The old master Wansheng was in a low mood. Since he retired from the army, his title was passed on to his eldest son, and he also resigned from the official position with real power. Now he holds a nominal position in the court. He is free, but also very bored.
Now there is no one in the mansion who can fight him, and every day is as lonely as a long night.
"You said you encountered pirates last night?"
Wan Jinlan nodded, and then began to describe what happened last night in a vivid manner.
Although the old master does not have to attend court and is considered to be "idle at home", he is still well aware of some matters in the court.
Seeing his granddaughter's eyes and eyebrows lit up when she spoke, his previously depressed mood improved a little.
"Master, the Third Prince has arrived, along with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi's men, and they wish to question the young lady about what happened last night."
Wan Jinlan bowed to his grandfather and said, "Grandfather, I'll be back soon."
Wansheng nodded.
When Xiao Minghuan arrived at the martial arts training ground, he didn't see Wan Jinlan and felt a little surprised. Shouldn't she be there?
Wan Sheng pretended not to notice his gaze and asked, "Why are you here today?"
Xiao Minghuan smiled respectfully yet intimately and said, "I heard that my aunt and cousin Lan were back, so I sent some river fish. I remember my second cousin loves crabs. It's not easy to get river fish in the southwest, so my second cousin must be missing them very much."
"You're thoughtful."
Wansheng showed a slightly polite smile on his face, which made Xiao Minghuan feel better.
"Grandfather is practicing martial arts. How about I practice with you for a while?"
Wan Sheng shook his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "No, I'm old now. I can't stand swinging a long sword for a while."
Xiao Minghuan flattered him, "Grandfather, what you said is wrong. You have been a soldier for half your life, and you are still strong. Even if you go to the battlefield again, you will continue to make great achievements. Someone like me can't even compare to you."
When Wansheng heard this, he wanted to clean his ears.
His granddaughter and step-grandson flatter him, and he thinks whatever his granddaughter says is better than what his step-grandson says.
It can be said that this cheap grandson has self-awareness. For a man like him, his granddaughter can pick ten of them.
No one had ever practiced with him before, so his grandson volunteered. After just one fight, he knew exactly how strong he was. He knew his grandson was nothing but a useless piece of shit. During the fight, he had to be careful, just in case he made a mistake and hurt the other person.
Forget it. Forget it.
He can't afford to fight against the dragon's sons and phoenix's grandsons.
On the other side, after Wan Jinlan finished talking with King Qi's men about what happened last night, she returned to Yilan Courtyard, changed her clothes, and went to see her mother.
Shen Qing was so weak that he didn't even go to the front for lunch.
As the mother and daughter talked, time slipped through their fingers.
When it was almost time for dinner, Shen Qing got up, changed her clothes, and went to the hall where the whole family had dinner with Wan Jinlan.
Although the Duke of Zhenguo, Wan Jinlan's elder brother Wan Muxing, and his second uncle Wan Feng were in the southwest, they should have a reunion dinner today. Therefore, although Shen Qing was not feeling well, he still managed to come out.
Moreover, the old lady had always been dissatisfied with Shen Qing's merchant family background. Although the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had eased a lot over the years, Shen Qing still didn't want the old lady to think that she was a weak person who would only spoil the fun.
The dining hall is very large and is divided into two parts by a rosewood screen with paintings of flowers, birds, fish and insects.
The women sat in the inner room, and the men sat outside.
I can hear clearly what both sides are saying.
Xiao Minghuan was also present today, so no one spoke during the meal.
No talking while eating and no talking while sleeping. No one ever talked during meals before, and today it was especially quiet.
The capital city is surrounded by eight rivers, so river fish are not rare and can be eaten commonly. Wan Jinlan loves crab roe. The crabs on the table today are quite big, but the crab roe is not full and the taste is so-so.
After dinner, Xiao Minghuan went into the old master's study on the pretext of asking him about state affairs.
Shen Qing was called by the old lady to walk around the garden.
"Mother, do you have something to say?"
Shen Qing supported the old lady and digested her food in the garden full of flowers and plants.
"Miss Pei has less than a year left before her mourning period ends and Dalang can get married."
The girl from the Pei family was engaged to Wan Muxing, but unfortunately, Pei Zhiheng's father died of a sudden heart attack two years ago, which delayed the engagement for another three years.
"Zhi Jing is not young anymore, but when it comes to dating, he always says that he should build a career first and then start a family. I think he still has the mentality of a child."
The old lady said that although she was a little disgusted with Wan Zhijing for being out of touch with reality, she was still satisfied in her heart.
Shen came from a merchant family, which was a far cry from the family background of the nobles. She had absolutely disagreed at first.
But Mr. Shen was a man of courage and diligence. When the northwest suffered from drought, it was Mr. Shen who took the lead in donating one million taels of silver to the court. The court showed its gratitude by granting Mr. Shen the title of Earl of Yongchang.
This title seemed to have been purchased with silver, but merchants like the Shen family were rare even in the Wei Dynasty.
The Shen family suddenly gained a title, and the eldest son insisted on marrying Shen, so she had no choice but to accept it.
But his dissatisfaction with Shen would not disappear just because she became his daughter-in-law.
But Shen was born in Jiangnan and had a gentle and docile nature. After being trained by her, she was capable of handling things. Even when she asked her eldest son to take a concubine, she did not do anything jealous or unbecoming. She gave birth to two sons and a daughter in succession. Wan Mu was a steady person, and Wan Zhijing had some talent in studying. Shen was also good at teaching the children. Gradually, over the years, the old lady was satisfied with Shen.
"There's no rush for Zhijing's marriage. It won't be too late to discuss it after the Spring Imperial Examination next year."
The old lady patted the back of Shen Qing’s hand.
"Lan Niang will be a college student in two more months."
Shen Qing said: "If mother has a good family in mind, it will definitely be good."
Shen Qing did think so. The eldest daughter of the second house married into a good family. Although they were not very powerful, they were noble. The man's family also had a rule that a woman could only take a concubine if she was forty and childless.
Shen Qing also hoped that the old lady would find someone like that for Lan Niang. With the status of the Duke's family, her daughter would not suffer any loss no matter where she married.
Hearing Shen Qing say this, the old lady felt relieved and felt that her eldest daughter-in-law was as knowledgeable and interesting as ever.
"The fact that His Majesty registered the Third Prince under the Imperial Concubine's name shows how much he values the Imperial Concubine and our mansion."
Although the old lady didn't say it clearly, Shen Qing understood what she meant.
She doesn't agree with this!
Although the prince's wife was high up in the world, there was no prince who would not take concubines and live alone. Her daughter could not bear such injustice.
In recent years, the Empress and Concubine Chen have been at odds with each other, and the Wang and Chen families of Duke Cheng'en's Mansion have been fighting like black-eyed chickens.
Although the third prince was registered under the name of the imperial concubine, the Wan family had not been particularly close to the third prince in recent years, nor had they gotten involved in the affairs of the eldest and second princes.
What does my mother-in-law want to do when she suddenly has this idea?
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