CH 17

Yang Yuhuan always believed that if her father hadn't taken money from Fang Yun's family to gamble, Fang Yun's parents would not have gone to work in other places and encountered demons, and she always felt guilty towards Fang Yun.

In order to atone for her sins, Yang Yuhuan burdened herself with layer after layer of weight, making it hard for her to breathe and leaving her love life blank.

Now that Fang Yun has finally passed the Child Scholar exam and even ranked first, most of the burden in her heart has lifted.

She was originally preparing to celebrate with relatives today, waiting for Fang Yun to return from the literary meeting, but her good mood disappeared with the arrival of the matchmaker.

Yang Yuhuan was afraid.

She had never been afraid before because she had a firm goal in her heart, but now that she has achieved her goal, her heart feels empty.

She realized that the only person she could rely on now was Fang Yun, but those matchmakers and wealthy families seemed to want to take him away from her.

Just when she was most worried, Fang Yun returned and proposed to her in public.

Yang Yuhuan finally knew that no one could take Fang Yun away from her.

Yang Yuhuan couldn't help but smile sweetly, then touched her face, feeling embarrassed and hot.

"Fang Yun, he's really different." Yang Yuhuan thought to herself. Her previously empty heart slowly filled up and her face became redder.

Before, Yang Yuhuan's goal was to help Fang Yun grow up, but now her goal is to be a good wife to Fang Yun.

Fang Yun opened his eyes and saw Yang Yuhuan's shy smiling face, like a peach blossom blooming under the moonlight, she was like a fairy on earth, making his heart beat faster.

Yang Yuhuan didn't expect Fang Yun to suddenly open his eyes, she was surprised and embarrassed, and subconsciously wanted to run away.

But Fang Yun grabbed her wrist and said softly, "I pretended to be drunk just to talk to you."

Yang Yuhuan blushed and lowered her head, allowing Fang Yun to hold her hand.

"I have a hundred taels of silver in my coat that Su Presented Scholar gave me. Take it and keep it safe. From now on, you don't have to work for others or do any heavy work. Do you understand?"

"But..."

"There's nothing to worry about. You've worked hard for this family for so many years, it's time for you to rest. From now on, I'll take care of this family."

Yang Yuhuan slowly raised her head, with less shyness and more gratitude. "Okay, I'll listen to Little Yun."

"With the gift money from others, we can spend it for a long time. You can hire a maid or buy a servant to help with the housework. All you have to do now is rest, play, and eat well, and take care of your health, understand?"

"Mhmm." Yang Yuhuan's eyes turned red. She didn't expect happiness to come so quickly and be so much better than she imagined.

"These years, you've suffered." Fang Yun sighed softly.

But Yang Yuhuan didn't continue to cry, instead she spoke with an unusual firmness, "I used to feel bitter, but now that I see you succeed, I don't feel bitter at all! I feel very sweet now!"

Fang Yun's gaze became even softer.

"Yuhuan, starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to read."

"Really?" Yang Yuhuan asked happily.

"Of course, I'll teach you ten characters a day, and within a year, you'll be able to read and write. Oh, and I'll also teach you arithmetic."

"No, you have to use your time to study. You still have to take the Talented Scholar exam. You can't waste your time on me," Yang Yuhuan said.

"I can't study all the time, there will be times when I need a break, and that's when I'll teach you how to read and do arithmetic. How about that?"

"Okay..." Yang Yuhuan didn't know how to argue.

The two of them chatted for a while longer, and Fang Yun, drunk, slowly fell asleep.

The next day, Fang Yun slept until late morning, and when he got up and dressed, he found Yang Yuhuan feeding the chickens, and the three horses had already been unhitched and tied up near the chicken coop.

"Good morning, Yuhuan.""Good morning." Yang Yuhuan straightened up and looked at Fang Yun, her face full of a bright smile. "I'll heat up your meal for you. After you finish eating, you can take the carriage to the Holy Temple to pay your respects to all the saints."

"It's not like we're going far. We can just walk there," Fang Yun said.

Soon, the food was hot and ready. Fang Yun ate while Yang Yuhuan sat across from him and talked about the gifts they received yesterday.

"There were a lot of food, meat, and wine, but many people came and most of it was eaten. We received a lot of silver, and I had Xiao Mao write it down. Excluding Su Presented Scholar's gift, we received a total of 224 taels and 500 wen."

"So much?" Fang Yun said.

"As the top scorer in the county exam, the wealthy families in the county all sent silver. Last night, I heard from Mr. Fang, who lectures at the county school, that he has informed the Fang family in Dayuan Prefecture about your double promotion. The Fang family in Dayuan Prefecture will definitely give you a generous gift."

Fang Yun nodded. The Fang family had branches all over the country, some declining and some rising. The Fang family in Dayuan Prefecture was the most prosperous and well-known.

Fang Yun was a relative of the Dayuan Prefecture Fang family within nine generations according to the genealogy, and now that he had achieved a literary position, the Dayuan Prefecture Fang family would certainly send gifts. If his family were poor, the Dayuan Prefecture Fang family would also provide financial assistance.

Helping each other within the same clan was normal, and fighting for interests between the main and collateral branches was also normal.

For the Dayuan Prefecture Fang family, Fang Yun was not even considered a collateral relative, so he would not be involved in any disputes. He was simply accepting help from people of the same surname now, and if he had the opportunity in the future, he would help other members of the same clan.

Fang Yun said, "The county, prefecture, state, and imperial exams are held in spring, summer, autumn, and winter respectively. I will participate in the prefectural exam for Talented Scholar in three months."

