The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

Several of Ling's uncles and elder brothers, some of Ling Silang's cousins, the clan head, elders, village chief, and those who had good relations with the Ling family and those who had bad relations with the Ling family came to watch the spectacle.

In short, the Ling family was extremely lively.

Those who came to watch the commotion were chased away by Ling's mother. Those who were on good terms with the Ling family were genuinely happy for Ling's mother and didn't come empty-handed. After looking at the items, they left immediately.

In the end, only the clan chief, the elders, and Ling's father remained.

Fang Chang spoke first, "This time, Ling Zheng was in the wrong. We have already discussed it and decided to expel Ling Zheng from his clan and drive his family out of Dahe Village."

Ling's father gasped slightly; this punishment was quite harsh.

"You've already done that?"

"Yes."

Ling Silang didn't say anything more. He had a past grudge against Ling Zheng, and since he was willing to acknowledge him, he certainly didn't intend to hold it against Ling Zheng.

But now...

The reason I thought of letting Ling Zheng's family go before was because they were all members of the Ling family, and also because Ling Zheng had really saved him when he was a child.

Now that I've recovered, I have a different opinion of Ling Zheng; times have changed.

"But what's wrong with what we're doing?" the clan chief asked anxiously when Ling Silang remained silent.

Ling Silang shook his head. "No, you're right."

It's good that Ling Zheng left. He will definitely lead the Ling family of Dahe Village to develop together in the future. Leaving behind someone with ulterior motives is a troublesome matter.

Finally, after the clan leader and the others confirmed that Ling Silang would take the exam directly in the prefectural city, they were all more excited than if they were getting married themselves.

Seeing that Ling Silang looked tired, the clan chief immediately called for the others to leave together.

Upon reaching the door, the clan chief said to Ling's father, "We all believe in Silang. If Silang passes the imperial examination this time, it will be a big event in our village. You must prepare a proper banquet."

"Absolutely."

As long as Silang passes the exam, his father, as his son, will definitely not let his children down and will prepare a feast for them as soon as possible.

After seeing the guests off, Ling's father went into Ling Silang's room to sit for a while, but he saw Du Mingxian helping her son up. As the father-in-law, he felt embarrassed to go in, so he simply went back to find his wife.

With their son alright, the two were happier than anyone else. The gloom that had weighed on their hearts for days had vanished, and Ling's father was walking with a spring in his step.

After the exams are finished, the papers need to be graded, and since the news comes from the prefectural city, it's a bit slow.

On the morning of the third day after Ling Silang returned, Ling's mother woke up early and her eyelids kept twitching. At first, it was her left eye that twitched, which meant good fortune on the left and misfortune on the right. Ling's mother was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.

She also told Du Mingxian, "Something good is definitely going to happen today. My left eye has been twitching non-stop."

She had barely finished speaking when... her right eyelid started twitching, which confused her. Disaster? What kind of disaster?

They took turns performing, one after another, giving Ling's mother no chance to rest.

It wasn't until after lunch that the messengers arrived with the good news. It was the same two people as last time, but they knew that Ling Juren wasn't the top scholar this time, and they were worried that the Ling family wouldn't give them any reward money.

"Congratulations to Ling Zimo for passing the imperial examination and becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination)

The yamen runners who came to announce the good news shouted as they entered, so everyone in the village knew about it.

Such a joyous occasion for the Ling family has brought happiness to some, but also unhappiness to others.

"The Ling family is really lucky. I never expected that Ling Silang would actually pass the imperial examination. The Ling family is going to be rich now."

"What's there to be so sour about? Your own son is incompetent, so all you do is criticize others?"

"When did I become jealous? My own son isn't cut out for studying, so can't I even express a little sentimentality?"

"Hmph, think carefully before you speak. Ling Silang is Ling Silang from our Dahe Village. The better he is, the better it is for our entire village, and even more so for the Ling family."

"That's right."

Some were envious, some were jealous, but no one dared to cause trouble today. Everyone knew that Ling Silang's wife could be deadly if she started hitting someone.

The Ling family members were overjoyed upon hearing the news. Ling's mother even took the initiative to give each of the yamen runners who delivered the good news five taels of silver, which was truly a generous gesture.

In the county, people might not be willing to give so much; at most, they would give some copper coins, which would be both burdensome and show off their wealth.

Unexpectedly, the villagers were even more generous.

Du Mingxian and Ling Silang were talking inside the room. "It seems a banquet is inevitable."

Ling Silang knew this was essential, but he added, "Let my parents handle it. They've worried about me their whole lives, and now there's finally something that can make them happy. I'd be happy to do it."

"It's a good thing." Du Mingxian said, still quite surprised. "You... why aren't you the top scholar?"

“What’s so strange about that? There are always people more capable than you, and there’s always something beyond your understanding.” Ling Silang’s eyes clearly flickered as he said this.

Du Mingxian keenly noticed this and straddled him, pressing him for an answer, "Tell me, why? You've swept through so many bookstores in the entire prefecture, bought up all the books, how could you not have won a single top scholar title?"

"That's normal. Some reviewers don't pick people based on their own preferences."

Du Mingxian didn't believe her. "You're lying. That's definitely not how it happened. Tell me honestly, what is the real reason?"

Seeing that she insisted on asking, Ling Silang simply explained, "It's to prepare for going to the capital."

"what?"

"The capital is a treacherous place. We have no roots here. Once someone discovers my talent, there will definitely be people trying to win me over. There are plenty of cases where people turn into enemies instead of being won over. I don't want to take sides."

Du Mingxian didn't know what to say. "But can you guarantee you'll do well in the next round? It's a real shame you lost the top score."

"It's not a pity. Sometimes what you lose may not be a blessing, and it may even be a misfortune."

"Alright, since you have your own considerations, then you can make the decision. I don't care, and this matter doesn't have much to do with me anyway."