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

The day after Han Zhi returned home, the Su family welcomed a matchmaker into the house.

"Matchmaker, may I ask whose husband you are talking about today?" the male head of the household asked curiously after welcoming the matchmaker into the house.

"He is the son of the Earl of Fuping in the south of the city, the young man who just passed the provincial examination yesterday. He is eighteen years old this year, handsome and learned," the matchmaker said with a smile.

The man paused for a moment, then looked at his daughter, Su Zhen.

The latter sat there quietly, seemingly obeying her father's orders. Actually, it wasn't that no one had come to propose marriage a couple of days ago; her two uncles had personally brought gifts and her cousin to propose.

However, the man did not agree, so the two uncles didn't even get to see Su Zhen. But now, another person has arrived, and it's unclear whether their daughter would be willing to see him.

"Eighth Sister, what do you think? Do you want us to consult a fortune teller?" he asked.

Su Zhen nodded slightly and said, "Since he is the top scholar in the provincial examination, he must have some talent. It would be worthwhile to meet him. How about we set it for tomorrow?"

Since that's the case, the man said, "In that case, let's accept the matchmaker's letter first. If we find each other agreeable, we can then proceed with the marriage."

The matchmaker smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Su. I will go back now and tell the young master the news."

"Good work."

Watching the matchmaker leave, the mistress, who had been sitting silently to the side, finally spoke up: "Husband, what does this mean? Didn't you meet my two younger brothers yesterday? Why are you agreeing to their marriage proposal today?"

"I never wanted to marry Ba Niang to her uncle's family. Cheng Zhicai is an expert but has been careless. Although it would be a marriage between relatives, I'm still afraid of hurting Ba Niang's feelings."

Cheng Zhicai was Su Zhen's cousin, and thus the mistress's nephew.

Needless to say, the mistress of the house is Madam Cheng, and the man is Su Xun.

“But that’s just how the people are these days. We can just discipline them more in the future,” Madam Cheng said.

Su Xun waved his hand and said, "Enough, enough. Marriage is a major event that we cannot decide on our own. It depends not only on us, but also on Eighth Sister's wishes."

Madam Cheng looked at Su Xun, sighed, and said nothing more, leaving Su Xun to do as he pleased.

Meanwhile, at the Marquis of Fuping's residence, Han Zhi and his family of three listened to the matchmaker's reply. At this moment, Han Zhuo asked, "Whose daughter is Su Ba Niang?"

"The official who has been reinstated is Su Xun, the official from the west of the city."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhi finally remembered—Su Zhen was Su Ba Niang, Su Shi's elder sister, and the only eldest daughter of the Su family. She was well-versed in literature from a young age and possessed exceptional talent…

It's a pity that later, after marrying her cousin, she was abused to death.

"Tomorrow, young Master Han will need to prepare a gold hairpin and a bolt of cloth to go and meet his future wife," the matchmaker reminded him.

Han Zhi stood up, nodded, and said, "I understand, thank you, Matchmaker."

After speaking, Han Zhi took a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it in the matchmaker's hand. The matchmaker received the silver, her smile widening, and she began to mutter again:

"I am here to congratulate you in advance, young master Han. I will come to pick you up at 5:45 AM tomorrow to take you to the Su family."

"Okay, thank you for your help, matchmaker mom."

After saying that, the matchmaker left. Han Zhi was the second to leave, returning to his room alone.

His room had four walls, or rather, it couldn't really be called walls; instead, it had four floor-to-ceiling paper windows. He sat at his desk, feeling inexplicably irritated, and called out, "Yueping!"

At this moment, one of the "walls" was opened, and a woman dressed as a maid walked in.

"My lord, what are your orders?"

This was Han Zhi's personal maid, who had been by his side since childhood and knew his temperament very well. However, her recent words had left her somewhat puzzled.

"When you go to meet your future wife tomorrow, you need to prepare a gold hairpin and a piece of silk. Go and prepare them. Prepare something nice, so that she doesn't feel looked down upon."

"Yes."

......

The next day, Han Zhi, accompanied by the matchmaker, arrived at the Su family's gate in a carriage. Upon seeing Han Zhi, Su Xun bowed first and greeted him, "Greetings, Master Han."

"Greetings, Lord Su."

"I dare not accept such praise." Su Xun quickly reached out to help Han Zhi up. "My daughter is still waiting at home. Please come in, Mr. Han."

Upon entering the main hall, they found only Su Shi and Madam Cheng present; Su Zhen was nowhere to be seen. Su Xun then said, "My humble abode is poor and lacks a proper place for Mr. Han to meet his wife. How about we meet at my daughter's door?"

Perhaps it was a test devised by Su Xun and the others, because Han Zhi did not refuse and went over with Yue Ping.

After circling around, Han Zhicai arrived at a small courtyard, but there was no one there. Su Xun immediately frowned, looking puzzled; it seemed this was beyond his expectations.

He called out, "Eighth Sister? Lord Han is here!"

There was no response. Su Xun looked apologetically at Han Zhi, then led him back into the courtyard. He was actually afraid, worried that his daughter wouldn't approve of this top scholar.

As if sensing that Han Zhi had entered the courtyard, a sigh suddenly came from inside the room.

"I apologize, Lord Han. I composed a poem yesterday, but for some reason, after writing the first stanza, I couldn't come up with a matching second stanza. I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, and I am not yet dressed, so it is inappropriate for us to meet."

Su Zhen's voice came from the room. Han Zhi was slightly taken aback, but then he immediately understood:

This is a test of myself!

Unofficial histories still tell of "Su Xiaomei teasing Qin Langjun three times," but now it's "Su Ba Niang tricked Han Jieyuan."

He and Su Xun exchanged a glance. The other man, having apparently understood Su Zhen's meaning, took a slight step back. Han Zhi then spoke:

"I had heard that Madam Su was exceptionally talented, and today I have heard that she has written a new poem. Therefore, I dare to ask if you may recite it to me? If I am wise enough, I may be able to resolve Madam Su's inner conflict."

There was a moment of silence in the room, then Su Zhen's voice came again: "Since that's the case, then I'll read it to you."

After waiting a short while, Su Zhen read aloud:

“The emerald curtain hangs low, concealing the jade hook, and the fragrant breeze caresses the face, intoxicating the heart. The zither plays a tune, expressing unrequited love, and a thousand lines of brocade words convey tender sorrow. The new moon hangs like a hook, the clouds in the hair are scattered, and the fence reflects the embroidered window, which reflects the candlelight.”

Han Zhi was quite surprised to hear this, as he couldn't come up with a second part for the time being.

"I need to trouble you, Master Han."