Do You Know?: Rule the World

"From now on, will there still be a place for us mother and daughter in the Sheng Mansion?"

Molan had long lost the desire to play the piano. She quickly walked up to Lin Qinshuang, her pretty face flushed red.

"Girl, that damn girl Rulan is going to step on my head again!"

"And my brother, he only thinks about having fun all day. If he fails the Autumn Examination again, I'm afraid Daddy will never come to Linqi Pavilion again!"

Lin Qinshuang sighed softly, raised her hand and stroked Molan's cheek. Her voice was gentle but carried an inexplicable ruthlessness.

"Why are you panicking? In terms of talent and appearance, my Mo'er is not much worse than my elder sister."

"Let me ask you, between the young master of the Duke of Qi's mansion, you and Rulan, who was closer to you in school?"

Molan pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then said softly, "Compared to Rulan, she's naturally a daughter."

"It's just... I always feel that the young master seems to be closer to Minglan."

"Minglan?" A cold light flashed in Lin Qinshuang's eyes.

"This girl usually seems to be quite inconspicuous, but she's actually starting to become more active."

After a moment, she said softly, "From now on, just behave well in front of the young master."

"Although my Mo'er may not be as glorious as my eldest sister, it won't be a disgrace if she marries into the Duke of Qi's mansion in the future."

"The ladies are now in power. If we don't fight for ourselves, then everything will be over."

Molan looked up at her and nodded in conviction.

She knew very well that she could not compare to Hualan, but no matter what, she would be better than Rulan and Minglan in the future.

Chapter 96 Aunt Kang: A Bastard Who Can’t Be Helped

After the officials returned to their respective residences after leaving court, the first thing they did was to inform their families of the shocking news that had happened in court today, and instructed them to get along well with Hua Lan at future banquets.

Within a few hours, the news spread like wildfire in the capital.

Kang Mansion, in the backyard flower hall

Wang Ruoyu's face was gloomy and he clenched his back teeth tightly.

Seeing that Kang Haifeng still looked as if it had nothing to do with him and was leisurely fiddling with the tea lid, he became even more angry.

"The whole capital is talking about this now, Kang Haifeng, aren't you worried at all?"

"If I had been able to send Hui'er to the Zhao Mansion as a concubine, she would definitely have become an empress in the future!"

"You looked down on the Zhao family before, saying they were from a merchant family!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Haifeng slammed the lid of the teacup in his hand with a clang.

He hated Wang Ruoyu's bossy attitude the most, and immediately retorted, "Do I look down on the Zhao family?"

"It was clearly your sister's mother-in-law who stopped her from agreeing. Besides, haven't you done enough to secretly send my daughter away as a concubine over the years?!"

"Now you blame me?!"

Wang Ruoyu was so angry that he stood up suddenly and pointed at Kang Haifeng's nose.

"You useless bastard, why was I so blind to choose you to marry me?"

"If you could have fought back a little, would I be like this?!"

"How dare you look down on my brother-in-law for being so self-serving and losing the integrity of a scholar!"

"I'm already a royal relative! Look at my family! If it weren't for my dowry, I'm afraid we'd be so poor we couldn't even afford to eat!"

Kang Haifeng's sore spot was touched and his face turned red instantly. Knowing that he was in the wrong, he snorted coldly and left in anger.

Wang Ruoyu looked at his back and slammed the table in anger.

I secretly swore in my heart: I will never let my sister and her family have such an easy life!

Hanlin Lane, Zhao Mansion.

By now, everyone in the mansion had learned Zhao Han's identity.

The maids and servants were both delighted and shocked. They gathered in groups of three or four in the corridor, whispering to each other and exclaiming from time to time.

Mother Hu calmly went to the ancestral hall and took down the tablet with the three words Zhao Shouzhen engraved on it.

In the main hall, Zhao Han, dressed in an indigo brocade robe, looked with sharp eyes at Lu Yi who was in charge of sweeping the house, Duan Si who was sweeping the toilet, and Shang Mama who was cutting vegetables in the kitchen.

"Don't be offended, Your Highness. These were all arranged by the Emperor and Master Zhang."

"We are only responsible for the safety of His Highness and His Majesty in the mansion." Mother Shang, dressed in a straw hat and cloth skirt, said respectfully.

Duan Si and Lu Yi nodded repeatedly, their usual honest expressions gone, their eyes sparkling with brilliance.

Zhao Han smiled slightly, stood up, walked in front of the three people, and said softly: "Get up, you have worked hard these days."

"From now on, you two will follow me, just like Pei Hu."

Lu Yi and Duan Si exchanged a glance and said in unison, "As you command!"

Then, Zhao Han turned his gaze to Shang Mama, "I'd like to trouble you to take care of the affairs of the inner courtyard of the mansion."

A hint of warmth flashed in Mother Shang's eyes, and she bowed and replied, "This old servant will definitely live up to your highness's trust."

