All Heavens and Worlds Modified History System

Chapter 100: The mouth of a scholar is a lie
Chen Ran had served in the imperial court and even as a Grand Commander.

He is very experienced in dealing with human relationships and never fails to make a great show at a banquet.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill and were sent out, Qin Bangye turned around and told Qin Zhong to go and rest first, while he went to talk to Qin Keqing.

"This person is interested in you."

Qin Keqing blushed with shame at Qin Bangye's words.

"Daddy~~~"

"This person." Qin Bangye frowned, thinking back to Chen Ran's previous performance, and he didn't know what to say. "He speaks and does things perfectly, and behaves like a big boss in the court. I can't see through him."

Qin Keqing blinked, not quite understanding what her adoptive father meant.

"Forget it." Qin Bangye waved his hand. "This is up to you. If you are interested, just go ahead and interact with me. If not, find some money and gifts for your father some other day, and go to your house to express your gratitude, and we will end this karma."

"Daddy~~~"

When she went to bed at night, Qin Keqing tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She felt that Chen Ran was a man of decisiveness and confidence that made people feel at ease.

He moved a lot and spoke nicely, so I didn't feel disgusted by him.

But her father also said that he was very tactful in dealing with people. She really didn't see that.

His thoughts changed, and he finally decided to let his younger brother Qin Zhong deliver the letter to find out his feelings.

From Qin Keqing's perspective, Chen Ran is now a student and not only has his own property, he even owns a jewelry shop.

It is said that he also has an unusual relationship with the Wannian County Magistrate.

Even in the modern world's blind date market, it is very competitive.

To say that it was unintentional is naturally impossible.

His appearance, demeanor, ability to handle affairs, and external conditions are all good, so naturally I have to test him out.

The letters were very vague, mostly discussing jewelry styles, whether the dishes at the banquet were satisfactory, etc.

It's so confusing that I can't figure out what it means.

But Chen Ran could understand it.

It was simple. When he was the Grand Commander in the Ming Dynasty, he had seen too many memorials that hid the core intentions amidst a lot of nonsense.

He still has the ability to find the true meaning between the lines.

He quickly realized that this was a test of his thoughts.

Without any nonsense, he spread out a piece of paper, took a pen and wrote a reply directly, then gave it to Qin Zhong and asked him to take it back.

Qin Keqing received the reply letter, spread it out and covered her mouth with her hand.

Chen Ran's reply consisted of only four sentences: 'Lian Lian Lian, we are destined to be friends for a hundred years. If one of us dies at the age of ninety-seven, I will wait for him on the Naihe Bridge for three years.'

This is not a love poem, but a folk song from Guangxi.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to be a porter of poetry, he’s just not good at it.

Moreover, most of the love poems he was familiar with were written by predecessors, so he simply did not follow the usual path.

Qin Keqing's first reaction was surprise. This was definitely not a poem.

The second reaction was that the words were interesting, simple and straightforward, and had a unique charm compared to poetry.

The third reaction was shyness. This sentence was too straightforward, as if it was a direct promise to be together for a hundred years.

Qin Zhong looked at his sister in confusion, watching the constantly changing expressions on her face. He couldn't understand what she had written and why she was so excited.

"You, send him another letter."

Qin Keqing herself didn't realize that her way of addressing her had changed subconsciously.

Qin Zhong rolled his eyes. Why do I always have to run back and forth?

"Brother Zhong, you've worked hard." Chen Ran took out two taels of silver and stuffed it into Qin Zhong's hand. "Take it and spend it."

Qin Zhong, who had been sullen before, immediately smiled and said, "It's not hard, it's not hard. From now on, just greet me when you deliver the letter."

This is what is meant by social conventions.

No matter how cheap child labor is, you still have to pay.

The second letter was much more normal, just a simple greeting.

This time he did not reply to the letter. Instead, he took out the jewelry box he had prepared earlier and stuffed it into Qin Zhong's arms. "Give it to your sister when you get back."

Qin Keqing took the jewelry box, opened it and saw an exquisitely crafted gold hairpin.

The portion was not very heavy, but the golden phoenix that seemed to be about to spread its wings and fly high was a manifestation of superb craftsmanship that made her unable to let it go.

"This craft cannot be achieved without decades of practice."

Chen Ran was so generous that Qin Keqing's eyes were filled with tears and her favorability towards him soared.

The beautiful girls in the world of Dream of Red Mansions are by no means innocent little white flowers. None of them is perfect and all of them have their own flaws.

They all have their own expectations and demands, and the sharp-tongued attacks never cease.

Qin Keqing has a gentle personality and is the type of person who will gradually get close to anyone who treats her well.

Of course, the premise of treating her well is to please her.

Just like Qin Keqing likes jewelry, but without sufficient financial resources, she has no chance to be a bootlicker.

In the original novel, he had an ambiguous relationship with Jia Zhen and others. It couldn't be because of Lian Fu, because Qin Bangye was not dead yet.

Jia Zhen is an old man with no face, no figure and no bearing. The only thing he can show off is his wealth.

Chen Ran saw it clearly and tried to please him from the beginning.

With jewelry paving the way, the so-called emotional foundation will naturally advance by leaps and bounds.

On this day, Chen Ran wrote a letter to Qin Keqing, asking her to go for an outing in a few days. As long as they could make the appointment, it would basically be a done deal.

"Sir." Third Sister You spoke from outside the room, "Someone claiming to be a family member of Lord Hao from Shuntian Prefecture wants to see you."

"Ok?"

Chen Ran wrote with a hint of surprise. He and the acting governor of Shuntian Prefecture, Lord Hao, had a simple transactional relationship. He gave Huang Tingjian's calligraphy in exchange for passing the prefectural examination.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any subsequent friendship.

