He was unsure whether he should tell the truth.

After all, this could bring unnecessary trouble to the Huang family.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Give it to someone else."

Jiang Nuan wasn't surprised and continued to ask, "Is that person of high status? Or do you have something to ask of them?"

"Both," Han Yi said without hiding anything. "I've already found out that the newly appointed top scholar will pass through Ping'an County on his way back to the capital after paying respects to his ancestors. I'm interested in making friends with him, but gold, jade and antiques are too deliberate and not attractive enough. After thinking it over, I think only my aunt's health-preserving wine is more likely to be a good match."

"More precisely, it is what people urgently need."

"This newly appointed top scholar, after passing the imperial examination last spring, was sent to the Hanlin Academy for training. He gained the appreciation of the current prime minister and was specially recruited as a son-in-law. His rapid rise to prominence is just around the corner. However, due to years of hard work, he is very thin."

"It is said that his lifespan is no more than fifty years."

“That’s impossible,” Jiang Nuan shook her head directly. “With such a frail body, how could the Prime Minister possibly marry off his daughter? Besides, how could you possibly find out about such a secret matter?”

Upon hearing this, Han Yi did not refute, but instead continued to explain unhurriedly, "This gentleman is able to take a great Confucian scholar as his teacher, so he must have extraordinary abilities. This person has a photographic memory and is also proficient in arithmetic. He once single-handedly sorted out the accounts of the Hanlin Academy that had been piling up for several years in just one month, and there were no errors, which aroused heated discussions among the court officials."

After this incident, the Grand Secretary finally accepted him as his son-in-law. Since ancient times, scholars from the Hanlin Academy have been highly respected and noble; Grand Secretaries are typically not from the Hanlin Academy. Many people felt that this man, if he hadn't died young, would surely have achieved great things.

The information Han Yi shared was quite significant, and it took Jiang Nuan some time to process it.

As for the rest of the Huang family, they were so frightened by these words that they gasped for breath.

"Han, Brother Han Yi," Huang Lao Er stared wide-eyed in disbelief, "You, you actually dared to scheme against the future Grand Secretary."

My God!

That's a future Grand Secretary, the most important person besides the Emperor. Just talking to him would be a stroke of good fortune. And yet Brother Han Yi is scheming against him.

Terrifying!

"Brother Han Yi," Huang Xiaosan examined Han Yi carefully, "have you caught a cold?"

Why is my mind so foggy?

Such people are beyond the reach of ordinary people like them.

Yes, he admitted that Han Yi was indeed very smart, but Huang Xiaosan felt that he had no chance of winning against the future Grand Secretary.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Huang Lao Er continued, “If you’re sick, take your medicine quickly. Don’t avoid medical treatment. Doctor Gu is very skilled. Just have him give you a couple of acupuncture needles in the head and you’ll be fine.”

Upon hearing this, Han Yi's lips twitched.

He considered all sorts of possibilities, but he never expected to be treated like a fool!

After a long silence, he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, "I'm not sick, I'm perfectly clear-headed, especially my mind."

Why do you have so little faith in him?

He's a prodigy, but he's not that bad either.

What, he's not worthy to be this guy's opponent?

So what if he's the new top scholar? If given the chance, he'd even dare to scheme against the emperor!

Besides, it wasn't really a scheme; it was just a planned encounter. He didn't have any bad intentions; he just wanted to establish a good relationship beforehand.

"Brother Han Yi," Boss Huang patted his shoulder heavily, "you should think twice before you act."

He always felt that this guy was on the verge of courting death.

Han Yi is intelligent, knowledgeable, and capable, he admits all of that, but to compare himself to the top scholar is like throwing an egg against a rock.

“That’s right,” Huang Xiaosan continued, “The officialdom is full of old foxes. No matter how young you are, you can’t underestimate them. They can see through your little schemes at a glance. It’s better for us to behave ourselves.”

"Exactly, it's so much better to be honest and upright. Those big shots are not people we can associate with."

Han Yi ignored these words and turned to Jiang Nuan, asking, "Auntie, what do you say?"

"Do you know this man's character?"

“Worth befriending,” Han Yi said, revealing the information he had gathered. “He is shrewd but not treacherous, calculating but without any intention to harm others.”

“Even so,” Jiang Nuan tapped the table, “how can you be sure that your scheme won’t be noticed by this person?”

Raising an eyebrow, she continued, "Aren't you afraid of losing more than you gain, and ultimately making yourself unpopular?"

Jiang Nuan spoke these words very softly.

In fact, she felt that if this newly appointed top scholar was really as monstrous as Han Yi described, then even if his scheme failed, he could easily kill Han Yi and still gain a good reputation.

Han Qi treated her so well, she didn't want to see anything happen to Han Yi.

"Does Auntie agree?" Han Yi asked with a complicated expression. "I knew Auntie would help me."

Before I came, I felt very hopeful, but when I actually learned the answer, I felt unusually heavy-hearted.

He suddenly realized that the Huang family had never let him down; on the contrary, he had repeatedly caused trouble for the Huang family, especially this time.

No one knew better than the father and son how miraculous the health-preserving wine was. He had a feeling that if the old man continued to drink it, he might actually be able to give him a younger brother.

Such a heaven-defying thing was revealed to such a monstrous person that things would inevitably go beyond his control, and he himself did not know what would happen.

Han Yi didn't know whether he would be able to protect the Huang family at that time.

“Answer my question first,” Jiang Nuan’s voice turned cold. “If you can’t satisfy me, I’d rather throw it away than give it to you.”

Although the words were harsh, Han Yi sensed the underlying concern within them.

Immediately, they didn't hide their last resort.

"Seven parts scheming and three parts fate, the truth and the falsehood are mixed together, making it difficult for people to detect," Han Yi said, pursing his lips. "I inquired about the new top scholar's temperament, preferences and even secrets, but I did not look at his portrait and do not know him."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan looked at Han Yi in astonishment, "Are you afraid that if you deliberately make friends with people after you get to know them, others will notice?"

“That’s right,” Han Yi smiled sheepishly, “I’m not confident I can compete with this person in terms of intelligence, so I can only use a clumsy method.”

Not knowing anyone and lacking the constraints of social status, they had fewer reservations, since the only difference between them was their social standing.

In this way, the possibility of being discovered will be minimized.

“Auntie,” Han Yi explained in a low voice, “to be honest, I’m very nervous and not very confident when facing someone like this.”

“Genius,” Jiang Nuan said, taking a sip of tea to calm herself. “You are a genius.”

Every scheme leaves a trace; with enough intelligence and keen observation, one can always find some clues.

It is precisely this kind of semi-deliberate, semi-natural thing that makes people easily lower their guard.

"Mother," Huang Lao Er asked anxiously, "Can Brother Han Yi's method really work?"

"I'm at least 60% sure," Jiang Nuan sighed. "It's a calculated move, a calculated attack, mixed with genuine feelings. Even a god wouldn't be able to detect it!"