Remarrying Chun Yuan

Yuan Cuo said quietly, "I can pass the exam myself, but you can't."

Liu Musheng: "..." His brother-in-law's dignity was completely shattered beyond repair.

"I don't believe it! I refuse to accept this! I want to bet with you again!"

Liu Musheng could not accept being manipulated by Yuan Cuo. "If you pass the provincial examination, I will compensate you with one thousand taels of silver. If you pass the imperial examination, I will compensate you with three thousand taels of silver."

“If you don’t pass the exam, you’ll have to call me ‘Dad’!” He raised his chin, full of resentment.

"What nonsense are you talking about? He calls you... then who am I to you?!" Liu Yuechu really wanted to strangle Liu Musheng, and was even more puzzled as to whether he had a brain at all.

Liu Musheng smugly said, "Scared now? Don't dare agree anymore?"

Yuan Cuo let out a hiss, "If I pass the imperial examination with top honors, how much will you compensate me, elder brother?"

"???"

"Hahahaha..." Liu Musheng laughed so hard he almost fell over. "You may know a few top scholars, but that doesn't mean you are one yourself. I'm the son of a painting master, and I can't even draw a bird properly. Don't be too arrogant!"

"Brother, you're too scared to gamble?" Yuan Cuo challenged him.

"What do I have to be afraid of? If you become the top scholar in the imperial examination, I'll call you 'Dad'!" Liu Musheng boasted.

"I wouldn't dare. My father-in-law is too high and mighty to be used as a wager." Yuan Cuo dared not agree, fearing that Liu Yuechu would tear him apart. "If I really pass the imperial examination with top honors, my elder brother will listen to Yue Niang in everything from now on, and let Yue Niang make the decisions."

"Isn't she in charge now?" Liu Musheng indeed doesn't care about anything. He found that his sister earns money and he spends it, which is a good thing.

"Then let me put it another way: I'll follow Yue Niang's orders, including the marriage arrangements," Yuan Cuo explained in more detail.

Liu Musheng felt awkward listening to this. Did he have to listen to his sister when he was getting married?

"Fine, I'll bet you. What if you actually become the top scholar? But if you lose, you'll have to kowtow three times to me every time you see me in the future."

“The spring imperial examinations are over, but we can try the autumn ones,” Yuan Cuo readily agreed.

Liu Musheng hesitated for a moment. Was he really that indifferent?

Liu Yuechu didn't want Yuan Cuo to participate in the scientific expedition, so how did the two of them end up betting on it in the blink of an eye!

But the matter was already settled, and she couldn't stop it anymore.

Liu Musheng left happily, still wanting to figure out how to raise horses.

Liu Yuechu stared intently at Yuan Cuo, "Still want to participate in the scientific expedition?" She knew she couldn't stop him now.

"Give it a try, we'll see if I fail." Yuan Cuo seemed completely at ease; the bet they made earlier was just a joke.

Liu Yuechu didn't believe him...

"If you fail the exam, I can send my older brother to raise horses in the suburbs of Beijing."

Since the two of them don't meet, Yuan Cuo doesn't need to kowtow to his elder brother anymore.

Yuan Cuo smiled. "Feeling sorry for me?"

“I can’t bear the shame…” Liu Yuechu sighed, “But why are you so determined to become an official? I thought you didn’t care.”

If he cared, why didn't he join earlier all these years and just live a carefree and leisurely life?

Yuan Cuo pondered for a moment, "I do care, though. My wife is so outstanding, how can I not improve myself a little? Besides, I promised Elder Zhuang, so I have to keep my promise."

Liu Yuechu's expression softened. "I don't care what others think of you."

“I don’t mind either, but I hope you can have some peace and quiet,” Yuan Cuo said quietly.

Liu Yuechu couldn't help but laugh, "You think it's too noisy?"

Almost everyone thought she was blind to have chosen a poor scholar. They constantly nagged her to be careful, so it was impossible for Yuan Cuo not to notice.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they can never open their mouths again," Yuan Cuo said confidently.

……

The imperial court announced the list of eight major officials and merchants three days later.

When the Liu family appeared on the list, almost everyone was stunned.

The Liu family is indeed the richest in the capital, but they sell paintings! Moreover, the reason they are praised as the richest is because many of Liu Zhong's works cannot be priced, including the guqin that Liu Yuechu's mother has saved up. It is a century-old antique, and this kind of thing is not like rice or flour. Two taels of silver per stone is a real price.

Moreover, the Liu family was in charge of fur processing.

Although Liu Yuechu opened many small shops, none of them dealt in this particular category.

Even if Liu Yuechu was outstanding during the snow disaster, the Imperial Household Department should not have acted so recklessly; this has exceeded everyone's understanding!

But the palace had already finalized the list, and everyone knew it was a done deal.

Upon hearing this news, Wei Gongming smashed all the desks in his study!

"Cousin, what are you doing? You scared me to death!" Tian Ya Yun was so frightened that she immediately dodged away, almost tripping. She quickly covered her stomach, not wanting anything to happen to the fetus.

Seeing her utterly annoyed, Wei Gongming said, "Get out! Get out of here right now!"

"Get out, get out! You keep telling me to get out. If you despise me so much, why did you even want me in the first place? What did I do wrong in my past life that I'm being bullied by you like this!" Tian Ya Yun was already full of grievances and couldn't understand why Wei Gongming had changed his mind so suddenly.

When she first arrived at the Marquis's residence, she didn't look down on the fact that the house was bare and had nothing. She devoted herself to him wholeheartedly, and Wei Gongming had promised to give her an explanation.

But at some point, Wei Gongming started to find fault with her in every way, and even stopped allowing her into the house...

Are all men fickle? But she's already pregnant, what can she do? She'll stay at the Zhenning Marquis's residence no matter what!

Wei Gongming was speechless.

But he had no time to pay attention to Tian Ya Yun; he only lamented that he had a lot of ambition in his heart, but unfortunately, he had no money in his pocket.

He sent someone to contact Boss Zhu to inquire about trade between Qi and Chu.

But Boss Zhu immediately retorted, "Can the young master Hou afford a deposit of ten thousand taels?"

Wei Gongming's face was burning hot; he couldn't even scrape together a thousand taels, let alone ten thousand.

He brought up Yuan Cuo again and again, eager to know how Yuan Cuo had made his deal with Boss Zhu.

He didn't believe Yuan Cuo could come up with ten thousand taels of silver, and that the Yuan family's house was even less worthwhile.

But Boss Zhu's sarcasm made him wish he could disappear into the ground. "That man is the son-in-law of the Liu family. Do you know the Liu family? The richest family in the capital. What kind of deposit does the son-in-law of the richest family need?"

Wei Gongming could only leave dejectedly.

But in this world, you really can't get anywhere without money. No matter what connections you make, you need silver. They even politely declined when they knew the place to entertain them was a small tavern, not a grand restaurant in the capital.

If you can't even afford to treat someone to a meal, how can you even talk about business?

Looking at the two women in his home, Wei Gongming dared not invite any guests over.

Guan only knew how to accept bribes to get him to do things, while Tian Yage spent her days pregnant, praying to gods and Buddhas, hoping to give birth to a son.

He turned a blind eye to people taking money for their services, at least it made life a little easier for the Marquis's family.

But Tian Ya-yun gave birth to a son? He thought of his spendthrift son from his previous life and wanted to kill her.

He had to admit that in his previous life, Liu Yuechu had paved the way with a lot of money, and his official career had soared so high that he hadn't even stepped on a pebble.

Money, money, money! How is he going to get money?!