After swapping bodies with the princess, this prince slaughtered his way through the court and becam

The Marquis of Xuanwei's residence also has a large mansion in Xuanwei Manor, which is usually uninhabited. People only come to stay for a couple of days when they have free time or go out for leisure.

Inside the courtyard, more than a dozen tables were set up full. The farmers and workers of Xuanwei Manor were celebrating as if it were New Year's Day, clinking glasses and toasting each other.

"Speaking of which, I was able to become this Minister of Agriculture because of Jingxing. Come, let me toast you!"

Wei Xinyan had learned drinking etiquette from Li Zan.

He quickly raised his glass and then brought it to Ren Bing's glass, lightly touching it to the rim.

Ren Bing paused for a moment, then drank it all in one gulp.

"No matter what, Jingxing is a great contributor to our family!"

Wei Xinyan's face was flushed, partly from choking on the wine, and partly from feeling guilty for taking credit for someone else's work.

It was clearly Ren Jingxing who was putting in the effort; she was just enrolled in school to study.

Madam Li was also unusually happy and even offered Wei Xinyan another cup.

The atmosphere at the banquet gradually rose, and the farmers and workers on the estate began to toast Ren Hou.

"Young Master, we toast you!"

My lord, may your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea, your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains, your official rank ever-increasing, and your noble title passed down through generations!

"Young Master, let me also offer you a toast!"

May your rank rise ever higher and your wealth ever greater!

"Young Master, let me toast you. It's all thanks to your salt mine..."

Ren Hou gradually realized that something was amiss.

Everyone who came over to offer a toast first went to toast Ren Jingxing!

The workers on the estate now respect Ren Jingxing more than he does as a marquis!

As more and more people toasted Ren Jingxing, Ren Hou smiled and nodded, feeling no jealousy whatsoever.

It's a good thing that the heir apparent is stronger than the marquis.

Only when each generation surpasses the last can a family prosper.

Wei Xinyan's personality is different from Ren Jingxing's.

She did not try to cheat or slack off; when someone offered her a drink, she drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing the dizzy prince, the workers of Zhuangzi were all moved.

Although the prince was a nobleman and they were servants, the prince did not look down on them!

Ren Hou stroked his beard and nodded, his son's skills in winning people's hearts were already superb!

Marquis Ren picked up his wine cup again and instructed:

"Jingxing, your father's mission is temporarily complete, although it is still largely thanks to you."

But your mission hasn't even begun yet.

Many people in the capital are watching, waiting to see you make a fool of yourself.

Don't let your guard down!

Don't forget, Marquis Anren also bet five thousand taels on you!

"Father, don't worry, I will definitely do my best!"

The news from Beijing is always coming in one after another.

The salt administration reform caused quite a stir in the capital region, but it was quickly overshadowed by two other major news items.

The Empress's birthday, and the county-level examinations in the capital!

In terms of timing, the county examination was held three days earlier than the birthday.

In other words, the day the county examination results were announced, the Empress began her grand banquet!

Early in the morning, Lady Li, the wife of the Marquis of Anren, was carefully preparing items for her son's exam.

The testimonies of three generations of ancestors have already been submitted, and as the heir of the Marquis of Xuanwei, there is naturally no problem with his family background.

The five of them acted as guarantors for each other; Li Zhou specifically sought out five of his students.

As for the student in charge of the stipend acting as guarantor, Li Zhou volunteered to take on the role.

Li was holding a basket and filling it with food.

"The county examination will last a whole day, so we must prepare meals for you."

I heard that when you enter the exam room, they will check if there are any smuggled items in your food.

So none of the things I made for you have filling.

I was afraid the food might spoil and give you diarrhea, so I didn't put any meat in it.

There are only plain pancakes here, Jingxing, please bear with it for now, it's been a long day.

Wei Xinyan was deeply moved by the maternal love of his wife, Madam Li.

"Don't worry, Mom, it won't be bitter!"

It might have been a hardship for Ren Jingxing, but for Wei Xinyan, it was far better than the leftovers she had eaten back then.

