After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 323 The Persistent Old 4

"Hey, hey, hey! Young masters, don't vomit! My young master said this tonic soup is worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

"Woo~"

The three of them suppressed their nausea, covered their mouths in unison, and forced themselves to swallow the "tonifying soup" in their mouths.

"Huh? It doesn't taste as bad as I thought."

"It's worth a fortune, so it's understandable if it tastes a bit bad."

"Mmm, tonics are all about nourishment, not taste. The important thing is that they're good for you!"

The three brothers quickly convinced themselves, and drank every last drop of the three bowls of "tonifying soup".

Li Shan put the bowl away with satisfaction, finally having lived up to his young master's expectations.

It was so close, so very close! Young Master's painstaking efforts were about to be wasted.

Jiang Lin, Jiang Yan, and Jiang Hao drank the "nourishing soup," and whether it was a placebo effect or something else, they all felt that their fatigue from the past nine days had subsided considerably.

Not only that, their minds also became much clearer, but the group didn't pay much attention to it, since the feeling was only slight and not particularly noticeable.

I do think my cousin's tonic soup wasn't just a cheap trick; could it really be worth a fortune? If so, I'd owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

The next morning, the three of them, who had intended to sleep in and recharge, woke up naturally just as dawn was breaking.

When the three woke up, they felt refreshed and full of energy, as if they could reach for the moon in the sky and catch turtles in the deep sea.

"Good heavens! What kind of rare and precious herbs did Mingfei use to make this tonic? I feel like I'm full of energy, enough to plow ten acres of land!"

Jiang Hao clicked his tongue in amazement, but he was just using it as an analogy. He started learning at the age of five and studied for eleven years, but he had never actually worked in the fields.

"But I am full of energy and have an urge to read a few books and write a few articles right away."

Jiang Lin said this and did it immediately. He greeted his two cousins, skipped breakfast, and went straight back to his study to read.

Seeing this, the other two were naturally unwilling to fall behind, so they both returned to their study and began to study diligently as the daylight gradually brightened.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaoqi was practicing his spear technique in the training ground, and he was about to master the new spear technique he had just learned.

Upon hearing Li Shan's report on his cousin's condition, Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but exclaim, "Cousins, is this how things are going to turn out?"

Haha, roll it up! Roll it up a bit, that'll greatly increase your chances of passing the provincial examination.

Next year's imperial examination will bring together eleven affiliated examination systems... cough cough, eleven clansmen will unite as one and work together for the prosperity of the clan!

Jiang Xiaoqi's eyes once again gleamed with a thirst for knowledge and an expectation for the prosperity of his family. He put down his spear and exchanged several sets of mock provincial examination papers with the system.

Well, my cousins ​​must not have done enough exam papers in these nine days. Let's send them some more "local specialties" from Xinghe Prefecture.

The three Jiang brothers: We must thank your ancestors for eight generations! Wait, no, they all seem to share the same ancestor~

The Jiang family in Xinghe Prefecture exuded an air of sour ambition, while the Fourth Prince's residence in the capital city truly reeked of stench.

"My lord, please eat something. You haven't eaten properly in the past six months. Look how thin you've become. Why do you do this? Your health is important, my lord!"

Xiao Dezi held a bowl of rice porridge and a few side dishes, earnestly urging her to have some food.

The fourth prince held a paintbrush, and his brush depicted only one person.

"Where are they?" A hoarse voice squeezed out from between his chapped lips.

"This……"

"Say!"

"His Majesty has sent palace servants back from the Imperial Household Department. Those six were sold off as soon as they arrived in the capital, and their whereabouts are now unknown."

Xiao Dezi secretly grumbled to himself. His master had been under house arrest for half a year and had barely spoken during that time. Now that he was finally willing to talk, the first thing he did was ask those lowly people.

The fourth prince paused, and the ink from the tip of his brush stained the face of the person in the painting.

His eyes were icy cold. "Sold is sold, it wasn't her to begin with!"

Xiao Dezi didn't dare to respond.

"How long until the provincial examination?"

"Huh? The provincial examination? It's still more than a month away, no, no, it seems to be less than a month, there should be about twenty days left."

Xiao Dezi, being a eunuch and imprisoned in the prince's residence with the fourth prince, naturally had no concept of time.

The news of the provincial examination was mentioned unintentionally by an old farmer who delivered vegetables to the household, simply because a relative of his had a scholar who was taking the exam.

Zhao Hongsheng silently gripped the pen in his hand—

"Would you risk taking the provincial examination? If you did, you'd surely pass with flying colors, wouldn't you?"

Zhao Hongsheng twitched the corner of his mouth, put down his pen, and picked up the wine pot.

Seeing this, Xiao Dezi hurriedly tried to stop him, "Master, you can't drink anymore, your body can't take it!"

Zhao Hongsheng ignored him and gulped down several mouthfuls of wine. The spicy liquor irritated his dry throat, and his eyes turned red.

"Prepare my horse!"

Xiao Dezi was shocked upon hearing this. "Master, His Majesty has ordered you to stay at home. If you go out, you will be disobeying His Majesty's order."

"You defied me too!"

Xiao Dezi gritted his teeth, his eyes darting around, and said, "Master, if Young Master Jiang passes the provincial examination this year, he might come to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination next spring."

Then you won't need to travel thousands of miles to find them; they'll come right to you.

Xiao Dezi's words did temporarily persuade the fourth prince, Zhao Hongsheng, and the empty wine jug was smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.

Seeing that he had finally stopped the person, Xiao Dezi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he felt very uncomfortable.

My master is such a romantic; he's only met that young master Jiang a few times, and now it's been more than two years since they last saw each other.

They've probably forgotten about their master long ago, haven't they? It seems their master's infatuation is going to be wasted...sigh...

After being persuaded by Xiao Dezi, Zhao Hongsheng calmed down a bit, but he was still very upset.

He staggered to the window, gazing at the muddy, dilapidated, and chaotic courtyard of the prince's residence, lost in thought.

Fragmented images kept flashing through his mind: her lively eyes, elegant speech, aloof temperament, and graceful movements—all of which captivated him.

Xiao Dezi sighed. Oh well, he's starting his usual daydreaming again.

Quietly retreating and closing the door behind him, he noted that the servants in the Prince's residence were all newly appointed by the Imperial Household Department. They were used to fawning over the powerful and belittling the weak, so they were unlikely to be wholeheartedly loyal and devoted to serving him.

Even the rice porridge that had already cooled down was still made by Xiao Dezi himself, who spent two qian of silver to have the cook in the main kitchen cook it separately.

Otherwise, the three meals a day consist of fixed content, with no snacks or extra meals.

The fourth prince was either asleep or drunk at mealtimes, often missing out on a hot meal. Xiao Dezi felt sorry for his master, so he occasionally asked the kitchen to cook some easily digestible porridge.

Xiao Dezi felt a pang of regret for his two taels of silver, which could have bought a lot of rice, but now it only bought him a bowl of porridge.

The problem is that the porridge was ultimately not used to its full potential; it was left alone on the table, completely cold.