CH 57.1

"Lin'er, no, it should be Madam Wei. You are really busy everyday, you have to set up the wife diplomacy just after beating someone. Lin'er, don't you even think about being a good wife?"

Zhou Chengwang looked at Jiang Lin with a frenzied expression, he shook his head again and again.

[丧心病狂 sàng xīn bìng kuáng: frenzied (idiom); completely crazy and ridiculous; loss of reason; insane; crazed cruelty]

The person Jiang Lin beat up was the Young Master Ren who asked matchmaker Song to propose marriage. His full name was Ren Denggao.

Ren Denggao, the only good thing that could be picked up from this guy was his name only.

[登 dēng: to ascend; 高 gāo: high]

The Ren family was born as a merchant, but they had been looking forward to study and become an official to change their family. In Ren Denggao's father's generation, the business grew bigger and bigger. Ren Denggao’s father had eight daughters and he only had a son named Ren Denggao. 

Ren's father was determined to let his son study and take the imperial examination to become an official, as a result he made Ren Denggao became a bookworm who didn't cultivate his limbs and couldn’t distinguish the grains.

The good times didn't last long. Ren Denggao's father died of illness when Ren Denggao just became an adult, and the Ren family also broke up because of this. Ren Denggao, as the only male in the Ren family, inherited a lot of family business, at least he wouldn’t worry about eating for a lifetime.

Ren Denggao himself was determined to take the imperial examination, but he was really not material for this. He failed the exams again and again, year after year, not to mention his age, even his whole body was broken because the bad habits he developed.

Ren Denggao was still a high-spirited man, he didn't like girls from ordinary families, and he didn't like girls from merchant families. He must marry the daughter of an official family. If the official was too young, he must be at least ranked four or above.

Ren Denggao's mother doted on him, she relied on her son in everything, and asked everywhere if there was any daughter of an official who was willing to marry Ren Denggao. But for fourth-rank officials, the girls in the family preferred to enter the palace as a concubine, and they could marry any young master from Houfu and Bofu. How could they fall in love with a down-and-out merchant family.

So Ren Denggao failed the imperial examination and failed to marry a wife, but there were a lot of concubines in Ren Denggao's house, and he had several children.

When the Wei family was in decline, Ren Denggao also looked down on the Wei family, but Wei Yunzhao skipped the fourth rank and became a third-rank official, and the Wei family immediately caught his eyes. 

He planned to marry Wei Yunzhao's younger sister and Wei Yunzhao would definitely support him, how could he need to take the imperial examination, Wei Yunzhao could make him become an official with just a few words.

This dream was good, Ren Denggao successfully persuaded his mother and let her propose marriage to the Wei Family. They gave Matchmaker Song a lot of money, so that Song Matchmaker could praise him vigorously, and the Wei family must agree to this marriage.

The person he sent to inquire said that Song Matchmaker failed to handle the matter well, and Ren Denggao took back all the money he had given to her.

Sitting on the empty mountain, Ren Denggao liked to show off his wealth outside, and his family's wealth had been almost ruined by him. He not only counted on Wei Yunzhao to support him, but also dreamed about the dowry prepared by the Wei family for Wei Yunjia.

Jiang Lin turned around and took a look, his feet were flimsy, his eyes were black, and he looked like someone who completely over-indulgent in debauchery. Jiang Lin felt that he couldn't bear it anymore, so he forced his two good brothers to put Ren Denggao's on a sack and beat him up. This kind of beast dared to miss his girl, and beating him to death was considered light.

When he came back from beating, he found that Wei Yunzhao was being bullied again, and Jiang Lin felt that his heart was broken.

These people felt that Wei Yunzhao had lost the face of the officials in the court, so he will let them see what the real embarrassment was, and the kind of embarrassment that couldn't be said, they could only suffocate themselves to death.

Jiang Lin was very dissatisfied with Zhou Chengwang's reaction, "Why, when did I let you suffer?"

To be honest, there was no such thing, so Zhou Chengwang shook his head, "Okay, what do you want to do?"

Jiang Lin smiled, "It's nothing, I just want to write another story book, and I will ask my aunt to help me hold a few banquets by the way."

Zhou Chengwang muttered: "It's winter, what are you going to enjoy at a banquet? Snow? Plum blossoms?"

"Hey, by the way, the name of this story is “To take care the poor (cold) plum blossom”"

Jiang Lin arranged tasks for Zhou Chengwang and Du Yuling, "At least one play for your two families, don't worry, I will let you arrange the play for “To take care the poor plum blossom”, and I will personally rehearse for you, and I promise you that this play will make you a lot of money."

Since they had something to do, the two of them received less scolding at home, and from time to time they still gave money to home. How could the family members not think they were pleasing to the eye?

As soon as they heard Jiang Lin's words, they knew that this year would be better.

Du Yuling nodded, "No problem, but I have a condition."

Jiang Lin: "What condition?"

Du Yuling said: "You have to cook something delicious for me to take home to coax my mother. Once she is happy, everything will be easy to handle."

Zhou Chengwang quickly raised his hand, "I also want it, Lin'er, you can cook more, I'll ask my mother to hold two shows for you, and invite all the official wive from Shengjing to make a big scene. "

"No problem," Jiang Lin agreed, "The food for the banquet will also be covered by the Wei family."

Then there would be no problem, Zhou Chengwang and Du Yuling were full of expectations for the banquet.