The news Wang Qinghua brought back, that Wang Qingchen had passed the courtyard examination, undoubtedly sent the Wang Youfu family into a frenzy.

Madam Yang wiped away tears with joy. "Qingchen has truly made us proud. He's a xiucai now, isn't he? Wonderful, our family has produced a xiucai at last."

Wang Youfu was equally delighted. "Indeed. With Qingchen making good, our whole family benefits. From now on, we are the father and mother of a xiucai! Everyone will have to look up to us now!"

Caiyun overheard and interjected, "Mother, does that mean I’m the xiucai's little sister?"

Madam Yang smiled and pinched Caiyun's nose. "Precisely, our Caiyun is now the xiucai's little sister!"

Caiyun swelled with pride, but then immediately thought again. She was the elder sibling now! She quickly declared, "No, no, I don't want to be the xiucai's little sister! I should be the xiucai's elder sister. I'm grown up now; I must be the older sister."

Caiyun’s words made everyone in the room laugh, especially Madam Yang, who laughed heartily. "Alright, alright! When our little Qinghe passes the xiucai exam, then Caiyun can be the xiucai's elder sister, yes?"

Hearing that she had to wait until Xiao Qinghe became a xiucai, Caiyun thought about how young her little brother still was. He’d have to be as old as his second brother was now before he tested for xiucai. How long would that take? It felt like forever; even after all these days, her little brother had barely grown an inch. A little deflated, Caiyun sighed, "How long will that take? Never mind. I'll just be the xiucai's little sister for now! As for being the xiucai's elder sister, we'll talk about that later!"

This made everyone in the room laugh even harder.

For a farming family, having someone pass the xiucai exam was a monumental achievement. After their initial celebration, Wang Youfu and Madam Yang hurried over to the ancestral home to share the good news with the Old Master and Old Madam.

The Old Master and Old Madam were overjoyed to learn that Wang Qingchen had passed the courtyard examination. The Old Master, especially, was so thrilled that he immediately insisted they burn incense to inform their ancestors so that the spirits could rejoice as well.

Wang Youfu wholeheartedly agreed. After all, there were few occasions that warranted the family burning incense to honor their ancestors. Any chance to allow the Old Master to make such a decree was certainly an honorable one. Now that his son had become a xiucai, what could be more glorious?

The rest of the family raised no objections to the Old Master's decision. In those times, farming families held scholars in deep reverence. Having produced a xiucai in their own lineage demanded proper recognition. Furthermore, perhaps young Qingchen possessed great destiny and might advance even further, perhaps even becoming an official in some region.

After the Old Master led the male members of the family in offering incense to the ancestors to announce this joyous event, Wang Youliang seized a moment to quietly inquire of Wang Qinghua about Wang Qingchen's expected return date.

Wang Qinghua had no idea when Wang Qingchen planned to return. He could only reply, "Eldest Uncle, this nephew is unsure. Qingchen is currently busy in the county town meeting with friends and acquaintances. I truly don't know when he will be back."

Wang Youliang grew anxious upon hearing this. He had been waiting a long time at home. Not having heard from Wang Qingchen yet meant he hadn't received any news about Huang Shi either! How could he not worry? The courtyard examination was over, and the results had been posted for days. Who knew if Huang Shi's son, Zhao Cheng, might already have left the county town?

"But you are his elder brother; how can you not know such a thing? Perhaps you could write him a letter asking when he will return, just so the family doesn't worry, right?" Wang Youliang suggested.

Wang Qinghua thought his Eldest Uncle had a point. As the elder brother, he shouldn't be ignorant of his younger brother's schedule. So, upon returning home, Wang Qinghua promptly composed a letter and sent someone to deliver it to the county town.

Wang Qingchen was quite surprised to receive a letter from his elder brother. Reading his brother’s inquiry about his return date, Wang Qingchen felt uncertain how to reply. His timeline truly was unpredictable; who knew how long it would take to network and build connections? Soon after, Wang Qinghua received another letter from Wang Qingchen. This one stated that his return date was uncertain, but the family need not worry, as he would certainly be back before Wang Caixia’s wedding day.

Wang Qinghua could only relay the contents of the letter to his parents, telling them not to worry. As for Wang Youliang, Wang Qinghua didn't bother sharing the update. In his view, Wang Youliang's previous comments had merely been well-intentioned suggestions, not a genuine demand for Qingchen's schedule. Meanwhile, Wang Youliang continued to wait anxiously for Wang Qinghua to relay the result of his inquiry regarding Qingchen’s return.

