Ch 36: Reborn to Raise My Husband

Prefectural Exam, Round Three:
There were three questions total, each requiring a discussion of principle. One question was:

“To make the will sincere means not to deceive oneself. Just as one abhors a foul stench and delights in beauty—this is what is called sincerity.”

Zhao Guangzong had come across a related line in the letters Qi Beinan gave him:

“The investigation of things is the beginning of knowledge; sincerity of will is the beginning of action.”

This quote also touched upon the meaning of sincerity, discussing the prerequisites for cultivating oneself and rectifying the mind.

At the time he studied it, Zhao Guangzong had been asked in the letters to reflect on which line from The Great Learning it connected to. He had pondered it and sought the answer—and now, seeing that very line appear in the official exam, with a clear direction already outlined in his mind, he couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Fortunately, he was drafting on scratch paper first, allowing his excitement to settle before transcribing onto the final answer sheet. Otherwise, his handwriting—so carefully practiced—might have gone to waste.

He had always known that Qi Beinan’s hand-copied notes were well composed and studied them seriously, but never expected they’d be this accurate. No wonder Qi Beinan told him there was great benefit in focused study—he now felt that “benefit” was an understatement.

At this point, Zhao Guangzong thought Qi Beinan must be an immortal in human form. If before he admired him six parts out of ten, now it was the full ten.

The county exam had simpler content—orderly and formulaic. But the final round caught many off guard when it tested material from the Classic of Filial Piety. Many candidates, unfamiliar with the text, stumbled early on.

Qi Beinan, however, had gifted him a copy of it. He’d read it through twice, and to his astonishment, that very content had appeared in the exam.

At the time, he chalked it up to good luck. But looking back now, he saw it clearly for what it was—not luck, but Qi Beinan’s foresight.

He was beyond words in expressing how he felt.

With new confidence, Zhao Guangzong wrote fluently through the remaining questions.

On the tenth of April, Zhao Guangzong returned from Linzhou back to Ling County after finishing the prefectural exam.

Dragging his baggage, he traveled back with Village Head Zhao and his wife, who had come to fetch him from town. He didn’t even go home first—he made a beeline for the Xiao household.

Upon seeing Qi Beinan again, he was so delighted he was nearly speechless. He rushed forward and grasped both his hands, eyes glowing with joy.

Qi Beinan had been organizing firewood in the courtyard when he saw someone bound into the yard like a rabbit. Looking closely—it was Zhao Guangzong, whom he hadn’t seen for over a month.

Though he’d clearly lost weight from traveling and testing, he looked energized.

Qi Beinan raised his eyebrows with a smile. “Did the exams turn your brain to mush?”

Zhao Guangzong exclaimed, “Nearly! Just tell me the truth—are you actually an immortal in disguise?”

Qi Beinan chuckled, “That, I can’t say for sure.”

“If he were really an immortal,” Xiao Yuanbao interjected as he brought firewood to the stove, “he wouldn’t be scared of firecrackers.”

He came running out upon hearing the voices. Seeing it was Zhao Guangzong—who had been away for over a month—he greeted him cheerfully, “Brother Zhao!”

Zhao Guangzong laughed and replied, “Hey! What’s this about firecrackers?”

Xiao Yuanbao said, “Uncle Tian in the village bought a big yellow ox and lit a string of firecrackers. Brother didn’t know and happened to walk past. He was so startled he broke out in a cold sweat!”

Qi Beinan pinched his cheek. “You really don’t know how to let me save face, do you?”

He turned to Zhao Guangzong. “It went off all of a sudden—just as I passed. Scared the life out of me. Come inside. Tell me about the exam.”

The three of them went inside together, and Zhao Guangzong eagerly shared all about it.

Qi Beinan smiled. “Though it’s true my father’s notes helped you land one of the questions, it was still your own hard work that paid off. I gave you six or seven booklets. If you hadn’t studied carefully and only skimmed them, you wouldn’t have remembered the question.”

