in the palace and sent someone to deliver the news to us immediately after receiving the results of the palace examination."

"Mom, the results for the top three haven't come out yet. It's something no one knows yet, so we can't announce it beforehand. If we announce it prematurely and make a mistake, it would be a bit embarrassing."

“Yes, yes, although General Su is in the palace and can get first-hand information, no one knows if something might change,” Zhang Zhaodi said. “Then let’s wait for the top three to pass by on horseback.”

Zhang Zhaodi was able to obtain Zhou Wangshu's scientific research results immediately, but by the time the entire process was completed, it was already an hour and a half later that the top three scholars were paraded through the streets on horseback.

At this moment, many people surrounded both sides of the street, all eager to see the newly appointed scholars parading through the streets adorned with flowers.

Su Yaoguang stood on the street, watching the crowd surge forward. Leading the way was the newly appointed top scholar, dressed in the imperial robes bestowed upon him, adorned with flowers, riding a tall horse, truly spirited and exceptionally handsome. Women were already throwing bouquets and sachets at him, but he remained unmoved, seemingly oblivious.

When he saw Su Yaoguang, his eyes lit up and he waved to her.

“Madam, I have not failed you. I am the top scholar.” Zhou Wangshu waved to Su Yaoguang.

All eyes turned to Su Yaoguang.

Some were envious, some were jealous, some were resentful...

Zhou Wangshu was a top scholar at a young age, and he was handsome and talented, with a promising future ahead of him.

Zhang Zhaodi pointed at Zhou Wangshu and said to the neighbors, "That's my son-in-law, you see him?"

"I saw it, congratulations, Mr. Zhang."

"You're really something, you have a keen eye for talent."

“That’s my brother-in-law, and that’s my godson…” Zhang Zhaodi became more and more excited as she saw one familiar face after another in the list of successful candidates.

However, her smile vanished when she saw another familiar face.

What's he doing here?

The "he" that Zhang Zhaodi mentioned refers to is none other than Xiao Yanci.

Xiao Yanci was paraded through the streets as a third-ranked scholar.

Xiao Yanci also saw Zhang Zhaodi and her daughter. His expression was indifferent, as if he didn't recognize them. When he saw something, he smiled slightly towards the second floor.

Just as Zhang Zhaodi was trying to figure out what Xiao Yanci was looking at, someone suddenly stopped beside her and said, "My news arrived just in time, didn't it?"

When Zhang Zhaodi saw the person who came, she nodded and said, "Not bad, thank you General Su."

"Your son-in-law is quite good," Su Rende said. "Just now in the palace, the Emperor praised him highly, clearly admiring him greatly. The Emperor wanted to bestow a marriage upon him, saying he would give him a princess, but he refused. He said he was the Su family's adopted son-in-law, and all these years the Su family had raised money to support his studies. He and his wife were deeply in love, and he absolutely could not abandon his wife to marry another. If he did, he would be no different from a beast. The Emperor was originally only seven points satisfied with him, but seeing how loyal and righteous he was, his satisfaction rose to ten points."

“My son-in-law is truly perfect in every way,” Zhang Zhaodi said. “My daughter has the best taste.”

"A banquet is being held in the palace today, and as the family members of the top scholar, you should be among the invitees. You should prepare in advance!" Su Rende said. "I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Zhang Zhaodi casually picked up a sugar pancake from the side and handed it to him, saying, "I made this this morning. If you like it, try it; if you don't, just throw it away."

Su Rende took it, and some fragments suddenly appeared in his mind.

He took a bite, and the familiar taste shot straight to the top of his head.

Why did you put pepper in the sugar candy?

How could this smell not hit you right in the head?

“I like to eat it this way. If you don’t like it, then don’t eat it. I’ve already said that. Only my family can eat this kind of pancake because I’m used to making it and they’re used to eating it.”

Su Rende held the sugar cake and ate it bite by bite.

Zhang Zhaodi turned to look at him, saw that his expression was off, but didn't take it seriously and turned to go inside.

Her son-in-law had already gone far away, and there was nothing else to see.

Chen Buyu said enviously from the side, "If I had known that I would have such a glorious time, I should have worked harder back then. Maybe I could have had my moment in the spotlight too."

“You just didn’t participate in the palace examination, but you did very well in the provincial examination and made it onto the list of successful candidates. Now you’ll be a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations),” Su Yaoguang said.

"I've already written to my parents. Actually, I've only made it onto the list of successful candidates in the provincial examination. If they're really going to assign me an official position, they'll give it to those who passed the palace examination first. When it's my turn, I can forget about getting a position in the capital; I'll only be able to take up a post in another region," Chen Buyu said. "However, although I'm not as good as Chu Shan and Wang Shu, to my parents, this is already quite an achievement. They think I'm the young master of a dance hall, making a fortune every day, but now I'll only be able to get a few taels of silver a month."

“Your family business will always be your family business; no one can take it away from you. The family business was earned by your parents, but your current official position is something you earned through your own abilities. Brother Chen, you are already very capable.”

"Yaoguang, you have such a lovely voice. By the way, Yaoguang, since you're going to the palace for a banquet, you'll need to prepare some formal attire beforehand."

Su Yaoguang shook her head: "No need to be too formal. After all, we are just ordinary people, and Wangshu does not have any official positions yet. If we act too flamboyantly, it will only cause trouble for Wangshu. Everyone knows that we run a cosmetics shop, so it's fine for us to dress up nicely, but our clothing and appearance cannot exceed the rules."

“I’m suddenly glad that I did only so-so and won’t become a government official in the capital,” Chen Buyu said. “I’m not very quick-witted, and my wife is even more naive and innocent. If we stayed in the capital, people like us would never get ahead. It’s better to become local officials, where we can do something practical for the people and be far from the emperor’s reach, with no one to restrain us.”

"The most important thing is to stay far away from the capital. That way, you can spend money lavishly without attracting the attention of the Censorate. In that sense, you will indeed be more carefree."

Su Rende munched on the biscuit the whole way, but the images in his mind remained blurry.

"General, we found them! We found all your old belongings!" the butler exclaimed excitedly as he ran out.