After a year of diligent study, Wang Qingchen felt a measure of confidence about taking the county examination, solidifying his decision to secure a spot.

As for Zhao Cheng, his participation in the county exam had been confirmed much earlier. Over the past year, perhaps due to their shared origins in Qingshan Town, Wang Qingchen, Li Yuntai, and Liu Hao had gotten along remarkably well with Zhao Cheng, thus they were well-informed about his affairs. Influenced by Zhao Cheng and Wang Qingchen, Li Yuntai and Liu Hao had also decided to enter the fray themselves.

Meanwhile, back in the capital at the Xia Residence, two young maids were gossiping behind the rockery about the happenings within the manor.

“Hey, did you hear? Young Master Fu, the eldest son of the Fu family, came to our residence again yesterday. He was delivering the betrothal gifts. I was serving tea in the main hall yesterday, and I swear, the things the Fu family sent—every single piece was exquisite, absolutely opulent! Our Second Miss is truly blessed,” one maid remarked.

“Hmph, don’t try to fool me. Do you even know what ‘exquisite’ means? If those things ended up in your hands, you probably couldn't even tell what was special about them,” the other maid scoffed.

“Why don’t you believe me? Everything I’m saying is true! Boxes upon boxes of items that nearly blinded me. I honestly wanted to linger and look longer, but then Old Madam Gu assigned me other tasks. Ah, if only one day some man as handsome and dashing as Young Master Fu would seek my hand with such magnificent betrothal gifts…” the first maid mused wistfully.

“What daydreaming! You’re just a maid, at best you might become a concubine someday. Dreaming of such fine things is just like a toad longing for swan meat!” the second maid mocked.

“Hmph, I don’t believe you haven’t thought the same thing!” the first maid retorted defensively.

“I don't have such grand ambitions. All I think about is serving the Eldest Miss properly,” the second maid stated. “I won't waste any more time chatting with you; I need to get back. The Eldest Miss should be waking up by now.” With that, the maid sashayed away, twisting her hips.

“Pah! ‘Serving the Eldest Miss.’ She’s just a low-born thing who managed to climb into the master’s bed. How dare she speak of the Eldest Miss! I wonder what kind of paltry family she’ll end up marrying into?” Muttering this, the first maid stomped off angrily as well.

As the two maids departed, a mistress and her attendant, who had been hidden near the rockery, finally emerged. The attendant immediately spoke, “Miss, did you hear those two wretches talking nonsense? Why didn’t you teach them a lesson! It is not for servants like them to comment on the affairs of the masters!”

“Forget it. Chunlan is, after all, the Eldest Miss’s maid. Punishing her wouldn't look good for me,” the mistress replied calmly.

If Wang Qingchen were present, he would certainly recognize this mistress as the young lady he had seen in the sedan chair beneath Lingjue Temple.

This young lady was named Xia Wanting, the legitimate daughter of the Xia Residence in the capital. She had an older half-sister, Xia Wanyu, born to a concubine, an older legitimate brother, and two younger half-brothers. Xia Wanting’s father, Xia Congwen, was currently a third-rank official in the capital, while the head of the Fu family was still only a fourth-rank official. However, the Xia and Fu families were long-time friends, so the marriage arrangement between their children had been settled in childhood.

“Miss, you are always thinking for the Eldest Miss, but when has she ever considered you? She’s always vying for favor with the Master. If you didn't hold the status of the legitimate daughter, who knows how arrogant she would become!” the attendant grumbled, unconvinced.

“Let it go. The Eldest Miss and Concubine Liu don't have an easy time in this household either. Let it pass this once!” Xia Wanting said.

“But… shouldn’t you at least consider Madam’s feelings!” the attendant insisted.

Xia Wanting shook her head. “If I tell Mother about this, who knows what sort of uproar it will cause! Let’s go see Mother first!”

With that, Xia Wanting led her maid, Dong'er, towards Madam Xia.

Meanwhile, one of the maids who had been gossiping behind the rockery, Chunlan, hurried excitedly to Xia Wanyu’s quarters.

“Did you manage to find anything out?” Xia Wanyu asked upon seeing Chunlan return.

“Miss, the one named Qiuyu said that the Fu family delivered their betrothal gifts yesterday. From what I heard, there were quite a lot of gifts, and they were all fine items,” Chunlan reported.

Although Chunlan served Xia Wanyu, most of her time was not spent in direct attendance but rather helping Xia Wanyu gather intelligence. Thus, Chunlan maintained good relations with the various servants in the residence, often subtly extracting the information she needed from their idle chatter.

