When Gu Wu Chen grabbed Lin Fus arm to introduce him to his wife, Gu Ying said that Lin Fu was Mei Niangs son. Gu Wu Chen was taken aback for a moment.

  Gus asked hesitantly: "Who is Mei Niang?"

  Gu Wu dust sighed: "Big brother, big sister suffered my entanglement, when exiled to the northwest border, the whole Gu family only had Mei Niang following, and they both got sick and died on the way..." As he spoke, he bowed to Lin Xie, "You are also a person who has been implicated by me, yesterday I received your kindness again, really have no way to repay."

  "How dare I? How dare I?" Lin Xie hastily bowed and returned the courtesy, even lowering his head lower than Gu Wu Chens to avoid being rude.

  Gu Ying followed the Gu family and Gu Wu Chens youngest daughter Xun Er to change into clean clothes in the inner courtyard. Yang Pu and Dongyang Fu Yun Qi deputy captain reported to Gu Wu Chen that they were ambushed by Lin Ges accomplices while chasing after the assassin, but were rescued by several horse traders from outside who were on good terms with Lin Ge.

  The Provincial Governors Office is in charge of the provinces criminal cases, and Gu Wu Chen, who was appointed as the Deputy Governor of Jiangdong, was not an incompetent person. After carefully listening to Yang Pu and Dongyang Prefectures Yun Qiweis description, he knew that those few outsiders who were good friends with Lin Xie were probably also powerful characters. He didnt intend to pursue the matter further, but instead told Yang Pu: "Send two people with my name card to Shiliang County to find Governor Liang and report this matter in detail. The pursuit of the assassins accomplices will be handled by Shiliang County. I am still on my way to take office and have not officially taken up my post, so it is not convenient for me to intervene in this matter..."

  Gu Wudus trip south, his son Gu Siyuan and wife and daughter accompanied him. Except for Yang Pus father and son, and a soldier from Jibei who followed him back to the capital as guards, there were only four maids and servants. No one was sent to Shiliang County to report the news. The Dongyang Prefecture cloud cavalry deputy commander naturally took charge of the matter and sent two people on horseback to report the news to Shiliang County. As for Gu Yings killing of a servant, it would have been necessary to wait for Yu Zuo to examine the body before taking action. At the time, Gu Yings actions shocked people, but according to the laws of the dynasty, there was nothing improper about them, and no need to cover them up.

  Here is the translation:

  "Now that things are settled here, Gu Wu-dust asked Lin Xuan about his future plans: Yesterday, I heard from Liang Gongzuoren that you were the only one who passed the county exam in Shiliang County this year. When do you plan to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination? I think it would be better for you to go to Beijing early and choose a quiet place to study. My maternal grandfather was the former Minister of Revenue, Tang Gongxun (Tang Haixin), who is also my mentor. He appreciates young talents and will surely help you. If you go to Beijing early, you can take a letter from me to his residence to report your safety, and you can also borrow a place in the Tang residence to study quietly... Gu Wu-dust had originally only wanted to thank Lin Xuan for his help yesterday, but knowing that he was the son of Mei Niang, who had died of illness while pregnant with him, he decided to treat him like a nephew. Yesterday, at Liang Zuo-rens place, he learned that Lin Xuans position in the Lin family was not very high, so now he wanted to help him in his studies and official career."

  "Thank you, sir, for your kind cultivation. Lin Xian was listed as the 137th name in the rural trial, and it was indeed a lucky chance that he was not eliminated. For now, there is no plan to go to the capital to attend the meeting..."

  "Is that so......" Gu Wu Chen hesitated for a moment, he was very proud of his own talent, and others thought that passing the imperial examination as a jinshi was already a great achievement. He felt that ranking 137th in the provincial examination was only barely passable. Yesterday, Liang Zuo Ren didnt mention this to him. After a moments deliberation, he said, "You can stay in Shiliang County and study hard for another three years, participating in the next huishi examination is also good. Youre still young, with a bright future ahead of you. Its rare to pass the imperial examination at such a young age, I was one year older than you when I passed the jinshi examination and went to Beijing to participate in the huishi examination."

