Li Pan's words echoed: "Grandma wouldn't want you to spoil our little aunt into a pampered lady who can't tell right from wrong and throws tantrums at everyone."
Bao Min reflected on this and realized he really had spoiled Cai Shuyi far too much.
Facing his soft and delicate daughter, Bao Min couldn't harden his heart to discipline her.
Using the excuse that the end of the year was approaching and he needed to conduct inspections as the prefect, he left Cai Shuyi in Li Pan's care.
Watching Bao Min practically flee from Jiang City, Jiang Yeli comnted, "No wonder Grandma didn't want him. He has no sense of responsibility."
"You shouldn't criticize your elders behind their backs."
Jiang Yeli retorted to Li Pan, "I'm openly and honestly gossiping about him."
Li Pan felt that Cai Shuyi wasn't the only one who needed to be taught a lesson; Jiang Yeli did too.
He didn't have the ti to do it himself. After thinking about it, he decided to ask his teacher for help.
Enticed by a hefty sum of money from Li Pan, Ke Yichan agreed to help him educate the little kids.
Jiang Yeli and Cai Shuyi's good days were gone forever, replaced by a battle of wits and courage with Ke Yichan.
This struggle lasted until August of the following year, ending just as Li Pan was about to enter the examination hall.
Having done everything he could, Li Pan wasn't nervous at all before entering the examination hall.
Jiang Yeli and Cai Shuyi, however, were extrely nervous. Mimicking other parents, they prepared pre-exam items for Li Pan.
A peace amulet requested from Blind Zhang, victory cakes from Granny Li's shop, and instant-success pastries from Ma Denggao's food stall...
Li Pan thanked them for their kindness and had Qiushuang put the items away.
The peace amulet had writing on it, so it couldn't be brought into the examination room.
The victory cakes and instant-success pastries couldn't be eaten casually, for fear of causing an upset stomach.
The day before the exam, Jiang Mingzhe and Ye Yunniang returned to Jiang City.
"Mother!" Jiang Yeli threw himself forward and hugged Ye Yunniang. "Boohoo... Mother, I missed you so much."
"Mother missed you too." Ye Yunniang hugged her youngest son.
He had grown taller and was a bit chubbier than when they were in the capital.
"You didn't miss at all," Jiang Yeli wiped his tears, accusing Ye Yunniang.
"How could Mother not miss you? Everywhere I went, I bought gifts for you."
Hearing there were gifts, Jiang Yeli instantly stopped crying. "Where? Where?"
"They are all in the carriage."
Hearing this, Jiang Yeli ran toward the carriage at the door.
Cai Shuyi ran after Jiang Yeli, "I want to see the gifts too!"
Ye Yunniang gave Jiang Mingzhe a look, signaling him to go keep an eye on Jiang Yeli and Cai Shuyi.
Jiang Mingzhe silently agreed and walked toward the door.
Ye Yunniang went over to Li Pan and reached out to hug him tightly.
Li Pan felt a bit embarrassed by the hug. "Mother, I'm an adult now."
"No matter how old you get, you're still my son. Pan'er, I will see you off to your exam tomorrow."
"Okay."
Early the next morning, Ye Yunniang got up to make Li Pan's favorite food. She and Jiang Mingzhe escorted Li Pan to the examination hall, where a crowd had already lined up at the entrance.
"Father, Mother, I'm going to line up now." Carrying his examination basket, Li Pan walked to the back of the line.
Ye Yunniang and Jiang Mingzhe stood on the side, watching Li Pan walk through the gates of the examination hall.
"My wife, let's go back for now. We will co pick Pan'er up in nine days."
"I want to stay a little longer." Ye Yunniang looked at the tightly closed doors of the examination hall, reluctant to leave just like that.
"Alright, I'll stay with you." Jiang Mingzhe stood with Ye Yunniang for an hour before they went ho.
On the way back, Old Master Jiang stopped their carriage.
Leaving Jiang Mingzhe to deal with Old Master Jiang, Ye Yunniang headed ho first.
At the door, she ran right into Jiang Yeli, who was just about to go out.
"Mother, where did you go?"
