Minglan, who was born into a family of officials who passed the imperial examinations, originally thought that the title was a stable job. As long as she did not get involved in high-level crimes such as seizing the throne or forming a clique, she could basically live comfortably relying on her ancestors' influence until her death. Minglan once discussed this issue with Changbai with great envy, but ended up getting a contemptuous look from Changbai's brother.

When Taizu founded the country, in order to reward his capable ministers, brave generals and strategic men, he conferred titles on five kings of different surnames, nineteen dukes, forty-two marquises and one hundred and fifteen earls. There was no way to appoint hereditary generals. Taizu was a suspicious person. In just one generation, he deprived and executed three kings of different surnames and half of the dukes, marquises and earls. After that, Taizong succeeded to the throne and became the former emperor. He attacked the Tatars in the north and the barbarians in the south. He expanded the territory by land and sea in the east, west, south and north. He conferred some more titles one after another, but they were divided into "flowing" and "generational", and not all of them were hereditary.

After Emperor Taizong pacified the four frontiers, Zhang Ge Lao, the first counselor who was appointed first, was the first to advise "rewarding boundless achievements with supreme wealth and honor". The chief military general, Duke Yingguo, who was then the General of the State of Jingguo, took the lead in seconding the proposal. Emperor Taizong then took the opportunity to remove most of the power of these military nobles from the court. From then on, the power of government shifted to the civil service group.

However, wealth and honor are limited, but descendants are endless. After three or four generations, a family with nobility will have a large population and it will be difficult to manage. At this time, it depends on which family has more power in the army and the palace, and which family has more talents. If the family is in decline, the filial piety period is indulgent, the dress is beyond the rules, and the people's property is encroached upon, all these things can be reported by the censors, and then it depends on the emperor's mood.

Emperor Taizu had many descendants. When the late emperor ascended the throne, Prince Ruyang and a group of powerful relatives and nobles petitioned for the "Nine Princes to be Regents". Emperor Taizong was ruthless and personally led 3,000 cavalry to attack the Xishan camp at night, destroying Prince Ruyang's headquarters in one fell swoop. After investigating the cause, he abolished more than a dozen princes who were implicated, including the cannon fodder Zhongqin Earl's Mansion.

The previous emperor's reign was not long, and Empress Jing'an passed away shortly after him. The current emperor was merciful, and a few years after he ascended the throne, he reinstated several noble families that were not guilty of the most serious crimes. However, these families had already been severely damaged, and were like frightened birds, and no longer dared to jump.

When Minglan went to the Marquis of Zhongqin's Mansion for the first time, she exclaimed softly, "Oh!" The large courtyard with four or five entrances, together with the two small gardens on the left and right, was only slightly larger than the Sheng Mansion, and was not as good as the Sheng Mansion in terms of location. Later, Changbai told Minglan that after the original Marquis of Zhongqin's Mansion was taken back, it was awarded to other meritorious nobles, and the current house was awarded by the old emperor later.

Today, the Zhongqin Marquis's residence was hosting a full-moon banquet for his second grandson. Thirty-six tables were spread out, all wishing for good luck. As the family of his maternal grandparents, the Sheng family was naturally the honored guest. Minglan and the others disembarked from their carriages and boarded sedan chairs. After entering the second gate, they walked, skirting a screen wall symbolizing prosperity and good fortune, before entering the reception hall. A young girl, dressed in a pink jacket embroidered with gold thread, came to greet them and said with a smile, "You're finally here. I've been waiting since early morning, and yet you're still late!"

Molan was the first to go forward, smiling broadly, saying, "If I had known Sister was waiting for us, I would have flown here!" Rulan half-smiled, "Sister Wenying is the host, so she's the one waiting for the guests. Are you asking the guests to wait for the host?"

Yuan Wenying had a fair, oval face, and was kind and generous. She ignored Rulan and only pulled Minglan, who was sitting behind her, and said with a smile, "Sister Minglan, you are a rare guest. Since your family came to the capital, your two sisters have often come to play, but you, alone, have only been to my house twice!"

Minglan rubbed her temples and still felt dizzy, so she admitted it honestly: "Sister Wenying, I'm lazy, don't blame me. Although I didn't come, I asked Fifth Sister to bring the Four Seasons Purse Fan Pendant back." She smiled lightly as she spoke, and this smile stunned Yuan Wenying.

