Chapter 1018: Dengmen

Recently, it was rare to be quiet, and that little bitch Lin Qingshuang didn't make trouble again. Sheng family's eldest wife Wang Ruofu was in a good mood and had the leisure to tinker with flowers.

At this time, she saw her eldest daughter who went out not long ago, bringing the mother-in-law and the little maid back in a hurry. She didn't speak when she entered the door, poured some water and drank it, and then turned around and wanted to leave.

"What's going on?" Wang Shi didn't understand, a face of confusion.

Seeing that her eldest daughter was still going out, she patted the table: "Come back, can't control you?"

Sheng Hualan was excited, and turned back to sit at the table.

"What's going on?"

Sheng Hualan lowered her head and didn't speak.

"Look at you, silent, won't you be bullied to death by your husband's family after you marry out?" Seeing her like this, Wang Shi was angry, and seeing that her eldest daughter still didn't speak, she stared at the mother-in-law and little maid who were accompanying her, "You say, it was fine when you went out, why did you come back in such a while? Someone bullied Hua'er?"

The mother-in-law sighed, seeing that Hualan was still lowering her head without expression, she had to speak.

"Big Lady, I and others followed the eldest lady to the market, and met a... met a scholar, claiming to be from Wangjiazhuang, ten miles outside the south city, eighteen this year, parents died early, took the word Ziyan to stand up, no one managed the marriage, had to seek happiness himself, he said..."

"Said what? Don't be hesitant." Wang Shi's temper was quite hot, and she couldn't stand the grinding.

The mother-in-law had no choice, saying it early or late was saying it, so she had to continue speaking.

"He said that he saw the eldest lady was beautiful and decent, and it was deep in his heart... asked the eldest lady's name and age, is there any marriage, and also said that he would visit the master tomorrow."

"What? Bullshit scholar, I think it's a shameless Dengtuzi, just read a few classics, and dare to say what success and success? Dare to visit my Sheng family's door? Didn't you go out with followers, didn't you let people beat that Dengtuzi away?"

"Let, didn't beat." The little maid behind took the conversation, "At that time, Wang Yan just did a few moves, and beat Jingchun and the two of them until they couldn't stand up. He first asked the eldest lady's name and age, is there any marriage, then the mother-in-law let people beat him, and then he said those things the mother-in-law just said."

"Then Hua'er told that Dengtuzi? Hmm?" Seeing that no one answered, Wang Shi patted the table and stared again, "Speak, dumb?"

Hualan finally raised her head: "Said."

With a bang, Wang Shi stood up, reached out and pointed at Hualan, wanting to scold, but didn't scold in the end.

Sighing and sitting down again: "You know your father has been looking for a husband for you recently, Yuan Wenshao, the second son of the Zhongqin Earl's mansion, is about the same age as you, and intends to marry."

"Isn't that not set yet?"

"Even if it's not set, you can't marry you to a rural landlord. Hmm? What do you mean?" Wang Shi reacted, "Are you fancying that Dengtuzi?"

Hualan shook her head, holding her chin with her hand, her words had a bit of hope: "He said he would visit."

"Your father's official position is not big, but he is also a judge. There are not many people in this Yangzhou city who dare to provoke him. Not everyone can visit. A Dengtuzi, a landlord family in the countryside, dare to come to my Sheng family to scatter wild?"

"Oh, Mom~"

"Really, the daughter who is big can't stay, saw a Dengtuzi and the heart went wild? Can't I say it?"

Wang Shi was unhappy, the good mood that was not disturbed by the little bitch was destroyed by the treasure daughter, and she started to nag when she sat there. She didn't look at Dengtuzi inside and out, and didn't understand what the treasure daughter was thinking.

It is not that she discriminates against scholars, nor is it that she doesn't let her daughter marry higher, but through the simple description of the information obtained, she has already shot Wang Yan to death...

Hualan's character is relatively dull, but she has a bit of an idea in her heart, is a solid person, so her mother's nagging seemed to be unheard, and she just sat there in a daze. This made Wang Shi even more angry. Originally, she planned to say it for a while, but she didn't know it for more than half an hour.

"Heard your loud voice from far away, what happened?"

With the sound of speaking, Sheng family head Yangzhou judge Sheng Hong stepped in. He frowned slightly, not very happy, it was a habitual maintenance of the strict father image, he rarely had a smile for his children.

