Before the old lady could say anything, Song Lan spoke again, "Grandfather, although my cousin has done something shameful to our family, there is still a limit to human nature. If I continue to kneel, what if my cousin gets sick from it? Although my cousin is wrong, she was raised in luxury after all. How can she endure such a sin?"
Seeing that Song Lan had snatched the conversation from her, the old lady couldn't help but feel very dissatisfied with him, but she couldn't do anything about it. Now he had even set up a high platform for her, making it impossible for her to get down from it. At this moment, Madam Guan stepped forward to help, "Brother Lan, this isn't a punishment from the old ancestor. It's Su Rong who has done something wrong and has to kneel down herself. It has nothing to do with the old lady."
Song Lan nodded thoughtfully, looking at Guan Surong kneeling on the ground, and said, "Cousin, even if you know you are wrong, you can't kneel here and let the ancestors kneel with you. If it gets out, outsiders will say that you are unfilial, disrespecting your elders and acting recklessly. Although your reputation is already so bad now, it won't matter if it gets worse, but you still have to consider your own face."
Guan Surong's face turned pale after hearing Song Lan's words. She raised her head and looked at Song Lan timidly, "Cousin, I have done such a wrong thing now. If I don't kneel, I will be sorry for my uncle's upbringing and the favor of our ancestors. Let me kneel and reflect on myself."
Seeing this, Song Lan nodded in understanding. Holding a folding fan in his hand, he looked at Guan Surong and said calmly, "So, cousin, just to admit your mistake, you don't care about the life or death of the old ancestor. The old ancestor is so good to you on weekdays, and you are willing to do such a thing. It's really amazing."
The old man standing in front of Song Lan finally couldn't help but speak. He looked at Song Lan coldly and said, "I see that you are always smooth-talking. Your cousin has done something wrong and she knows it's wrong. Since it has been done, it can't be undone. Now think carefully about how to deal with it. What's the point of you saying all this now?"
Seeing that the old lady was determined to get the General's Mansion to intervene in Madam Guan's family's affairs, Song Lan just looked at Madam Guan and said, "Now this matter is ultimately just my aunt's family's family affair. Even if my father and I want to help, we are powerless."
"What do you mean by 'willing but unable'? The most important thing is to quickly go to the Yan family and propose marriage." The old lady snorted, and then set her eyes on Song Jing. "After all, she is your cousin, a relative. Now that your relatives are in trouble, you should help them."
"Grandfather, it's a small matter for father to help propose marriage now, but now everyone outside knows the relationship between cousin Su Rong and our family. If father were to come forward to propose marriage at this time, people outside would think that Uncle Zhan is unwilling to come forward. I'm afraid that outsiders will think that Uncle Zhan is a cold and heartless person, which will really damage his reputation as an official. Uncle Zhan's future is very promising now, so are you really determined to do this?"
The old lady was stunned when she heard Song Lan say this. She loved her sister's child, Madam Guan, and she also felt sorry for Guan Surong. But these were all relatives. If she helped Madam Guan, it would implicate Song Zhan, so the old lady hesitated.
After all, Song Zhan was her biological child. She would follow him and let him take care of her until the end of her life. The old lady raised her head and said in a disingenuous tone, "Jing'er is of a higher rank than Zhan'er now. It would be perfectly legitimate for Jing'er to handle this matter. Lan'er, please don't try to fool me. I'll have someone peel off your skin."
After hearing what the old lady said, Song Lan just smiled and replied, "Grandma, why would I try to fool you? There are even rumors outside that Cousin Rong lives with us just to prevent this incident from implicating Second Uncle. But it has backfired and has also damaged Second Uncle's reputation. They say Second Uncle doesn't care about his relatives, and Grandma doesn't care either, which is why Cousin has done such a thing now."
The old lady frowned upon hearing this and said coldly, "If I didn't care, why would I come here to speak up for Sister Rong?"
Song Lan, however, exposed the old lady without hesitation, "If the old ancestor really cared about Rong Jie'er, he should have gone to the Yan Mansion to propose marriage for Rong Jie'er. There is no point in coming to the General's Mansion."
The old lady was furious when she saw her thoughts exposed. She looked at Song Lan and angrily said, "Brother Lan, I guess you have been spoiled and lawless. That's why you dare to speak to me in this tone. Is this how you speak to your elders?"
As the old lady spoke, she picked up the cane in her hand and was about to hit Song Lan. Song Lan hurriedly jumped to the side and hid behind Song Jing.
Seeing this, Song Jing had no choice but to persuade him, "Grandfather, it's useless to say all this now. I don't know what the Yan family will do. If we don't marry Rong Jie'er, it would be against the rules."
The old lady frowned, "If you don't come to propose marriage, what if they look down on Sister Rong?"
Before Song Jing could say anything, Song Lan at the side spoke up again, "Father is so busy with affairs that he doesn't have time to propose marriage. I see that the old ancestor usually has time to go, so why not have him go there in person? It will also help to maintain Second Uncle's official reputation."
"I'm an old man now, and you have the nerve to ask me to propose marriage." The old lady glared at Song Lan.
"In that case, we'll just wait for the Yan family to come." Song Jing, standing in the courtyard, said, "Brother Lan's wedding is coming soon. If anything goes wrong now, I'm afraid the Lu family will have a lot of complaints. Because of this, my sister and her family can no longer live in the general's mansion. There's another mansion outside the general's mansion in Lihua Lane. If my sister and niece don't mind, you can live there."
Seeing that Song Jing had made up his mind, Madam Guan cast her gaze on the old lady, hoping that she would argue for their family. But the old lady's gaze wandered, perhaps because she was still thinking about what Song Lan had said about the impact on Song Zhan's official reputation.
Mrs. Guan saw the current situation and had to speak out again with a thick face, "Brother, the Yan family is about to come and claim Su Rong. If we stay in the general's mansion, you can still speak a few words for Su Rong and prevent him from being looked down upon. But if we move out hastily, I am afraid that when Rong Jie'er marries there in the future, she will also be looked down upon. Please have mercy on us, mother and daughter. Now that there is no man in the family, we have to live in the general's mansion. Now that Rong Jie'er has done such a shameful thing, I am really heartbroken. But now, there is really no other way."
Madam Guan said this, and then she was about to kneel on the ground with a look of panic on her face, "Brother, I kneel down for you, hoping that you can help me one last time."
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