Traveling through time and space to become a lady of a noble family, but she only wants to escape

The carriage drove all the way to an inconspicuous herbal medicine shop on Wanjia Street.

Lin Chuqi had told her about this shop, saying that it uses food as a tonic and conforms to the principle that food and medicine have the same origin. One of the dishes, lamb stewed with angelica sinensis, is especially good for invigorating qi and activating blood circulation. It tastes fragrant and not greasy, and has an amazing flavor.

The shop was the same inside and out. It looked inconspicuous from the outside and was still inconspicuous from the inside. There were seven or eight tables in the room, all filled with people. The noise was deafening. There was only one plump woman busying around, and it seemed that she was both the cook and the shopkeeper.

Bai Zhi barely squeezed to the counter and said, "Boss! I want a plate of angelica stewed lamb in a food box!"

The shopkeeper shouted at the top of his voice: "Sold out!"

Bai Zhi looked at the dish sign above her head and said, "Then I want the Codonopsis pilosula and quail soup!"

“Sold out!”

"Pig blood soup!"

“Sold out!”

"Seven Treasures Hoof Flower!"

“Sold out!”

Bai Zhi: "...Can't we turn this sign over after it's sold out?"

"Forgive me, sister. I can't spare my hands!" The shopkeeper hurriedly brought out five bowls of noodles and took the time to apologize to Bai Zhi with a smile. "The dishes in our shop are all gone by now. Only noodles are left. If you want to eat medicinal food, there is a big restaurant half a mile to the north. The food is also good... Hey, hey, hey, be careful not to spill it... Sister, you have to come earlier next time!"

Several diners nearby echoed: "Her yam noodles are so delicious!"

Bai Zhi smiled and said, "No, I'll come earlier next time!"

Bai Zhi was in vain after the return visit and the meal were also in vain. She was immediately aroused to rebel and sat back in the carriage, saying, "Drive forward half a mile!"

The herbal medicine shopkeeper was quite accurate, saying half a mile was exactly half a mile, no more, no less. Bai Zhi got off the carriage and was almost blinded by the magnificent three-story hexagonal building in front of her.

She suddenly felt that if she entered this place, she would be ripped off and left with nothing but her underwear.

But since she was already there, Bai Zhi still strode in.

This place is consistent inside and out. The tables and chairs in the room are even plated with gold edges, and even the waiters are wearing silk clothes. Bai Zhi walked all the way to the third floor, trying to find a quiet place by the window.

"Baizhi!"

Bai Zhi looked towards the source of the voice and unexpectedly saw Lu Jiliang, who was sitting by the window and waving at Bai Zhi with a smile on his face. Bai Zhi sat opposite him, looked at the table full of dishes, and said with a smile: "Your housekeeper said you had something to do, so this is it?"

"Have you been to my house?" Lu Jiliang asked the waiter to bring a new set of bowls and chopsticks, and pushed the plates in front of Bai Zhi one by one. "Food is the most important thing for people, and eating is a serious matter. You came at the right time. This dish has just been served and I haven't touched it yet. Come and try it."

"Then I won't be polite."

The feeling of chatting with old friends was quite strange. Lu Jiliang had not changed much since he was a child. He used to take her around with him, but now he took her brain around with him. He talked about this and that, from how he was always beaten by his sister at home to how he had been reading heavenly books recently to visiting officials in the capital a few days ago. Bai Zhi could hardly keep up.

"...Uncle Cheng's house is really big. From the outside, it seems to be bigger than the Marquis's mansion. I heard him tell others," Lu Jiliang looked around and then lowered his voice, "It seems that the court is about to change!"

The word "imperial court" was really far away, but Bai Zhi still asked out of curiosity: "What is changing?"

"I don't quite understand the details, but it's probably saying that the Seventh Prince seems to have had great luck recently, and can always outdo the Crown Prince in everything. It's also saying that the Emperor has given the Seventh Prince the task of investigating the Northern Di turmoil." Lu Jiliang realized that Bai Zhi was in the Marquis's Mansion and probably didn't know much about the court, so he explained, "Oh, that's right. Among the princes now, only the Seventh Prince can compete with the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince has always been outdoing the Seventh Prince, but now it's the other way around. The Seventh Prince is not the Queen's son, so most of the old officials in the court only support the Crown Prince. This time even the Emperor has made use of the Seventh Prince, and the officials are dumbfounded."

Bai Zhi understood: "The art of checks and balances kills three birds with one stone."

Lu Jiliang asked confusedly, "What do you mean by killing three birds with one stone?"

"To suppress the Crown Prince's arrogance, test the Seventh Prince's ability, and then test the minds of the old officials in the court." Bai Zhi rubbed the chopsticks with her fingers, "Did Uncle Lu ask you to visit Uncle Cheng?"

"Yes, how did you know? My father said that Uncle Cheng will be the chief examiner for the next autumn exam, and asked me to get closer to him. I didn't plan to go, but my mother wrote more than a dozen letters to force me to go." Lu Jiliang said, "I have made up my mind. I will go home to take the exam next year. Even if I can't pass the exam in this life, I don't want to cheat for personal gain."

Bai Zhi smiled and said, "Then Uncle Lu's money would have been wasted."

Hearing this, Lu Jiliang showed an expression of complete disbelief: "Do you also think I should cheat?"

"A glimpse of the whole picture reveals the whole picture. Since there is such a hole, you are definitely not the only one who can get through it." Bai Zhi poured tea and served food to Lu Jiliang as if she was stroking his hair. "You are the only one who can keep your innocence, and you can't change the rotten roots of this world."

"Why are you saying the same thing as my mother? I thought you would support me." Lu Jiliang was deflated and simply put down his chopsticks. "If everyone is innocent, then there is no way to get rid of the rotten roots."

Bai Zhi smiled and passed it over, no longer arguing with him, and asked, "Is Uncle Cheng from the prince's faction?"

Lu Jiliang hadn't recovered from Bai Zhi's words just now. He was like a wilted vegetable that had been left in the kitchen for five days. His voice was a little lower. "Yes, but he said that the situation in the court is unclear now, so we have to think about the future."

Bai Zhi suddenly shouted solemnly: "Lu Jiliang!"

The sudden sound almost made Lu Jiliang jump up. He was still in shock and asked, "What happened?"

"Do you want to be an official?"

"I want to be an official to show my mother, but what's the point of just thinking about it? I'm still far from being an official." Lu Jiliang was a little dejected. "I often don't understand what the teacher says. I ask again and again, but I always get scolded."

Bai Zhi's expression became serious. "It's easier to be an official in the capital than in other places. Your parents asked you to come to the capital to take the autumn examination, probably not just because there are familiar examiners in the capital. Even if you go home, there may be a row of Uncle Zhang and Uncle Li waiting behind you, and you can't get away."

Lu Jiliang blinked his eyes, thinking that what Bai Zhi said made sense: "So what you mean is..."

"If you don't want to cheat, then study hard with your teacher and pass the exam with real talent and knowledge. This is the best way to have the best of both worlds."

"I...can I do it?"

"Whether it works or not, you might as well give it a try. Studying is not difficult, but there is no shortcut. If you don't understand the teacher's lectures, you can change teachers. When you still don't understand after changing ten teachers, it's not too late to doubt yourself." Bai Zhi said, "Also, listen to my advice. If you want to enter the official career in the capital, don't just listen to what Uncle Cheng says."