Because the old madam hadn’t taken much of her previous medication, she asked Xiao Cao for her opinion. Upon Xiao Cao’s advice, she immediately took a few of the newly prepared pills with warm water. They went down smoothly, with no sign of nausea—perhaps for the first time in years, taking medicine had been this easy for the old madam.

“Fourth girl, you’ve really gone to great lengths,” the old madam said gratefully.

“No trouble at all. As long as Grandmother feels better, it’s all worth it,” Xiao Cao replied with a smile.

After chatting with the old madam for a while, Xiao Cao finally excused herself.

Upon returning from the old madam’s quarters, Han Shi summoned Xiao Cao, informing her that now that she had officially met the family, it was time to prepare some gifts. While gifts for elders were naturally expected, younger siblings, nieces, and nephews also needed to be considered. Since Xiao Cao came empty-handed, these gifts were all prepared by Han Shi herself.

Han Shi was well-versed in the preferences of the Wenren family’s main members. For the rare few who were less prominent, it was easy enough to ask around and find out. Han Shi had painstakingly curated thoughtful gifts, not just as an obligatory gesture but to help Xiao Cao leave a positive impression on the family. Everyone likely understood this, but it still conveyed the right attitude of respect and attention to details.

At the moment, she was only showing Xiao Cao these things so that she could familiarize herself.

Xiao Cao, of course, agreed. Everything was perfect.

Just then, a servant came to report, “The master has returned and is currently in the front study with the other elders and eldest young master.”

“Father finished court so early?” Xiao Cao glanced at the time—it was only a quarter to five in the afternoon.

“The emperor is kind and compassionate. As long as the work is done, he isn’t strict. When things aren’t too hectic, there are times when officials can leave court as early as the afternoon. Of course, those with personal matters and commitments tend to be the ones who take advantage of this. Normally, they stay until around sundown, but if they’re busy, it’s also common for them to stay overnight at the office. The civil exams just ended recently, so the Ministry of Rites is probably not too busy at the moment. His coming home at this hour is quite normal. I sent word to your father earlier because of today’s family dinner. I feel he’s coming back later than expected even!” Han Shi smiled.

Xiao Cao thought to herself, Well, this emperor seems pretty down-to-earth. As for the latter part of Han Shi’s remark, Xiao Cao simply brushed it off as affectionate banter between her parents.

During her two to three years in Kaiping, Xiao Cao had often heard the public sing praises of the current emperor.

“Go and tell the master that once he’s finished talking with the other elders, he should come over,” Han Shi instructed.

“Yes, madam.”

Fifteen minutes later, the maid returned to report, “Madam, Lord Cheng, the provincial top-scorer, has arrived. The master sent word that his exact timing is uncertain.”

“I see,” Han Shi waved the maid off.

Xiao Cao, at first, thought “Cheng Huiyuan” was someone’s name. But upon closer reflection, it didn’t seem likely for a maid to refer to a guest by his given name. Then it clicked—he was the top scorer of this year’s civil service provincial examinations.

Every three years, the capital of the Kaiping Empire would be lively for a while thanks to the examinations, even in the poorer areas.

Xiao Cao had missed it the last time, but this time she’d been able to experience it, although from her perspective, it wasn’t all that different from usual life.

The imperial examinations were truly a grueling, cutthroat battle, like navigating a single-log bridge with thousands of others. To emerge as the provincial top-scorer was no small feat—this person must be extraordinary. However, no matter how extraordinary, Xiao Cao thought, they operated in completely different spheres and would likely never intersect.

Besides, even if this Cheng Huiyuan were to eventually become the top metropolitan graduate—the zhuangyuan—it didn’t necessarily guarantee a bright future.

Though zhuangyuans were few and far between, with only one every three years, each class still had a whole cohort of jinshi—those who passed the final civil service exam.

The results of the provincial examination had just been released two days ago, and while connections might have been sought under the table, in such a brief time, there wouldn’t have been much progress. This suggested that Cheng Huiyuan probably established relations with Xiao Cao’s father, Wenren Taibo, before the exam. Or perhaps Cheng Huiyuan even had some familial ties to the Wenren family. Xiao Cao suddenly turned to Han Shi and asked, “Mother, I still don’t know what position Father holds in court.”

“He’s the Deputy Minister of Rites.”

Xiao Cao only had a general understanding of Qi Dynasty’s governmental structure. She had learned about it while studying with Tingyu and listening to Teacher Che during their lessons. Though young officials may have held important positions in history, especially during peaceful times, most positions followed a hierarchical structure based primarily on experience. For her father, to hold a third-rank post at the age of forty-something was already considered quite impressive.

After all, beyond the third rank, the highest positions were mostly held by military officials, with scholars generally occupying honorary roles. For example, the six ministers and the chief inspectors were mostly of the second rank, but they often held honorary titles of first rank or sub-first rank. In some special cases, even officials of lower rank were granted honorary titles. These positions came with double stipends. Of course, if one also held a noble title on top of these, one’s standing was even more elevated.

However, at present, it seemed there weren’t any figures with all three distinctions.

It was worth noting that the founding emperor of the Qi Dynasty had conquered the realm through sheer military might. Therefore, in the early days of the dynasty, civil officials were ranked slightly lower than their military counterparts. For instance, the highest-ranked civil official in each locality might be of the second rank, while the highest-ranked military officer would be of the first rank.

However, as time passed and the nation entered an era of peace, the prestige of civil officials gradually began to surpass that of military officials.

In prosperous times, this seemed like an inevitable shift—scholars governed the country, while military officials guarded it.

Xiao Cao sincerely praised the system. Han Shi, hearing her appreciation, felt pleased, but as she looked at her daughter, her heart began to stir with more thoughts. “That Scholar Cheng and our Wenren family are actually from the same county, though we live in different districts. The districts are relatively close. Before coming to the capital to take the exams, he received a letter of recommendation from the local magistrate who happens to be one of your father’s students. The magistrate found Scholar Cheng quite promising and hoped to help by fostering a connection and broadening his network. After meeting him, your father also spoke highly of him. He’s handsome, in his twenties, upright without being rigid, tactful but not ingratiating. His family may be poor, but he is resolute, ambitious, and extremely filial. He hasn’t yet married. It’s just him and his widowed mother…”

As Xiao Cao listened quietly, she suddenly realized something felt off with where this conversation was heading.

When Han Shi met Xiao Cao’s gradually skeptical gaze, she snapped out of it, realizing she had spoken too soon. “…I hadn’t expected he would become the top provincial scholar—your father is very pleased. I’m sure he’ll place well in the court examination too.”

Xiao Cao nodded but refrained from making any further remarks.

Han Shi felt a slight pang of regret; she hadn’t meant to rush things, but she really did think Scholar Cheng was a good match. With his excellent character, his simple family background, and despite the five or six years of age difference, those were minor issues. Most importantly, given Xiao Cao’s unique situation, Scholar Cheng seemed like the best option she could think of. But Xiao Cao didn’t appear too interested.

Scholar Cheng had yet to arrange an engagement, and his intentions were clear. Coming from a poor family, his goal was to pass the examinations and then seek a favorable marriage to further his career. Han Shi knew that after the court examination, marriage offers would start pouring in. She wouldn’t be surprised if a “catching the son-in-law under the exam results board” scenario played out.

Her daughter, Xiao Cao, however, couldn’t be rushed.

From outside the room, Wenren Ying listened quietly. Although her hand clutched her handkerchief a little tighter, her face remained untroubled and calm.

Turning her head toward the courtyard, she noticed the sun shining as patterned shadows of the flowers and trees dappled the ground. For a moment, she lost herself in thought.