Do You Know?: Rule the World

He knew very well that if he wanted to be conferred the title of Duke, he had to expand the territory.

Another possibility is that a hundred years later, he will be posthumously conferred the title of Duke because of Gu Tingye's contributions.

"Your Majesty, I am Gu Yankai. Thank you for your great grace!" Gu Yankai bowed respectfully to express his gratitude.

Zhao Zhen stroked his beard and smiled, "Mr. Gu, your Erlang has turned over a new leaf and made considerable progress!"

Gu Yankai frowned, a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes. Why did the emperor suddenly mention his own Erlang?

Yu Guangzhong caught a glimpse of Zhao Han raising his chin subtly towards him, and then he suddenly realized what was going on.

It must be Zhao Han who spoke well of that bastard Erlang in front of the emperor.

Thinking of this, Gu Yan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He bowed and said, "Your Excellency, the ancients said that a rush growing among hemp will stand straight without support."

"My son's progress is entirely thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's patient guidance, which has led him onto the right path."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid that good-for-nothing would still be fighting cockfights and running dogs on the streets, bringing disgrace to the family."

Lord Jia, the son of the Duke of Ling and a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works at the time, could not help but snort coldly and rolled his eyes.

Ever since that bastard Gu Tingye tied his second son to the back of a horse with a whip a few years ago and dragged him around the training ground three times.

The bridge is now closed.

Now seeing Gu Tingye gaining favor in front of the emperor, he felt worse than swallowing a fly alive.

Zhao Zhen laughed out loud, looked at Zhao Han with loving eyes, and said, "The Crown Prince has praised your Erlang in front of me more than once, saying that he is very talented and has great potential."

When these words were spoken, several ministers in the court raised their eyebrows at the same time, obviously somewhat unconvinced.

Gu Yankai quickly bowed and said, "I am deeply apprehensive. Your Highness is so kind to me. It is truly a blessing for me!"

Then, the ceremonial officer began to read out the rewards for other generals.

Among them, Pei Hu, under Zhao Han's suggestion, was promoted from the Imperial City Division to the commander of the Cavalry Battalion, holding a fourth-rank military position and was awarded a scarlet robe and a silver fish bag!

Liang Hui, formerly the Deputy Director of the Treasury Department, one of the four departments of the Ministry of War, and a seventh-rank official, made great contributions in the dispatch of military supplies during the Western Expedition.

Promoted to the fifth rank Langzhong of the Treasury Department, in charge of decision-making on internal affairs!

Liang Hui was the eldest son of the Earl of Yongchang, and his biological mother was originally just a concubine with no status or position.

Back then, Mrs. Wu was extremely reluctant to marry into the Liang family because of her parents' orders and the matchmaker's words.

Because she looked down on Uncle Liang, she had a cold face every other day.

She never expected that her concubine would take advantage of the situation and give birth to a son out of wedlock before her.

Normally, when a family has a concubine's eldest son, the wife would keep him by her side and raise him into a useless person who only knows how to spend his time in debauchery.

Unfortunately, Madam Wu was too proud to help. Liang Hui, on the other hand, turned a disaster into a blessing. He was diligent and motivated since childhood and became smart and capable.

After joining the Ministry of War a few years ago, he has been doing very well.

Seeing that his eldest son was so promising, Lord Liang naturally devoted all his efforts to cultivating him.

Nowadays, people praise the eldest son of a concubine for his ability, and few people mention the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Moreover, Liang Hui's eldest wife, Wei, would often stuff all kinds of beautiful maids into the room of the second legitimate son, Liang Liulang, which resulted in him having no achievements to this day.

At this moment, I am thinking of changing my name to avoid taboos.

Mrs. Wu proposed several names for him, but she either thought they were too vulgar or not elegant enough, and she sighed all day long at home.

Another incense stick of time passed before the awards were finally announced.

After Zhao Zhen announced the adjournment of the court session, Zhao Han and Sheng Hong walked slowly out of the palace gate, one in front and one behind.

Hualan is now out of confinement after giving birth, and she is still worried about the old lady and Wang Ruofu.

She planned to wait a few days and then bring Jing'er to the Sheng family to meet his grandmother and great-grandmother.

When Sheng Hong heard this from Zhao Han, he was naturally overjoyed.

The turmoil in the court has been settled, the throne is secure, and his status as the prince's father-in-law will naturally rise as well.

What's even better is that there is a vacancy for a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Office, so Sheng Hong is almost certain to get the position.

Although Chengzhilang was a fifth-rank official like Wenxuansi Langzhong, the other had only the rank but no real power.

The other one was in charge of the selection and examination of civil servants throughout the country and held the power to promote and transfer.

Even those third-rank officials had to be polite when they met him.

The more Sheng Hong thought about it, the more proud he became, and even his steps became lighter unconsciously.

Wait until the two of them reach the palace gate.

Zhao Han's eyes were gentle as he said softly, "The day after tomorrow is a day off, so I can go with Hualan."

"I will go back and prepare. I will make sure everything is in place and I will be waiting for Your Highness and the little grandson to arrive."