When he compiled those study letters, he had planned it that way—offering a few altered past questions to avoid cheating but to help sharpen comprehension. If Zhao Guangzong applied himself, he’d gain insight. If he didn’t, they’d be wasted on him.

Clearly, Zhao Guangzong had lived up to his effort.

“For now,” Qi Beinan said, “just rest and wait for the results. You’ve worked hard, run yourself ragged for this exam, and lost weight in the process. The outcome is already written—no use fretting over it. Just rest.”

Zhao Guangzong nodded. “That’s how I see it too.”

He then presented Qi Beinan with a few gifts he brought back from Linzhou.

“It was my first time visiting Linzhou. After the exam, I took a walk through the city. The streets were wide and bustling, shops everywhere. I bought a couple of small things.”

He gave Qi Beinan a goat-hair writing brush and a sandalwood paperweight. He had originally wanted to buy a piece of Song ink as well, to thank him properly, but when he asked the price, it was a shocking three guan coins for just one piece.

Even though his parents and grandfather had given him plenty of travel money, he didn’t quite have enough to spare.

So he brought what he could—a brush and a paperweight—and for Xiao Yuanbao, he had picked out a floral-lipped teacup.

“Linzhou’s pastries are delicious and cheap. I thought Bao Ge’er would love them, so I wanted to bring some back. But the weather’s warmed up, and I worried they’d spoil on the road.”

He added, “I saw this cup from a local kiln—light blue glaze, smooth and elegant—so I picked one I thought Bao Ge’er might like.”

Xiao Yuanbao carefully opened the square wooden box, finding inside a celadon cup the color of a clear spring sky. The rim bloomed like a flower’s edge, and when he held it in his hand, it felt cool and smooth.

How could it compare to the clay bowls and cups at home—rough and shapeless? Xiao Yuanbao liked it at first sight.

“Thank you, Brother Zhao!”

He gently stroked the side of the cup, his round eyes sparkling. “I’ve never seen such a pretty cup before.”

Most farmer households used simple clayware. He had rarely seen any fine cups, so how could he not be fascinated?

Though Zhao Guangzong often brought little things for them, and even now brought gifts all the way back from the prefecture after taking his exam, Qi Beinan still felt deeply touched.

“You went through all that just for the exam, already exhausted—yet still thought to bring us gifts.”

Zhao Guangzong said, “Just some trinkets. As long as you don’t mind.”

The short reunion brought great joy to everyone.

…

Around half a month later, near the end of April, the results for the county-level children’s exam were posted.

That morning, the area outside the county school was packed with people waiting for the list to go up.

In small towns, the tongsheng exam was always the liveliest. The higher the level, the fewer examinees there were, so naturally, the crowds thinned the higher one went.

“Brother, is the list out yet?”

Xiao Yuanbao clung tightly to Qi Beinan’s hand, afraid of being separated in the crowd.

He had never seen a result posting before and had begged Qi Beinan to bring him to town with Zhao Guangzong to watch.

He was short, so even standing on tiptoe with all his might, he could only see broad shoulders and the backs of people’s heads in front of him—nothing else. He was really just there for the excitement.

The crowd was stiflingly hot, shoulder-to-shoulder, and someone nearby clearly had poor hygiene; the air reeked of sweat.

Xiao Yuanbao wanted to back out, but he hadn’t seen the list yet and didn’t want to give up halfway.

“Not yet,” Qi Beinan said, glancing down to see the boy’s little face scrunched up in discomfort. He crouched slightly and lifted him up into his arms.

Xiao Yuanbao finally took a deep breath—fresh air at last.

Qi Beinan said, “Just a bit longer. When it’s time, an official will bring out the red list.”

Xiao Yuanbao nodded.

Beside them, Zhao Guangzong was also tiptoeing every so often, his palms clammy with sweat.

