Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Wei Fenghui, the eldest son of the Marquis of Jiaxing, is of exceptional talent and learning, and is hereby appointed as the top scholar of this imperial examination. He is permitted to enter the Hanlin Academy and be promoted to the rank of a sixth-grade compiler. This is the imperial decree."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" the crowd shouted in unison, and Wei Fenghui accepted the sacred imperial edict.

The messenger, his face beaming with joy, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture of congratulations:

"Congratulations to Lord Wei on becoming the top scholar! Congratulations to Lady Hou! The Marquis of Jiaxing will once again become a prominent noble family in the eyes of His Majesty because of your glory."

Jiang Huaiyu smiled slightly and humbly replied, "To share the joy with you, to share the joy with you."

He then waved his hand, and Cuiying, who was standing nearby, immediately handed him a heavy red envelope that had been prepared beforehand. This was a long-standing custom, and the reason why so many officials vied for this position.

The messenger accepted the red envelope without hesitation; it was a reward he deserved. "Then I shall take my leave."

With the messenger gone, a huge weight was finally lifted from Jiang Huaiyu's heart. He had been worried that the various changes after his rebirth might affect Wei Fenghui's path to becoming the top scholar, but fortunately, everything remained the same.

Jiang Huaiyu then led Wei Fenghui and others to Yin Taibai. Wei Fenghui had now become the top scholar in the imperial examination, which was a great opportunity to add glory to Yin Taibai. At this moment, it was just a family celebration; in a few days, they would hold a grand banquet at the Marquis's residence to entertain guests from all directions.

Wei Fenghui is now a high-ranking official, his status vastly different from before. Historically, the top three scholars in the imperial examinations directly entered the Hanlin Academy, with the top scholar holding the sixth rank, and the second and third scholars holding the sixth rank—a system established since ancient times.

As Wei Fenghui stepped into Yin Tai Bai, everyone around him immediately bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Wei."

Wei Fenghui was a little unaccustomed to such a scene for a moment. He nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Please, everyone, there's no need to be so formal." His words were full of humility and friendliness, making those around him feel exceptionally warm.

Jiang Huaiyu smiled radiantly, gazing tenderly at her outstanding eldest son. In the past, she had never tasted the glory that Wei Fenghui had brought after winning the top scholar title; instead, she had quarreled with her son.

In this cycle, she successfully repaired her mother-son relationship with Wei Fenghui and finally experienced the pride and joy of being a mother, which was a deep expression of affection after her son became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The area inside and outside Yintaibai was filled with jubilant crowds, even more so than when Wei Fenghui won the top prize a few days ago. The crowds surged and thronged.

Jiang Huaiyu sent his servants and maids out to distribute the top scholar's cakes and sweet wedding candies to the visitors who were unable to enter Yin Taibai.

Inside Yin Tai Bai, a large number of VIPs who had made reservations in advance had already gathered.

In the center of the lobby on the first floor, Jiang Huaiyu arranged the Four Treasures of the Study and suggested, "Feng Hui, why not leave your calligraphy here to add a touch of elegance to Yin Taibai?"

Wei Fenghui was in a good mood and readily agreed: "Mother, what would you like your son to inscribe?"

Jiang Huaiyu glanced at everyone and slowly said, "Then let's inscribe the three characters 'Zhuangyuanlou' (状元楼). From now on, Yintaibai will also be called 'Zhuangyuanlou'."

The crowd cheered and praised him.

Some jokingly remarked, "Does this 'hidden Taibai' imply that our top scholar will one day become the Taibai of the imperial court?"

"Exactly, 'hiding Taibai'—isn't that precisely the meaning of 'hiding Taibai'?"

"That's absolutely right, it's a truly unique name."

In fact, Jiang Huaiyu did not think of this meaning when he first named the restaurant, but he did not expect that people would give it such a meaning today.

As time went by, when Wei Fenghui truly rose to the highest ranks of officialdom and was promoted to the first-rank prime minister, the significance of Yin Taibai was further elevated. It became a must-try restaurant for scholars from all over the country when they came to the capital, and even gradually evolved into a famous tourist attraction. Its fame even surpassed that of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, which was opened by the eldest princess.

When Wei Fenghui finished writing the characters, Jiang Huaiyu ordered a plaque made of mahogany with gold lacquer to be hung on the first-floor staircase. From then on, from the outside, the restaurant was named Yin Taibai, but upon entering, one would see the three large characters "Zhuangyuan Lou" (状元楼, meaning "Top Scholar's Pavilion") shining brightly.

Everyone present witnessed Wei Fenghui's masterful calligraphy and was full of praise. Regardless of the quality of his handwriting, his status as the top scholar in the imperial examination naturally earned him the utmost respect and admiration.

Just then, someone suddenly mentioned the old story of Wei Fenghui exchanging words for goods at the market.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you still remember whether our top scholar once sold his calligraphy in the market?"

“Yes, that did happen. I suddenly remembered it too,” someone echoed.

"I remember there was news back then about the second young master of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion performing at the market."

"Sigh, let's not talk about those old stories. The top scholar is now enjoying great success, why bring them up again?"

"I bring this up because I think those people who bought those calligraphic works back then would probably have those works worth a fortune now."

"Indeed, I really regret it. I was there that day, how come I didn't buy a few?"

A middle-aged man with a mustache laughed loudly and said, "Haha, the day I saw the top scholar, he was so elegant and his handwriting was like a dragon and a snake, powerful and vigorous, which was amazing. I bought it without hesitation. I never thought that it was the work of the top scholar."

A man nearby asked eagerly, "How much did you buy it for that day? I'm willing to pay ten times that price to buy it from you."

The man with the mustache's expression changed, and he said firmly, "No matter how much silver it costs, I will not sell it. I plan to carefully frame the scholar's calligraphy at home so that my unworthy son can study it every day and hopefully glean some of its true meaning from it."

After saying that, he looked at Wei Fenghui and Jiang Huaiyu with a fawning expression.

Seeing this, the people around them not only did not look down on him, but were instead filled with jealousy and regretted that they had not bought Wei Fenghui's calligraphy that day.

The reason why everyone fawned over Wei Fenghui was not only because of his prestigious status as the top scholar in the imperial examination—after all, a new top scholar would emerge every three years, which was not unusual.

The real reason is that this top scholar comes from the Jiaxing Marquis's family, which is no small matter. The Jiaxing Marquis's family is already a prestigious family in the capital, and now with the addition of a top scholar, their future political career is bound to be smooth sailing. Under the management of the Marquis's family, their official career will flourish, and their rise in rank will be imminent. The Jiaxing Marquis's family will also usher in a new era of glory.

When Wei Fenghui was still a sixth-rank official, he was able to make an appearance in front of everyone and leave a good first impression, which may play a key role in his future career.

Those who are currently hidden in Taibai Mountain are all outstanding figures from official families and wealthy merchants. Who would want to miss such a golden opportunity?

Jiang Huaiyu never easily refused those who eagerly fawned over him, but he also wouldn't become overly close to them. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable; today's flatterer might become tomorrow's traitor.

Wei Fenghui wielded his brush with vigorous strokes, then delivered an auspicious blessing to everyone before entering the private room on the second floor with Jiang Huaiyu.