Although I haven't seen her for a few months, her skin is so white that you can almost pinch out water from it, there is a hint of rosy color on her cheeks, and her lips are pale pink, as if the juice squeezed from a lotus is printed on fragile snow-white rice paper, which makes people feel pity for her. She is as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her thick black hair is loosely tied into a slanted crescent bun, fixed with a long double-sided hairpin with a jade-edged flower. A crystal flower with rice beads and gold thread is pressed on her temples. At first glance, it seems that she is the only one to be seen in the room full of flowers, extremely pure and beautiful.

"...It's been a while since we last met, and you've become even prettier." Yuan Wenying said sincerely, "You should get out more often too."

Molan's face darkened, but she immediately recovered and said, "My sister is the most lazy. She only likes to chant sutras and worship Buddha with my grandmother. Don't try to persuade her."

Yuan Wenying chuckled and turned to Minglan, saying, "My second sister-in-law said you were not in good health when you were little. You should be feeling better now. It's cold today, so why not go fishing?"

Seeing Yuan Wenying being so polite, Minglan didn't want to be shy anymore. She also took her hand and said, "Thank you, Sister Wenying, for your concern. I'm well now. It's just... it's just that I didn't get enough sleep this morning." She stuck out her tongue embarrassedly.

Yuan Wenying burst out laughing: "That's right, I was caught early this morning, and I was still yawning!"

Rulan had been ignored for a long time and could no longer bear it and asked, "Are you going to come in or not?!"

Yuan Wenying knew Rulan's temper, so he just raised his eyebrows and led the three Lans to the inner room, which was already filled with laughter.

Hualan was in great joy today, wearing a bright red jacket embroidered with hundreds of butterflies and gold thread, and a crown on her head with a five-phoenix-facing-the-sun pattern and a golden phoenix decorated with pearls. Beside her was a plump wet nurse holding a bright red embroidered swaddling cloth. The three Lans hurried over to take a look, and saw that the baby was white, plump and pretty, sleeping with his eyes closed, and his pink little mouth like a flower bud was spitting out bubbles of milk, which was very adorable.

A group of noble ladies congratulated the baby, and several aunties wearing jewel rings touched the baby's face. Soon, Shi Ge'er started crying, and Hualan asked the wet nurse to take him away.

Wang was genuinely happy, her face a rosy pink. She was already seated at the head of the table, and upon seeing Rulan, she beckoned her over, dragging her daughter along to talk with the other ladies. Meanwhile, Mrs. Yuan, the Earl of Zhongqin, wore a distant expression. Seeing her second daughter-in-law's fortune rise alongside her family's, she felt uneasy. Over the past year, Hualan had learned her lesson, feigning illness and pushing household responsibilities back on her shoulders. How could she and her eldest daughter-in-law be willing to use their own savings to supplement the household expenses?

Moreover, my son has not been as obedient as before recently.

"Father and I all gave our salaries to mother, and our land and farms are also in her hands. When Hualan was the head of the family, she asked for household expenses, but mother refused to give them. What's the point of being the head of a family like this?!" Yuan Wenshao was a warrior and filial, so he usually didn't get angry. However, Madam Yuan's excessive partiality irritated him, and he sullenly said, "If you want Hualan's dowry, just tell me. If our family is struggling, even if outsiders look down on you and your wife's family looks down on you, your son will give it to you with both hands! There's no need to pretend otherwise. It will hurt your health and your relationship!"

When Uncle Zhongqin found out, he called his wife over and gave her a good scolding: "What secrets can a wealthy family keep? Look at what you did without leaving any trace, but you've already been laughed at by others! It's not like we're struggling, and we don't have any major expenses, yet you're calculating my daughter-in-law's dowry without even a thought for my face! Before Wenshao's wife came, my eldest daughter-in-law could eat five meals a day, but now she's so precious that she lies around and groans all the time? She can't take care of it, but you do! If you insist on Wenshao's wife taking care of it, you'll even give up your farm and shop!"

