Do You Know?: Rule the World

"I heard from Changbai that you will be leaving for Bianjing in a few days. I can't see you off, so I prepared this specially for you."

After saying that, Hua Lan quickly stuffed the sachet into Zhao Han's hand.

Zhao Han looked down at the palm-sized sachet and was surprised to see a lotus pattern embroidered on the fine bamboo green satin. Every stitch and thread was even and fine, and the four words "Qingyun Delu" were embroidered in the inconspicuous dark pattern.

Hua Lan's ears turned slightly red, and she asked calmly, "Do you still like it?"

"Of course I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the young lady." Zhao Han answered without thinking and put the sachet away immediately.

Hua Lan smiled, as bright and charming as a spring flower.

Unknowingly, I have reached the second gate.

Since ancient times, ladies of noble families have never left the main door or the secondary door. This is especially true for Hualan, a girl waiting to be married. It is an exception that she can be sent here today.

She stopped, raised her bright eyes, and said softly, "Brother Zhao, take care."

Zhao Han nodded and bowed, "Thank you for seeing me off, Miss."

-

In Wei Xiaoniangyuan, Minglan's eyes lit up when she saw the gift sent by Zhao Han, and she couldn't help but exclaimed.

"Wow, this golden Ruyi necklace must have been prepared by my brother-in-law for my younger brother!"

As she spoke, Minglan put the collar on Liu Ge'er's neck, which made Liu Ge'er dance with joy.

Wei Xiaoniang smiled slightly, "This is too expensive, my brother-in-law is really generous."

Xiaodie stood aside and whispered, "I just heard from the nanny in the front yard that the gifts given by the girls are all different. It's obvious that the eldest brother-in-law put a lot of thought into it."

"Mother, my brother-in-law also sent me a painting." Minglan looked puzzled and carefully opened the scroll.

Wei Xiaoniang looked closely and saw that Lady Li in the painting was wearing Ming Guang armor and standing on the city wall where flames were blazing, holding a sword, with a stern look between her brows.

Her expression suddenly changed, and she said quietly, "It's actually 'Madam Li Guards Madam Pass'."

After struggling internally for a moment, Wei Xiaoniang stroked Minglan's head.

"Tomorrow, you must keep this painting and become a woman like Madam Li in the future."

Lady Li was Princess Pingyang Zhao, the third daughter of Li Yuan of the Tang Dynasty. She was as brave as any man and led the army to defeat the Sui army many times, keeping the city impregnable for her father.

Minglan nodded, not quite understanding, "I understand, little girl."

Rulan opened her almond-shaped eyes wide and looked at the various rare things in the boxes with joy.

She picked up a particularly exquisitely crafted cricket cage with great interest and said, "Look, mother, my brother-in-law actually knows that I like cricket fighting!"

Wang Ruofu turned her head and nodded Rulan's head. "All you know about is cricket fighting. Do you even know how to recite the Thousand Character Classic?"

"If your father and second brother come to ask about your homework, I will never protect you."

Rulan pouted, picked up the cricket cage and took a step back.

"I'll play for half an hour before I go back to memorize this. My eldest brother-in-law sent it to me. If I just leave it there without playing, wouldn't I be letting my eldest brother-in-law down?"

"By the way, what does Molan have? Is it more or less than what I have?"

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Chapter 20 Heading to Bianjing

Apart from Hualan and Changbai, Sheng Hong's favorite child is Molan. Her daily food, clothing and other necessities are better than those of Molan, the legitimate daughter. In addition, he sees his mother being bullied by Lin Qinshuang all the time.

Rulan hated Molan so much that she dreamed of stuffing a piece of dog shit into her mouth to embarrass her.

Mother Liu smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, young lady. I just sent someone to inquire, and the fourth young lady only has some common girl's toys. In terms of thoughtfulness and value, they are nowhere near as valuable as yours."

