Do You Know?: Rule the World

Rulan nudged Minglan quietly with her elbow, stifling a laugh and whispering, "Xiao Liu, look at Molan's face. It's uglier than a fly."

Minglan pursed her lips, "Fourth sister..."

Just as the words were on the tip of her tongue, she heard Molan impatiently say, "Grandma, my mother has also prepared gifts long ago and is just waiting to come and congratulate you on your birthday."

The old lady was a little unhappy, but she didn't show it on her face and still had a kind smile on her face.

Wang Ruofu's heart was beating slightly, and she couldn't help rolling her eyes at her.

Sheng Hong noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "I'll go over there tomorrow and personally bring the gift to the old lady, so you don't have to make the trip."

"Daddy..." Molan cast a pleading look at Sheng Hong.

The old lady only focused her gaze on Wei Xiaoniang and asked softly, "Where's Brother Liu? Didn't you bring him here?"

Wei Xiaoniang smiled, her eyes full of tenderness: "To answer the old lady, he is with Zhao's son."

"As soon as he entered the room, Brother Liu kept smiling at him and waved his hands, wanting Brother Zhao to hug him."

"This child is usually very shy, but he gets along very well with the Zhao family's brother."

The old lady's eyes darkened slightly, and she smiled meaningfully, "Children are the most intelligent. They know who will treat them well."

"Yes, if it weren't for our son-in-law, Brother Liu wouldn't be where he is today."

Wang Ruofu waved her round fan, hinting at something.

Sheng Hong felt uneasy and coughed lightly, saying, "Why bring up these past events for no reason? It's getting late, I should tell the servants to serve the food."

Wang Ruofu snorted.

Soon, the tables for men and women were set in the side hall of Shou'an Hall.

At the banquet, after three rounds of drinks, Sheng Wei raised his glass and said, "Brother Hong, Brother Han."

"Changwu's future is looking promising, and my business in the capital is doing well. In two days, I will be ready to return to Youyang."

"Song Ge'er is still young, and I'm a little worried about him running the shop alone in Youyang."

"The next time I come to Bianjing, it will probably be the wedding day of Miss Hua."

He smiled and looked at Sheng Hong, "As her uncle, I have to give her at least a few dozen dowries."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong immediately acted embarrassed and helpless, waving his hands repeatedly and saying, "Oh my, how can I let Brother Wei spend money again..."

Having said that, he couldn't hide his joy at the moment.

Zhao Han thought to himself: This God of Wealth is sending money to the Sheng family again.

Molan had just been humiliated in front of the old lady and Sheng Hong, and was feeling depressed. After eating a few bites with her chopsticks, she said she was not feeling well and hurriedly left the table with Yunzai.

Rulan felt particularly happy when she saw Minglan like that, and she pulled Minglan to have two more bowls of rice with her.

Linqi Pavilion.

After Lin Qinshuang learned what had happened, her pretty face instantly turned red, and her usually soft and charming eyes now flashed with a sinister light.

Molan wiped her tears and sobbed, "Mother, I said the wrong thing today because I was anxious. Will Daddy be angry and stop loving me in the future?"

Lin Qinshuang sighed softly, stroked Molan's head, and said softly: "How could that be? Wait until tomorrow and admit your mistake to him. Be sweet-mouthed, and your father will still hold you in his heart."

"What kind of grievance are you suffering today? If you are so impatient, how can you marry into a wealthy family and become the wife in the future? Let Yunzai take you to clean your face and don't let others laugh at you."

Molan always believed in Lin Qinshuang's words, and waited until she left.

Lin Qinshuang's expression changed immediately. In her anger, she almost bit her teeth and said, "What a scoundrel Wei family!"

"You've barely escaped death, but it looks like you're going to fight me to the death."

"Just give Minglan to that old hag, and you actually want to please her too."

Zhou Xueniang stood aside and said softly, "After all, the old lady is not the master's biological mother. How much can she interfere in the affairs of the harem?"

"As long as I hold my master's heart firmly, I don't think I can stir up any trouble."

Please vote for me, please read it~

Chapter 52: Madam Kong Enters Sheng Mansion

After leaving the Sheng family, Zhao Han plunged into the pile of documents in the Hanlin Academy, and was so busy that he didn't have time to rest from day to night.

Mother Hu and a group of servants finally arrived in Bian Jing after a long journey. More than ten carriages were parked outside the mansion.

The servants worked tirelessly to unload the boxes and cages one by one and move them into the warehouse.

The maids were responsible for sweeping the courtyard and making the bed curtains. After a short while, they had all the residences in perfect order.

Mother Hu looked at this luxurious and magnificent five-story mansion and was naturally very satisfied.

Lian sighed that it was really God's will that allowed his brother to buy this house in the land-scarce city of Bianjing for only 30,000 taels.

At three quarters past three in the afternoon, Zhao Han returned from the Hanlin Academy.

Looking at the familiar servants and maids in front of me, I finally felt a breath of life.

