A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Hearing He Jinglan's question, Gu Xixi casually replied, "Jiang Mingyuan, his mother is the daughter of the local Gu family. She just passed the imperial examination this year and is said to have achieved the highest score twice."

"Recently, the prefect recommended him to temporarily serve as the assistant magistrate of Qingtian County before the imperial examination."

He Jinglan was surprised, "You mean he got first place in both the provincial and prefectural examinations?"

She looked at Jiang Mingyuan, "I didn't expect to meet someone who is so good at studying."

"Again?" Gu Xixi asked. "Have you ever seen anyone as skilled as him?"

He Jinglan turned around in confusion, "Don't you know? It's not too difficult to get first place in the initial provincial examination. Mu Nanzhao got first place in the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination back then, truly achieving the triple crown."

“My brother was just a little short. He was first in the provincial examination, but only got third place in the provincial examination. He was ridiculed by Mu Nanzhao for a long time.”

Gu Xixi paused for a moment, "I thought that his background would allow him to enter officialdom directly through imperial favor."

He Jinglan laughed and said, "I can't help but laugh when I think about this. He and my brother could have entered officialdom through imperial favor or recommendation, but he refused, saying he wanted to enter officialdom through the imperial examination, thus silencing those old guys in the court in advance."

"My brother naturally refused to admit defeat to him, so the two of them competed fiercely."

“I remember everyone saying that during the palace examination, the late emperor was very fond of Mu Nanzhao, who was a potential top scholar, and also appreciated my brother, who was a potential second-place scholar. He even neglected the other people who were taking the palace examination.”

"So much so that only after being reminded by the examiners did the late emperor ask the third, fourth, and fifth-ranked candidates two questions before hastily selecting the third-ranked candidate."

Gu Xixi broke out in a cold sweat. "This third-ranked scholar is a bit pitiful."

He Jinglan said, "That's right. Back then, there were rumors in the capital that the late emperor only favored the top three scholars and did not want to select the third-ranked scholar. However, since it was against the rules, he just randomly picked one from the bottom three."

Gu Xixi looked on with longing, "Now that you mention it, I'm really curious about what a grand spectacle it must have been when they paraded through the streets on horseback back then?"

Being able to pass the imperial examination is already a real official position, and soon you will be assigned to various places as an official.

To advance further and enter the top ranks, one must enter the palace to meet the emperor and become his tutor. Even if one doesn't rank in the top three, one can still be considered a dragon among men.

However, the late emperor only favored the first two.

This clearly demonstrates just how exceptionally talented and outstanding these two were in their class.

He Jinglan sighed and said, "He studied hard for years and became the third-ranked scholar. First, he became the subject of everyone's gossip and ridicule. Then, coincidentally, the three of them became officials in the capital. He soon discovered that his talent, ability, and even promotion were inferior to theirs."

"It seems that resentment gradually grew in his heart, accumulated over several years, and finally led him to commit such a heinous act."

Gu Xixi was engrossed in listening to the story.

Upon hearing the last sentence, she felt a sudden jolt, and asked uncertainly, "The one who poisoned him, could it be...?"

He Jinglan's expression confirmed Gu Xixi's guess.

Gu Xixi asked, "Was he and this third-ranked scholar once very close?"

He Jinglan frowned and thought for a moment, "I wouldn't say it's very good, but there is trust."

"There aren't many people who can gain someone's approval, but the third-ranked scholar is one of them."

Fearing that Gu Xixi might overthink things, He Jinglan explained, "He probably didn't intentionally hide the past from you."

"Perhaps these memories are too terrible."

Gu Xixi's eyes were calm. "Being betrayed by someone he trusted, with his proud nature, how could he be willing to relive it again and again? I understand."

The thought of Mu Nanzhao's hidden suffering, which he never revealed to others, still stirred a ripple in her heart.