Though he felt the exam had gone well, that was just his own impression—he’d only know for sure once he saw the results.

Nervous tension gripped him, and the noisy crowd faded into background static.

“Well, if it isn’t Zhao, here to see the results too.”

A familiar voice rang beside his ear. Zhao Guangzong turned in surprise—and immediately felt a pang of tension in his chest.

“Chen… Teacher Chen…”

Xiao Yuanbao heard the voice too. His brows furrowed tightly, and he turned his head to whisper in Qi Beinan’s ear, “It’s that bad uncle!”

Qi Beinan looked up. Sure enough, it was that old withered man he hadn’t seen in a while, here to view the results as well.

He wore a blue robe, hands clasped behind his back, eyeing Zhao Guangzong not at all kindly.

He sneered, “I thought a student so lacking in respect for his teacher would have already gone home to inherit the family pig-butchering and vegetable-farming business—long having forgotten all about reading and writing. But here you are, actually remembering the date for the tongsheng exam result?”

Zhao Guangzong took a deep breath and reminded himself: that chapter was over.

He was no longer under Teacher Chen’s thumb. There was no longer any need to cower in front of him.

He straightened his back and spoke clearly, “This student is unworthy, but passed the county exam and even sat the prefectural exam. I came today to see the results.”

Qi Beinan relaxed a bit upon hearing that. He had been worried Zhao Guangzong might still be under Chen’s shadow. Seeing him answer so confidently and without flinching, he felt gratified and didn’t need to step in.

Teacher Chen tilted his head, squinting suspiciously. “You passed the county exam?”

Zhao Guangzong replied, “Something as serious as the civil exam—how could anyone joke or lie about that?”

The flesh on Chen’s face twitched. He clearly didn’t believe it. “With your aptitude, if you passed the county exam, your ancestral grave must be smoking.”

Zhao Guangzong said evenly, “If the smoke rose, it was only because I turned from the wrong path in time. Otherwise, who knows how much longer I would’ve been delayed.”

Chen understood the implication and glared coldly.

“Don’t get too proud. The real test is the prefectural exam. With your meager talent…”

He didn’t finish. Instead, he just shook his head with disdain.

Maybe Zhao Guangzong scraped through the county test by luck, but without a tutor, he’d have to rely on supernatural blessings to pass the prefectural one.

“The red list is up!”

Chen’s thoughts were interrupted. Hearing that, he immediately craned his neck toward the results board.

The crowd surged forward. Moments later, cheers erupted—along with groans of frustration, sighs, and disappointment. Joy and sorrow intertwined.

Xiao Yuanbao’s sharp eyes spotted it first. He leaned upward from Qi Beinan’s arms and pointed toward the list. “Brother Zhao’s name! I see Brother Zhao’s name!”

Chen flinched at the voice and turned to look, frowning as he found the child vaguely familiar.

Noticing he was being carried, he snorted and shook his sleeve dismissively. “A little brat like you knows what characters look like?”

Xiao Yuanbao frowned and glared at him. “It’s the ninth name down: Zhao. Guang. Zong.”

He pronounced each word clearly and slowly. Though he couldn’t yet write them all, he had been learning characters every day. He’d already learned those by the end of last year—how could he be mistaken?

Chen immediately squeezed through the crowd and stepped closer to the list.

Sure enough—Zhao Guangzong’s name was written there in black ink on red paper.

His eyes went blank for a moment. “Ninth… ninth…”

Then he immediately scoured the list from top to bottom again, carefully confirming every name.

Zhao Guangzong was so overjoyed he grabbed Qi Beinan’s hand. “I made the list—I really made the list!”

He’d been afraid of missing the cut and had started reading from the bottom upward; the closer he got to the top, the more uneasy he felt.

But Xiao Yuanbao had read from the top down. Though there were still many characters he didn’t know, he recognized Zhao Guangzong’s name immediately. It stood out and caught his eye right away, allowing him to find it before Zhao Guangzong himself did.

