Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 146 The Third Branch of the Sheng Family, Rulan's Marriage

"You've seen the Emperor before, just do as the nanny says, there's no need to be nervous."

Zhang Guifen blinked. "What did Granny say again?"

"Ah? Your Highness, you haven't forgotten all of this, have you?" Hongying's mouth was slightly open, her face showing surprise.

"I...I got so nervous I can't remember anything!"

"What should we do? You must know, tell me quickly." Zhang Guifen frowned slightly and reached out to tug at her sleeve.

Hongying blushed and hurriedly pulled her sleeve back from her hand.

"I'm not married yet, those things are too embarrassing for me to talk about. You should think about it carefully, Miss."

Seeing her like this, Zhang Guifen couldn't help but feel uneasy and kept taking deep breaths.

Just then, a clear announcement came from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"

Zhang Guifen suddenly stood up, her slender, fair fingertips trembling slightly, with Hongying following closely beside her.

As the footsteps drew closer, she hurried forward a few steps and bowed gracefully, saying, "Your Majesty, I greet you."

Zhao Han smiled and reached out to help her up, saying, "Let's skip these formalities today."

"Hmm..." Zhang Guifen nodded gently.

Zhao Han put his arm around her slender waist, and the two walked together into the inner hall.

Hongying wisely withdrew.

Zhao Han stared intently at Zhang Guifen, only to see her lowered eyes, her former heroic spirit replaced by the shy demeanor of a young girl.

The blush on her cheeks was clearly visible, and a faint, warm fragrance lingered around her.

"Why are you so reserved? I'm not going to eat you," Zhao Han said seriously.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifen unconsciously took a deep breath, her full chest rising and falling slightly.

"How can one not be reserved when the emperor looks at people like that?"

"Fen'er remembers her mother saying that the Emperor is the ruler of the country, and when interacting with him, one should always keep in mind the rules and etiquette."

Zhao Han chuckled and said, "What the Duchess of England said makes some sense, but it also depends on the situation."

"If we still adhere to rules and etiquette now, wouldn't we lose a lot of the fun?"

Zhang Guifen looked at him with a slight puzzlement, "What kind of fun could it be?"

Zhao Han gestured for her to come closer, then gently flicked her finger, causing her sash to flutter down.

"Your Majesty..." Zhang Guifen exclaimed, a faint blush rising to her originally fair and slender neck.

The clothes were removed layer by layer, leaving only a glossy inner garment, with a red bodice embroidered with twin lotus flowers faintly visible.

"It's your turn to help me change my clothes."

Zhang Guifen nodded and served him carefully.

Before long, Zhao Han leaned against the pillow, her hands reaching into her inner garment, and disappeared without a trace.

Zhang Guifen's heart pounded like thunder, and she could only nestle weakly in his arms.

After that, Zhao Han stayed at Xuanming Hall for four or five consecutive days, giving the Duke of Ying's mansion ample respect.

Seeing her daughter so favored, the Duchess of England's worries gradually dissipated, and she began to busy herself with finding a marriage for her fourth son, Zhang Yang.

-

Jiying Lane, Sheng Mansion, Shouan Hall.

Wang Ruofu, Rulan, Minglan, and others were all here.

Quan Ge'er has already learned to walk. Dressed in a festive red shirt, he wanders around the house all day long, wobbling unsteadily.

She babbles in a childish voice, her little mouth is so sweet, and she calls out to people in a muffled way whenever she sees them.

He made the old lady very happy, and she looked completely different from Sheng Changbai when he was a child.

Wang Ruofu felt resentful towards Sheng Changbai the moment she saw Quan Ge'er, and Shou'an Hall was filled with laughter and joy all day long because of Quan Ge'er.

Wei Shuyi had Liu Ge'er to dote on, while her Wei Rui Xuan was always cold and desolate.

For some reason, Rulan has been in a hurry to leave after only exchanging a few words with me lately, as if she is restless.

After holding Quan Ge'er for a while, Sheng Hong said with a smile, "Mother, Brother Wei and Sister-in-law have entered the Bianhe section of the road."

"We'll arrive in three to five days. Finally, our two families can be reunited for a long time."

"Yes," the old lady nodded gently, then asked, "How is the third branch of the family doing?"

Sheng Hong sighed softly, "It's the same as always. Brother Wei said in his letter that Brother Song intends to gradually cut off their support."

The eldest patriarch of the Sheng family was Sheng Huaizhong, the second patriarch was Sheng Huaiyuan, and the third patriarch was Sheng Huaiyi.

Back then, Sheng Huaizhong inherited his family business in Youyang and became infatuated with a courtesan.

Ignoring everyone's objections, he forcibly brought her into the mansion as a concubine, began to favor the concubine over his wife, and ultimately caused the death of his daughter, Sheng Shu.

The eldest branch of the family, the matriarch, could no longer tolerate it and moved out of the Sheng family mansion with Sheng Wei and Sheng Yun, settling in the countryside.

