Because she was busy preparing for the exam, Su Mu hadn’t gone out for almost a month. Her daily meals and living arrangements were all taken care of by Xie Yi.

Sometimes when she got too absorbed in her studies, Su Mu felt like she hadn’t transmigrated to a female-dominated society, but to a traditional feudal society where she had become a young lady who never left her boudoir.

With just over half a month left before the provincial exam was to begin, Su Mu was about to set off.

But with her leaving, only Xie Yi would be left at home, and naturally she wasn’t at ease.

So she made an unprecedented move to bring Xie Yi along to visit Master Qiao, expressing her wish to let Xie Yi stay with him for a while.

Master Qiao’s wife-master was always away on business trips, returning only occasionally. At home, besides himself, there was only his 13-year-old son, 7-year-old daughter, and 4 or 5 servants. Staying with them would be better than Xie Yi being alone in the house.

Ancient society was always not very safe, especially without a woman around. Having one more person meant one more source of help, so Master Qiao naturally wouldn’t refuse.

On the way back, Xie Yi asked: “So Sister Mu took Qiao Yue as a student because you wanted to find a place for me?”

Su Mu smiled: “Little Yi is so smart. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t feel at ease leaving you alone in the house.”

Though he was praised, Xie Yi couldn’t feel happy. First, he didn’t want Su Mu to worry about him, even sacrificing her study time. Second, she was about to go take the provincial exam, and would return in a month at the earliest.

One month of separation… it was too long.

He couldn’t imagine what life would be like without Su Mu.

But he also couldn’t selfishly follow Su Mu. Exam candidates cared most about their reputation. If Su Mu went to take the provincial exam with a man in tow, she would certainly be laughed at by the other candidates.

He couldn’t let Su Mu lose face.

That night, Xie Yi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. But thinking that Su Mu would set off for Cloud City tomorrow, he didn’t dare disturb her.

He got up again quietly, wrapped in an outer robe, and leaned against Su Mu’s door, listening to her soft voice reciting books late into the night, again and again.

The next day, Shen Yuxue’s carriage was waiting at the entrance of Lanqing Lane for her.

Xie Yi saw her off, carrying the bundle he had packed for her, his eyes a bit clear but the corners slightly red: “Sister Mu, you must take good care of yourself when you get there.”

Su Mu rubbed his head: “Don’t worry, you’ve been telling me this all the way. Why are you suddenly so nagging? I’ll come back to keep you company as soon as I finish the exam, okay?”

She thought her reassurance would make Xie Yi feel better, but unexpectedly, his eyes became even redder.

Shen Yuxue teased ambiguously from the side, laughing uncontrollably.

On the road, Shen Yuxue kept saying: “Your little delicate husband is really too clingy.”

Su Mu helplessly said: “I don’t know why he suddenly changed his personality recently. He used to be outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, now he’s soft inside and out.”

Shen Yuxue said: “Men, once they have someone to rely on, naturally want to be like a clinging vine.”

A clinging vine? Su Mu shook her head. Xie Yi wasn’t that kind of person.

The two of them traveled for half a month to reach Cloud City and found an inn to stay. Shen Yuxue had recently come up with a business idea to make milk tea.

Su Mu laughed inwardly at her naivety. With limited ingredients in ancient times, many types of milk tea couldn’t be made. In the end, she gently suggested to her that there was a plant called false groundcherry whose seeds could make clear water coagulate into a transparent solid.

Sure enough, Shen Yuxue changed her business plan and started to ponder over making ice jelly.

Su Mu nodded approvingly. The trial and error cost for this was much lower than milk tea.

After resolving Shen Yuxue’s business direction, Su Mu began to enter the provincial examination venue.

The provincial exam was clearly much harder than the prefectural exam. The huge gap between scholars and recommended men also made the difficulty and admission rate of the provincial exam even higher than the metropolitan exam for selecting advanced scholars.