"Official, it's terrible, Hua'er fancyed the Dengtuzi met in the market." Wang Shi stood up, while serving Sheng Hong to take off his outer robe, while talking about Wang Yan playing hooligans.

"Hmm? There is such a thing?" After listening, Sheng Hong's eyebrows twisted, and his face was unhappy.

Although the judge is at the end of the state official, the county magistrate has to queue up to talk to him. In Yangzhou, he is also a proper power in his hands. A landlord in the countryside, dare to tease his daughter on the street? If this thing spreads, how will he mix in the future?

Just at this moment, the household steward came to the backyard to find him: "Master, someone has submitted a calling card to request an audience. The messenger says his master is Wang Yan from Wang Family Village, ten miles outside the South Gate."

"Heh..." Sheng Hong laughed angrily.

"Official, look, the landlord in the countryside has hit the door, you have to be the master for our Hualan."

Hualan on the side heard that Wang Yan really submitted a visit post, and stood up excitedly: "Mom, Dad~"

"Shut up! Do you have a share of speaking?" Sheng Hong stared, reached out and took the visit post that looked very thick. This look, terrible. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

This scene made Hualan, who also intended to fight for her own happiness, wisely shut her mouth. Wang Shi also didn't speak, leaned over to look together.

Sheng Hong sat at the table, holding the visit post and looking at it carefully. Look at the content, also look at the words.

There is no need to mention the content; for someone like Wang Yan who has no reputation, submitting a calling card to Sheng Hong requires a proper self-introduction, much like a personal resume. It must include his name, place of residence, means of livelihood, past experiences, and the purpose of the visit. In between, there must be flattery for the Sheng family and for Sheng Hong, followed by a mention of the matter concerning Sheng Hualan. It was a sprawling piece of several thousand characters.

Words, then simple. Wang Yan wrote line regular script, slightly with some cursive script, dragon flying and phoenix dancing, atmospheric, elegant and free, without losing the squareness of the bones.

Undoubtedly, what attracted Sheng Hong to keep looking was this extraordinary handwriting.

After reading it once, Sheng Hong pondered for a moment, and ordered the steward who was waiting on the side: "You go to reply, not in the mansion tomorrow, the afternoon after tomorrow is okay."

"Yes, official." The steward responded, running away, and went to reply to the partner of the raw medicine shop waiting outside the mansion.

By common logic, Wang Yan should have come to submit the card himself; his status is not high enough, so he must fulfill the etiquette. But on the other hand, he had already been rude once, so he didn't care about such trifles, nor was it necessary to come in person to wait.

Staring at the eldest daughter who was grinning and not decent, Wang Shi asked at the table: "Official, why see this Dengtuzi? Just angry, why not angry now?"

"Words are like people."

Sheng Hong put the visit post on the table, drank a sip of water poured by the diligent eldest daughter, and said, "This Wang Yan is only eighteen, and his handwriting is atmospheric, agile... creation of heaven and earth, with this child's age, can write this handwriting, it can be seen that the talent is more diligent. And this visit post text is straightforward without losing elegance, with many allusions... it can be seen that his literature is profound, and the classics are definitely not bad.

Based on these two, his words of success this year are not wild words, it can be seen that this child is well-prepared. Even if he is not successful this year, he is eighteen this year, and the future is also promising. I see Hua'er's heart is chaotic, I am a father, I cannot break her good marriage. Tomorrow I will ask, and examine it the day after tomorrow. If there is no big mistake, it may not be impossible to achieve this good thing."

"Thank you Dad~ Dad drink water."

Watching the eldest daughter diligent, Sheng Hong gave a smile rarely. Running to the street to play and picking up a potential stock, his mood is still good. Because the in-law relationship is very reliable, Wang Yan, such a person, will stand up in the future, and can protect the Sheng family for fifty years of prosperity, especially Wang Yan is also fatherless, motherless, and relative-less, this is shining.

After all, it really became a good thing, really soared, even if it only reached the position of state official, it is also quite useful. By then, Wang Yan only has their Sheng family as a relative, what is that scene.

Family inheritance and strengthening are the most important. What he said cannot break Hualan's good marriage, but it is just casual comfort to his daughter. Wang Yan is not enough, he can turn his face the day after tomorrow, and directly forbid Hualan to learn women's commandments.

