Time flew by, and before Zhulan knew it, the county examination for the child scholars had ended. She was preoccupied with thoughts of Rongchuan, wondering how he had fared in the exam.
Lost in thought, Zhulan was brought back to reality when Lady Xue entered. Zhulan then regained her composure, "I heard from the master that He Shu won first place in the county. Congratulations."
The corners of Lady Xue's mouth deepened into a smile. She had a fondness for He Shu and humbly mentioned her purpose for the visit, "It's just the county exam, after all. There's still the prefectural and the imperial exams to go!"
Zhulan gestured for Lady Xue to sit down. Among the officials' wives in Jinzhou Residence, Lady Xue tended to keep to her home, rarely venturing outside without a specific reason, "Do you have some business today?"
