The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Zhao Lan's explosive news shocked everyone in the government office hall.

This case has truly surprised everyone, with twists and turns after twists and turns.

The blow was particularly severe for Zhang Zhong.

He thought he had finally had a child after years of being childless, and even accidentally killed his wife for the sake of this child.

But in the end, he got this result—the child wasn't his, and he was infertile.

How could he accept that?

Zhang Zhong was not a morally upright person to begin with, so his hysterical cursing filled the lobby, as offensive as it could be.

But what good is it? In the eyes of others, his actions are nothing more than a grasshopper in autumn.

In the end, Zhang Zhong was sentenced to death and was to be executed the following autumn.

Zhang Yi and Wu Xiaocao, who were innocently implicated in the case, were released without charge. Not only that, but they also benefited from the misfortune by inheriting all of the property of Zhang Zhong's brother.

However, later on, the two disliked the brother's yard because it was considered unlucky, so they sold it along with their own yard and used the money from the sale to move to a new place.

Zhao Lan, who was the most persecuted in this case, for some unknown reason, ignored the gossip from her neighbors and continued to live in her original courtyard with her four-year-old son while heavily pregnant.

Because they were part of the shocking case of a wife-murder that reverberated throughout the city, no one dared to mess with them, mother and son.

Zhuge Yunshu felt that this was a good ending. The victim was not blinded by hatred, nor did he have to pay such a heavy price as to exchange one life for another to punish the perpetrator.

Instead, they protect themselves while using the power of the law to ensure that the perpetrators receive the punishment they deserve.

This is something that everyone in a difficult situation should learn.

Zhuge Yunshu only learned after the case was over that those so-called clues were all intentional on Zhao Lan's part. She was gambling that Zhang Zhong would take full responsibility for the crime because of the child in her womb, and she was gambling that her child would be found safely by the yamen runners.

It must be said that although Zhao Lan had a difficult life, she had a strong and resilient heart.

Such a woman is truly admirable.

......

After the public trial at the government office, among the 1000-word analysis and conclusions of Zhuge Yunshu, Zhuge Yunchu, Wang Yi, and Zhang Hao, only Zhuge Yunshu's analysis came closest to the truth.

For this reason, in the following days, in order to punish Zhuge Yun Chu, Wang Yi and Zhang Hao, Master Wang gave them many similar cases, just like the previous 'wife-killing case'. Each case required a written explanation of the case reasoning in about 1000 words.

Zhuge Yunchu and the other two were in great distress.

Zhuge Yunshu's situation was relatively easier. Perhaps in order to discourage Zhuge Yunchu, Wang Yi, and Zhang Hao, Master Wang only required her to write one policy essay each day, and she could arrange the rest of her time as she pleased.

Therefore, after finishing his studies and learning various skills within the system for serving the country and the people these past few days, Zhuge Yunshu got involved in Lin Siniang and Zhuge Laifu's business.

To call it participation is really just about giving some advice.

However, this is a long story.

When they first arrived in Jingling Prefecture, Zhuge Laifu and Lin Siniang split up to search for a courtyard house in the prefectural city that offered good value for money.

Lin Si Niang was chatting animatedly with the owner of a cosmetics shop. Their conversation ranged from clothing and jewelry to the latest makeup trends in the city. The shop owner casually mentioned a new type of soap that was currently all the rage in the city. It not only smelled wonderfully fragrant, but also left the skin feeling moisturized after washing. Most importantly, the fragrance was long-lasting. Unfortunately, it was in very short supply and demand...

Upon hearing this, Lin Si Niang immediately took it to heart.

So after returning home and discussing it with Zhuge Laifu, they decided to open a soap shop in the prefectural city that mainly catered to women.

They offer a wide variety of soaps, including makeup remover soap, body soap, shampoo soap, oil-removing soap, acne-removing soap, and laundry soap. They also feature a special floral scent for each season.

Zhuge Yunxia even came up with a name for it: Ancient Charm Fragrance Workshop.

Zhuge Yunshu thought it sounded wonderful and thought to herself, her second cousin is indeed the successor that her parents favored the most.

After having this idea, Zhuge Laifu and Lin Siniang, along with their three nephews and four nieces, began to put it into practice.

The first step is to find someone to collaborate with.

The Zhuge family's soap business had always been in cooperation with the Zhang Hao family, so this time, it was a case of keeping the profits within the family. Lin Si Niang directly sent a letter to Zhang Hao's mother, Zhang Shulan, who was still in Yunshui Town.

Although Zhang Shulan was an adopted child of the Zhang family, she was raised by Zhang Yuanwai's mother, so she learned a lot of skills. Even after she married Zhang Yuanwai, she still had a very high status in the family.

The reason for this is that she herself is very capable. She is not only smart but also has an extraordinary sense of business. Even her family's most profitable businesses, such as hair ornaments and spice shops, were all established by her.

So when she opened the envelope written by Lin Si Niang, she ignored the not-so-beautiful handwriting and was instead captivated by the contents, praising it repeatedly.

He was by nature a fiery and impulsive man, so he simply packed a few pieces of luggage, took a few maids and servants with him, left only a letter for Master Zhang, and headed straight for Jingling Prefecture.

This time, the Zhuge family provided the formula and innovative marketing methods as usual, while Zhang Shulan provided the money and venue.

They decided to expand soap production, so they planned to open a soap workshop in Yunshui Town and Linxi County.

The original soap workshop in Zhuge Village was transformed into a research and development base.

Given the Zhang family's significant investment, Lin Si Niang naturally wouldn't let Zhang Shulan suffer any losses. So, she produced a new ancient-style contract and handed it to Zhang Shulan. This time, the distribution of shares was as follows: the Zhuge family would take 30%, while the Zhang family, represented by Zhang Shulan, would take 70%.

In Lin Si Niang's words, this is still a preliminary contract. If Zhang Shulan finds new partners later, the share will need to be adjusted again, but it will still only be Zhang Shulan's share...

After nearly a month of work, Zhang Shulan's shop in Jingling Prefecture, designed and decorated according to Lin Si Niang's suggestions, was finally basically completed. The next step was to prepare for promotion and recruit and train staff.

Zhuge Yunshu may not be able to get involved in other things, but she excels at recruiting people!

So, at her suggestion, Zhuge Laifu asked some scholars from poor families to write nearly five hundred ancient-style promotional materials and more than a dozen job postings for their Guyunxiangfang.