Qiao Jinniang sneered coldly. “Because of your nonsense, the reputation of the Duke Mansion that has been well-maintained for more than a hundred years was almost ruined. Do you think your cheap life can compensate for this transgression?

  “Hongling, drag her away. Remember to sell her as far away from her children as possible.

  Hongling nodded and ordered someone to drag Aunt Liu away.

  This matter soon reached the ears of Zheng Xiao and Old Madam Qiao.

  Huaishan hurriedly carried her newly born baby to Old Madam to intercede for her family, and Zheng Xiao happened to be there too.

  Huaishan kept kowtowing and said, “Madam, Old Madam, please show mercy. My sister-in-law deserves to die a thousand times.

  “But my nephew and niece are innocent, especially my niece. She is now engaged with an imperial examination examinee, and they will be married after the Imperial Examination this spring!

  “Selling her away will ruin her!”


  Zheng Xiao took a sip of tea and said, “Huaishan, if we forgive them, wouldn’t everyone be able to slander the Crown Princess without being punished? If that were to happen, wouldn’t everything be a mess? Besides, the Crown Princess is already kind-hearted enough to spare their lives and just sell them away. You know she is justified to behead your whole family!”


  Huaishan hugged the baby in her arms and cried bitterly. “Then just behead my sister-in-law. My niece has already been engaged, and she shouldn’t be implicated. Old Madam, Madam, please help my niece!”


  The Liu family was finally going to have a son-in-law who was an official and her niece was going to be a noble lady.

  But now it was all over!

  Old Madam Qiao said, “Huaishan, we can’t help you. We’re already kind enough to spare the lives of your brother and his family!”


  Huaishan thought to herself, it would be better if they were all killed. Now that the family members were separated from each other and sold to different places, they were already finished.

  Being sold this way, it was almost impossible for them to have a good master. Her little niece was so pitiful!

  Liu Chunxian, the daughter of Aunt Liu, was only sixteen years old.

  She was tied up and dragged out of the three-yard house that the Liu family bought in Chang’an, crying and struggling.

  Seeing her fiancé from a distance, she begged, “Brother Wen, Brother Wen, help me, help me. I have never served anyone as a maid since I was a child. I don’t want to be a slave!”


  Her fiance hurriedly came over and scolded the human trafficker, “How can you do this to her?! She is my fiancee!”


  The human trafficker raised his eyes and said casually, “Your fiancée hasn’t been married to you, so she is still a slave of the Qiao family. Now her master has sold her to me. If she wants to blame someone, blame her mother. She offended the Crown Princess!”


  Wu Wen frowned when he heard this. “It’s her again!”


  The Crown Princess had no respect for her clan and tricked her own clansmen into killing each other. The Crown Prince was stupid to marry such a woman, which ruined his prestige among literati.

  Now Qiao Jinniang, this cruel woman, sold an innocent woman away as a slave.

  Wu Wen clenched his fist tightly. The Imperial Examination was imminent, so he could only endure it now, but he must take revenge on her!

  In mid-March, the Imperial Examination began.

  Because many examinees had diarrhea in the last Imperial Examination, this time, the imperial court specially prepared the champion cake made by Myriad Taste for the examinees.

  Although Qiao Jinniang was in the Jin Garden, she could feel the servants in the Duke Mansion were getting busier and busier.

  Red silks had been hung everywhere in the Duke Mansion, and the paper-cut character “Happiness” was pasted on the doors and windows.

  A large number of peony flowers that were about to bloom had been moved to the Duke Mansion, and red lanterns were hung almost all over the Duke Mansion.

  It was the first time that Qiao Lu participated in the Imperial Examination, but even his parents did not take it seriously.

  After all, he was too young, and it was almost impossible for him to pass the Imperial Examination.

  Moreover, although the Imperial Examination was very important, it was not so important for children of the aristocratic family.

  Even if Qiao Lu failed in the Imperial Examination, he would still be the next Duke Anyuan and a powerful minister in the future.