"I went to see your eldest brother off to his exam at the examination hall. What are you doing in such a hurry?" Ye Yunniang stepped down from the carriage, supported by Qiushuang's hand.
"I thought you didn't want anymore," Jiang Yeli said, his voice choking up a bit.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could Mother not want you?" Ye Yunniang hugged Jiang Yeli, her heart aching for him, and led him inside.
"You left behind before." Jiang Yeli had always rembered the ti Ye Yunniang left him.
Her leaving was a fact; Ye Yunniang couldn't deny it.
"Mother was wrong before, and I apologize to you. Forgive Mother, okay?"
"Fine, I'll forgive you this once."
"Yuanyuan is the best. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"No." Waking up and not seeing Ye Yunniang, Jiang Yeli had only thought about finding her.
"Let's go eat breakfast together." Ye Yunniang and Jiang Yeli went to the dining hall.
Cai Shuyi was currently having breakfast.
"Good morning, sister-in-law. Did Panpan go into the examination hall?"
"Good morning, Shushu. Pan'er has entered the examination hall," Ye Yunniang replied as she sat down, serving a bowl of plain congee for Jiang Yeli and herself.
While they were eating, Jiang Mingzhe returned.
Ye Yunniang put down her bowl and served him so congee. "What did he want with you?"
"He wanted to put in a word to get Jiang Mingde an official position." Jiang Mingzhe didn't hide anything. "I told him to go ho and sleep."
Pfft!
Cai Shuyi and Jiang Yeli simultaneously spat out the congee in their mouths.
Cough, cough, cough...
"You two, be careful when you eat." Ye Yunniang handed them handkerchiefs to wipe themselves.
"Brother-in-law, you're amazing." Cai Shuyi gave a thumbs up.
It was the first ti she had seen soone tell their own father to go ho and daydream.
"Father, I underestimated you." Jiang Yeli also gave a thumbs up.
Ye Yunniang regretted asking too much and urged the two children to finish eating so they could go study with Master Ke.
Jiang Yeli and Cai Shuyi reluctantly left the dining hall.
Ye Yunniang looked at Jiang Mingzhe. "Be more careful about what you say in front of the children from now on."
"There's no need to hide the Jiang family's matters from Yuanyuan. He is the head of the family, and he will need to know all this in the future." Jiang Mingzhe disagreed with Ye Yunniang's view.
"Even so, wait another two years. At least wait until Yuanyuan is ten."
"Alright, I'll listen to you." Jiang Mingzhe didn't object.
The ninth day arrived quickly, and Ye Yunniang went to the examination hall to pick up her son.
The gates of the examination hall opened, and disheveled students walked out.
Li Pan walked out with the crowd and waved at Ye Yunniang from a distance. "Mother, don't co over. The sll will get to you."
Ye Yunniang didn't listen and took a few steps closer.
A strong odor hit her nose.
Ye Yunniang's nose tingled with emotion; her son had suffered. Ignoring Li Pan's protests, she stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "Hurry, co ho with Mother."
At ho, a doctor, hot water, and food were already prepared.
First, the doctor checked Li Pan's pulse to confirm he was physically fine.
Then, Li Pan was sent to take a bath.
Finally, it was ti to eat.
After eating, Li Pan didn't return to his room to rest; he went to the study.
He wrote down the exam contents from mory and had a servant deliver it to Ke Yichan before finally going to sleep.
He ended up sleeping for two days and two nights straight, which terrified Ye Yunniang.
She hurriedly sent soone to fetch the doctor.
The doctor checked his pulse and concluded that he was just overly exhausted and needed more rest.
Ye Yunniang fed Li Pan all sorts of nourishing tonics until the results of the provincial exam ca out.
Li Pan's ranking was in the lower-middle tier.
Li Pan had beco a successful provincial graduate, and the whole family was overjoyed.
Jiang Yeli even arranged early on for soone to exchange two large baskets of copper coins.
"Today, my eldest brother passed the exam and beca a provincial graduate! Everyone, co share in the joy!" Jiang Yeli shouted as he directed the servants to scatter the coins in front of the Jiang manor.
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