Mrs. Yuan was furious, but she could do nothing. Later, when Hualan became pregnant, she started to send concubines into her son's room one after another. Each of them was beautiful and charming. Hualan endured it and just asked her mother to make some mugwort soup for them to drink one by one. She endured it until she gave birth to a son. Mrs. Yuan saw that something was wrong and wanted to take a concubine for Yuan Wenshao.

Hualan cried in front of the old uncle: "Although it is common for men to have three wives and four concubines, mother has also treated everyone equally. She didn't give any to my eldest sister-in-law's room, but put seven or eight in my room, saying that they are all to serve you. Isn't it because she despises me for not being virtuous and not knowing how to serve her husband?! Everything is going well now, and now she wants to take a concubine for the second master. If you two really despise me, I'll just have to beg for mercy!"

Yuan Wenshao had just had a chubby, white son and was ecstatic, but he also said angrily, "My eldest brother only has one wife and one concubine, but I have a house full of little girls. Those who know are given by my mother, and those who don't know might be talking about my lust and immorality!"

Old Uncle Zhongqin was shocked. A big chaos had just happened, and he was thinking about finding a way out for his own children. How could he make enemies with the Sheng family? He quickly comforted his son and daughter-in-law, turned around and scolded his wife, telling her not to interfere in the affairs of his daughter-in-law's room.

So, how could Madam Yuan be happy today? She just pretended to be happy with a fake smile. Wang ignored her and just drank tea and talked happily. Everyone present knew that Wen Shao, the only second son of the Marquis Zhongqin's mansion, was promising, and Hualan had given birth to a son, so there were many people trying to make friends with her and curry favor with her.

Madam Yuan grew increasingly angry, her head lowered as she spoke to a middle-aged woman beside her, wearing a silver hairpin with the inscription "Wealth and Honor Double Happiness." Next to them sat a young woman, wearing an apricot-colored, slanting-lapeled long coat embroidered with silver thread. She was charming, quiet, and beautiful. Molan saw her and whispered to Yuan Wenying, who was discussing twelve ways to make grass carp soup with Minglan. Minglan had already tried eight of them, and their mouths were watering as they talked. When Molan asked, Wenying looked up and replied, "These are from my eldest sister-in-law's family. My aunt and cousin. Their surname is Zhang."

She pouted and turned around to talk to Minglan again.

Molan wasn't interested in the topic of grass carp. She endured it for a while, then said impatiently, "You girls, why do you talk about food all day long? You're really a pair of foodies!"

Wen Ying turned around and smiled, "You even talked to me about rouge and perfume last time for a long time."

"How is this the same?" Molan frowned.

Minglan shook her head vigorously. "No, no, it's about looking at the inside out, looking fair and rosy. No amount of medicine can improve your appearance. Eating well is worse than applying any powder or cream. Your complexion and skin will naturally improve."

Molan's heart moved. Looking at Minglan's creamy skin, she hesitated and said, "Really?"

Just as she finished speaking, there was a noise in front, and two middle-aged and elderly ladies in gorgeous green clothes came into the room. Madam Yuan greeted them with a smile and sat at the head, personally serving them tea and greeting them, showing great attentiveness. Wen Ying immediately explained to Molan and Minglan that the one with a sweet smile and a wealthy demeanor was Madam Huang, the Earl of Shoushan, and the eldest sister of Uncle Zhongqin. The one next to her with a calm face and elegant clothes was Madam Liang, the Marquis of Yongchang. She didn't say much and let Madam Yuan talk to herself.

"Isn't that your aunt? Sister Wenying is so lucky to have her as a mother-in-law." Molan teased Wenying, her eyes flashing with envy.

Wen Ying blushed and didn't answer in annoyance. Minglan hurried to rescue her and changed the subject: "Is Old Madam Liang related to your family?" Today's full moon banquet was not a lavish one, and only a few close families were invited. Even if Minglan was ignorant, she knew that the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion was not comparable to the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion and the Shoushan Marquis's Mansion. Although there were no high-ranking officials, it had a large family, many relatives, and a solid foundation.

Wen Ying breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "My aunt's third cousin married into the Yongchang Marquis's mansion."