"Aren't you going to review for another year? Although the imperial exams are held every year, most people who pass have to study for two or three more years before continuing to take the exams. Are you trying to compete for the 'same year' after achieving double promotion?" Yang Yuhuan asked curiously.

The so-called "same year" refers to passing the Child Scholar, Talented Scholar, Presented Scholar, and Imperial Scholar exams consecutively within a year. Like "saint before", "double promotion", and "triple excellence", it is a highly prestigious title, but many people have tried and no one has succeeded, making it an unattainable crown in the imperial exams.

"I didn't think about it that way. Ordinary Child Scholars have to study at the county academy, but as the top scorer, I have the qualifications to directly study at the prefectural academy. This is a rare opportunity, and I can't give it up. Since I'm going to study at the prefectural academy, I might as well participate in this year's prefectural exam. However, the Liu family is powerful in Dayuan Prefecture, and I can't go there rashly without resolving this hidden danger," Fang Yun said.

Just then, a carriage stopped outside the door, and Fang Yun saw a familiar person getting out of the carriage.

Talented Scholar Fang Yusheng, who came yesterday, was a lecturer at the county academy, equivalent to a teacher, without a rank but receiving a salary, and could participate in the imperial exams.

The door was wide open, and after Fang Yusheng got out of the carriage, he nodded at Fang Yun and then respectfully lowered his head, waiting at the carriage door.

A big man in his forties walked down from the carriage. He was tall and strong, with a serious face and slightly disproportionate eyes, but this made him look very lively.

This man's footsteps were extremely heavy, and when his feet hit the ground, they stirred up a large amount of dust.

He was not dressed in the attire of a scholar, but rather in boots and short jackets, which was exceptionally capable and looked like a soldier.

Fang Yun vaguely guessed this person's identity and immediately stood up with Yang Yuhuan, bowing and saying, "Nephew didn't know Uncle was coming, and I apologize for not welcoming you from afar. I hope Uncle can forgive me."

"Have you met me before?" the man's voice was extremely loud, and the tiles on the roof trembled.

"I haven't, but in Jiangzhou, besides Fang Shouye 'Big-eyed Fang', who else could have such an imposing manner?" Fang Yun smiled.

Fang Shouye laughed and asked, "Are you Fang Yun, who wrote 'Spring Dawn' and 'Year End'?"

"Yes."

"Are you Fang Yun, who said 'the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every man'?""He's my nephew too," Fang Yun said.

Fang Shouye carefully examined Fang Yun and said, "Great literary talent, but too thin. You need to eat more meat. How can a man not eat meat? Yusheng, you and Fang Yun bring the things in." With that, he went into the house with Fang Yun.

Fang Shouye walked with a confident stride and sat on a bench with a commanding presence. Despite his rough exterior, he was an Imperial Scholar and the prefectural general of Yuhai Prefecture.

In the Holy Origin Mainland, there was no martial arts examination. All civil and military officials were scholars who passed the imperial examination.

Yang Yuhuan let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth in disbelief as she looked at the two boxes of treasures. She had to use all her strength to tear her gaze away from the pile of jewelry and remained silent with her head lowered.

"What's this for, Uncle?" Fang Yun pretended not to know and was prepared, so he wasn't shocked by the two boxes of gold and silver treasures. This was the side effect of watching too many movies and playing too many games.

Although Fang Shouye remained calm on the surface, he was secretly surprised that a poor Child Scholar like Fang Yun could face so much wealth without being moved. Even the children of wealthy families couldn't do that.

"These two boxes of treasures are yours if you promise to join our army when you become an Imperial Scholar or Presented Scholar," Fang Shouye said.

"That's not enough," Fang Yun said without changing his expression.

Fang Yusheng and the coachman looked at Fang Yun with strange eyes, thinking he was crazy.

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"Ten thousand taels of silver is not enough," Fang Yun said. He didn't have a clear understanding of this world yet and wouldn't rashly agree to anything.

Fang Shouye's expression finally changed slightly, and he asked displeasedly, "Then how will you agree to join our army?"

"It's too early to say anything now. I may not even pass the Presented Scholar exam, let alone the Imperial Scholar exam," Fang Yun said calmly.

Fang Shouye suddenly lost his momentum and looked defeated. "Were you really enlightened? How come I couldn't have such a good son like you? I became the top-ranked scholar and was given ten thousand taels of silver, but I wasn't as calm as you. When I was twenty, I almost died on the battlefield and learned a lot from that experience, but I may not be as composed as you," he said.

"I just recently survived a life-threatening situation," Fang Yun said.

Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun with pity.

Fang Shouye immediately cursed, "There's not a single good person in the Liu family! Liu Zicheng is a notorious playboy in Dayuan Prefecture. He and his group of young masters drink and party, and I don't know how many young women they've harmed. Liu Zicheng is ruthless and won't stop until he gets what he wants. But he wouldn't dare touch my nephew Fang Shouye! I'll burn down their largest pawnshop tonight and tell Liu Zicheng that if he dares to cause trouble for you again, I'll torture him to death!"

"You're joking, Uncle," Fang Yun didn't expect Fang Shouye to know about this. It was probably Fang Yusheng who told him.

"Joking? I burned down the tent of the barbarian chieftain. Do you think I care about a pawnshop? Lao Yuan, go back and prepare the oil," Fang Shouye ordered.

"Yes, General," the coachman surnamed Yuan immediately replied.