Meanwhile, at the Shen Residence in Qingshan Town, Liu Qian'er had been feeling decidedly unwell these past few days. Not only did she have little appetite, but she was also constantly drowsy. She couldn't figure out what was wrong; she hadn't done anything unusual, everything was the same as before. Moreover, a slight loss of appetite and sleepiness weren't serious enough ailments to warrant immediately summoning a physician—she feared the other concubines would start whispering malicious gossip. Yet, if she didn't seek help, she worried something serious might actually be wrong. Thus, Liu Qian'er had been caught in a miserable quandary for days.

One day, after Zhuer had set out Liu Qian'er’s meal, she came to help her mistress sit down. She knew the concubine had been indisposed lately and had been serving her with exceptional care, fearing any slip-up. After all, the maids' fortunes depended on their mistress’s well-being.

As Liu Qian'er sat down, Zhuer placed a piece of chicken on her plate. The moment the meat touched her lips, a wave of nausea swept through Liu Qian'er. Forgetting all propriety, she rushed out, clutching the courtyard wall as she vomited violently.

Zhuer was terrified. She rushed over to support her mistress. "Mistress, what is wrong? Are you alright?"

Liu Qian'er gasped, weak and faint. "It’s fine. I feel much better after throwing up."

Despite her words, Zhuer looked at Liu Qian'er's ashen face with deep concern. "Mistress, could there be something wrong with the food? Perhaps we should call a doctor. What if someone is trying to harm you?"

Liu Qian'er had initially dismissed the matter, but thinking about her persistent strangeness over the past few days, she suddenly became frightened. Could someone truly be targeting her? With this suspicion hardening, Liu Qian'er decided to use this opportunity to call a doctor, thus avoiding further malicious gossip.

Seeing that Liu Qian'er had agreed, Zhuer quickly called another young maid to attend to Concubine Liu while resting, and then she herself went to inform the steward so he could dispatch someone to fetch a physician.

When the steward heard that the food might be contaminated, especially involving the usually favored Concubine Liu, he dared not delay. He immediately sent men to summon a doctor while inwardly cursing, Who in the kitchen dared to cause trouble this way, daring to tamper with the food? Even the most lenient master could not tolerate such an offense.

The physician arrived quickly and was ushered into Concubine Liu's courtyard. Hearing that Concubine Liu's food was compromised, the other concubines in the rear courtyard felt a wicked sense of schadenfreude. They secretly wondered which foolish person had committed such an act, unaware that the Master held such matters in deep taboo?

Driven by the desire to witness drama, several concubines came over to check the situation. They wondered how serious Concubine Liu’s condition was—and secretly hoped it was quite severe.

However, fate clearly did not grant them their wish. As these concubines arrived, they overheard the voice of Liu Qian'er's head maid, Zhuer, exclaim, "Doctor, you say our Mistress is pregnant? Oh, this is wonderful news! It must be a blessing from the Bodhisattva!"

The group of concubines stepped forward quickly, seemingly disbelieving the news. Upon entering, they saw Liu Qian'er lying weakly on the couch, with her maid Zhuer beside her, and a middle-aged physician standing nearby.

One of the concubines, seemingly unable to accept the news of Liu Qian'er's pregnancy, asked, "Doctor, are you certain that Concubine Liu is carrying a child?"

The physician nodded. "Yes, she is already over two months along."

Once the doctor confirmed it, the visiting concubines were so incensed they nearly tore the silk handkerchiefs in their hands. How could this be? Concubine Liu had only been in the residence for a few years! They had been there for many years and had never conceived, leading them to suspect that Master Shen himself might have issues—which was why no woman in the rear court had managed to become pregnant over the years. Unexpectedly, Concubine Liu was so fortunate as to conceive so quickly.

The more astute concubines began considering the ramifications: the child in Concubine Liu’s belly was the Master's only potential heir. A mother rises with her son's status. Who knew if the Master might elevate Concubine Liu to the main wife for the sake of the child? It seemed the peace of the rear court was about to be shattered.

Thus, the various concubines, each preoccupied with their own calculations, offered their congratulations to Liu Qian'er before quickly returning to their own quarters to contemplate how Concubine Liu's pregnancy would affect them.

In stark contrast to the reactions of the concubines, Master Shen, upon hearing the news, remained stunned for a long moment. "What did you say? Say that again!"

The young servant who brought the good tidings repeated clearly, "Master, Concubine Liu in the residence is with child!"

Once Master Shen confirmed he had heard correctly, he burst into loud laughter. "Good, good, good! Reward!"

Master Shen immediately abandoned whatever he had been doing and hurried back toward the Shen Residence, leaving behind the beaming servant.