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

Perhaps because they were too tired from running around yesterday, Han Zhi and Su Zhen did nothing last night and went straight to sleep.

Around 7 AM, it was Yueping outside who woke the two of them up.

"My lord! My wife!"

Yueping called out several times from outside the door. If it were before Han Zhi got married, she would have already come in and offered a "wake-up service." But now, given how inseparable the couple seemed, rushing in like this might mean seeing something she shouldn't.

After being woken up, Han Zhi sat up groggily, his eyes still half-closed. He wiped his face haphazardly before finally opening his eyes and looking at Su Zhen.

I stared at her blankly for a while, then decided not to wake her up, just in case she wasn't needed.

He simply threw on a robe and went to the door. As soon as he opened the door, his eyes, which had been open, were forced shut again by the glaring sunlight.

"Wow...what a huge moon!"

He was already somewhat delirious at this point, and Yueping said, "My lord, it's time to get up and wash up."

"Is something the matter? Or is there something wrong at home?" Han Zhi asked after adjusting his eyes to the sun.

Yueping said, "My lord, Master Bao has already sent someone to inform you and my wife to attend the banquet."

Han Zhi paused for a moment, then said, "I understand. I'll go wake up Ba Niang."

But when she turned back into the house, she saw Su Zhen sitting up, rubbing his eyes and asking, "My lord, what's wrong? Is something wrong at home?"

"Old Bao has sent someone to invite us to a banquet over there."

"Um......"

Still half-asleep, Su Zhen didn't have that air of a well-bred young lady; instead, she was rather adorable. He went up to her and gave her a big "strawberry," which earned him a remark in return:

"My lord is truly shameless...teasing me like this every day." Su Zhen rubbed his cheek and said:

"My lord, please go and wash up first."

Han Zhi nodded and went out.

......

After arranging for a servant to search for Han Zhi, Bao Zheng sat in his study, surrounded by a pile of books. At that moment, his wife, Bao Dongshi, entered with tea and said softly:

"Official?"

Bao Zheng raised his head, let out a sigh of relief, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's a day off, why are you still working?" Madam Bao stepped forward and placed tea on Bao Zheng's desk. "Didn't you invite people to your home for a banquet today, sir?"

“Yes, but we should try to figure things out as much as we can in this time.” Bao Zheng took a sip of tea, picked up his pen again, and looked at the booklet in his hand.

"It must be said that this student is not yet of legal age, yet he already possesses such talent. Moreover, he is the son of an old friend, with a family to support. Helping him out would not be a betrayal of our friendship."

Seeing this, Madam Bao did not try to persuade her further, and said, "Since that's the case, I'll go and inform the kitchen first. That way we can make some preparations. We elders shouldn't treat them poorly."

Bao Zheng nodded and said nothing more. The study remained quiet for a while before a servant came and stood at the door, gently knocking.

"What's wrong? What's the matter?"

"Master Fu, it's Han Zhi and Lady Su who have arrived," the servant said.

Bao Zheng closed the booklet, let out a long breath, put down his pen, stood up, and said, "Quickly invite them in, and then have someone serve them tea."

"Yes."

Bao Zheng also got up at this time, and then walked through the corridor to the front hall.

At this moment, Han Zhi and Su Zhen were already standing inside, bowing and greeting Madam Bao. Bao Zheng stepped into the room and said with a smile, "Young Master Han, Madam Su."

"I have met Master Bao."

"May Mr. Bao enjoy boundless blessings."

“No need for formalities,” Bao Zheng personally led Han Zhi and Su Zhen to sit on the left. “I wonder how Young Master Han slept last night?”

Han Zhi replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Elder Bao. I slept very well last night."

Bao Zheng sat down in the host's seat, then smiled and stroked his beard, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, Young Master Han has come to the capital this time to participate in the imperial examination, hasn't he?"

"Exactly."

Bao Zheng then said, "Since you are new here, I will take you to the Ministry of Personnel at a later time. After registering your name and place of origin, I can arrange for you to enter the Imperial Academy to prepare for next year's spring imperial examination."

Han Zhi shook his head and said, "Lord Bao, you are renowned for your integrity and are loved by the people. If this continues, I'm afraid people will gossip about you."

"What's there to be afraid of? Let others gossip as they please. As long as you study hard and pass the imperial examinations properly, what difference does it make whether those rumors exist or not?"

Han Zhi remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but Bao Zheng took this as tacit agreement: "Since that's the case, it's settled then. Once I've finished dealing with these matters at hand, I can take you there."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Bao."

The conversation in the room ended, and at that moment, Madam Bao came over with two people, smiling and saying, "Young Master Han."

Bao Zheng also looked over. Besides Madam Bao, the newcomers included three young people: one man and two women. He smiled, pointed at them, and said to Han Zhi:

“Young Master Han, these are my son and daughter. My son’s name is Yi, my daughter’s name is Wan, and the other one is also named Fu.”

These three are Bao Zheng's current son and daughter, Bao Yi, Bao Wan, and Bao Fu. Han Zhi and Su Zhen also stood up and exchanged a few greetings with the three of them.

Bao Zheng then said, "Bao Yi, although this young master Han is a few years younger than you, he is quite capable. If you have time in the future, the two of you can visit each other and help him out."

"Yes, I will."

Han Zhi also knew Bao Yi, who was Bao Zheng's eldest son. Although he died young, he was a good official like his father and was deeply loved by the people.

Bao Zheng also said to Han Zhi, "Although my son is a few years older than you, he is now an official in the court. If you encounter any problems in the future and cannot find me, you can seek him out."

Compared to the elaborate formalities between the young men and women, Su Zhen, Bao Wan, and Bao Fu were much more open-minded. After exchanging greetings, Su Zhen was pulled aside to talk about the things that "young girls" do.

Bao Yi, not wanting to be too reserved, sat down next to Han Zhi and said, "Yesterday I heard from my lord that Han Langjun had resolved my lord's worries with just a few words. Bao Yi thanks Han Langjun very much."

"No, not really?" Han Zhi was a little embarrassed at this point, since there really wasn't anything left to talk about.

"I only answered a few of Mr. Bao's questions."

"But it was this very problem that relieved my worries," Bao Yi said.

For some reason, looking at Bao Yi, I felt that he was a bit stern and very "upright".

Han Zhi nodded somewhat awkwardly and said, "No need to thank me, no need to thank me..."