Seeing her son like this, the Elder Mrs. Wu understood everything. With a slight turn of her thoughts, she smiled and said, "She has a good appearance, so that the children she bears in the future will be handsome and beautiful!"
Therefore, when she met with Mrs. He, Elder Mrs. Wu was very enthusiastic, and they quickly reached an understanding. The two families exchanged tokens of betrothal, only waiting for the Marquis Residence to formally propose marriage.
On the twenty-second of August, Liao Shijie called for a matchmaker and took the butler, along with the betrothal gifts, to the Yun Residence to propose marriage. Mrs. He didn't make it difficult and immediately agreed. The two sides exchanged marital appointment letters and also set the wedding date for Yun Zihan, on the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month—less than two months away.
This clearly showed Mrs. He's lack of sorrow over Yun Zihan's marriage.
Upon learning of this, Lady Cui was both angry and resentful, yet dared not speak out. She thought that with Yun Zihan finally getting married and moving into a three-story mansion in the inner city as the butler's wife, things would be slightly more bearable for her.
On the twenty-sixth of August, the Marquess Yuanshen Residence came to propose marriage. Mrs. He was elated as they exchanged marital appointment letters, and the wedding was set for the eighth day of the second lunar month the following year.
As for the betrothal gifts, Mrs. He selfishly took the best of what the Liao Family had sent and gave it to Yun Muyou, and then took the lesser gifts from the Marquis Residence to make up Zihan's dowry.
She thought nobody knew, but she forgot that she wasn't the only lady of the Yun Family, and there were itemized lists for the betrothal gifts.
Because of this, Ladies Su and Hua, seeing their daughters growing up, no longer dared to trouble Mrs. Han. They only stayed in their own courtyards, focusing on educating their own daughters.
But after all, a concubine is a concubine, how well could they educate their children?
On the twenty-ninth of August, Hu Shuiling of Count Xuanping Residence married into the Hang Family of Jiangnan. To show their respect, the head matron of the Hang Family personally came to fetch the bride with her two sisters-in-law and Young Master Hang, and they consummated the marriage upon their arrival in Jiangnan.
Mrs. Han sent two sets of bridal adornments, one on behalf of Yun Jinnian, and one from herself. Since Yun Jinnian was not present, Hu Shuiling clung to Mrs. Han, her eyes turning red.
"When you return from Jiangnan next year, and Jinnian is back as well, just invite her to your home for a visit," Mrs. Han consoled her.
Upon hearing this, Hu Shuiling finally smiled.
In the blink of an eye, September arrived. The Emperor had brought forward the date for the imperial examination. After three days of grueling testing, all the candidates emerged from the examination hall.
When Feng Wushuang came out, he had lost quite a bit of weight. Old Lady Feng stepped forward and took his hand, "How did it go?"
"I leave it to fate. If it's mine, it will come to me despite the twists and turns. If it's not, no amount of striving will make it mine," he said.
On the fifteenth of September, the results were posted, and Feng Wushuang topped the list.
The Capital City went wild.
Nobody knew who this Feng Wushuang was, nor whose disciple he was.
Various families sent people to inquire about him, hoping to win him over.
But Feng Wushuang lived a reclusive life, immersing himself in his artwork, striving to create the most beautiful paintings to please the girl in his heart.
On the first day of October, the palace examination took place.
Feng Wushuang spoke eloquently, answering the Emperor's several challenging questions with pearls of wisdom, filled with literary grace, and found the solutions. He was bestowed the title of top scholar.
The second-ranked candidate was a young man from a Prestigious Family with the surname Tang, and the Third Place Scholar was a fifty-year-old man surnamed Li.
"Congratulations, Top Scholar Feng!"
"Congratulations to us all, congratulations to us all!"
Yet people still noticed that this newly-crowned top scholar was particularly warm when he met with the second young master of the Yun Family.
Could it be that he was acquainted with Yun Qi?
Yun Qi thought the same, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall where he had met Feng Wushuang.
It was puzzling indeed.
The Emperor had already intended to make great use of Feng Wushuang and would create momentum for him by bestowing a grand residence, servants, farmland, and numerous rewards. He was granted an official post at the Hanlin Academy and the rank of a fourth-grade official!