The Prefectural Exam Arrived
Zhao Rurui couldn't help but glare at Zhao Jing'an.
Zhao Jing'an, however, did not see this. He looked at Zhao Ruyu Zhao Ruyu, waiting for her reply.
"But... Fifth Sister doesn't like me," Zhao Ruyu said dejectedly.
She actually wanted to befriend Zhao Ruxi. Ever since Princess Pingyang was stripped of her management of the Capital Women's Academy, she had been alarmed to discover that the world was different in many ways from her previous life. Although she didn't know how it had been done, she believed that Zhao Ruxi must have been involved.
This shows that Zhao Ruxi is currently very powerful.
If she could befriend Zhao Ruxi and latch onto her coattails, her life in this one, if not better than her previous one, would at least not be worse.
But she offended Zhao Ruxi first.
Zhao Ruxi never spoke kindly to her and refused to pay her any attention. If she went up to her, she would only humiliate herself and might even anger Zhao Ruxi, causing Zhao Ruxi to take action against her.
She doesn't need to do anything; she just needs to say a few words to Fu Yunkai, and perhaps her marriage to Fu Yunlang will fall through.
Even after her last conversation with Zhao Ruxi, she still couldn't calm down and remained very fearful.
Since her rebirth, her greatest reliance has been her experiences from her previous life.
But if the plot doesn't follow the story of her past life and becomes completely unrecognizable, what advantages will she have left?
During this time, Zhao Ruyu also kept a close eye on the political situation. Although she had no access to information about the court, Fu Yunlang would tell her about it whenever she asked during their dates, as long as it didn't involve sensitive people or matters.
Especially the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince, as well as Fu Yunkai, because they were closely related to Fu Yunlang, Fu Yunlang had many opportunities to mention them.
Zhao Ruyu knew that if Zhao Ruxi wanted to change the political situation, or if she had a compassionate heart, she would definitely intervene in the war that occurred this winter to save 100,000 border soldiers. At that time, Fu Yunkai's inevitable death would also be changed.
If Fu Yunkai doesn't die, Fu Yunlang can't inherit the title and will forever remain the second son of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence. Even if she tries every means to marry Fu Yunlang, she can only be a second wife and will never regain the glory of her previous life.
Most importantly, in her previous life, Fu Yunlang became a marquis, and she became the marquis's wife, the mistress of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence. With Fu Yunlang doting on her behind the scenes, she could also compete with her mother-in-law, Madam Lady He, and wouldn't be tormented too much by Lady He.
If Fu Yunkai were to marry a woman from a prominent family in this lifetime, Lady He would be wary of her eldest daughter-in-law's family background and the status of the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, and would not dare to do anything to her. In the end, she would pick on the weak and inevitably turn all her anger towards her.
At that time, her life will be incredibly difficult.
In her past life, she had status and prestige, and was doted on by her husband, yet Lady He's actions still caused her so much suffering; in this life, she married Fu Yunlang, and if she no longer had the glory of her past life, why should she still have to endure Lady He's torment?
Should she... shift her gaze away from Fu Yunlang and take a look at the other promising young men?
With her past life experiences and memories, as long as she doesn't have high requirements for status and position, it shouldn't be difficult for her to find a man of good character who doesn't have a terrible mother-in-law.
Once this thought arose, Zhao Ruyu's mind drifted far away, and she couldn't suppress it no matter what she did.
Zhao Jing'an was trying to comfort Zhao Ruyu, but seeing that she was lost in thought and seemed not to be listening to him at all, he simply shut up.
Zhao Jingli glanced at the two of them, then turned back to Zhao Rurui and continued their previous conversation, "... He's a really nice person, you should consider it."
Zhao Rurui, her eyes red, said, "Brother, why? Why do I have to marry someone like this? Look at Auntie, how hard her life is."
The youngest aunt of the Zhao Family was born out of wedlock and married a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations in the west of the city.
When she married, the Duke of Sui had already passed away. Because the family's wealth had been depleted by treating the Duke of Sui's illness, the old lady could not possibly use her own dowry to make a dowry for a concubine's daughter whom she did not like. Therefore, the young lady of the Zhao Family did not have a large dowry, and the family she married into was of very modest means.
Unfortunately, her husband's family has been declining in recent years. Although they are able to eat and dress well and have three or four servants, they are still far inferior to the Earl of Suiping's Residence.
The young lady harbors resentment towards her maternal family and has avoided contact with the Earl of Suiping's Residence unless absolutely necessary.
Upon hearing Zhao Rurui's words, Zhao Jingli's expression turned very unpleasant.
He is indeed the eldest son of the second branch of the Zhao Family, but he is only fifteen years old, younger than Zhao Rurui. He was able to arrange a marriage for Zhao Rurui, and the candidate was carefully chosen. He came from a good family, was ambitious, and good-looking. These were the best conditions he could have arranged for Zhao Rurui.
As a result, Zhao Rurui's casual remark wiped out all his efforts over the past few months, leaving him with no interest in listening to him or learning more about the family.
He decided to ignore Zhao Rurui altogether.
Let her stay at home.
Zhao Ruxi then devoted herself entirely to studying, ignoring everything else and teaching painting, without a care in the world.
Zhang Li's affair stirred her competitive spirit, and she was determined to achieve a good ranking in the upcoming imperial examinations.
Before we knew it, April arrived, and the prefectural examinations began.
The only female candidates taking the exam this time were Zhao Ruxi and two students from the Capital Women's Academy.
If the two female students still looked somewhat arrogant when facing Zhao Ruxi in the first round of the county examination, that arrogance disappeared when Zhao Ruxi won first place.
The controversy surrounding the county examination was so great that even Zhang Li was dismissed from his post.
Although the official explanation from the court was that Zhang Li had been punished and dismissed from office because of his misdeeds while serving as county magistrate, rumors circulated widely. Many people privately believed that the emperor was dissatisfied with Zhang Li's performance in the county examination, which led to his dismissal.
The two female students had heard these remarks. When Zhao Ruxi entered the examination hall, they greeted her with smiles, appearing extremely enthusiastic.
Zhao Ruxi smiled and nodded, then took out her writing implements, poured water and ground ink, showing no intention of chatting with them. The two had no choice but to give up awkwardly.
The format of the prefectural examination was similar to that of the county examination, consisting of three sessions: Classical Texts, Miscellaneous Essays, and Policy Essays, which tested memorization, literary skills, and political views and current affairs, respectively. The first two sessions were held for one day each, while the last session was held for two consecutive days, requiring candidates to spend the night in the examination hall.
Of course, candidates could submit their papers early for the prefectural examination. If the final exam paper could be completed in one day, it could also be taken in just one day.
The difference between the county examination and the prefectural examination is that the papers for the prefectural examination are anonymous. When submitting the paper, pull the small bell next to you, and two people will come to anonymize it, put the paper into a special box, and the candidate can then leave.
Although the exam papers were anonymous, they were not copied. The examiners not only looked at the quality of the writing, but also at the neatness and beauty of the handwriting.
Zhao Ruxi was still the one who finished the fastest and handed in her paper early.