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

"Mother, why don't you tell them that my eldest brother's in-laws are from the Jiang family? Who knows what they'll say about him not being able to find a good marriage!"

Why doesn't Mother say it out loud and infuriate them! The Jiang family isn't some peasant family they're talking about; they were a family of farmers and scholars in Puyang County decades ago.

The Chiang family has produced many scholars, and an increasing number of them hold official positions in the government. The Chiang family is now clearly a family of officials!

Xue Yu'er was disappointed that the face-slapping scene she was looking forward to didn't happen!

Looking at her disappointed daughter, Madam Xue couldn't help but smile.

"What can I say to you? I've told you so many times that a woman should be chaste and respectful, but you went and confronted that shrew."

If word gets out that you're behaving like this, how will you explain it to your in-laws? Who will dare to propose marriage then?

"Mother, let whoever wants to spread it spread it, I'm not afraid!"

In short, we can't let those two families continue to bully our family. My brother is already a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, why should we put up with this?

Those two families are clearly trying to mend their relationship, huh! I'm not going to let them succeed. Trying to cling to me and keep taking advantage of me? No way!

Besides, her brother isn't home right now. If the daughter doesn't rush out, who will protect her mother and aunt?

Madam Xue knew her youngest daughter's heart, so she couldn't bring herself to say any harsh words of admonishment. She could only helplessly tap Xue Yu'er's forehead.

"Whether we tell them about the marriage to the Jiang family or not, they will find out eventually. They think we can't find any good in-laws, so let them think what they want."

It's no secret that the Jiang family has returned to Puyang to pay respects to their ancestors these past few days; I'm sure your two uncles have already visited and delivered gifts.

They wouldn't miss the chance to curry favor with future officials. Wouldn't it be even more amusing when they later find out that the people they wanted to curry favor with but couldn't are your brother's in-laws?

Xue Yu'er thought about the scene and found it quite amusing. The Jiang clan head, a fourth-rank official in the capital, was someone she couldn't even get a meeting with despite sending gifts, while her older brother saw him every day and had even eaten with him several times already.

To borrow a phrase from my brother's future brother-in-law: They and those two families are no longer from the same world.

Xue Xu, who was helping out at the Jiang family's house, felt an itch in his nose and wanted to sneeze. But he had to hold it in; his future father-in-law was right in front of him, and he couldn't ruin his image.

The Jiang Family Ancestral Hall was already quite large, and this time, during the renovation, they bought two adjacent plots of land and expanded it slightly outwards.

Several more rooms were built on the outer perimeter for the people who would later look after the ancestral hall.

Jiang Changqing has already selected a new person to guard the ancestral hall, and the original elders of the clan have been properly resettled.

Xue Xu was handsome and had beautiful handwriting, so the family precepts on the outer wall were entrusted to Xue Xu for his work.

Logically, this should be done by a member of the clan, but Xue Xu is the son-in-law of the Jiang family, so he is considered half a member of the Jiang family.

Since he was the third-place scholar in the imperial examination, Jiang Changqing and the clan elders didn't hesitate much and handed the task over to Xue Xu.

So when Madam Xue said that Xue Xu was busy helping his future father-in-law's family, she wasn't lying.

The Jiang family hired many craftsmen and were not stingy with their wages. The wages were high, and the food and mung bean soup were plentiful. With such a generous employer, how could the workers not work hard?

The project, which was supposed to take more than twenty days to complete, was finished in just fifteen days.

However, the holiday of Landlord Jiang, Jiang Wenqing, and Xue Xu is already halfway over. After the ancestral worship ceremony, they will return to Xinghe Prefecture to settle down. There are only a few days left before they return to the capital to take up their posts.

Looking at the many holidays, in reality, I only get to enjoy less than a month of them. And once I take office, unless I retire, I will never have such a long holiday again.

Regardless of their position or rank, officials usually have a ten- or fifteen-day break, with only holidays of ten days or more during festivals.

This is why the Jiang and Xue families were traveling in such a hurry; the distance they saved was theirs to keep.

The Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall has been completely renovated. Before the formal ancestral worship ceremony and to pay tribute to our ancestors, the clan members must thoroughly clean the ancestral hall and keep it clean inside and out.

Secondly, all necessary sacrificial items must be prepared, including offerings, incense and candles, as well as sacrificial texts and objects such as family genealogies and clan records.

Before the ceremony begins, the clan head summons all the male members of the clan, who then enter the ancestral hall in order of seniority and age.

The clan chief lights the first incense and candles and bows three times to show respect to the ancestors.

Next, the respected elders of the clan lit the remaining incense and candles in the ancestral hall in turn.

Then, the clan head recites the sacrificial inscription, mainly recounting the family history and expressing the clan's descendants' respect and gratitude to their ancestors.

The heads of each family in the clan would offer sacrifices to their ancestors in turn, arranging various offerings, fruits, and meats neatly.

The selected promising descendants burn paper money in a copper basin to offer as a sacrifice to their ancestors.

All male members of the family paid homage to their ancestors, including three bows and nine kowtows.

The clan chief would recount the achievements of promising descendants to the ancestors, and record them in detail in the genealogy.

Last year, the Jiang family produced more than ten successful candidates in the provincial examination, and earlier this year, they produced two successful candidates in the metropolitan examination.

Jiang Changqing recounted the achievements of the Jiang family members to their ancestors. He first had a dozen or so newly successful candidates in the imperial examinations come forward to pay their respects, and then he had the landlord Jiang and his son Jiang Wenqing come forward to offer incense to their ancestors separately.

Then, witnessed by the entire clan, the family genealogy was opened, and the results of the two men's provincial and imperial examinations were recorded in detail.

Of course, Jiang Changqing's own promotion to the position of Fourth-Rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works in the capital was also recorded on his own page.

Finally, the entire Jiang clan stood silently inside the ancestral hall, performed the kowtow ceremony once more, and then left the ancestral hall in order of seniority.

The ancestral hall is cared for by the caretaker. The incense is kept burning continuously for three days after the ancestral worship ceremony. After three days, incense is offered before dawn every day.

Jiang Wenqing followed his father out of the ancestral hall, still somewhat dazed.

He didn't feel this way when he passed the imperial examination and was paraded through the streets, but now that so many words have been added to his family genealogy, he realizes what the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) means to him.

He, Jiang Wenqing, actually brought glory to his ancestors? He, Jiang Wenqing, actually had so many lavish praises written about him in the family genealogy?!

As soon as Jiang saw his son's expression, he knew what he was thinking. It was just a matter of adding two lines to the family genealogy. It was nothing.

Although Landlord Jiang was also very pleased with himself, he couldn't show it so obviously; he had to keep a low profile!

In the future, his grandson's achievements will surely surpass theirs; he might even have his own page in the family genealogy! Hehe~

During the ancestral worship ceremony, Jiang Xiaoqi was positioned very far back, along with a group of younger members of the Jiang family.

Many of his generation had already passed the imperial examinations at a young age, but he was the youngest and only one to achieve the "Little Triple Crown".

Since becoming a disciple of the great scholar Ouyang, he had not returned to the clan school for more than three years. Now, seeing his fellow clansmen, he felt completely unfamiliar with them.

Because Jiang Xiaoqi recklessly ate a youth-preserving pill when he was a child, his appearance is more youthful than that of his peers.

While others have grown into teenagers by the age of eleven or twelve, Jiang Xiaoqi still has a chubby face. Although she is very pretty and cute, she lacks the sharp features of a boy.

In the past three years, compared with when he was studying in the clan, apart from growing much taller, his appearance has not changed much.

Jiang Lin recognized him at first glance. This was his cousin, whom he had always strived to emulate, and the youngest person in Xinghe Prefecture to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations.

Having practiced martial arts for many years, Jiang Xiaoqi could sense even deliberately concealed gazes immediately, let alone Jiang Lin's unbridled gaze.

"Long time no see, how have you been!"