Do You Know?: Rule the World

The second was that the old man of the Bai family passed away, and his nephew Bai Tingyu led the clan members to hold a funeral ceremony for him.

During his lifetime, Old Master Bai made many friends and was a good businessman. There was an endless stream of wealthy businessmen, gentry and officials who came to pay their respects.

It is rare for the sun to shine brightly in the dead of winter.

Today, the governor of Yangzhou, Zheng Xian, specially set up a banquet in his villa on the outskirts of the city, inviting all the major officials of Yangzhou to come and practice for the candidates who will soon go to Beijing to take part in the imperial examination.

It is not difficult to see that Lord Zheng's move is more to win over the hearts of the people so that they can look after each other when they serve as officials in the same court in the future.

Zhao Han ranked among the top in the provincial examination, so naturally he received the invitation early on.

The banquet was held in the warm room, with seasonal fresh fruits and exquisite dishes displayed on the table, and several singing and dancing girls from the Jiaofangsi were there to add to the fun.

"You are all talented people from Yangzhou. You will surely pass the imperial examination when you come to Beijing."

Lord Zheng looked at the group of ambitious candidates, raised his glass and smiled, with fine lines forming at the corners of his eyes, he exuded an elegant demeanor.

"Thanks to your kind words, we will do our best to live up to everyone's expectations." A scholar in a long robe with wide sleeves stood up and bowed, his voice clear and bright.

Literati and bureaucrats of the Great Zhou often addressed each other as "Ming Gong" to show respect.

A chorus of agreement followed at the table, and everyone raised their glasses to toast each other. For a moment, the candlelight in the warm room flickered, and the whole room was illuminated.

Sheng Hong is the magistrate of Yangzhou and will be promoted to Beijing soon, so he is naturally indispensable to today's banquet.

"Master Sheng is about to be promoted, and he has found a good husband. What a double blessing! Congratulations!"

"If my daughter hadn't been engaged last year, she would have definitely competed with you for one!"

Mr. Chu, the magistrate of Yangzhou, looked at Sheng Hong with a smile, his eyes full of envy.

Sheng Hong's face was naturally flushed. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. He said modestly, "Master Chu, you are joking. When my daughter gets married, Master Chu must come to drink a glass of wedding wine."

"sure!"

Lord Chu waved his hand and turned to flatter the other officials.

Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled, whispering to Zhao Han, "My dear son-in-law, if we calculate the time, your aunt and I should be in Bianjing by the end of the Spring Examination."

Although they had not yet officially married, Sheng Hong already regarded Zhao Han as his good son-in-law.

Zhao Han cupped his hands and said, "I will personally go to greet my uncle and aunt when the time comes."

Sheng Hong showed a look of satisfaction, and just as he was about to take Zhao Han to have a long talk with the prefect.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter was heard not far away.

"What year did you pass the imperial examination? Why does it take you so long to write a poem about plum blossoms?!"

"Yes, with your poetic talent, I'm afraid you won't be accepted into the imperial examinations even if you go to Bianjing next year."

"In my opinion, it would be better for you to go home and farm as soon as possible to avoid embarrassment."

Zhao Han looked up and saw a young man in shabby clothes with his head lowered, surrounded by several candidates.

His lips moved as if he wanted to explain, but in the end no sound came out.

"What's your name? Are you here to get some free food and drinks?"

Facing the questioning from others, the young man clenched his fists and raised his eyes and said, "My last name is Bai Ye. Isn't it just a poem about plum blossoms? Give me some time, I can definitely finish it!"

When the young man said this, several candidates who relied on their outstanding poetic talent almost burst into laughter.

Bai Ye? !

Zhao Han looked at him carefully. He was not surprised that Gu Tingye suddenly appeared at the prefect's banquet.

In the play, Gu Tingye goes to the Bai family alone with Old Master Bai's suicide note to fight for the family property.

In addition to clinging to Yuan Jia Dalang's thigh, he was also betting that Sheng Hong and other officials in Yangzhou would give him face.

If you uphold justice for the legitimate son of the Marquis, you will surely be rewarded in the future.

What's more, he had the suicide note in his hand, so it was a legitimate matter and they were just taking advantage of it.

Otherwise, as a teenager of sixteen or seventeen, he was lucky not to be kicked out by the elders of the Bai family for causing a big commotion before the funeral. How could he possibly take back such a huge family business?

Now that he has no support from the Yuan family and no acquaintance with Sheng Changbai and Sheng Hong, he naturally has to think of other ways, and the prefect Zheng is a good target!

If they could ask for his help, the Bai family would never dare to act rashly.

Seeing Gu Tingye's depressed expression and frown, Zhao Han stepped forward and said, "Why don't I write this poem about plum blossoms for him?"

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Chapter 13 Gu Tingye asks for help

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately turned their attention to Zhao Han.

Over the years, Zhao Han has become somewhat famous among the students in Yangzhou.

Now that he is the son-in-law of the magistrate, he naturally has to give him some face.

"When Zhao Dalang writes poetry, we are naturally all ears."

"Bai Ye, you are lucky today. Zhao Dalang is here to help you out!"

Gu Tingye looked at Zhao Han with a serious look, bowed, and then stepped aside.

Even though Sheng Hong already knew that Zhao Han was a talented poet, he couldn't help but lean forward at this moment, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

It is well known in Yangzhou that Mr. Zheng loves poetry.

He had been drinking and chatting with a few officials, pretending to be nice to them, but now he came over with a wine cup and stood beside Sheng Hong.

"My Lord has also come to join in the fun." As the saying goes, a higher-ranking official can crush someone more powerful than him. Sheng Hong greeted him with a smile.

