Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 2 Hualan's Marriage Proposal
Sheng Hong nodded in agreement. "Mother is right. In our early years, my elder brother Wei and I studied at the family school of Duke Lingguo's mansion for half a year. In the entire mansion, only the two stone lions at the gate were clean."

"Don't even think about the Qiu family. Brother Qiu Jing is the King of Yan's lecturer."

"The struggle for the succession in the imperial court is in full swing. If one is not careful, the entire family will be destroyed without a burial place. I didn't expect Qiu Jing to openly side with Prince Yan for the sake of fame and fortune."

Everyone knows that the current emperor is getting old and has no children. Therefore, the position of crown prince can only be chosen from the royal family.

Among them, the most likely to be appointed as the crown prince are Prince Yong and Prince Yan.

Prince Yong had mediocre talent and no political achievements, but his advantage was that he was older and had many children.

Prince Yan was only half a year younger than Prince Yong. Both father and son were smart and capable, especially good at winning people's hearts, and they enjoyed considerable prestige in the court.

Sheng Hong has been cautious in his official duties over the years, not daring to make even a single mistake, and naturally, he is unwilling to get involved in the royal disputes.

Even if the Qiu family is lucky, if Prince Yan ascends the throne in the future, it may not bring much benefit to the Sheng family.
If Prince Yan fails, he will definitely be implicated. At the very least, his property will be confiscated and he will be exiled, and at the worst, he will be beheaded.

Sheng Hong then said helplessly: "The Qiu family took the initiative to tell me that they wanted to marry Hua'er into the mansion, but I just brushed it off."

"We can't afford to offend the Qiu family for now. In my opinion, Hua'er's marriage should be decided as soon as possible so that we can have an explanation to the Qiu family."

Wang Ruofu knew the seriousness of the matter. She frowned and said unhappily, "Then the Yuan family is the only one left. The Yuan family is so deserted, and Yuan Wenshao is not the eldest son, so how can he be worthy of Hua'er!"

When the previous emperor was alive, the Yuan family was involved in a conspiracy and all their titles and ancestral property were taken away. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he reinvestigated the case and found that the Yuan family was implicated innocently.

In order to save the face of the late emperor, the emperor issued an edict to restore the Yuan family's title, but he still reprimanded the Yuan family for their careless and improper behavior in front of all civil and military officials and fined them ten years of silver and rice salary.

Officials in the court knew that the Yuan family would no longer be valued by the government, so they cut off all ties with them.

Sheng Hong knew that Wang Ruofu looked down on the Yuan family. He sighed and said, "Yuan Wenshao is a good young man, upright and motivated. He got a job in the Wucheng Military Commission at a young age, but he was held back by his family background."

Wang Ruofu stiffened her neck. "So what? I asked my sister, Lady Kang, to find out a lot about the Yuan family's inner workings in Bianjing some time ago. Madam Zhang is arrogant and rude. She also favors the eldest son, Yuan Wenchun, and the eldest daughter-in-law is her niece."

"Hua'er is my firstborn daughter. How can she not suffer if she marries into such a family?"

"You..." Sheng Hong shook his head helplessly, picked up the white porcelain teacup on the table beside him, and drank the tea in one gulp.

Hualan snuggled up to Old Madam Sheng, her brows furrowed and her face showing worry.

Since ancient times, marriage is a matter of parents' and matchmaker's decision, so she shouldn't get involved rashly.

But this concerns her entire life after all, so she naturally wants to find a husband with both good character and good looks.

Old Madam Sheng could see Hua Lan's thoughts. She patted the back of her hand and said softly, "Don't worry. You are the eldest daughter of our Sheng family. We will never let you suffer any grievances in the future."

A hint of shyness appeared on Hualan's face and she nodded.

After a moment of silence, Sheng Hong said, "Since you despise the Yuan family, I do have another candidate."

"Sir, please tell me who it is!" Wang Ruofu was very anxious.

"Zhao Han, the eldest son of the Zhao family, passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen. I met him at the Luming Banquet hosted by the prefect when I first arrived in Yangzhou three years ago."

“I observed that he spoke with remarkable composure and was well-mannered, and that he was destined for great things, so I took good care of him in every way.” “This man has always been on good terms with Changbai. If it weren’t for his bad luck, which forced him to give up the imperial examination the following year and stay home to observe mourning for his mother three years ago, he would surely have entered the Hanlin Academy by now.”

After Sheng Hong finished speaking, he raised his hand and touched his beard.

Hanlin Academy is the place where the imperial court stores talents. It has always been said that only Jinlin scholars can enter Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin scholars can enter the cabinet. If there is no accident, a Jinshi who can enter the Hanlin Academy will enter the cabinet and become a prime minister in the future.

"It's just that Zhao Han's family background is not good. His father died young, and he has lived with his mother, Hu, and his maternal grandfather since he was young."

"The old man of the Hu family did business in Yangzhou in his early years and built up a lot of property. He only has one daughter, his mother. Although the family is not short of money now, it is still a little behind ours."

Wang Ruofu pondered Sheng Hong's words carefully. Her requirements for Hualan's husband were nothing more than: a clean family background, easy to take care of his mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, and someone with meritorious service or ancestral property and titles to inherit.

"If Zhao Han can really pass the imperial examination and enter the Imperial Academy, it would be a good choice."

Sheng Hong said, "Yes, Zhao Han's mourning period has passed, and he is preparing to go to Bianjing to take part in the imperial examination in a few days. I specially invited him to my house today to chat. You can come and see for yourself."

Wang Ruofu nodded thoughtfully, then turned her gaze to Old Lady Sheng.

"What does mother think of this man?"

Old Madam Sheng's expression remained calm as she spoke calmly, "When looking for a husband, one shouldn't just consider family background. Back then, the Sheng family couldn't even compare to your Wang family. Your father and mother were willing to marry you off because they valued your character and ability."

Wang Ruofu was delighted by these words. "Mother is right. If Zhao Han is really as good as my husband says, Hua'er might even be granted an imperial decree in the future if she marries him."

At this moment, Sheng Hong's personal servant Dong Rong came forward and said, "Master, Master Zhao has arrived and is waiting in the front hall."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong hurriedly stood up and bowed to Old Madam Sheng to say goodbye, and Wang Ruofu followed closely behind.

lobby.

Hearing the footsteps coming from the corridor, Zhao Han turned his head and saw a man in his early forties with elegant temperament and serious eyebrows walking steadily into the hall.

Behind him followed a woman with a gentle face who was wearing a dark green cross-collared brocade skirt and a light-colored jacket.

Zhao Han recognized at a glance that the woman was Wang Ruofu. The Great Zhou Dynasty advocated the color green, and only the wife could use green in the harem, while concubines could only wear red, pink and other colors.

"Greetings, Uncle Sheng, Madam Ci'an." Zhao Han bowed respectfully.

Sheng Hong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need to be so polite. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Please sit down and talk."

Zhao Han smiled lightly, and did not sit down again until Sheng Hong sat down in the main seat.

Wang Ruofu narrowed her eyes slightly and looked him up and down. Seeing that he was calm and polite, with a dignified appearance, and a truly elegant figure, she felt extremely satisfied.

"You just mentioned Mr. Zhao to me. Now that I've seen him in person, his demeanor and appearance are truly extraordinary."

Zhao Han replied gently, "My dear madam, your compliment is too much. I truly do not deserve it."

Wang Ruofu smiled, with some fine lines on her face. She knew that as a woman in the back house, it was inconvenient for her to get involved in the affairs of the front hall. After a few pleasantries, she hurried away with Mother Liu.

(End of this chapter)