Over there, Madam Yuan had already brought Zhang Xiumei in front of the two ladies and said with a smile, "This is my niece, Xiumei, come and meet me." Zhang Xiumei bowed upright with her robes lowered and a gentle smile. Madam Yuan sat aside and praised Zhang Xiumei implicitly, from her character and background to her needlework and poetry. Yuan Wenying frowned when she praised her so much.

Minglan noticed it and asked quietly with a smile, "Does your aunt have other sons?"

Wen Ying felt embarrassed watching her mother's inappropriate behavior. She tugged at her handkerchief angrily and said, "It's not my aunt, it's the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang. She has a little son who is now being raised by my second brother. He will soon be the deputy commander of the Five Cities Military Division."

Molan's ears twitched, and she turned around and asked tentatively, "What kind of person is that young master?"

Wen Ying recalled the information she had heard: "His name is Liang Han, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, the son of Marquis Liang and Madam Liang." Then she glared at the Zhang mother and daughter over there, lowered her head and said bitterly, "I don't know how many families my mother has found for her, but Aunt Zhang is always picky and wants a family of high status and good character! It's just that Madam Liang once said that her youngest son is naughty and playful, and when it comes to marrying a wife in the future, it doesn't matter if she is rich or has a good family background, as long as she has good character and morals. Aunt Zhang heard it, and every day she urged my mother to curry favor with the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang, which also made my aunt embarrassed. Humph, it's not that I have a bad heart, my uncle has passed away, and it's understandable that my cousin wants to find a good family, but she should also look at her own weight! She doesn't even look at herself in the mirror to see if she is worthy!"

When Wenying said this, Minglan couldn't help but glance at Molan. She saw that her face was suddenly flushed. She forced a smile and said, "Oh, Sister Wenying hasn't even gotten married yet, and you're already feeling sorry for your mother-in-law?"

At this moment, the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan was indeed distressed. She watched her sister-in-law praise Zhang Xiumei for her gentleness and elegance for the third time, with a hint of marrying into her family in her words. She was already a little restless. Seeing the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang's expression becoming increasingly cold, the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan felt unhappy and interrupted, "Where is my eldest niece's wife?"

Madam Yuan was stunned for a moment, then sighed softly, "She's not feeling well and is resting." She glanced at Hualan and added indifferently, "I'm destined to be a hard worker, and there's no one to help me manage the household."

Hua Lan's expression froze, and Lady Shoushan immediately interrupted, "The other day I asked Imperial Physician Hu to take my niece's pulse. I asked everything, and it's nothing serious. Could she be feeling unwell? Don't be so sympathetic to the older one. You treat her frown as a serious illness and tend to her. You should also be sympathetic to the younger one. Before the New Year, she was already seven or eight months pregnant, and you still asked her to set the rules for you. How can you be such a mother-in-law? She looks so pale, I guess she's not fully recovered yet!"

Wang and Hualan were secretly grateful, and Madam Yuan looked embarrassed. This lady was the best at lecturing people, but since she was the eldest sister, she couldn't talk back and could only listen.

In fact, she only let Hualan come and stand for half an hour, and her husband came and scolded her. Many mothers-in-law cried and yelled for their parents. That night, Hualan said that she had a miscarriage and could not even get out of bed. Her son came and cried again. After this matter was spread, the relatives around her said openly and secretly that she was biased and cruel, and only favored her niece from her mother's family, and did not treat other people's daughters as human beings.

Madam Yuan smiled and said, "My eldest daughter-in-law is not as capable as Hua'er, so I wanted to make her work harder..."

Before he could finish his words, the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan interrupted him, saying, "A hundred years from now, this mansion will be managed by your eldest nephew and his wife. No matter how capable your second nephew's wife is, can she still replace your eldest sister-in-law in charge? If your eldest nephew's wife is really incompetent, why don't I find a capable one to serve as your eldest nephew's wife? She will be a helper in the future, and I can't hand this mansion over to the hands of all kinds of disasters!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Madam Yuan and Madam Zhang both turned pale, Wang felt relieved, and Hualan lowered her head as much as possible so that no one could see the corners of her mouth curled up; the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan spoke harshly, but her tone was full of concern for her natal family. She was surrounded by good female relatives who all knew the family's background, so she was not surprised.

