Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 5: Catching a son-in-law
At this time, Sheng Hong had not yet been promoted to a Beijing official, and the Sheng Mansion in Yangzhou was only a three-courtyard residence.

In the east wing of the main hall, Sheng Hong was half-lying on the soft couch with his knees bent, holding a book in his hands, and occasionally picking up the teacup beside him, looking leisurely and contented.

Wang Ruofu took off her hairpins and rings with the help of Madam Liu, and wiped her face with a warm towel. She glanced at Sheng Hong and asked, "Master, are you not going to Lin's house?"

In the past six months, Sheng Hong has stayed in Lin Qinshuang's house for nearly twenty days a month.

Wang Ruofu was dissatisfied, but she was unwilling to lower her status as a lady to compete for favor with Lin Qinshuang.

Of course, she could never learn Lin Qinshuang's delicate and charming methods.

Sheng Hong closed the book and half-closed his eyes.

"Let me talk to you about Hua'er's marriage. You also met Zhao Han today. Are you satisfied?"

Wang Ruofu snorted.

"Brother Zhao is a handsome man, humble and polite. After meeting him today, I really can't find anything wrong with him."

"If Hua'er stood with him, they would look like a perfect match."

Wang Ruofu was not considered beautiful, but Hualan's appearance was exactly like Sheng Hong's, bright and charming, with a natural and smart appearance. If you look closely, you can see a bit of heroic spirit between her eyebrows.

Sheng Hong nodded in agreement. "I briefly probed Zhao Han, and he said he plans to discuss marriage after the imperial examination."

Wang Ruofu frowned and let Mother Liu take off her coat.

After a moment's silence, she said, "Sir, what do you think the chances are that Zhao's son will pass the imperial examination?"

"I asked Zhuang Xuejiu, and he said at least 90%."

Last year, Sheng Hong rescued an old lady named Lao An from being wrongfully imprisoned in Yangzhou. Coincidentally, her son was the highly respected and renowned scholar Zhuang in Bian Jing. Many noble families were willing to spend a large sum of money to hire him to preside over their clan schools.

In order to repay the kindness of saving his mother, and with Sheng Hong's three visits to his cottage, Zhuang Xuejiu showed his sincerity. He is currently teaching at the Sheng Mansion Academy.

Wang Ruofu was a little surprised. She pushed Mother Liu away and walked to Sheng Hong's side.

"Official!"

"Even Scholar Lian Zhuang is so optimistic about Zhao's son. We can't wait until after the imperial examination to discuss marriage with him!"

"If we were to catch a son-in-law from the popular list in Bianjing, and he gets snatched away by some noble family, wouldn't we all be left with nothing?!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials. If officials and wealthy gentry who came from military backgrounds wanted to quickly improve their family status, the best way was to establish connections with the civil officials.

Every time the results of the imperial examination were announced, they would rush to the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall to choose husbands for their daughters from among the newly-appointed Jinshi.

These people don't care about the parents' orders or the matchmaker's words, don't ask about the other party's family background, and don't even ask about their birth date.

Once they find someone they like, they will tie him up and bring him home, forcing him to marry their daughter.

Sheng Hong slapped his head, looked up at Wang Ruofu, and wondered how he could have forgotten about the matter of finding a son-in-law from the list.

"You have a point. Since we both like Zhao Han, I will tell him about this matter after I am done with this."

"As the year draws to a close, I'm not sure if I can get an excellent rating in this year's performance review."

Having said this, Sheng Hong looked up to the sky and sighed deeply.

This year marks his third year as the magistrate of Yangzhou.

Civil officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty were evaluated every three years, and military officials every five years. The evaluation criteria for local officials were "Four Virtues and Three Bests".

Four virtues: being virtuous and righteous, being clear and prudent, being fair and just, and being diligent and conscientious.

The three mosts: no unjust lawsuits and no tax disturbances are the most important in governing; farming, reclamation and water conservancy projects are the most important in encouraging education; eliminating evil and thieves and providing relief to the poor are the most important in supporting the people.

