Chapter One

  Jiang Fuzi's family lived in the book house, which was the only one in Linqing County. Unlike those private schools founded by scholars, this place was more like a college in a big city. Both the masters and the books inside made students from Linqing and surrounding towns yearn for it. Moreover, it was said that the owner of the book house came from a noble family in Beijing, so over the years, many students from Linqing who went through this book house became officials, more than those from neighboring areas. Therefore, as long as the family was not particularly poor, parents were willing to send their sons to this book house.

  The library has no name, but anyone who wants to come and study will hardly find the wrong location, because of its large area, and also because of its building style which is different from the local simple and somewhat luxurious style. If not for studying, it can be used as a scenic spot. At least for Xian Yi, a woman who lived in modern times in her previous life and rarely went out before entering the Jin Fu, this library has a strange attraction from the moment she enters the gate.

  Jiang Fuzi was a new arrival, but it's said that he had some background and was a jinshi by birth, so his family had a separate courtyard in the book house. In the book house, once you entered the second gate, you had to walk on foot and couldn't ride a carriage or sedan chair. This was the rule of the book house, except for the emperor, even royal relatives were not allowed to break it. Fortunately, Xian Yi wasn't too proud, and she walked around like she was strolling in a garden, unknowingly walking to the back. Jiang Fuzi's courtyard was located at the southeast corner of the book house, with a bamboo forest behind it, which made it cool and comfortable on such a summer day, making people envy. It seemed that Jiang Fuzi's family had expected Jin Fenghua to come, hearing someone report from the front, they let their slaves wait at the door, seeing the two enter the courtyard, they warmly led them to the main hall of the courtyard.

  Yesterday, Xian Yi had been covering her head with a veil and hadn't seen what Jiang Furen looked like. However, she had caught a glimpse of Jiang Tai Tai, who was about thirty years old, with a face as pale as a silver plate, eyebrows as thin as apricot kernels, and eyes that were not extremely beautiful but could be described as pleasant to look at. Nevertheless, Xian Yi, who had seen the world in the Jin Mansion, discovered that Jiang Tai Tai's etiquette, whether it was her posture or the way she served tea, even in the smallest movements, was extremely elegant and standard. It was a level of refinement that even the wives of high-ranking officials couldn't match, not to mention the senior maids by Jiang Tai Tai's side. This made Xian Yi very curious about her background, but she didn't ask any further questions.

  She had only glanced at Jiang Fuzi when serving tea, watching him take the cup and drink, although not as elegant as Mrs. Jiang, but it was clear that he came from a noble family. Seeing his handsome and refined demeanor, his elegant speech, and the natural warmth between him and Mrs. Jiang, she truly felt they were a match made in heaven, extremely compatible.

  After the tea ceremony and gift-giving, the men naturally went to the study while the women sat in the flower hall chatting and tasting tea. Xianyi was not unfamiliar with guests, nor was she a lowly servant from a humble household. Moreover, Mrs. Jiang had a gentle temperament and was interesting to talk to, so the two quickly hit it off without any generation gap. However, Jin Fenghua and Mr. Jiang sat in the study, the atmosphere somewhat stiff.

  "Are you really sure?" Jiang Fuzi frowned and said somewhat disapprovingly.

  "The student has already thought it through." Jin Fenghua said without hesitation.

  "You don't know that the capital has been unstable recently. Since the disappearance of Dragon Guard Commander Cui, not only has the Dragon Guard become a mess, but even the imperial court is somewhat out of control. Although your birth mother's family has suffered setbacks in the imperial court lately, after all, he is still the Minister of War. If you want to take the path of officialdom, as long as your father and the Chen family are there, you're afraid...". Mr. Jiang couldn't bear to say: "You might as well be like me, staying in Linqing in the future, it's also a way out."

  "If a student can't even have a place to stand, then even if they are in a remote and humble position, it's better than being in a position where they have to be careful about every move they make. That is the path of a true student."

  "Ah……you're still young after all, the path to success isn't that easy to walk." Jiang Fuzi shook his head and sighed, but ultimately didn't try to persuade him anymore. After all, one can only understand the difficulties of this path by trying it out for themselves. It's better to wait until Jin Fenghua hits a dead end before lending a helping hand.

  "Please help me, Master." Jin Fenghua stood up and bowed deeply, saying very respectfully.

  "Alright, alright. Since that's the case, you come to the library for class after a while and I'll help you write a letter of recommendation. It's just that the Jin family in the capital..." Mr. Jiang looked up at him, wanting to say something but hesitating.

  "Master, you can rest assured that since the student has managed to come out, he won't be planning on going back again." Jin Fenghua said with a smile.

  "Alright...alright, after all, we're master and apprentice. Jiang Fuzi waved his hand helplessly: "If you don't leave now, your wife will say again that I love to bully my apprentices."

  Although Jin Fenghua did not understand why Jiang Fuzi, a great talent, would be afraid of a woman, he knew that this time it was possible to persuade Fuzi, and the reason might be because of Shifu's wife. Otherwise, with Jiang Fuzi's personality of fearing trouble, even if he said more, he wouldn't have agreed so quickly. After all, those who are born out of wedlock need family recommendations or assistance from famous scholars like Fuzi to pass the imperial examination. Why else would almost all officials in Pei Guo be born in wedlock? The first reason is that they have access to more resources, and the second reason is that families intentionally suppress or even kill off those who are not born in wedlock. Slowly but surely, those born out of wedlock can only become accessories to those born in wedlock. If their fathers were still alive, it would be fine, but once they passed away, most people born out of wedlock had no skills or connections and lived a miserable life. This was especially true for aristocratic families.