When the moon was high in the sky, the yamen's guards had already thoroughly searched the estate, confirming that there were no hidden bandits, and brought the prisoners tied up at the back gate to the front as well.

Jiang Mingyuan personally counted the number of people and ordered the guards to immediately escort everyone back to the county government.

An Qinghe suddenly appeared out of nowhere and approached Gu Xixi and He Jinglan, asking, "Who is this person?"

Gu Xixi glanced at him and said, "Where did you go? I haven't seen you at all."

An Qinghe picked up the jewel-encrusted scimitar from its scabbard and said proudly, "Of course, I'm going to help out at the back gate."

"Then, fearing that there might still be evil people hiding in the estate, I looked around inside and outside your two rooms."

"When I came out, I ran into this group of officials who were also searching."

He Jinglan teased him, gesturing with her lips, "Did you see that gentleman in the green robe? His name is Jiang Mingyuan, and he's Xixi's relative in the Gu family. He just passed the imperial examination this year, and he's young, promising, and unmarried."

"He met Xixi at the last clan gathering, and the two hit it off immediately."

Gu Xixi, knowing He Jinglan was mischievous, glanced at her and said, "I didn't tell you whether he was married or not, how do you know he's not married?"

He Jinglan said confidently, "Needless to say, you can tell at a glance."

"Besides, didn't you come back from the clan gathering and tell me you met an interesting person your age, someone you could talk to? It must be him, right?"

Seeing that Gu Xixi did not deny it, An Qinghe was shocked.

Just then, Jiang Mingyuan walked over, about to say goodbye to Gu Xixi.

An Qinghe suddenly turned his head and glared at Jiang Mingyuan.

Jiang Mingyuan was taken aback when he noticed the curly-haired, blue-eyed foreigner baring his teeth and glaring at him.

He looked at Gu Xixi with a puzzled expression, "I wonder who this gentleman is..."

Jiang Mingyuan remembered that he had never seen this person before, and he should not have offended him in any way.

Gu Xixi smiled awkwardly, while winking at An Qinghe and He Jinglan, signaling them to stop fooling around.

"This is Mr. An Qinghe from the Yunling Nursery Stock Chamber of Commerce."

“Brother An, this is Jiang Mingyuan, Lord Jiang, who is also an elder brother among my relatives.”

"So he's just an older brother." An Qinghe made no attempt to hide his hostility towards Jiang Mingyuan.

Who is Jiang Mingyuan? He has the politeness of a scholar, as well as the unyielding spirit of a scholar.

He noticed An Qinghe's attitude, sized him up for a moment, and said with a smile, "So it's Boss An."

"The Bodhi fruit tree that Sister Xixi planted came from the Western Regions, which must have been due to Boss An's care."

"Jiang thanks you on behalf of the young lady."

Anqing was exasperated. They had only met once, yet Gu Xixi had already told this man surnamed Jiang all of this?

He sneered, "Xixi and I are even good friends. If we're talking about taking care of each other, Xixi has taken care of me more often."

“Brother Mingyuan, there’s really no need for you to thank her on her behalf.”

The two stood facing each other, one with a gentle smile, the other with an arrogant sneer.

Gu Xixi sighed helplessly. She really didn't understand why these men would argue and confront each other over such a small matter.

She looked at He Jinglan questioningly, signaling her to say something quickly.

He Jinglan's eyes lit up; she looked like she was about to clap her hands and encourage them to start fighting.

Gu Xixi had no choice but to speak up herself, "It's probably past midnight by now. I should invite Brother Zichu in for a cup of hot tea, but since you have official business to attend to, I won't keep you any longer..."

She wanted to say, "I won't delay your return to the city."

Jiang Mingyuan looked at An Qinghe and smiled, saying, "It's alright. Take the prisoner back tonight, register him in the jail, and report to the county magistrate at dawn before we can begin the interrogation."

"I'm also worried about this, so I'll go in and ask for a cup of tea, and leave at dawn."