Zhao Mansion.
Of course it is Zhao Lin’s Zhao Mansion, not the Zhao Mansion of Zhenbei Hou Mansion.
Zhao Lin, Su Di and Wang Ziyao raised their glasses to celebrate.
Today, Zhao Lin not only stole the limelight, but also surpassed everyone else with two more poems. He also received a benefit of 100,000 taels of silver for free. It was a great joyful event.
"Then Jiang Yichen and Bai Shicheng won't default on their debt, right?" Su Di suddenly asked while drunk.
Wang Ziyao chuckled and said, "What are you afraid of? If they dare to default on their debt, I'll go to their door and curse them in the street. These bastards occupy the profitable department, and it's fine. But when we do business, they demand a share of the profits. If they don't, they'll cause trouble for us. This time, no matter what, we must squeeze the profits out of them."
Zhao Lin asked worriedly, "Will it affect you?"
Wang Ziyao said disdainfully, "Don't worry, I'm not someone you can easily bully. If I don't come back, I'll ask my grandfather to go and get it. Of course, he'll ask for a reward if he comes forward. I can't just do it for free just because he's my grandfather."
"Ha ha."
Zhao Lin laughed and said, "If you don't need to bother Mr. Wang, I'll give you 10,000 taels of silver as tuition for the Wang family's military strategy. If you'd like to trouble Mr. Wang to come forward, I'll take half."
Wang Ziyao stopped drinking and gave Zhao Lin a deep look. "Brother Zhao, you are so generous. I won't be polite to you either. To be honest, if I were to march into the army, I would definitely need to prepare weapons and armor, not only for myself, but also for my followers. I'm short of money, and your money is a timely rain. I won't say anything else, just wait and see."
Zhao Lin knew that Wang Ziyao was a stubborn person. He knew he would definitely repay him in the future. He smiled and raised his glass: "You and I have been together for so long, we are like brothers. There is no need for such polite words. Come, let's drink."
"Yes, yes, drink."
Wang Ziyao gulped down his wine and suddenly said, "Miss Fu is no longer under house arrest, but she didn't come to celebrate with us."
Su Di's face suddenly darkened. He said, "Maybe Minister Fu hasn't lifted the house arrest, but is only letting her out temporarily for Yun Zhiyi's sake. Or maybe the Fu family has already discussed marriage with the Bai family, so Miss Fu can't come here easily anymore."
Wang Ziyao said angrily, "Minister Fu has lost his mind. What's so good about that idiot Bai Shicheng? He's so eager to give me 50,000 taels of silver that I can't stop him. It would be better to marry Miss Fu to Zhao Lin. He's ten times better than Bai Shicheng. No, a hundred times better."
Su Di said angrily, "You've had too much to drink. How can you blame Minister Fu for what he did? Minister Fu is a minister. Every move he makes has a deep meaning. It's normal that you don't understand it."
Zhao Lin sighed and said, "The marriage between the Fu and Bai families must have their own political needs. As for Miss Fu's opinion, no one cares."
Su Di sneered, "Why, are you feeling sorry for Miss Fu? How about you secretly go find Miss Fu and elope with her overnight?"
Zhao Lin was stunned and said, "It hasn't come to that yet."
"Humph, you say one thing and mean another." Sudi said contemptuously, "You must have had such thoughts, but you just don't dare. You useless man."
Zhao Lin was speechless.
Why is Sudi so angry for no reason?
"Drink, drink."
Zhao Lin hurriedly urged everyone to drink, and he and Wang Ziyao remained silent.
…
Fu Mansion.
Fu Liqing waited on Yun Zhiyi's flower boat for a long time, but Zhao Lin didn't come to find her. She was so angry that she didn't go to find Zhao Lin. She went straight home after getting ashore.
It just so happened that Minister Fu was practicing martial arts in the middle of the yard.
"Dad, I'm back." Fu Liqing greeted him in a cute manner.
"Um."
After Fu Chengwang finished his set of punches, he took the towel handed to him by the servant and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He said, "How was today's Oiran Competition?"
Fu Liqing said excitedly: "Sister Yun has become the most beautiful courtesan."
Fu Chengwang was stunned and said, "Didn't you say she wouldn't fight? Who forced her?"
Yun Zhiyi's father and Fu Chengwang are good friends, otherwise Fu Chengwang would not allow Fu Liqing to go to brothels and flower boats so often.
As the daughter of his good friend, although Fu Chengwang couldn't get her out of the brothel, if anyone dared to force her, Fu Chengwang might have to punish the other person personally.
"No, my daughter is there, who would dare to force her?" Fu Liqing said excitedly, "You know, Zhao Lin originally only wrote one poem for Zhu Wanting, but Jiang Yichen insisted that he write another for Sister Yun. As a result, when Zhao Lin's poem for Sister Yun came out, it shocked everyone, and the title of Oiran naturally fell to Sister Yun."
"Oh? Did you do well?"
Since his friend's daughter was fine, Fu Chengwang no longer took it seriously and asked casually.
"Very good, I'll read it to you."
Fu Liqing couldn't wait to recite the poem "Ciyun Zhongyu Narcissus" and asked, "How is it? Isn't it very good?"
Fu Chengwang recited it silently and nodded. "Yes, it fits Zhiyi's experience very well. No wonder he was able to help Zhiyi win the championship. He must have been preparing for a long time, right?"
"No way, if Jiang Yichen hadn't forced him, he wouldn't have written it." Fu Liqing quickly explained: "For this poem, Jiang Yichen and Bai Shicheng each paid 50,000 taels of silver, two idiots."
Fu Chengwang frowned slightly and said, "Don't judge people by their backs. They are just young people at heart, they are nothing."
Fu Liqing stamped his feet in anger: "I don't understand what you like about Bai Shicheng. You keep talking to him."
Fu Chengwang said calmly: "You will understand later."
"I don't understand. I only know that Bai Shicheng is too stupid. Not to mention competing with Bai Shiyuan, he can't even compare with ordinary people." Fu Liqing said angrily.
Fu Chengwang was too lazy to discuss this with Fu Liqing and said, "Send the young lady back to her room and keep her under house arrest. Come out when you have figured it out."
"You?" Fu Liqing was so angry that he was speechless.
…
Bai Mansion.
Bai Shicheng quietly walked into his yard and saw a figure standing under the tree in the middle of the yard, looking up and counting the leaves on the tree.
"Brother?"
Bai Shicheng suddenly came to his senses and stood up straight.
Compared with his parents and elders, Bai Shicheng is most afraid of his eldest brother.
Bai Shiyuan was not only the eldest son and grandson of the Bai family, but also a talented person since childhood. He was well-versed in classics, history, and literature, and won the top spot in the imperial examination, surpassing all his peers.
In other words, this is someone else's child.
Compared with Bai Shiyuan, Bai Shicheng is dull and every time something happens, it will be brought up by his family. Over time, Bai Shicheng's feelings towards Bai Shiyuan become very complicated. He admires his elder brother, is jealous of his genius, and is resentful of being criticized for being useless due to long-term comparison.
In short, it's very complicated.
Bai Shiyuan turned around and saw a young man with a face as white as jade, looking gentle and elegant. His eyes sparkled with wisdom. He said to Bai Shicheng, "Did you go to the Oiran Contest? Who won?"
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