Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

The crowd surrounded Magistrate Wu and entered a bright hall in the county government office. Magistrate Wu told everyone not to be polite and sat down first, followed by everyone else.

In addition to County Magistrate Wu and the five newly-elected scholars, those present included the county magistrate, county lieutenant, and chief clerk from the county government.

Ye Changyan looked around quietly and found that Bai Jun and Li Yuanlin were very graceful in their speech and behavior, worthy of being the children of big families, while Wu Jiaxing spoke with the mentality of a host. Song Ruliang, who was sitting next to Ye Changyan, seemed a little embarrassed and spoke little.

The county magistrate, county magistrate, county lieutenant and the chief clerk all had warm smiles on their faces. Looking at the young people in front of them, they thought of how free and easy they were when they were young and studying.

"Come, come, my dear nephews, I would like to offer you a cup of tea instead of wine. You are all the best young talents in this county. If you can pass the imperial examination and become an official in the future, your future will surely be bright!"

At first, everyone was wondering why County Magistrate Wu would use tea instead of wine on such an important occasion. Later, they learned that Ye Changyan was in mourning. This made several scholars very moved by County Magistrate Wu's compassion and delicacy, while the county lieutenant and the chief clerk had a further understanding of the county magistrate's way of doing things.

County Magistrate Zhang, however, admired the county magistrate's ability to win people's hearts. It seemed that he still had a lot to learn if he wanted to take the position of county magistrate after his promotion.

County Magistrate Zhang also has a high opinion of Ye Changyan. This boy is the youngest among the five scholars, but has the highest ranking. However, he cannot take part in the autumn examination next year due to mourning. If he can successfully become the county magistrate, then if this boy passes the autumn examination three years later, that will be his own political achievement.

Although the wine was replaced by tea, it did not affect everyone's interest. Magistrate Wu and everyone else drank to their heart's content.

During the banquet, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant, the chief clerk and others all drank a few cups with the five newly-minted scholars.

When County Magistrate Zhang was clinking glasses with Ye Changyan, he asked half jokingly and half seriously.

"Now that my nephew has achieved fame and success, his marriage is sure to be arranged!"

When County Magistrate Zhang asked this question, everyone present held their breath and listened, as this was one of the topics they were most concerned about.

Among the five scholars present here, Bai Jun and Li Yuanlin are almost thirty years old and have several children. Wu Jiaxing and Song Ruliang are both adults. Wu Jiaxing got married last year. Song Ruliang was engaged at an early age because of his poor family. All the expenses for his studies were funded by his wife's family. After he passed the examination to become a scholar, the wedding date was set and he will be married soon.

County Magistrate Zhang's eldest daughter was only fifteen years old. She was very pretty and was a famous beauty in Wanshou County. She had just come of age when matchmakers came to propose marriage to her. Just when a family with a daughter was attracting hundreds of families, Ye Changyan appeared in County Magistrate Zhang's sight.

Although the Ye family was not well-off, they could not stop Ye Changyan, who was not only knowledgeable but also ranked third in the imperial examination at the age of 16 and was also handsome. County Magistrate Zhang began to think that if such a potential stock could be his son-in-law, it would be perfect.

Among those present, there were more than just County Magistrate Zhang who had the same idea.

The families of the county lieutenant and the chief clerk both inquired about Ye Changyan's situation and wanted to propose marriage to him. The family of Magistrate Wu's wife also came to inquire.

Bai Jun and Li Yuanlin were born in a wealthy family in Wanshou County, so they naturally knew the principles of investing in potential stocks. Their families also asked them to find out the details. Even Song Ruliang's in-laws asked him to find out about it. If possible, they might become brothers-in-law.

When Ye Changyan heard the sudden question from County Magistrate Zhang, he did not notice that everyone present was listening with their ears perked up, waiting for his answer.

"Your Excellency the County Magistrate, you don't know that my family is poor, so my two cousins haven't found a marriage yet. Besides, my grandfather just passed away, so for me, this marriage is really not the right time."

After hearing what Ye Changyan said, everyone fell into a brief silence. The good news was that Ye Changyan was not yet engaged, but the bad news was that it would be difficult to propose marriage in the short term.

County Magistrate Zhang, who asked the question, looked embarrassed and spoke first.

"My dear nephew, please don't be offended. I was rude and forgot that you are in mourning. It is really not the time to discuss marriage. Come on, I will punish myself with a drink."

As they drank and chatted, the topic changed to more relaxed ones, and they chatted and laughed, and their relationship became closer quietly.

After the banquet, Magistrate Wu, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant, the chief clerk, and Wu Jiaxing personally escorted Ye Changyan and others out of the county government office.

After leaving the county government office, they said goodbye briefly and left.

Before Ye Changyan had walked far, Li Yuanlin caught up with him.

"Brother Ye, wait a minute!"

"Brother Li, what else is going on?"

Li Yuanlin caught up with him in a few steps, took out an exquisite invitation and handed it to Ye Changyan.

"Brother Ye, on behalf of my cousin Li Yuanpu, I sincerely invite you to attend the literary gathering at Yunfeng Tower in three days."

Ye Changyan took the invitation, opened it and saw that it was indeed an invitation to a literary gathering, and the signature was indeed Li Yuanpu. Ye Changyan looked at Li Yuanlin with some confusion.

"Li Yuanpu is my cousin from the Li family. He has always liked to make friends, especially through literature. He specifically asked me to invite Brother Ye to attend the event."

Ye Changyan was searching for information about Li Yuanpu in his mind, but he had no clues and fell silent for a while. Li Yuanlin thought that Ye Changyan was unwilling, so he continued to speak.

"My cousin has not only invited this famous scholar from Wanshou County, but also many famous Confucian scholars from Yuzhou Prefecture. At that time, we can all meet friends through literature and speak freely. How wonderful it will be!"

Li Yuanlin's words brought Ye Changyan back to his senses. Hearing what the other party said, Ye Changyan readily agreed.

When Ye Changyan returned to Shanglin Village, dusk had fallen. When he entered the house, he saw that there were many more gifts piled up in the main room.

"Brother, you are finally back!"

Seeing Ye Changyan walk into the main room, Wulang, who was reading inside, put down the book and spoke.

“What happened?”

Just then, my parents and sister came into the main room carrying food.

"Brother, you are not at home today, the house is so lively!"

There was obvious emotion in Erniu's tone. Her mother Lian looked unhappy, while her father had an embarrassed look on his face.

“Eat, eat, eat first!”

Ye Xiaozheng looked at his wife and daughter who both looked angry, then looked at his younger son who looked a little aggrieved, and then he greeted his older son.

Seeing this situation, Ye Changyan was afraid that something unpleasant might have happened at home today. Judging from his father's expression, it was most likely related to the old house. The group of people in the old house had been hanging around for the past two days, and they were probably planning something.

I didn't deal with them directly at home in the past two days. On the one hand, there were too many people coming to visit and I couldn't take care of them. On the other hand, I wanted to leave them out for a while. Could it be that as soon as I left home today, they started to make trouble for my family?