Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

The first floor is open to business travelers and individual tourists for drinks, and is relatively lively and noisy.

The second floor consists of private rooms, offering significantly more privacy.

The third floor also consists of private rooms, but both the size and decoration of these rooms are more luxurious, and the protection of privacy is much stricter. They are often used for small gatherings and entertainment by wealthy merchants or officials passing through Huaizuo.

This place has both the refined atmosphere of literati and the performance of songs and dances, and can accommodate thousands of people at the same time.

A restaurant of this size is bustling with people, and can entertain guests of all statuses. From the drunken ramblings of canal workers to the calligraphy of literati, from the complaints of merchants to the lamentations of minor officials, the occasional news that circulates is quite well-informed.

With such multiple uses, this building is no longer simply about making money; it is now jointly controlled by the Jiang, Chen, and Zhang families.

That night, in the main hall on the third floor.

Persian animal hides were laid out, and twenty-eight tortoise-shell lamps were embedded in the beechwood coffered ceiling, the candlelight making the room as bright as day.

The five-stringed pipa and shakuhachi, the musicians all with their hair in buns and adorned with plain silver hairpins, played "Three Variations on Plum Blossom" between the rise and fall of their fingertips. The rhythm was light and easy, relieving anxiety and adding a touch of proud elegance.

The guest tables stretched for hundreds of seats.

At a glance, the guests were either talented sons of officials or accomplished scholars from humble backgrounds, all gathered together, laughing and chatting.

At the host's table, Jiang Zhao gestured with his hand, and the conversation immediately ceased, leaving only the faint strains of a pipa.

Jiang Zhao raised his glass and stood up, smiling elegantly: "Five years ago, I left Yangzhou in haste and failed to fulfill my duty as a host. Now that we are gathered again, let's make up for it with this drink. Please."

"Jing Zichuan!" The slightly chubby Chen Fu immediately picked up his cup and stood up, his every move exuding composure.

He has emerged from the gloom of failing his first imperial examination.

After all, not everyone has the talent of Jiang Lang from Huaizuo. Failing once is the norm. He is still young and has many more opportunities.

"Come on, let's toast Zichuan." Zhang Ci also stood up and raised his glass, his face beaming with joy.

The sons of officials and the students from humble backgrounds all raised their glasses and stood up.

This was Jiang Zhao's first gathering in five years, and no one dared to refuse.

Or rather, everyone present was proud to be a part of this gathering, and many even turned down other engagements for it.

After all, everyone who participated in the gathering was either the eldest son of a prestigious family or a successful official's son. Even those from humble backgrounds were all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and many of them had already passed the examinations and were about to embark on their official careers.

For such a high-quality gathering to be brought together, the organizer's reputation, talent, and family background are all indispensable.

Only Jiang Zhao, whose reputation and talent surpass the younger generation and who is almost like a king returning, can command a large following and gather people.

This is a small circle!

However, the quality of this small circle is exceptionally high, almost representing the next generation of Yangzhou!

Jiang Zhao, as the only disciple of a high-ranking official of the second rank and the top scholar in the imperial examination, is undoubtedly the absolute core.

One day, when the people in this small circle gradually become the heads of a clan or local officials, then this small circle can be called -- the local community!

Once Jiang Zhao becomes prime minister, if there is a conflict between the emperor's decrees and Jiang Zhao's decrees, then the emperor's decrees will certainly not be implemented in Huaizuo.

Below the prefecture and county levels, the power of some powerful local cliques even surpassed that of the emperor!

Just like the Han family of Xiangzhou, it would be no exaggeration to say that they were the "Kings of Xiangzhou" with a fiefdom of an entire prefecture.

This is what fellow villagers are like!

"We won't leave until we're drunk!" Jiang Zhao raised his glass and downed it in one gulp, laughing heartily.

"You won't come home until you're drunk!"

The voices of the hundreds of people were remarkably unified.

After one drink, the room became much more relaxed, and people could move around, raise their glasses, and chat.