But the number of people taking the exam was also fewer than the prefectural exam. These were all scholars who had come from various places, with a hint of superior arrogance between their brows and eyes. After all, in their hometowns, these people were one in a hundred.

Su Mu suddenly felt a bit nervous, her breathing becoming a bit rapid, even more nervous than during final exams. After all, failing a final exam would only result in a scolding from parents, but the provincial exam determined a person’s future and prospects.

Even as a transmigrator, she didn’t feel much smarter than these people. Whether it was literature, history, or culture, she had to learn everything from scratch.

“Don’t worry, Su Mu, I believe in you!” Shen Yuxue sent her to the exam venue and, seeing her nervous state, casually patted her shoulder.

Su Mu smiled and said, “Then I’ll take your good wishes.”

Su Mu entered the examination hall. Inside, each candidate sat in front of a small cubicle, with brick walls separating the left and right sides, and a wooden board in the middle for writing, similar to office cubicles.

However, the difference was that all candidates faced outwards to answer questions. There was no door on the outside, and examiners patrolled outside, leaving the candidates’ every move exposed.

The provincial examination consisted of three sessions, one day for each session, totaling three days. For these three days, she would have to take care of all her needs within this small cubicle. Fortunately, after the prefectural examination, she had already adapted to this.

Su Mu took a deep breath and began to answer the questions.

The examination was divided into three sessions, in order:

Historical commentary: ‘Jia Yi’s theory of five baits and three memorials, Ban Gu criticized it as superficial. However, Duke Mu of Qin once used it to dominate the Western Rong, and Zhong Hang Yue also used it to warn the Chanyu. Its effectiveness has never been disproven.’

Politics of various countries: ‘The establishment of schools has three purposes: to mold citizens, to cultivate talents, and to revitalize industry… Which of the three is most urgent?’

Four Books and Five Classics: “To bring together the people of the world, gather the world’s goods, trade and then retreat, each obtaining what is righteous.”①

Three days later, Su Mu walked out of the examination hall.

As soon as she came out, she saw Shen Yuxue excitedly waving at her, her long hair fluttering in the air, the white hair ribbon tied on it swaying along, especially the way she ran towards her… like an excited husky.

“How did the exam go?” Shen Yuxue thoughtfully helped her massage her shoulders.

Su Mu nodded: “It was okay, this time the exam was on political theory, I had briefly looked at some before.”

Shen Yuxue laughed: “Keep pretending, you top students all like to pretend. After the exam, you always say you didn’t do well or failed, but in the end, you’re always first place, fooling us poor students.”

Su Mu was amused by her words, but still didn’t forget to maintain her local persona: “What’s a top student?”

Shen Yuxue’s eyes rolled, and she hooked her arm around Su Mu’s neck: “It means you’re smart.”

Su Mu smiled lightly and didn’t pursue it further, instead asking: “Did you buy the false groundcherry seeds?”

Shen Yuxue excitedly said: “Not only did I buy them, but during these few days while you were taking the exam, I also figured out a good method to make ice jelly. Just wait, when we get back to Juancheng, I’ll make it for you first.”

“Really?” Su Mu was surprised.

She admired Shen Yuxue’s quick wit, able to figure out how to make ice jelly on her own, without any prior knowledge from her previous life.

Shen Yuxue nodded: “Of course, but this is a trade secret, we’ll talk about it when we get back.”

The two hurriedly got into the carriage to return to Juancheng. It was good to be with a rich girl like Shen Yuxue – she didn’t have to pay for travel expenses and could ride in a luxurious carriage.

In the carriage, Shen Yuxue leaned against the soft goose down pillow, watching Su Mu lower her eyes to read, and unconsciously smiled while propping her chin.

Su Mu looked up: “What are you smiling at?”

“Nothing.” Shen Yuxue smiled even more deeply: “Su, future recommended scholar, when you make it big in the future, don’t forget about this small merchant.”

Su Mu was amused by her manner: “It’s not even certain yet.”

Shen Yuxue didn’t care: “Anyway, I have a feeling you’ll definitely pass.”