Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 27: Guangyuntai Wei Xingtou
Shulan was dragged by Pinlan and jogged over here. Her breathing was a little disordered, and the hair on her forehead was slightly wet with sweat.

She felt a little rude, and the tips of her ears turned a faint pink. Her fingers unconsciously straightened the collar of her clothes that was pulled askew by Pinlan.

She whispered, "Daddy, please don't agree to her promise. This girl is always jumping around and never quiets down."

"No wonder my mother and grandmother said she was like a monkey."

Sheng Wei raised his hand and frowned, then said with a stern face, "If you don't behave yourself, I'll send someone to send you back to your hometown in Youyang tomorrow."

"Daddy!" Pinlan stamped her feet in anxiety.

Seeing this, Shulan smiled, and two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, making her look even more gentle and lovely.

"Silly girl, Daddy is teasing you."

"I sent someone to Fanlou to buy some cherry pancakes. They should be on their way back now. Do you want to come with me to try some?"

Pinlan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she grabbed Shulan's sleeve again, impatiently running towards the kitchen, "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Shu Lan staggered when she was pulled by her. She didn't even bother to greet him. She just turned around and smiled at Zhao Han and Sheng Wei.

Until the figures of the two sisters gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Sheng Wei retracted his gaze and said, "Tomorrow I will send someone to keep an eye on that girl Pinlan, so that she won't sneak over and disturb you while you're studying."

Zhao Han smiled slightly. "Uncle, you're too kind. These two girls of yours, one gentle and virtuous, the other lively and straightforward, are truly interesting."

Sheng Wei sighed softly and whispered, "To be honest, nephew, because Shulan is the eldest daughter in the family, her mother has high hopes for her, so it is inevitable that she is a little strict in her daily discipline."

"As for Pinlan, this girl has been noisy since she was little. Her mother tried to discipline her several times but to no avail, so she just let her temper take its course."

Sheng Wei's words were half true and half false. Shulan's personality when she was young was actually exactly the same as Pinlan's.

Although the eldest branch of the Sheng family is wealthy and has a house full of gold and jade, they are still a merchant family after all. No matter how much money they have, it cannot compare to fame and noble family background.

Sheng Wei's wife, Li, was of poor origin and was a concubine's daughter.

Even though Sheng Wei sent a large amount of money to the second house every year, Wang Ruofu, the legitimate daughter of a prominent family, always looked down on the first house and the Li family. She was polite on the surface, but there was always a sense of condescending distance in her words.

Many years ago, she had given Li a cold look several times, and Li had always remembered it.

She wanted Shulan to marry a scholar so that when her son-in-law became an official in the court, she would no longer have to rely on the Sheng Hong family.

Therefore, she tried every means to restrain Shulan and make her learn the behavior of a lady from a noble family.

Over the years, Shulan has indeed become more dignified, generous, well-behaved and virtuous, but she has also become more submissive and cowardly.

Sheng Wei has always acquiesced to Li's actions, and he also hopes that his family can produce an official.

As for Pinlan, Li did not have too many expectations for her. She just followed her temperament and sent her to the old lady to be raised for a period of time from time to time, which made her lawless.

As a result, Pinlan went to Youyang to fight, fish, and rob bird nests on trees. There was nothing she wouldn't do, just like a tomboy.

After giving a brief explanation, Sheng Wei went to the study, wrote a letter and asked a servant to deliver it to Sheng Mansion in Yangzhou at full speed.

For four or five days in a row, Zhao Han either studied in the study or stretched his muscles in the yard.

Pinlan came secretly several times and begged Zhao Han to teach her archery after he passed the imperial examination.

Looking at her watery almond eyes, Zhao Han couldn't bear to refuse.

At dusk that day, dusk fell and the sky gradually darkened.

Zhao Han sat alone by the window, carefully reading a yellowed copy of "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons." At this moment, Changqing ran in and bowed, saying, "Young master, the second son of the Gu family sent Shitou to say that he would like to invite you to a good place. The carriage is already waiting outside the side gate."

Zhao Han put down the book with a puzzled look in his eyes, went into the inner room to straighten his clothes, and then got into the carriage in the deepening dusk.

The carriage turned around the Imperial Street and stopped at a very bustling and prosperous place in just an incense stick of time.

When I got off the carriage, the first thing that caught my eye was three large gold-plated characters written in a flamboyant style: Guangyuntai!

Several gilded lanterns are hung high on both sides of the vermilion lacquer gate, reflecting the colorful light on the clear stone pavement in front of the gate.

"Mr. Zhao, my brother has been waiting in the elegant pavilion for a long time." Shi Tou said with a smile.

As soon as you step into Guangyuntai, a warm fragrance hits you in the face, and the sound of stringed instruments and the clinking of glasses are heard all around.

The dancers on the stage fluttered their wide sleeves, looking like startled swans and graceful dragons, and received bursts of applause from time to time.

In the elegant room on the second floor, the aroma of agarwood lingers.

When Gu Tingye saw Zhao Han, he hurriedly stood up to greet him and personally poured him a glass of wine.

"Brother Zhao, what you said is true."

"After I returned home and admitted my mistake despite being instigated by others, my father didn't punish me. In the past few days, he has often praised me in front of others for being sensible."

"I never thought my stepmother would actually want to harm me. No wonder she always tried to stop my father from punishing me. But the more she tried to stop him, the harder my father would beat me."

"At first I always thought my father hated me and wanted to beat me to death to clean up the Gu family."

"Now that I think about it, it turns out it was all her invisible instigation."

"Over the years, I've treated her with utmost respect and have never offended her in the slightest."

After Gu Tingye finished speaking, a hint of sadness flashed across his eyes.

He gave a bitter laugh and continued, "When my biological mother, Mrs. Bai, passed away, I was still an infant. When Madam Qin came into the mansion, I was only two years old. In my heart, the importance of this stepmother is no different from that of my biological mother."

As the candlelight flickered, Gu Tingye's voice became hoarse.

Zhao Han's eyes darkened. "Zhong Huai, have you forgotten these eight words? A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure."

Gu Tingye was not a fool. He frowned and said, "I've been thinking about it for the past few days, and the only reason I can think of is the title of the Marquis."

"My elder brother is in poor health. He has been married for many years and still has only one daughter, Xianjie."

"I'm also a notorious playboy in Bianjing. I'm afraid my stepmother has already figured out who my father will give the title to in the future."

"If it weren't for Brother Zhao, I'm afraid I would still be intoxicated by the gentle paradise she has carefully crafted. Please accept Zhong Huai's greetings!"

After saying that, Gu Tingye suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Han solemnly.

Zhao Han quickly raised his hand to help him up, "Fortunately, Marquis Ningyuan still has high hopes for you."

"Now that you have seen through Madam Xiao Qin's tactics, with your talent and intelligence, you will surely achieve great things in the future."

Gu Tingye sighed softly, "Brother Zhao thinks so highly of me? With my current reputation, I can't even marry a girl from a wealthy family, so how can I achieve anything great?"

"Forget it, let's not talk about these things anymore. Let's just wait for Wei Xingtou to show up!"

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(End of this chapter)