Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

During this trip to the Xie family, I've met everyone I needed to see.

But Jiang Sese felt like she had forgotten something. It wasn't until she got into the carriage that she slapped her forehead and asked Xie Jue, "Where's my third cousin? Is he still studying hard?"

Xie Yao did have feelings for her, but Jiang Sese didn't take it seriously. Besides, she felt that given Xie Yao's philandering nature, he should find another beauty after her death.

Jiang Sese's impression of him was still that of a playboy who dressed in fine clothes, rode a spirited horse, called on friends and companions, and seemed to think that life consisted only of poetry, wine and beautiful women.

However, Jiang Sese did not expect that Xie Yao not only did not continue to indulge in sensual pleasures, but seemed to have completely changed into a different person.

I overheard someone mention that this third young master had actually settled down and started studying diligently, even hanging his head from the rafters and pricking his thigh with an awl. He even passed the county and prefectural examinations, seemingly determined to change his family background and pursue fame and fortune.

But no matter what, his ambition is a good thing, right? It's better than before when he only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, causing trouble everywhere.

Xie Jue looked at Jiang Sese, naturally put his arm around her waist, and said lightly, "He went out to study and became a disciple of a great scholar in Jiangnan, where he is diligently preparing for the exams."

"Study abroad?" Jiang Sese was a little surprised, then remembered.

"Oh, right, they added a special examination this year. Judging by the timeline, he has now passed the county and prefectural examinations. If he passes the provincial examination, he can participate in the autumn examination. Is his trip to study abroad now in preparation for the autumn examination?"

"Hmm." Xie Jue responded lightly, his gaze lingering for a moment on her slightly pouting lips as she pondered.

Jiang Sese nuzzled against Xie Jue and asked, "Do you think my third cousin will pass the imperial examination?"

Xie Jue glanced down at Jiang Sese and said, "Don't rub against me."

Jiang Sese was taken aback at first, then immediately understood!

A surge of heat rushed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, my cheeks instantly burning hot, and my mind filled with indescribable images.

Jiang Sese hated herself for understanding this so quickly!

She'd read countless books in modern times, seen all sorts of things, and her mind was far more complex than any woman's in this era. Yet, she understood instantly at the wrong time, and even the tips of her ears turned bright red…

Xie Jue chuckled lightly, his voice returning to its usual coldness, as if the previous allure was merely Jiang Sese's illusion: "If he can't even pass the autumn imperial examination—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Jiang Sese waited for a long time without hearing anything further, and couldn't help but ask, "So what if I don't win?"

The story of Fan Jin passing the imperial examination tells Jiang Sese just how difficult it was to pass the imperial examination.

Studying still requires a lot of talent.

Xie Jue merely smiled slightly and remained silent.

Jiang Sese leaned closer and said, "Lord Xie, you're not going to say that someone who can't even pass the imperial examinations doesn't deserve to be your brother, are you? I think my third cousin used to be a bit unreliable, but he's really working hard now. The fact that he topped the list shows he has a good foundation. I think he can pass the imperial examinations, so you don't need to be too harsh on him."

Xie Jue looked down into her earnest eyes, then suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair: "I know."

It wasn't actually him who...

Of course, he wouldn't tell Jiang Sese about other unrelated men.

The carriage smoothly passed through Shangping Street. Jiang Sese leaned on Xie Jue's shoulder, playing with the newly acquired mutton-fat jade bracelet on her wrist, when she suddenly remembered an important matter.

"By the way," Jiang Sese sat up straight, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, "there's something I want to discuss with you—it's about penicillin. I want to start a penicillin business, not just making a few bottles for emergencies, but properly opening a pharmacy, hiring some staff, and mass-producing it."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jue's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he made a gesture of listening attentively.

Jiang Sese then counted on her fingers and poured out her thoughts in detail.

