Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

The self-address of "son-in-law" relieved Sheng Hong's worries, but also caused Lin Qinshuang and her daughter to secretly lament their misfortune.

"Hey, it's too early to change your tune now. Don't let others laugh at you," Sheng Hong said with a smile.

Zhou Ning repeatedly agreed, bowing and saying, "Lord Sheng, this is a proper marriage, marrying a virgin. The eight-bearer sedan chair carries a virtuous and gentle woman. The three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts are for a learned and reasonable woman. Am I right?"

Sheng Hong agreed, "That's right, that's how it should be!"

"My humble request is that Brother Changbai be the witness for this marriage tonight. If my fourth sister does not meet any of the conditions when I marry her, not only will the marriage be called off, but Lord Sheng will also have to compensate me with a Bianjing mansion as large as the Sheng family mansion we have now!" Zhou Ning said earnestly.

Is that going too far?

That's obviously excessive.

Although Sheng Hong's official position was not high, his residence was unique.

That was specially purchased by Old Master Sheng for Sheng Hong's father (the third-ranked scholar) to marry the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family (Old Madam Sheng).

First, they bought a garden behind the mansion, and then connected it with the original mansion to create this large-scale property!

Zhou Ning felt that houses in Bianjing were very expensive. He was from a poor family and could not afford such a large house even if he was only able to enter officialdom through the imperial examination.

Zhou Ning was certain that Mo Lan wouldn't be interested in him and would inevitably lose her virginity to the eldest son of a high-ranking family. As for who it was, he couldn't care less!

"Why does it have to be Changbai?" Sheng Hong feigned displeasure.

In his eyes, what kind of high demands are these?

Virtuous, well-educated, and a virgin—my Mo'er perfectly fits all these criteria, so it's as if no requirements were even mentioned!

However, Zhou Ning wanted Changbai to be his witness, which put him in a difficult position.

Mainly it's about Madam Wang of Weirui Pavilion...

If possible, he didn't want Wang Ruofu to know about the marriage so soon.

Zhou Ning hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply and said, "Then I'll compromise and have Old Madam Sheng witness the marriage!"

In fact, Zhou Ning's most satisfactory witness was Sheng Changbai, who would definitely not renege on his promise!

After all, for the sake of the Sheng family's prosperity, it's not impossible that Old Madam Sheng might pretend to be stupid; Alzheimer's would be a perfect excuse!

Sheng Hong was in an even more difficult situation. Old Madam Sheng had always disliked Mo'er and her daughter, and even exempted them from paying their respects.

It seems better to let Bai'er do it!

"Why go through all this trouble? This matter is not open to discussion." Sheng Hong put on a stern face, as if he was about to give up.

Zhou Ning wasn't afraid at all and shook his head, saying, "Then let's not get engaged. I will repay the kindness of studying at the Sheng family when I pass the imperial examination."

"How ungrateful! Do you think my Sheng family's daughter can't get married? Guards! Show them out!" Sheng Hong slammed his fist on the table and roared.

Zhou Ning didn't mind, said "This student takes his leave," and went straight out of Linxi Pavilion, preparing to ask Scholar Zhuang for a few days' leave.

Sheng Hong is currently in a bad mood, or perhaps he's just bluffing me. It's a good time to lay low and let him cool off.

When Zhuang Xuejiu learned that Zhou Ning had come looking for him, he assumed that Zhou Ning was nervous before the exam, so he opened the door to welcome him and prepared to comfort him.

"Sir, I have offended Lord Sheng and it is truly inconvenient for me to continue studying at the Sheng residence these days. Therefore, I must ask for a ten-day leave. Please rest assured, I will make up for the missed lessons as soon as possible," Zhou Ning said, bowing.

Zhuang Xuejiu took out a ruler and said, "I heard from Changbai that you met him when you were seven years old, when you weren't even a student yet. You passed all the exams in five or six years. In terms of talent, you have much to boast about. But since you have such talent, you should work even harder. The imperial examination is a major event in life. No matter what happens, you can't put the cart before the horse. You are a smart person, so don't let a leaf blind you, lest you regret it later."

Zhou Ning bowed again: "Your words are as precious as gold. I will certainly remember them."

"Clap clap clap!"

Zhuang Xuejiu tapped Zhou Ning three times with a ruler and affirmed, "I never praise you during breaks because you are the youngest and I'm afraid you'll become arrogant and complacent. I've kept all your essays from the past six months, and today I'll give you a sneak peek. At your age, I've never seen anything like it. Many scholars nearing forty don't necessarily have such insight."

Zhou Ning laughed. What was he going to do about taking a few hits? What could boost his confidence more than the affirmation of a great Confucian scholar?

Are heroes of the world as numerous as carp crossing a river?

Let's fight!

"What are you laughing at? If it's really inconvenient to go to the Sheng residence, come find me at this time every day from now on. It'll only be fourteen days, it won't wear out this old body of mine," Zhuang Xuejiu said irritably.

He's planning to work late into the night; the old scholar refuses to admit he's getting old, his spirit undiminished!

He also wanted to see how well this 13-year-old student could rank in the palace examination!

"Mr. Xie!"

......

Shouantang!

After class, Minglan returned to her room to greet everyone.

"Zhou Ning isn't coming to class again today?" Grandma Sheng asked.

"Yes! My granddaughter asked Xiao Tao to inquire. It was after having dinner at Linxi Pavilion that night that she didn't come to the school for five days in a row," Minglan said.

Grandma Sheng smiled and said, "I guessed what your father was thinking after I returned from Youyang. But he's still young, so I only hinted at it. Besides, I also want to see if he will choose my illegitimate daughter, Mo Lan, when faced with my son's offer."

Minglan was now under Wang Ruofu's care and had become her legitimate daughter!

"Grandmother, I've noticed that Scholar Zhuang hasn't been in good spirits lately. He often dozes off during the day, as if he hasn't been getting enough rest. He's never been like this before. Perhaps it's related to Brother Pengqi," Minglan guessed.

Old Mrs. Sheng said, "Remember! Don't say anything even if you see through something. I'm not blind or deaf. I'll fight for what's right for you."

"Grandmother is the best," Minglan said sweetly, pulling on Old Madam Sheng.

"Grandma, the Lord is here," a sharp-eyed mother reminded her.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Hong entered the room, bowed, and said, "Your son greets Mother. May Mother be well."

"Please sit down!" said Old Mrs. Sheng.

Sheng Hong sat down to drink tea, pondering how to begin.

He had originally planned to give Zhou Ning the cold shoulder for a few days, making his stance clear so he could back down gracefully.

But to his utter surprise, Zhou Ning stopped coming to school the very next day.

Seeing that he hadn't come in for five consecutive days, he asked Zhuang Xue if he had taken a long leave!

You must know that reading is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind!

The imperial examinations are less than ten days old; it's utterly chaotic!

"Get to the point now that you're here. Don't act like this. You don't look like a ruler at all!" said Old Madam Sheng.

"Mother is right. Here's how it is. So it is, and so it is~" Sheng Hong explained his plan to arrange a marriage for Mo Lan and Zhou Ning's requirements.

Grandma Sheng was startled, but Minglan's eyes lit up!

In order to avenge her mother, Lin Xiaoniang, she is currently plotting against Mo Lan and Liang Liulang.

Knowing full well that Liang Liulang was no gentleman, and that Mo Lan was determined to marry into a wealthy family, she knew she would inevitably follow in Lin Qinshuang's footsteps and commit adultery...

But did Zhou Ning's younger brother gain supernatural powers?

Otherwise, how could they dare to ask for such compensation?

......