Those who perform well in the assessment can have their service years reduced or be granted preferential rank with a reduced service year.

Sheng Hong started out as a ninth-rank deputy governor, and nearly twenty years have passed in a flash.

During his three years in Yangzhou, he made friends with officials and gentry extensively and acted with caution.

If the assessment goes well, there is a high probability that he will be transferred to a Beijing official next year.

“My lord, you are diligent and responsible. Your hard work over the past few years will not be in vain. Besides, we have already taken care of things at the Ministry of Personnel.” “If my lord can successfully enter the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel this time, I will finally be able to hold my head high in front of my sister.”

Wang Ruofu's eyes flickered with anticipation.

Back then, she married Sheng Hong, while her elder sister Wang Ruoyu married into the prominent Kang family.

During every New Year, Wang Ruoyu would show off in front of her.

Wang Ruofu was holding her breath, just waiting for Sheng Hong to be promoted to a Beijing official.

Sheng Hong shook his head repeatedly after hearing the words Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Personnel.

"what are you thinking!"

"The emperor is old, and the dispute over the succession is raging. It would be best to go to the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Rites first to wait and see, so as to avoid getting involved in the factional struggle."

Wang Ruofu curled her lips and said, "Sir, you are too cautious. Which of your colleagues isn't trying to get ahead?"

Sheng Hong turned his head to glance at the sky outside the window, and said as he walked into the inner room, "The issue of establishing a crown prince is changing rapidly."

"The emperor praises Prince Yan today, and invites Prince Yong to dine in the palace tomorrow. This is completely puzzling."

"Although the Ministry of Works doesn't have great power, it is stable. The Ministry of Rites is noble and free from disputes. Once the overall situation is settled, it won't be too late to plan for the future."

"I can't tie my whole family's heads to my waist just for the sake of immediate wealth and glory."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruofu lowered her head in embarrassment, realizing that she was a little too impatient.

-

At the same time, at Zhao's house.

After Zhao Han returned home, at the urging of Mother Hu, he told the truth about what happened in the Sheng Mansion.

Mother Hu said with a smile on her face: "Since Lord Sheng took the initiative to ask about my brother's marriage, it seems that he still has some intention of getting married."

Zhao Han said calmly, "This matter has not yet been finalized. Mother Hu, don't be too happy. The most important thing right now is the Spring Examination."

"Don't worry, brother. I know what's important."

After Mother Hu finished speaking, she was about to pick up the unfinished needlework beside her when she suddenly remembered another thing.

She said, "When I left home this afternoon, I heard that the old man of the Bai family seemed to be dying. There are rumors going around that the old man is planning to adopt his nephew Bai Ting as his successor. I don't know if it's true or not."

The Bai family is one of the top salt merchants in Yangzhou, and ranks among the top in the entire Lianghuai area.

Old Master Bai had only one daughter, Bai, the mother of Gu Tingye, the second son of the Ningyuan Marquisate in Bian Jing.

Zhao Han's eyes darkened. He remembered that Old Master Bai had made a will, leaving all his inheritance to his grandson Gu Tingye.

He whispered, "The Bai family is incredibly wealthy, with immense wealth. There's no guarantee that someone in the family isn't deliberately spreading rumors to confuse the public."

"Brother, you're right. Speaking of which, our family and the Bai family have some friendship."

"When our old man passed away, some of our clansmen wanted to take over the family business. Fortunately, thanks to the help of Old Master Bai, the eldest lady was able to successfully inherit the family business."

A hint of surprise flashed across Zhao Han's eyes.

"Is there such a thing?"

Mother Hu smiled and said, "My brother was still very young at that time and he doesn't remember anything yet."

Zhao Han thought about it carefully. In the original drama, Gu Tingye knew that the Bai family intended to compete with him for the inheritance, so he took the will and used the pseudonym Bai Ye to secretly follow the Yuan family's boat to Yangzhou.

Now, because of my appearance, the marriage between the Sheng and Yuan families is most likely to fail.

Gu Tingye would naturally come to Yangzhou in a different way.

　There will be another chapter later, please recommend and collect~
　　

(End of this chapter)