Changqing, who was standing on the side, shrank his neck and his eyes were wandering.

After the three of them left, he said bitterly, "Brother... No, Your Highness, will you give me to..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw Zhao Han turned his head to look at him, his eyes seemed to be considering the matter.

She couldn't help crying and said, "My family has been a single-son family for three generations. Ever since my great-grandfather's generation, we have been looking forward to having more children."

"If I really become a rootless person...I will not be able to face my ancestors in my grave!"

Seeing him like this, Zhao Han couldn't help but laugh and said, "Look at your little potential. Who said you're going to be a virgin in the future?"

"Pei Hu said that I have served His Highness for many years. When His Highness ascends the throne, I will definitely become a eunuch and continue to serve."

As Changqing spoke, his face turned pale. When he thought of this, he was so scared that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed on the ground.

Zhao Han smiled slightly and said, "He's just trying to scare you. The emperor is getting better day by day, so it's too early for him to ascend the throne."

"You've served me for all these years. Even if you haven't made any contributions, you've certainly worked hard, not to mention all those shops and businesses in Yangzhou."

"When Uncle Tan retires, I don't know who will take care of it."

Hearing this, Changqing blinked, and the worries in his heart disappeared.

With a plop, he knelt on the ground and thanked her repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Highness. I can read and do math, and I also learned accounting from Uncle Tan for a few years. I will definitely be able to take good care of the family business in Yangzhou for Your Highness."

"Okay, get up." Zhao Han patted his dusty shoulders and walked straight to the backyard.

After all, Hualan and Shulan had been waiting for him for a long time.

In the flower hall in the backyard, Hualan was wearing a lilac brocade long dress with a silver satin ribbon with dark patterns tied around her waist, which made her pregnant figure look even more plump.

At this moment she is doing some needlework for her unborn child.

Shulan was leaning over the desk, her eyes and eyebrows were gentle, her hair was adorned with only a few jade hairpins, and her plainness revealed a bit of the shyness of a new wife.

Seeing Zhao Han coming, the two of them put down what they were doing and looked at him with smiles on their faces.

"Your Highness, take a look at my tiger-head shoes. Are they well made?" Hua Lan's eyes were filled with unconcealable joy and anticipation.

Zhao Han sat down beside her, stroked her increasingly bulging belly, and said softly, "Hua'er's hands are naturally the most skillful."

"But sewing for too long will inevitably hurt your eyes. It's better to send a servant to do it."

Hua Lan snorted softly, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her almond eyes.

"This is your highness's first child, how can you treat him like this?"

Shu Lan smiled and covered her lips, saying, "Sister is so eager to prepare all the best things in the world for the little prince!"

Zhao Han knew that Hualan was a new mother and would inevitably be nervous, so she could only advise her to balance work and rest.

Then he stood up and walked to Shulan, without waiting for him to ask.

Shulan put down her brush, raised her eyes and smiled gently, "Such a big thing happened at home. I was just about to write a letter and send it to Youyang."

"Ask about Grandma's health. I think she's worried about me. That girl Pinlan must have run off to the mountains and run wild again."

Zhao Han smiled when he heard that and reached out to pinch her round cheeks. "It's time to write a letter home."

"By the way, Changwu made considerable contributions in suppressing the rebellion this time and has been promoted from captain to deputy commander."

"Although he is only a seventh-rank deputy commander of the Imperial Guards Cavalry Division, with his steadiness, promotion to commander is a natural progression within a year or two."

Shulan's eyebrows were curved, and her long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.

"Changwu has loved wielding swords and guns since he was young. I hope he can make steady progress in the army and realize his ambitions soon."

The three of them finished their dinner together and stayed together until nightfall.

Since Hualan was pregnant and it was inconvenient to take care of her, the heavy burden naturally fell on Shulan.

Not long after I finished taking a bath, crackling sounds were heard in the house.

After all, they haven't seen each other for many days. One is eagerly waiting, and the other has longed for him like a river...

-

A few days later, in Yuzhou, northwest of Beijing.

In a secluded farm, Zhao Zongquan learned the news of Prince Yan's rebellion and the chaos in Bianjing.

He hurriedly hid here with his family, and sent people to Bian Jing every day to inquire about the news.

Today, when he learned from his subordinates that the emperor had found his son, Prince Yan had been executed, and Prince Yong had been imprisoned.

Zhao Zongquan's expression suddenly changed, and the beans in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter". He muttered, "The Lord Zhao who came that day was actually the emperor's own son?!"

"No wonder he has such an extraordinary demeanor. He's so brave and resourceful at such a young age..."

Madam Shen Congying also frowned and looked at him blankly.

Zhao Zongquan turned his gaze directly to his eldest son, Zhao Ceying, and asked, "Do you believe what your father says now?"

"If that day comes and you transfer the elite troops away, what will happen if the truth is revealed?"

"When the new emperor ascends the throne and settles the old scores, will our family be able to enjoy the good results?"