Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 3: Withholding Charcoal
Looking at Wang Ruofu's receding figure, Sheng Hong restrained his expression and got to the point.

He asked, "When do you plan to leave for Bianjing?"

"In reply to Uncle Sheng, we will set off after the New Year."

From Yangzhou to Bianjing, it takes no more than one month to reach the destination by combining water and land transportation.

Sheng Hong nodded. "I've read all the essays you've written in the past few years. They flow beautifully and every word is a gem. You'll definitely be on the list this time."

"But Bianjing is different from Yangzhou. It has many complicated personnel and affairs, so we need to pay more attention."

Zhao Han clasped his fists respectfully and said, "Thank you, Uncle Sheng, for your advice. I will definitely keep it in mind."

"I have been an official for decades and have several old friends in Bian Jing. If you encounter any difficulties, you can visit them with my business card." After saying that, he ordered Dong Rong to bring the business card that had been prepared long ago.

Zhao Han stepped forward and took the name card with both hands. Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled, "Speaking of which, my nephew is now of marriageable age. I wonder if there's a girl you're interested in?"

Hearing this, Zhao Han was shocked. Could it be that he really caught the Sheng family's attention?
He smiled gently and said, "As the saying goes, one should start a family and build a career. My nephew thinks that one should build a career first and then start a family."

Sheng Hong raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you planning to wait until the imperial examination is over before discussing marriage?"

"Indeed, my nephew's parents are both deceased, and the family fortune is meager. Without any achievements, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to support the family, and I'm even more afraid of wasting my youth."

Sheng Hong's expression changed slightly. These words reminded him of the time when he and Old Lady Sheng went to the Wang family to propose marriage after he passed the imperial examination. He was filled with emotion.

Behind the Suzhou embroidery screen, Hua Lan bit her lower lip lightly, lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief. Through the fine stitches on the screen, she could vaguely see Zhao Han's appearance.

"Miss, let's go quickly. If the master sees us, we will definitely be punished." Cai Zan, the personal maid, tugged at Hualan's sleeve and reminded her in a low voice.

Hua Lan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she whispered, "It's okay. They can't find us here. What do you think of this Mr. Zhao?"

Cai Zan pondered for a moment, "He's a handsome man with great ambitions. Are you attracted to him, young lady?"

"You are such a shameless girl, don't you know how to control your words?"

Hualan did not deny Caizan's words. A faint blush appeared on her creamy cheeks. She decided to find a chance to ask Changbai after some time.

"My dear nephew, you have great foresight and lofty ambitions. Since that's the case, I will wait patiently for good news."

Sheng Hong chuckled twice, and after weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he thought that compared to Yuan Wenshao, Zhao Han was still better.

He was originally only concerned with inquiring about Yuan Wenshao's own character, but ignored the Yuan family.

If Madam Zhang was not an easy person to get along with, Hualan would indeed suffer a lot if she married into the Yuan family.

Besides, the Sheng family is far inferior to the Yuan family in status. If Hualan is wronged in the future, it would be inappropriate for them to go to the Yuan family and ask for an explanation.

However, Sheng Hong did not show his intention to marry Zhao Han at this time, because he had a wife at home who was bad-tempered, impulsive and irritable.

This matter needs to be discussed with Wang Ruofu before a decision can be made.

After listening to Sheng Hong's instructions on what to pay attention to on the road, Zhao Han stood up and said goodbye as it was almost time.

Led by Dong Rong, they passed through the corridor, turned around the screen, and soon arrived outside the mansion.

"Young master, walk slowly."

Dong Rong bowed respectfully. He had served Sheng Hong for many years and had already seen that Zhao Han would most likely become the son-in-law of the mansion.

They were silent along the way. Just as they were about to turn a corner and return to Zhao's house, a pretty girl with a straw hairpin and a cloth skirt, with a bamboo basket on her wrist, suddenly came towards them.

