Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Wen Nanwan stood there blankly, her mind a complete blank. It wasn't until Wen Yihong's figure gradually disappeared into the distance that she came back to her senses.

Wen Nanwan became anxious and hurriedly caught up with Wen Yihong, calling out as she ran, "Father, Father..."

Wen Yihong ignored him and had Wen Nanwan dragged away and confined to her quarters.

.............

Lin Changsheng and Chen Tongyu, with perfect understanding, went to visit Grand Commandant Wen. They bumped into each other on the way, exchanged a glance, and then, without further ado, headed towards Grand Commandant Wen's residence. When Wen Yihong learned of their arrival, he already guessed their purpose. As a seasoned official, he naturally understood the reason. Therefore, he immediately ordered his servants to invite them into his residence.

Upon entering the hall, Wen Yihong cut to the chase and said directly, "I presume you two have come about my daughter's matter? Since the bet has been made, wouldn't it make my Grand Commandant's mansion appear dishonest and untrustworthy if I didn't keep my promise?"

Lin Changsheng quickly smiled apologetically, "Grand Commandant, you flatter me! It was just a joke between girls, they went a little too far, please don't take it to heart!" Although he said this, Lin Changsheng was secretly cursing Wen Yihong in his heart: "This old man uses the Grand Commandant's name to intimidate people, and he's afraid of being accused of breaking his word. Humph, isn't it just because he's worried about damaging the Grand Commandant's reputation? It's true that a higher rank can crush a person!"

At this moment, Chen Tongyu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "My daughter is also at fault in this matter, which has led to the current situation. Not only did she not stop it, but she also joined the other young ladies in their foolishness. It is truly my fault for failing to raise my daughter properly!"

Chen Tongyu spoke with such deep sorrow and indignation that Grand Commandant Wen, seeing that they had both given him a way out, thought, "Since both of you feel this is inappropriate, how should this matter be resolved?"

Chen Tongyu and Lin Changsheng exchanged a glance, and Lin Changsheng spoke first, "Since it's just a young lady's joke, it naturally doesn't count. As for those rumors in the capital, the Lin family will clarify them. These are just your daughters' jokes and shouldn't be taken seriously."

Chen Tongyu chimed in, "Yes, these are just a few young girls who were momentarily blinded by their own emotions and did such a ridiculous thing. Why take it so seriously?" He said, a dismissive smile on his face.

Upon hearing this, Grand Commandant Wen inwardly sneered, but outwardly he smiled and said, "Since both of you have said so, I, Wen, will naturally not take this matter to heart. The Wen family will naturally step forward to clarify and let everyone know that this was just a farce. Let's leave it at that, haha..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Changsheng and Chen Tongyu were overjoyed, knowing the matter had been resolved. They exchanged a smile, stood up, and prepared to leave. They didn't intend to linger; they both knew that as long as the matter could be contained and prevented from escalating further, it would be a good thing for both sides.

Seeing that they were about to leave, Grand Commandant Wen feigned concern and said, "Since you two are here, why don't you stay at my residence for a simple meal? That way, I can show you hospitality."

Chen Tongyu and Lin Changsheng quickly waved their hands in refusal, saying with smiles, "We still have some trivial matters to attend to at home, so we are really sorry to have to decline the Grand Commandant's kind offer."

“Since that’s the case, I won’t insist that you two stay. Please take care, gentlemen. I’ll see you off.” Wen Yihong turned around and called the steward, instructing him to escort Chen Tongyu and Lin Changsheng out of the mansion.

After bowing to Grand Commandant Wen, Chen Tongyu and Lin Changsheng left the Wen residence with the steward.

Although many people witnessed the incident, the public outcry was quickly suppressed as soon as it began to escalate.

After learning that the matter had been suppressed, Zheng Luoqi did not react. He had already figured out that the old man, Wen Taiwei, would never allow his daughter to be a maid. If Wen Nanwan had won, the Lin family would probably have had no room for negotiation.

................

More than a month after the incident, Meng Yunxi and others who went to provide disaster relief had finished dealing with the disaster situation in Jinzhou and returned to Beijing.

The emperor promoted and rewarded Meng Yunxi and the others for their meritorious service in disaster relief.

Meng Yunxi was directly appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household Department due to his outstanding performance in disaster relief.

Wen Yichuan was assigned to the Imperial Guard as Commandant of the Guards, under the command of Zhang Zhiyuan, who was the Commandant of the Imperial Guards, essentially the emperor's lackey, doing whatever he was told.

Fan Huai'an was already a censor in the Censorate, a second-rank official. Now that there were no vacancies for first-rank officials, he was rewarded with a thousand taels of silver.

Zheng Luoqi laughed out loud after hearing the news.

.............

As time passed, the summer examinations at the Imperial Academy drew near. Unlike regular examinations, which were not open to onlookers, the quarterly examinations at the Imperial Academy were held annually by the Emperor and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. However, this year, Xue Huaiyu entrusted the responsibility for the summer examinations to Ye Churan.

Compared to the spring exams, the summer exams had slightly different components. This summer exam consisted of three subjects: archery, charioteering, and calligraphy, while the spring exams covered rites, music, and mathematics. Furthermore, the summer exams employed a unique scoring system, awarding points based on ranking. Specifically, the first-place candidate received one point, the second-place candidate received two points, and so on. Therefore, the lower the overall score, the higher the final ranking; and the candidate with the lowest overall score became the first-place winner of this summer exam.

The Imperial College's examinations, ostensibly a test of the abilities of the children of various families, were actually an excellent opportunity for officials to show off their sons. At the same time, some people also took the opportunity to find suitable marriage partners for their children.

The first item was the written examination, which was held directly inside the Imperial College. On that day, many officials brought their wives and children to watch their sons take the exam.

Ye Churan set the questions for this competition. He said with his thin lips, "Let's have a simple flower game this time!" The flower game is a very simple game, but it tests a person's memory and familiarity with books.

The rules are simple: take turns answering. If you can't answer in the first round, you get a point. The higher the score, the lower your ranking. You won't be eliminated if you can't answer in the first round. As the number of rounds increases, you get points if you can't answer and no points if you answer. The more points you accumulate, the lower your ranking.

The examiners for this competition were Fang Zongyu, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Ye Churan, the Director of Studies, and several other scholars from the Hanlin Academy.

Many young ladies from official families came to watch the competition, and each one was meticulously dressed. Their elaborate preparations were solely for the hope of meeting their ideal husbands during the contest. Furthermore, many promising young talents had recently emerged from the Imperial Academy, such as the sons of the Lin, Wen, and Pei families, as well as the young master He, all of whom were elegant and exceptionally talented.

Many young ladies from prominent families come specifically for them, and it would be wonderful if they could win their favor.