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

Chapter 390 Let's casually increase our favorability.

Chapter 390 Taking the Opportunity to Improve

"It seems his surname is Jiang, and his name is Jiang Mingfei."

"Jiang Mingfei? That's a nice name. I wonder if she's engaged or not?"

"Oh, don't even think about it. Such talent has already been secretly eyed by the powerful and wealthy. How could it possibly be our turn as merchants?"

Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, it's pointless!

"Oh, I was just asking. Besides, we don't have any daughters of marriageable age at home. I was just asking out of curiosity, wasn't I?"

"Is that a merchant's wife next door?" Ouyang Yan scoffed. "Just a nouveau riche, yet she dares to dream of becoming a top scholar. Humph, she's really overestimating herself."

Jiang Jiamingfei... perhaps Mother could inquire about him.

It wasn't just Jiang Xiaoqi; quite a few wealthy young ladies also had their eyes on Liu Peng and Xiao Ming.

However, people in the capital were relatively familiar with Liu Peng, knowing that he was the eldest grandson of the prime minister, so those of lower social standing did not even dream of marrying him.

Those in the know were even more aware that Liu Peng was already engaged to the eldest granddaughter of the Minister of War.

Very well, a perfect match.

The high-ranking officials and dignitaries then turned their attention to the top two scholars, even though the top scholar was only fourteen years old.

But so what?

Let's settle down first, and then get married in two or three years.

The third-ranked scholar is also quite good-looking. He's eighteen years old and could get married once he's engaged, but it's unclear whether he's engaged yet.

But so what if they're engaged? Even if they get married, they can still get a divorce, right?

At this moment, the "decent-looking third-ranked scholar" was covering his forehead; he hadn't dodged that cold melon fast enough!

I'm still seeing stars, feeling a bit dizzy, and a little nauseous.

Jiang Xiaoqi wanted to help, but at the same time a melon the size of a basketball came rushing towards him, so he had to take care of himself first.

The sight of fruit being thrown at a carriage is truly unbearable. There were rumors that handsome men surnamed Pan and Wei were "killed by being stared at." Were they really killed by being stared at? They were probably killed by being hit by fruits, weren't they?

After Jiang Xiaoqi dodged the melon, she heard a cry of "Ouch!" as the third-ranked scholar Xiao Ming was hit on the forehead by the melon.

Given the gravitational acceleration from the second floor of the teahouse, one would at least suffer a mild concussion if not dizzy.

"Um, Xiao Tanhua, are you alright?"

"Uh? Scholar Jiang, I'm fine, just a little dizzy and nauseous. Could you please check if my forehead is bleeding?"

Jiang Xiaoqi leaned back and examined it carefully. "It seems a little red and swollen, but the skin isn't broken. I should still see a doctor later, just in case there are any complications."

“What Scholar Jiang said makes sense. We’ll go after the parade.”

Actually, I should apply an ice pack right now, but there's nowhere to find ice on the street.

Jiang Xiaoqi looked around the system store but couldn't find any ice cubes. However, there were chilled drinks, but they were in plastic bottles.

We'll be colleagues in the Hanlin Academy from now on, so I should try to build goodwill now. Besides, it's really cheap, only 0.5 points.

"System, give me a new package for this chilled drink, ceramic or bamboo is fine, but it needs to be well sealed so it doesn't leak."

"Okay, host. Changing the packaging will cost 0.5 points, which will add up to 1 point."

Yeah, it's pretty cheap, just one point, which is practically free!

The system is very efficient, completing the repackaging in minutes and even adding a few ice cubes to the chilled drinks as a bonus.

Jiang Xiaoqi secretly slipped the drink, now with ice and a different package, into her arms. Wow! So icy!

He quickly took out the bamboo tube from his pocket, shook it, and found it to be well-sealed. He didn't know how he did it; the technique was impressive.

She turned and handed it to Xiao Ming, the third-ranked scholar, saying, "Here, use this to soothe your forehead so it doesn't swell too much. You have to attend the Qionglin Banquet tonight!"

Xiao Ming instinctively took it; it was icy cold to the touch.

"This... is cold! Scholar Jiang, where did you get the ice from?"