  “…Lin Yu thought of waiting for Gu Xuan to come over and take care of the matter of going to Jiangning, but Gu Wu Chen said as much, and he no longer avoided the topic, saying, “Perhaps Mr. Gu doesn’t know, those horse traders from outside also didn’t help me for nothing... They were originally people I invited to sell horses at Linjin Ferry when I was stranded in Tinghu, but the second young master of the Lin family coveted their good horses and wanted to force them to sell, and I helped them out of a difficult situation. At that time, I had already offended the Lin family, and I’m afraid there’s no place for me to settle down in Dongyang either. I was planning to go to Jiangning to make a name for myself...” Lin Yu half-truthfully told Gu Wu Chen about his circumstances, “It’s not that I’m being disloyal, but the second young master of the Lin family really is narrow-minded. Although I am also a son of the Lin family, those knife-wielding attendants by the seventh lady’s side also knew that if they rescued me and the others, it would mean offending the second young master of the Lin family. Every day I stay in Dongyang is like sitting on pins and needles...”

  "... Gu Wu Chen didnt expect Lin Xuan to be in such a hurry to leave Dongyang Prefecture, and after being stunned for a moment, he said, "We will also set off for Jiangning tomorrow. Since you dont want to stay in Dongyang, you can follow us to Jiangning too. However, the matter of seeking an official position should be put on hold for now. The proper way is to strive for success in the imperial examination and enter officialdom..."

  In the imperial examination, being selected as a candidate and having an official title meant that scholars had the qualifications to become officials. However, these were all minor positions, with very limited opportunities for advancement. If a scholar-official could serve as a county magistrate before retiring at the end of their career, it was considered a great honor, as if their ancestors had offered high incense.

  For nearly a decade, the most successful jinshi to enter officialdom is the current prefect of Weiyang Prefecture, Dong Yuan. Dong Yuan entered officialdom as a jinshi six years ago and consistently received excellent evaluations, but only gradually rose through the ranks to become the ninth-grade chief clerk of Xianxia County. However, when the rebel army swept across eastern Fujian during the Jiaqing reign, Dong Yuan joined forces with local residents and government troops to defend the county seat against the rebels, achieving a remarkable feat. He was later recruited by Li Zhuo, the Minister of War in Jiangning and Governor-General of Eastern Fujian, but disagreed with him on how to handle the surrender of the rebel leader, Xi Qing. As a result, he was transferred to Jiangning to serve as a langzhong in the Ministry of War, only to be reassigned as prefect of Weiyang Prefecture three months later. Within a few years, the former jinshi who started out as a low-ranking ninth-grade official transformed into a high-ranking fourth-grade official and became one of the most respected figures in the bureaucracy.

  What is called a dark horse, naturally its not the normal path. The scholars of the world see the imperial examination in the capital as the last leap through the Dragon Gate, and Gu Wudu is no exception. According to precedent, if one passes the provincial exam, its impossible to be eliminated in the palace exam, even with poor results, they would still be a third-class scholar and enter the Hanlin Academy for further study for three to five years. After being sent out, they would hold an official position of at least eighth rank county magistrate or above. With someone backing them in the court, becoming the most respected official in a prefecture is just a matter of ten or eight years, which is much better than spending ones whole life as a minor official.

  Gu Wu Chen was so eager, Lin Xian wanted to shirk but feared hurting Gu Wu Chens enthusiasm, so he said to consider it after going to Jiangning. At this time, for offending the second young master of Benjia, he was uneasy and had no mind to quietly read while staying in Dongyang.

  Gu Wu Chens son, Gu Siyuan, stood by and watched Lin Xies face, the intention to shirk responsibility was very obvious. He thought that he had no ambition, and the so-called offense against the second young master of the Benjia family was probably a fabricated lie. He roughly knew his fathers identity and took advantage of yesterdays favor to go to Jiangning to seek a fat official position under his fathers big tree.

  Gu Suiyuan still had a grudge against Lin Xie for his tough attitude in the dispute with his familys guards outside the tea hotel yesterday, but since Lin Xie knew that the assassin had been kind to his family, he naturally suppressed his resentment. Just now, Gu Suiyuan listened to Yang Pu describe the fierce battle at the village entrance, and it seemed obvious that Lin Xie had deliberately lured the assassins accomplices into the village entrance to surround and kill them in order to curry favor with the Gu family. At this time, when observing Lin Xies expression, Gu Suiyuan naturally regarded him as a person who repaid kindness with ingratitude, and his gratitude towards him had become very weak.

