Zhao Qinglin naturally understood what Zhao Yan meant.

She clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Your Highness, may I ask to learn a few moves from you?"

Prince Rui could not refuse, but he still had to say what needed to be said.

"Miss Zhao, please forgive me if my fists and feet have offended you in any way."

Zhao Qinglin nodded, "Your Highness, please rest assured. It is my honor to have Your Highness's guidance. Let's begin."

Before she finished speaking, Zhao Qinglin's fist had already struck. In an instant, the two were locked in combat.

In terms of strength, Zhao Qinglin was naturally at a disadvantage.

Its advantage lies in its flexibility and agility, allowing it to dodge Prince Rui's attacks with some strength to spare.

Prince Rui became more and more excited as the fight went on. It wasn't that he had never fought with women before, but no girl had ever been as good at fighting as Zhao Qinglin, and she also had great stamina.

Being able to withstand a hundred moves from him already qualifies one as a master.

The two fought for about half an hour. To call it a fight was an understatement; it was more like Prince Rui was giving Zhao Qinglin pointers.

As the two continued their exchange, Zhao Qingyan sensed something was amiss. Just as she was about to call a halt, Zhao Qinglin abruptly withdrew from the fray.

"Your Highness, thank you."

Prince Rui nodded with a smile, "You're welcome, it's just a friendly exchange."

The implication is that this is just a friendly exchange, and you shouldn't overthink it; I have no intention of training you.

Zhao Qinglin naturally understood what the other party meant.

After this half-hour sparring session, Zhao Qinglin felt she had benefited greatly.

Before the Zhao family set off, Han Xuri and Prince Rui visited the Zhao family twice.

Each time, they would have a meal, then fight with the Zhao family before leaving.

The steward of the manor noticed that his master's face was beaming with smiles.

However, the reason why the prince was happy remains unknown.

Left with no other option, they had to ask the guards.

"Mo Yi, tell the old man where our Prince has been lately. He seems to be in a very good mood."

"Could it be that our lord has found a girl he fancy?"

Mo shook his head.

"Uncle Zhong is overthinking it. The prince only stays at the manor and goes to a few shops. How could he possibly have a girl he likes?"

Uncle Zhong shook his head.

"No, no, the prince looks like he's encountered something happy."

"You should think carefully about whether the master has been getting close to any young ladies lately."

"How could that be? The prince doesn't even have a female mosquito around him, so how could he possibly be getting close to other people's girls?..."

As Mo Yi spoke, Zhao Qinglin's cold face suddenly popped into her mind.

Seeing that Mo Yi remained silent, as if he had remembered something, Uncle Zhong became extremely anxious.

"Hey kid, why aren't you saying anything? What's on your mind?"

"Has the prince taken a fancy to a girl? If he has indeed chosen someone, our household will have to hold a celebration."

Mo Yi felt like his brain and mouth were out of sync; he just couldn't reconcile Zhao Qinglin with his master.

Putting aside the fact that they are not a good match in terms of social status, they seem to be quite different in age as well.

Furthermore, Miss Zhao's cold face and chilling aura were comparable to her master's.

If these two were to get together, the Summer Palace wouldn't even need ice basins; the two of them would be more than enough.

Mo Yi used a lot of effort to finally shake off the images in his mind.

“Uncle Zhong, we shouldn’t discuss this prince’s affairs. Why don’t you go and ask the master yourself?”

"What do you need to ask me, Zhong Bo, Mo Yi?" Prince Rui's voice suddenly came from behind the two of them.

People are so scary, they can scare you to death.

The two people, who were engrossed in gossip, were startled and quickly knelt down to pay their respects to their master.

Mo Yi dared not speak to the prince directly about anything, so Zhong Bo asked him without hesitation.

"Your Highness, this old servant noticed that you've been smiling more lately, and I thought you'd encountered some great joy."

So I dared to ask Mo Yi, "Your Highness, please atone for your sins."

"Oh, is that so?"

Clearly, Prince Rui did not believe the steward's words. Mo Yi, however, stood aside, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

"Alright, get up. If you have any questions in the future, you can come directly to me. There's no need to waste so much effort getting nowhere."

"I've been in a very good mood lately. My martial arts skills have improved considerably."

After saying this, Prince Rui strode towards the bedroom.

Zhong Bo and Mo Yi exchanged bewildered glances. "When did the Prince leave?"

Zhong Bo asked, and Mo shook his head.

It seems that Prince Rui's skills have indeed improved.

The Zhao family split up two days before they set off.

"Our family's life has only started to improve in the last few years."

As for how things got better, even if I don't tell you, you should all know who I'm thanking for it.

Our family currently has a total of 43,500 taels of silver.

In addition, there are two snack shops in Wufang Town and Qingyang County.

As for the workshops and pigsties in Zhao Family Village, you all know about them even if I don't tell you; those things have nothing to do with you.

That was my dear daughter's recipe and idea.

Therefore, when we split up, the main things we divided were the money and the two shops.

Since you are all serving as officials in various places, you naturally won't be able to manage the shops.

I've discussed it with your father.

Those two shops will belong to the third branch of the family. As for how to arrange the shops, that's up to the third branch to decide.

Next, let's talk about the dowry issue for the girls.