The family of Magistrate Hao came to deliver an invitation, inviting Chen Ran to a banquet at their house in a few days.

There was nothing to say, so I just agreed.

A few days later, Chen Ran visited Governor Hao, carrying a gift box that matched the standard.

What surprised him was that he was the only one invited to the banquet. Prefect Hao sat there chatting and pouring wine for him personally.

'If someone is being too attentive to you for no reason, he is either a womanizer or a thief.'

Having experienced the baptism of the officialdom in the Ming Dynasty, Chen Ran immediately made a judgment: "This is a request from me~~~"

Sure enough, after three rounds of wine and five dishes,

Magistrate Hao stroked his goatee and started the conversation with a smile, "Zihou, I want to thank you."

Chen Ran was shocked. "I am terrified. I don't know what the governor is talking about."

"Your painting, 'Letter to All the Elders'." Prefect Hao smiled even more broadly. "I have sent it to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin. His Royal Highness was very pleased and praised it highly. It will be of great benefit to my career."

Hearing this, Chen Ran suddenly understood.

After the current emperor forced the retired emperor to abdicate, he felt that the fight for the throne among the kings was too brutal, and intended to appoint a crown prince early.

Matters like establishing a country's foundation are major events that affect the interests of countless people, no matter in which dynasty.

The court, including royal relatives and nobles, placed bets and joined the emperor, causing chaos.

He had three princes. The eldest prince was named King of Qin. He was fond of literature and respected the wise and humble, and he followed the path of a civil official.

The second prince was named King of Wei. He was fond of archery and horse riding and had close relations with the military heroes.

The third prince was named King of Qi. He was fond of financial management and had constant contacts with nobles and merchants.

The prince must be one of the three, and most people in the court are busy placing bets.

Now it seems that this Prefect Hao is obviously Qin Wang's man.

As for why he mentioned the "Letter to All the Elders" and specially invited me to a banquet, Chen Ran's thoughts changed. "Are you treating me like an ATM? Do you still want something good?"

As expected, the prefect Hao then changed the subject and said, "It will be the birthday of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin in a few days, and I must have a presentable gift before I come to visit. Zihou, I am not afraid of you making fun of me. I have no extra money at home, and I am penniless. I would like to trouble you to help me look for something as good as the Letter to All the Elders."

Looking at the delicious dishes on the table, looking at the plate of stir-fried dishes that required the tongues of a hundred chickens, looking at the plate of steamed egg custard with pearl powder, looking at the plate of carp leaping over the dragon gate that was made up of the gills of ninety-nine fish.

Chen Ran smiled.

If these people have no extra money and are penniless, is there any way for the people of the Great Zhou to survive?
"Your Excellency." Chen Ran, who knew his plan, put down his chopsticks slowly and said, "Huang Tingjian's calligraphy is hard to come by, and I am just a student, where can I get so many good things like this?"

As for Prefect Hao, his face immediately darkened.

Chen Ran, however, responded with a serious expression and did not care at all.

Why should I help you if you don't give me any benefits?

Just by having a meal and saying some nice words, you want treasures worth thousands of taels. What a pipe dream you have.

Seeing that he failed to scare the man, Magistrate Hao's expression became even uglier.

I wanted to get angry, but I also knew that this person had some background.

The staff of the Jinling prefect have some connection with the Salt Inspector Lin Ruhai and the Rongguo Mansion. They are not the kind of people who can be manipulated at will.

Just think about it and you will know that if you want to run a jewelry store in the capital, it is impossible to do it without someone behind you, and it would have been swallowed up by someone else long ago.

If coercion doesn't work, then the only option is bribery.

The position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites has been vacant recently, and Prefect Hao has set his eyes on this position and urgently needs the support of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin.

Just painting a "Letter to the Venerables" is not enough, we need to work harder to finalize this matter.

But things of this level are hard to come by.

As his thoughts changed, Magistrate Hao's elegant face smiled again. "Zihou, let's be frank. As long as you can help me with this matter, I will do my best to help you when the imperial court holds the imperial examination next year."

It goes without saying that Prefect Hao was in charge of the autumn examination in Shuntian Prefecture.

The special imperial examination will be held next year. If Magistrate Hao becomes the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he will naturally be an examiner as well, and it will be convenient for him as well.

This promise was very much to Chen Ran's liking.

only.
"Master." Chen Ran picked up the wine pot and poured wine for him. "Of course I am willing to help. However, good things are good because they are rare. Even if I have some connections, it will cost me a lot."

Hearing the sound of the strings, one can understand the elegant meaning. Having been in the officialdom for many years, Magistrate Hao naturally understood what Chen Ran meant.

This requires silver.

"As long as there are good things, there will be expenses." Prefect Hao, who felt he was being blackmailed, said in his heart, 'Next year's Enke? You won't even pass this year's Qiuwei!'

If it weren't for the tempering of the Ming Dynasty world, Chen Ran might have believed his lies.

Chen Ran, who was used to the Ming Dynasty scholars' words being as loud as farts, had no chance of believing it.

The words of scholars are lies.

But it doesn’t matter, this is indeed a good opportunity and he has his own way to deal with it.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and Magistrate Hao paid three thousand taels of silver for the expenses, and also helped Chen Ran to pass the autumn examination and the next year's special examination.

In exchange, Chen Ran went to find outstanding calligraphy and paintings, at least at the level of "Letters to the Venerables".

After returning home, Chen Ran immediately returned to the modern world.

In the modern world home.

After the fierce battle, Liu Ruyan came out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a towel. "I just gave it to you a few days ago. Why are you so anxious as if you were just released?"

Chen Ran, who was lying on the bed smoking, skipped the topic and simply asked, "Help me find a professional to do this."

"What professional?"

“Ancient calligraphy and painting are fake!”

(End of this chapter)