Huo Jing's mistake was unintentional, but Guan Moshan was caught off guard.
He stared at Huo Jing and said viciously, "What are you laughing at, you unfilial daughter? You're happy to see your father kicked out of the house, aren't you?"
Huo Jing asked in confusion, "Father?"
Guan Moshan straightened his back.
Huo Jing crossed her arms and laughed heartily, "Uncle, what are you saying?"
Guan Moshan: "...?"
" Huo Jing, you..."
Huo Jing leaned closer to Huo Jiayin, blinked innocently, and said, "Didn't you say yesterday that if I didn't speak up for you and my older brother, I shouldn't call you 'Dad' anymore? I've been so obedient."
Guan Moshan: "..."
[Hahaha, stop talking! I'm about to faint from anger.]
Guan Moshan looked like he was about to faint, but not because of Huo Jing, but because of Huo Zhixing.
Huo Zhixing asked earnestly, "Mother, if I call him 'Uncle' too, will he be able to come back?"
Guan Moshan rolled his eyes and collapsed.
[Hahahaha, you really are your father's good son!]
"Have you had enough of the excitement?" Tong Yibin said. "It's time to go home."
Tong Aning nodded and followed behind Tong Yibin.
The imperial examinations are just around the corner, and the household is already bustling with activity.
Su Zhouyue, afraid she might have forgotten something, saw Tong Aning and Tong Yibin returning together and asked curiously, "Did you go to pick up your sister?"
Tong Yibin said helplessly, "Mother, didn't you ask me to pick up and drop off my fourth sister these past few days? You said it would let her share in my good fortune of passing the exam."
Su Zhouyue slapped her forehead. "Look at my memory."
Tong Aning asked curiously, "Big brother, whose good fortune did you receive when you participated in the imperial examination?"
Isn't it obvious?
Tong Aobai coughed lightly.
Tong Aning: "..."
This gave Su Zhouyue an idea. She looked at Tong Aobai and then at Tong Yibin, "Why don't you deliver them one after another? Double the joy!"
Tong Aobai and Tong Yibin exchanged a glance. What else could they do? In this vast world, Tong Aning was the most important person.
The two replied, "Okay."
Tong Siyan walked up to Tong Aning and held up the knee pads and vest she had embroidered against Tong Aning. She smiled and said, "They fit perfectly."
Tong Aning touched her knee pads and vest, and asked, "What kind of fur is this? It's so warm."
Mu Yao, standing to the side, said, "Rabbit fur. Young Master Tong wrote in his letter that rabbit fur is the best, so Danqing and I went to find some. I hope you'll like it, Aning."
"I like it, I like it, but," Tong Aning's eyes suddenly turned teasing, she said, "I didn't know rabbit fur was the best all these years."
Mu Yao: "..."
"Oh, there's another little flower here."
Tong Yi'an raised her head and puffed out her chest, "This is what I embroidered, isn't it beautiful?"
"Well embroidered."
Looking at everyone's smiling faces, Tong Aning suddenly felt a warmth in her heart, realizing how happy she was to have so much love.
She said with great enthusiasm, "Don't worry, I'll definitely get a good ranking."
Su Zhouyue couldn't help but worry. She held Tong Aning's hand and said, "We're doing this not so that you can get a good ranking, but to tell you that we're all behind you. Just do your best."
Tong Aning nestled into Su Zhouyue's arms, nuzzling against her as she Su Zhouyue, "Okay."
*
The imperial examination in spring.
"Your Highness, Miss Tong is just ahead. Won't you get off the carriage and see her off?"
Xue Lin looked at Tong Aning, who was surrounded by many people, and shook his head. "No need."
So many people like Tong Aning Tong Aning there's no place for him beside her.
Sichen leaned against the carriage road with his arms crossed. "Since you don't need it, then what are you doing here so early in the morning, Your Highness?"
Xue Lin: "... Sichen!"
Sichen knew when to stop. After Sichen's voice disappeared outside, a bright smiling face suddenly appeared in front of Xue Lin.
Tong Aning asked with a smile, "Why did you call Sichen? Did Sichen make you angry?"
Xue Lin paused, then pursed his lips and said, "No... why did you come here?"
Tong Aning sighed dramatically, "I saw the Prince's carriage a while ago, thinking the young master would come, but who knew... I couldn't wait any longer and had to come myself."
Hearing this, Xue Lin panicked, "I was just about to come over."
Seeing Xue Lin, who was usually calm and collected, become like this, Tong Aning chuckled and said, twirling her two braids, "Okay, I know, I was just teasing you."
Xue Lin was stunned.
Tong Aning waved to Xue Lin, " Heir Xue, I'm going in."
Miss Tong.
Tong Aning turned around, Xue Lin said, "I wish you success in the exam and a bright future."
Tong Aning smiled and said, "Then I'll take your kind words, Your Highness."
After the students went inside, the once bustling entrance suddenly became desolate.
Sichen said, "Oh dear, Your Highness, why did Miss Tong specifically come all the way here to talk to you?"
Xue Lin's heart skipped a beat, and he said coldly, "Shut up, drive the carriage."
Sichen: "..."
Okay, okay, all you do is yell at him. Believe me, he'll complain to Miss Tong Miss Tong her exams.
