Who Cares About Being the Matriarch? My Rebellious Husband Secured Me a Noble Rank! - Chapter 75

Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, the final exam of the Autumn Imperial Examination had arrived.

After several days of intense tension, everyone’s spirits were drained, their faces showing signs of fatigue and stress.

The content of this exam was a policy question. As expected, Chi Yan saw the same prompt as everyone else, just two lines of poetry—

“The literary scene continues through three generations,
The family’s glory shines on one’s own shoulders.”

At face value, this line praised the legacy of a family’s literary achievements passed down through three generations, the family’s honor embodied in a single person.

But based on Chi Yan’s observations of recent court policies and trends, Emperor Chongde clearly disapproved of noble families’ sons relying on their ancestors’ privileges to inherit titles generation after generation.

The truth was, officialdom was still dominated by aristocratic clans. These powerful families banded together, pushing back against officials from humble origins and fiercely guarding their own interests.

Everyone acted out of self-interest. Would those in power willingly give up privileges for outsiders to share the spoils?

There were exceptions—like the Xie family, whose reputation among commoners and scholars was impeccable, commanding respect that even the emperor had to be wary of.

But factions inevitably formed, and political struggles became inevitable.

Although the imperial exams opened a path for commoners to enter officialdom, without background or connections, it was nearly impossible to succeed.

Chi Yan guessed Emperor Chongde had long planned to curb the influence of the aristocratic clans—and this exam was a test.

After careful thought, Chi Yan decided to approach the question from a fresh, bold angle.

When Examiner Zhu passed by and saw Chi Yan writing as if possessed, with ideas flowing effortlessly, he was genuinely surprised.

He had watched him for days, expecting Chi Yan to cause trouble, but surprisingly, he was answering honestly, without any tricks.

“Could it be the second young master really changed?” Zhu examiner wondered.

Curious, he glanced at Chi Yan’s answers—and his eyes nearly popped out!

Why was this kid so straightforward? It turned out he was hiding something big for the end!

Was this something you could just say out loud? They told you to speak freely, but you actually took it seriously? Didn’t you want to keep your head?

Zhu examiner couldn’t help but look over Chi Yan’s answers several times, not because they were earth-shatteringly revolutionary, but because they were too radical!

Compared to him, even the court’s radicals seemed tame.

He could already imagine the storm this exam paper would stir up.

He almost wanted to grab Chi Yan by the shoulder and ask, “How dare you?”

Perhaps because his gaze was too intense, Chi Yan shot him an annoyed glare.

The exam was stressful enough—why were you staring like that?

Examiner Zhu was left speechless.

…

When the drums sounded, the Autumn Imperial Examination finally ended, and candidates streamed out of the exam hall.

The Chi family was already waiting nearby, with Shen Tangning among them.

Master Chi the Second had even taken leave specially, anxiously standing on tiptoe, “Why isn’t that kid out yet? Don’t tell me he fell asleep and no one woke him!”

Given Chi Yan’s past, his worry wasn’t unfounded.

Madam Chi the Second looked displeased, “Don’t talk nonsense. A Yan promised me this time he definitely wouldn’t fall asleep again!”

Xueqing, standing behind Shen Tangning, twitched at the remark and whispered to Bailiang, “Is the second young master always like this?”

Bailiang proudly replied, “Of course, our second young master has always been wild and unruly!”

Xueqing: “…That’s a bit too wild.”

Madam Chi the Second put her hands together in prayer, “Amitabha… I wonder if all my daily incense burning and prayers are working?”

Shen Tangning wanted to say something but stopped herself, thinking: The deity you pray to is Duobao Rulai, the Bodhisattva of Wealth—asking him to bless your son’s exam success might be a bit much.

She kept silent out of respect for Madam Chi’s sincerity.

After a while, Chi Yan finally appeared.

He tilted his head, listening to Ji Wuya complain, “This question is way too hard! Who wrote this? I want to visit them and bring some local specialties as a gift!”

He sighed dramatically, “Good brother, see you next year!”

“Dream on, who wants to see you again?” Chi Yan muttered, then raised his eyes to glare, “Didn’t you even look at the paper?”

Ji Wuya frowned, “You think too highly of me. How can I memorize so much? Besides, I think you’re right—we shouldn’t cheat!”

Chi Yan was a bit surprised, curling his lips, “At least you have some integrity.”

Ji Wuya proudly patted his chest, “Of course! At least I showed up. Even if I fail, my mother will be happy—defeat with honor, little Master Ji-style!”

Chi Yan smiled and teased, “Honor my foot!”

He had given all the reminders he could. If Ji Wuya insisted on cheating, he couldn’t stop him.

“Ah Yan! You little brat, why are you dawdling?” A familiar voice called.

Chi Yan looked up, a smile involuntarily creeping into his eyes.

Ji Wuya followed his gaze and sighed bitterly, “Ah, married life changes you. Go on ahead—I can walk home alone.”

Chi Yan nodded seriously, “I’ll go first.”

Watching him leave without hesitation, Ji Wuya froze, “…Not even a little hesitation, huh?”

Chi Yan approached, glanced at the others, and chuckled, “Is all this fuss necessary? I’m not lost—I know the way home.”

Madam Chi the Second gave him a playful smack, “Enjoy your ride home!”

Chi Yan: “…Great, just finished exams and Mom’s already in a bad mood.”

Shen Tangning smiled softly as she looked him over—he looked a little pale and tired, but seemed to have done well.

“How do you feel, husband?”

“Well…” Chi Yan frowned, his expression turning serious. His hesitation made the Chi couple’s hearts drop.

Madam Chi stammered comfortingly, “It’s okay, son. If you don’t pass this time, there’s always next time. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Master Chi nodded repeatedly, “Failure happens. There was even someone who passed at fifty!”

Chi Yan suspected he meant Fan Jin.

Shen Tangning seemed to see through it but said nothing, just smiled.

Finally, Chi Yan relaxed and smiled, “Just kidding. I did pretty well this time—this is the real strength of this young master!”

The couple exchanged a silent, cold glance, their hearts sinking.

His real strength?

That failure was guaranteed.

Madam Chi forced a smile, “It’s okay, son. Mom doesn’t blame you. After all these hard days, let’s go home and eat something nice.”

Chi Yan, frustrated, shouted, “I really think I did well!”

Madam Chi looked bitterly at Master Chi, “Look at this—exhaustion making him hallucinate.”

Chi Yan: “…”