An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Yes!" Xu Zize nodded and explained, "This palace examination mainly tests policy essays that are practical and useful to the world. If we were to judge solely by literary talent, my cousin Tao and Erlang should be tied for first and second place. However, because of their relationship with the royal family and with you and me, both of them privately expressed their unwillingness to be ranked at the top to avoid criticism and accusations that the court is unfair in selecting officials."

"Ah! Is that so?" Jing Chunxi exclaimed softly. She had been secretly hoping that her maternal grandparents would produce another brilliant champion! After hearing the reason, she immediately understood the good intentions and far-reaching considerations of Erlangge and her maternal grandparents.

Presumably, they felt that the Grand General's Mansion was currently enjoying the Emperor's favor and was too prominent, coupled with its close ties to the Imperial Family and the Prince's Palace. To avoid suspicion and for the sake of the family's long-term stability, they made this concession. I'm afraid the opinions of my maternal grandfather, grandmother, and several uncles were also influential.

After figuring it out, she couldn't help but feel a surge of regret for Erlang's unfulfilled talent. But... whatever, stability was more important than false reputation.

"After discussing with my father, we finally decided on the rankings. I gave Erlang the title of Tanhua Lang, and Cousin Tao was selected as the first in the second class."

Xu Zize gently stroked the top of her head, his gesture gentle and soothing. "However, officials will naturally spread the news of their true academic level and the brilliant essays they wrote during the palace examination among the scholars. Such excellent and beautiful essays must have been posted by now for students all over the world to observe and comment on."

"That's good! As long as the talent is not buried." Jing Chunxi felt a little relieved when he heard this.

Ever since she experienced the ordeal of her grandparents' family being exiled, she has become much more open-minded about fame and fortune.

She then thought, "Speaking of which, instead of entering the Hanlin Academy and compiling historical books, it would be better for Erlangge to go out with you to gain experience and personally participate in practical projects like the canal excavation. This will better enhance his abilities and benefit the people. Then I must quickly prepare two capable and reliable followers for Erlangge who are skilled in martial arts, and send them to him tomorrow morning."

"I have so many guards and secret guards with me, and there are at least one or two hundred Jinwu Guards accompanying me. What's the matter? Xier, you still don't believe that your brother Xiaokang can protect your brother?" Xu Zize deliberately pinched the tip of her upturned nose and spoke teasingly.

"How can they be the same!" Jing Chunxi slapped his hand away and explained seriously, "Erlang brother used to have only two servants serving him with pens and ink, and they were simple-minded. Now that he has become an official and is going to follow you to handle such an important matter, he must have a few people around him who can take care of his daily life, protect his safety, and help with some miscellaneous tasks, so that it would be comprehensive and convenient to use them." As she spoke, her mind began to quickly calculate which suitable candidates were around her. Two might not be enough, and she would have to have four.

At this moment, there was a very light and deliberately soft sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the stairs. It seemed that it was Xiaoyu or Pu Ge'er. Seeing that it was getting late and not daring to disturb them, they were tiptoeing up to check what was going on.

Startled by the footsteps, they both turned to look out the window, only to discover that bright lanterns had already been lit in the corridor, dim and warm light streaming in through the window lattice. They were shocked to realize that they had been alone in the room, sleeping in each other's arms for several hours, from the afternoon until the lights came on.

Realizing this, a barely perceptible embarrassment flashed across their faces, and they quickly stood up and straightened their slightly messy robes and hair.

"Hongfen, set the table!" Jing Chunxi tidied himself up first, took a deep breath, calmed his slightly rapid breathing, then opened the door and called out crisply to the outside.

Although the title of number one scholar did not go to General Jing's Mansion as expected, Erlang Jing Congguang and son-in-law Tao Chengrui were both ranked in the top four in the same class, and both of them were young talents around the age of 20. This grand occasion of two heroes from the same family is an unprecedented story in the history of the Daqing Dynasty.

Precisely because the Crown Prince wanted to withdraw Jing Congguang immediately, on the afternoon of the same day after the students who had ranked first and second in the high school entrance examination were paraded through the streets, the Ministry of Personnel directly issued documents appointing the top three, second and third place, as editors of the seventh rank in the Hanlin Academy.

This appointment came at an exceptionally hasty moment, breaking the previous practice of observing government for three months before being appointed.

Except for the top scorer who stayed in the Hanlin Academy, Jing Congguang and the second place Lu Yuntian were ordered to follow the officials of the Ministry of Works - actually a team headed by the prince - to the south to plan and supervise the construction of the canal four days later.

This sudden transfer order was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples in the government and the country.

Jing Chunxi only learned about this matter from Xu Zize one day in advance. No matter how quickly he reported it back to the General's Mansion, they were still caught off guard.

Zhuang, who was preparing Erlang's luggage, was extremely worried. She repeatedly considered the list and made a long list, from the four treasures of the study to emergency medicinal materials, from clothes for all seasons to portable bedding, for fear of missing anything.

She personally watched the servants packing up the boxes and hurriedly sent her trusted steward to the best embroidery workshop in the capital to quickly customize more than a dozen sets of light and breathable summer clothes, as well as dirt-resistant and wear-resistant tights and trousers.

The whole courtyard was bustling with people, and servants were trotting between the corridors. It was such a busy scene that it seemed as if the entire general's mansion was going to be moved to the south, and they wanted to have everything and everything was taken care of.

What annoyed her most was that Erlang was not young anymore and had originally planned to hold a spring banquet after the imperial examination, sending out invitations to all the ladies of marriageable age from various families to come and enjoy the flowers and drink tea, so that he could meet more girls and arrange their marriage.

Now this sudden long journey has disrupted all plans, and it is too late now no matter what.

"Mother, I heard this trip will take three to five years. Erlang will be eighteen soon, and he'll be twenty-three by the time he returns. At that age, the sons of the aristocratic families in Beijing would have already started a family and a career, but wouldn't it be too late?" Zhuang rubbed her swollen temples, her voice choked with sobs, "What should I do?"

She had just directed the maids to carefully fold the six newly made sets of Hangzhou silk straight-stitched clothes into the suitcase, and was busy instructing the servant to go to the pharmacy to purchase the best Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills. Then she dragged her tired body back to the old lady's courtyard. She didn't even bother to tidy up her slightly messy hair, but only sighed and couldn't even taste her favorite rain-previous Longjing tea.