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

Three days later, everyone packed up and set off.

The six members of the Jiang family rode horses, while the three brothers of the Li family rode in a carriage.

There were two horses in the rented courtyard, which were entrusted to an old hunter in the village. The old hunter was too old to hunt, but he could still feed the two horses.

Five hundred coins a month, not including the cost of fodder, just the wages alone, were enough for the old hunter to live on.

Li Haisheng's examination venue was in Haiqing Province, which was three or four hundred miles away from Yunqing Mountain. Along the way, his two older brothers did not need him to drive, and he only needed to read books and drink tea. This was the most pleasant trip he had ever taken.

With his family by his side, his junior brother riding alongside him, and of course, Miss Jiang and his future mother-in-law, his entourage for the exam was quite impressive.

A few years ago, he thought he would have to leave early and walk to the provincial capital to participate in the provincial examination...

After traveling for several days, the group arrived at a small town near the provincial capital.

Although the town was small, it was bustling with activity. It happened to be market day, and the roadsides were lined with all sorts of stalls.

Jiang Xiyue dismounted, bought more than a dozen meat buns, and asked the tea stall owner to fill up the water bags she carried with her, and paid for the tea.

"Make way! Make way! Move aside! Get out of the way!"

Several burly men shoved pedestrians on both sides of the road to make way for them.

Wenbin cleverly instructed Li Chunsheng to drive the carriage into a dark alley to avoid being caught in the crossfire. The men dismounted and gripped the reins tightly.

"Who is this? So domineering!" Jiang Xiyue protected Roubaozi and moved closer to her younger brother.

"Hey young man, you must be from out of town. You don't even know about the local tyrant of Luoxi County!"

Jiang Xiyue, still dressed as a man, immediately perked up: "What does that do? Is he the leader of the bandits or the mountain bandits in your area?"

"Wow, what kind of bandits and outlaws have this kind of entourage? This is the son of the county magistrate, and he himself is a scholar!"

"Scholar? Such domineering behavior, how can you be considered a scholar at all?" Jiang Xiyue frowned, her face full of disdain.

"Shh! They have power and influence; we ordinary folks can't afford to offend them." An old man next to him shook his head and sighed helplessly.

At this moment, the magistrate's son rode over on a tall horse, swaggering around without even glancing at them.

The man was tall and strong, but he didn't walk very fast. You could tell he was a good-looking young man.

"Hmph, what a waste of such a handsome face." Jiang Xiyue sneered.

"Alright, that's enough! We're just passing through, let's not cause trouble."

Lin Yueniang patted her daughter to stop her from talking too much.

Jiang Xiyue immediately shut up and waited until the street returned to calm before distributing meat buns to everyone.

The steamed buns were a little cold, but nobody cared.

We're just stopping here temporarily. The provincial capital is just a few dozen miles away, so there's no need to stay overnight. We'll just stop to replenish our water and buy some food.

"That person also went towards the provincial capital. Could he also be participating in this provincial examination?"

Li Haisheng also heard that the county magistrate's son was a scholar. Since he was a scholar and went towards the provincial capital, he was most likely participating in the provincial examination.

"Who cares if he does or not? This road doesn't belong to him. We just don't want to cause any trouble. If we get into trouble, we're not made of clay."

Jiang Xiyue didn't care about the other scholars; she only cared about those she was related to—her younger brother, her father, and her grandfather, and now, her senior brother Runzhi.

As for her brother-in-law, he has her older sister to care for him, so he's not within her scope of concern.

Everyone nodded in agreement after hearing Jiang Xiyue's words. The Li brothers, Li Chunsheng and Li Qiusheng, also nodded silently. The provincial examination was important, but they couldn't let their younger brother be bullied.

After finishing their steamed buns and drinking tea, they continued their journey without stopping, hoping to find lodging in the city before the gates closed.

Halfway there, as darkness fell, a commotion arose ahead.

A carriage got stuck in a mud pit, and people around were busy pushing it. The person sitting high on the horse and directing the work was none other than the son of the county magistrate whom they had met before.

Jiang Xiyue couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "This person is really persistent."

At this moment, the magistrate's son also saw them. After a look of surprise in his eyes, he spurred his horse forward.

"Are you also scholars taking the imperial examination?"

"Exactly."

"What a coincidence, I am too. It is fate that we meet. I wonder if you would like to travel together?"

"Oh, my apologies, my apologies. My name is Xie Yuan. May I ask how you all are addressed?"

"My name is Li Haisheng, and these are my family members who accompanied me to take the imperial examination."

Li Haisheng did not want to tell strangers the names of his future wife and mother-in-law, so he only gave his own name and referred to everyone else as family members who were accompanying him to the exam.

Xie Yuan didn't ask any more questions. After all, he could tell that five of these people were attendants and guards, and the other two looked like women disguised as men. The only real masters were Li Haisheng, who introduced himself, and the youngest, fair-skinned, handsome young man.

Along the way, the magistrate's son behaved himself well, occasionally even exchanging a few words of scholarly discussion with Li Haisheng. Although Jiang Xiyue still harbored some resentment, seeing that he meant no harm, she gradually lowered her guard.

Jiang Xiaoqi found the magistrate's son quite interesting; he looked like a spoiled brat, but he was very polite in his speech and actions.

But if you say he's polite... his subordinates are so domineering and unreasonable. If someone is truly polite, how could they let their servants act recklessly?

Anyway, he knew that Wenbin, Li Mo, and A Niu wouldn't disobey his orders or act recklessly.

Then there's that person's name... Xie Yuan? A top scholar?

Hmph, why not use "Huiyuan" or "Zhuangyuan" in their names? They certainly have a big mouth!

This time, the top scholar must be his senior brother!

Jiang Xiaoqi was lost in thought when her senior brother patted her on the shoulder, making her realize that they were about to enter the city.

They thought they could part ways with Xie Yuan once they entered the city, but unexpectedly, this person followed them all the way to the same inn.

"Young master, the master has prepared a small courtyard, which is very close to the examination hall!"

"Shh... Don't talk too much, Ah Zhao. Remember this and go back to Luoxi to receive your punishment."

"Uh, yes, young master!" The pageboy shut his mouth and silently followed.

Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but lean close to her senior brother's ear and whisper, "Senior brother, is he following us on purpose?"

Li Haisheng gently shook his head, signaling him not to say anything more. It's their freedom to choose where they want to stay, and it doesn't cost them any money.

After everyone settled in, Xie Yuan took the initiative to knock on the door, saying he wanted to invite everyone to have a meal together.

Jiang Xiyue frowned, unwilling to agree, but Jiang Xiaoqi was curious about his intentions. After exchanging a glance with her senior brother, she agreed.

At the dinner table, Xie Yuan chatted and laughed, seemingly casually mentioning that the topic of this scientific expedition might be related to water conservancy.

Li Haisheng's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't respond.

Jiang Xiaoqi listened intently from the side, secretly sensing that this person seemed to be testing his senior brother intentionally or unintentionally.

"Senior brother, this person is strange. If he invites you again, you should refuse if you can. I have a feeling that this person... is a bit sinister."

"Yes, junior brother, don't worry. You and your sister and mother can rest for the night. I'll leave the city to see you off tomorrow morning."

"No rush. Just get to Xinghe Prefecture three to five days before the event starts. Our place is very close to the provincial capital; it only takes one or two days to get there."

Jiang Xiaoqi was still uneasy and wanted to observe the magistrate's son further. He had a feeling that this man would cause some trouble during the provincial examination, whether for better or worse.

In any case, no one should be allowed to affect his senior brother's provincial examination; he must take precautions.