  Thus, Duke Anyuan and Zheng Xiao were busy with Qiao Jinniang’s wedding and had no time to pay attention to Qiao Lu.

  Staying in the examination hall for five days and five nights, Qiao Lu finally came out but only a servant came to pick him up.

  Qiao Lu couldn’t help but wonder, was he really a biological son of Duke Anyuan?

  “Young Master Qiao!” Spotting Qiao Lu from a distance, Junior Duke Rong came over and greeted him. “Why are you here? Are you here to ask for some champion cake?

  “The champion cake your sister made is really delicious, but it’s a pity that she is the crown princess now, so I won’t have a chance to taste it anymore!”


  Qiao Lu felt a bit lost. He was very confident about the Imperial Examination this time, and he was sure that he could win first place.

  But apart from the servant who was flattering him, no one else cared about him coming to take the Imperial Examination.

  Fulu came over and said, “Junior Duke Rong, didn’t you come to help me find a handsome young man to take to my home to be my husband?. Why are you chatting with him?”


  Remembering that she was carried by Qiao Lu like a sack a few days ago, she gnashed her teeth at Qiao Lu.

  When Qiao Lu saw Fulu, his eyes lit up, “Princess!”


  Junior Duke Rong said to Fulu, “Don’t ruin the talents of our country!”


  Fulu snorted. “My imperial uncle dotes on me so much. If I ask him to give me the champion of this Imperial Examination as my husband, he certainly won’t refuse me!”


  Junior Duke Rong said, “Yes, in your dreams!”


  “Humph, let me tell you, I must marry a champion of the Imperial Examination.” Fulu said, “At least my husband can’t be worse than Qin Miaomiao’s!”


  Junior Duke Rong said, “Then you can only choose Zhou Siming, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in you.”


  Qiao Lu looked at Fulu. Didn’t she say she wanted to marry him? Why did she forget it?!

  Depressed and with his head hanging low, Qiao Lu went back to the Duke Mansion.

  Seeing Qiao Lu came back with his head drooping, Duke Anyuan and Zheng Xiao thought that he must have failed in the Imperial Examination. After all, it was the first time that he took the Imperial Examination.

  Qiao Lu was still so young, so he shouldn’t be blamed for not doing well in the Imperial Examination.

  Hearing from Yuyan that Qiao Lu was back, Qiao Jinniang had someone send the flower cake she made to Qiao Lu. The Imperial Examination was not easy to take. After staying in the examination hall for five days and five nights, Qiao Lu needed some nourishing food.

  The results of the Imperial Examination were released on March 20th.

  The wedding date was getting closer and closer, and the Duke Mansion had already started to prepare the utensils to be used in the wedding, so everyone was very busy. Zheng Xiao didn’t think that Qiao Lu would be able to pass the exam, so she didn’t even send a servant to see the results.

  Qiao Jinniang was also busy reciting the family tree of the royal family, trying to remember all the relatives of the royal family, so she also didn’t notice that the results of the Imperial Examination had been released.

  The examinees were looking for their own names in front of the roll.

  “Brother Wu, you are only second place? I thought you would be first place, but there is still the imperial palace exam. I believe you will definitely be the champion after the imperial palace exam!”


  “First place, Qiao Lu from Chang’an. Who is this guy? I’ve never heard of this name? Have any of you met him?”


  “Qiao Lu, I’ve never heard this name before, and I have no impression of him. He is from Chang’an? But when has there been such a person in Chang’an?”


  “Don’t worry. Tomorrow is the imperial palace exam. We can see him in the imperial palace!”


  “Although Brother Wu is in second place, it’s still a great achievement. He will surely have a bright future!”


  Wu Wen clenched his hands. He had been determined to be the prime minister in the future, and then he would no longer be so useless as to not even be able to protect his fiancée. At that time, he would be able to stomp the Qiao family and Qiao Jinniang into the mud!