On the day of the Spring Examination, the Sheng family sent their butler, Lai Fu, to wait outside. After craning their necks for ages, Chang Feng and Wen Yan Jing finally stumbled out. One had a pale face, as if he'd overindulged; the other had a yellowish complexion, as if he'd been starving for days. Compared to Chang Feng's preoccupation with gain and loss, Wen Yan Jing was far more relaxed. Regardless of whether he passed the exam or not, his wife and his in-laws were bound to be with him.
Different mindsets lead to different results. Half a month later, the results were announced. Brother-in-law Wen passed the imperial examination and ranked 32nd in the second class of the palace examination. After the examination, he will either enter the Hanlin Academy or be granted an official position. As for Brother Changfeng... ahem, he will have to take the exam again.
As Ruolan's wedding date approaches, she seems to be acting strangely. One moment she's laughing and the next moment she loses her temper for no reason. When Wang comes to talk to her daughter about personal matters, Ruolan retorts with three words. Seeing that things are not going well, Xijuan has to go to Minglan to put out the fire.
"Sixth Miss, look..." Xijuan spoke with difficulty.
"No need to say anything, I'll go over and take a look." Minglan knew what she meant, because she could both play dumb and coax little girls. She didn't know when it started, but she almost became Rulan's fire extinguisher, and the little magpie would often come to her for help when she was around.
As soon as she entered Taoran Pavilion, she saw that the boudoir, which was originally inlaid with gold and silver, seemed a little empty because the dowry had been taken away. Rulan was sitting in a daze in front of the window. A gorgeous red wedding dress was supported on a dark red lacquered wooden hanger beside her, which made the whole room much brighter.
"Oh! Sister, you are a noble lady now, how come you have time to come to my place now?" As soon as Rulan saw Minglan, she immediately perked up and spoke in a sarcastic tone.
Minglan quietly sat down beside Rulan and said with a smile, "Sister, what's wrong with you? Tell me."
Rulan glanced at Minglan and sneered, "I'm a loser, how could I have such a blessing?!" After saying that, she turned her head away angrily, facing Minglan with her back, and leaning heavily on the table with her arms.
Minglan thought for a moment and then asked tentatively, "What did the Madam say to you?"
Rulan didn't look back, but just snorted loudly. Minglan understood immediately, and then felt helpless, secretly complaining - it was all because of that eccentric Gu Tingye!
A few days ago, the Wen family chose an auspicious day to send the betrothal gifts. After looking through the almanac, Gu Tingye found that day was the best day in the period, so he sent someone to ask "Can the betrothal gift be sent on that day?" Wang Shi did not expect that at the time, but Sheng Hong agreed immediately.
On that day, the Wen family had merely followed etiquette, preparing a generous supply of scented tea, reunion fruit, goose, wine jars, wooden geese, and a few bolts of fine fabric. But Gu Tingye, like a nouveau riche who'd just found gold in South America, sent a betrothal gift that filled the entire courtyard. First, there were 128 pairs of fat, pure gold pigs (Minglan's zodiac sign was pig), totaling 1,000 taels. Then there were 88 bolts of gauze from Jiangnan, 88 bolts of feathered yarn from Jiangbei, 108 bolts of brocade and Sichuan satin embroidered in various colors, 18 pairs of 30-40 taels of red gold bracelets with dragon and phoenix patterns, 18 pairs of red gold hairpins inlaid with pearls, and abalone, dried oysters, scallops, mushrooms, dried shrimp, squid, sea cucumbers, shark fins and maws, and hair algae—all top-quality seafood. After examining them, Hai and the old lady seriously suspected they were all tribute. As for the other various items—three kinds of meat, fish, wine, seasonal tea, candy, and fruit—they were countless. Finally, there was a pair of fat, quacking wild geese.
In fact, Gu Tingye was just following the etiquette of those powerful and wealthy families, which was not considered excessive. However, it deeply hurt Wang's eyes. The anxiety that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time finally broke out. She knew that the difference in wealth would slowly become apparent in the future, and this bloody contrast undoubtedly sounded the opening gong.