"I've thought it over. This medicine can't be kept secret; it's meant to save lives. But it can't be completely free either. The cost of this medicine is high—labor, equipment, raw materials—everything costs money. If I were to make it all by myself, I wouldn't be able to make more than a few bottles before I had to give up. So—poor families can pay for the medicine with their labor, and rich families can pay whatever they want. After all, I need to make money; I want to get rich through this."

When Jiang Sese said this, she raised her chin slightly, her eyes showing a frank and shrewd look, without the slightest hint of a woman being coy about profit.

Xie Jue looked at her confident way of talking about money, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked, "Where do you plan to start?"

Seeing that he did not object, Jiang Sese became even more excited and rattled off her entire plan in a rapid-fire manner.

She planned to first set up a special medicine room in the princess's mansion, and have a few trusted maids thoroughly understand the purification process. Once the process was stable, she would find a quiet place outside the city to build a proper workshop. The first batch of medicine would be supplied to a few familiar medical clinics in the capital for trial use, and let the efficacy speak for itself.

Once she gained a reputation, she planned to make penicillin into portable forms and provide it to soldiers stationed on the border. After all, wound infections could kill more than swords, and if it could be rolled out into the military, it could save many lives.

But that's a story for later; the most urgent task is to get the workshop up and running.

She now has the expenses of the princess's mansion, the income from the estate, and the royalties from her storytelling, so she doesn't have to worry about start-up capital.

When talking about royalties, Jiang Sese paused deliberately and gave Xie Jue a smug look.

Xie Jue listened quietly, without saying that she was being unrealistic or that women shouldn't show their faces in public to do business.

He pondered for a moment and said, "The techniques and formulas must be written down. Once the pharmacy begins operation, it must be archived with the government, clearly indicating that the medicine comes from the pharmacy of Princess Chenjia's residence, and the formula must not be passed on. If anyone imitates it, it will be considered theft of the Princess's property, and the law will deal with it accordingly."

"As for manpower, the first batch of medicine-making craftsmen cannot just be maids; we need to find experienced pharmacists. I'll have Xie Ping select a few from the retired pharmacists of the Imperial Hospital. Regarding raw materials, since we're going to produce in large quantities, we can't rely on you to collect orange peels yourself. I'll give you a list of several imperial merchants so we can source goods directly from the south, which will be more stable in price and better in quality."

Jiang Sese's eyes widened as she listened.

She thought he would at most nod and say "not bad," but she didn't expect him to have thought of patent protection, talent recruitment, and supply chain for her...

Jiang Sese: "What's wrong with you...?"

Xie Jue raised an eyebrow: "What matter concerning you, do I not care about it?"

Looking at her bewildered expression, Xie Jue smiled faintly, pulled her closer, and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

……

Xie Yao left the day before.

The message arrived the day before, saying that Princess Chenjia and the eldest son wanted to go back to the Xie family for a visit.

Xie Yao remained silent for a long time before instructing his men to pack their belongings.

Shuxian and Xunfeng looked at each other in bewilderment. The young master had been studying behind closed doors these past few days, achieving the top score in the county examination, passing the prefectural examination smoothly, and the provincial examination was just around the corner. Why did he suddenly want to leave?

But no one dared to ask any more questions.

Xie Yao left decisively, as if there was a fire burning behind him.

The next morning, when the carriage drove out of the city gate, the thin fog had not yet dissipated, and there were only a few breakfast vendors setting up their stalls on the street.

Xie Yao lifted the carriage curtain and glanced back; the eaves of the Xie residence gradually blurred in the morning mist.

When he gave Xie Yihua advice, he really didn't know that the woman from the Fu family was her.

But what difference does it make?

The idea came from him.

My uncle, Xie Bo, studied under a retired Confucian scholar named Gongsun, whose courtesy name was Chongwen. Gongsun was a renowned scholar of the classics, especially skilled in the Spring and Autumn Annals. He ranked first in the second class of the imperial examination and served as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. Later, he retired due to illness and lived in seclusion in a bamboo grove outside Changzhou, where he devoted himself to writing and teaching.