Sheng Hualan naturally won't think so much, she will only think this is heaven's arrangement. It is not to blame her, after all, a fifteen-year-old girl, no matter who it is, can't stand Wang Yan's shamelessness. Come up is a confession, and then dare to see the parents in a situation where the identity is seriously unequal, showing all the sincerity to her, whoever meets it will be confused...

"No promise." Wang Shi scolded unhappily, and turned to ask, "Official, is that Dengtuzi's handwriting really that good? He is only eighteen, always not better than official."

She is also a lady, otherwise how could she recite 'My father is worthy of the temple', and her calligraphy appreciation ability is still there. But for those who are not profound and not connected, they can't see so much,

In the drama, Zhao Zhen praises Sheng Hong's calligraphy, which means it is truly good enough. After all, having reached that level, he wouldn't just offer empty praise; Sheng Hong's calligraphy must have left a deep impression on Zhao Zhen, so Sheng Hong's appreciation skills would be sufficient to distinguish Wang Mou's master-level calligraphy.

In fact, those who can become officials at this time have decent appreciation skills. Calligraphy is a required skill, much like the so-called neatness of an exam paper during the college entrance examination; it is the most basic requirement. Having practiced with a brush since childhood, even if one doesn't reach the level of artistic genius, it is quite sufficient.

And this is the world of Confucianism; to be an official, one must study. If you pull anyone out at random, they will be well-versed in the classics. When scholars are together, besides some serious business, they are either talking about romance or constantly deconstructing Confucian classics; they spend their whole lives doing this.

There is no need to compare it with modern times and say the present is inferior to the past, because it's not that the ancients were necessarily willing to study this stuff; it's that studying this stuff allows one to become an official, which is the need of the authorities. People study for fame and career, and once they achieve them, they start delving into the classics. At this time, it's not for fame, but for the right to speak, to engage in academic hegemony, to strike at opponents, or to establish schools of thought and engage in factionalism.

Suppose the Emperor, who holds the military power and the power of life and death, said that studying agricultural science could lead to an official position; then a bunch of people would study farming, and there would surely be some brilliant agricultural masters...

Sheng Hong sighed: "It is far better than mine. In all fairness, I believe no one in the current Great Song can surpass him. It's just that he is still young and has no official rank, so no one appreciates him. Even so, based on this calligraphy alone, his future will certainly not be bad. If he truly passes the Jinshi examination, he will surely leave his name in history."

"So, this rake has some real ability. It seems our Hua'er has good fortune; she can pick up such a person just by going out for a stroll."

"Don't be happy too soon. What kind of person he is, we will only know after we meet him."

"Master, when that rake comes, I will meet him with you. I want to see where this rake gets the nerve..."

Wang Yan was not surprised that Sheng Hong agreed to his visit; he certainly had confidence in himself. With that calligraphy of his, even if he had no connections, if it were delivered to Zhao Zhen's eyes when the old Zhao was in a good mood, he might even grant him an audience. As for the other officials in the court, he could basically see them all.

At eighteen, to write calligraphy that is supernatural—it is indeed suspicious. However, in ancient times where auspicious signs were created, and in an era where even the scholar-officials were equally ignorant, "divine endowment" was believed. Because in the thousands of years prior, there were many such stories.

The Great Song shares the world with the scholar-officials; although he has no official rank, he is still considered a member of the scholar class. There is certainly a gap in status between the two sides, but they are consistent in terms of class.

He first teased the daughter of the house on the street and beat her servant, and later displayed his calligraphy talent through the calling card; it was natural for Sheng Hong to agree to meet him.

It is not just that talent is precious in the 21st century; at any time, talent is talent, and they are always the objects of solicitation...

Sheng Hong delaying the meeting for a day—he could guess with his heels that it was to investigate him. His reputation was only among scholars, landlords, and some small merchants, not yet on the table. Sheng Hong was one of the major figures in Yangzhou; how could he know about his trivial matters? Doing a thorough background check to ensure the meeting is targeted is only proper.

Wang Yan was not worried about this at all; the more they investigated him, Wang Mou, the better a son-in-law he appeared to be...

After a day of socializing with other nameless scholars, on the third day, after lunch, around three o'clock, he brought little Dongliang to the front of the Sheng mansion.

Carrying a box of pastries, Wang Yan walked forward slowly, waved his hand at the gatekeeper, and said: "I am Wang Yan; I submitted a card the day before yesterday."

