"Are you going home, or will you follow me to the Capital City? If you go home, I’ll let Yue Sihai and Su Ye send you back." Zhao Dahe did not answer Zhao Xiaohua’s question.
"I..." Zhao Xiaohua hesitated for a moment, "I’ll go to the Capital City with Second Brother."
In an instant, Zhao Xiaohua thought about many things. Earlier, Axing had suggested she go to the Lu Family’s medical school because she needed to travel far to the Capital City, so she refused. She also remembered her mother mentioning that the Lu Family was a medical family with considerable status in the Capital City.
Second Brother wanted to go to the Capital City to use the Zhao Family’s influence; could she also leverage the Lu Family’s influence?
Second Brother is smart; he wants to go to the Capital City, so there must be a reason to go.
In the following days, Zhao Dahe brought along Wen Shu and Yue Sihai to visit several reputable families selected by Mr. Jiang, and it was a rather enjoyable interaction. Zhao Dahe received ceremonial gifts from several families, which, in Mr. Jiang’s words, was a sign of respect for scholars.
It was also a signal of goodwill, but receiving gifts doesn’t mean anything significant.
To go to the Capital City, he needed silver. Although he had some silver, it was not much.
Wen Shu and Yue Sihai planned to return home first.
The autumn exam takes place every August, and it’s nearly four months away, so they decided to stay home for two months before heading to the Capital City.
Zhao Dahe did not expect that Wen Nuan would insist on going to the Capital City with them.
According to her, she was currently employed by the Zhao Family, and since the lady of the house was not present, she naturally had to follow the siblings.
Wen Shu was very supportive of Wen Nuan’s decision, stating that keeping one’s word is a fundamental principle of being human.
Zhao Xiaohua also wanted Wen Nuan to accompany them so she would have company.
In the end, Zhao Dahe agreed.
He took Qin Zheng, Zhao Xiaohua, and Wen Nuan to the Capital City.
As for Teacher Wang, he insisted on going to Xuzhou, and Zhao Dahe, worried, smiled and said that in his youth, he traveled alone for years to study, always taking care of himself. After marriage, everything was taken care of by Mrs. Qian, which made him seem incapable of doing things.
Zhao Dahe insisted on giving Teacher Wang funds for the journey and asked Su Ye to help find an Escort Agency to accompany him to Xuzhou.
As for Mr. Jiang, he temporarily stayed away from the Capital City, taking Ren Zi’an to a manor outside the Prefecture.
Before leaving, Ren Zi’an had red eyes, "Cousin, when you find Aunt, remember to write me a letter."
"When you arrive in the Capital City, discuss things more with your senior brother, Yun Ying. Take good care of Dahe," said Mr. Jiang. "You are senior and junior brothers, so don’t be shy. Your senior brother seems indifferent, but he’s very protective."
Zhao Dahe patted Ren Zi’an’s head, "Don’t worry, when I get to the Capital City, I’ll write both you and the old man letters."
In response to Mr. Jiang’s instructions, Zhao Dahe replied with a playful smile, "Who helps whom is yet to be determined, old man, don’t worry, I’ll surely take good care of your precious disciple."
His cheeky demeanor made Mr. Jiang laugh.
"Look at you boasting."
"Of course, my mother is formidable; can I be ordinary?" Zhao Dahe laughed, "Old man, take care."
"As your teacher, I’m in great shape; you don’t need to worry."
"An Ge’er, remember to take good care of the teacher, alright? When something happens, the disciples perform their duties." Zhao Dahe instructed.
Ren Zi’an nodded emphatically.
Afterwards, the four of them boarded Yun Ying’s carriage.
The news of Zhao Dahe winning the Anshou title in the provincial exam quickly spread from Huaiyuan County to Fengyang Town, and then from Fengyang Town to Shanghua Village.
Some were happy, some worried.
Those worried, naturally, were the Li Family.
Li Tanyun had been escorted to the Capital City; they already knew that the backer had fallen, leaving the Li Family couple anxious all day
Now, Zhao Dahe winning the Anshou title worried them even more, fearing that Zhao Dahe might seek revenge when he became successful.
Li Family’s husband sometimes regretted not ruthlessly removing the person.
Sometimes he regretted that they were supposed to make friendly ties yet ended up in a dispute.
Li’s family husband recalled the events of that day; he was amiable with Zhao Dahe.
It turned out to be that stupid woman; if not for her, how could things have turned sour?
Recently, due to Li Tanyun’s downfall, several previously well-running businesses encountered issues, leaving Li Family’s husband overwhelmed.
The news of Zhao Dahe winning the Anshou title pushed him to the brink of collapse.
So, he vented his anger on his wife.
Li Family’s wife began living in dire hardship.
During the first beating, she tried to resist, but her strength was not comparable to her husband’s and she never gained the upper hand even once.
Li’s family wife sought help from her daughter, Li Yan’er, who initially intervened. Li Family’s husband considered Li Yan’er at first, but later, whenever Li Yan’er intervened, he’d beat her too. Not only that, he cut off her monthly salary.
To avoid being beaten and ensure daily life wasn’t affected, Li Yan’er chose not to interfere.
Li Family’s husband’s business started to struggle, leading to a rapid shrinking of the Li Family’s assets. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩
Li Family’s husband became increasingly violent, and even people on the street occasionally heard ghostly wails and cries from the Landlord Mansion.
Later, the Pawnshop’s shopkeeper led people to surround the Landlord Mansion to demand silver from the Li Family’s husband.
It turned out Li Yan’er had taken the property deeds and mortgaged them for a large sum in the Pawnshop; if not repaid on time, the houses and shops would belong to the Pawnshop.
The black-and-white words, along with the deeds, left Li Family’s husband speechless.
Undeniably, Li Yan’er was truly ruthless to even pawn the family’s estate.
Li Family’s wife ended up with nothing, left to wander the streets.
Of course, these were later events.
Shanghua Village had been bustling these days.
People from ten miles around headed to Shanghua Village.
Why? Of course, it was for the wedding feast.
The village chief and the elders discussed that Zhao Dahe was making such strides, and the village couldn’t remain indifferent—they had to organize a wedding feast to celebrate and let everyone from ten miles around know their village had produced a scholar who consecutively won the Anshou title.
Even though Zhao Dahe was not present, it didn’t stop everyone from celebrating for him.
Zhao Dajiang and Song Xiu’er started off overwhelmed but eventually became confident in dealing with it.
Undoubtedly, continuous interactions with people provide the best training.
The process transformed two originally quiet individuals into ones who seamlessly adapted to social situations.
Everyone in the village except for the Han Family attended the lively event.
Oh, and also Meng Qingshan.
He was paralyzed, unable to move, relying entirely on Meng Rongjin’s care for his bodily needs, so naturally, he couldn’t attend the feast.
Han Muchi locked himself in his room for two days upon hearing Zhao Dahe again won the Anshou title in the provincial exam.
He had won the county exam.
But did not earn the Anshou in the provincial exam.
Thus, he was overshadowed by Zhao Dahe.
He had always prided himself on his exceptional talent, yet he didn’t expect someone like Zhao Dahe to emerge from a small village.
Being overshadowed by someone he initially dismissed was a great humiliation for Han Muchi.
He vowed to regain his honor in the August township exam.
Not for future glory but to crush Zhao Dahe underfoot, forcing him to gaze up at him.