After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Congratulations! Jiang Wenqing, the Minister of the Changshou Village in Changshou County, Xinghe Prefecture, has ranked 258th in the provincial examination!

The messengers arrived at the teahouse to announce the good news and called out names.

"Jiang Wenqing from Changshou Village, Changshou County, Xinghe Prefecture? Who is that? Which one is Mr. Jiang Wenqing?"

"Jiang Wenqing? I don't know him, I've never heard of him."

"You're from Xinghe Prefecture. Don't you recognize me?"

"Xinghe Prefecture is so big, and this person is unknown. I've never heard of him before."

"Which one of you is Mr. Jiang? I have good news to share with you!"

Jiang Wenqing's mind went blank for a moment. Could there be someone with the same name? No! No way!

In Xinghe Prefecture, Changshou County, Changshou Village, there is only one family surnamed Jiang!

Haha, hahaha, hahahahaha!

Jiang Xiaoqi's lips curled up slightly: Although her ranking was at the bottom, at least she passed the exam.

Landlord Jiang was only surprised for a moment before he realized what was happening and slapped his son hard on the back, 'Pia!'

Jiang Wenqing winced in pain.

"You brat! What are you standing there for? I'm calling your name! Hurry up and go downstairs to receive the good news! Don't keep them waiting!"

Jiang Wenqing lifted his robe to go downstairs, but was pulled back by Landlord Jiang: "Never mind, never mind, you're too clumsy, let's go together!"

Landlord Jiang led the slightly unsteady Jiang Wenqing down from the second-floor private room, gave his name to the constables, handed them large red envelopes, and received a ton of compliments and congratulations.

Those around him, still anxiously awaiting good news, were filled with envy, jealousy, and disdain.

The best-ranked candidates are the first to announce their good news; this is a long-standing custom. Those who have come out now are just the bottom-ranked candidates from the provincial examination.

He was just an ordinary scholar after all; he wouldn't even qualify for a stipend, let alone a higher degree.

I don't know if I'll be able to pass the provincial examination. For someone like me who passed at the bottom, the provincial examination is the most dangerous.

Jiang Wenqing didn't care about the opinions of those around him. It didn't matter! None of it mattered!

It took so many attempts to pass the preliminary examination, but the scholar passed the county-level examination on his first try! Jiang Wenqing stood out!

I'm so proud of myself! Now let's see who dares to look down on him now! Who dares to set a trap for him and bully him!

It is a serious crime for commoners to bully or insult scholars!

Their family even changed their nameplate because of him, Jiang Wenqing! Haha!

Before I could even laugh for a second, another 'pia! pia! pia!' sound came from behind me.

"Ouch! Father! I'm a scholar now, can you please stop! What if you hurt me? Our ancestors will blame you for hurting our family's only scholar!"

"Hehe, you're so capable! You barely passed the preliminary examination by luck, but you're acting like you've won the top prize and are soaring to the heavens!"

Do you even know your own name?! Do you even know how much you weigh?!

"Dad, how come I didn't know? We're out in public, please give us some face. With your status, you need to be mindful of your image..."

Jiang Wenqing's initial elation at passing the imperial examination cooled down, and he muttered under his breath.

"Good to know!" Landlord Jiang sneered. "Do you think it's so easy to pass the imperial examination?"

"You were lucky this time, and Mingfei was there to back you up. Do you really think you could win on your own?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenqing felt a little uneasy. He knew his own limitations and realized that he had indeed been blinded by joy.

While luck certainly played a part in my passing the imperial examination, the success was largely due to my son's intensive four-month tutoring.

But he refused to admit it, stubbornly saying, "Father, you can't underestimate him. Mingfei has taught me a lot of useful things..."

But, but I answered all those questions on my test paper myself, stroke by stroke! I, I'm pretty good too..."

Landlord Jiang looked at his son and shook his head helplessly: "You're amazing, you're really amazing!"

Landlord Jiang was naturally pleased that his son had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, but he repeatedly suppressed him, simply because he didn't want his son to get too arrogant.

If you want to advance further in the future, you need to calm down and focus. Being impatient, ambitious, and eager for quick success is not the way a scholar should behave.

Several more groups of people came to announce their good news, and the teahouse, which had been quiet for a while, suddenly became lively again, one after another.

Whether genuinely or insincerely, everyone kept repeating "Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations to you too!" on repeat.

The students who had not yet received the good news carefully chose their words, and every word they spoke to those who had passed the imperial examination had its own purpose.

The landlord and his companion had already returned to the second floor. After all, no one wanted to get to know Jiang Wenqing, this "old" guy who had failed the imperial examination at the very bottom of his class.

People still prefer to get to know talented young people of similar age, because those connections are more likely to be useful in the future.

Human energy is limited, so why waste such precious time on the day the results are released—a time for building connections—on useless people?

The father and son didn't care. Heh, today you can ignore me, but tomorrow you won't be able to climb up to me!

Hey, it's always good to say something tough first!

Jiang Xiaoqi certainly didn't care. Connections? When you're successful, you have connections everywhere, and everyone is a good person.

When you're at your lowest point, the same group of people might leave you with nowhere to turn for help, and they might even turn their backs on you.

Personal connections and relationships are the most ephemeral things; what truly matters is always one's own strength and self-worth.

You are a valuable person. Connections, resources, wealth, and even beautiful women will follow you, gather around you, and be united by you.

If you have no value, you'll be discarded like trash. Even if you chase after someone to cling to their coattails, they'll still complain that your hands are dirty...

Another round of compliments and congratulations came, and Zhao Hongxuan, sitting opposite, became restless.

Of the five people present, only Uncle Jiang has received the good news so far. There are still four of them. Will everyone be able to pass the exam?

Ah Hao is definitely a sure thing, and as for Jiang Mingfei, I have to admit that this kid is even smarter, more hardworking, and more talented than Ah Hao.

That leaves him and Grandpa Jiang. Grandpa Jiang is quite old, yet he still took the imperial examination. He must be a seasoned veteran who has failed many times before.

This is my first time taking the college entrance exam, so it's really hard to say who will come out on top.

Looking at Landlord Jiang, then at Tan Hao, Jiang Xiaoqi, and Zhao Hongxuan, they drank cup after cup of pre-rain Longjing tea, completely forgetting the pastries they had just enjoyed.

Tan Hao stopped his friend from continuing to guzzle: "Ah Xuan, that's enough, if you drink any more your stomach will explode!"

"Brother Zhao, are you perhaps too nervous? Here, have some pastries to calm your nerves." He then handed over a peach blossom pastry.

Zhao Hongxuan thanked him, took the pastry, and put it in his mouth. Hmm, his tongue felt numb; he couldn't taste anything at all.

Another gong sounded, and everyone in the teahouse perked up their ears, eagerly awaiting the announcement of their names by the bailiffs.

On the surface, Landlord Jiang appeared calm and collected, but his hand clenched tightly in his sleeve. He couldn't afford to lose to his unlucky son!