In the main hall, candlelight was bright, illuminating the walls.

Mother Hu smiled and pulled Zhao Han to look around. "This official robe looks really pleasing to the eyes, my boy."

Without waiting for Zhao Han to speak, he hurriedly said, "My brother is now an official. He has to deal with social events and all the trivial matters that need to be taken care of by someone."

"I think the servants in the mansion are still a little short. Tomorrow I will go find a human trafficker and buy a few smart maids and servants to bring into the mansion."

"Before coming to Bianjing, I specifically asked Uncle Tan to count all the money in the shops and farms."

"The remaining cash we have is enough to pay the betrothal gifts and bring the daughter of the Sheng family into our family in style."

Over the years, Mother Hu has been in charge of household affairs.

Uncle Tan has always been in charge of the external business affairs. He is a trustworthy old servant.

As she spoke, Mother Hu had already taken out the list of betrothal gifts she had prepared long ago.

Zhao Han took it and took a look. He saw that the list was extremely detailed, with gold, silver, money, silk, fabrics, jewelry, delicacies from land and sea, everything was available.

In addition, there are hundreds of acres of fertile land outside Yangzhou City and several shops in the city, all of which are excellent properties.

Of course, the most important thing is a pair of live geese.

According to the Zhou Li tradition, geese were used as betrothal gifts.

Wild geese are migratory birds that migrate according to the seasons, symbolizing the orderliness of a couple and the harmony of yin and yang.

Wild geese only have one pair of mates in their lifetime, which symbolizes loyalty.

If the season is not right and you really can't catch wild geese, you can use geese instead.

"I could see that my brother was very fond of the young lady from the Sheng family, so I took the initiative to buy some more."

"We must bring honor to both our family and the Sheng family, so as not to let down this good marriage."

"Are you satisfied with this betrothal list, brother?" Mother Hu asked with a smile, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes.

Zhao Han nodded and said gently, "Just prepare according to this appointment form. Thank you, Mother Hu."

-

A few days passed and spring was in full swing.

At the Sheng family's side, Wei Xiaoniang's initiative made Sheng Hong feel very fresh, and he stayed in her yard for two or three days in a row.

The maids and servants in Linqi Pavilion didn't even dare to breathe in front of Lin Qinshuang, for fear of offending her.

At the old lady's invitation, Madam Kong finally entered the mansion and began to teach the four girls etiquette and rules.

Flower arranging, tea tasting, and incense making were all included.

Hualan is very intelligent and can understand things quickly.

Minglan knew that Wei Xiaoniang had begun to compete with Lin Qinshuang. If she stepped forward again, it would undoubtedly make Wang Ruofu unhappy.

She pretended to be uninterested in these things, but in fact, like Hualan, she understood them immediately.

Only Molan and Rulan have been secretly competing with each other, quarreling over trivial matters, and sometimes even Hualan, the eldest sister, cannot suppress them.

Today, in the west wing of the backyard, the morning light shines through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows of flowers on the bluestone floor.

Several girls sat in front of a rosewood table, fiddling with various seasonal flowers.

Molan kept pestering Madam Kong to ask her for advice on flower arrangement.

Rulan wanted to ask for advice several times, but her voice was always drowned out by her deliberately raised voice.

Long before Nanny Kong came, the old lady had subtly explained the situation of the Sheng family in a letter.

Nanny Kong had a keen eye, and after just a few days of contact, she had a thorough understanding of the girls' personalities.

She had been waiting for the right time to set some rules for them.

Molan's behavior today was exactly what Madam Kong wanted.

She deliberately only responded to Molan's questions and ignored Rulan's look for help, until her little face gradually turned red and the peony branch in her hand was squeezed until juice oozed out.

Nanny Kong deliberately found an excuse to slip away and waited for them to make trouble in the school.

Rulan leaned over the table, eyes full of indignation as she said, "Fourth sister, you really work so hard!"

"She doesn't delve into knitting, but instead pays attention to things like burning incense and arranging flowers, things that only the rich and powerful enjoy, as if you will definitely need them in the future."

Molan glanced at her calmly and said nonchalantly, "Daddy specifically told us to learn from Nanny. It's better to learn without using it than to be laughed at."

"We are both father's daughters. Fifth sister was born in the eldest lady's womb, so she is more noble than me."

"Just because of this, I can't even ask Mammy for advice?"

Rulan sat up straight and gritted her teeth, "Since you know you're a concubine's daughter, you should behave yourself!"

"Don't think that just learning these things will allow you to marry into a wealthy family. You're just daydreaming all day long, and you don't even look in the mirror to see how much you really are!"

"You people in Linqi Pavilion, from top to bottom, don't learn good things, but instead learn despicable means!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Molan's eyes turned red and she said in a trembling voice, "I just asked a few more questions to Nanny. Why did Fifth Sister have to treat me like this? Woo woo woo, I'm going to tell Daddy..."

"Go now if you have the guts. Who's afraid of you?"

"Cry, cry, cry. All you do is cry all day long!"