When Zhao Guangzong heard Xiao Yuanbao call it out, he didn’t believe it at first. Only when he searched for it himself and saw his name clearly did he finally shout out in excitement.

Qi Beinan smiled and said, “I beg you, stop shaking me—you’re going to drop Xiao Bao!”

Xiao Yuanbao giggled out loud.

Zhao Guangzong quickly let go, face flushing red. “Let’s hurry back and tell my parents! They must be worried sick waiting!”

“Ninth place—I actually made it into the top ten! When they hear that, they’ll be thrilled!”

“Indeed, now it’s settled,” Qi Beinan said. “Let’s head back.”

The three of them squeezed out of the crowd, laughing and talking all the way.

Meanwhile, Teacher Chen scanned the board again and again—three times, to be exact—before finally spotting a familiar name at the bottom. He stumbled backward several steps, nearly fainting like he was about to suffer heatstroke.

In his mind, if even someone like Zhao Guangzong made the list, then the other “promising” students must’ve done even better.

Yet somehow, none of them had made it—not even better than Zhao Guangzong, who had dropped out halfway through.

He was convinced there had to be something wrong with the list.

“Teacher Chen, are you alright?” a student asked, seeing how pale he looked and quickly offering a hand to steady him.

Teacher Chen, barely able to catch his breath, muttered, “Who… who took that boy in and taught him…”

The student looked confused. “Who’s Teacher talking about?”

Back in the village, Zhao Guangzong’s family was growing more anxious by the minute. Village Head Zhao had looked toward the village entrance no less than twelve times.

Finally, he spotted them returning.

He rushed out to greet them in such a hurry that he nearly stumbled into the rice field.

“Well?”

“I made it, Father!”

Hearing the good news, Village Head Zhao was so happy he nearly danced. He slapped his thigh and shouted, “My boy! You’ve really made something of yourself! Let’s go set off the firecrackers—I bought a big string just for this!”

That day, the Zhao family set off three strings of firecrackers.

Village Head Zhao lit incense and paid his respects to the ancestors, while Madam Zhang wiped tears from her eyes. The whole household was overjoyed.

Though the business with Teacher Chen hadn’t been made public, Zhao Guangzong had been holed up at home for more than a year reading by himself, and gossip had inevitably started circulating.

People said he had no talent for studying and had been kicked out of his private school for causing trouble.

Now, with this impressive success, no words were needed—just one look at the results was enough to silence everyone and slap Teacher Chen right across the face.

Village Head Zhao stood prouder than he had since the day he inherited his position from his father.

He immediately started preparing a celebratory banquet.

The joy only grew more intense as early summer rolled in.

The Zhao family hosted thirty tables for a flowing banquet, with Jiang Fulang in charge, and invited the entire village to feast and celebrate.

“He just passed the tongsheng exam and threw such a huge banquet? Have the village head and his wife gone mad with happiness?”

Even folks from the Ping Manor were invited. Qin Niazi, bored stiff at the estate, came with Zhu Yongxian to join in the excitement.

Seeing the spectacle at the Zhao household, she couldn’t help but grumble.

Zhu Yongxian said in a low voice, “It may only be a tongsheng exam, but ninth place! With more hard work, he could become a xiucai and live on a state stipend. Not just among villagers—even in the city, few people pass that level. How can this not be a big event?”

Qin Niazi curled her lip, eyes scanning the crowd to see if any women or fulangs she was friendly with had come.

She didn’t spot any familiar faces, but then saw Village Head Zhao beaming and chatting with the village elders and gentry.

And—was that Qi Beinan he was holding hands with?

Her eyes widened. She was sure she wasn’t mistaken.

Then she burst into laughter and leaned toward Zhu Yongxian. “Has the village head gone stupid? His own son made the list, yet he’s clinging to that brat Qi Beinan?”

