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  Fourth Auntie smiled with confidence, if it wasn't for her going to Hanshan Temple several times to find Dust Goddess Nun and begging for the prescription of physical nourishment from Dust Goddess Nun, searching all over Jiangnan for those two precious medicinal materials, how would Madame Ding Yi, the wife of Lanling Marquis, be pregnant today?

  She helped the madam a great deal, and only then did she move to marry Ding's eldest daughter, Ding Xuan. It was expected that the madam would not object.

  The madam held her tea cup, looking at the tea leaves inside, and had long since reached an understanding with Sanmei, who had entered the capital before the fourth concubine. Ding Rou could see Zhou Shixian's fatal weakness, so how could the madam not understand?

  The lady of the house is fond of Ding Yi, and it's true that she dotes on her eldest daughter a bit more, but she doesn't particularly favor Ding Shu. She won't deprive Ding Shu just because of her affection for Ding Yi. Comparing the two nephews, the lady of the house leans towards Zhu Neng, the eldest son of Sanmei.

  The Zhou family is more affluent than the Zhu family, and Zhu Neng can't compare to Zhou Shixian's handsome appearance. He is only a sixth-grade officer under the command of the Rear Army Supervisor, but Madam values Zhu Neng's maturity and sense of responsibility. He also has a childhood sweetheart relationship with Ding Xiang, and Sanmei is more suitable as a mother-in-law than Sima.

  The old lady smiled and said: "They are all sisters I brought up, and they haven't been filial to me for a few days. I'm not willing to give them away."

  "Second sister can still stay with them for a lifetime, but she will eventually have to get married."

  The first wife's intention to decline was very clear, and the fourth wife showed a slight displeasure. The first wife said calmly: "They are indeed more clever and sometimes annoying. There are many good girls in Beijing, and there are also many talented beauties. I guarantee that Fourth Sister will be dazzled by them, and once she takes a liking to one of them, even if the family is wealthy, they will still be drained of their silver for dowry. Moreover, after the New Year is the imperial examination, and our nephew should focus on his studies at this time. His future is important, don't let him be distracted by trivial matters. After he passes the exam and becomes a high-ranking official, what kind of girl will Fourth Sister recognize? I'm afraid even the doors of our mansion will be trampled."

  Ding Ruo saw the fourth wife's eyebrows raised, and the first wife declined with great skill, not a single sentence looked down on Zhou Shi Xian. The imperial examination is the most important thing, and the last two sentences of auspicious words did not say that things were dead, leaving room for maneuver, allowing the fourth wife to have hope and not turn her face in anger. Once Zhou Shi Xian passes the exam, it's not impossible to form an alliance by marriage. It's a bit early to say this now, maybe the first wife will take the initiative at that time.

  In a mother's eyes, her children are always the best and no one can compare to them. Fourth Aunt has been a widow for many years and all she has left to rely on is her son. From the moment they entered the house, Ding Ruo could feel that Fourth Aunt spoiled and indulged her son excessively. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let a maid stay in Zhili for a month, nor would she have turned Zhou Shi Xian into the idle rich young master he is today.

  The only thing she insisted on not compromising about was his studies. If it weren't for her constant supervision, Zhou Shi Xian wouldn't have passed the imperial examination to become a scholar-official.

  The son passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi, which was the proudest moment for the fourth wife. She smoothed her hair and sighed: "We have both wealth and talent in our family, I just hope he can pass the next level of examination and become a high-ranking official to bring glory to our ancestors, so that when we go underground, we can report to the old master and be worthy of the ancestors of the Zhou family."

  "If you work hard and study diligently, your wish will come true." The old lady said calmly, "My son also suffered in the past, but his learning was shallow and he missed out on the beautiful name of San Tan Hua."

  Ding Ruo pursed her lips, if the eldest son of the Grand Empress Dowager were to take the imperial examination when she was still alive, it would certainly be the wish of the Grand Empress Dowager, one family with three top scholars, just like Little Li Flying Dagger. From the records on the fragmentary notes, Ding Ruo inferred that the Grand Empress Dowager was a lively and optimistic woman in her youth, recording some interesting stories when she fought for the world with her husband, often recreating some modern classic events, so Ding Ruo suspected that the Nine Yin Scripture was a prank, but such an optimistic temperament was forced by Emperor Taizu's ruthlessness... The later part of the notes recorded her inner pain in pinyin.

