Chapter 343 Marriage
The Sheng family's carriage stopped directly at the gate. Changbai was about to get off the carriage. Just as he showed his head and hadn't gotten off yet, Madam Wang ran up to the carriage with an excited look on her face. Changbai hurried over to meet her.

Madam Wang hugged Changbai and said excitedly:
"Bai Er, you really made me proud. It's worth all the hard work I put into giving birth to you and raising you!"

Then Madam Wang hugged Changbai and burst into tears, while Sheng Hong's eyes turned red and he said with a look of relief:

"Changbai, you have brought honor to the Sheng family!"

Afterwards, everyone congratulated Changbai happily. Madam Wang even clamored to hold a wedding banquet, provide porridge, and set off firecrackers to celebrate. As she spoke, she pulled Changbai inside.

At this time, Minglan trotted to Shou'an Hall to announce the good news to the old lady, followed closely by Sheng Hong and his wife, and Rulan.

"Mother, congratulations to you, Bai'er lived up to everyone's expectations and passed the imperial examination!"

The old lady cheerfully motioned for everyone to sit down. When she heard the noisy noise outside, she asked:
"Why is there so much noise outside? What are you doing?"

Mrs. Wang, who was grinning from ear to ear, said excitedly:
"I was just asking them to set off firecrackers. Bai'er has graduated from high school. We have to celebrate and have a good time."

Sheng Hong also said: "At the family dinner tonight, our whole family will have a good time!"

However, Mrs. Sheng said calmly:

"Young Master Qi and Master Gu both studied in our Sheng family. They both failed the exam, but our Sheng family celebrated with such fanfare!"

"Do you want to slap the Duke of Qi or the Marquis Gu? Are you going to slap both families at the same time?"

When Sheng Hong heard this, he immediately realized that celebrating with such fanfare would offend people, wouldn't it?
This is very different from his usual cautious character, and it was probably because he was so happy today that he forgot about it!
So Sheng Hong quickly asked someone to call back the people who had gone out to buy!
"Crackle... crackle..." At this time, a series of firecrackers sounded outside!

At this time, Madam Wang heard the sound of firecrackers outside and immediately said loudly indignantly:
"Listen, listen, when other people's children pass the imperial examination, they can celebrate with great fanfare, but when our child passes the imperial examination, the celebration is over!"

At this time, Changbai, who had changed his clothes, came in and just heard what his mother said, so he said:

"This should be Haolin, um, the firecrackers set off by the Duke of England. Duke Rong won the seventh place in the second class this time, so it should be so!"

Then Changbai respectfully bowed to the old lady and greeted her!
However, after hearing this, Madam Wang felt particularly aggrieved:

"It's so depressing to live in the capital. There are princes and nobles everywhere, and we have to please them. It's better to be in Yangzhou where we can celebrate however we want!"

Seeing that Madam Wang was so ignorant, Sheng Hong said:

"You want it to be more splendid than the one organized by the Duke's Mansion, right?"

Then Sheng Hong pointed outside and said:
"The Duke of Ying is a first-rank founding duke of a county, and the Duke of Rong is a second-rank founding duke of a county. They have two dukes in one family, and I am just a small official of the fifth rank. How can I compare with them?"

At this time, Minglan cleverly tried to smooth things over and said:
"Madam, you don't have to feel disappointed. It's the same if we celebrate behind closed doors. I have already prepared a gift for my second brother, and I am just waiting for him to pass the imperial examination!"

Sheng Hong immediately said happily:
"Our little six is ​​still sensible, better than her sisters!"

Minglan immediately added: "Fifth sister also prepared a gift!"

The celebration was over, and then Madam Wang said:

"Sir, it's time to carefully plan our Bo'er's marriage. If we delay any longer, he will be too old!"

Sheng Hong said in an unfathomable manner:
"There's no time to rush. Why didn't I let you meet her before? Think about it. It's basically hopeless for me to enter the Central Government in this lifetime. At most, I can retire as a third-rank Silver and Green Guanglu Doctor in the future, which is very respectable!"

"If Bai'er doesn't have the support of the powerful Yue family, how far can he go and what future will he have? If Bai'er is just a scholar, who would be willing to support him?"

The old lady then said:
"Madam, don't blame your husband for not arranging a marriage for Bai'er. Think about it, if he hadn't passed the imperial examination and was on the list of Jinshi, how could I have the face to go to your Wang family to propose marriage!"