“Look—Zhao Guangzong’s just standing to the side. Those who know say Qi Beinan is an outsider from another village. Those who don’t might think he’s the village head’s real son!”

Zhu Yongxian was puzzled too. He and Qin Niazi stepped forward to greet them and see what was going on.

“If not for Xiao Qi’s guidance, how could my no-good son have had such good fortune?” Village Head Zhao said to the village elders and gentry, praising Qi Beinan to no end.

The gathered elders stroked their beards and nodded. “A fine scholarly lineage indeed~”

“But Qi Beinan isn’t even a tongsheng himself, and yet you say he helped Zhao Sanlang pass the exam? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at, saying such things in public?” one murmured skeptically.

Qin Niazi rolled her eyes as she listened.

But Zhu Yongxian was shocked. Others might not believe it, but deep down, he did.

After all, Village Head Zhao had no reason to heap praise on an unrelated youth. And from his own interactions with Qi Beinan, Zhu could tell—this young man truly had some talent.

Qi Beinan wasn’t that old, yet he carried a calm, composed air that was difficult to read.

Having interacted with the nobility before, Zhu Yongxian always felt that Qi Beinan possessed the same quiet confidence and aura of control those high-born figures had.

Just using his late father’s handwritten notes, he’d managed to guide Zhao Guangzong to pass the tongsheng exam—if he were to take the imperial exams himself after mourning, wouldn’t success be within easy reach?

Zhu Yongxian’s chest rose and fell. Thankfully, he hadn’t had any major conflicts with this young man.

Qi Beinan was clearly someone who could both yield and assert himself. He was no ordinary pond fish—he would leap over the dragon gate one day.

Zhu Yongxian gave Qin Niazi’s sleeve a tug and warned in a low voice, “You be respectful toward this Young Master Qi. He’s not simple. He’s not someone you can handle. Don’t stir up more trouble—I won’t be able to protect you.”

With that, he put on a smile and stepped forward. “Village Head Zhao, congratulations, congratulations!”

“Young Master Qi, I’ve heard of your talent now—so modest, so hidden!”

Qi Beinan said, “The village head flatters me. I’m nowhere near that capable—just happened to gift a few books, that’s all.”

Qin Niazi glanced at Zhu Yongxian fawning over him and tugged irritably at her handkerchief. She couldn’t afford to provoke him, but she could still walk away.

She turned to head for an empty table to peel some fruit and nibble on something, when her gaze landed on Xiao Yuanbao by the kitchen.

The little brat had his serious little face on, speaking with a row of kitchen workers—men and women alike—lined up along the prep table by the wall.

“The tenderloin’s done roasting? Hurry and send it to the stove—the next dish is up!”

“Have the gourd greens been washed? They need slicing to go with the meat.”

The boy had grown taller, his cheeks a little fuller, and he was darting about the kitchen like he knew it inside and out. His commands were brisk, his tone composed. Despite the childlike softness of his face, he looked quite the part.

There was no sign at all of the timid little thing who used to hide behind doors at the sight of his father.

Qin Niazi couldn’t help thinking back to recent gossip among the village women—that Fang Jie’er had gone to the city to learn hairstyling and could now do all kinds of trendy updos.

She even made her own fragrant hair oil—so pleasant and effective that folks from the village sought her out. Her prices were cheaper than in the city, and she’d even style customers with fashionable looks for free.

Qin Niazi herself no longer had chores on the estate and spent more time fussing over her appearance. When one of her friends mentioned it, she had felt the urge to go ask Fang Jie’er for a styling, but pride held her back.

That shabby country girl had gained some city polish. Her clothes weren’t flashy, but somehow everything about her looked so put-together.

It was what people called “tastefully refined.”

Now seeing Xiao Yuanbao again, Qin Niazi suddenly felt just how much people could change in such a short time.

She couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling—just vaguely uncomfortable.

She consoled herself: her own boy, Chao Ge’er, wasn’t bad either. He’d even learned to brew tea.

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