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

In the main room, two tables were filled to the brim with dishes typically reserved for holidays and festivals.

Landlord Jiang and his wife sat at the head of the table, with Jiang Wenqing and Lin Yueniang sitting on either side of their parents. Of course, the young scholar Jiang Xiaoqi also sat at the adults' table.

The six older sisters sat at another table, while Aunt Pan stood to the side and did not sit at the table.

Lin Yueniang glanced at it, then turned to look at her mother-in-law, and Old Madam Jiang nodded.

"Aunt Pan, please take a seat. There's a joyous occasion in the family, let's celebrate together."

"Yes, Madam Xie!" Aunt Pan sat down between her two daughters.

At this table, the two sisters, Jiang Xiwen and Jiang Xiyue, are seated at the head of the table, which can be seen as a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and an order of seniority.

The family finally had their first reunion dinner. During the meal, Jiang Lian'er and Jiang Lan'er would occasionally make witty remarks to amuse their elders.

Or they would start praising Jiang Xiaoqi, starting with the older sisters, and then Aunt Pan would join in.

How could Landlord Jiang, a seasoned expert at praising his grandsons, possibly fall behind?

As Jiang Xiaoqi's complexion gradually warmed and Jiang Wenqing's teeth ached more and more, Butler Wen came in to report that a distinguished guest had arrived.

Jiang Wenqing kept serving food to Lin Yueniang, while Aunt Pan watched all this with a smile, without a trace of jealousy in her eyes.

I don't know if it's because they're good at hiding it, or if they really don't care at all.

"Please take the guests to the flower hall for a while. Mingfei and I will be there shortly!"

Hmm. So, Jiang Wenqing was naturally skipped over.

Jiang Wenqing didn't care. There was a table full of delicious food. Who was it that was so inconsiderate as to come over at this time and ruin his good appetite?

After seeing his grandson put down his chopsticks, Landlord Jiang took his grandson's hand and walked towards the front yard.

Butler Wen is a sensible person; he wouldn't be in such a hurry to report to the backyard if it were an ordinary guest.

That means the person who came is someone special. What important figure is in Xinghe Prefecture?

Jiang Xiaoqi followed her grandfather to the front hall, where she saw a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes sitting there drinking tea.

The Jiang family, grandfather and grandson, stepped forward and greeted him: "I am Jiang Changshou. May I ask who you are?"

The man's eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Xiaoqi: "My name is Luo Chen. I came from the provincial capital. I apologize for the sudden visit!"

"This... I wonder what brings Young Master Luo to my Jiang family?"

Landlord Jiang picked up his teacup and flicked the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water.

"I have come under orders. Your family has just finished the provincial examination, so you must be familiar with Sun Siqi, the Academician Sun, right?"

Sun Xuezheng? The chief examiner of the provincial examination. Could it be that one of the three members of my family had a problem with their results, and the Xuezheng sent someone to revoke their Xiucai (scholar) titles?

Landlord Jiang's heart skipped a beat. Oh my god, it must be his unlucky son!

Two hundred and fifty-eighth place was already barely enough to make it, and now, well, it's even worse, it's not even at the bottom anymore!

Landlord Jiang's expression changed several times, and Luo Chen, who came from a military background, naturally noticed it and quickly offered an explanation.

This scholar Jiang must have misunderstood something; his face has turned a deep liver color!

"Scholar Jiang, do not worry. I have come here to convey the instructions of the Academic Commissioner."

Luo Chen stood up and said with a smile, "Your grandson Jiang Mingfei won the Junior Triple Crown, which the Academic Commissioner values ​​highly. He even wrote a letter of recommendation for him to Qingzhu Academy in the capital."

Upon hearing this, the worry on Landlord Jiang's face subsided, and although he glanced at his grandson, he showed no joy.

Seeing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but think that the Jiang family was ignorant, unaware of how difficult it was to get into Qingzhu Academy.

Luo Chen took out the letter of recommendation from his pocket and said with a smile, "Scholar Jiang may not know that only those who have passed the imperial examination can enter Qingzhu Academy!"