  Jin Fenghua and Jiang Fuzi arrived at the flower hall, Xianyi and Mrs. Jiang had just chatted for a while and were drinking tea. When Mrs. Jiang saw Jin Fenghua and Jiang Fuzi coming out from inside, she smiled and said: "Good days are like this, you men always have so many things to talk about, still chatting after all that time."

  "Madam, you know what this is all about, why must you seize the opportunity to bully your husband?" Jiang Fuzi hastily stepped forward and pleaded.

  Madam Chiang immediately burst out laughing, her eyebrows and eyes curving upwards, laughing with ease and poise yet not a single hair was out of place, making it even more charming.

  "Have those two young brothers of mine returned from the capital yet?" Jin Fenghua asked, adjusting his robes as he sat down, looking at Mrs. Jiang.

  "Those two kids went to my mother's house to play and got spoiled by their grandmother." Mrs. Jiang said with a rare smile.

  "My father-in-law retired a few days ago, and now he takes the kids fishing and on outings every day. The kids are having so much fun that they don't even have time for us," said Jiang's wife with a headache.

  Jin Fenghua seemed to be unintentionally exchanging a glance with Mrs. Jiang, and then quickly looked away. It was Mrs. Jiang who put down her teacup and said to Xian Yi: "Your husband is really not particular, saying he wants to get married immediately after getting married, making me, the master's wife, truly unprepared. However, it's rare that you're here for the first time, and your husband is also a careless one, previously he had taken a liking to the roses in our courtyard, but I didn't dare let him pick them himself. If he were to get into trouble, I wouldn't know where to cry. Why don't I trouble Xian Niang to go pick out a pot instead? That way, I won't be afraid of your husband saying I'm stingy."

  Xian Yi naturally understood that Mrs. Jiang had something to say to Jin Fenghua, so she didn't linger and followed the maid to the garden. After Xian Yi left, Mr. Jiang was looked at by his wife for another two eyes, before reluctantly standing up and leaving the main hall, swallowing a mouthful of old vinegar in his chest.

  In the main hall, only Jin Fenghua and Jiang Tai remained. In almost an instant, their demeanor changed greatly. Jin Fenghua still had a smile on his face, but the murderous aura around him was so thick it seemed to condense, making the entire main hall feel colder. Jiang Tai's originally flawless posture now exuded an air of nobility, and although they were both seated in their original positions - one a helpless illegitimate child and the other the wife of a humble teacher - the dominant aura emanating from them was something even ordinary royalty couldn't possess.

  "Golden Commander, what you wanted, I've already done it. The two of us are now even." Madam Chiang said with a raised eyebrow.

  "Your Majesty, don't you think it's still a bit too little?" Jin Fenghua fiddled with the lid of his teacup, smiling without a hint of warmth.

  "What do you want?" said Mrs. Jiang impatiently.

  "Master's life, plus the Crown Prince and Taifu's unscathed retirement, won't Madam just use one exam qualification to wipe out her debt to Jin Mou? That would be too unfair for Jin Mou." Jin Fenghua sneered at Jiang TaiTai.

  "Don't forget, you're just providing information. The fact that you were able to leave the Jin Manor and make it this far without being dragged back to the capital by the Jin family is all thanks to my help." Madam Jiang sat up straight, her gaze piercing as she looked at Jin Fenghua.

  "If you don't help Jin Mou, I believe he can still manage to do it, it's just a bit more troublesome." Jin Fenghua said with some rascality.

  "You... are indeed a worthy watchdog of Long Xingwei." Mrs. Jiang laughed in extreme anger: "You deserved that kind of ending in your previous life too."

  "If it weren't for that, how could the empress have married someone else back then and given up the throne, only to end up marrying Jiang Fuzi?" Jin Fenghua retorted mercilessly.

  Mrs. Chiang subconsciously wanted to slam the table and scold, but in the next moment, she put down her hand with a sigh: "Yes, I've had enough of those days in my past life."

  Seeing this, Jin Fenghua also stopped pressing him and instead said: "As long as you help me with one last thing."

  "You say it." Seemingly recalling an unpleasant past, Mrs. Jiang said tiredly.

  "Xian Xian, I think there's no one else in this world who can cultivate her into a first-rate noblewoman like you did." Jin Fenghua said directly after taking a sip of the bitter cold tea.

  "Are you treating me like a nanny in the palace?" Madam Jiang said with tears and laughter, thinking that Jin Fenghua still had some other demands, but she didn't expect it to be this request.

  "This is just this once and won't be repeated. I hope the teacher's wife will do her best." Jin Fenghua stood up, clasped his fists together and said solemnly.

  "Are you really...?" Madam Chiang waved her hand, and asked again: "Do you really want to take the path of being an official? Aren't you afraid it'll be like your past life? Wouldn't it be better to be a teacher or live freely in the countryside?"

  "Not being a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?"

  Looking at Jin Fenghua's unwavering expression, Mrs. Jiang knew that she couldn't change the situation anymore, so she said: "Xianxian is a good girl, don't...a person's heart always needs someone to warm it."

  Jin Fenghua didn't quite understand, but he recalled the happy and peaceful expression on Jiang's wife when she was in front of her husband, and then thought of the lonely and bitter woman he saw in the palace in his past life, and he couldn't help but nod slightly.

  "If there's such a day, I hope you'll commit fewer sins."

  The two were silent for a moment, then Mrs. Chiang suddenly pulled out a thin book from her sleeve and handed it to Jin Fenghua. Jin Fenghua carefully took it, flipped through it, and even his normally calm face showed a look of surprise.

  "This is inside the palace..."