When they arrived at the county examination venue and saw that it was the son of the Marquis of Xuanwei who stepped down from the carriage, the crowd couldn't help but point and whisper.

"Look, isn't that the good-for-nothing playboy?"

"Goodness, he actually dared to take the exam!"

"Given Ren Jingxing's reputation, who would dare to vouch for him? Who would dare to guarantee his safety?"

"You don't even know this? His teacher is Li Zhou. Li Zhou had his student and Prince Ren mutually vouch for each other, and then personally vouched for him."

"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems this Li Zhou isn't very capable; he's just a greedy man!"

In the teahouse next door, a man and a woman were sitting by the window enjoying this scene.

Upon seeing this, the seventh prince, dressed in a brocade robe, couldn't help but chuckle.

"The people living near the capital are really something else; they actually dared to mock Ren Jingxing to Ren Hou's face."

The pressure this guy is under is probably as heavy as a mountain.

Liu Ruyin, dressed in a blue dress, sneered from the other side:

"Hehe, I arranged quite a few of these people."

Ren Jingxing has a bad temper and cannot tolerate any criticism.

I'll have someone mock him here; knowing his temper, he'll probably start hitting someone right away.

The Seventh Prince nodded in agreement, after all, this guy was the kind of person who would dare to demolish a brothel in a fit of rage.

Liu Ruyin looked at Ren Jingxing and sneered:

"I even placed a bet of a thousand taels, betting that he would fail the exam."

It's a pity the odds were too low; I couldn't make much money at all. Otherwise, I'd have liked to take advantage of the situation and make up for the losses from the smuggled salt trade.

The Seventh Prince's face darkened when the topic of smuggled salt came up.

His ally, the Liu family, lost their smuggled salt business, and the censor he had painstakingly befriended was also demoted to a local post.

The Seventh Prince, looking furious, pulled Liu Ruyin to his side.

Liu Ruyin looked flustered, but she climbed into the Seventh Prince's arms without making a mistake.

"Seventh Prince, although this is a private room, people can easily walk by outside and someone could accidentally wander in at any time!"

The Seventh Prince grinned maliciously and reached his hand inside Liu Ruyin's clothes.

"We already met at the brothel, why are you suddenly scared in the inn?"

Liu Ruyin's face flushed, and her voice trembled slightly:

"Isn't that because the Seventh Prince requested it...?"

Ren Bing's face was grim as he patted Wei Xinyan on the shoulder:

"Son, don't worry about them. Once you get your exam results, all the rumors will disappear."

Wei Xinyan smiled brightly:

"Don't worry, Father, I didn't take it to heart!"

Wei Xinyan was naturally not angry.

These people are cursing Ren Jingxing, not her. She is Wei Xinyan!

Sometimes Wei Xinyan would be so distracted that she wouldn't even realize that these people were cursing at her.

But she really wants to pass the exam and prove these people wrong.

Because these people, along with Ren Hou, looked down on them!

She wants to avenge her father!

Besides the crowd of onlookers, the other candidates queuing up were also distancing themselves from Wei Xinyan.

"How can a spoiled brat even get into the exam hall?"

"I'm ashamed to be associated with this person!"

One of the candidates, with pockmarked face, small eyes, and a large nose, even spoke up to mock:

"Miss Liu is a woman of unparalleled beauty and pure virtue, and comes from a family of scholars!"

How could one possibly marry an incompetent person who is ignorant and uneducated?

Fortunately, Miss Liu had a discerning eye and personally broke off the engagement.

"When I pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, I will definitely come to your door to propose marriage!"

These scholars had a particular fondness for publicly humiliating nobles whose authority was not particularly strong.

As scholars, they were inherently one with the literati.

They are humiliating the powerful and wealthy here. If the powerful and wealthy dare to fight back, the censors will immediately step forward!

They also loved helping the common people impeach these weak nobles.

They wouldn't be in any danger, and they could even gain some goodwill among the people.

Wei Xinyan pursed her lips upon hearing this.

She admitted that Ren Jingxing was lecherous and ignorant.

inability?

I'm afraid there's no one in the entire capital who's more capable than him!