This aunt was originally the eldest daughter in the family. She was steady and capable since childhood. Her parents thought highly of her and her younger brother, Lord Zhongqin, also trusted her very much. She supported her weak and honest husband to gain experience and progress. She could obviously choose a better marriage for her son, but for the sake of her younger brother, she still agreed to the marriage with Wenying. Madam Yuan saw that this eldest sister had always been inferior to her, but she and Hualan got along well.

The wife of the Marquis of Shoushan knew not to pursue the matter too relentlessly, and was also afraid that her sister-in-law would go off the rails and pester the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang. Glancing at Wang, she laughed and said, "You're making a fool of yourself, my dear wife."

Wang quickly shook her head. She would have listened to this kind of joke day and night. She cheerfully approached the wife of the Shoushan Earl and said, "You are really concerned about your family. We are all family, so what can't we say?"

The wife of the Earl of Shoushan smiled and pointed at Rulan beside her, saying, "My daughter is getting better and better. Eh? There's another one?"

Molan had been lurking on the other side for a while. When she heard this, she immediately came forward with a smile, bowed shyly, and said hello. The wife of the Marquis of Shoushan pointed at Molan and said to the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang, "This child is quite good at poetry and prose, and is also a well-behaved person."

The wife of Marquis Yongchang nodded and said, "He is a pretty child. Madam Sheng is so lucky." Then she said nothing more.

Molan immediately smiled and said, "Madam, you are too kind. How dare Molan say that?" Even though she had a lot to say, she didn't know how to start when she saw how cold the wife of Marquis Yongchang was.

Hua Lan's eyes flashed, and she smiled, covering her mouth: "Aunt, my youngest sister is here today too."

The wife of the Earl of Shoushan said happily, "Why don't you let me take a look?"

Hualan quickly pulled Minglan and Wenying out from the back. Wenying had already seen her, but upon seeing Minglan, the wives of the Marquis of Shoushan and the Marquis of Yongchang were both startled. After a while, the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan took Minglan's hand and said to Hualan with a smile, "No wonder you praised me a hundred and eight times. You really are such a delicate person." But then she added angrily, "Your old lady is so stingy. She hides it like this. Aren't you afraid someone will snatch it away?"

Then he pulled Minglan to sit next to him, and asked her in detail when her birthday was, what she did for fun, and what she liked to eat and wear. Minglan lowered her head and answered honestly one by one. Seeing that Minglan was generous and bright, and her words were quite clever and cheerful, which was very consistent with her personality, Lady Shoushan liked her even more, and ignored Zhang Xiumei and Molan who were standing beside her.

Tears welled up in Zhang Xiumei's eyes and she took a few steps back to stand behind Mrs. Yuan, who looked unhappy.

Molan was very unwilling, and suddenly she thought of what Aunt Lin had said about the first time she met Aunt Wei. Her beauty was truly unconcealable even with her straw hairpin and cloth skirt. Although she was cowardly and stupid, she had captivated Sheng Hong a little. Molan secretly cursed these two ladies for not knowing the value of things, for only recognizing the appearance and not the inner qualities, and for not realizing her outstanding talents and accomplishment!

The wife of the Marquis of Shoushan held Minglan in her arms and praised her for a long time. Then she turned and glared at her in-laws, saying, "You should speak now. Are you talking nonsense?"

The Yongchang Marquis's wife's cold expression finally revealed a hint of a smile, and she slowly said, "If I had a daughter as beautiful as this, I would definitely hide her."

Wang said with a playful smile, "This child has been raised by my old lady since she was little. She loves her dearly and can't leave her side for a moment, so she rarely comes out. If I'm being impolite, please forgive me, ladies."

The wife of the Marquis of Yongchang smiled faintly and said, "Your old lady is very strict in her rules. How could the girl she taught be bad?"

Wang glanced at Molan, who stood with her head bowed, and her words were even more polite. With Hualan's interjections, the atmosphere was harmonious. Minglan's scalp tingled, and she felt as if her back was being pierced by several blazing, angry gazes. It was truly an unprovoked disaster. Taking advantage of the ladies' conversation, she pleaded that she had a small gift for Zhuang Jie'er and asked Hualan to find a maid to take her there. Wenying also intervened, and Minglan was finally able to escape.

