Do You Know?: Rule the World

Qi Heng bowed to everyone one by one, with a bright smile on his gentle and handsome face.

Gu Tingye acted like an elder, looking Qi Heng up and down. "It's been a few years since we last met. Yuan Ruo has grown quite a bit taller!"

"You are quite good at being the second uncle." Zhao Han said softly, holding the pot to fill the newly added wine glass.

Seeing this, Qi Heng's smile widened, "Second Uncle Gu is still as charming as ever!"

After he took his seat, Gu Tingye's eyes, which always had a hint of cynicism, now flashed with eagerness.

"Your Highness's heroic deeds in the northwest have been well-known to Zhong Huai even though he is in the academy."

"One day in the future, Zhong Huai is willing to serve Your Highness at his service!"

Zhao Han looked up at him. Gu Tingye was an upright and honest man, proficient in both civil and military affairs. He was a rare pillar of talent.

So, he said in a deep voice: "Okay, in the future, let's work together to pacify Xixia and recover Yanyun!"

Qi Heng followed suit and said, "Your Highness has such great ambitions. Yuan Ruo admires you deeply!"

"When I pass the imperial examination next year and enter the government, I will do my best to contribute my humble efforts to the court."

Zhao Han remembered that Qi Heng passed the imperial examination for the second time in spring and started as a sixth-rank counselor.

Although he was not as good as Changbai, he was able to enter the cabinet and inherit the title due to his talent and family background, which did not disappoint Princess Pingning's painstaking cultivation.

"Then it's settled!" Zhao Han smiled calmly and patted his shoulder.

After three rounds of drinking, Qi Heng asked, "Second Uncle, now that the Autumn Examination is over, are you still going back to White Deer Cave?"

Gu Tingye picked up the wine glass, pondered for a moment, and shook his head: "I haven't decided yet."

When Qi Heng heard this, his eyes lit up and he leaned forward.

"In that case, why don't you come with me to study at Master Sheng's house? I believe you have heard of Master Zhuang's great name."

"Although Master Zhuang is strict, his explanations of the classics are insightful and profound. I have benefited greatly from this in the past few years."

After weighing the pros and cons, Gu Tingye turned to look at Zhao Han.

After all, the Sheng family is a family of upright people. He was worried that his reputation would be ruined, and the Sheng family and Zhuang Xuejiu would be unwilling to accept him as a student.

Zhao Han immediately understood and smiled slightly, saying, "If you are willing to stay in Bianjing to study, and wait until you pass the autumn examination, I will personally guarantee you. Your father-in-law will definitely not refuse my favor."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will stay indoors from now on. This time I will try my best to pass the exam!" Gu Tingye bowed with gratitude in his eyes.

At the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, Xiao Qin was kneeling in the ancestral hall with her mother.

A gust of evening breeze blew by, and the candlelight on the altar swayed violently, causing my mother to shiver unconsciously.

Little Qinshi didn't move at all, she just raised her eyes slightly and looked at the tablets of the ancestors of the Gu family.

"Did you see what Erlang looks like today? He's hooked up with the prince and walks with the wind." Xiao Qin sneered, with a hint of gloom in her eyes.

He whispered to his mother, "Don't be angry, Madam. My second brother just got lucky."

"How can he be our opponent? When has he ever made a difference in your hands in all these years?"

Xiao Qin sighed softly, "Erlang has grown up now. Those sweet words can't coax him anymore."

"Da Lang's health is getting worse day by day, but the old Marquis is still strong enough to make new achievements in the northwest."

When Xiang's mother heard this, she frowned and felt a chill in her heart.

After looking around, he lowered his voice and said, "Madam, please don't say these things in the ancestral hall. This old slave..."

"What are you afraid of?" Xiao Qin interrupted her mother and pointed at the layers of Gu family tablets in front of her.

"What can these wooden stakes do to me?"

"It was the Gu family who ruined me first. One day, I will make them pay with blood!"

Chapter 99: Autumn Examination Results Announced, Grandson Born

As soon as he finished speaking, another gust of wind rushed into the ancestral hall, making the window frames on both sides bang.

Xiang Mama's legs felt a little weak. She believed in God, but Xiao Qinshi didn't.

"The Marquis worships the Maitreya Buddha every day in his room. Do you know what he is praying for?"

He hurriedly shook his head to his mother, "I don't know."

Little Qin sneered, "Maitreya is the future Buddha. He is praying that he and big sister can continue their relationship in the next life."

The elder Qin was named Qin Yanyun and the younger Qin was named Qin Yanxi.

As legitimate daughters of the Dongchang Marquisate, the two sisters had a very good relationship before they got married.

In terms of appearance alone, Da Qin is better, but she has been weak and sickly since childhood, just like a sick beauty.

Noble families attach the most importance to the inheritance of offspring, and no family in Bianjing is willing to marry a sickly woman as their principal wife.

Unfortunately, the small Dongchang Marquisate looked down on her, so Daqin had not married for a long time.

Since the eldest sister's marriage has not been decided yet, Xiao Qinshi naturally cannot discuss marriage before her sister.

Fortunately, Gu Yankai fell in love with Da Qin at first sight. He ignored the opposition of his elders and clan elders and insisted on marrying Da Qin.