From that day on, she was not very happy to see Minglan. However, Minglan was a woman waiting to be married after all, and it was too late for her to stay in Shou'an Hall every day. Wang had to go to Ruolan to lecture her. Her words were full of harsh and sour words. Minglan knew what she meant without thinking. It was nothing more than "If nothing happened to you, all these benefits would be yours" and so on.
What made Wang most angry was that all these betrothal gifts were sent directly to Shou'an Hall without her even touching them. According to the old lady's thoughts, most of these betrothal gifts would probably be sent to Gu Mansion as part of Minglan's dowry.
Even though Rulan is deeply in love with her brother-in-law Wen, she is just an ordinary woman after all. She cares about face and is vain. Who wouldn't be envious of such wealth? Now, everyone in the Sheng Mansion, from the steward to the maids, is extremely attentive and flattering to Minglan.
Minglan was also an ordinary person, and she was also tempted by the gold, silver and jewelry. As soon as she saw the betrothal gifts piled up like a mountain, her heart began to flutter. Danju and Xiaotao spent half an hour just counting the gold and pearl jewelry. The large ebony and pear blossom carved lacquer dressing box with nine layers and eighty-one sets of boxes that the old lady had sent her was finally put to use and was filled to the brim.
For the first time in her life, she felt that getting married like this was not a bad idea. If she could be guaranteed alimony, she wouldn't be in a panic if the marriage failed.
"Fifth sister, if you have any unhappiness, you can talk to me." Minglan tried to soften her tone.
Unexpectedly, Rulan turned around suddenly, raised her eyebrows in contempt, and snorted coldly, "How dare I?! Madam said that I might need my sister's help in the future!"
Minglan calculated the days and realized that they would both be getting married soon. She figured this would be the last time she could coax Rulan like this, so she decided to give her a big reward and put in a lot of effort to happily send her out the door. Then she said with a smile, "Fifth sister, I have a question for you. If it were possible right now, would you be willing to switch places with me? I'll marry into the Wen family and you into the Gu family?"
Rulan looked surprised and doubtful, and asked, "Are you willing?"
"Of course I do!" Minglan agreed immediately, grinning. "I've always thought Fifth Brother-in-law was a good guy. He'd climb the mountain in the middle of the night to meet beautiful women, and he's good at reciting poems and composing lyrics. And now he's even passed the imperial examination. Why wouldn't I want him?!"
"You dare—!" Rulan slammed the table, stood up, and roared like thunder, making Minglan's eardrums buzz.
Minglan rubbed her ears and leaned back in her chair, laughing so hard that she doubled over. "So what are you upset about, sister?"
Rulan let out a long sigh, stared at Minglan for a long time, and then sat down angrily.
Minglan slowly leaned over, resting her arm on Rulan's shoulders, and whispered in her ear, "That year, when we went to visit relatives at the Marquis Zhongqin's mansion, we met your mother-in-law. When you came back, your sister said something to me. Have you forgotten it?"
Rulan was stunned, a red pomegranate jewel and gold tassel pendant dangling from her ear. She said slowly, "I remember... I said that all mothers-in-law in the world are hateful. If I had to live a life as aggrieved as my elder sister, I might as well be an old maid for the rest of my life."
Minglan sighed softly in her heart and said softly, "You understand everything in your heart, so why be angry? Sister...are you scared?"
Rulan lowered her head, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Unconsciously, she grabbed Minglan's hand and held it tightly, choking with sobs, "I'm scared. I'm afraid that Brother Jing will betray me in the future, that the sarcastic old woman will bully me, and that I won't be able to hold my head up among my sisters! I also know that life in the Gu Mansion isn't easy either, but I just... I... I don't want to get married anymore..."
Rulan started to cry. Wang's scolding and her "fear of pre-marriage" were too much for her to bear.