  According to legend, Gu Suiyuan and Gu Yingxu were cousins, Gu Yingxu was married to Lin Tingxun as a concubine, Lin Xuan had to call Gu Yingxu Auntie, and Gu Suiyuan would be one generation older than Lin Xuan. However, when Gu Wudeng and other senior members of the Gu family were present, there was no seat for Gu Suiyuan during conversations. As a guest and benefactor, Lin Xuan pulled Gu Wudengs hand to sit in the main hall, which made Gu Suiyuan very dissatisfied.

  Yang Pu and his son Yang Shi, as well as another green-clad guard, all thought the same way in their hearts. They didnt have a good impression of Lin Xie, but they couldnt not repay the kindness of those who had helped them. Moreover, the adults in their household were very enthusiastic about Lin Xie, so even if they felt some disdain in their hearts, they didnt dare to show it.

  Gu Yingxiu changed her clothes and came out, greeting Gu Wudu and the other senior members of the Gu family one by one. These senior members of the Gu family had previously spoken ill of Gu Yingxiu behind her back, believing that she had disgraced the Gu familys reputation by marrying Lin Tingxun as a concubine. They didnt even want to see her, and if it werent for Gu Wudus insistence, they wouldnt have come to show their faces. After learning that Gu Yingxiu had just beheaded the rebel soldiers at the village entrance, she changed into clean clothes and came out to pay her respects. These senior members of the Gu family reflexively stood up and didnt dare sit down to receive her greetings.

  Lin Guan looked and thought that the elders of the Gu family were really people without any backbone, no wonder after the fall of Gu Wu Chen brothers, the Gu family declined rapidly.

  "Xuner, the lifesaver is here, why is she hiding and not coming out to thank her?" Gu Wu Chen saw his wife and niece come out from the backyard, but that daughter who had been clamoring to go out every day, even wanting to dress up as a boy to follow him out, was now hiding and refusing to come out to see the guest.

  After sending the maid to run past the house, after a while, Gu Xiangyun saw Gu Wudus little girl with a red face and a twisted body walking in front of Lin Xie, bowing her head and thanking her: "Gu Xiangyun thanks Lin Gongzi for yesterday... yesterday... kindness..." She barely finished saying this sentence and shyly hid behind her mother, Gu Shi.

  Seeing her like this, Lin Xuan couldnt help but think of the soft bullets he had obtained yesterday, but he also couldnt stare at her in front of her father, brother, clan elders and servants. Lin Xuan could only sit up straight and talk to Gu Wu Chen.

  Gu Wudu never expected to spend his days reading books on governance and statecraft, but Lin Xie was a guest in front of him, the Deputy Inspector of Jiangdong Province, and Gu had also received help from Lin before. He couldnt just leave Lin to be entertained by others, besides, he didnt have any other important matters today, so he was quite enthusiastic about discussing poetry with Lin as if he were mentoring a junior.

  Lin Xuan, although retaining his original memory, has been very lazy in poetry and literature for more than two months. His level is not even close to what it was before he went to Jiangning for the exam, let alone showing off in front of Gu Wudian. After a conversation, several laughable mistakes were made. Fortunately, Gu Wudian saw Lin Xuans face turn red and sweat on his forehead, so he didnt make things difficult for him anymore. Probably knowing that Lin Xuans attainments in poetry, books, and Confucian classics are limited, he only instructed him to work harder when he goes to Jiangning.

  Gu Suiyuan and Yang Pu, among others from the Gu family, witnessed this scene and knew that Lin Xies abilities were limited. They thought to themselves that it was fortunate he didnt go to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, as it would have been a waste of time. Only Gu Yingxue knew that after Lin Xies rebirth, he had become infinitely better than before. Within just three short days, Lin Xie had demonstrated exceptional decisiveness, bravery, meticulousness, and strategic thinking - qualities that made him the most outstanding man she had ever seen. However, only someone as cunning as Gu Yingxue could see through the facade of those who only knew poetry and classical studies, and realize they were not worth relying on.

  Zhou Pu never understood poetry and classical studies, standing aside listening made him drowsy, in his heart he also sympathized with Lin Xie: why discuss these things with this pedantic scholar, he was deeply convinced that Lin Xie had true talent, real ability and genuine emotions.