After Sheng Huaizhong died young, his family fortune was almost entirely squandered, and a portion of it was taken away by courtesans.

Sheng Huaiyi profited handsomely from it.

After the eldest branch of the family returned with Sheng Wei, the Sheng family even mortgaged their ancestral home.

Sheng Huaiyuan also died young. Sheng Huaiyi was hoping that Old Madam Sheng would remarry so that he could take over the second wife's family business.

Seeing that the old lady had no intention of remarrying, Sheng Huai repeatedly brought people to cause trouble and bully her and her orphaned son, Sheng Hong.

The matter even escalated to the point of involving the government. It wasn't until three to five years later, when Sheng Hong passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, that Sheng Huai gradually lost faith in his talent.

Therefore, neither the eldest nor the second branch of the family liked Sheng Huaiyi very much, even though he was the longest-living member of the Sheng family.

He's still alive and kicking in Youyang, and whenever Sheng Wei owes the three families money, he comes to make trouble.

As the saying goes, "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too," and the descendants of the third branch were all lazy and idle.

"It's good that it's over; they should suffer a bit," said Old Madam Sheng in a deep voice.

Sheng Hong nodded. "Although Song-ge is young, he is a man of his own mind and not as easy to manipulate as Brother Wei. It's impossible for Third Uncle and the others to come to the capital to cause trouble."

"That being said, we still need to be on guard; even a cornered dog will jump over the wall."

In the past, Shengwei couldn't ignore his uncle for the sake of his reputation.

He has now moved to the capital, and Sheng Changsong is in charge of the household in Youyang.

The relationship between the two families was naturally separated by a layer, and gradually cutting off the aid would not give anyone a handle to criticize them.

“Mother is right. After Brother Wei arrives in Beijing, I will discuss this matter with him.”

After Sheng Hong finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Minglan. After weighing the matter for a moment, he stroked his beard and said, "Mother, I have a student named Wen Yanjing, whose father was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)."

Although his family background is not as good as ours, he is exceptionally talented, upright, and a probationary official appointed by the government.

“He will surely achieve great things in the future. I'm thinking that tomorrow he'll be of marriageable age, so perhaps…”

As he spoke, Sheng Hong kept glancing at the old lady's expression. If the old lady disagreed, then the matter would have to be dropped.

Rulan, who was standing to the side, suddenly changed her expression, and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to start speaking.

Minglan's mind was also in turmoil, but her expression remained normal, showing no sign of anything amiss.

The old lady frowned slightly, tapping her fingers lightly on the table beside her.

After a short while, she said in a deep voice, "There's no rush for tomorrow's marriage. Let's discuss it with Brother Wei when we have time."

She could tell that Wei Ling was a man of strong character and not one to swallow his pride, no matter how good Wen Yanjing was.

That's a genuine marriage downgrade. If Wei Ling mistakenly believes the Sheng family is mistreating Minglan, who knows what he might do? "Mother is indeed very thoughtful." Sheng Hong instantly understood the old lady's worries, stood up, and bowed.

Wang Ruofu picked up her teacup, took a slow sip, and said softly, "My lord, Ru'er is older than Ming'er, so her marriage should be put on the agenda."

"I know what I'm doing. If a suitable family comes along, I'll definitely keep an eye out for her," Sheng Hong said with a helpless expression.

Wang Ruofu had even more requirements than Hua Lan had when choosing a husband.

The family background is clean, the mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are easy to take care of, and the person has a title or ancestral property that can be inherited.

The family background must be slightly lower than the Sheng family, but not too much lower; families with military merit who hold real power must also be excluded.

Throughout Bianjing (Kaifeng), not a single one could be found that perfectly matched.

Ru Lan's eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked extremely anxious.

After Minglan noticed, she whispered, "Fifth Sister, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, it's just that I feel Daddy is treating you really well now, Xiao Liu."

“A man as talented and polite as Wen Jia’er, he would think of you first.”

Upon hearing this, Minglan immediately opened her eyes wide and looked at her with considerable surprise.

"Fifth Sister, how...how did you know that Young Master Wen was so good?"

"I..." Rulan realized she had let something slip, gave a soft snort, and turned away, ignoring Minglan.

His father died early, and he was raised by his mother. He studied hard from a young age, and his experience was similar to mine.

Therefore, Sheng Hong genuinely liked and appreciated Wen Yanjing.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke again: "Brother Wei has a girl named Pin, who is only slightly older than Ming'er. We could let her and Wen Yanjing meet and get to know each other."

The old lady's eyes lit up.

If Pinlan could marry a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, it would be a truly good thing for the eldest son's family.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Rulan's anxious expression and blurted out, "How can this be!"

Wang Ruofu turned his head and said, "Why are you making such a fuss? What does this have to do with you?"

"I..." Rulan was speechless for a moment.

Sheng Hong gazed intently at her, recalling how he had frequently invited Wen Yanjing to visit him for discussions these past few days…

"Ru'er, have you met him?"

