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

An hour goes by quickly, but after this section ends, there's another one to go.

After handing in the first set of exam papers, eunuchs distributed steamed buns and soup to everyone, but no side dishes were served.

No one in the main hall was foolish enough to chew so much; they just tore off a small piece of steamed bun to eat.

I didn't dare drink too much soup, just enough to moisten my throat. It wasn't that I wasn't allowed to relieve myself or use the restroom, but it would be too conspicuous.

Of the three hundred people in the main hall, no one wanted to be the most conspicuous one; being conspicuous in such a matter was not a good thing.

For some reason, Landlord Jiang felt no hunger at all. Could it be that he was getting old and his senses were becoming dull?

Jiang Wenqing and his three sons-in-law also didn't feel hungry; they all ate a small pastry, barely bigger than their thumbs, before leaving home that morning.

However, this pastry was specially made by Jiang Xiaoqi, who said it contained ingredients that were very filling, and eating one pastry was equivalent to eating several large steamed buns.

Of course, there was no equivalent to compressed biscuits at this time; it was Jiang Xiaoqi's secret "fasting snack".

After a short rest, the second quarter began.

The bright yellow light had disappeared from the main hall, and some slow-witted candidates didn't even know that the emperor had been there.

The second exam in the afternoon was proctored by a group of officials, and none of the princes were allowed to appear in the examination hall.

The second section has more challenging questions, mostly involving strategies for governing the country and interpretations of some obscure and difficult ancient texts.

However, for those who have fought their way through mountains of books and seas of exercises, this is not an insurmountable hurdle; it just requires more effort and mental exertion.

The effects of Jiang Xiaoqi's snacks were still going strong, and the group felt no hunger, allowing them to focus entirely on the exam.

Inside the hall, all the candidates displayed their talents, laying out all the knowledge they had acquired in their lives at this moment.

Life and death are intertwined, and in this moment, we have lived up to the thousands of days and nights.

Finally, the bell rang in the examination hall to signal the end of the exam. Most of the people in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, while only a few looked distressed.

The Jiang family's carriage was already waiting outside the palace, and Jiang Xiaoqi was sitting in his grandfather's carriage.

As soon as Landlord Jiang entered the carriage, he saw his beloved grandson had poured him tea, one hand supporting his chin, with a few crumbs of pastry still around his mouth.

Once inside the carriage, she lovingly wiped her grandson's mouth clean before instructing the driver to drive away from the palace gates.

"Grandfather, are you very tired? Have some tea to relax."

Jiang Xiaoqi knew that his grandfather was definitely not hungry at the moment, but he was definitely thirsty, so he ate quite a lot of snacks, but saved the tea for his grandfather.

"Glug glug," Landlord Jiang drank three cups of jasmine tea in a row before he felt alive again.

"Oh dear, I'm really thirsty. I don't dare to drink much water in the palace, I only dare to moisten my lips a little."

"Once we get through this, things will be much better. Grandfather, Father, and my brothers-in-law will finally be able to make it through!"

Jiang Xiaoqi's words make perfect sense. A tribute student who passes the palace examination is guaranteed to become a "Jinshi" at the very least.

"Sigh, it's not easy. This old body of mine has actually made it to this day and entered the palace for the imperial examination. I never thought it would happen."

A few years ago, how could Landlord Jiang have imagined that he would one day go to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination presided over by the emperor?

He had considered having his son and grandson reach this point, but his son Jiang Wenqing had been disappointing in previous years. If it weren't for his grandson's planning, his family would never have reached this point.

Landlord Jiang turned his gaze back to his beloved grandson, whom he had always cherished, his eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction.

"What are your plans after this, grandfather? Do you intend to take the imperial examination for the position of probationary official or to be appointed as a local official?"

Landlord Jiang had thought about this problem before, but he felt that he was not energetic enough. Now... he felt that he could work for another twenty years!

Sixty years old is the age to strive and make a name for yourself!

"If my ranking is acceptable, I would still like to try to become a probationary official, as for becoming a local official..."

"Let your father go. His ranking probably won't be too high. He's been protected under the Jiang family's wings all these years; it's time for him to go out and gain some experience."

The landlord spoke frankly, as if he had already decided that Jiang Wenqing would become a "Jinshi" (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

"That's a good option. We can hire two reliable advisors at a high price."

Senior brother, oh, I mean my second brother-in-law, there's no need to worry about his and my third brother-in-law's rankings.

My brother-in-law's ranking could improve or decline, and if he ends up like my father, he'll have to go out and gain experience for a few more years.

If I perform well, I could even try to take the imperial examination for the position of Shujishi. With my family in the capital, we could at least have someone to look after us.”

"Well, we'll have to wait and see what happens on the day the results are released."

"Yes, we can only wait and see who wins in the end."

Landlord Jiang put down his teacup, temporarily setting aside his plans. What was the point of making plans now? If his family members were to achieve decent rankings, he could naturally ask his cousin to pull some strings.

If his ranking isn't good, he'll be too embarrassed to use Jiang Changqing's connections. Oh well, he'll just have to take it one step at a time.

Avoid as much association as possible with powerful families. The emperor is in his prime; he can't afford to make a foolish move like choosing sides too early.

But what Landlord Jiang didn't know was that as long as his family bore the surname Jiang, they were already on the same boat as the Liu family.

Unless Jiang Changqing and his wife Liu Yuhuan divorce, the marriage relationship between the Jiang and Liu families will be the strongest bond.

Jiang Xiaoqi secretly developed his own intelligence network and his own small power base, just in case, to be prepared for any eventuality.

He didn't know what this "what if" would ultimately be; he was just taking things one step at a time and thinking things through.

If the Liu family is destined for great things, then he will go with the flow.

If the Liu family becomes cannon fodder in the struggle for imperial power, he still has a way out for the whole family. Even if they can only hide their identities, they can at least live in peace in a corner of the world.

Landlord Jiang was naturally unaware of the preparations his favored grandson had made in secret; at this moment, he was only focused on the palace examination.

Three days after the imperial examination ended, the emperor and his officials arrived at the Wenhua Hall, where the candidates lined up outside.

After the ceremony began, the examiners started reading the papers in turn, and basically, the order in which the papers were read was the order of the exam rankings.

The examiner would stop reading after reading three papers, and would not read any more unless the emperor requested otherwise.

The top three were granted the title of Jinshi Jidi, the following few were named Erjia and granted the title of Jinshi Chushen, and the rest were Sanjia and granted the title of Tong Jinshi Chushen.

There were three people in the first rank, one hundred and fifty-three people in the second rank, and one hundred and forty-four people in the third rank.

During the imperial examination, Li Haisheng, Xue Xu, and Landlord Jiang all secured relatively safe rankings in the first or second class. Only Dong Jin and Jiang Wenqing had a chance of ranking in the third class.

Since the results haven't been released yet, everything is still uncertain...