Duan Jinxing broke into a cold sweat in an instant. Fortunately, his face and head rarely perspired, so the sweat remained hidden beneath his clothes, invisible to others.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself to focus on answering Grand Tutor Xu's questions.
With Grand Tutor Xu questioning him upfront, what could Xie Lin possibly do from behind?
Grand Tutor Xu would never let Xie Lin act recklessly!
Duan Jinxing repeated this thought in his mind, gradually calming himself.
His subsequent responses, he believed, were well-delivered, and Grand Tutor Xu's satisfied expression confirmed it.
After the palace examination concluded, Grand Tutor Xu indeed named him the top scholar!
Duan Jinxing’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest, but he mustered every ounce of composure to maintain an unshaken demeanor.
As expected, Grand Tutor Xu still held authority over the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord.
Duan Jinxing resolved in his heart that he would pledge his loyalty to Grand Tutor Xu in the future.
As a scholar-official who rose through the imperial examinations, aligning himself with the upright faction was only natural.
Duan Jinxing had achieved the rare feat of topping all three levels of the exams, and his fellow candidates showered him with congratulations.
Those who accomplished this were few in history!
His starting point was already leagues above others.
The news of his triple triumph reached the Duan household, and Duan's mother nearly fainted from joy.
Jiang Zhaohua, though prepared, was still overwhelmed by the good news.
Nearing her due date, the excitement triggered a sudden pang in her abdomen.
"Quick, help me back to my room..." Jiang Zhaohua gasped.
The maids scrambled to assist her to bed before rushing to summon the physician and midwife.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm—after resting, the pain subsided.
Duan's mother sighed in disappointment. "I thought my grandson would arrive today, making it doubly auspicious!"
Jiang Zhaohua turned livid at her words. "Would it be any less auspicious if he’s born a few days later?"
"A child needs time in the womb to grow properly. What kind of grandmother wishes for a premature birth?"
Realizing her misstep, Duan's mother still refused to back down. "I merely made an offhand remark. Must you argue with your mother-in-law?"
With status on her side, Duan's mother silenced Jiang Zhaohua, leaving her to seethe in silence.
Jiang Zhaohua consoled herself by imagining the future—her husband would secure her the title of first-rank noble consort, but not for this wretched old woman...
Perhaps the old hag wouldn’t even live to see that day!
In her past life at the Xie Residence, the maids had gossiped about how devoted Chancellor Duan was to his wife, but no one ever mentioned whether his mother was still alive. Jiang Zhaohua had no way of knowing.
This thought finally eased her temper.
The top scholar paraded through the streets on horseback, with Furong escorting Duan's mother to watch the spectacle.
Jiang Zhaohua, too heavily pregnant to risk even a carriage ride to a teahouse, had to stay home, regretting that she couldn’t witness her husband’s triumphant procession.
She comforted herself—this was only the first step in his glorious future, and she would be by his side for all of it.
These were the Duan family’s most glorious days.
With Duan Jinxing’s triple victory, their doorstep was nearly worn out by visitors.
He spent his days hiding at the academy, while Duan's mother reveled in hosting guests.
Though confined to her chamber due to her pregnancy, Jiang Zhaohua had never been happier.
Everything was unfolding just as she’d heard in her past life.
The fortune that once belonged to Jiang Yunshu was now hers.
Days later, Jiang Zhaohua went into labor in the dead of night. Servants rushed to fetch the physician and midwife.
Between waves of agony, she seethed at the cramped Duan residence—if only they had more space, the physician and midwife could have stayed on standby instead of being summoned in the middle of the night.
Since her pregnancy had advanced, Duan Jinxing had been sleeping in the study.
Though it wasn’t far, the commotion failed to rouse him. Even Duan's mother woke and came to check, beaming. "At dawn, Jinxing will receive his official appointment."
"My grandson is truly blessed, arriving on such an auspicious day."
Jiang Zhaohua, wracked with pain, hadn’t realized her labor coincided with her husband’s appointment.
"Mother... bring my husband here..." She felt as if she were being split in two and desperately wanted Duan Jinxing by her side.
Duan's mother recoiled, scolding sharply, "Nonsense! Women have always endured childbirth alone!"
"How could a man enter the delivery room?"
"It’s unclean—it would ruin his fortune!"
"Aren’t you the daughter of a marquis? How do you not know this?"
The words only intensified Jiang Zhaohua’s pain and fury. Ignoring her mother-in-law, she ordered her maids to summon Duan Jinxing.
Moments later, he arrived in a flurry, his heartache evident as he clasped her hand.
"Zhaohua... you’ve suffered..."
Duan's mother tried frantically to shoo him out, but he refused, instead ushering her away.
"Don’t be afraid. I’m here with you."
Yet he could only stay briefly—dawn was breaking, and he had to attend the palace for his official appointment.
Touched by his devotion, Jiang Zhaohua urged him to go. "Hurry... you mustn’t be late!"
"I’ll give you a son here. When you return, I’ll be the wife of a sixth-rank official."
By the Great Qi Dynasty’s tradition, the top three scholars were appointed as Hanlin Academy compilers, sixth-rank officials serving closely under the emperor—a direct path to meteoric rises.
Many chancellors in history had begun this way.
Duan Jinxing in her past life was no exception, so Jiang Zhaohua never doubted his first post would be the same.
With reluctant steps, Duan Jinxing left. No one saw the relief that washed over his face as he boarded the carriage.
Jiang Zhaohua endured the torment of childbirth. The midwife assured her that first births were slow, but her position was good—the delivery should go smoothly.
Yet by noon, news of Duan Jinxing’s appointment reached the household.
Jiang Zhaohua was still in labor, so Duan's mother received the message first.
She shrieked in disbelief, "What? A ninth-rank official?"
"The top scholar is supposed to be sixth-rank! How did my son end up ninth-rank?"
"This is a colossal difference!"
"What ninth-rank post?"
"Assistant supervisor of the Imperial Stables’ horse pastures... What kind of position is that?" Duan's mother demanded, baffled. "What does it entail?"
When the answer came, she nearly fainted on the spot.
"Tending horses? Repairing carriages?"
"This is wrong! It must be a mistake!"
"My son studied for over a decade to become the top scholar—he’s meant for greatness! How could he end up a stablehand?"
As Duan's mother wailed and threatened to storm the palace for answers, she paid no heed to the wall separating her from Jiang Zhaohua, still struggling in childbirth.
Jiang Zhaohua heard everything, her body instantly going limp.
Her face turned ashen, her eyes vacant, and like Duan's mother, she kept murmuring, "Wrong... wrong... there must been some mistake..."
"After my husband achieved the rare feat of topping all three imperial examinations, he became a compiler in the Hanlin Academy... I remember it clearly..."
The midwife's heart gave a violent lurch—why was the lady speaking nonsense?
She fretted anxiously by the bedside, "Madam, madam..."
"This isn't the time for such thoughts—you're in labor! Push, quickly!"
After urging in vain for what felt like an eternity, seeing Jiang Zhaohua still dazed, the midwife gritted her teeth.
Slap! She struck Jiang Zhaohua hard across the face.
"Wake up, madam! If you don't push now, both you and the child will die!"
Jiang Zhaohua jolted back to awareness.
She tried to summon her strength, but found her limbs utterly powerless.
Terror seized her. "Am I dying?"
"I can't die yet—I haven't even become the chancellor's wife—"