  "I have something to ask of Second Sister."

  Fourth Aunt suddenly became serious, "Second Brother-in-law has been a successful candidate in the imperial examination and has been in the Hanlin Academy for many years. Now that he has been promoted to an official position, Old Master Ding of the Ding family was once the chief examiner of the imperial examination. I think it would be best to ask Second Brother-in-law to guide Shixian. Perhaps with his help, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Second Sister also knows that I have been away in the south for over a decade and am unfamiliar with the changes in the capital city. She is willing to burn incense and make offerings, but fears that she may mistakenly worship at the wrong temple gate or offend someone due to her lack of connections, thus delaying Shixian's success. However, I have heard that the capital city is filled with talented scholars who exhaust their minds trying to curry favor through connections. Second Brother-in-law should be well aware of these ways. I only have one son, and for his sake, I am willing to spend as much silver as it takes to ensure he passes the examination."

  "Mother."

  Zhou Shi-xian, who was sitting beside him, stood up and said, "Can reading be compared to money? The position of Zhuangyuan is obtained by real talent and learning. If it can be bought with silver, I may not be talented, but I would rather give it up than accept it."

  Ding Yu's eyes narrowed, focusing on Zhou Shi Xian's majestic appearance. Ding Min snorted in disdain, "So what if he's straightforward and useful? My husband from my previous life was even more so, but what happened to him in the end? Wasn't he imprisoned?"

  Ding Rou's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she reminded him, "Zhou Shixiong, the top scorer's silver is not something that can be bought. In the mansion, it's just a joke, but outside, one must be careful with their words. The candidates who rely on connections are not all bribing with silver. Those who have been appointed by the Emperor as the chief examiner of this year's imperial examination must be upright and honest, and they will select talents based on the principle of selecting scholars for the country. How could they privately accept bribes and tarnish their reputation? The candidates' ten years of hard work reading Confucian classics in a cold window are not just for the sake of passing the exam and becoming an official..."

  "The six arts are not just about being worldly and mundane; reading is not for passing exams or becoming an official."

  Ding Rou smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps I was thinking that Brother Ping is different from Brother Zhou, without the noble character of Brother Zhou."

  Ding Rou spoke out to remind, firstly, she didn't want Zhou Shi Xian's careless words to cause trouble and implicate the Ding family. The fact that the number one scholar was bought with silver would be a sensitive topic at this time of the imperial examination, and it could easily stir up a huge commotion. After more than ten years of hard study in a cold window, only three hundred people were selected as scholars in the imperial examination held once every three years. The difference between passing and failing was like heaven and earth, and there would definitely be those who were dissatisfied. Secondly, Ding Rou was waiting for Zhou Shi Xian to say that she was common and smelled of copper, and was unbearable.

  Zhou Shi Xian did not disappoint her, with a look of disdain and contempt. Ding Rou had always been worried that if the fourth wife could not marry Ding Jiu, would she be chosen as an alternative? If Zhou Shi Xian's eyes were suitable, Ding Rou would have facilitated this marriage, but Zhou Shi Xian was far from Ding Rou's standard for choosing a husband. Being rejected by Zhou Shi Xian was better than being liked by him, so Ding Rou decided to thoroughly eliminate the possibility and prepare ahead of time, rather than waiting until it happened to her before thinking of ways not to marry.

  In the capital, there are many better girls than Bi Ting's daughter. The fourth wife is not necessarily choosing her. Given the fourth wife's doting on Zhou Shiyan, she will not go against her son's wishes. Not to mention the old lady of the Ding family, who was looked down upon by Zhou Shiyan in front of all the wives. Even if the fourth wife has a mind to, the old lady should not agree.

  The old lady glanced at Ding Ruo and said, "Miss, your vision is not as good as Shixian's. Go back and tell Liu Yazi that Shixian should calm down first, don't get angry and hurt her body."