Minglan sighed slowly and said, "People say there are three things in this world that are unbelievable. One is when an old person says they don't want to live anymore, two is when a young person says they don't want to grow up, and three is..."
"What is it?" Rulan gradually stopped crying and asked.
"On the third day, the eldest girl said she didn't want to get married!"
Ruolan was so angry that she raised her fists and hit Minglan. Minglan cried out for mercy and apologized for a long time before she was finally at peace. After this commotion, Ruolan was no longer sad. The two sisters leaned against each other, panting, and collapsed on the kang, chatting with each other.
"It's not easy to be a daughter-in-law, but being a mother-in-law is much more comfortable!"
"Grandpas are made by their grandchildren, and mothers-in-law are made by their daughters-in-law. My sister will have that day too."
“It would be great if I didn’t have a mother-in-law!”
"Without a mother, there can be no son. Fifth sister is even more cruel than a monk who refuses to accept the sutra after reciting it."
"I want...we need to live a good life!"
"That's natural. The living have to live their lives, but the dead don't."
"You have to be careful! The sisters-in-law and elders in the Gu Mansion will look down on you because you are a concubine's child and will give you a hard time!"
"It doesn't matter, just don't look at their faces."
In fact, Minglan doesn't like Rulan very much. They are both extroverted. Compared with Pinlan's bold, cheerful, casual, cheerful and kind-hearted personality, Rulan is a bit more sharp-tongued, willful, and overbearing. However, Minglan glanced at her sideways and found that Rulan was no longer angry. She excitedly pulled Minglan to talk about how to decorate her future new home. This girl, whose emotions were clearly shown on her face, was the only vivid and real existence in this obscure and implicit courtyard.
February 27th is a very auspicious day, suitable for marriage.
Brother-in-law Wen is in high spirits. He has both fame and a powerful family of his wife. Many of his friends and classmates help him to welcome the bride. The whole procession is decorated with red and colorful decorations, with music and dance, making it a very grand and lively occasion.
This time Chang Feng finally found his opponent. He exchanged sharp words with his brother-in-law Wen at the gate of Sheng Mansion for half an hour. His poems were from the Tang and Song dynasties, and his speech was rich and colorful. He drew loud cheers from the gang members. The scene was very lively, and Wang finally showed some happiness.
Old Madam Sheng liked quietness, and this time she finally gave Wang Shi face. After all, they had three rounds of wine before returning to Shou'an Hall to rest. Minglan was also quite happy. She drank a few cups of wine in a daze, but her cheeks were flushed and her head was dizzy. She couldn't lie in the house anymore, so she went out of the yard and took a few steps to dissipate the smell of alcohol.
The night was as cool as water. From the outer courtyard, there were still rumbling sounds of loud conversation and laughter, as well as the aroma of wine and the clinking of glasses. It seemed that the banquet had not yet ended, which made the inner courtyard even quieter. Minglan walked slowly along the stone path. Suddenly, she felt mischievous and wanted to see if the ice on the pond had melted. She had to catch a few more fish before getting married.
After a few quick steps, I finally arrived at the pond. In the off-white moonlight, I saw a slender figure bending over, holding onto the rocks by the pond with his head lowered, as if he was vomiting. The man seemed to hear footsteps behind him and slowly turned his head. The half-moon, swaying the ripples of the lake at night, reflected the man's beauty and elegance like a beautiful jade.
Minglan paused, her heart tightened, and she immediately wanted to turn around and leave.
"...Sixth sister?" The faint aroma of wine emanating from Qi Heng's body made the early spring moisture surge, making it seem refreshing and elegant.
Minglan tried to stop walking, with a smile on her face: "It's been a long time since we last met. I haven't congratulated you on your wedding yet. Congratulations."
Qi Heng's eyes were very beautiful, and so much love and affection were contained in them, revealing a clear and deep feeling like water. He looked at Minglan quietly and said slowly: "Speaking of congratulations, my sister's wedding is approaching, and I would like to congratulate you." As he spoke, he bowed and saluted fully.
