Lin Ruoshan was dreaming, and her ambition was rapidly growing. The longer she stayed in the palace and the more she saw, the greater her ambition became. But rising to the top in one step is not necessarily a good thing. Lin Ruoshan had not experienced growth and suddenly entered the huge melting pot of the palace. She couldn't even compete with ordinary palace maids, and slowly she realized that she was not favored.
Although the emperor would visit her five out of ten days, she could hardly speak to him. Occasionally she would say a few words or make a request, and if the emperor was in a good mood, he would grant it. But most of the time, he would ignore her.
Lin Ruoshan naturally dared not throw a tantrum at the emperor, so she vented her frustrations on her head maid, for which she suffered quite a bit. Her personal maid would trip her up, and she couldn't avoid it at all; she might not even be able to guess who was behind it.
She occupied so many of the emperor's days, naturally arousing the jealousy of the concubines in the harem. Being forced to kneel in the imperial garden and slapped were the least of her worries. There were also those who made her pick flowers, copy scriptures, and wash sedan chairs. Lin Ruoshan could encounter people of higher rank just by walking around the palace. Even when she hid in her residence, she could be found to be punished, making her life extremely difficult.
These hardships tempered her; she grew stronger as she was injured, and her words and actions were completely different from when she was in the prefectural city. She finally found a way to protect herself: to use the spiritual spring water to make desserts and soups to please and serve the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was fifty years old, and no matter how well she maintained her health, she couldn't compare to a young person. However, after eating the food prepared by Lin Ruoshan, she became energetic. After examining the food, the imperial physician determined that there was nothing wrong with it, and the imperial chef also said that Lin Ruoshan had simply prepared it in a normal way.
It's like brewing wine; there's nothing unusual about it. You can only say that Lin Ruoshan is blessed by God, and everything she makes with her skillful hands is extraordinary.
Lin Ruoshan was also good at speaking. With a charming smile, she said to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, "It must be that Heaven wants to use my hands to nourish Your Majesty and Empress Dowager and prolong their lives. Your Majesty and Empress Dowager are chosen people, and I am just a little maid sent to serve you."
The phrase "the chosen one" successfully pleased the emperor and empress dowager. From then on, Lin Ruoshan made an appearance in front of the empress dowager and personally cooked for the empress dowager and the emperor every day. Naturally, no one else dared to cause her any more trouble, and she finally settled down in the palace.
However, she was also keenly aware that this was far from the high position she fantasized about, where she could easily trample on Xu Zifan. She merely tentatively brought up the past once more, and the emperor's expression darkened; he didn't see her for several days afterward. She dared not mention it again, remembering her place, abandoning all her past, and focusing on serving the emperor and empress dowager.
Lin Ruoshan, who should have been living a life of wealth and luxury, felt utterly exhausted. In front of the two most esteemed people in the world, she had to be careful even with her breathing, daring not to utter a single wrong word, and had to rack her brains to please and flatter them. A single day in front of her was more tiring than a year after her rebirth.
In the stillness of the night, she found herself longing for the days when she could hurl insults at others and bully the Lin family. But her ambition was undeniable; it fueled her, compelling her to persevere despite her exhaustion. She still sought revenge against the concubines who had wronged her. Having won the Empress Dowager's favor, she knew she would eventually gain the Emperor's true affection and crush them all!
Lin Ruoshan lived cautiously in the palace, while Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan lived a leisurely life in the prefectural city. Every month, the cloth shop would close for one day, and Xu Zifan would take his parents and Lin Ruonan on an outing to the countryside.
Fishing, hunting, flower picking, picnicking—each activity is enjoyable. Xu's parents have worried about their son for over a decade, never relaxing, and have had no time for leisure. Lin Ruonan, even more so, is mistreated by her stepmother and has no opportunity for any travel.
Xu Zifan led them on many interesting activities, which puzzled others. Why didn't this scholar study diligently or seek employment? Instead, he spent his time cooking for his family or taking them on trips. Wasn't he neglecting his duties?
However, whenever students invited Xu Zifan to a gathering, his literary talent always amazed everyone. Someone once advised Xu Zifan: "Brother Tai'an, the sea of knowledge is boundless. You have exceptional talent, so you must not be arrogant and waste this talent. Playing with things will ruin your ambition. A good man should serve his country and not indulge in petty pleasures and romantic relationships."
Xu Zifan simply smiled and replied, "Cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—one should do what one can within one's means. Although I now hold official rank, I cannot secure a good position to serve the country. It would be better to prepare for next year's imperial examination. In this regard, I consider myself quite humble; I have never given up on my studies, so I cannot be said to indulge in any pleasures. For the past eighteen years, I have been frail and sickly, and my parents have raised me with great care and hardship. Naturally, I should take advantage of my less busy time to repay them and make them happy. As for my wife, I should treat her with utmost sincerity. As the saying goes, harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things. My focus on my own character and family harmony is also a form of self-cultivation. Don't you all agree?"