  Fourth Aunt thought to herself, if even Ding Ruo, who was just a concubine's daughter of the Ding family, could say such things, then the legitimate daughter, Ding Xuan, would be even more exceptional. Seeing her son get angry, Fourth Aunt glared at Ding Ruo disapprovingly. Even if there were valid concerns, couldn't they have been expressed in a more tactful way? Why did it have to escalate like this? Occasionally showing off one's cleverness was not becoming, and perhaps it was done with the intention of currying favor, but she didn't realize that her own son had a noble character.

  "Second sister isn't me being nosy, Liu Yaotou suddenly chiming in with good intentions but not quite proper."

  Ding Rou hastily got up and said, "Mother, daughter knows her mistake, and will never dare to speak out of turn again."

  Zhou Shixian only now felt that Ding Ruo was somewhat plebeian, and now he also felt that Ding Ruo was timid and afraid of trouble, always being overly cautious. He had always been in the habit of doting on women, so he said: "Sixth sister is innocent, Second Aunt need not punish her."

  The lady said with a smile: "Since you've pleaded for her, I'll spare her this time. Next time if she dares to speak out of turn again, I'll punish her together."

  "Thank you, mother."

  Ding Rou bent her knees slightly, bowed her head and knelt down in front of Zhou Shi Xian, "Thank you, Brother Zhou, for pleading on my behalf."

  "Never mind, just read more books from now on, so as not to tarnish the good reputation of the Ding family."

  "Yes."

  Ding Rou sat back up, no longer daring to lift her head. After this sudden change, Zhou Shi Xian had an even better impression of Ding Min, who had been silent the whole time. Just now when he said those words, Ding Min had been gazing at him with deep feeling, making it difficult for Zhou Shi Xian to express his true emotions to the beauty.

  Ding Min and Ding Shu sat in the same direction, Zhou Shi Xian's unusual behavior startled the fourth wife, she thought her son had taken a liking to Ding Shu, said: "In the back garden of the mansion, there are several red plum blossoms, just right for viewing. Let's not be confined to the house, I'll have someone tidy up the flower hall and prepare wine and food, we can either admire the scenery or drink and recite poetry, it will be quite pleasant."

  "Shi Xian accompanied them to the flower hall, I've arranged everything, the new deer meat, made into a roasted dish, must take good care of them, especially Jiu Er is precious, if I neglect her, I won't forgive myself."

  "With a sister-in-law as lovely as a heavenly maiden, I'm delighted and couldn't bear to mistreat her."

  Zhou Shi Xian didn't mention the name of his fairy-like cousin, but Ding Rou knew he was referring to Ding Min, and he took this opportunity to make up with Ding Min.

  Ding Ruo raised an eyebrow and looked at Ding Min, seeing her cheeks flush red. Ding Min enjoyed the admiration of men, standing beside Ding Ruo was Ding Yu with a dim gaze. Triangular relationships were the most complicated, Ding Ruo didn't think Fourth Madam would take a liking to Ding Yu, not only because she was born out of wedlock, but also because Ding Yu had a slightly inferior personality, and her exceptional talent in poetry, books, and painting made her somewhat arrogant, making her unsuitable as the daughter-in-law of a wealthy merchant family.

  Fourth Auntie wanted to choose a clever but not overly formidable daughter-in-law for Zhou Shixian, fearing that her son would be oppressed by his wife and also worrying that she herself would not be able to control the daughter-in-law in the future. Ding Yu had one shortcoming, which was that she was frail, although her eyebrows were good, she had a hint of insufficiency, always with tears in her eyes, self-pitying and self-sorrowing, which family would want to marry her? In ancient times, a woman's most important responsibility was to carry on the family line, if her body was not good, it would be difficult to give birth.

  Out of the house, no longer in front of Mrs. Dai and others, Zhou Shixian was no longer restrained, walked to Ding Min's side, smiled with affection: "Min sister, I'll pick some flowers for you later, okay?"

  In Zhou Shi Xian's eyes, he focused on Ding Min alone, accompanying Ding Min to the flower hall. Ding Rou fell behind in the end, listening to Zhou Shi Xian's devoted words to Ding Min, and didn't know that Ding Min wouldn't be firm in her original thoughts.

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