Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

"You think too highly of eldest brother. Luckily, everyone’s gone over there now. If others found out about this, they’d surely laugh at us."

Xiaomi pouted while touching her head, "I was just joking."

Nanyang Prefecture is so large, with hundreds of candidates. No matter how bright her older brother and Ze-ge are, they can’t surpass all the scholars.

Besides, although both brothers have very good study resources in Cheng County, they’re still a bit behind compared to the children of aristocratic families in Nanyang Prefecture.

However, she immediately asked with shining eyes, "But surely the results won’t be too bad. How did it go, exactly?"

Jiang Yu and Liu Ze exchanged smiles. Liu Ze glanced to the side at Jiang Xiaoxue, who was also eager to know.

Then he said warmly, "It went quite well, Yu-ge got fifth place, and I got sixth. It’s much better than we expected."

According to the teacher’s understanding of them, he had said they might barely squeeze into the top ten. Unexpectedly, they ranked much higher than tenth.

"Fifth and sixth!" Xiaomi shouted excitedly, "That’s amazing!"

Being at the top of the list wasn’t something she hoped for excessively, but among hundreds of scholars, only the top three or four dozen could stand out.

Although her two brothers weren’t first, they were among the best. How could she not be happy?

At this moment, a guard whispered a few words to Yingying’s ear, making her eyes light up as she eagerly asked, "Really? Finally passed?"

The guard nodded, "Absolutely true, we’ve already checked."

"Yingying-jie, what’s going on?" Xiaomi then remembered her little friend was still there.

Yingying was also incredibly excited, "Xiaomi, my brother passed too. He finally passed, and this is his fourth time taking the exam, even if he’s only placed in the teens, he finally made it."

She was even more excited than Xiaomi, "Xiaomi, I won’t say much now. It’s such a big deal, I need to go back and celebrate first. See you later, I’ll come find you in a few days!"

She didn’t even give Xiaomi a chance to reply before quickly rounding up a group of guards and running off excitedly.

It shows that even for a scholar, it’s not that easy to pass.

Yingying’s excited reaction left others stunned for a moment before they came to their senses and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

"Alright, let’s go back too and celebrate properly."

The group returned in high spirits. By now, some neighbors who went to watch the excitement had returned. Seeing them so happy, they inquired about the results of the exams.

Upon learning that not only had they passed but also ranked so high, they congratulated them repeatedly until finally quieting down back at the courtyard.

The second lady expressed her intention to prepare something delicious. Jiang Hu and Xiaoxue went to help, not forgetting to tell Xiaomi to take a nap before lunch.

At this moment, everyone treated Jiang Yu and Liu Ze as great heroes, letting them do nothing but drink tea and chat to rest well.

Without refusing everyone’s enthusiasm, the two simply listened and relaxed.

However, once everyone left, Liu Ze couldn’t help but say, "I wonder how eldest brother and the others are doing now."

Jiang Yu poured him a cup of tea, "Don’t worry, Liu-ge is still young. Even if he doesn’t pass, there’s always next time, nothing to fear."

Jiang Yu was quite open-minded about this.

Liu Ze took the tea, sipped it—a bit rough in quality as it was tea leaves brought from home, but after getting used to it, he liked it very much.

Still, he couldn’t help but worry about his elder brother and their family, "He’s also got his wife and nephew with him, Yu Zhi is so young, and it’s said to be even colder in the Capital City than here."

Liu Qingfeng sat the provincial exam in August. By the end of June this year, the family of three set out for Nanyang Prefecture.

And Liu Qingfeng didn’t disappoint; he’s already a newly minted juren.

Since there’s another final exam by the Ministry of Rites in the Capital City next April, after the provincial exam results were released, they rested for half a month before heading to the Capital City.

Going there early not only saves time but also allows him to interact with scholars there and get familiarize himself with the level of the Capital City’s scholars. If lucky, he might even find a mentor.

With a recommendation letter from Liu Hongcai and generous financial support from Liu’s wife, getting in touch with and integrating into the circles of scholars in the Capital City shouldn’t be too difficult.

As for Liu Yu Zhi, naturally, he’s Liu Ze’s nephew, Li Qingfeng’s eldest son.

Passing the juren exam seemed an anticipated event, and going to the Capital City is a given, as Liu Hongcai at least had experience.

To prevent any unpredictable incidents that might disturb his son’s focus, he simply sent his daughter-in-law and grandson off together.

This way, in the Capital City, whether or not he participates in the final imperial exam, everyone knows Liu Qingfeng has a wife and child, and their relationship is good, which saves a lot of trouble.

Calculating the time, they should have arrived at the Capital City by now, so it’s no wonder Liu Ze worries about his no more than eleven-month-old nephew.

Jiang Yu shook his head, "Why worry? Don’t forget, aside from Liu-ge, Steward Wang went with them too. As long as there’s Silver, why fear their nephew being cold or hungry?"

Thinking this way, it seems true.

Liu Ze felt a bit more at ease, "By the way, I heard from my mother that Steward Wang went to the Capital City this time mainly to observe and learn about the local business conditions."

"If my elder brother passes this next exam, he can get a small official post. If he passes the final imperial exam, as a jinshi, he might be assigned to a local government office, like my father."

"Steward Wang’s goal is to find a place for my elder brother to settle eventually. After all, my sister-in-law is a woman, and it’s often inconvenient for her to show up in person."

At this moment, with no one else around, the two spoke more openly.

Jiang Yu came to a realization, "Oh, that’s why they insisted Liu-ge take his wife and child. I mean, if someone in the Capital City took a liking to him, claiming he’s already married would suffice."

"Looks like Uncle Liu believes Liu-ge will definitely pass, and when he’s assigned to a local post, he can take his wife and child directly, right?"

Liu Ze smiled slightly, "Exactly, and I also heard my mother say she gave Steward Wang’s contract to him, on the condition that he follows my elder brother and sister-in-law in the future, and promised to send his family over once things settle down."

Jiang Yu nodded and suddenly looked at Liu Ze, "What about you? Once the new year passes, you’ll be fourteen. What are your plans?"