The girl's brows were furrowed, she seemed preoccupied, her eyes were red-rimmed, and there were still traces of tears on her cheeks. The bluestone path under her feet was uneven and potholed from years of wear, and she tripped on a protruding stone edge, falling forward.

Zhao Han frowned, suddenly remembering that this seemed to be Liu Xiaodie, the maidservant beside Wei Xiaoniang. He hurried forward and held her with his hand.

After Xiaodie stood firmly, she thanked Zhao Han repeatedly, and did not forget to check whether the charcoal in the bamboo basket was broken.

"Are you the maid of the Sheng Mansion?"

Xiaodie raised her bright eyes and asked with a puzzled look, "Yes, I am the maid who serves the young lady in the mansion. How did you know this, sir?"

Zhao Han smiled lightly, "I just came out of Sheng Mansion, and I saw that your dress is very similar to that of the maids in the mansion."

As he spoke, he cast his eyes on the bamboo basket and said, "It's getting dark. Where are you going with the charcoal?"

Faced with Zhao Han's question, Xiaodie pursed her lips. She was afraid of losing face for the Sheng family if she told others, and she was also worried that she would be misunderstood as a slave who stole charcoal.

After hesitating for a moment, she lowered her head and said, "I'm going to sell these stove charcoal and exchange them for some gray charcoal to take back home."

Zhao Han knew that Wei Xiaoniang and Minglan were having a hard time. He sighed softly and shook his head deliberately, saying, "The Sheng family is considered a well-educated and noble family in Yangzhou Prefecture. I didn't expect them to be in such a difficult situation."

"No, no, no, that's not the case." Xiaodie quickly retorted.

"Then why do you, a servant, need to be exchanged for charcoal?"

Xiaodie looked at the young man in brocade robes with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. She was holding her breath and hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "To be honest, it was the kitchen maid who withheld the charcoal from our courtyard."

"We were supposed to get eight pounds of charcoal a day, but now we only get four pounds every three to five days. It's freezing cold, and my wife is pregnant, and my daughter is still young."

"Today I went to ask for charcoal, but the women gave me the lowest quality charcoal, which filled the house with smoke. That's why I came up with this plan."

"Thank you very much for your timely help. If the charcoal had been broken, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back even a pound of ash flower charcoal."

The Sheng family has a tradition of favoring concubines over wives. Sheng Hong has always favored his concubine Lin Qinshuang and even gave her the power of housekeeper, which caused Wang Ruofu to lose face and became a laughing stock among the officials' wives in Yangzhou.

Wei Xiaoniang was originally bought into the mansion by Wang Ruofu to deal with Lin Xiaoniang, and she is now pregnant.

Lin Qinshuang was worried that if Wei Xiaoniang gave birth to a boy, Sheng Hong's love for her would be diverted, so she instructed the housekeeper to cut back on Wei Xiaoniang's food, clothing and other expenses.

Zhao Han's eyes darkened. He didn't want to see Xiaodie framed by Lin Qinshuang and kicked out of Sheng Mansion for changing charcoal, and he didn't want Wei Xiaoniang to die after ten months of pregnancy.

So he said softly: "The end of the year is approaching, and Master Sheng is busy with many things. I am afraid he will not be able to take care of the affairs of the harem."

"A pound of charcoal won't last more than a few days. I have some silver here. You can use it to buy more charcoal."

After saying that, Changqing, who had been following him, took out twenty taels of silver from his sleeve and handed it to Xiaodie.

"I have no relationship with you, young master, so how could I accept so much money for nothing? If my wife knew about this, she would definitely blame me when she returned."

Xiaodie waved her hands to refuse repeatedly. Her monthly salary was only 500 coins, and Wei Xiaoniang only received 2 taels of silver, and her salary was often deducted by the servants.

"You just said your daughter is pregnant, and she's young. What if she gets sick from the cold because there's not enough charcoal?"

"If you really feel bad about it, you can return it to me when you have enough money in the future."

Chang Qing immediately spoke up, "My young master is a very kindhearted person. You should accept it and use it to solve your urgent problem first."

(End of this chapter)