Ji Yong didn't return to Yuqiao Alley until it was time for dinner.

  Madam Han didn't dare say it was Madam Han who had found him, and instead glanced at her son walking behind him with a meaningful look.

  The young master nodded, indicating that he understood, and only then did the nanny go back to report to Madame Han: "The young master has returned. I told Zi Xi about it, and from his expression, it seems like he will come over to discuss it."

  Han's heart was slightly at ease, and he smiled as he accompanied Ji Shi and his son through dinner. After sending Ji Ke to the study to read books, he himself sat in the hall, sipping tea and waiting for news of the child.

  After about half an hour, he handed over the difference in interest and came to pay his respects to Mrs. Han.

  Han arranged for Han's nanny to stand guard outside the door and pulled her son into the warm pavilion to talk.

  "Has the young master found a suitable lady outside?" Madam Han's voice was somewhat subdued.

  His son was slightly stunned and didn't react until a moment later to what Mr. Han had asked.

  "No, no!" he said repeatedly, "Young master has never been to Qinlou Chuguan."

  Han let out a sigh of relief.

  It stands to reason that the son is no longer young and should have spoken of marriage long ago. However, when the son had just passed the imperial examination, many wealthy families in Jiangnan were eager to form a connection with him, and those who came to propose marriage almost broke down the door of the Ji family. But the son coldly hummed a tune, refusing to consider anyone, and wrote a couplet that he posted on the gate, declaring: "Whichever young lady can come up with a matching couplet that meets my approval will be the one who is truly suited to me, Ji Xianming."

  In the south of the Yangtze River, many women are well-versed in poetry and literature. I wonder how many young ladies dream of making this beautiful story come true.

  Among the outstanding lines that emerged, there were a few that even the old master couldn't help but nod his head in approval after reading, yet none of them could gain the recognition of Ji Yong.

  As time went on, everyone also tasted the flavor.

  This isn't about choosing a wife, this is a disguised refusal of marriage!

  Those women who had written the matching couplets were already feeling humiliated and losing face, but Ji's father, who understood what Ji meant, was even more shocked, personally tearing down the top couplet - if this matter continued to develop, the Ji family would likely end up offending all the well-known families in Jiangnan.

  Those ladies from noble families who were waiting for marriage in their boudoirs had mixed feelings of love and hate towards Ji Yong, so naturally no one brought up the topic of his marriage again.

  Mr. Han was afraid that his son would be fooled by some flirtatious woman.

  With Ji Yong's temperament, even if it is not raised outside, it will still be brought back home.

  What will they do at that time?

  Don't recognize, will Ji Yong rely on it?

  Even if they pretend to be deaf and dumb and don't reveal the woman's identity, those families whose marriage proposals were rejected by Ji Yong may not let the Ji family off the hook. At that time, where will the Ji family's face be?

  She thought about it and felt restless.

  Now hearing that her son is well-behaved and obedient, she was overjoyed.

  But this joy lasted only for a moment, and Han immediately realized something was wrong.

  That hairpin is obviously for women!

  The Ji family may not be rich enough to rival a country, but these emeralds, cat's eyes and even diamonds are not rare items. Ji Yong has put them aside unused, and instead carefully hid a wooden hairpin, which was carved by his own hands... If the person who received the hairpin is just an acquaintance of Ji Yong, it would be more believable to say that an iron tree had bloomed flowers.

  Her smile froze on her face as she hastily asked Zi Xi: "Young Master, since leaving Yixing, where have you been? Who have you seen?"

  Ever since Ji Yong personally carved that wooden hairpin, Zi Xi has been like a fish on the chopping board.

  The young master is waiting for the fourth miss of the Duan family, it's a bit better... He wants to remind Han Shi, but he's afraid Han Shi won't agree; if Young Master Ren continues like this, one day when Young Master causes some trouble, these personal attendants will not be able to avoid being blamed by the Duan family. It's not just a matter of being respectful or not, but also a question of their moral character, teaching the young master bad habits. Even with the young master's protection, the Duan family won't be able to tolerate them anymore.

  At this time, Han asked him to come up with it, he was surprised and delighted, and knelt down in front of Han, telling how Ji Yong thought of visiting the Ji family in Zhending. How did you get to know Dou Zhao? How did Dou Zhao deal with Pang Kunbai? And how did Ji Yong look at Dou Zhao differently... everything was told to Han.

  Han's heart skipped a beat. After a while, he came back to his senses: "You're saying that the wooden hairpin that Xianming personally carved is for the fourth miss of the Dugu family?"

  "The young master drew it himself and carved it with his own hands. It took almost a month of hard work."

  Han Shi said: "Why didn't he give it to the fourth miss of the Duan family? If I'm not mistaken, the fourth miss's hairpin gift was on the tenth day of the first month."

  Ji Ling then went to attend Dou Zhao's hairpinning ceremony.

  The young servant's face was pale with anxiety: "Young Master said, if he can't get the top honors this time, what qualifications does he have to give gifts to Miss Duan..."

  Han's expression changed greatly.

  The fourth miss of the Na family actually has such a heavy weight in her son's heart!

  Since it's like this, why doesn't he just say so himself and propose properly?

  Is he afraid that Miss Duan would look down on him?

  A thought flashed through Han's mind, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

  At home, she was a high-ranking official's daughter, with wealth and knowledge that rivaled the heavens. Many people admired her, many people fawned over her, wanting to marry into her family. Yet one day, she would lower herself to try to win over a girl!

  What's so good about Miss Si of the Na family?

  Not only is she a widow's eldest daughter, but also cold and arrogant in nature. She says that if she wants to beat someone to death, she will do so. If this were true and she were brought back as a daughter-in-law, how would the sons dare to try to please her? Wouldn't it be like bringing home a living ancestor?

