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

"bomb!"

"Another bomb? Who shuffled the cards?! They weren't even properly shuffled!"

"Father, how did you get so many bombs?"

Landlord Jiang calmly held his last card and said, "Stop talking nonsense, a 3, I win!"

Jiang Xiaoqi, resting her chin on her hand, felt a pang of regret.

These guys have been playing for four or five hours now, and they're not even eating properly!

He stopped reading books and completely forgot about the imperial examination.

He should have known better than to call his father and senior brother. Now look what happened! Not only did he lose his place, but he was also kicked out of the carriage because he was considered to be in the way.

Please! Whose carriage is this?! A bunch of us have taken over!

Isn't it because he felt he couldn't beat him? So he made excuses not to play with him, the game's original player, and a bunch of adults bullied a little kid.

These three are really into playing, and they're even forcing him not to teach anyone else! Honestly, they're just afraid someone will want to take their turn playing with it!

Sigh... I should have made more decks of cards; I could have played "Big Upgrade" with my sisters.

Sigh~ I wonder if there are any craftsmen in the capital who can make thin bamboo strips. The cost must be higher than in Xinghe Prefecture.

As Jiang Xiaoqi was muttering to himself, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar.

He looked up and saw a group of people dressed in gorgeous clothes riding horses toward him.

The leader was a young man who looked like a playboy, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and an extraordinary temperament. He practically screamed "rich!"

As the group passed by Jiang Xiaoqi, they deliberately slowed down, seemingly casually observing their procession heading to the capital for the imperial examinations.

Jiang Xiaoqi became wary, but this group of people didn't look like robbers; they looked more like easy prey that robbers would target.

It was rather strange that he was deliberately pretending not to care about them at this moment; no one knew what his true intentions were.

A short while later, the group of people sped up on their horses again, as if the previous pause was just a genuine rest to catch their breath, and they hadn't paid any attention to them at all.

However, Jiang Xiaoqi was certain that it wasn't like that. Although those people's scrutinizing gazes had been deliberately concealed, his sixth sense wouldn't lie to him.

I just felt like I was being scanned by an X-ray, which was very uncomfortable.

He forcibly pulled his senior brother, who was in the middle of a fierce battle, out of the carriage: "Senior brother, a group of people just passed by, and something seemed off. We might be being watched again."

"Whose man is he? Could it be that Marquis Chengen?" Li Haisheng had once dealt with this man with his junior brother back in the Northern Army Camp, and he had a deep impression of him.

"It's hard to say, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We were discreet back then and never revealed our identities. When he left the military camp, we were both nobody."

“Sigh, whether it’s him or not, we need to be more careful from now on. I’m not taking the carriage anymore. I’ll switch with your female nurse and I’ll lead the way on horseback.”

"Okay, then I won't take the car either. I'll travel with my senior brother, one in front and one behind."

Although they were reluctant to give up the "Fighting for the Top Scholar" game they had just learned, the lives of the entire team were of utmost importance at this moment. The two brothers were the best in kung fu among them, and they had to work together to ensure a safe arrival in the capital.

So the two quickly notified everyone sitting in the carriage. After hearing this, Lin Yueniang and Jiang Xiyue also got out of the carriage and changed into the female nurse's horse.

The four female guards, whose horses had been changed, had no choice but to crawl into the carriage and let their masters do as they pleased.

However, they also knew their master's strength. Their skills were enough to deal with ordinary thieves, but they were no match for a real expert.

The carriage procession moved slowly forward, sandwiched between a dozen or so horses, with people protecting them from all sides. Everyone lost their sense of humor and traveled in silence, with only the clatter of hooves echoing through the air.

"Third sister, Mother and second sister are so impressive! Although we've learned to ride horses, I don't dare to at this moment."

"Yes, Mother and Second Sister are both skilled in martial arts, so naturally they are highly skilled and daring. Ordinary villains are no match for them."

"Oh? What if it's something special?"

"What's so special about it?"

"It's what you said, Third Sister. Mother and Second Sister can handle ordinary thieves, but what if they face notorious bandits, martial arts masters, or reclusive sages?"

"Well, what about my future second brother-in-law and seventh brother? They're much more capable than my mother and second sister!"

"Seventh brother? He's still just a child!"

Jiang Lian'er found it hard to believe that her seventh brother's kung fu had surpassed that of her second sister. Wouldn't a ten-year-old child be giving away his skills against a formidable opponent?

Oh no, I can't think about it! He's my only brother, and I can't afford any mishaps. Jiang Lian'er wished she could go to the back of the group and pull her brother into the carriage, but she also regretted that she didn't know martial arts and couldn't go out to take her seventh brother's place.

"Sigh, I should have agreed when Master Zhao asked if we wanted to learn martial arts together. I thought learning martial arts would waste the time we would spend reading and practicing calligraphy. Now I'm starting to regret it."

Not only did Jiang Lian'er regret it, but Jiang Lan'er also felt a little regretful. This feeling of being unable to help when something happened made her feel very useless. Being able to compose poems was of no use at a time of life and death.

Do you think a robber would let you go just because you wrote him a poem? Are you kidding me!

"Once we get back to Xinghe Prefecture, we'll go find Master Zhao together, bring gifts, and ask him for help."

"What does Third Sister mean? That we should learn martial arts? Isn't that a bit too late?"

"The best time to do something was ten years ago, and the second best time is now. As long as you are determined, it doesn't matter when you start. What matters most is to persevere."

"I'll listen to Third Sister, but we'll have to wait until we return to Xinghe Prefecture, which will delay us for another six months. Since we've decided to learn martial arts, we already have a master right now, don't we?"

"You mean..."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

The long queue entered the city before dark and found the largest inn in the city.

"Gentlemen, would you like to have a meal or stay at the inn?"

The waiter stepped forward, his eyes crinkling with laughter at the sight of the impressive caravan of carriages. This was a big customer!

"Checking in! Do you have fifteen superior rooms?"

"Uh! There aren't fifteen rooms, but there are eight or nine."

The waiter was a little disappointed. He was a big customer, but he hadn't expected that all of them would want to stay in the upper rooms. Those on horseback were obviously guards, and there were also many coachmen and servants. Did they all want to stay in the upper rooms? What kind of strange host was this? They really didn't value money!

"Then let's book nine superior rooms, feed the horses ourselves, and open the back door to drive the carriage into the inn's backyard!"

"Alright, sir, please hold on tight!"

Since one inn didn't have enough rooms, Jiang Xiaoqi originally wanted to split everyone into two groups and have them stay at two different inns. However, Li Haisheng reminded them that it wasn't safe to separate them, so he gave the guards second-class rooms instead.

However, the room price difference was covered by all the nurses' monthly pay. After all, they are employees who risk their lives to work, and we can't skimp on such a small matter.

We can't be careless about food and lodging; people will only work hard when they need to.

This is an unequal world, which Jiang Xiaoqi can accept for the time being, but he cannot accept the excessive exploitation of employees or the withholding of their benefits.

Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. In his previous life, he hated capitalists so much that he became a member of the capitalist class and could only influence others subtly and gradually through small and insignificant matters.

If you can't change others, just stick to your principles and do your best, seeking only inner peace.