Rulan found these words very helpful. The corners of her lips unconsciously rose on her pretty face, and a hint of pride flashed across her eyes.

"That's right, my brother-in-law is sensible. I am the eldest daughter of the family, so naturally the gifts I get are better than Molan's."

Wang Ruofu agreed with this in her heart, but she still reminded him, "Don't say this to anyone else. If your father hears you, he will definitely scold you for being ignorant and might even make you kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment."

Sheng Hong himself was born a concubine's son, so he hated to use the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Wang Ruofu suffered a lot from this.

"I see."

Rulan said something nonchalantly, then quickly ran out with her maid Xi Que to play cricket fighting.

Mother Liu looked at her retreating figure and couldn't help laughing. She turned to Wang Ruofu and said, "Fifth Miss is innocent by nature, and she is very much like the eldest lady when she was a child."

"When I was little, I wasn't as naive as she is. I haven't developed any brains at all!"

Although Wang Ruofu did not admit it, her eyes softened unconsciously.

Looking at Molan, she was extremely happy to have received a gift that suited her needs today. She couldn't wait to sit in front of the bronze mirror, imitating Lin Qinshuang, slightly tilting her head and constantly adjusting the delicate hairpins in her hair in front of the mirror.

"My dear, there is a piece of fine brocade there. When spring comes, send someone to make me a beautiful dress. I want to wear it to Bianjing!"

Lin Qinshuang leaned against the soft couch, a smile in her eyes as she said, "Well, my Mo'er is very pretty. When she goes to Bianjing, she will definitely outshine all those ladies."

"In the future, ask your father to marry you off to a noble family. Good days are still ahead for us mother and me."

Upon hearing this, Molan's cheeks flushed brightly, and her eyes were filled with pride. "That's what I said. No matter when or where, I will trample that damned Rulan under my feet!"

Lin Qinshuang wanted Molan to fulfill her lifelong wish, which was to marry into a wealthy family and become a respected lady in front of everyone.

She said softly, "Mo'er, since you have such ambitions, you should stay with the old lady. When you paid your respects to the old lady today, did you try to make her happy?"

Hearing this, Molan's face suddenly fell.

This morning she went to read a poem to the old lady, but the old lady was not willing to listen to it at all. She sent her away with a few words, and then she started yelling in anger.

"You only know how to ask me to please the old lady, but she is not my father's biological mother, and she has always hated you. How could she possibly like me!"

Lin Qinshuang frowned and said patiently, "Mo'er, you are already over ten years old. You should know that the old lady is the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi. When she married into the Sheng family, the dowry she brought was enough to cover ten miles of red makeup. Even if a little bit of it flowed out from between her fingers, it would be enough for other people outside to use for a lifetime."

"I heard from the people around the eldest lady that the list of the eldest lady's dowry has been drawn up. It is a solid 180 loads, of which the old lady alone has added nearly 60 loads."

The dowry was measured in loads, with one load referring to two servants carrying a box of dowry. Auspicious numbers were usually chosen, such as sixty-four loads, one hundred and twenty-eight loads, one hundred and eighty loads, etc.

"Let's put all that aside. When the eldest girl came of age, you remember the old lady gave her a ruby-studded gold headpiece."

"Your father said that it was specially brought back from the freezing cold Kiev by the old Marquis Yongyi. It's so precious! Ordinary officials wouldn't even get to see it."

Lin Qinshuang lowered her voice and pulled Molan closer to her. "I didn't get anything good from your mother. You go serve the old lady and make her happy. And since your father has asked for your help, you will definitely be indispensable in the future."

Molan pursed her lips thoughtfully, "But I see the old lady doesn't like me at all?"

"Silly girl, you always try to be the first to pay your respects every day, serving tea and snacks attentively. No matter what the old lady says, you always go along with her. People's hearts can't stand being swayed by soft or hard persuasion."

Lin Qinshuang taught Molan all the ways she had served the old lady in the past.

