The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

She stepped forward, and Cheng Qing immediately bowed, which she returned.

How did you know I was here?

Cheng Qing laughed, "It was the eldest daughter of the Ruan family who delivered the letter to me."

"Since my cousin sent someone to inform you, you must already know about my situation."

Cheng Qing nodded. "But this isn't your fault."

"Now that I have lost my prestigious status and my powerful backer, I am just an ordinary citizen and will not be of any help to your career."

Cheng Qing stood against the light, his handsome face seemingly bathed in a glow. "I promised you, young lady, that if it were truly only for your family background, why would I have waited until now?"

She had met Cheng Qing a few times in the past few days, but it was all done secretly, and there wasn't much affection between them.

Last time, Ruan Tinglan said that he would get shy as soon as he heard her name. In fact, he would blush whenever he talked to a young girl, but the two of them unexpectedly got along well.

Upon entering the inn, Cheng Qing sheepishly took out the paper package behind her.

"I received your money last time and was thinking of giving you a return gift, but I didn't know what you liked, so I took this with me. If you don't mind..."

Ruan Xianrong did not open it, but it looked like it was food.

She readily accepted it, and before he could finish speaking, she said, "Thank you, I'll take it."

Cheng Qing was dazzled by the face in front of her.

When they first met, he spotted her immediately. It wasn't that he had designs on her; she simply stood out too much in the crowd.

Unexpectedly, the high-hanging moon one day shone on him. His mother was right; he really had a stroke of good luck.

After Cheng Qing left, Ruan Xianrong immediately picked up paper and pen to write a letter upon entering the inn, and then handed it to Yin Que, saying, "Send this letter back to the capital."

Silver Sparrow accepted the order and withdrew.

With everything settled, Ruan Xianrong stretched and lay down on the bed for a comfortable nap.

After resting at the inn for a few days, I planned to spend more time with Cheng Qing during this period, so that we wouldn't be unfamiliar with each other after getting married.

The Cheng family lived in Shixi Village outside Mingzhou City. The carriage stopped at the entrance of the village, and the road became difficult to travel, so she got out of the carriage and walked in.

She changed her outfit today, styled her hair in a simple bun, and wore a veil.

But this outfit looked even more flamboyant, attracting a lot of attention as he walked by.

After asking around, they finally found the Cheng family.

Cheng Qing went to the bookstore and wasn't home. Aunt Cheng was working in the fields with her son and daughter.

Hearing that a girl had come to his house, he rushed back without even washing his hands.

Ruan Xianrong stood in the Cheng family's courtyard. A plot of land in the courtyard had been cleared, and it seemed to have just been turned over but had not yet been planted.

When the Cheng family returned and saw who it was, they knew they had come to see Cheng Qing.

Quickly invite her inside to sit down.

She only drank half a cup of tea inside before becoming restless. Pointing to the patch of land outside, she asked, "Auntie, what are we going to plant on that plot?"

Aunt Cheng, a simple woman, replied with a smile, "I'm planning to plant some fruits and vegetables so that I won't have to buy groceries in the summer and autumn, which will save me some money."

"Good."

As soon as those two words were uttered, Yinque guessed what her daughter was going to do. Helplessly, what difference was there between letting her daughter see uncultivated land and a mouse entering a rice jar?

"There's no point in just waiting like this. I'll help my aunt manage that piece of land."

Aunt Cheng was startled. "No, no, this is unacceptable! The young lady is of noble birth; how can we let you do such rough work?"

"It's alright, I've farmed before, I won't cause you any trouble."

That's not what I meant...

Before he could finish speaking, Ruan Xianrong rolled up his sleeves, picked up a hoe, and started turning the soil over again.

Yinque sighed, "It seems the girl can't shake her love for farming."

Having not farmed the land himself for several years, Ruan Xianrong was full of energy.

See, there are advantages to her not being the daughter of a high-ranking official. If she wants to farm in the future, no one will stop her.

The others stood there dumbfounded, and Aunt Cheng was even more surprised that a daughter of an official would know how to farm.

The way he's digging doesn't look like a beginner.

When Cheng Qing returned, this was the scene he saw: Ruan Xianrong was squatting down planting crops, while the others watched from the side.

"Miss Ruan?"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xianrong looked up and asked, "You're back?"

Cheng Qing immediately put down his book and pulled her out, "Miss Ruan, how could I let you do such a thing?"

"I was just idling around anyway, and my hands were itching to get involved, so I got involved. Please don't take offense, Mr. Cheng."

Cheng Qing glanced at his mother, who nodded, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought it was his mother who was trying to make things difficult for Miss Ruan.

"Did Young Master Cheng go out to copy books again today?"

"Yes, the bookstore has new storybooks today, I'll go help out."

Seeing that the two had something to say, Aunt Cheng didn't disturb them and went to cook with a smile.

Yinque pulled the child away, leaving the two of them alone.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming today?" Cheng Qing asked apologetically.

"I came here on a whim, mainly to get to know you."

She was telling the truth. Although she had chosen Cheng Qing as her future husband, they hadn't known each other much and needed to get to know each other better. If they weren't a good match, she couldn't force it.

The old folks used to say that a woman's marriage should be based on three generations of her family. Now, his only remaining relatives are his mother, younger brother, and younger sister.

Aunt Cheng is a very simple and honest person. She raised her two children very well and they are very sensible.

Cheng Qing himself is quite good. He is refined, polite, upright, and principled. Since he promised her, he has always been very responsible. He is a rare gentleman.

Have you told your family about me?

"Don't worry, I will naturally discuss such an important matter with my mother."

"Did you say that I am just an ordinary citizen now?"

"That hasn't been said yet, but don't worry, my mother is a very good person. It's already a great honor for my family that you're marrying me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Qing realized what she had said and immediately blushed.

Ruan Xianrong turned her head to look at him. "No way, he's shy again."

It seems he really had no experience with girls before.

"Young Master Cheng, what are your plans for the future?"

"I've been studying at the academy for the past few years, and I'll definitely be taking the imperial examinations in the future, but..."

He was just trying to save up for his travel expenses because his family was poor.

Once he had saved enough money, he went to Kyoto.

He thought Ruan Xianrong was worried that he wouldn't be able to support her in the future, so he immediately became serious and said, "Don't worry, I'll copy more books for the bookstore in the future, and all the money I earn will be yours."

Ruan Xianrong chuckled, "No need for that. The money you earn from copying books is yours, so I won't take it. Just remember to give me your salary when you become successful in the future."

Cheng Qing was taken aback. "You believe I can pass the exam?"

"I heard your essay at the poetry gathering last time, and it was in no way inferior to those of the students at the Imperial Academy."

"real?"

"Of course it's true. If you believe me, you can try to take the provincial examination this year. If you pass, you'll receive a monthly salary from the government, and your family will be better off, won't they?"

Cheng Qing's expression brightened. "What you said makes sense."

"If I miss this year, I'll have to wait another three years. If I can pass the provincial examination this year, I can participate in the spring examination next year."

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, those who pass the imperial examination must be sent to other places for training. She also had to plan for herself. It was not safe for a woman to be away from home. As long as Cheng Qing was sent to serve as an official, he would not be able to return for at least ten years. She could go with him to see other places, killing two birds with one stone.

Cheng Qing had never dared to go, but these words today gave him some courage.

"Then I'll listen to Miss Ruan and go this year."