Sheng Hong also said at this time: "So now that Changbai has passed the imperial examination, we can find him a capable Yue family!"

At this time, Madam Wang thought of the prominence of her family, and her face suddenly broke into a smile, and she said cheerfully:
"Mother is right. Our Wang family still has some advantages!"

Then Madam Wang thought of her sister, who told her that she was interested in marrying Changbai, and said excitedly:

"Mother, yesterday my elder sister came to visit with her niece, Yuner. I saw that Yuner was really good-looking and kind, and she was gentle and lovely. I think she was really good!"

However, when everyone in the Sheng Mansion heard this, they all frowned subconsciously. Everyone in the Sheng Family knew how annoying Aunt Kang was.

Even with their current relationship, he still shamelessly comes to their house to ask for money!
If my family and hers were to marry, it would be a close relationship. That would be disastrous. I'm afraid the entire Sheng Mansion would be emptied out!
At this time, the old lady and Sheng Hong looked at each other, and then the old lady smiled and said to Madam Wang:
"Well, Yuner is a very well-behaved and sensible child. When she gets married in the future, I will definitely give her a generous gift!"

The old lady's words were the final word, defining the nature of the matter and shutting up Madam Wang.

"But~!"

But Madam Wang was still a little unwilling. When she was about to say something, Sheng Hong's face changed, and then he said unhappily:
"You better calm down. My brother-in-law's family is in such a mess. Not only are there a lot of illegitimate sons and daughters, but several of them are carried away every year!"

"Besides, I have already made my own plans for Bai'er's marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang's smile immediately faded. It seemed that the mother and son had discussed this beforehand, and she was the only one who didn't know. So she asked:

"So, you have discussed this already?"

Seeing Sheng Hong and the old lady's attitude, Madam Wang asked unwillingly:

"Whose girl is this?"

At this time, the old lady, Sheng Hong, and Changbai looked at each other. Old lady Sheng knew that Changbai was not convenient to talk about this matter, so she said to Madam Wang:
"The spring exam has passed, and Bai'er has now passed the exam, and is even in the top ten of the second class. Although this matter has not yet been determined, you should know it!"

Then Sheng Hong laughed loudly and said:
"How come Bai'er has met the other party several times? She is the daughter of the Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Guifen!"

Whenever Sheng Hong thought of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, he was very excited. If he could marry into the Zhang family, it would not only be a great help to Changbai, but also to him! Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Sheng Hong and the old lady anxiously. They were actually going to marry into the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, and they were immediately surprised!

Minglan did not react when she heard this, but it confirmed her guess that the person next to her second brother in the grove at the polo match was indeed Zhang Guifen!

If the second brother marries Zhang Guifen, and she marries Lin Hao, how should they address each other then?
Just when Minglan was in a state of ecstasy, Madam Wang became unhappy. She knew the Duke of England, who was a truly top noble.

But the key point is, if Changbai marries the daughter of a wealthy family, how can I, as the mother-in-law, put on airs?
Then Madam Wang blurted out:
"I think she's not as good as Yuner. The Zhang family is a wealthy family. What if her daughter turns out to be a powerful one? What should I do then?"

"I have watched Yoona grow up since she was a child. Not only is she well-educated, beautiful and intelligent, but she is also a cousin of Bo Ge'er. They know each other very well. I think she is the best."

Madam Wang thought about how she had a mother-in-law who was the daughter of a marquis and a daughter-in-law who was the daughter of a duke. How could she live like this?

So it’s better to find someone with a lower social status, so that you can show off your status as a mother-in-law in front of your daughter-in-law!
"You, you are simply, simply~!"

Sheng Hong was furious. He really didn't know what was going on in her mind. If it was just the two of them, he would have scolded her. But now that the children were here, he had to save some face for the lady.

Therefore, Sheng Hong did not say "foolish" in the end, but suppressed his displeasure and said patiently:
"Have you ever thought about this? Even if our family doesn't marry Yoona, aren't we still relatives? We are already helping each other, so there's no need to make things even more intimate."

"If we marry into a British family, wouldn't that be like giving Changbai a huge boost out of thin air?"

"What do you think is more important, Bai Er's future or your sister's Yun Er's?"

Mrs. Wang came to her senses instantly upon hearing this. Although she was unhappy, she couldn't say anything. After all, it was a question of her son's future, and her sister's daughter was not as important as her own son's future.

