Anning was unaware that the Lu Family had been implicated by Xu Er Ya’s troubles and thrown into the dungeons.
She was currently busy accepting embroidery commissions.
Anning’s reputation had grown especially large by now, particularly among the elite circles of Prefecture City.
It was practically shaful for anyone not to own a Buddhist image embroidered by Anning.
Moreover, Anning’s embroideries weren’t just well-crafted, with the Bodhisattvas looking just like real ones; they were also infused with a special spirituality that promised to protect and bring peace to the household where they were placed.
The only issue was that her embroideries were rather expensive.
Nevertheless, there’s a reason behind the high price, and after all, those wealthy households weren’t lacking the silver to spare for an embroidery. Whether it was for the sake of prestige or sothing else, they all eagerly vied to commission embroideries from Anning.
Amidst her embroidery work, Anning was also busy with that landscape painting, exhausting herself daily.
In this fashion, the days flew by rapidly.
Spring passed, and sumr arrived, bringing news from the Capital.
Zhou Xun had passed the Imperial Examination this spring, riting the title of Advanced Scholar, and even secured the rank of third place.
Zhou Yu’er wept profusely in her room when she received the handwritten letter from Zhou Xun.
Her tears were of overwhelming joy, as well as relief that she and her brother would no longer have to endure a life of hardship.
Recalling the bitter days they’ve lived through, like that one winter when they were so poor they could hardly afford coal for heating—when Zhou Yu’er stayed burrowed under the blankets, daring not to leave, and could only cook porridge inside the room—that winter, they had nearly failed to see through, with Zhou Yu’er both crying and laughing in reflection.
Anning did not enter the room.
She, along with Xu Minruo, stood by the door, listening to Zhou Yu’er’s irrepressible sobs.
Only after Zhou Yu’er had cried herself out did Anning and Min Ruo step inside.
With her eyes red, Zhou Yu’er saw Anning and felt sowhat embarrassed: "Elder sister-in-law, I..."
Anning sat down with a smile: "I know, you’re just too happy."
Zhou Yu’er hung her head.
Anning asked, "When will your brother return?"
Zhou Yu’er pondered the contents of the letter: "My brother wrote that he would set off in a couple of days; he should almost be back by now."
Thinking that her brother would soon return, Zhou Yu’er beca restless: "Elder sister-in-law, I need to go ho and clean up the house, or else my brother will have nowhere to stay."
Anning agreed, thinking that it made sense: "Alright, tomorrow I will arrange for soone from Liu Bao’s family to go with you. Take your ti to tidy up, and let know if anything is missing—please don’t be shy."
"Alright."
Zhou Yu’er crisply agreed.
She was clearly aware that the Xu Family’s kindness to her family could never be repaid in a lifeti.
And, this ti, Zhou Xun would surely find a way to properly thank the Xu Family, so incurring more debt did not matter.
Zhou Xun’s return was swift.
After eting with the local officials and gentry, he visited the Xu Family.
Zhou Xun paid his respects to Old Madam and Mr. Xu, personally expressed his gratitude to Anning, and then prepared to take Zhou Yu’er back ho.
Having earned the title of Advanced Scholar, he was also appointed to an official position by the court and had specifically returned to perform ancestral rites.
After the rites, Zhou Xun planned to take Zhou Yu’er with him to the Capital.
Zhou Xun ca to the Xu Family this ti not only to fetch Zhou Yu’er but also for another important matter.
He had claid the title of third place in the Imperial Examination and caught the eye of a court official, who wished to betroth his daughter to Zhou Xun.
This official currently holds the position of Left Imperial Censor at the Imperial Censorate and is a trusted confidant of Emperor Pingle, enjoying great favor from the emperor. With his endorsent, Zhou Xun’s career is likely to soar.
Moreover, the daughter of the Imperial Censor’s family is said to be gentle and well-mannered, with comndable character and appearance.
This young lady had been delayed in marrying due to observing filial mourning and subsequently, had not t a suitable family; as a result, she appeared older than her years.
This ti, she was dragged by her family to watch the Advanced Scholars parade on horseback and instantly took a liking to the handso Zhou Xun, prompting her to ask her father to seek a matchmaker upon returning ho.
Originally, Zhou Xun had not considered marriage yet.
He planned to secure a position at the Hanlin Academy before seeking a wife but unexpectedly, such a huge opportunity fell into his lap.
Zhou Xun was quite pleased with this developnt. Returning ho for the ancestral rites, he intended to inform Mr. Xu about this matter. As Zhou Xun lacked elder family mbers to arrange the marriage, he thought to ask the Xu family for assistance.
Mr. Xu and Old Madam, as elders, would act as his parents to et with the Imperial Censor’s family to discuss the marriage arrangents, and he also sought Anning’s help with handling various affairs.
Zhou Xun’s marriage was a significant event; Mr. Xu and Old Madam were very happy upon hearing the news and imdiately agreed to help without hesitation.
Anning, too, was keen on visiting the Capital, and readily agreed, feeling quite pleased.
Of course, the happiest of all was Zhou Yu’er.
Zhou Yu’er had never been to the Capital and was quite nervous.
Moreover, having stayed with the Xu Family for so ti, she had grown attached to all the mbers of the household; the prospect of suddenly leaving truly made it hard for her to part with them.
Now that the Xu Family would also be going to the Capital, Zhou Yu’er could avoid the sorrow of separation and was naturally overjoyed.
Subsequently, the Xu Family kept busy for a period of ti.
Anning was occupied with packing for the journey and taking care of asking for leave for Ying Ge’er and the academy’s teacher, amongst nurous other tasks that she had to handle.
She also rushed to complete and deliver the ordered embroideries for the families in Prefecture City, receiving her paynt in Silver.
Now with a considerable sum at hand, Anning planned to buy a property in the Capital.
After all, children from her ho would eventually pursue the path of the imperial examination, so securing a residence early on would save future hassle.
Zhou Xun ca from a poor family, and even with his recent official appointnt, his family’s foundations were weak, hardly allowing for quick prosperity.
For his upcoming marriage, Zhou Xun indeed had little to offer in terms of a substantial dowry.
This was a matter that deeply troubled Zhou Yu’er.
Anning then devised a plan to help them.
She took Zhou Xun to ask Scholar Wen for assistance, who then helped produce a batch of exquisite glassware to serve as a bridal gift, certainly a face-saving move.
Once all these matters were handled, the family set out for the Capital with Zhou Xun.
On the road to the Capital, Anning learned about the Lu Family’s situation.
The Lu Family were still imprisoned at this ti, as Emperor Pingle contemplated exterminating the entire family. However, given the Lu Family’s past contributions, such an act would seem heartless.
With many close to the court interceding on their behalf and after persuading Emperor Pingle’s favored concubine to whisper in his ear, the emperor granted rcy and did not execute the Lu Family, although they were still destined to endure hardship in prison.
During the journey, Zhou Yu’er discussed the news she had gathered with Anning.
"The Lu Family really suffered a grave injustice. They’ve been cautious over the years, fearing to provoke anyone, but in the end, all they did was shelter a young girl for a while. That sa girl, not knowing who Prince Shun was, daringly rescued soone behind the scenes, even deceiving the searching officials, causing such a major disaster for the Lu Family."
Upon hearing this, Xu Minruo comnted, "That girl was truly excessive. The Lu Family kindly took her in, and she brought such a catastrophe upon them, nearly resulting in the extermination of their entire clan. It seems that one must not be recklessly kindhearted in the future."
Anning listened quietly, the more she heard, the more it sounded like sothing Xu Er Ya would do.
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