In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

Cheng Jun and Cheng Xu were originally worried about not having a way to make things difficult for their cousin-in-law, but now this has given them the opportunity.

They had all done a brief investigation into Han Zhi, and were naturally aware of his long-standing discord with his father. The gift he had prepared this time was unlikely to be anything special; how much money could this young man possibly have to spare for it?

So Cheng Jun spoke up, "We only have one niece, Ba Niang, and we care about whether she marries well. We're afraid that if she marries an unsuitable man, it will bring shame to the Cheng and Su families."

"So, son-in-law, would you be so kind as to let us take a look at the precious items you've brought?"

Han Zhi and Su Zhen exchanged a glance, then both adopted a relaxed expression. Su Zhen even gently covered her mouth, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh.

Su Xun and Madam Cheng couldn't get a word in edgewise, but when they heard about the gifts, they immediately understood what was going on—

Those two Cheng brothers are trying to make things difficult for this good son-in-law!

They then advised, "Good brother, there's no need for this. It's just a small gift; why make such a fuss?"

"The sentiment is the most important thing. Why bother looking at this? If we do, it might break the hearts of the son-in-law and Aunt Ba."

“If Ba Niang marries someone who treats her badly, wouldn’t she be even more heartbroken?” Cheng Jun said with an air of “I’m doing this all for the child’s good”—if he didn’t smile, he would look very convincing.

"Brother!" Madam Cheng said gently, "Stop fooling around. Today is a happy day."

But at this moment, Han Zhi smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, Uncle's concern is valid. I also want to prove that I can provide a good life for Ba Niang."

Madam Cheng sighed and said, "In that case, bring them in."

"Yueping—bring the things in!"

"Yes, my lord."

Yueping's voice came from outside, and then she led the servants in, carrying in several boxes. She placed them at the feet of the others for the third time, then opened them and displayed them to the three members of the Cheng family.

"This is a gold-carved beast made by the Tang family's goldsmiths. Do you two recognize it?"

"This is gold-colored woolen satin, from Lin'an. There are twenty bolts of it here. Most of these gold and silver ornaments are made of gold and silver, without any copper mixed in."

Looking at the rich expressions on Cheng Jun's and the others' faces, Yue Ping felt extremely proud, even though these things weren't hers.

After the introduction, Yueping made a small gesture, and the servants tacitly closed the box together.

Cheng Jun swallowed hard. Everything here was extremely expensive in terms of both cost and value. The decorations could be disregarded, but the golden beast robe and the silk from Lin'an were definitely not cheap.

They were both wealthy merchants, and they certainly possessed the golden beast and Lin'an silk. However, they would definitely not agree to Han Zhi giving away a golden beast or twenty bolts of Lin'an silk in one go, and the mere thought of it would be extremely painful.

Unless one has a daughter getting married, one might not take out so many things as part of her dowry.

Cheng Jun and Cheng Xu both turned pale, and Cheng Zhicai lowered his head slightly. At this moment, Su Zhen took out a card from his sleeve, stepped forward, and handed it to Su Xun, saying:

"My lord, this is a gift from my husband."

Su Xun was taken aback, then took the book and began to read. The large title immediately caught his attention—

"On the Six States"

After reading it, he immediately stood up with a "whoosh" and exclaimed, "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

"Isn't this the article I was discussing with you, son-in-law? I never expected you to actually write it!"

This article was indeed written by Han Zhi, but it differs from the one Su Xun wrote later, though the general direction is similar. Originally, he intended to secretly slip it to Su Xun later for him to review, but he changed his mind at the last minute. He decided to have Su Zhen pass it on.

Su Zhen was filled with curiosity, but seeing the expressions on his two uncles' faces, he couldn't help but smile. Therefore, he could only laugh and whisper in Han Zhi's ear:

"What are you doing, sir? Why didn't you take it out just now?"

"Anyway, it's going to be given to my father-in-law, so whether I give it now or later, it's all the same, isn't it?" Han Zhi replied with a smile.

Su Zhen reached out and gently tapped Han Zhi's nose, seemingly quite pleased with his action.

Cheng Zhicai then said, "Good brother, you've given so much as a dowry. Don't waste your savings for the sake of some so-called face."

Han Zhi shrugged and replied, "How is this a waste? I feel that giving these things is unworthy of Eighth Sister. Besides, I didn't buy these golden beast-shaped ornaments and Lin'an silk myself; they were all bought by others—"

"It was a gift!"

"A gift...a gift?!" Cheng Jun and the other two were all very surprised.

These things are worth a fortune. If they were all gifts from someone else, there are only two possibilities—you saved his whole family, or you are an exceptionally kind person.

Regardless of the reason, it all demonstrates that Han Zhi's character is exceptionally good.

His appearance speaks for itself; he's clean-cut and quite handsome. He's also wealthy; aside from the gold-plated beast and Lin'an silk, these gold and silver ornaments alone prove his riches. He's also a talented writer; at least in the eyes of the Cheng family, his literary talent has won over Su Zhen. Finally, his character is beyond reproach.

Now, Madam Cheng had a completely different opinion of Han Zhi. Even though she had heard that he was somewhat lazy, these few good points completely overshadowed his shortcomings.

He's the perfect son-in-law!

Given that, why would she still worry that Han Zhi would let Su Zhen down?

Seeing that her two younger brothers had already lost face, Madam Cheng quickly said, "Good son-in-law, please have someone take the things away. There will be many guests coming later. You should know the principle of not flaunting your wealth."

"My mother-in-law is right. Yueping—"

"Yes, my lord."

"Move all these things that are taking up space away, so we can make room for dinner later," Han Zhi instructed.

"Yes, my lord."

Then, Yueping called on the people to move all the things out.

At that moment, Su Shi and his younger brother Su Zhe ran in with writing brushes and ink, each holding an article they had written, and approached Han Zhi. Su Shi glanced furtively at his elder sister, then subtly moved aside, distancing himself from Su Zhen.

“Brother-in-law, my sister says your talent surpasses hers. We recently wrote an article and would like to ask you to give us your feedback,” Su Shi said at this moment.

"Yes, Second Brother is right."

Han Zhi scratched his head and secretly glanced at Su Zhen beside him. Her eyes were filled with resentment—after all, she was remembering when Su Xun teased her.

He assumed his wife was just being polite and that someone had taken it seriously, so he quickly handed the article to Su Zhen and said with a smile:

“Ba Niang’s talent is actually superior to mine. I can only write, not correct. Therefore, the matter of correction can only be left to Ba Niang.”

Madam Cheng, however, did not feel that she was being pretentious; on the contrary, she seemed somewhat...

modesty!