As mentioned before, each daughter of the Zhao family receives a dowry of 1,000 taels of silver when she gets married.

In our family, there are three granddaughters and two great-granddaughters.

We need to take out the dowry money for these five daughters first.

That leaves only two.

In a normal family division, given our situation, the property would be divided into four parts: one for your father and me, and one for you three brothers.

Since those two shops were given to the third branch of the family, we can't let the eldest and second branches of the family suffer financial losses.

Therefore, the remaining two taels of silver were divided into three parts.

You three wives each receive two taels of silver, and the remaining ten taels can be used by the old woman to buy flowers.

As for your father and me, we'll live with the third branch of the family. They'll be responsible for our old age.

All expenses will be covered by the three wives. Do you have any objections?

The third wife naturally had no objections, but the first and second wives did.

"Dad, Mom, isn't this way of dividing the spoils too harsh on the third son? We know exactly how much money our two shops can make in a month."

Besides, without the help of the Third Sister, that shop would never have been able to open.

It's only right that the property belongs to the third branch of the family after the division. Shouldn't the finances be calculated as four separate portions?

"Who wouldn't leave money for their parents to live on in their old age?"

Zhao Minggeng quickly said, and Zhao Yonggeng echoed his sentiment.

The eldest aunt, second aunt, and two sisters-in-law all shared the same sentiment.

Huang shook her hand, "It's settled then. Whether we suffer a loss or gain an advantage, we're all family."

May our family live a long and harmonious life, healthy and safe.

You've all seen the things my dear daughter bought for each of you a few days ago.

Neither of them is cheap.

Putting aside everything else, the jewelry I bought for your two daughters alone cost several thousand taels of silver.

Therefore, don't worry too much about these little things.

Actually, the one who suffered the most was my dear daughter.

Both my children are my flesh and blood, and I can't bear to see them suffer outside, so I have no choice but to take advantage of my precious daughter.

There's nothing we can do; she's the richest and most capable one in our family.

This old woman has no choice but to let my precious daughter suffer for the sake of you little rascals.

Also, you must always remember that you are members of the Zhao family, and what was the purpose of the imperial examination in the first place?

High-ranking official positions and generous salaries?

No, the purpose of your imperial examinations was to ensure that the women in your family would not be bullied by outsiders in the future, and that your daughters and granddaughters would have a maternal family to rely on after they got married.

Each and every one of you should be good officials, good public servants.

We need to be quick-witted; we won't do anything that's morally reprehensible.

There's no need to verbally scare away those scoundrels who want to drag you down.

Do I, an old woman, need to teach you the principle of "better to offend a gentleman than a petty person"?

You must know that a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years.

If anyone dares to trip you up, you should find a way to dig a pit for them.

We need to investigate and gather evidence to ensure that we completely crush the other party in one go.

As for those things like integrity and moral principles, none of them are as important as the outcome. Be tactful, be tactful, understand?

If you really can't solve it yourself, you can file a complaint.

Don't forget, we have powerful backers.

If you really can't solve the problem, and you encounter corrupt officials, especially if your superiors are inactive, then you can absolutely file a complaint.

As long as what you say is true and you have evidence, everything is negotiable.

My dear daughter is giving each of you two carrier hawks to take with you to your posts this time. Do you understand? They can be sent to the Hui Cui Pavilion or to Han Xuri.

The outcome is the same anyway; it will all end up in the emperor's hands.

After the family split up, the responsibility eventually fell to the old lady to raise the children.

In short, the key is to stay alive, use your brain, climb the ladder, and utilize every available resource. Fight to the death, no matter who it is.

You also need to be skillful in your practice; don't be foolish enough to end up with a bloody head.

The Zhao family members, who were about to take up their posts as county magistrates, suddenly understood.

The world is not simply black and white; there is also gray.

On the day of departure, Han Xuri, Prince Rui, and all the managers of Huicui Pavilion came.

The most unexpected thing was that the second-place finisher He Jincheng and the third-place finisher Wen Sheng also came to see Xu Dongsheng off.

These two boys weren't particularly surprised to see Han Xuri, but they were quite taken aback to see Prince Rui.

They were so frightened that their legs went weak.

The mere presence of Prince Rui, exuding an aura of aloofness, was enough to stop children from crying at night.

"Your subject has met with Prince Rui and His Highness the Crown Prince."

He Jincheng and Wen Sheng's voices trembled.

He Jincheng really wanted to put his arm around Xu Dongsheng's shoulder, but he wasn't tall enough, so he could only pat Xu Dongsheng's arm instead.

"You've struck it lucky, kid. You've met these two great figures. Work hard, and as long as you're alive, your future is limitless."

"I'll be waiting for you in the capital."

Wen Sheng was also very emotional, "I wonder when we will meet again after this parting. I hope you take care, brother."

Parting is both sad and joyful.

After all, everyone carries a bright future in their heart.

With a shout of "Giddy up!", the Zhao family set off.

The Zhao family already had a large number of members, and with the addition of a bodyguard team of over a hundred people, their presence was truly impressive.

Those who knew the situation thought it was a collective relocation, but those who didn't might have thought it was a family move.

It really is a relocation.

They moved from the unfamiliar capital city to a completely unfamiliar place and stayed there for at least three years.

As for how the local area will develop in the future, that remains to be seen.