Zhao Han waved his hand and said, "There's no need to make a big fuss. It's just an ordinary family dinner. Just let Hua Lansong relax."

Sheng Hong quickly bowed in response, just as Zhao Han was about to turn around and leave.

His personal servant Dong Rong came jogging from the front of the carriage and whispered something in Sheng Hong's ear.

After a moment, Sheng Hong's expression suddenly changed, and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

"Lord Sheng, what happened?" Zhao Han narrowed his eyes and keenly noticed something unusual.

"No, nothing, just some family matters, I will take care of them when I get back."

Sheng Hong shook his head like a rattle, not caring about etiquette. He bowed hastily and stumbled towards the carriage.

Chapter 103 Minglan Bribes Xiaotao

Jiying Lane, Sheng Mansion.

The fact that Wang Ruofu had used the public treasury's money to lend at high interest rates became known to the entire family under Lin Qinshuang's manipulation.

In a wing room on the east side of Shou'an Hall, the furnishings are simple but exquisite in every detail.

All the items were arranged very appropriately, neither appearing rich nor shabby.

There was an elm desk against the wall, with pens, ink, paper and inkstone neatly arranged on it, and a copybook that had not yet been completed.

Sheng Hong was famous for his beautiful calligraphy. Even the emperor remembered the memorials he submitted vividly and could not help but praise him.

Among the three girls in the Sheng family, Molan has the best handwriting. Her handwriting is graceful and lively, with small characters with flower-shaped patterns.

Although Rulan's handwriting is not outstanding, it is straight and neat, and there is nothing wrong with it, nor can I find anything to praise.

Only Minglan's handwriting always made Sheng Hong and Zhuang Xuejiu frown.

It was crooked and sometimes big, sometimes small, just like a earthworm crawling on paper.

The calligraphy on the desk was sent by Changbai yesterday.

Not only did he order Minglan to finish copying it within three days, but he also ordered her not to be careless in the slightest and to send it to his study for his review on time.

At this moment, Minglan was leaning on the soft couch to rest. She was already twelve years old and was growing taller.

She was wearing a moon-white skirt, her skin was as white as jade, and her eyes were clear and bright.

There were still some ink stains on his fingertips and cuffs, obviously he had fallen asleep halfway through copying the calligraphy.

When she learned from Xiaotao that Wang Ruofu had followed Aunt Kang to lend money privately, she couldn't help but open her eyes wide and sit up straight.

"Has this matter spread outside?"

Xiao Tao shook her head and said softly, "The old lady just issued a strict order. No one in the mansion is allowed to spread a single word."

"They said that anyone who dared to leak the news would be sold to the coldest and most miserable farm to do hard labor."

"Look at the old lady, she's really angry. The eldest lady is kneeling in the main room right now, and the fifth lady is so scared that she's crying."

Hearing this, Minglan leaned back on the couch.

He picked up the round fan placed beside him and played with it, whispering, "This lady of our family must have been bewitched by Aunt Kang to do this."

"How did you know that?" Xiao Tao touched her head and looked at her curiously.

Minglan chuckled and twirled the fan around her fingertips.

"Even though the Madam has many faults, she has a soft heart, but a soft heart makes it easy for others to take advantage of her."

"Our family is flourishing right now, but my grandmother told me that Aunt Kang's family is in shambles."

"She must also know that Grandma and Daddy don't like her very much. Since she can't benefit from it, given Aunt Kang's personality, how could she just stand by and watch?"

Xiao Tao opened her mouth slightly and nodded, not quite understanding what he meant.

"But I think this is a little strange."

"There's nothing going on outside, but everyone in our house knows about it. Even the girl who's cooking in the kitchen was gossiping about it."

Minglan's eyes flickered slightly, and she gently covered the corners of her lips with the round fan.

"You can actually find out all this. Let me ask you, if the Madam made a mistake, who in our family would be the happiest?"

"Of course it's Miss Lin!" Xiao Tao blurted out. After all, this question didn't require any thought.

Minglan fiddled with the tassels on the handle of her fan and smiled slightly, "That's it, Miss Lin is so smart."

"I know that if this matter gets out, even though the eldest lady will be in great trouble, my father will definitely investigate it thoroughly."

"When we find out it was her doing, Daddy won't let her off easily."

"If the news only spreads within the inner chambers, even if it only results in a minor punishment, it will only solidify the Madam's reputation for misconduct and allow her to vent her anger."

Xiaotao took a deep breath and looked at her in amazement.

"Girl, when did you become so smart?"

Minglan smiled brightly and gently touched her forehead with her slender hand.

"You are too stupid. I'm afraid that grandma would have seen through it a long time ago."

Xiao Tao was stunned for a moment, then changed the subject, pulling Minglan's arm and saying, "It's getting late, young lady, get up and practice calligraphy. Second Brother is doing this for your own good."

"Otherwise, the pedant will see that your handwriting is so ugly and punish you to copy books. I don't want to help you anymore."

Minglan was dragged by Xiaotao and reluctantly came to the desk, mumbling: "I'm not going to take the imperial examination anyway, so what does it matter if my handwriting is good?"