Suppressing the slight displeasure in her heart, she warned her.
"This is the last time. If you dare to act recklessly like this again, don't blame me for disregarding our sister-in-law relationship. I'll have your hair cut off and send you to become a nun!"
"Alright, alright, I won't do it again, never again! Before I get married, I promise, unless a noble from the palace summons me, I won't step out of this courtyard."
If she didn't leave the house, no one would find fault with her.
Everything would wait until she married into the Ninth Prince's mansion!
Seeing Liang Luo's assurance, Wei Lanxuan softened her heart. After all, she would be staying at home, and any mistakes wouldn't be known to outsiders.
So she agreed and hurried to send her back to be treated for her injuries.
The twenty strokes of the cane were not too heavy; they didn't even break the skin, only causing some bruises.
Liang Luo would recover in a few days, while Wen Yuwei, who had been scalded, stayed at Prince Ke's mansion.
Although it was publicly stated that she was recuperating, many people speculated that the young lady from the Wen family might be in luck and would remain at Prince Ke's mansion.
However, whether her status would be that of a secondary consort or a concubine remained undecided.
Prince Ke's mansion, using this as an excuse, grew closer to the Wen family.
Wen Jingsong was momentarily smug, thinking he was playing both sides. He didn't expect that people arranged by Prince Ke would thoroughly investigate the Wen family's act of substituting examination papers.
In fact, Prince Ding, Xiao Tingyi, also had a hand in this.
He had originally intended for Elder Xu to expose the matter, but unexpectedly, Prince Ke acted faster. Since he was interested in this matter, it was possible to add fuel to the fire.
He released some true and false news about the Wen family's allegiance to the Wei family and the Ninth Prince.
Soon, Prince Ke fell for the bait, racking his brains to deal a heavy blow to the Wen family, determined to sever this powerful arm of the Wei family.
As Prince Ke collected more and more evidence, the day of the results finally arrived.
They had studied day and night for this very day.
Many scholars from humble backgrounds went early to wait by the榜 (bǎng - list) for the Ministry of Rites to post the results.
Speaking of which, it was also Wen Jingsong's carelessness.
He thought the matter was foolproof, but he didn't expect that the three people from Prince Ding's mansion had already switched the papers. Therefore, he thought the list was still the one he had seen before and sent it to the Ministry of Rites for immediate posting without a second glance.
By the time the news reached him, it was too late.
Wen Mengsheng was the top scholar!
This news spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys, with everyone discussing it.
After all, among the candidates this year, they had heard of Yin Canwen's reputation, heard of Wen Xinglu's reputation, and even Su Cheng had built momentum for Feng Er. They had never expected that Wen Mengsheng would become the top scholar!
The top ten on the list were all to meet Emperor Qi. Now, Wen Mengsheng, who was originally ranked lower, had become the top scholar, while the original top scholar hadn't even made the list, astonishing everyone.
Yin Canwen looked at the list back and forth three times, his pride completely shattered.
"How can this be! How is it possible!"
The one speaking was Feng Er. He was confident about his own success and, with the results out, his performance was indeed outstanding.
Sixth place was acceptable to report to his family.
But why had Yin Canwen, who was more talented and studied harder, failed to make the list? For a moment, he couldn't figure it out.
Today, Feng Jin Yao and Bai Siruo also came.
However, the two of them waited in the carriage.
Feng Jin Yao rested with her eyes closed, appearing calm and composed, while Bai Siruo was somewhat restless.
"A Yao, why are you so calm? Can Second Cousin really get in?"
She chuckled, "Whether he gets in or not, we'll know soon, won't we? Instead of worrying here, it's better to conserve your energy."
Bai Siruo was curious about why she needed to conserve energy.
Feng Jin Yao knew that a tough battle lay ahead, and many things awaited her to push forward. Naturally, she had to go over them in her mind first to ensure that everything was foolproof!
When Feng Jin Lin helped the unsteady Yin Canwen over, Bai Siruo happened to see them.
Without a second thought, she immediately jumped out of the carriage.
Seeing their appearance, her heart sank by more than half.
"No way, you both failed?"
Upon hearing the word "failed," Yin Canwen gave a bitter smile, as if drained of all strength, and said to Bai Siruo.
"Brother Feng is sixth, only I failed."
Bai Siruo's eyes widened, completely disbelieving this.
After all, in their opinion, Yin Canwen succeeding and Feng Jin Lin failing was the most likely outcome. Who would have thought it would be the other way around?
"How could this be? Did you write the wrong meaning?"
Although Bai Siruo didn't understand the imperial examinations, she occasionally heard her father mention past candidates who failed.
It wasn't that they wrote poorly, but that their meaning was not in line with the question.
Hadn't Yin Canwen made the same mistake?
She wanted to comfort him, but seeing his expression, she found it difficult to utter any encouraging words.
Yin Canwen's despair at this moment was beyond words.
Failing the exam not only jeopardized his future but also completely extinguished the slim possibility of him and Feng Jin Yao.
The Feng family would not marry their daughter to someone who couldn't even make the list, and he would no longer have the face to stay with the Feng family.
As he was thinking of withdrawing, he unexpectedly saw Feng Jin Yao lift the curtain of the carriage with her slender hands and comfort him.
"Young Master Yin, don't worry. Life is unpredictable, and if you don't succeed this time, there will be another chance. Why not ask Uncle Bai? He has also seen the examination papers and might be able to offer some insights, which can serve as a reference for future exams, what do you say?"
"Exactly, exactly! A Yao is right. Canwen, don't be discouraged. If you can't pass this year, you can try again next year. Anyway, you can stay at Yunqi Academy; you have a place to go."
Feng Er quickly said. He didn't want his brother to suffer immensely from failing the exam and become dejected.
Therefore, a trip to the Bai family, no matter what Uncle Bai said, would still give him some hope.
After hearing their words, Yin Canwen finally came back to his senses.
He put away his previous weakness and heartache and nodded at them.
"Thank you, Brother Feng and Third Miss, for your comfort. Then Canwen will make the trip and listen to Master Bai explain where the mistake was made!"
"Good, let's go together!"
Yin Canwen got into the carriage behind, feeling anxious and uneasy.
Meanwhile, Feng Jin Yao was secretly pleased, as everything was proceeding in the direction she had envisioned.
The carriages hurried to the Bai family's entrance, and the four of them rushed in.
Upon learning that Uncle Bai had not yet returned from the imperial court, they had no choice but to wait obediently in the courtyard.