  But if they don't agree... apart from Old Master, there really isn't a second person in this family who can control the son.

  The old man is already advanced in years, can't always control his son, right?

  As Zhaoyi said, although Miss Duan Si's methods were ruthless, she was at least a person with her own ideas. The reason why his son could participate in the imperial examination obediently this time was also because he had been sarcastically criticized by Miss Duan Si once.

  Marry a virtuous wife. Being able to manage her husband and make him progress, bringing honor to his ancestors, is the greatest virtue of being a woman.

  As soon as he thought of this, Han's heart had a subtle change.

  Even if his son doesn't marry Miss Duan, can't he be closer to him?

  But if the son marries the fourth daughter of the Duan family... This woman's power is in the inner courtyard, and if she can keep her daughter-in-law, she can also keep her son.

  Han felt secretly pleased with his own idea.

  It seems I have to ask Mrs. about Miss Duan's situation in detail.

  She made up her mind and instructed her child: "From now on, what happens today is only between you and me, don't mention it to anyone else, do you understand?"

  "Don't worry, madam," the son knew the importance of the matter. He vowed, "If I mention it again after leaving this door, may heaven strike me with lightning and I'll die a terrible death!"

  Mr. Han nodded and let his son get up, saying: "You don't have to worry about this matter, I'll take care of it." A few happy expressions appeared on his face.

  The child understood as soon as he saw it.

  He muttered a curse under his breath and forced himself to say: "Madam, the fourth Miss Duan has already been betrothed..."

  "What did you say?" Mr. Han was shocked and lost his color, "What's going on? Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

  "There's no place for Mrs. Xiao to hide." Zi Xi knew that Han Shi had misunderstood the relationship between Ji Yong and Dou Zhao, so he told them some things about the two of them again in detail.

  Han's expression was uncertain, his mouth half open, and after a moment he muttered: "So to speak, is it that Ming has been driven mad by the heat of shaving?"

  The child lowered his head and didn't dare to speak.

  "What can be done?! Han thought of his son's character and was anxious to the point of tears."

  "What's going on?" Ji Qi walked in, unaware of when he had entered. "Has Ming gotten into some kind of trouble again?" He looked at the situation and was very worried.

  "No!" Mr. Han let his son retreat and, with a strong spirit, helped Ji Qi change clothes. "It was I who called my son to ask him what he had been doing these past few days."

  Ji Qi was just doting on Ji Yong, and some things he would turn a blind eye to, but that didn't mean he was careless.

  He grasped his wife's shoulder and said seriously: "Do you know why Grandfather didn't let Jianming grow up in front of us? A person without virtue cannot stand, a country without virtue cannot prosper. Jianming has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, Grandfather was afraid that we would spoil him too much, only knowing how to make him study books, but neglecting his character... If Jianming does something wrong, you must not help him cover it up. At his young age, no one can control him now, if you indulge him all the time. Even if he becomes a high school champion, he may not necessarily become a famous minister in history."

  Ji Ke didn't say anything, but as soon as he did, Han Shi couldn't bear it anymore. Tears fell like rain: "Qian Ming, he's taken a liking to someone else's daughter-in-law..." She cried while telling Ji Ke the whole story of how Ji Yong helped Du Zhao carve a wooden hairpin.

  Ji Qi listened, his face gradually becoming serious: "Is what you're saying true?"

  "This isn't a good thing, am I still going to cheat you?" Han said, wiping away tears. "That wooden hairpin is still under Jianming's pillow!"

  Ji Qi didn't know what to say anymore.

  His son has never stopped since he was a child.

  If this matter is not handled carefully, it will not only ruin the reputation of Miss Duan, but also cut off Ji Yong's future career prospects.

  He thought for a moment, then resolutely said: "This matter must be told to Grandfather, and asked him to help make a decision." He also said, "Now that Ming is only thinking about the fourth miss of the Duan family in his heart, you don't have to alarm him, just don't let him suddenly run to Zhen Ding in the middle of the night. Everything will be decided after Grandfather has made up his mind."

  Han's response was to write a letter serving her husband and dispatch it to Yixing the very next morning with her personal maid.

  Ji Yong knew that Zi Xi had been called away by his mother for questioning.

  The people around him were often summoned for questioning every other day.

  Ji Yong thought that there was nothing to be afraid of others knowing, and he didn't put it in his heart. After sending all the books from Shuntianfu Academy to Du Zhengchang and Du Dechang, he originally wanted to go to Daxing for a trip, but thinking that it would be the imperial examination in just a few days, if he could get a good ranking in the imperial examination, he could let the steward of the Ji family help him with things. He didn't need to run around like a headless fly, which was tiring and couldn't find out any news, so he might as well wait until the imperial examination results were announced. So he moved back to Yubridge Hutong, found all the imperial reports from the past ten years, and asked his uncle and father for advice, guessing the emperor's intention, and pondered over all possible situations that might be encountered in the imperial examination. When the results of the imperial examination came out at the end of February, Ji Yong got the fourth place.

  The people of Ji's household could no longer conceal their joy and had no need to conceal it.

  At Ji Yong's age, even if he performed poorly in the imperial examination, he could still get a title of Tan Hua.

  Ji Yong's expression remained unchanged, doing what he had to do, but in his heart, he muttered: Could it be that Dou Zhao really guessed correctly? The only way is to announce it in the Golden Hall...

  Han's wife looked anxious. She whispered to her husband, "Can't we give the fourth Miss Dou a chance?" This made Ji Ke glare at her and scolded his wife, "What are you talking about?"

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  o(n_n)o~

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