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

Han Zhi stared at the words on the handkerchief, then secretly glanced at Su Zhen, who was chatting with his family. He had no choice but to give the order first:

"Yueping, take some people and collect all the return gifts from your father-in-law and mother-in-law, and put them in the car."

"Yes, my lord."

"And another thing," Han Zhi called out to her again, "remember to handle it carefully and don't damage it."

"Yes."

Han Zhi's voice was relatively soft, but because the main hall of Su Xun's house was rather small, it was still heard.

Su Xun asked with a smile, "Is Master Han going back already?"

"I wouldn't dare to bother you any further. Besides, it's currently the time before my wedding, so it's not appropriate to spend too much time with Madam Su," Han Zhi said.

Su Xun nodded in understanding and said, "Then, Eighth Sister, you should see Master Han off. If there's anything to say, it'll be easier to talk when it's just the two of you."

Su Zhen nodded, then looked at Han Zhi and gestured for him to enter, saying, "This way, Mr. Han."

Yueping and the other servants had already left, and Su Xun and Madam Cheng also wisely turned and left. Now, the distance from the hall to the door was just the two of them.

"Lady Su..."

“Now that our marriage is arranged, there’s no need to address each other so formally. My family and those who know me will all call me Eighth Sister, or Lord Han, as you may also call me,” Su Zhen said.

"Eighth Sister, the words on this handkerchief are..." Han Zhi raised his hand uncertainly, pointed to the silk handkerchief, and then to himself.

Su Zhen smiled slightly and said, "It is a gift for Lord Han."

Han Zhi was somewhat surprised, and then picked up the silk handkerchief again to read the words on it once more. Su Zhen continued, "Since Lord Han is my future husband, I naturally want to inquire about his character."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhi stopped looking at the handkerchief and said, "I would like to hear the details."

“My lord is talented, yet he always hides his abilities and never displays them. While this is a good thing, I think it is because he is lazy,” Su Zhen said with a smile.

"But yesterday, I hid behind the door and saw you writing a poem. Although it contained a sense of sorrow, it also had a heroic spirit. Such a contradiction is something I don't understand."

"If you are lazy, I hope to offer some advice. If not, then this is just a warning, and I hope you will not take offense."

Han Zhi quickly bowed and raised his hand, saying, "Thank you for reminding me, Eighth Sister. I will."

Su Zhen smiled and helped Han Zhi up, saying, "This is just my side of the story; you don't need to be so serious, sir."

“Other men have a lot of friends, but as you know, I rarely go out and don’t have many friends. It might be a bit of a hardship for you, and you might feel a little bored after you go there,” Han Zhi said, scratching his head.

“There will be,” Su Zhen smiled slightly and led Han Zhi to the door. “We have no friends in Meishan, but we will have to go to the capital with you to take the imperial examinations in the future. We will have friends then.”

Han Zhi glanced at the caravan, and seeing that everything was ready, he turned around and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance today, Eighth Sister."

"No, no, I hope you won't think I'm being presumptuous."

Su Zhen stood there, watching Han Zhi board the carriage. The latter turned around, and the two exchanged a slight nod before Han Zhi climbed into the carriage and led the group away.

After Han Zhi had walked away, Su Xun and Madam Cheng came out. Su Xun then asked:

"Eighth Sister, this Master Han is indeed a man of exceptional literary talent. What do you think of him?"

“He is humble, meticulous in his work, and still has a great ambition…” Su Zhen said, “However, we have only met three times, and what I have heard and know is all from other people’s words, so my daughter cannot make a judgment.”

......

Han Zhi returned home and was instructing his servants to move his belongings out. At that moment, Han Zhoushi approached with an invitation. Seeing Han Zhi, she smiled and asked, "Zhi'er, you're back?"

"Ah."

Madam Han Zhou then handed the invitation to Han Zhi, saying, "These are the things you'll need for your wedding. Take a look and see if there's anything you want to change."

Han Zhi shook his head and said, "I don't know anything about these things, so I will just follow Mother's instructions."

"And what about the sedan chair? How many bearers are needed?"

"Since we are marrying a lady from a prominent family, she should enter through the main gate, so of course we need a grand sedan chair carried by eight men." Han Zhi said as he arranged for the servants. "The only problem is that the wedding date is tight, set for the fourth day of the ninth month. I wonder if we can prepare all of this."

Han Zhou smiled and tapped the invitation, saying, "Our family is a noble household, how could we not be able to prepare? Zhi'er, don't worry."

Han Zhi nodded, and after confirming once again that the Su family's return gifts were all prepared, he said to Han Zhou Shi, "Mother, I entrust the marriage matters entirely to you. I still need to go back and prepare some other things."

"Okay, go ahead."

After parting ways with Han Zhoushi, he returned to his room. There, he took out a silk handkerchief from his bosom, placed it on his desk, and began to think.

She sat there, staring at the design on the silk handkerchief, her brow furrowed. The handkerchief was painted with lotus flowers, the colors distinct and the details remarkably clear.

The poem that encouraged him was written in the space that was originally meant for blank space.

Han Zhi was looking at the silk handkerchief when he heard his door open. He looked up and saw Yue Ping, who had come to serve tea.

"My lord, please have some tea."

"Hmm." Han Zhi took the teacup, then called out to Yue Ping, who was about to leave: "Yue Ping, wait a moment."

"My lord, what are your orders?"

Han Zhi took a sip of tea and asked, "How many years have you been following me?"

“My lord, it has been three decades since then.”

Yueping was the daughter of a servant in the household. She was quiet, obedient, and quick-witted. Seeing that the two were about the same age, Zhou Hanshi entrusted Yueping to Han Zhi as his personal maid.

"Hmm... So you've been following me for so long, what kind of person do you think I am?"

Holding the plate, Yueping thought carefully for a moment and replied, "Very talented, humble, and gentle..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Han Zhi interrupted her, saying, "Never mind, let me ask you, am I a little... lazy?"

"Hmm..." Yueping paused for a moment, her face turning slightly red, unsure whether she should answer this question.

Han Zhi understood now, after all, there's a saying that goes:

A young girl's blush speaks louder than a thousand words.

"Okay, I get it. I am a bit lazy." Han Zhi slapped his forehead, looking quite dejected.

Yueping thought Han Zhi was angry, so she quickly said, "My lord, that's not what I meant."

"I didn't say that's what you meant; I figured it out myself." Han Zhi held Su Zhen's silk handkerchief and gave a wry smile. "Is my laziness really that obvious?"

Yueping nodded subconsciously, then shook her head.