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

The friendship between classmates should be maintained.

One of the imperial censors was straightforward. He quickly walked up to Ling Silang, pointed at him, and asked, "You...you are Qi Ji, the third-ranked scholar?"

Ling Silang looked bewildered. "Sir, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

"How could this be? How could I possibly mistake someone for someone else? Absolutely not. How could there be two people in the world who look so alike?" Censor Wang believed in his own eyes.

The reason why Lord Wang reacted so strongly was entirely because of his daughter.

Three years ago, Qi Ji was a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations. On the day of his parade through the streets, Lord Wang's daughter saw him and fell in love at first sight. From then on, she lost her appetite and couldn't eat or drink. When the Wang family realized something was wrong, they pressed him repeatedly before they learned that their daughter had fallen for Lord Qi.

Lord Wang also admired Qi Ji and was thinking of confronting Qi Ji about this matter so that he could marry his daughter.

Unexpectedly... he was a step too slow. Lord Qi and Lord Wen's daughters got engaged and married in a hurry... This caused quite a stir.

After Lord Wang's daughter learned about this, she even considered suicide, but she was discovered each time. Lord Jiang also developed a deep hatred for Qi Ji because of this incident.

Qi Ji was later sent to a post outside the capital, and then died in an accident, along with Lord Wen's daughter.

When the news reached the capital, Lord Wang did not hide it from his daughter. With the person dead, everything became a fantasy. Miss Jiang slowly let go of her worries, and her health gradually improved.

A few days ago, the Wang family arranged a marriage for their daughter. Both sides were quite satisfied, and the wedding was scheduled for April.

Who would have thought that the person who had caused his daughter to lose her appetite would reappear at this time?

Ling Silang remained calm. He had long been prepared. The calmer his expression, the less others would notice anything amiss. In any case, the Emperor and the Crown Prince both knew about this, so he was safe.

The ministers were all shrewd people, and some of them stepped forward to sized up Ling Silang. Finally, one of them said to Lord Wang, "Lord Wang, are you mistaken? I don't think Scholar Ling knows anything."

Lord Wang was indeed quite agitated. "But how do you explain his face?"

"What's there to explain?" Wen Yibin approached. "His Majesty appointed him himself, and His Majesty didn't say anything. What is Lord Wang dissatisfied with?"

Lord Wang finally came to his senses. Even if Lord Ling was the same Lord Qi from three years ago, as long as His Majesty protected him, no one could say anything.

"Yes... I was surprised because I saw that Scholar Ling looked a lot like Scholar Qi from three years ago."

"Lord Wang, there's no need to be too surprised. Scholar Ling's wife does resemble my short-lived niece somewhat. My elder brother even said he wanted to adopt Scholar Ling's wife as his goddaughter, so as to fulfill his fatherly heart."

"This... such a coincidence in the world?" someone in the crowd said.

The other shrewd people had already discerned a different meaning, so this person was none other than Lord Qi from three years ago.

Just then, news came from outside that the Crown Prince and the Emperor had arrived together.

All the officials immediately paid their respects to the Emperor on the spot.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince walked over, and the Emperor waved his hand, "Alright, get up."

After everyone got up, the Emperor asked, "When I arrived just now, I saw you all surrounding the top scholar. Is there a problem?"

Wen Yibin stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “Your Majesty, Lord Wang said that Scholar Ling is very similar to Scholar Qi from three years ago, and suspects that they are the same person. We will analyze this further.”

"I know about this matter. Perhaps there are just such coincidences in the world. You don't need to think too much about it. Qi Ji is Qi Ji, and Ling Zimo is Ling Zimo."

After the emperor finished speaking, he looked around and said, "You are all ministers of the court and role models for the people. Discussing gossip here, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the people?"

Everyone immediately admitted their mistake, saying, "We know we were wrong."

"It's good that you know you're wrong. Alright, everyone go back to your seats."

The Emperor glanced at Minister Wen, who was sitting near him, and said, “Minister Wen, since Ling Zimo resembles your deceased son-in-law, why don’t you adopt him as your godson? This would ease your longing for your daughter.”

“Your Majesty, Lord Ling’s wife also bears a striking resemblance to my deceased niece,” Wen Yibin stepped forward and said.

The Emperor was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! Lord Wen, I'll directly recognize Ling Ziming's wife as my goddaughter. It's like you've regained what you lost. It's a wonderful thing."

Lord Wen immediately responded, "Yes."

The Emperor waved his hand, "Alright, let's leave it at that. And you all stop gossiping behind my back. You all have longer tongues than the women on the street."

The ministers knew the unspoken agreement but dared not speak, yet they all knew that Ling Ziming was Qi Ji, and his wife was the eldest daughter of the Wen family from back then.

The Emperor really protects these people, and he is particularly fond of Lord Wen.

Because the emperor was protecting them, no one else dared to say anything, and they all became extremely obedient.

The banquet at Qionglin went very smoothly. The Emperor left after only a short while, and the Crown Prince left halfway through. Ling Silang found an opportunity to speak with the Crown Prince privately.

Others are not entitled to leave halfway; they must wait until the very end.

However, veteran officials like Lord Wen can leave if they don't want to stay.

Ling Silang stayed until the very end before coming out. As he walked out, he found Wen Yibin waiting for him. He went up to him, and the two walked forward in tacit understanding.

It's already dark, but the palace's ground lamps and lanterns are still lit, making it easy to see the way. If you're in a good mood, you can also enjoy the beautiful scenery here.

After the two left the palace gate, Wen Yibin said, "Get in my carriage, I'll take you back."

Ling Silang didn't say anything and followed Wen Yibin into the carriage.

The carriage moved slowly forward. Wen Yibin spoke up, "Your identity is now officially recognized. From now on, no official in the court will dare to bring up your identity again. The Emperor is protecting you in this matter, and other officials won't dare to say anything."

"Yes." He naturally knew that being sent out to do those things was all for the Emperor, and the Emperor naturally needed to protect him.

"You haven't been back to the manor for a long time. Although I don't say it, I miss that girl and your child. What happened before is in the past. When you go back, talk to the girl and tell her to come back and visit when you have time. I really miss you."

"You all don't know, the Wen family mansion is very deserted now. The second and third branches have been separated by my eldest brother. I haven't gotten married yet, so there are even fewer people in the mansion."

At this point, Wen Yibin complained, "Now I don't even like going back home."

"Okay, I'll talk to her when I get back. We'll visit the Wen family when we have time."