After passing through a small half-moon door, they came to Zhuang Jie'er's room, where they saw a little girl wearing a short red feathered jacket with golden pomegranate flowers sprinkled all over. She was in a daze, looking unhappy. Her mother, who was standing beside her and wearing a dark blue bodice and a dark red mid-jacket, kept trying to coax her but to no avail. Zhuang Jie'er looked forlorn, but when she saw Minglan coming to see her, she smiled a little and called her "Sixth Aunt" softly. Minglan took a small package from the maid and took out a newly made rag doll for Zhuang Jie'er.

The chubby pure cotton doll had cute eyes, nose and mouth embroidered with colorful cotton threads, and was wearing a small satin dress. Its curved eyebrows and eyes made it very adorable. Zhuang Jie'er rubbed her red apple-like face against it, hugged it in her arms and couldn't let it go. She smiled happily, jumped down from the kang with her two little feet, and pulled Minglan, clamoring to go outside; the maids and servants beside her hurriedly covered Zhuang Jie'er with a small red velvet cloak with cloud-like patterns and gold.

Minglan knew what was on Zhuang Jie'er's mind. She must have felt lost because she had suddenly become a "brother-in-law" from being an only child. So she followed the little girl's lead, holding her tender little hand. The two of them, one big and one small, walked slowly and happily.

"Sixth Aunt, does Mother not like me anymore?" Zhuang Jie'er lowered her head. "Ever since I had my younger brother, Mother hasn't been very friendly with me."

Minglan patted Zhuang Jie'er's head in understanding and said soothingly, "No, your brother just came, and everyone is excited about him. If you got a new baby, wouldn't you love him too? It will be fine after a while. Our Zhuang Jie'er is beautiful and smart, and she is your mother's favorite. How could you not be good to her?"

The child was easy to coax. Once he had made up his mind, he happily dragged Minglan out to play in the garden. As they walked, he kept chattering and telling silly childish jokes. Seeing Minglan's unhappy expression, he asked, "Sixth Aunt, why are you frowning so much?"

"Sixth Aunt is thinking about something."

"What's going on?"

Minglan paused, lowered her head, and asked, "Zhuang Jie'er, Sixth Aunt is here to ask you, do you like wearing new clothes every day, having fun things, and eating delicious food, but your parents have many younger brothers and sisters to love? Or, do you like having nothing good to eat, wear, or do you like to have, but your parents only love you?"

The little girl tilted her head and thought about it, her fair face wrinkled into a small meat bun. After thinking hard for a while, she said painfully: "Is it possible to have good things and have my parents only love me?"

Minglan laughed and said seriously, "Everyone wants this, but it's impossible. You can only choose one."

Zhuang Jie'er hesitated for a long time after a painful decision, and said, "It's better if my parents only love me."

Minglan smiled and nodded, then took a long breath and said, "Sixth Aunt thinks so too."

After walking a few more steps, Zhuang Jie'er suddenly stopped, raised her head, blinked her big eyes, and asked seriously, "Sixth Aunt, if I have no good things left and many brothers and sisters want to share my parents, what should I do?"

Minglan staggered and nearly fell. She steadied herself before saying, "I shouldn't be so unlucky." Thinking of He Hongwen, who was as gentle as spring water, she shook her head inwardly. There is no such thing as absolutely reliable in the world. It's just a matter of risk factor. At least the cheating rate of otakus is lower than that of CEOs.

The aunt and niece played for a while. Minglan looked up and saw that it was already noon. She remembered that Wenying had said that the banquet would be held in the Pianhua Hall. Thinking that it was time to drink, she didn't want to hide all the time, so she asked the maid to take Zhuang Jie'er back, and she walked over slowly.

She had been to the Duke of Zhongqin's mansion twice. It wasn't a big place, and Wen Ying had taken her around everywhere, so she knew the way. She walked slowly along the row of crabapple trees that had just sprouted buds at the edge of the garden, without worrying about getting lost. As she was leisurely strolling and admiring the flowers, she suddenly saw a tall man standing under a lush and charming crabapple tree in front of her. She felt vaguely familiar with him.

The man seemed to hear footsteps and turned around. Minglan's heart skipped a beat when she saw him clearly.