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

"Mingfei, what's wrong?"

Li Haisheng watched his junior brother's lonely figure on the deck and temporarily put down the cards.

"Senior brother, why did you stop playing?"

"I've been playing for too long, I need to take a break. Let Wenbin and the others take over for me."

"Yes, we need to take a break. Our official ship is full of family members, after all. If there were outsiders, they would think they'd wandered into a casino..."

"Junior brother, have you run into trouble?"

Li Haisheng had just seen the same kind of carrier pigeons as his master, Ouyang Zheng. His master had given him a few, and his junior brother would give him even more this time.

"Well, it's nothing serious, it's just that I might... be being watched."

"Who is it? Could it be..."

Li Haisheng couldn't help but recall the camp he and his junior brother had cut down together in the howling north wind back in the northern border.

“It wasn’t him, but… it doesn’t matter who it is, I need to figure out this person’s intentions first.”

"Yes, just say so if you need help. There's no need to be polite among us brothers!"

Li Haisheng patted Jiang Xiaoqi on the shoulder. His junior brother had grown up a lot; he was no longer the little guy he had been when they first met.

However, my junior brother's face doesn't seem to have changed much from a few years ago... Maybe he's just naturally youthful-looking?

Li Haisheng stared blankly at his junior brother's face, which was even prettier than several of his older sisters.

"I understand, senior brother. If I can't handle it myself, I will definitely ask you for help."

Jiang Xiaoqi turned to look at the river, her gaze deep and unfathomable.

This trip to Beijing is to see off my grandfather, father, and two brothers-in-law. I will leave Beijing after my second sister and senior brother's wedding is over.

Regardless of what Zhao's purpose is, I don't have time to play along.

His destination is the stars and the sea; the capital city is a different story. He'll tackle this challenge after he becomes an official.

Right now, all I want to do is play jungle.

After traveling on the river for several more days and playing countless rounds of "battle of the champions," the official boat finally docked.

The first stop upon arriving in Beijing was, of course, Tongzhou County, the county where Jiang Wenqing was about to take up his post.

However, instead of dropping him off halfway to take up his post as Jiang Wenqing had suggested, everyone returned to their residence in the capital to settle down.

The Ministry of Revenue has given them plenty of time; they can take office in half a month. There's no need to waste their vacation time to work overtime for free.

As a seasoned office worker from a previous life, Jiang Xiaoqi is indeed a bit of a wimp, but she still hates working overtime, especially unpaid overtime.

Once inside the inner city, it remained bustling and vibrant. This was the capital city; even if the outside was desolate, flowers would still bloom here.

This is why most people choose to stay in Beijing if they can. The capital may not rise as quickly, but there are always more opportunities than elsewhere.

Even if you want to curry favor with powerful figures, there are more options to choose from in the capital than outside.

Whether it's a gold thigh, a silver thigh, or a diamond thigh, each one has its own price.

As long as you can afford the price, a powerful figure can bring you home, and by following them, you'll get promoted and make a fortune!

After the Jiang family members settled down in their own house, Xue Xu also returned to the house he had previously rented.

He planned to buy this house during his trip to Beijing. Since he was going to join the Hanlin Academy, he wouldn't be sent out for a while and would have to stay in the Hanlin Academy for the next few years.

Renting a house all the time isn't a good idea. The most important thing is that after Brother Li, the top scholar, and Miss Jiang's second daughter's wedding is over this year, it will be his turn, the third-ranked scholar, to marry Miss Jiang's third daughter next year.

After we buy the house, we'll have to renovate it properly so we can use it for our wedding next year.

"Xu'er, what are you daydreaming about?"

When Madam Xue saw her son standing there in a daze after leaving the Jiang family, she wondered if he was reluctant to part with Miss Jiang, or if he hadn't had enough of playing "Battle of the Top Scholars" along the way.

"Mother, let's buy this house. After the ownership is transferred and we're settled, we'll renovate it."

Then the mother could begin preparing the final betrothal gifts and setting a specific wedding date.

"Xu'er, are you in a hurry? Actually, I wanted to go before leaving the capital, but at that time, several families were busy returning to their hometowns, so I put it off for the time being."

Next year you'll be eighteen, and Miss Jiang will be seventeen. It's time to get married. Your aunt and I are both looking forward to holding our grandchildren!

"Um, Mother, I'm not in a hurry, I'm not in a hurry."

Xue Xu quickly waved his hand. They weren't even married yet! What was his mother talking about? What did she mean by "holding a grandson"...?

During this period, I feel that my mother, aunt, and younger sister's temperaments have all changed a lot. In the past, my mother would never have said such a thing.

"Alright, alright, you're so shy, I won't tease you anymore. I'll have the housekeeper handle the house purchase, so you don't need to worry about it."

You'll be starting your duties at the Hanlin Academy soon. Make a list of all the officials in the capital you should visit, and your mother will prepare gifts for you.

Once you enter officialdom, you can't escape the ways of interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

Madam Xue was quite knowledgeable; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to manage her deceased husband's estate so well over the years, expanding it several times over.

The assets that the Xue family's main branch acquired were mostly useless or cash; the real goose that laid the golden eggs were firmly held in Madam Xue's hands.

The two-courtyard house that the eldest son of the Xue family owned in Yanliu Lane was bought with the cash that had been swindled from her family, but Madam Xue didn't care.

It's just a drop in the ocean; consider it money spent to buy peace of mind and sever ties with blood relatives.

Jiang Xiaoqi had barely settled in when she received news that someone was requesting an audience.

"Are you sure you're looking for me? And not your father or grandfather?"

If it were Tan Hao, the doorman wouldn't report to the steward that someone was looking for him; instead, he would state Tan Hao's name.

After all, the gatekeeper of the mansion in the capital is now Li Mo's grandfather. Old Man Li may not be good at anything else, but he has an exceptional memory for people.

Jiang Xiaoqi felt he didn't have many friends in Beijing, but those who claimed to be his friends didn't think so.

Moving things wrinkled my clothes, so I had to change into something else to serve the guests. No matter who it was, I couldn't let the Jiang family lose face.

She still wore a moon-white robe, and her hair was simply tied up with a brocade ribbon without a hair crown.

There was no other reason than that he felt it was too heavy. He didn't want his hair to fall out as a teenager, so brocade would be much better, as it wouldn't damage his hair and could be tied securely.

Wenbin's hair-combing skills have become increasingly refined. In just a few moments, he smoothed out Jiang Xiaoqi's somewhat frizzy hair and tied it up again.

Jiang Xiaoqi quite liked this half-up hairstyle; it wasn't stiff and even had a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) vibe. He decided to use this hairstyle for all his future travels.

It feels really good to get rid of the baby bun after growing up.

Jiang Xiaoqi looked in the mirror and the only thing she was dissatisfied with was her jawline.

It's not that his jawline isn't smooth, it's that it's too smooth. When will he be able to get rid of this baby face?

Everything was tidied up in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Don't ask how long a cup of tea takes; it's just that when he arrives at the front hall, the guest has just finished drinking a cup of tea and put it down.

"Seven... cough cough, Young Master Jiang, how have you been!"

"why is it you again?"