Master Gongsun was eccentric and extremely strict in accepting disciples. Now, Master Gongsun was quite old and had long since closed his doors to visitors. But Xie Yao wanted to give it a try.

After three days of bumpy travel by carriage, Xunfeng and Shuxian complained incessantly. When they arrived outside Changzhou city, they walked for most of the day along mountain roads before finally finding Master Gongsun's hermitage halfway up the mountain.

The courtyard was quiet and secluded, with bamboo groves and a stream winding around the house, but apart from the master himself, there was only an old servant guarding the gate, and not even a maid to sweep or clean.

Xie Yao straightened his clothes and personally went forward to knock on the door.

The old servant came out to answer the door and saw a young master standing there with two servants. He thought the master wasn't receiving guests and was about to close the door. But Xie Yao lifted the corner of his robe and knelt down outside the door.

Xie Yao knelt until the sun was setting, and the old servant finally sighed, turned around and went inside to announce the news.

After a long while, the bamboo door creaked open from the inside.

Master Gongsun stood at the door, his hair and beard completely white, his eyes sharp as lightning. He looked Xie Yao up and down, asking him what books he had read. Xie Yao answered them one by one, and then asked what was most important in studying the Spring and Autumn Annals. Xie Yao said it was not praise or criticism, but distinguishing right from wrong.

After a moment of silence, Mr. Gongsun stepped aside to open the door. Xie Yao kowtowed three times on the ground, and from then on, he lived in the side room that contained only a bamboo bed and a desk.

The roof leaks and the house is drafty.

I sleep at midnight and get up at dawn. On days without hot water, I go to the mountain stream to wash up, splash a handful of water on my face and that's it. Then I start reciting my lessons in the morning light.

After ten days or half a month, both Shuxian and Xunfeng had become noticeably thinner and darker.

Shu Xian sighed, "When other people's sons travel to study, it's just for show. They find a scenic spot, stay for a few days, enjoy the scenery, and then come back saying they've completed their studies. Our young master, however, is serious! I've never been this tired in my life!"

Xunfeng squatted down beside him, picking vegetables, and threw a rotten leaf into the winnowing basket. He chimed in, "That's right. Back in the manor, even the young master's bedding had to be scented with osmanthus, with brocade quilts and jade pillows. Now, he sleeps on a straw mat without complaining about the discomfort, and eats coarse rice without worrying about choking. I think the young master isn't just crazy, he's possessed!"

"Shh!" Shu Xian lowered his voice and glanced into the room. Seeing Xie Yao still bent over his desk writing, he whispered, "Young Master isn't crazy, nor is he possessed. I think he's punishing himself."

Xunfeng paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Punish yourself? Why?"

Shu Xian shook his head, picked up the axe he had thrown away, and said in a muffled voice, "I don't know either. Anyway, the young master has something on his mind. I felt something was wrong the day we left the capital—why was the young master hiding when the princess and the eldest young master returned to the manor? There must be something we don't know about."

Before nightfall, Xie Yao finished writing his last policy essay, put down his pen, stood up, and walked to the door.

The distant mountains were dark blue-green in the twilight, and he thought that he would be able to return to the capital in the autumn.

By then...

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This is a really long chapter. Actually, the main storyline is pretty much over now. From here on out, I'll just slowly fill in the plot holes... I'll never leave myself with so many plot holes again...

You guys are all so kind! Most of the time, I'm rushing to write this late at night... and I've made sure you all stay up with me. I've never asked for gifts, but some of you have even sent me gifts after seeing my posts~ Sending you all a kiss ( ˘ ³˘)♥ Considering that my author's notes often get rejected, I can only post them here in the main text. Thank you everyone~ But I'm worried that rambling in the main text too much might affect your reading experience, so I'll just pop back every now and then like this... Goodnight everyone~