Lin Bo, when he spoke to the caravan leader he had found earlier, saw a look of surprise on the man's face.
He was even happier when he heard that the Cui family's steward said they could travel together. He immediately had his caravan follow behind the Cui family's.
Originally, they had let Lin Yan and the others accompany them precisely to benefit from their official status for protection. Now, with the Cui family's banner overhead, their journey would undoubtedly be exceptionally safe.
"Yan di, is this the set of examination papers?" Lin Bo looked at the books in the chest. The chest was not heavy and was deliberately made of lighter wood.
"Does cousin want to take a look?" Lin Yan asked as she opened the chest and handed a copy to Lin Bo. She also took one for herself.
Although she had done the typesetting for this book, she hadn't seen the finished product yet.
"This book looks very exquisite," Lin Bo noticed the difference from other books as soon as he picked it up.
"The paper quality is good, and the characters are very clear. The questions and essays use the official script, while the techniques for breaking down the prompt use a different font. This is even more novel!"
"This way, it's more eye-catching," Lin Yan had wanted to use overprinting with other colors, but time was short and she hadn't gotten around to it.
"It is indeed very eye-catching." Although Lin Bo no longer needed to take the examinations, the content of this book still captivated him.
Looking at the techniques for breaking down prompts and the writing styles, Lin Bo felt that there were other ways to approach them. This was especially true for the essays by Lin Yan and Cui Zhuangyuan.
Reading through them left him feeling utterly refreshed. Thinking back to his own essays, it made him lament once again that he had passed by sheer luck.
"This is only for the first session of the imperial examinations. The subsequent ones are still being printed, and it is estimated that four volumes will be produced in total." They could be sold separately or in a set.
"Yan di, this book should not be cheap either," a book with such exquisite binding couldn't possibly be inexpensive.
"For books related to the imperial examinations, how could they be cheap? However, because it concerns the reputation of the scholars in this cohort, Brother Cui said he would try to earn as little as possible." Still, Lin Yan and the others needed to earn back their manuscript fees.
Of course, what Lin Yan received was more than just manuscript fees. She had a share in the profits with Cui Zhuangyuan. As long as the book sold well, the money she would receive would far exceed what manuscript fees could provide.
"That's good," Lin Bo felt that this book was very useful.
"Those who can participate in the imperial examinations and reach this stage are not too stingy with their finances."
"That's true. If it can help with the imperial examinations, then no amount of money is too much to give up." Lin Bo caressed the book in his hand with affection.
Like him, his family was not particularly wealthy, yet he had never been stingy when it came to books.
Fortunately, he had Lin Yan as his cousin. Otherwise, like many scholars, he might have studied diligently for more than ten years and still achieved nothing.
After coming out, he realized the gap between himself and outsiders. It was in the academy that he began to learn the six arts.
He witnessed more and a broader world. After all, the children of the Lin family had more exposure and needed more avenues to improve.
Lin Bo knew why Lin Yan was doing this. Apart from vindicating the scholars of this cohort, she also wanted to make money.
Life in the capital is difficult. But they had no parents or family to rely on. All they could rely on was themselves, and they would strive to become the support of their family.
The journey for Lin Bo and Lin Yan was exceptionally smooth. The Cui family's caravan was very well-prepared, and they didn't have to worry about anything.
Because Lin Yan was a friend whom Cui Zhuangyuan had specifically mentioned, the Cui family's steward treated Lin Yan with great courtesy and care.
As soon as Lin Yan and the others arrived at the city gate, the county magistrate, having received the news, came to greet them.
After a brief exchange with the magistrate and an agreement on the time for a gathering, Lin Yan and the others rode in their carriages back to Lin Family Village.
As soon as they entered the village limits, firecrackers erupted one after another, almost startling the horses pulling the carriage. Lin Yan and the others immediately disembarked, asking the coachman to lead the horses away.
The clan elder, along with all the clan members, were waiting at the village entrance to welcome Lin Yan and the others. Everyone looked at Lin Yan with joy, excitement, and admiration.
However, they only watched from a distance, not daring to approach and speak with Lin Yan and the others.
"Let's go, first to the ancestral hall!" The clan elder led the way, gesturing for Lin Yan and the others to proceed to the ancestral hall.
They walked ahead, followed by the clan members. The ancestral hall also seemed to have been renovated, with brand-new tiles gleaming on the roof.
Lin Yan and Lin Bo stood at the forefront of the procession. Only after informing the ancestors of this news were they finally able to speak with their family.
Old Madam Lin looked at Lin Yan with immense pride, but also with a complex emotion. She had never expected Lin Yan to reach this point, a height that had eluded the Lin family for several generations.
She had proven with her actions that women were not inferior to men.
Mother Lin also watched from within the crowd, looking at Lin Yan, who stood before everyone else. That position was the highest status within the clan. She could hardly imagine that Lin Yan had actually passed the imperial examinations, and even achieved the second-highest rank.
She was the daughter of a Xiu Cai (a scholar who had passed the preliminary imperial examination). The most impressive person she had ever met in her life was a Ju Ren (a scholar who had passed the provincial examination). Now, her own daughter had become a Jin Shi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).
She felt dazed. However, she wasn't overly joyous. Lin Yan was, after all, not a man. If her secret identity were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ever since Lin Yan started taking the imperial examinations, she had hardly slept soundly. Many times, she woke up from dreams where Lin Yan's identity was discovered, and their entire family was thrown into prison.
Now that Lin Yan had become an official, she could no longer control her inner fear. How could a woman, a woman, hold an official position?
Lin Yan also saw the expressions on Old Madam Lin and Mother Lin's faces. She was well aware of Mother Lin's thoughts, but Lin Yan did not care.
She walked up to Old Madam Lin and Mother Lin and bowed, "Grandmother, Mother, your child has returned."
"Good, good, you've grown taller," Old Madam Lin said with a smile. At this moment, she felt as if she wasn't looking at her granddaughter, but at a true grandson, one who would make the ancestors proud.
Upon hearing Old Madam Lin's words, Mother Lin suddenly realized that Lin Yan's height seemed to have increased quite a bit.
She hadn't noticed from afar before, but now Lin Yan was even slightly taller than her. Standing among the group of men, she didn't seem much shorter.
But Lin Yan was only in her teens, and she would still grow. Even if she stopped growing from now on, her height was already taller than almost all women.
"Yan'er, how, how did you grow so tall?" Mother Lin felt as if she couldn't breathe.
Her, this height, what would she do with such a height!