After Da Qin came to the Gu family, she was unable to serve her mother-in-law or take care of the rear house, and she also refused to allow Gu Yan to take a concubine.

Sisters in the family always share the same fate.

Da Qin's behavior gave Xiao Qin, who was still waiting to be married, a reputation for being jealous and disrespectful to her mother-in-law.

Da Qin died of illness shortly after giving birth to Gu Tingyu. Of course, this was somewhat related to the huge deficit of the Gu family.

Although Gu Yankai married Bai for the sake of exchanging interests, over time, the two of them developed some feelings for each other.

Seeing that Bai, a merchant girl, could become the wife of Marquis Ningyuan, while no one was interested in her, the legitimate daughter of Marquis Dongchang, Xiao Qin's heart became increasingly twisted and dark.

At that time, the Dongchang Marquisate had already fallen into decline, and his brother who inherited the title had lost a lot of family property due to poor management.

The brother and sister-in-law originally planned to give Xiao Qin to Gu Yankai as a concubine, in order to cling to the support of the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion and restore the relationship between the two families.

Second, to save some money for dowry.

After Xiao Qinshi learned about this, she could neither resist her brother and sister-in-law's arrangement nor be willing to live under a merchant girl for the rest of her life.

She repeatedly found excuses to come to the Marquis' Mansion and instigate Gu Tingyu that it was Bai who killed his mother.

The Bai family was upset by this and two lives were lost.

After Bai's death, Gu Yankai regretted his decision and decided not to marry again in his life.

However, under the persistent persuasion of Marquis Dongchang and the elders of the Gu family, and for the sake of his deceased wife Da Qin, he had no choice but to agree to marry Xiao Qin as his second wife.

After marrying Gu Yankai, Xiao Qinshi also wanted to be a loving couple with him.

Gu Yankai missed Da Qin in his heart and felt guilty towards Bai, but he had no feelings for himself.

The son he gave birth to was neither as noble as the eldest son born to Daqin, nor as respected as the son born to Bai.

In her opinion, the Gu family was a blood-sucking den that ruined her life.

Only if Gu Yankai died, destroying Gu Tingye, whom he had carefully cultivated, and his own son inherited the title in the future, could he vent his anger.

"Does Dalang know about Erlang's affairs?" Xiao Qin asked softly.

He nodded to his mother and said, "I know everything."

"If there's any movement from Erlang's side, the servants we've placed there will immediately report to Dalang."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qin slowly stood up, picked up three incense sticks, lit them with the candlelight, and said softly, "I hope Dalang can test Erlang's current strength for us first."

After saying that, she gently blew out the flame on the incense, inserted three incense sticks steadily into the incense burner, and the green smoke rose straight up.

Xiao Qinshi is best at killing people with someone else's knife.

Gu Tingyu is a man of strategy and calculation. Although he knows that Xiao Qin is using him, he firmly believes that the Gu family married Bai into the family in order to fill the deficit, which led to his mother's death.

As a member of the Gu family, he couldn't blame the Gu family and could only put all his hatred on Gu Tingye.

As for those short-sighted people in the fourth and fifth rooms, they were played around by her at her fingertips.

-

On August 9th, the middle of autumn, the autumn examination of the fourth year of Jiayou began with the fragrance of osmanthus.

Gu Tingye arrived outside the Imperial Examination Hall early, and Duke Qi and Princess Pingning came together to send Qi Heng into the examination room.

The servants were carrying examination baskets, food boxes, and towels, and lined up in a mighty procession.

Hanlin Lane, Zhao Mansion, early this morning.

Hualan specially set up an incense table, lit three incense sticks with her own hands, and bowed down to the statue of Emperor Wenchang, praying that Changbai and Changfeng would be able to win the first prize.

Although she also disliked Lin Qinshuang's behavior, Changfeng was the blood of the Sheng family after all.

If he could really pass the imperial examination, it would be icing on the cake for the Sheng family.

Gu Yankai, who was far away in the northwest, bowed left and right to the statue at dawn.

After a moment, he stood up, rubbed his hands, his eyes gleaming, "Brother, your daughter reached marriage last year. If my Erlang can pass the high school entrance examination, why not..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhang Fu ruthlessly interrupted him, "Absolutely impossible! Give up this idea right now!"

"Your devil is really thinking about my girl?"

Gu Yan laughed heartily twice, still unwilling to give up, saying, "What young man doesn't have his moments of absurdity? My Erlang has reformed himself now. I think he will definitely pass the Autumn Examination."

Zhang Fu put down the teacup and saw that there was no one around, looking at him meaningfully.

"To be honest, I think my daughter has probably been chosen by an official."

"Last year, during my coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor sent a lot of gifts. When I brought Fen'er to the palace to express my gratitude, the emperor said a lot of confusing things."

"I didn't take it seriously at first, but now the more I think about it, the more I feel that the emperor probably intended for Fen'er to marry His Highness in the future."

Hearing this, Gu Yankai couldn't help but take a deep breath, "In that case, I'd better take a look at the women of other families later."

In early September, the results of the autumn examination were announced.

Both Gu Tingye and Qi Heng were on the list, and ranked at the top.

Princess Pingning was extremely happy, and that day she had people set off firecrackers for ten miles and distributed porridge to celebrate.

On Zhao Han's side, Hualan is about to give birth, and the emperor and Empress Cao attach great importance to it.