Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei held the box of delicate scented tea tightly in his hand, his face filled with joy as he walked briskly towards Liu Yanzhi's residence. Finally reaching the door, he knocked gently on it. After a while, the door slowly opened and Zhang Jingwei stepped into the residence.

However, just as he stepped into the door, he felt a lightness on his head. The hat he had been wearing had suddenly disappeared! He turned around in surprise and saw a small figure quickly hiding behind the door.

This mischievous little fellow was Liu Hong, Liu Yanzhi's eldest son, no more than ten years old. At this moment, another slightly childish voice rang out: "Brother, give it to me..." It turned out that there was another even younger child beside Liu Hong. This was Liu Hu, Liu Yanzhi's youngest son, about seven or eight years old, just beginning to show his teeth.

Zhang Jingwei looked at the two lively and lovely children, shook his head helplessly, and said with a smile: "Hong'er, you are naughty again." Liu Hong didn't care at all. He made a face at him and made a "lululu" sound. Then he shouted loudly: "Mom, a monk came to our house to beg for alms." Liu Hu beside him also shouted excitedly: "Big monk, big monk..."

Hearing the children's cries, Zhang Jingwei subconsciously reached out and touched his short hair, feeling amused by the innocent little brats. Just then, a graceful young girl hurried out from the front hall. Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes wide open, and she scolded Liu Hong coquettishly, "Hurry up and give that hat back to Brother Jingwei, or I'll tell Dad and have him give you a good beating!"

Faced with her sister's threat, Liu Hong remained unfazed and continued to stick out her tongue at her, making another round of "lululu". Seeing this, Zhang Jingwei quickly spoke up to intervene and said, "It's okay, sister Yuan, just let them have fun."

This young girl is Liu Yanzhi's beloved daughter Liu Yuan, who is the most well-educated and well-mannered among the many famous ladies in Yunzhou.

To be honest, this is Zhang Jingwei's ideal partner. She is about the same age as Huangfu Ling, and he had some bad thoughts about her during the first few meetings.

A graceful and beautiful woman with a pretty face welcomed Zhang Jingwei into the inner room with a smile and said warmly, "Jingwei is here! I have prepared the food, come and sit down."

This beautiful woman was none other than Liu Yanzhi's wife, Lady Meng. Liu Yanzhi was a renowned scholar in Yunzhou. At the age of forty, he married Lady Meng, twenty years his junior. Although not from a prominent family, her striking beauty captivated many, leading many to privately discuss the fact that Liu Yanzhi had overreached by marrying such a beautiful woman.

Zhang Jingwei smiled and respectfully handed over a bag of exquisite scented tea to Meng, saying, "Master's Wife, this scented tea I brought specially for you. This tea is truly extraordinary. Not only does it leave a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth, but it also has a sweet aftertaste. More importantly, it also has the magical effect of beautifying and nourishing the skin."

After hearing this, Mrs. Meng couldn't help but chuckle and said angrily, "Oh, you only know how to talk nonsense. I'm already old and ugly, so why do I need to maintain my beauty?"

Liu Yuan, who was standing by, quickly interrupted, "Mom, Brother Jingwei isn't kidding. This scented tea is indeed very popular on Taobao Zhai, and many people are rushing to buy it. It's just that because it's so popular, the price has been driven up a lot."

Mrs. Meng frowned slightly and said with a hint of worry, "From now on, please don't give me such expensive gifts. It will inevitably give people something to talk about."

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand nonchalantly and said loudly, "Master's Wife, you're worrying too much! This is just a small token of my appreciation. I don't care what others think. As long as this can express my filial piety to you and Master, what else matters?"

Liu Yanzhi emerged from his study with brisk steps, already dressed in plain casual clothes. He smiled at Zhang Jingwei and said earnestly, "Learning etiquette is the beginning of social interaction. Now that you're about to enter the officialdom and work alongside the government, it's time you understand these principles of conduct."

