In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

Chapter 70 Chaoyi Villa

Li Roujia felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water, her whole body stiffening.

"One must first humiliate oneself before others humiliate him." Cui Yutang withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent. "Please take care of yourself."

After saying that, he walked into the mansion without looking back.

Li Roujia stood there, watching the figure disappear into the doorway, her legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand up.

Behind the distant pillars, Liu Ruolian peeked out and saw Princess Chaoyang's distraught appearance. A smile of satisfaction crept onto her lips.

"Compared to me, she's not much better in my cousin's eyes, so what if she's a princess?"

"Miss, since you can see the eldest son often, your chances of winning are even higher."

The two chatted happily about what had just happened, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.

After participating in ancestral worship and clan celebrations with his elders, Cui Yutang finally returned to Liantang Residence around 7 PM.

He went straight into the study, sat down at his desk, and began writing something seriously. Soon after, he took out a thick stack of letters.

There were about twenty letters, which were handed to Baoyu.

"From now on, you will send a letter to Master Xuanji every day."

Bao Yu was taken aback: "Is it delivered every day?"

"right."

"Then in what order should they be sent?" Bao Yu looked down at the letter in her hand and found that it was not numbered.

"There's no need to follow the order," Cui Yutang said calmly. "The content is all the same."

Bao Yu had a bad feeling: "Master, may I ask what's inside?"

There is only one sentence inside:

"When can the Gu worms be removed?"

Bao Yu remained silent.

Cui Yutang thought about it and still felt it wasn't enough.

"By the way, have someone intimidate that woman who came today."

"Who? Princess Chaoyang?"

"Yes. Let's see if we can find out who the Miao person who cast the curse is, or if she has any quick way to remove it."

"How do you threaten them?"

"Feed her poison."

Bao Yu swallowed hard. "Yes, Master, I will certainly handle it well. However—" He glanced cautiously at Cui Yutang, "What triggered you today?"

"Stop nagging and get out there on your business."

Bao Yu dared not ask any more questions and bowed as she withdrew.

The study fell silent again.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Cui Yutang closed his eyes, and the fleeting disappointment on Xie Yige's face flashed through his mind.

He was unaware of her existence before, so he didn't pay much attention to this Gu worm.

He had thought that it wouldn't disrupt their lives and that he could let Xuanji slowly work out the solution. But now things were different; he wanted to retrieve all the memories they shared.

Never before has it been so urgent.

The following day, Cui Yutang's court hearing and the Ministry of Personnel's selection examination went exceptionally smoothly.

Passing through the hall meant paying respects to the current prime minister. This was an essential procedure for the successful candidates to formally become "students of the emperor." Officials on both sides of the Secretariat stood solemnly, creating a dignified and respectful atmosphere.

Having served as prime minister for many years, Cui Zhinuan exudes the authority and decisiveness of a ruler.

He sat upright on the high platform, his gaze piercing, his voice steady and powerful, every word carrying undeniable weight. The newly appointed scholars below were both nervous and filled with anticipation; many dared not even breathe loudly.

Zhou Xuan'an stood in the queue, secretly glancing up at Cui Zhinuan, then his gaze swept over Cui Yutang, who had a solemn expression in front of him. He secretly sized up the father and son—they did indeed look somewhat alike, but Cui Yutang's features were clearly more defined and handsome, with a cool and aloof temperament, unlike his father who was so sharp and outspoken.

He's probably more like his mother.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan'an couldn't help but feel worried again. This person's family background was simply too high, especially in today's setting, the feeling was even stronger. With his own family background, could his younger sister really be a match for such a family?

He suppressed his distracting thoughts and focused on the audience before him.

The Ministry of Personnel's selection examination usually takes place one or two months later in previous years, but this year, due to staff shortages in various departments, it was moved up. The examination mainly consists of four parts: "appearance, speech, writing, and judgment."

"Appearance" and "speech" are the aspects observed during the interview, testing demeanor and conversation, which are not difficult. The real challenge lies in the written examinations of "writing" and "judgment"—the core criteria for assigning official positions. "Writing" tests the standard of official document writing, while "judgment" requires writing judgments based on simulated judicial cases or difficult administrative problems of the court, assessing the new graduates' familiarity with laws and policies, as well as their logical analysis abilities.

Cui Yutang's father was a prime minister, and he had been influenced by him from a young age, which gave him a natural advantage. He wrote with great skill and precision, and he also had a good grasp of administrative problems. He submitted his paper in less than two hours.

Zhou Xuan'an, Zhang Yizhi, and others were not so lucky.

After an exam, I felt like I'd been skinned alive.

When Zhou Xuan'an returned home, it was already a wilted and shriveled cabbage.

"Brother, why are you so tired?" Xie Yige came up to him, startled by his appearance. "Is something wrong?"

Zhou Xuan'an slumped into a chair, clinging to Xie Wanrou's arm, and wailed, "Yi Ge, I've discovered that being an official is too difficult. Just thinking about having to face all those official documents and problems every day makes me want to resign—"

"You haven't even become an official yet!" Xie Wanrou was both amused and annoyed, and gently patted his back to comfort him.

Xie Yige waited a while, and seeing that his emotions had calmed down a bit, she cautiously asked, "Then... is he alright?"

Zhou Xuan'an suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide: "Xie Yige, do you have any conscience? How could he not be good! He was the only one riding his horse so energetically! Don't you even consider who his father is? Is this kind of exam difficult for him?!"

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, and his voice rose eight octaves.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Xie Yige quickly smiled apologetically, "Brother, you're the best in my eyes, hehe."

As she spoke, she backed away, and before Zhou Xuan'an could say anything more, she turned and ran back to her pear garden.

"Heh—" Zhou Xuan'an couldn't help but mutter to himself as he watched her retreating figure, "Yeah, right!"

Meanwhile, the person who rode off on horseback as soon as the event ended didn't actually return to the Prime Minister's residence. He was preoccupied with the secret Baoyu had told him about her last time.

So he rode out of the city and headed east along the familiar road, finally reining in his horse in front of a villa.

This is Cui Yutang's usual villa. He hasn't been back for a long time since he was injured.

He dismounted and was about to go inside when he suddenly stopped.

He looked up and his gaze fell on the plaque hanging above the door.

"Why did my villa get a new name?"

The plaque bore four large characters written in bold, elegant strokes: "Chaoyi Villa".

Cui Yutang turned to look at Baoyu behind him.

Bao Yu simply replied, "Hehe."

Cui Yutang didn't ask any further questions. He looked up at the plaque again, a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

"But I like this name." Day and night, Xie Yige.

Very good.

He doesn't even need to change his name.