Even if a scholar with the "same degree" was looked down upon in official circles—like a concubine compared to a proper wife—the title still contained the words "Advanced Scholar," lending it an air of nobility. Furthermore, serving as an academic official at the prefectural school sounded venerable. In the eyes of the common folk in a poor, remote place like Qingshui County, wouldn't such a person belong to a prestigious scholarly family?
Xu Su Ying said, "I really didn't know at first. Then I heard that when the Wang Family's younger daughter-in-law came back to celebrate their matriarch's birthday, she brought her two sons. They're twins, seventeen this year. Apparently, they were ready to take the exam years ago, but the woman's husband is ambitious. He wants one of them to win the 'Lesser Triple Crown,' so he's been holding them back, delaying their entry into the examinations."