He didn't ask that question. Xiao Ming's family was of average means, and he knew that many wealthy families had ice all year round.

But they're already using ice in April? The Jiang family seems quite wealthy and has the energy of young people.

There's a saying, isn't there? "A silly boy sleeps on a cold kang (heated brick bed), all thanks to his strong constitution!"

It seems that Jiang Zhuangyuan is the kind of boy with "fierce" energy.

This bucket of ice-cold water must have been worth several taels of silver, and Jiang Zhuangyuan used it directly as a cold compress on his forehead.

What a kind person!

Xiao Ming held up a bamboo tube to apply ice to his forehead, and the burning pain did indeed lessen considerably.

Jiang Xiaoqi ignored the grateful gaze from behind her. "Oh dear," she thought, "I'm the kind of person who does good deeds without expecting anything in return."

Seeing that the two seemed to be very close, Liu Peng, the second-place finisher, showed no expression. As the grandson of the prime minister, he didn't need to curry favor with others to gain connections.

He himself was the one others needed to flatter and fawn over; he disdained to do such a thing.

The palace examination was just the beginning; once they entered officialdom, it was far more complicated than they imagined.

"Second Brother! Second Brother! Over here! Over here!"

Liu Peng heard his half-sister's voice, looked up in the direction of the sound, and sure enough, it was his mother, second sister, and fourth sister.

At this moment, he also showed a genuine smile and waved to the group.

The second young lady didn't call out like the fourth young lady, after all, she had to take into account the etiquette and rules of a young lady from a prominent family.

Mrs. Liu gently wiped the corner of her eye, as if she were crying.

Only the third young lady remained expressionless, leaning against the window frame, her eyes darting around, only lingering on her second brother for a fleeting moment.

His gaze lingered more on Jiang Xiaoqi and Xiao Ming, shifting back and forth, as if he didn't know which one to look at.

The second young lady glared at the other party, and when she turned around again, the scholars had already walked past the teahouse.

"Hmph! I sent you out to see my second brother, what are you looking at? You think you can even dream of becoming the top scholar or the third-ranked scholar? You're really overestimating yourself!"

The second young lady's words were unpleasant, but Madam Liu did not stop her, after all, the second-place scholar was her own son, and the second young lady was her own daughter.

This third girl is from the second wife's family. She is usually quite tactless. Although she is the legitimate daughter of the second wife, she is not as pleasing as the fourth girl, who was raised by her husband and was born out of wedlock.

Fourth Sister is sensible and clear-headed. Luckily, Third Sister isn't from my branch of the family, otherwise I'd really have a lot to worry about.

Instead of booking a private room in the teahouse, the Jiang family found a restaurant with a decent view. The restaurant had three floors, and the Jiang family stayed on the third floor.

Madam Jiang booked two tables of food and watched the scholars parade through the streets on horseback while she and her granddaughters ate.

There are still three granddaughters in the family whose marriages are not yet settled, but I hope my grandson can make several new scholars who have passed the imperial examinations.

Also, let's see if there are any suitable candidates to be the fourth, fifth, or sixth sister's husband~

"Little brother! It's Mingfei coming, he's almost here. Grandmother, fourth sister, sixth sister, come quickly, don't eat yet!"

The women quickly put down their chopsticks and all went to the window.

"Yes, it's Mingfei!"

Jiang Xiaoqi saw the restaurant where her family had booked the banquet and looked up to find her grandmother and sister.

"Grandmother! Fourth Sister! Fifth Sister! Sixth Sister!"

After Jiang Xiyue found out she was pregnant, Jiang Lan'er also found out she was pregnant, so neither of them came.

Since the men weren't on duty, Old Madam Jiang brought her three unmarried granddaughters to visit Jiang Xiaoqi.

"Mingfei!"

"Little brother! How impressive!"

Jiang Xiaoqi smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth, which left Xiao Ming somewhat stunned.

This kid is really handsome!

Suddenly curious about what Jiang Zhuangyuan's sisters looked like, Xiao Ming looked up.

Three bright faces came into view. Were they seeing things because of the cold melon?

How can there be two identical faces?!