Zhang Jingwei nodded repeatedly and replied, "Yes, yes, Lord Liu, you are right. I will be careful in the future and send it to you quietly, and never let anyone else see it." After saying this, he showed a sly smile.

Seeing this, Liu Yanzhi couldn't help but shake his head and chuckled, and said helplessly: "You! Okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go eat first." After that, he turned and walked towards the dining room.

At this time, the Honghu brothers were still playing in the yard. When they saw their old father, they hurried forward and carefully put the hat firmly on Zhang Jingwei's head.

The teacher has always attached great importance to the strict family tradition. There is an unwritten rule in the family: no talking while eating and no talking while sleeping. Therefore, during meals, everyone kept quiet and tried not to make too much noise. At first, Zhang Jingwei felt quite restrained and uncomfortable about this, but as the number of visits increased, he gradually adapted to this atmosphere and even began to indulge himself a little. He was seen smacking his lips without any scruples, and the chopsticks in his hand were also clinked by him. Even the sound of the chopsticks moving in his mouth was particularly loud. However, Liu Yanzhi seemed to be accustomed to these actions of Zhang Jingwei. He only looked up occasionally, and his face did not show much surprise.

Zhang Jingwei said flatteringly, "Teacher, it's freezing cold out here! Sister Yuan's hands are red from the cold. In my opinion, how about I go buy you a few servants? You're a fifth-rank official, so you should have at least one or two maids to serve you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanzhi frowned slightly and corrected him, "He is from the fifth rank! Don't talk nonsense."

Zhang Jingwei hurriedly smiled and said, "Yes, yes, she is a fifth-rank official. But even if she is a fifth-rank official, it shouldn't be against the rules to have two maids, right?"

Liu Yanzhi shook his head and replied seriously, "This isn't a question of whether it violates the rules or not, but rather that extravagance must not be allowed to continue. Once this trend prevails, it will erode people's hearts."

Mrs. Meng couldn't help but interject, "Master, even so, if we could have two maids to help, at least they could share some of the housework. I've been married into the Liu family for nearly twenty years, and I've lived frugally and saved money without a single complaint. But Yuan'er is still young, and she'll eventually get married. We've worked so hard to raise her, are we just going to be raising someone else's maid for all these years?"

Liu Yanzhi glared at Meng and said sternly, "Don't talk too much while you're eating. Don't talk while you're eating and don't talk while you're sleeping. You're just a woman, what do you know? Don't bother me with these things!"

Seeing this, Zhang Jingwei muttered to himself, "Oh my, the teacher is really a stubborn old man, even more stubborn than my donkey."

Liu Yanzhi said solemnly, "Let me give you a few examples. Take your father-in-law, the Marquis of Bei. Although he was only a county marquis, his family secretly established a large number of private soldiers. Not only that, but his guards and maids were seriously overstaffed. This is a violation of the rules. And then there's the prefect Lu. He has many wives and concubines, and even took in five concubines when he was over fifty. This behavior is also a violation of the rules! This is extravagance!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but look surprised and responded hesitantly, "Lu Taishou? No way, teacher, I've been to the Taishou Mansion before and didn't notice anything unusual."

Liu Yanzhi shook his head slightly, sighed, and then explained, "What you see is merely superficial. Have you ever been to his private residence? Human nature is often like this. After acquiring one servant, greed will arise, and they will want to keep two more. The same is true with concubines. After taking one concubine, they will begin to contemplate taking two more. In this way, desires continue to expand, and people's hearts are gradually corrupted. When their salaries can no longer meet their growing material needs, corruption and bribery will follow. So, do you still think this is simply a matter of violating the rules?"

After hearing these words, Zhang Jingwei suddenly woke up. He quickly bowed and said sincerely, "I have benefited a lot today. Thank you for your teachings! Teacher, you are honest and upright, and I admire you very much!"

Liu Yanzhi nodded and said, "Eat!" and motioned him to return to his seat and continue eating.