A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

After Beitang Yan returned, he actually brought in two strong men, He Dabao and Wei Ming.

As soon as He Dabao entered, he greeted everyone and then walked up to Qin Suiyou.

“Zhengjun, just as the boss came looking for us, I had just finished my mission and was about to report back.”

Qin Suiyou understood and said, "The heir of the Marquis of Xuanping?"

He Dabao nodded repeatedly.

"That's right!"

Tell me about the process.

He Dabao: "On the day of the flower viewing banquet, I heard that the heir of the Marquis of Xuanping invited the heir of the Marquis of Chunkang to the Cangxiang Pavilion. So I inquired about the time they agreed to meet and found out it was yesterday. Then I went to the Cangxiang Pavilion and added something to the wine they were going to drink. Oh, and I also cut a hole in the axle of their carriage. Today they are disfigured. The heir of the Marquis of Xuanping was unlucky. When the carriage fell apart, he also injured his tailbone and is now groaning in the mansion."

Qin Suiyou: "..."

Seeing that Qin Suiyou remained silent, He Dabao was puzzled.

"What's wrong? Is it not enough? Should I go get some more..."

"No need for now."

Stopping He Dabao, who was about to get up and leave, Qin Suiyou said, "Let's leave it at that for now. But what did you add to their drinks?"

He Dabao smiled and replied smugly, "It's just some low-class pranks from the martial arts world. I went easy on him, afraid that he would get so angry that he would cause chaos in Yejing. If you find a doctor with good skills, he can get better in a month or two."

Qin Suiyou nodded and said, "You've thought it through. This lesson is enough. Last time when Father went to court, he mentioned that he rode his horse recklessly in the market and cut in line at the city gate. It shouldn't have too much of an impact on them, but it did embarrass Marquis Xuanping. I'm afraid he'll have to be taught a lesson when he gets back to the manor."

He Dabao nodded knowingly, and then Wei Ming grabbed him by the collar and made him do some work.

Beitang Yan had He Dabao and Wei Ming follow Du Hengxue, while he himself sidled up to Qin Suiyou and boasted, "I brought two more people with me."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Beitang Yan thought of something and asked, "Where are the others? Why didn't you call more people from our courtyard?"

Qin Suiyou sorted through the collected and mixed pigments and replied, "They each have their own things to do."

Zhu Yi followed Luo Xian to tend to the flowers planted in the yard. Many of them had sprouted in the past few days, and they needed to be carefully pruned so that they would grow better in the future.

Lan Ya went to discuss their homework with Bei Tang Xin Yue, while Liu Jia was called to help by Lan Feng, who had discovered that she was exceptionally good at math. The work at the woodworking shop was nearing completion, and Lan Feng and Jin Wen were busy purchasing goods for the bookstore. They were short-handed, and they didn't trust the bookstore's original employees. Apart from Liu Yao, who was on duty, and Luo Sen, who stayed at the woodworking shop, Zhu Yu had been called to help with inventory. Du Ruo had been borrowed by Princess An. As for Lu Xi and Lu Yu, the two brothers had one thing in common: they were rarely seen. Even Qin Sui You sometimes didn't know where they were unless he used some special methods. So, the Wutong Courtyard was quite empty.

Seeing Beitang Yan trying to take credit, Qin Suiyou added, "It's all thanks to you calling people over, otherwise we would have been busy for ages."

Hearing what he wanted to hear, Beitang Yan pursed his lips and blushed slightly. Then he turned back to continue grinding the pigment powder, thinking that if he made more, his wife would praise him more, and then...

I spent an afternoon making ten jars of each basic color, each about the size of a palm. If more colors are needed, I will mix more. Now I just need to let them sit for a while until their properties stabilize before I can dispense and use them.

While Qin Suiyou was busy teaching Beitang Yan to paint with the already prepared pigments, and the Southwest Bookstore was also bustling with activity, Yejing City was also caught in a tense and busy atmosphere.

Students from all over the country had already arrived. After paying their respects to the sages and saints, they stepped into the examination hall, which would determine most of their lives, with different feelings.

This spring imperial examination will consist of three sessions, each lasting three days, for a total of nine days. However, the current examination system is not perfect, and candidates can submit their papers early and take the next session early. However, those who finish early will be temporarily placed under house arrest.

The reason it was said that one had to stay in the examination room for three days was because three days was the earliest time to submit the examination papers. However, according to the unwritten rules at the time, almost no one would submit their papers too early. If someone was unlucky enough to submit their paper early, the invigilating officials would suppress it, and the exam would be for nothing, as the officials grading the papers would not even have a chance to see it. However, given the importance that scholars placed on the imperial examinations at the time, those who submitted their papers too early usually had various reasons for not being able to continue, and there was no need to waste time grading the papers.

On the third day of the imperial examination, while Jinwen and Lanfeng were still reporting on their tasks, Lu Xi skipped into the study.

"Youyou, Chu Huan finished his exam ahead of schedule."

Qin Suiyou gestured for Lu Xi to be quiet for a while, listened to Jinwen and Lanfeng's reports, gave them a few pointers, and then let Lu Xi speak his unfinished words.

"Chu Huan finished the exam ahead of schedule, and then what?"

Lu Xi was watching Beitang Yan paint when she took a moment to reply, "That's it."

"Then why are you so excited?"

Lu Xi looked up from behind the easel. The easel that Bei Tangyan was using was a new one that Luo Sen had made based on the drawings given by Qin Suiyou. Bei Tangyan was tall, and he was sitting on an easel of a suitable height for painting. If Lu Xi stood behind him, she wouldn't be able to see him unless she stood up straight.

"I'm not excited, I just want you to know the news as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Beitang Yan put down the coloring pen in his hand and said, "Whether he leaves the examination room early or not has nothing to do with my wife."

Seeing Beitang's suddenly sharp gaze, Lu Xi swallowed hard and said cautiously, "It's okay, it's not a problem at all."

As he spoke, Lu Xi tiptoed away, and when he reached Qin Suiyou's side, he saw that Beitang Yan was still staring at him with displeasure, so he grabbed Qin Suiyou's sleeve and shook it.

"You need to control him. Why is he so temperamental and jealous? Are you planning to restrict your freedom in the future?"

Speaking of restricting personal freedom, Qin Suiyou recalled the expression on Beitang Yan's face when he said he wanted to lock him up but couldn't bear to. His eyebrows were slightly curved, and his mood was visibly good.

"I would never restrict my wife's personal freedom, so stop talking bad about me."

"what?"

After hearing Beitang Yan's rebuttal, Lu Xi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, especially in the spot where his beautiful antlers grew. This feeling was strange and subtly contained a sense of crisis. Lu Xi wasn't bragging; most people couldn't make him feel this way.

Noticing Lu Xi's unusual behavior, Qin Suiyou asked, "What's wrong?"

This time, Lu Xi toned it down a bit and didn't say it directly anymore, otherwise it would seem like he was still talking badly about Beitang Yan. But he still whispered to Qin Suiyou, "He's really not simple."

To everyone's surprise, Beitang Yan was still not satisfied. After glancing at the spot where Lu Xi was tugging at Qin Suiyou's sleeve, he said, "You're even more extraordinary. You've grown horns on your head."

Lu Xi was shocked and looked up at Qin Suiyou in disbelief.

"He even noticed that!"

Qin Suiyou showed no unusual reaction and even looked at Beitang Yan with admiration.

"He's really amazing."

Beitang Yan smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good."

Qin Suiyou: "...And a little silly."