"Brother-in-law." Sheng Changbai approached and raised his glass.

Jiang Zhao and Sheng Hualan's marriage has reached the stage of betrothal, and the next steps are setting the wedding date and welcoming the bride.

Once a marriage has reached this stage, there is no such thing as breaking off the engagement. The marriage, which was previously kept secret, can now be officially brought into the open.

Therefore, even though Jiang Zhao and Sheng Hualan have not yet officially become husband and wife, Sheng Changbai can already call him "brother-in-law" and Sheng Hong can call him "son-in-law" instead of "nephew" when they were seeing each other off last time.

"Hey, Changbai." Jiang Zhao raised a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Anyone who knows him even slightly knows that he enjoys drinking tea and occasionally indulges in a little bit of chilled honey water.

Now that he is not only the top scholar in the imperial examination, but also famous throughout the country, and has top-notch teachers supporting him, no one dares to urge him to drink.

Drinking it all in one gulp is already a great favor.

Sheng Changbai walked closer, looked around, and nervously pulled out a gilded, openwork sachet.

Jiang Zhao had anticipated this, so he quickly reached out and took it, then casually hung it on his belt.

It has a light, refreshing, and gentle fragrance.

"Thank her for me." Jiang Zhao patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Phew!" Sheng Changbai let out a long sigh of relief.

He had never done anything like this before, and the pressure was immense.

"How did the autumn examination go?" Jiang Zhao asked, looking at his future brother-in-law.

The autumn examination, also known as the provincial examination, was usually held in August. Those who passed it became successful candidates in the provincial examination.

Sheng Changbai had already participated in the autumn imperial examination last August.

Jiang Zhao knew he hadn't won, but that didn't stop them from chatting about it.

Sheng Changbai sighed and shook his head: "My knowledge is too shallow; I failed the exam."

At thirteen, his knowledge was still too shallow; not everyone has the ability to remember everything they see.

Moreover, memorizing is one thing, but being able to understand and apply it in the exam is another.

"Don't be discouraged if you fail once," Jiang Zhao comforted. "Huainan is a place where talents gather and studies flourish. Many scholars have accumulated decades of experience. Even if you are exceptionally talented, you have only accumulated more than ten years of experience. It is not surprising that you cannot compete with them."

The autumn imperial examination only involved competition in Huainan East Road.

Like Sheng Changbai, he had to compete with students from Huainan East Road to pass the imperial examination.

Huainan was a place of great academic development, with dozens of academies. Even though the Ministry of Rites had a larger quota for admission than some less academically developed areas, the difficulty of passing the imperial examinations was by no means lower.

Some of these scholars, who had been studying for decades, taught while also taking the imperial examinations. Their knowledge was thoroughly ingrained, and their accumulated knowledge was exceptionally profound.

Sheng Changbai nodded; he understood this principle as well.

"Young Master." Just then, the pageboy Hesheng quickly approached and whispered, "Young Master, the Young Master Bai we met on the merchant ship last time requests an audience."

Gu Tingye?

really!

Jiang Zhao understood and was not surprised.

In fact, when he said "If you encounter difficulties, you can come to me" when they parted on the riverbank, he had already foreseen that this day would come sooner or later.

Once Gu Tingye survives an assassination attempt and narrowly escapes death, he will realize the ruthlessness of the Bai family and will surely come to them for help.

There was no other reason than that his existence prevented Gu Tingye from getting to know a seemingly unrelated but actually crucial figure.

Sheng Hong!

Chapter 29 Gu Tingye's Predicament!

In the original storyline, Sheng Hualan was to marry the second son of the Zhongqin Earl's family, and the eldest son of the Zhongqin Earl's family, Yuan Wenchun, was to go to Huainan to handle the wedding arrangements.

At that time, Gu Tingye wanted to go down to Huaizuo because of his maternal grandfather's affairs. He chose to travel by boat with others and met Sheng Hong through the game of "pitch-pot".