Then he smiled at the two bitter-looking men behind the gatekeeper: "My apologies, you two. Come, Dongliang."

The little one following behind brought the food box forward and said: "These are pastries made personally by my young master, as an apology to you."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "They are the same as the box in my hand, just with fewer varieties; do taste them. May I enter now?"

The gatekeeper, who was digesting the information and matching the events he had heard about in the last two days with the person in front of him, came to his senses: "Young Master, please."

"Dongliang, have a chat with these brothers."

After giving this instruction, Wang Yan followed the gatekeeper to the central hall where the Sheng family received guests in the front courtyard.

Except for two little maids who came to prepare tea for Wang Yan on the spot, the hall was empty.

"Young Master, please have some tea."

"Many thanks." Wang Yan cupped his hands, then pushed the food box on the table over: "I trouble you two; these are some pastries I made myself, still warm. Please take them to Miss Hualan and convey my regards."

"Very well, Young Master, please sit for a moment; the Master will be here shortly." The two little maids bowed and left with the food box.

Wang Yan sat very steadily, drinking the passable tea and eating the pastries with contentment. He had been drinking this tea for several days; the tea with a bunch of things added wasn't fresh, and drinking it twice was enough—stir-fried tea was better. While drinking the tea, he was silently calculating the matter of making stir-fried tea.

The father-in-law hadn't come, but his superhuman hearing caught the rustling movements behind the screen partition in the hall. Over the last two days, the little affair between him and Sheng Hualan had been fermenting within the Sheng mansion, and everyone had come to watch the monkey show.

Sheng Hong certainly wouldn't come out for a while; this was called a "show of force," to leave him waiting. He didn't mind being watched like a monkey; after all, he was here to ask for the daughter's hand, and entertaining everyone was quite fine.

He had always had an entertaining spirit...

The facts were as Wang Yan thought; in the hall in the backyard, the Sheng family was all gathered there in excitement. Hualan, who hadn't slept well for the last two days—every time she closed her eyes, she saw Wang Yan's smiling face at the market—was also forcibly kept here, not allowed to run off to peek.

"Old Madam, Master, Madam, this was sent by Young Master Wang; he says they are pastries he made himself for the Eldest Miss to eat." The little maid ran back to report.

The eyes of everyone in the hall focused on the food box, and finally focused on Hualan, who had long lowered her head to play the ostrich.

"He certainly knows how to please; bring them here, let's all have a taste." Madam Wang made the decision.

The little maid obediently placed the food box on the table and opened it layer by layer, revealing the contents. There was nothing strange, just a lot of messy varieties. Besides the pastries that were already common at the time, there were also donkey-rolling-in-soybean-flour, osmanthus cakes, egg yolk pastries, sachima, and so on. It was just fresh and showed his sincerity.

The Sheng family were true nouveau riche, much wealthier than Wang Yan, this local squire. If they were poor, with Sheng Hong's salary, he wouldn't be able to support such a large family, especially one that was so capable of making trouble.

So Wang Yan taking things—no matter how expensive, they were cheap, and he couldn't come empty-handed, so he directed the old women and little maids at home to make these things. He had indeed gotten his hands on them at some point, so it could be considered made by him personally.

A bunch of people in the room each took something, especially the fresh things they hadn't seen before, which were more popular. They ate them with relish and gave Wang Yan some good reviews.

"He is quite thoughtful." Old Madam Sheng, née Xu, praised him, giving her affirmation.

Lin Qingshuang chimed in from the side: "Old Madam is right, and what Madam said just now is also right; he knows how to please the young lady."

"If we're talking about pleasing people, that would be you, Lin, wouldn't it?" Madam Wang sensed the malicious intent of the little bitch and struck back directly.

"Madam, what are you saying? A woman follows her husband; as women, aren't we here to serve our men?"

The two of them went back and forth, with hidden barbs; Lin Qingshuang still had to pretend to be weak, which made Madam Wang furious.

"Are you finished? Arguing over such trivial things every day." Seeing the situation escalating, Old Madam Sheng looked displeased, and Sheng Hong straightened his expression, pretending to be serious to change the subject: "Mother is right, this lad is thoughtful. Very well, the time is about right; let's go meet that lad."

Sheng Hong's words were like a switch, allowing Hualan, who had been lowering her head to reduce her presence while happily eating the sweet pastries, to finally emerge from her fantasy world, her eyes shining, unable to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth...