The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"Ah?" Madam Xu was startled again.

She subconsciously felt that even if Sanya had another child later, it must have been Qian Yongde's. She never considered any other possibility, even though Sanya might have caught up with Qian Yongde later.

“In such a chaotic world, anything could happen,” Zhang Lao Er said calmly.

Xiaoyuer then spoke up: "What should we do with Zhong Zheng? I never expected that he would be related to my aunt, whom I've never met before. What a coincidence! Did my aunt plan to scheme against our family back then?"

“Your third aunt doesn’t have that kind of brain. She couldn’t have it even if she were reincarnated a hundred times. Besides, after losing her first child, she should have cherished this second normal son like a precious gem. You can tell from how often she visited Zhong Zheng when she was in the nunnery. I guess something must have happened to her back then,” Zhang Ping’an speculated.

He tapped the table thoughtfully: "Zhong Zheng wasn't too young when he came, and I'm not sure if he still remembers his biological parents. Let's test him tomorrow!"

"So, should I do something?" Little Fish sat up straight.

Zhang Pingan waved his hand: "No need, just keep a close eye on him. Be careful about what he eats and drinks."

Little Fish nodded, "I understand, Dad, don't worry!"

Because of this, apart from Xiaoyuer, everyone else in the family is destined to have a sleepless night.

The next day, Xu was bedridden and couldn't get up, complaining of a headache. She was even groaning when the doctor came.

They couldn't diagnose anything, just prescribed some sedatives and told me to rest more.

Zhang Ping'an knew that her illness was psychological, but others did not know. They only thought that Xu was old and had been too tired in the palace these past few days, so she fell ill.

The ladies from the neighborhood also visited with gifts.

Zhong Zheng behaved as usual in the mansion, showing no signs of anything amiss.

He is already very mature for his age.

Zhang Ping'an secretly observed him for a long time inside the room and finally determined that he was probably genuinely unaware of the situation.

After finishing his meal, he knocked gently on the door and entered, bowing his head to report: "Master, I questioned those people who went to Qing County seven years ago to investigate Zhong Zheng's background again. This time, they didn't miss a single word. According to them, the reason why the farmer said the person in the portrait was not right was because of the eyes and face, plus the lack of hair, which made it much harder to identify. The farmer examined it for a long time and said it didn't look like him, so they assumed it wasn't the same person and that's why they reported the wrong person."

"Hmm," Zhang Ping'an didn't blame her too much. He guessed that the drawing he made from memory must have been very different from his third sister's appearance later on.

He then pulled out a scroll from the painting vat beside him. “This is what I had someone bring from the palace this morning. Send someone to Qing County with this scroll at full speed, ask that farmer again, and then go to Sanqing Temple to find out why the former abbot died. Remember, you must find out the truth about this matter. If necessary, you can ask the local magistrate for help, but do not reveal my identity.”

"Understood, I'll go right away," he said, bowing and quickly retreating after finishing his meal.

"Third sister, oh third sister, you really are lucky. Since you've taken the initiative to find Mother, let me go and meet you today," Zhang Ping'an muttered to himself.

After saying this, he ordered his men to prepare a carriage to enter the palace.

These high-ranking officials, who have been going to the palace every day to mourn Empress Wei, have made it convenient for him to see his third sister.

But not long after he left, he was stopped by a servant of the Qian family when he passed the alleyway of the Qian residence.

"Young master, the eldest young master's carriage has broken down and there's no time to fix it. Could you please give him a ride?"

Zhang Ping'an knew something was wrong, and it seemed to be quite serious, so he stopped and waited for someone.

A short while later, Qian Ying got into the carriage, carrying a bundle in her hand.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an's gaze fall on it, he explained, "These are clothes for my father to change into. He can't return from the palace these two days."

"I know about this matter, it's still about the enfeoffment and enfeoffment, isn't it?"

"That's right. On the surface, it's because of Empress Wei's funeral, but in reality, it's because of the enfeoffment. Even though the Empress has passed away, it won't affect His Majesty's ability to move forward with the original plan."

At this point, Qian Ying cautiously glanced around to make sure that no one was nearby except for the coachman, before whispering, "The Second Prince will soon be enfeoffed as the Prince of Shun, with his fief in Shanxi. The Third Prince will be enfeoffed as the Prince of Gong, with his fief in Sichuan. The Fourth Prince is in the worst situation, being enfeoffed as the Prince of Ning, with his fief in Fujian. Except for the Second Prince, whose fief is in a better location and who has been granted an important prefecture, the Third and Fourth Princes have not only been sent far away from the capital, but their fiefs are also very small counties with little real power."

Zhang Ping'an's mind raced. "Was this a message from my father-in-law?"

"Yes, it will be announced at tomorrow's morning court session and proclaimed to all civil and military officials," Qian Ying nodded.

"Then the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince will probably not let this go easily, and their mothers will still cause trouble in the palace." Zhang Ping'an could imagine how much of a blow the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince had suffered.

The fiefdom of a mere remote county could not satisfy their ambitions.

In terms of power, he was not even as powerful as a third-rank official.

Suddenly falling from the clouds to the dust, the two princes, only fourteen or fifteen years old, were in the prime of their lives and could hardly bear it.

Listen to the titles bestowed upon them: Prince Shun, Prince Gong, Prince Ning. This clearly implies that they should be obedient, humble, and dutiful to their duties as subjects.

"My father asked me to remind you to avoid the maternal families of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince for the next two days, lest they come begging to you and things get messy."

"Thank you for your kind advice, Father-in-law," Zhang Ping'an said earnestly.

“We’re all family, no need for thanks. You and your second sister are a loving couple, and you’ve always stayed by her side without remarrying. To be honest, even as a man, I’m moved. It’s so hard to find a man as affectionate and righteous as you,” Qian Ying waved his hand, speaking with genuine emotion and a look of deep admiration on his face.

Zhang Ping'an waited for his follow-up.

Sure enough, Qian Ying paused for a moment before asking, half-jokingly, "I heard you were rejected when you went to the Prince of Qin's mansion to propose marriage for Xiaoyuer? What, you don't like our Qian family's daughter?"