Little did she know that the old lady had seen through all her plans clearly, as if she was looking at a mirror.

-

Before the end of the first month of the lunar year, Zhao Han began to make intensive preparations for his trip to Beijing.

Although there was occasional thin ice on the canal, the water transport was smooth. From the canal, it went north through Chuzhou into the Huai River, and then turned to the Bian River to reach Bian Jing. If the wind and water were smooth, it would only take half a month.

Zhao Han didn't need to worry about preparing the boat, as Gu Tingye had already instructed the Bai family to get everything ready.

Early this morning, a hint of dawn appeared in the eastern sky. In Yangzhou, at the ferry crossing, a thin mist covered the surface of the canal. Boats were densely packed in the waterway. A gust of wind blew, and the copper bells hanging on the bows of the boats jingled.

This trip to Bian Jing was kept simple, and Zhao Han only brought Chang Qing with him.

"Brother-in-law, I wish you a smooth trip. We should set off in a while."

Sheng Changfeng looked at Zhao Han with a smile, with a bit of youthful vigor in his eyes.

Sheng Hong was busy handing over official business at the government office, so today he asked the brothers Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng to come and see him off.

"Okay, then we'll stay together in Fanlou until we're drunk!"

Fanlou is the most magnificent and luxurious restaurant in Bianjing City and even in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. It is not only a banquet venue for dignitaries, but also a well-known den of money. An ordinary banquet would cost ordinary people half a year's expenses.

Sheng Changfeng's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Great! Great! I've heard of Fanlou for a long time, but I've never been there."

"Brother-in-law, you are a man of your word, so don't lie to me!"

Although Sheng Changfeng had never been infected by Lin Qinshuang's scheming, he gradually developed a pleasure-seeking character due to her excessive indulgence.

He usually only cared about singing to the wind and playing with the moon, and was not very concerned about fame and official career.

Sheng Changbai shook his head and said, "A gentleman should focus on self-cultivation. It's best to avoid places like Fanlou."

"Brother-in-law is just taking me to see the world, so don't stop me, second brother."

Sheng Changfeng waved his hand, his mind now flying to Fanlou.

"Chang Feng is right. It's not always a bad thing to gain more knowledge and experience." Zhao Han looked at the two of them with a smile.

At this moment, Gu Tingye came out of the cabin, stood on the deck, and said loudly: "Brother Zhao, it's time for us to set off!"

"Take care on your journey, brother-in-law." The two brothers bowed to each other in a different way.

Zhao Han nodded and stepped directly onto the large ship that was painted all over with vermilion. A bright yellow flag with four large characters "Meeting by Imperial Order" was flying on the bow.

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Chapter 21 Sheng's Long House

With this flag, all the checkpoints along the way would immediately let people pass, and even the most ferocious pirates on the canal would retreat when they saw it.

Anyone who dares to rob a scholar who is coming to Beijing to take the imperial examination is going against the imperial court and the government!

The current government has issued a special decree: "Anyone who robs a candidate for the imperial examination will be punished three times more severely."

In addition, with the official certificate issued by the provincial government, the candidates could enjoy three liters of rice and two meat and two vegetable meals per day at the official post station.

The postmaster would also supply lamp oil and charcoal according to regulations, and even the accompanying servants would receive five cents of silver for fodder.

However, the treatment gradually decreased after crossing the Yellow River, and by the time we reached the last stop outside the city of Bianjing, all that was left was porridge and pickles.

After the two of them entered the cabin together, a burly, rough-looking boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old, came over with a pot of hot tea.

Gu Tingye introduced with a smile: "Brother Zhao, his name is Shitou, he is my sworn brother and servant!"

"Two years ago, I ran away from home and wandered around the underworld. We hit it off right away. He's also the younger brother of Shi Keng, the leader of the Cao Gang."

"Brother Shi and Che Sanniang are busy with the Cao Gang's affairs all day long and have no time to discipline him."