Lord Zheng stroked his beard and smiled, but his eyes were only on Zhao Han.

Zhao Han rolled up his wide sleeves, paused for a moment, and then wrote the opening two lines: "A graceful beauty should only be on the Jade Terrace, why would she plant it everywhere south of the Yangtze River? A noble scholar lies in the snow-covered mountains, a beautiful woman appears under the moonlit trees."

Everyone muttered to themselves, then took a deep breath.

Zheng Daren's eyes sparkled, and he praised, "Excellent, excellent!"

Although the first couplet is a bit plain, the second couplet is worthy of being called a masterpiece.

The previous sentence uses the snow-covered mountains to highlight the loneliness and arrogance of the noble man lying alone, and is an allusion to the steadfastness of the plum blossoms blooming in the cold.

The next sentence uses the allusion of the beauty under the forest, comparing the shadow of the plum blossom under the moon to a beautiful woman who comes gracefully. It not only describes the pure nature of the plum blossom, but also depicts its grace!

Sheng Hong was also amazed and couldn't help but cheer for his good son-in-law.

Zhao Han turned a deaf ear to the admiration from those around him and continued writing: The cold relies on the sparse shadows of the rustling bamboo, the spring hides the lingering fragrance of the moss.

Since He Lang left, I have no good poems to write about. How many times has the east wind blown in sorrow?

Then, Zhao Han wrote: In the winter of the first year of Jiayou, I was in Xiaoxiang Villa in Yangzhou. I saw a garden full of red plum blossoms, blooming in the cold, like cinnabar dots on snow, gorgeous but not gaudy, with sparse shadows slanting horizontally and a faint fragrance floating in the air. I was suddenly inspired to write this poem.

The moment he put down his pen, Lord Zheng pushed aside the scholars who were blocking his way and walked straight to Zhao Han.

"What a poem, what a poem!"

"It's truly remarkable that you can create such a masterpiece at such a young age!"

In response to Mr. Zheng's praise, Zhao Han chuckled twice, and a barely noticeable hint of guilt flashed across his eyes.

This poem is of course wonderful. It was written by Gao Qi, a poet from the Ming Dynasty. When he first read it, he was deeply impressed by it and could not forget it for a long time.

Zhao Han bowed humbly and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sir."

"I can guarantee that this poem of yours will spread throughout Yangzhou tomorrow, and my Xiaoxiang Villa will also benefit from it!"

Zheng Daren's face was filled with uncontrollable joy. He raised his hand, patted Sheng Hong on the shoulder and said, "Your son-in-law is incredible. In time, he will become a great man!"

"Your Excellency is right. I think so too."

Sheng Hong bowed slightly with a humble smile on his face, but he felt extremely happy in his heart.

Gu Tingye learned from their conversation that Zhao Han was the son-in-law of the Tongpan, and a gleam of light flashed across his eyes.

Apart from the prefect, the highest-ranking officials in Yangzhou City are the military inspector and the magistrate. As long as Bai Tingyu can get help from two of them, he will definitely not dare to act rashly.

Many candidates came to Zhao Han to introduce themselves and wanted to make friends with him. Some even directly proposed to host a banquet for him.

It was not until the banquet was almost over and the crowd had dispersed that Zhao Han was able to have a moment of peace and quiet.

He rubbed his swollen temples and was about to get up and leave when a clear voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

"My name is Bai Ye. Thank you Brother Zhao for helping me out just now."

Zhao Han turned his head and smiled calmly, "No need to thank me, I've gained a lot from helping you out."

"But you pretended to be a scholar and attended the banquet, but you didn't even prepare more thoroughly."

Hearing this, Gu Tingye was shocked and a look of surprise flashed across his face. He couldn't understand how Zhao Han could see it.

"Your hands are obviously not those of a scholar."

Gu Tingye subconsciously looked down at his palms, only to see that his palms were covered with calluses, his knuckles were thick, and there were several unhealed scars on the back of his hands.

"I……"

Gu Tingye was speechless for a moment, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

I have been learning martial arts from my father since I was young, and I have never stopped for a single day, whether in the scorching summer or the cold winter. My hands are indeed completely different from those of the weak scholars who write all day long.

He used the pseudonym Bai Ye and traveled on a merchant ship for more than half a month before arriving in Yangzhou.

Unexpectedly, before he could find a place to stay, he was hunted down by people sent by the Bai family.

His personal servant died at the hands of a gangster while trying to save him, and he had no choice but to jump into the river to change his and the servant's clothes, causing the people of the Bai family to mistakenly believe that he was dead.

Seeing that the old man of the Bai family was going to be buried the next day, he thought quickly and spent ten taels of silver to buy this invitation from a poor and down-and-out scholar.

Seeing that Zhao Han had no intention of exposing him, Gu Tingye weighed the pros and cons in his mind, then bowed and said, "Brother Zhao, please introduce me to the prefect and the magistrate. I am Gu Tingye, the second son of the Ningyuan Marquisate in Bianjing. I have come to Yangzhou on important business."

Zhao Han squinted at him, and Gu Tingye continued, "My maternal grandfather was the head of the Bai family in Wuyi Lane, Yangzhou. He died of a serious illness not long ago, leaving behind a huge fortune. My maternal grandfather had no sons, only a daughter, my mother."

"Before my grandfather died, he left a will asking me to come to Yangzhou to inherit the family business."

"But the Bai family has evil intentions and wants to take over the family business built by my grandfather."

"You're still spreading rumors in the city that my grandfather adopted a nephew to inherit the family business. I'm asking Brother Zhao to help me. I will definitely remember this favor!"

Gu Tingye spoke sincerely, and at this moment he already regarded Zhao Han as his life-saving straw.