All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

Before Lin Ruan left the palace, she was summoned to the Eastern Palace by the princess.

In the study of the East Palace, the princess was reviewing memorials with her pen. When she saw Lin Ruan come in, she immediately put down her red pen and a rare smile appeared on her face.

"Well, my dear cousin, you really made me proud! When the good news of your success in the imperial examination reached the Eastern Palace, I almost knocked over my teacup."

Lin Ruan curved her eyebrows and gave a standard bow: "Thank you for the compliment, cousin."

She took a few steps closer and lowered her voice, "Those years were tough for me. I had to act ridiculous during the day, and when I finally managed to study for a while at night, I had to cover the windows tightly with black cloth, for fear that even a single candlelight would leak in."

When the princess heard this, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes. She reached out and straightened her collar for her: "You child..."

"My eyes are still bright, which means our Duke's bloodline is good."

Lin Ruan winked playfully, straightened her back deliberately, and acted proud.

The princess was amused by her and gently poked her forehead: "You, you, you, you're already so proud after just a few compliments. I think it would be best to wait until you've spent a year in the Imperial Academy and then send you out to cool down your temper."

"Cousin~"

Lin Ruan immediately changed to a coquettish tone, pulling the princess's sleeve and shaking it gently, "My dear cousin, please don't send me away. How can I endure all that hardship? Why don't you just let me be the Imperial Censor? If you find anyone you don't like, tell me secretly and I'll scold her."

"You silly girl," the princess shook her head helplessly, her eyes full of fondness, "It's not that easy to be an imperial censor. It's a job that only offends people."

Lin Ruan suddenly put his hands on his hips and acted arrogantly, then immediately put them down and said with a flattering smile: "I'm not afraid of offending people, I have my cousin behind me~"

The princess was amused by her ability to change her expression and laughed out loud: "Alright, alright, alright, I'm scared of you. Just stay in the Imperial Academy for a year, and then I will ask the Queen Mother to allow you to become a minor censor."

Lin Ruan thought to herself: Does she still have feelings for the old emperor?

You only remember to eat and not to be beaten. Have you forgotten how the old emperor suppressed you?

But she didn't show it on her face, she smiled sweetly and said, "Okay, then I'd like to thank my cousin here first~"

The princess waved her lovingly, pretending to be impatient: "Hurry up, hurry up, the emperor is waiting for you to greet him, and your uncle, the queen, is also there."

"Okay, cousin, I'm leaving now."

Lin Ruan saluted, and a hint of deep thought flashed in his eyes when he turned around.

. . . . . .

When Lin Ruan's carriage slowly approached the Duke's Mansion, he could see from afar the gate of the mansion decorated with lanterns and red silk hanging high.

Duke Lin personally brought his steward and a group of servants, waiting at the door with eager eyes, looking as anxious as a child waiting to see something exciting.

"Here she comes!" Duke Lin was the first to spot the carriage, his eyes sharp. He excitedly patted the butler's shoulder, "Hurry up and set off the firecrackers! The daughter of our Duke's mansion's top scholar has returned!"

"Okay, my grandma, please stay away from me."

The housekeeper laughed and sighed, fearing that the firecrackers would hurt the overly excited head of the family.

Amid the deafening sound of firecrackers, Lin Ruan's carriage stopped steadily in front of the mansion gate.

She lifted the car curtain and saw her mother's face with a smile that was so wide that her teeth were showing.

She swiftly jumped off the carriage and smiled brilliantly, "Mother, I have brought honor to our Duke's Mansion!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Duke Lin took two steps forward and grabbed his daughter's hand. "My little sister is really amazing, just like your grandmother!"

Lin Ruan was also happy to cheer her up and said with a smile: "She looks like her mother too."

Everyone in the mansion escorted the new number one scholar into the house, and the maids and servants bowed and congratulated him along the way.

As soon as I entered the second gate, I saw Xu Jinshu coming to greet me with a group of attendants.

He had specially worn a festive crimson brocade robe today, which made his skin look as white as snow. His eyes were filled with an unconcealable smile: "Congratulations to the world girl for winning the top spot in the imperial examination. The mansion is now glorious and glorious."

He really didn't expect Lin Ruan to be the top scorer in the imperial examination. He remembered that after she got married, the fake legitimate son had written to mock him, boasting about how outstanding Han Nianzong was.

Excellent? Excellent ass!

He was just a last-place scholar. If he had not made painstaking plans behind the scenes in his previous life, he would probably have been a county magistrate in another place all his life and would never have been able to return to the capital.

Now, he is the mistress of the Duke's Mansion. As long as he wants, he can block Han Nianzong's future by himself without informing Lin Ruan!

Lin Ruan smiled and patted his shoulder: "You have worked hard to take care of the affairs of the mansion during this period. You have done a good job."

Xu Jinshu smiled subtly and said softly, "I dare not take credit for this. It is the kindness of my grandfather and father."

This is indeed true. Ever since the news came that Lin Ruan had passed the imperial examination, the two elders who had been very picky about him in the past had a drastic change in their attitude. Every time they met, they kept calling him "my dearest".

The Duke's wife handed over the account book without saying a word, and even exempted him from the daily morning and evening visits, only asking him to take good care of the princess.

"However," he changed the subject and lowered his voice, "some people outside the palace have ill intentions and are spreading false rumors, saying that you... cheated in the imperial examination."

Lin Ruan waved her hand, her expression unchanged: "It's okay, the higher-ups won't tolerate such rumors."

She did know the test questions in advance, but that was thanks to the system, and others could not provide evidence to doubt her.

Cheating in the imperial examinations was a major case that would implicate the entire government and the public. If it were recorded in history books, both the emperor and his ministers would be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Now that she is the only one being targeted, how can this be considered cheating?

This rumor would naturally be suppressed by the princess and the examiners.

As she was speaking, the maidservant beside the old lady came to invite her: "The old lady has instructed that the princess and her wife should go directly to Songhe Hall for dinner."

In Songhe Hall, the old lady had already ordered people to prepare a sumptuous family dinner.

Seeing Lin Ruan come in, the old man's eyes lit up: "Grandfather's dear granddaughter, you have worked hard recently. Jinshu, quickly serve Ruanjie another bowl of pheasant soup to nourish her body."

"Yes, Servant Sun is still warming up the rock sugar bird's nest soup in the kitchen, saving it for the princess to have before bed."

Xu Jinshu answered obediently and personally served soup and dishes to Lin Ruan.

The old lady nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad. Sister Ruan, Jinshu is a good person. You will be on duty at the Hanlin Academy in the future, so don't mess around anymore."

Lin Ruan put down his chopsticks, glanced at Xu Jinshu with a half-smile, then turned to the old lady and said with a smile, "Grandfather, what are you talking about? I want to be a censor in the future. I will impeach others if they do something wrong. How can I do this myself?"

Xu Jinshu's heart skipped a beat when he saw that look, and he quickly placed the soup bowl next to Lin Ruan's hand: "Wife, please drink the soup."

"Good good."

Duke Lin happily drank another glass of wine. Although she didn't understand what the censor meant, she was satisfied when she heard her daughter say that she wanted to make progress.

Halfway through the banquet, Lin Ruan rubbed his temples: "Grandfather, Mother, Father, I'm a little tired. I want to go back to the courtyard to rest first."

"Okay, go quickly." The old lady said hurriedly, "Jinshu, accompany the princess back to the courtyard. You are not needed here to serve."

"Yes, grandfather."

On the way back to the courtyard, Xu Jinshu followed Lin Ruan with his head down, feeling uneasy. Lin Ruan's meaningful glance just now made him feel uneasy.

As soon as he entered the room, he couldn't wait to explain: "Wife, I am not a slave today..."

"I know," Lin Ruan interrupted him, waving her hand casually, "I just glanced at you. Why, I can't look?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Xu Jinshu nodded and smiled apologetically, and his heart finally settled down.

Lin Ruan sat down on the armchair by the window, tapping the table lightly with his fingers. "According to custom, new Jinshi have three days off. The day after tomorrow I will host a banquet to invite my friends from the same exam."

Lin Ruan raised the corners of her lips slightly, "Since someone suspects me of cheating, I must host a banquet openly and let everyone see that I am the top scholar with integrity."

Xu Jinshu nodded in agreement, wondering what he should go to the warehouse to take out and pawn to make up for the shortfall.

Lin Ruan said, "I have a separate courtyard outside the mansion. Behind the shelf in the study in the separate courtyard is a secret room. Tomorrow, you take people and Ling Xiao to move the silver there."