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

"It's you! You're obviously a girl, dressed as a boy~ I know, I know~"

"Pfft~" Lin Xiao couldn't help but say it. Miss Zhao, no, Princess, said what he had always wanted to say but dared not.

He still remembers thinking Jiang Mingfei was really beautiful when he was a child, and he would always find a chance to touch his fluffy head.

Haha, looking back now, I might have thought of Mingfei as a little sister back then.

"You! What are you saying! I'm a 100% real man!"

Is this person crazy? What do you mean by a woman dressed as a man? Fine, even though her body and soul in her past life were genuine women.

However, he is a genuine man in this life, honest and trustworthy, the kind who can withstand any physical search during an examination!

"Alright, alright, no need to rush to refute. It's normal to take care of yourself when you're out and about, especially for such a pretty young girl~"

Zhao Shiyu's knowing look only made Jiang Xiaoqi feel even more frustrated. She regretted not rescuing this damn princess!

Lin Yueniang was also trying her best to suppress her laughter. Her son was indeed too handsome. His older sisters were already quite good-looking, but compared to Mingfei, they paled in comparison.

However, this is the first time my son has been mistaken for a little girl. How interesting!

(Author: First time? Are you sure? I think there's some scoundrel in Beijing who thinks so too!)

For the first time, Jiang Xiaoqi felt speechless in his native language, even though he had been verified by the imperial officials!

Seeing that Jiang Xiaoqi's face had turned red with anger, Lin Xiao immediately stopped laughing and wanted to help his friend prove something.

"Well, Your Highness, my brother is indeed a boy. I can prove that. We were classmates several years ago."

Brother Mingfei is extremely talented in his studies. He passed the Xinghe Prefecture Junior Triple Examination when he was only seven years old. Tell me, if he wasn't a boy, how could he have participated in the academy examination?

If he weren't a boy, how could he have passed the county, prefectural, and provincial examinations at the tender age of seven? Don't you think so?

"Oh? And he's a scholar who passed the imperial examinations three times in a row?"

Zhao Shiyu stroked her chin, seemingly lost in thought.

"Alright, Brother Lin, if the princess doesn't believe you, so be it. Why fall into the trap of proving yourself?"

"Huh? What is the self-proving trap?"

"Since the other party doesn't believe you, just ask them to provide evidence. Why make yourself unable to defend yourself?"

Since the other party repeatedly refutes your explanation and contradicts your self-justification, then let them provide reasons and evidence to refute you. Otherwise, what grounds do they have to refute you?

Lin Xiao's eyes lit up as he listened. He was certain that this was the first time in his life he had ever heard such a statement!

Mingfei hasn't changed at all; he's still as smart as he was when he was a child. No, wait, he's changed too; he's even smarter than he was when he was a child!

A few years ago, Mingfei taught him to "play dumb to fool the enemy," which has proven to be effective in recent years.

The "self-proving trap" that Mingfei is talking about now seems to be a much more profound concept.

Mingfei is truly amazing; he knows so much. No wonder he is the youngest of the Three Scholars of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

Zhao Shiyu was taken aback by Jiang Xiaoqi's novel logic, but quickly realized what he meant and snorted:

"I am only speaking based on what I have seen with my own eyes. Look at how anxious you are. What else could it be but a guilty conscience?"

"Don't worry, I'm not that bored to expose your disguise as a man to take the imperial examination. My father is just a prince; he has no say in the court's selection of officials."

Jiang Xiaoqi rolled her eyes, stopped arguing with Zhao Shiyu, finished her meal and tea, and went to wash up and go to bed!

"Hey~ who is this? I haven't even finished speaking and you're already leaving? That's so rude!"

Lin Yueniang shook her head and followed her son out. After all, this was a princess; she couldn't make a move. She had to hold back!

"Um, well, you should get some rest early, goodbye~"

Lin Xiao would naturally not allow himself and the princess to be alone in a room together, as that would be too unethical for a man!

slip away~

Lin Yueniang did not return to her own room, but followed her son to the stable where the carriage was temporarily stored.

It's a bit far from the courtyard, so if you say something, it's hard for people inside the room to hear you.

"Mingfei, what do we do next? Are we in big trouble?"

"Don't worry, Mom, it's nothing serious."

Jiang Xiaoqi knew that the trouble his mother was talking about was Zhao Shiyu, but after observing her for so long, he felt that although Zhao Shiyu was a bit willful and nonsensical, she wasn't a bad person at heart.

As for the princess, she was spoiled and pampered growing up, so she wouldn't be very respectful even to her savior, which was something he could have predicted.

But are all people with the surname Zhao so annoying?

Why has there been a sudden demystification of royalty and the royal family?

This Zhao Shiyu reminded him of Zhao Hongsheng in the capital who would always find various excuses to get close to him. Sigh, so annoyingly familiar and the same old Zhao Shiyu!

Based on blood relations, these two should be cousins, right?

Unfortunately, Tan Hao also left the capital to study abroad after the palace examination, otherwise he really wanted to find out where Zhao Hongxuan had gone. He was probably the only one of the Zhao family he knew who wasn't annoying...

"How are we going to get her back to the Prince of Shu's residence? Yuanzhou City is under martial law right now. We can't just carry her in and then climb over the walls of the Prince of Shu's residence, can we?"

"Of course not. If that were the case, we would have just sent her back inside the city. Why bother bringing her out?"

"So, what do you mean?" Lin Yueniang couldn't guess her son's next plan.

"The Shu Prince's mansion lost a man, but said it lost a treasure. Of course, it cannot be denied that the princess truly cherished the Shu Prince like a precious gem."

"Isn't this obvious? A woman's reputation is more important than her life. If any family truly loved their daughter, why would the Prince of Shu's mansion so openly announce that the princess had been kidnapped?"

“Mother is absolutely right. The Prince of Shu’s mansion must be concerned about the princess’s reputation, which is why they are searching for her discreetly while sealing off the entire city.”

Lin Yueniang frowned. "Wouldn't that make things even more difficult? They're trying so hard to keep it a secret, and if we send them back, we'll be silenced..."

Goodness gracious! This is really a huge problem I've brought back!

Jiang Xiaoqi casually tossed a few handfuls of hay to the horse and clapped his hands.

"It's not that serious. Although this is the fiefdom of the King of Shu, killing the families of court officials and scholars is too risky."

Lin Yueniang then realized, "Yes, yes, my family is no longer an ordinary family. My father-in-law works in the Ministry of Revenue, and two of my three sons-in-law are in the Hanlin Academy, while one was sent to serve as a county magistrate."

Oh, right, I almost forgot, my good-for-nothing husband is now the magistrate of a county in the outskirts of the capital.

She and her son were indeed the wives of officials, and that Young Master Lin seemed to be the son of a general, not some nobody.

"Mingfei has an idea?"

"Well... I do have an idea, but it would be a bit of a shame for Brother Lin to have to compromise."