Now that Jiang Zhao and Sheng Hualan are married, the matter of the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion is naturally no longer relevant.

Therefore, Gu Tingye did not know Sheng Hong, and Sheng Hong did not know that "Bai Ye" was such a person with an extraordinary background.

What may seem like minor changes can actually have a significant impact.

Sheng Hong, the Vice Prefect of Yangzhou, was the third-highest-ranking official in the region.

In the TV series, Sheng Hong is often portrayed as timid and hesitant, giving people a first impression of being cowardly and cautious.

But that's because he was in the capital city, where officials and nobles were everywhere.

As a minor official of the fifth or sixth rank, it would be strange if he weren't timid in the treacherous political climate of Bianjing.

But in Yangzhou, Sheng Hong would be an absolute and powerful official, with extensive connections and a truly influential figure.

Even though Sheng Hong's favoritism towards his concubine and neglect of his wife became common knowledge in Yangzhou, he showed no fear whatsoever.

His subservience in Bianjing did not mean he would be subservient in Yangzhou!

At Old Master Bai's funeral, Gu Tingye dared to boldly step forward and present the will as evidence for three main reasons:

First, they took advantage of the large number of people at the funeral hall.

With many people around, there's a lot of talk, and some things are hard to hide.

Secondly, he relied on his status as the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan.

Third, relying on their acquaintance with Sheng Hong and their understanding of his character to a certain extent, they were not afraid of colluding with officials and businessmen to double-cross each other.

At that time, Sheng Hong, as the powerful third-in-command, also knew that "Bai Ye" had an extraordinary background, so he naturally chose to support him.

But this time it won't work. Because of Jiang Zhao's influence, Gu Tingye, unless he is a reckless person, would certainly not dare to jump out recklessly.

After all, the key to a three-card game is the third card.

Without Sheng Hong's support, and with so many people talking at once, his appearance as the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan naturally shocked the guests.

However, in a prefecture or county, interests are intertwined, and who knows what connections those people have?

He jumped out, and the Bai family was sure to make a move. If no one stood up for him, he would suffer in silence, unable to express his bitterness.

Blood might spill on the spot.

Even though the news got out afterward, and even his father was so angry that he sought revenge for him, it was all in vain.

A person only has one life; once it's over, it's gone.

Even if there was only a 10% chance, Gu Tingye wouldn't dare to gamble on it.

Now, I don't know anyone named Sheng Hong.

Having neither the opportunity nor the connections, and being completely unfamiliar with the place and its people, Gu Tingye didn't know a single person with the authority to make decisions.

Gu Tingye may be brave in martial arts, but he is also a well-educated and intelligent person.

Without the backing of a powerful figure, he naturally had to be more cautious in his actions, fearing that money might be used to influence power.

If the Bai family colludes with local officials to double-cross each other, then there will be no one to turn to for help.

Unfortunately, he had already been assassinated, and his grandfather was about to be buried; time was of the essence.

How to do it?

ask for help!

Whom should I ask?

They sought help from a person who was famous throughout the world and had no shortage of the Bai family's wealth.

A person who could never possibly have colluded with the Bai family.

Jiang Zhao!

Top scholar!

This was the only connection he knew, and also the most powerful connection he knew in Huaizuo.

Moreover, he is also a heavyweight figure in Huaizuo!

"Brother-in-law, if you have something important to attend to, please go ahead and do it." As soon as Sheng Changbai heard that someone was requesting an audience, he knew that Jiang Zhao had something to deal with.

Jiang Zhao nodded: "Do as you please, don't wrong yourself."

Sheng Changbai nodded quickly.

Jiang Zhao smiled gently and strode out.

After walking a dozen steps, Jiang Zhao waved: "Jiang Xiao, Jiang Xu."

Six years have passed. The second brother, Jiang Xiao, is now fourteen years old and has made many friends. The third brother, Jiang Xu, is almost ten years old.