The students were speechless. If they insisted that he had neglected his studies, he was better than them in every way. What right did they have to criticize him? In terms of debating, no one could beat Xu Zifan. Moreover, he was determined. Anyone who wanted to debate with him would feel insecure and know they would lose before even opening their mouth. After a while, no one mentioned it anymore. They would only sigh and wonder if Xu Zifan's behavior would ruin his own future. Like Zhong Yong, even geniuses may not go very far.
A year passed in the blink of an eye, and the cloth workshop's business became even more booming. Lin Ruonan opened a dyeing workshop, researching dyes and coloring techniques herself, and also hired several experienced weavers to work together to create exquisite patterns. With its own brand and unique characteristics that set it apart from other cloth workshops, the Xu family's cloth workshop naturally became even more successful, and a branch store was opened.
The day Xu Zifan would take the imperial examination was finally approaching, and his family was inevitably filled with anticipation.
Slightly excited, he wanted to go to Beijing a while earlier so he could settle down and focus on the exam. Lin Ruonan insisted on going with him.
"If you go alone, there will be no one to take care of you. If you get hungry or sick, there will be no one to comfort you. Your parents take care of the shop, so I must go with you."
Xu's mother shared the same sentiment: "Zifan, the capital is so far away, we are really worried about it. If it weren't for the cloth shop, we would have all gone with them. Let Ruonan go with us; we trust her to handle things, and with her there, we won't worry so much."
Xu Zifan was initially worried that Lin Ruonan would have a hard time and didn't want her to go through all that trouble, but seeing how insistent she was, he agreed. "Then Ruonan and I will go. We'll set off in five days. Parents, don't worry. I'll be back after the exam. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."
"Yes, nothing else matters, the most important thing is to be safe. You two need to take care of each other."
Having raised their son with such tender care for over a decade, Xu's parents were deeply worried about him leaving them for such a distant place for the first time. Fortunately, Lin Ruonan was with him. They remembered the master's words: Lin Ruonan was Xu Zifan's lucky star, his destined wife; the two of them together would only bring each other happiness and blessings. Thinking this way, they felt much more at ease. They carefully prepared Xu Zifan's travel necessities and personally saw the two off five days later.
With plenty of time, Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan didn't rush. They would stop to explore larger or more distinctive towns along the way, enjoying the scenery on their journey to the capital.
Seeing the bustling scene in the capital, Lin Ruonan exclaimed, "I thought Anyang Prefecture was good enough, but it turns out the capital is many times better than Anyang Prefecture."
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Then would you like to settle down in the capital? And move our fabric shop here too."
Lin Ruonan was taken aback. "You mean...we're all coming to the capital?" Once the idea came to her, Lin Ruonan couldn't let it go. "Okay, Mom and Dad will definitely agree. You study hard these days, and I'll learn more about the capital and see how to move here smoothly. This is a big deal. Our family business has achieved some success, and we can't afford any mistakes."
Xu Zifan took out a letter from his pocket and showed it to her. "This was written by Lord Liang. He asked me to visit the Liang family in the capital. Lord Liang's family is here. His elder brother is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a third-rank official."
Lin Ruonan said happily, "Lord Liang is so good to you. This will make things much smoother for you in the capital. Brother Zifan, let's hurry up and find a place to stay. We can explore the capital anytime. The sooner we settle down, the sooner we can visit Lord Liang, and the sooner we can find merchants with whom we can cooperate in opening a cloth shop."
"Okay, let's rent a nicer place so we can stay longer and settle in temporarily when we move here. Houses in the capital are expensive, so we'll use the money at home to open a shop first and buy a house later."
"Okay, then let's rent a comfortable place in a good location. We can't let our parents suffer in the capital."
After discussing it, the two started looking for a broker to look at houses. Shao Hua could scan a radius of two kilometers, so finding a good house was very easy. Xu Zifan only needed to make a show of it and lead the way, and he successfully rented a courtyard that suited his taste.
While cleaning, Lin Ruonan laughed and said, "It seems like everything we do goes very smoothly, even renting a house in Beijing went so smoothly."
Xu Zifan joked, "Of course, Mother has already matched our birth dates. We are destined to be husband and wife. Being together will surely bring blessings to each other and make everything go smoothly."
Having been married for so long, Lin Ruonan already knew that Xu Zifan didn't believe these words at all. He only took them seriously because his parents were happy, and then tried his best to live a good life so that his parents could rest assured.
She smiled and looked down, fetching water to wash Xu Zifan's face. She said softly, "When we move to the capital and settle down here, our children will grow up in the capital and grow up in such a prosperous place. It will be so wonderful."
Xu Zifan ruffled her hair. "You're still young. Once I become an official, our child will be born into an official family. Then you won't have to work so hard managing the shop. Just be a good wife and help me manage the household. And make good friends with the other wives."
Lin Ruonan felt happy just thinking about that scene and nodded emphatically. These days, she only showed a little girl's personality in front of Xu Zifan. Normally, she was a commanding boss lady, efficient and decisive, often making people forget that she wasn't even eighteen yet.
Lin Ruonan kept Xu Zifan's words in mind. She then realized that she didn't know many words and didn't understand the etiquette of wealthy families. She needed to find an opportunity to learn these things so that she could be a good helpmate to her husband in the future.