Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

They might not have heard of Taiyin County, but they were definitely familiar with Yunding County. This year, countless hot spots were there.

First, they discovered the new potato crop, then they combated drought, the emperor conferred the title of Ruyi'an, and later, they cured influenza and discovered a salt lake... In short, the scholars present were well aware of the immense contributions made by the Yunding County magistrate. Since Taiyin County was involved, he was sure to have some achievements, and perhaps even a promotion next year.

The next rank above the seventh is the sixth. The son of an eighth-rank county lieutenant is really no match for the son of a sixth-rank party member who has great potential for the future.

Thinking of this, the look in everyone's eyes when they looked at them changed a little.

Wang Ze also straightened his back unconsciously, with a sneer on his lips.

Although his ranking is not as high as theirs, his father is much better than that county lieutenant. So when compared with their fathers, he is still the more powerful one.

"Also, Brother Yun's cheating has been investigated. It was all a misunderstanding. I'm involved in this matter and can testify." Wang Ye continued to explain, "Brother Chen and I wanted to get close to Brother Yun, but he was only interested in reading sage books and disdained to associate with a group of rich kids like us. In anger, Brother Chen and I planned this drama to punish him, but we almost caused such a disaster."

"Now, the two county magistrates and the dean have jointly investigated the truth of this matter and cleared Brother Yun's name. He is an idle person who only reads the books of sages and is oblivious to the world outside. He would definitely not do such a thing. Moreover, his talent was witnessed by everyone when he was in the academy, so it is not surprising that he won the top spot."

"I stand up today not only to seek justice for Brother Yun, but also to sincerely ask everyone to bear witness. Today I formally apologize to Brother Yun."

Wang Ye walked up to Yun Jing and looked at his cousin and him. Since he had chosen this camp, he had to show his attitude. He bent down 90 degrees and spoke very humbly.

"Brother Yun, I was young and ignorant when I first started the academy, so I did something so shameful that it almost ruined your future. I sincerely apologize to you here, and I ask Brother Yun to forgive me. Even if you don't forgive me, it's okay. I will use my actions to prove that I know I was wrong."

At this time, Wang Ze finally showed a little good face to his cousin, which could be regarded as him returning to the right path.

In order to listen to his father and integrate into his circle, this kid actually apologized in front of so many people and learned to be servile. It seems that he is no longer the naive boy he used to be.

Yun Jing wasn't one to dwell on trivial matters. Furthermore, after spending the past few days together, he'd let things slide. He helped Wang Ye up and said calmly, "It's been a long time since that happened, and I've forgotten it long ago. You don't have to dwell on it again. As long as you work hard and do things that are worthy of the country and the people, we can still be friends."

"Now that my cousin has sincerely apologized, is it Brother Chen's turn next?" Wang Ze squinted his eyes at the others beside him. "It was the three of us who conspired together to do this. My cousin and I have officially apologized, and now it's your turn to give Brother Yun an explanation."

Chen Shou looked at the people in front of him, his face turning ashen with anger.

If I apologize in front of so many people, it means I admit that I did such a dirty thing.

Wang Ye is the son of a businessman, so it doesn't matter if he has a bad reputation, but he is the son of an official and the hope of the entire Chen family. He is going to have a career in the government in the future, so how can he allow himself to be stained with such a stain?

After thinking for a long time, he slowly said, "Brother Wang, I don't understand what you two are saying. What does what you two brothers do have to do with me? You can eat whatever you want, but you must not say anything you want, lest you delay others..."

When Wang Ye heard this, he was immediately furious. He had already admitted his mistake in front of so many people, but Chen Shou still wanted to get away with it.

He was about to open his mouth to condemn, but unexpectedly, several followers beside Chen Shou hurried to speak up for him.

"Brother Wang, if you guys made a mistake, just admit it. Why do you have to drag Brother Chen into this? That's a bit immoral."

"That's right. We all know Brother Chen's character. He's not the kind of person who would do such a despicable thing and frame others. Please don't talk nonsense here."

"Forget it, why bother with him? He's just a mad dog biting randomly. Brother Chen got second place in the exam, so we have to go back and have a good meal to celebrate."

"That's right, we have to celebrate this second place..."

"..."

Just like that, without giving anyone else a chance to interrupt, five or six people surrounded Chen Shou and walked away.

"What kind of person is this? He doesn't even dare to admit what he did. He's not as open as me." Wang Ye waved his fists behind him, his face full of indignation. "It was him who whispered in my ear, saying that Brother Yun was self-righteous and that I was the only one who was so foolish that I listened to him and actually did such a thing..."

"So, don't listen to others casually when you are out." Wang Ze patted his cousin's shoulder helplessly: "He is an outsider, but I am your cousin. How can your brother harm you? I told you to let it go earlier. People like that attacked Brother Yun yesterday, and they might attack you tomorrow."

Wang Ye was touched when he heard this. "That's true. After all, we're still connected. How could my brother possibly harm me? Even though that bastard came in second, our brother Yun came in first. We have to celebrate. I'll treat you to dinner today as an apology."

Then, he looked around at the group of students watching the fun: "We are all students of the same academy. If you have nothing to do, you can come and join in the fun."

There were many people around who wanted to get close to the third and first place on the list, so there was no reason to refuse, and they responded immediately one by one.

Yun Jing stopped them and waved his hand helplessly: "The second exam is tomorrow. At this critical moment, everyone should go back and read the books. First, prepare for tomorrow's battle, and then relax."

After hearing this, everyone felt that it made sense and could only disperse quietly.

When Wang Ze heard him mention the second exam, he felt a little worried. The first exam took 300 people, and the second took 100 people. This meant that there could only be 100 scholars in the entire Yuzhou. However, he only ranked 150 in the first exam. Even if he performed exceptionally well in the second exam, he wouldn't be able to squeeze into the top 100...

"Cousin, don't worry. Just come again next time. If I pass the exam, you will pass it too, and you can both bring honor to our family." Wang Ye came over and patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"You little brat, go away and go back quickly to prepare for your work." Wang Ze slapped him in annoyance, then walked over and put his hand on Yun Jing's shoulder.