We adults wrote this letter of recommendation because your grandson is exceptionally intelligent and has achieved the "Triple Crown" in the imperial examinations.

With our recommendation letters, we've already stepped into the gates of Qingzhu Academy.

As long as you don't make any major mistakes in the entrance exam, you'll definitely be admitted. Scholar Jiang, you must seize this opportunity!

Your grandson is a promising student; he's destined for great things. We mustn't let his talents be wasted.

Luo Chen felt like a heartless kidnapper, coming to someone's home to abduct a child.

After all, I really didn't expect that sending out a recommendation letter that everyone would be eager to receive would turn into a sales pitch.

Jiang Xiaoqi solemnly accepted the letter of recommendation, feeling delighted. Although it was impossible to go now, he could keep it and go after passing the imperial examination.

Right now, he still leans towards going south, since the capital is more complicated and not suitable for him at this time.

Seeing that Xiao Sanyuan also looked calm, Luo Chen suddenly began to question the meaning of life: ...

This is a chance to enter the Green Bamboo Academy, something countless people would kill for! Are these two, grandfather and grandson, gone mad with joy? Give us some kind of reaction!

It was already late, so Landlord Jiang instructed Steward Wen to prepare a guest room for Luo Chen to rest. He also ordered the kitchen to send over a food box, which was even more exquisite and refined than what he usually ate at home.

After all, he's a member of the Academic Affairs Department, so we can't afford to offend him. Besides, he's the one who brought us gifts, so we have to treat him well.

The Jiang family, including the landlord, squatted together in front of the stove in the main kitchen, waiting for Li Niangzi to cook two bowls of noodle soup to fill their stomachs.

After all, their dinner was interrupted, and they only managed to eat two or three bites of the delicious food on the table; their stomachs were still rumbling...

After resting for a night, Luo Chen took his leave. Now that the Jiang family had accepted the letter of recommendation, he considered his mission complete.

Whether others are happy or not is none of his business.

Landlord Jiang watched the galloping horse for a while until it disappeared from sight before turning around and heading home with Jiang Xiaoqi.

"Grandpa, why don't you go?"

"How can that be?! This was specially given to you by the Academic Commissioner. What would it look like if Grandpa went there!"

Besides, Grandpa is quite old. Those academies like Qingzhu Academy and Zizhu Academy are too far away; he doesn't have the energy to go there.

Landlord Jiang felt that it was already quite an achievement to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar; he was getting on in years and it was time to take a break!

"Then how about we let Father go?" Jiang Xiaoqi asked tentatively.

"Him? Let's forget about him! He's still under the watchful eye of the prefectural city."

"If we send them to the capital, where no one will keep an eye on them, wouldn't they run rampant? What kind of catastrophic trouble would they cause?!"

The capital is full of powerful and wealthy people; even a flowerpot falling from a teahouse could hit an official of the imperial court. Sending my foolish son to that world of fame, fortune, and luxury is not a good idea...

“Grandfather, since that’s the case, let’s put this letter of recommendation away for now. I still plan to go south to study under a master first, and then go to Qingzhu Academy after I pass the provincial examination in a few years!”

After pondering for a moment, Landlord Jiang looked at Jiang Xiaoqi and said, "Very well, I've read this letter of recommendation. It doesn't specify an expiration date, so it should still be valid a few years from now."

"However, regarding Father, I think we should still let him go to the prefectural school for further studies. Even if his chances of passing the provincial examination next year are slim, it will allow him to gain more experience over the next few years."

"Yes, Mingfei is right. If we're idle all the time, we'll start to have other thoughts. It's better to send him to the prefectural school. It's settled then!"

I'll go see your great-uncle again tomorrow. Your father's ranking isn't quite good enough for the prefectural school; we'll have to pull some strings.

Jiang Xiaoqi nodded, praising his grandfather's wisdom and foresight.

The grandfather and grandson laughed and joked for a while longer, clearly outlining Jiang Wenqing's plans for the next few years.