In fact, she knew in her heart that the Wang family was not as good as before, and there was no one in the Kang family who had a promising future. Not only was the inner house dirty, but there was no capable person to support them in the officialdom. Both families were just guarding the same family background.

It’s just that my elder sister had been lobbying her and made her soften her tone, and now I’m afraid I’ll be embarrassed in front of my elder sister again!

······
While the Sheng family was celebrating behind closed doors, the Duke of England's mansion was bustling with activity, as everyone celebrated Lin Hao's winning seventh place in the second class!
As for the celebration for Lin Hao, the Duchess of England entrusted it to Zhang Guifen, saying that it was to train her ability to organize such a large event.

So a circle of firecrackers was lit in the four streets, two horizontal and two vertical, surrounding the British Palace!

"Crackle, crackle!" The sound of firecrackers rang out on four streets at the same time, and for a moment the sound of the Duke of England's mansion was deafening!

For a top noble like the Duke of England, of course, there is no need to worry about offending anyone or avoiding this or that. These are things that others should consider!
Afterwards, they planned to host a three-day buffet, where one could have a meal just by saying a few auspicious words. I wonder how many people were envious of such a grand event!
While Zhang Guifen was busy outside, Lin Hao received more than a dozen people who had passed the imperial examination!
These people were orphans adopted by Lin Hao, as well as children recruited from his own farmers. After Lin Hao's teaching over the years, they all participated in this spring examination and came to Zhang's house to congratulate Lin Hao.

Lin Hao naturally entertained them personally. Some of these people were one or two years older than him, while others were a few years younger.

But they are all considered Lin Hao's students. After all, they were all trained by him and will be of great use to him in the future.

This time, three of them got into the second place, and fourteen got into the third place.

Of course, there were dozens of people participating in this exam, but unfortunately, they were all not yet ready and could only wait for a while before taking the exam again!
Therefore, this time only seventeen people stand out, and Lin Hao will personally arrange their destination!

Then Lin Hao said solemnly:
"Okay, I've already arranged your respective destinations for you!"

"Remember, after you get to a place, use the knowledge I taught you to quickly take control of the place. Wait for my orders in the future and cooperate with me!"

"Yes, young master!" Seventeen people responded immediately.

Looking at these young people, Lin Hao said with a smile:

"In addition, I have equipped each of you with two communication teams. If there is anything you cannot handle, please report it to me in time. If I am not here, let the think tank help you!"

"In short, I need you to make achievements as soon as possible. I will take care of you in the court, and I will arrange your promotion. Don't worry about any obstacles!"

"Okay! Thank you, sir. We will go through fire and water without hesitation and will never embarrass you!"

Hearing this, Lin Hao smiled and said, "Okay, then we won't go home until we're drunk today!"

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

These people wanted to get Lin Hao drunk, but Lin Hao accepted all the offers and drank till the last drop of wine, and got so many people drunk!

When it was night, when Lin Hao pretended to be drunk and returned to his room, Zhang Guifen was also called to the living room by the British couple!
"Gui Fen, how are you and the eldest son of the Sheng family?" The Duke of Yingguo asked casually.

But Zhang Guifen was shocked, and then said shyly:

"Mom and Dad, what are you talking about!"

At this time, the Duke of England smiled and said:

"Okay, stop hiding it. You're the only one who thinks you're doing this in secret. In fact, we've known about this for a long time!"

"Mom and Dad, you don't object!" Zhang Guifen said in surprise.

Lady Yingguo shook her head and said, "If we really want to object, do you think his letters will enter Zhang's house?"

Now that he has passed the imperial examination, your matter should also have a result, but we don’t know what your plans are!
"Zhang Guifen was embarrassed for a moment. It seemed that the whole family knew about it!" Zhang Guifen was immediately ashamed, but she still mustered up the courage to say:
"I just thought that when he passes the imperial examination, he can come to our house to propose marriage, so that it won't be considered a disgrace to our family!"

At this time, the Duke of England sighed and said with a serious expression:

"In principle, we have no objection to your matter, but you have to think it through. Your sweetheart's father, Sheng Hong, as well as Sheng Hong's father and uncle, are all experts in favoring concubines and destroying wives!"

"The situation in our family today is exactly the same as the situation in the Yongyi Marquis's family back then, but we are worried that after you marry into the family, you might become the second lonely and helpless Old Madam Sheng!"

(End of this chapter)