Wang Ruofu frowned, and the words "secretly meeting with a man outside the marriage" suddenly popped into her mind.

If this gets out, it'll be disastrous.

Seeing Rulan's hesitant manner, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu simultaneously turned their attention to the magpie.

"Hurry up and confess honestly, or you'll be punished according to family rules!"

Wang Ruofu's shout startled the magpie, who turned to look at Rulan.

Sheng Hong took a deep breath and subconsciously raised his hand to rub his temples.

"Please, my lord, understand that the young lady and Young Master Wen are completely innocent. They only met once by chance in the garden," Magpie replied, kneeling on the ground with a trembling voice.

"I'm afraid it's not just once. Since you're not telling the truth, drag her away immediately and give her twenty lashes."

“Servants who don’t know how to advise their masters are useless,” Sheng Hong said coldly.

He still vividly remembered what had happened to Mo Lan, and every time he thought of it, he felt like he was being pricked by thorns.

"Daddy!"

Worried that the magpie would be punished, Rulan mustered her courage, lifted the hem of her skirt, and knelt down in front of everyone with a "plop".

Even Old Madam Sheng was startled by this sight.

“About half a month ago, Young Master Wen came to visit our residence, and I happened to run into him in the garden.”

"He helped me pick up the handkerchief that had been blown away by the wind, and that's when we exchanged a few words."

"Later, I saw him several more times in the garden, but we always kept a distance from each other, without ever crossing the line."

"Young Master Wen said that he would find an opportunity to express his feelings to Father and propose marriage in a proper and respectable manner."

After Rulan finished speaking, she stiffened her neck and looked at Sheng Hong with red eyes.

Wang Ruofu raised her hand, baring her teeth and pointing at Rulan, "You brat!"

"No wonder Wen Yanjing has been looking evasive and hesitant when he talks to me lately."

"So there was this other matter involved," Sheng Hong said quietly.

Rulan's face was full of stubbornness, "Young Master Wen and I are mutually in love!"

"He was worried that his humble background made him unworthy of the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, which is why he acted this way. He is by no means a frivolous or reckless person!"

Wang Ruofu was exasperated, saying, "Now that things have come to this, how dare you still try to excuse him?"

"Whether they were mutually in love or not is another matter, but to do something so disgraceful to the family, you must go to the ancestral hall and reflect on your actions!"

"Father..." Rulan still wanted to explain.

Minglan quickly stepped forward to help her up and whispered, "Fifth Sister, let's go first, don't add fuel to the fire."

Rulan pursed her lips. Seeing that Sheng Hong's expression was really not good, she had no choice but to obediently retreat with Xique.

The atmosphere inside Shou'an Hall became somewhat tense for a moment.

The old lady spoke first, "If Wen Yanjing is a reliable person, it's not impossible for this marriage to happen."

“Mother, the Wen family’s social standing is a bit too low. Ru’er is the legitimate daughter, the Empress’s own sister.”

Wang Ruofu was extremely annoyed, truly never expecting that Rulan would choose such a family.

Sheng Hong picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. At the moment, the Sheng family had no need for any support from in-laws.

Marrying down to a legitimate daughter can actually give her a reputation for not coveting power and for choosing a husband based on integrity, which can also put Zhao Han at ease.

However, what Rulan did really infuriated him.

If she misjudged him, and Wen Yanjing, being an untrustworthy man, made a big fuss about it, then he would definitely beat Rulan to death.

"I will have Wen Yanjing come to the manor tomorrow, and I hope Mother can help me take a look," Sheng Hong said, cupping his hands in greeting.

The old lady nodded, then looked at Wang Ruofu, "You don't need to worry too much. If Ruo Ruo really wants to marry into the Wen family, Wen Yanjing is a good man. Just bring more dowry."

"She will never be lacking in usefulness. With our family around, the entire Wen family will treat her like an ancestor."

"After all, he is a junior scholar appointed by the emperor. With our help, he might even be able to get an imperial title for Rulan in the future."

Wang Ruofu silently weighed the options; she knew Rulan's personality all too well.

Once she's made up her mind, nothing can change it. If she's really forbidden from associating with Wen Yanjing, who knows what kind of mess it would cause.

After a soft sigh, she said, "Mother is right."

Inside the ancestral hall, Rulan sat restlessly on a prayer mat.

Minglan stayed by her side and said softly, "Fifth Sister, you were too impulsive just now."

"If I hadn't acted impulsively, I'm afraid Father would have already betrothed Pinlan to Young Master Wen."

Rulan knew that the eldest son's family valued scholars the most, so she would definitely not refuse this marriage proposal.

"But aren't you afraid that Young Master Wen is only with you because he has his eye on our Sheng family..."

Minglan was interrupted by Rulan before she could finish speaking.

"No, that's not true. When he found out I was the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, he even wrote me a letter to cut off all contact with me."

(End of this chapter)