Sichen went to catch the train, looking dejected.
As the prince's carriage departed, Su Zhouyue and Wei Mingning were discussing going to the temple to offer incense together.
Su Zhouyue enthusiastically planned, "Let's find more temples and more Buddha statues; maybe it will work."
Wei Mingning agreed, nodding and saying, " Madam Su is right."
Since it's for Tong A-T Ning's own good, what's wrong with visiting a few more temples?
Tong Yibin: "Mother, what you're doing..."
Su Zhouyue said proudly, "I'm happy to."
Tong Yibin went to see Tong Aobai, Tong Aobai had already eagerly approached Su Zhouyue and said, "I'll go with you, Madam."
Tong Yibin sighed inwardly; as expected, he couldn't be counted on.
*
"Finally, the exams are over."
Tong Aning stretched and let out a long sigh of relief.
Tong Siyan asked, "What does Fourth Sister plan to do?"
Tong Aning said demurely, "Although the exams are over, we can't slack off."
Um?
Tong Siyan looked at Tong Aning suspiciously; this wasn't like Tong Aning at all.
[Of course I'm going to have a blast! I want to go on a spring outing, I want to go to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, I want to go to Radiant Youth Garden!]
Tong Siyan: "!"
That's right, that's right, this younger sister is correct.
Su Zhouyue patted Tong Aning on the shoulder and said, "Go back and take a bath first, then get some rest."
"Yes, Mother."
After taking a bath, Tong Aning received a letter written specifically for her by Tong Fengye.
The letter stated that by the time it arrived, Tong Aning had already finished her exams. The letter started with a few feigned expressions of concern, but then began asking if she found the exams difficult and whether she was confident.
[What's the difference between this and checking the answers after the exam?]
Tong Aning tossed the letter aside.
Yingtao stood behind Tong Aning, drying Tong Aning's hair. She saw her young mistress turn her head.
It's over.
Now the young master is going to get a scolding from the young lady.
These two, even separated by thousands of miles, never seem to find peace.
Tong Aning had someone set out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She picked up the brush, Yingtao carefully gathered her hair, worried that Tong Aning's hair would get stained with ink.
Tong Aning wrote very quickly, and Yingtao caught a glimpse of a few sentences.
Third brother, it's been several months since you joined the army. What position have you obtained? Is it higher or lower than Feng Chu's?
Yingtao laughed inwardly; the young lady knew how to hurt someone's feelings.
A few days later, Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu arranged to have dinner at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.
The Drunken Fragrance Pavilion was crowded with students, and the two went straight to a private room on the second floor.
Lou Yingyu said, "That's great! My dad hasn't scolded me for half a month!"
Tong Aning smiled. " Yingyu, don't let your guard down either."
Lou Yingyu glanced at Tong Aning, reached for a piece of pastry, and stuffed it into Tong Aning's mouth. "Don't say such unpleasant things."
Tong Aning blinked and contentedly munched on the pastry in her mouth.
Hearing the arguing outside, Lou Yingyu craned her neck, "What's going on outside? Is there another commotion?"
Lou Yingyu was already used to such scenes, and her tone became somewhat insincere.
Songhua said, "Several students are arguing."
Lou Yingyu asked, "What are they arguing about?"
Songhua said, "Regarding the exam papers, some students believe that their students might take their place."
Lou Yingyu's eyes widened. "How could such a thing be?"
Lou Yingyu took Tong Aning's hand and walked to the corridor outside. When they looked down, they saw that the people were arguing fiercely. The person in the middle of the argument was red-faced, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to fight.
The manager came forward with a mournful face, "Ladies, you must save me! Drunken Fragrance Pavilion really can't afford any more trouble."
[This shopkeeper is quite pitiful; every fight happens here.]
Who can argue with that?
The shopkeeper wiped the corner of his eye, "This is all small business."
Lou Yingyu slammed her hand on the railing, "Stop arguing, everyone."
[What a brilliant zero-frame start!]
People below all looked up at Lou Yingyu and Tong Aning upstairs.
"What are you looking at? We're all here to eat, not to argue. You're all educated people, why the need for fighting?"
The students thought about it and realized that the anger they had just felt had subsided after calming down. They bowed to each other and returned to their seats.
Lou Yingyu turned her head and met Tong Aning's admiring gaze.
Lou Yingyu: " Aning, you seem like a stranger to me."
Tong Aning's eyes sparkled. " Yingyu, what you just said was so well said."
"Yeah?"
Lou Yingyu touched her hair absentmindedly.
"Yes, yes, I'm serious."
"Okay, okay."
Tong Aning didn't realize that she had almost coaxed Lou Yingyu into pouting.
Before the two even entered the private room, they started arguing again.
"Is this never going to end?"
Lou Yingyu strode aggressively to the railing. "You, yes, it's you! Everyone else has gone to eat, why are you still here causing trouble?"
The man asked in surprise, "Miss, you don't recognize me?"
Lou Yingyu frowned. "Who are you? Why should I know you?"
The man scratched his head. "I'm a disciple of Chancellor Lou."
Lou Yingyu: "..."
Knowing he's a disciple of Chancellor Lou, he should be careful with his words and actions... Would he impersonate someone else?
Lou Yingyu: "???"
Oh my god.
Could this have something to do with her father?