Upon hearing Chunlan’s report, Xia Wanyu grew fiercely angry. They were both young ladies of the Xia Residence—why should she be promised to a Juren whose family background was merely passable, while Xia Wanting was destined for the eldest son of the Fu family? Speaking of the eldest son of the Fu family, he used to visit the Xia family frequently when they were children. Back then, Xia Wanyu was already acutely aware of the difference between being born to the principal wife and being born to a concubine. She had always hoped that if the eldest son of the Fu family showed her any favor and sought her hand, she wouldn’t have to be married off to whomever the legitimate mother chose later on.

Therefore, in the early days, whenever the eldest son of the Fu family visited, Xia Wanyu would deliberately try to charm him. At that time, they were all still young, so the eldest son of the Fu family and that fool Xia Wanting hadn't noticed anything. However, a head maid nearby had observed the attempts and reported them to the legitimate mother. After that incident, every time the eldest son of the Fu family came, the legitimate mother forbade Xia Wanyu from coming out.

Later, realizing that her stepmother would never allow her any opportunity to interact with the eldest son of the Fu family, she began desperately trying to win her father’s favor. Indeed, it wasn't long before Master Xia started paying attention to this daughter. But since men manage external affairs while women manage the interior, Master Xia could not say much about her marriage arrangement and could only let the legitimate mother find her a suitable match.

Every time this thought surfaced, Xia Wanyu felt an uncontrollable surge of resentment. If she had only been given a chance, the eldest son of the Fu family would surely have preferred her over her foolish younger sister. Why did she get to marry the eldest son of the Fu family? Simply because she was born of the legitimate wife and Wanyu was born to a concubine? Hmph, she would not accept this fate. She refused to marry that barely adequate Juren; if anyone had to marry him, let it be her legitimate sister!

Chunlan watched her mistress’s expression shift rapidly and felt worried. However, she was ultimately frightened by the sheer ruthlessness that hardened her face, wondering what new schemes the Eldest Miss was plotting. In truth, Chunlan desperately wanted to advise her mistress against plotting further, fearing discovery by the Madam, which would lead to punishment for them all. But seeing Xia Wanyu’s fierce look, she dared not speak. Having served Xia Wanyu for so long, Chunlan knew just how venomous this woman’s heart could be.

Just as Xia Wanyu was lost in calculating her next move, Concubine Liu arrived.

Xia Wanyu watched the Concubine enter, supported by her maid, and a flicker of impatience crossed her eyes. Her own mother was utterly useless. If she had possessed any strength, why would Wanyu need to scheme and scheme, only to be married off by her stepmother to such a man?

“Concubine!” Xia Wanyu called out.

Hearing her daughter address her as ‘Concubine,’ Concubine Liu felt a pang of sadness. Although the address was proper according to custom, she still wished to hear her daughter call her ‘Mother.’ Yet, recalling her daughter’s usual temperament, she quickly suppressed the thought and asked with concern, “Wanyu, I heard you were unwell. Are you feeling better?”

“Much better,” Xia Wanyu replied coolly.

Faced with such coldness from her daughter, Concubine Liu didn’t know how to react. Her daughter’s attitude hurt her deeply, but she also knew it was her own inadequacy—she couldn’t help her daughter, had caused her suffering, and even resulted in her being promised to such a family. Although Madam had said it nicely—the man was already a Juren—his family background was truly poor. She had wanted to refuse, but she knew even raising the issue would be pointless, especially since the Master had already consented. What choice did she have?

Thinking this, Concubine Liu said, “Wanyu, although the family Madam arranged for you isn't wealthy, the man is already a Juren. Once the Master assists him in the future, he can secure an official post, and then you will manage the mistress’s household, won't you? Madam chose quite well, and your father likely thought the same!”

Hearing Concubine Liu’s words, Xia Wanyu finally snapped. “You call that good? Why don’t you look at the match Madam picked for Second Sister? That’s the Fu family—a prestigious scholarly lineage with substantial wealth. That is a truly prominent family. Furthermore, the Fu family and our Xia family are old friends; Madam Fu is very fond of Second Sister, and the eldest son of the Fu family has known Second Sister since childhood. When Second Sister marries in, she won’t suffer. But what about me? What kind of match did Madam choose? Just some Juren? I heard his ranking wasn't very high, and his family isn't well-off either. If I marry into that, what kind of good life can I expect? If it were truly a good match, why didn't Madam offer Second Sister to them? Isn't it just because I wasn't born from her womb? And you! You are utterly useless. You never defy a single word Madam says. If you had only plotted something for me, I wouldn't be in this miserable state! I truly cannot fathom how someone as weak and easily bullied as you found the courage to climb into Father’s bed back then?”

Concubine Liu felt struck by lightning at her daughter’s words. She had anticipated that her past actions might be scorned, but she never imagined her own flesh and blood would speak to her this way. She found it utterly unacceptable.

Concubine Liu couldn't bear to stay in her daughter’s presence for another moment, nor could she listen to another word. She left in a state of complete desolation.