Minglan immediately bowed in return and also bowed.
The two of them sat in silence for a while, and only the sound of water stirring beside the pond could be heard.
Minglan wanted to slip away, but Qi Heng kept staring at her, as if he couldn't see enough. Minglan's nerves were not strong enough, so she could only find words to say, "Why... are you here?" This was the inner courtyard of the Sheng Mansion, how did a man from outside get in?
Qi Heng's beautiful eyes curved slightly, and he smiled faintly, saying, "I drank a few too many glasses, so Brother Zecheng asked me to rest in his study." He knew the way to Sheng Mansion, and Changbai's study was at the junction of the inner and outer courtyards, so it was not surprising that he could find his way to the water's edge.
Minglan was speechless, and another eerie silence fell. Qi Heng looked at Minglan, from her eyebrows to her eyelashes, to her smile, to the pair of small dimples at the corners of her mouth. Thinking of the past, Qi Heng suddenly felt a surge of resentment in his heart, and sneered: "Sixth sister, there's no need to worry. Last month, the Marquis of Weibei got married, and there were so many toasts at the banquet. Governor Gu rushed to block a lot of wine for Uncle Shen. Uncle Shen said that he would return the favor when the Gu family held the wedding. ...Oh, I forgot, I can't call you Sixth Sister anymore. According to seniority, I have to call you Second Aunt!"
Minglan listened without saying a word. After a while, she slowly said, "That's right."
Qi Heng was so angry that he was drunk and couldn't stand for a moment. He swayed and leaned against the rocks to avoid falling. He wanted to say a few harsh words to hurt Minglan, but he couldn't bear to do it. The two were speechless again.
Qi Heng felt depressed, and finally couldn't help but said: "I have something that has been on my mind for a long time. I want to ask you today, and I hope you can answer me truthfully."
Minglan said calmly, "Excuse me."
Qi Heng stood up straight, took a deep breath, and his jade-like, beautiful face turned serious. He said, "Over the years, it's not that you didn't understand my feelings for you, but you always pretended to be stupid and treated me coldly. Today, I point to the sky and say, if you have even a little bit of reciprocity, I will fight to the death for you! But you looked down on me from the beginning, thinking that I was not trustworthy, that I would bring you trouble and harm you, and you avoided me like a venomous snake or a ferocious beast. Why is this?!"
Minglan raised her head, revealing a soft, lotus-like neck with beautiful curves. Qi Heng was practically mesmerized. After a moment, Minglan lowered her eyelids and said slowly, "We've known each other since childhood. I'm afraid you don't even know it, but you're actually quite like the princess. You appear calm and composed, but you're incredibly competitive inside. You come from a distinguished family, yet you remain diligent in your studies and maintain a clean demeanor. Among the imperial guardsmen in the capital, you're truly a truly outstanding young man."
Minglan spoke wistfully, her face turned toward the lake, as if recalling something from long ago. She continued slowly, "You're obsessed with perfection in everything. You've just learned Hanfu fu for a few days, and you're eager to delve into the Book of Songs. You've been practicing official script, but you're unwilling to give up the Yan and Liu styles. Mr. Zhuang just praised your progress in calligraphy, and you're painting again. You know you can't chew too much, so you work up a sweat, day and night, honing your skills and knowledge to a remarkable degree."
Qi Heng heard the hint of sadness in Minglan's tone and felt sad too.
Minglan paused, calming her thoughts. She turned around and looked at Qi Heng quietly, saying word by word, "You're so kind. You want to be the best in everything. I can't afford it. You're too generous and can't let go."
Qi Heng felt a pang of heartache. He bit his lips hard until the tip of his tongue tasted a faint fishy taste. Then he said with difficulty, "You... have always been very clear-headed."
Minglan stared at her toes, her heart aching. She said, "I don't have anyone to rely on, so I have to figure it out."
Qi Heng looked at Minglan's fragile and slender body, which seemed like it could be blown away by a gust of wind. His heart softened and he said, "I know your difficulties. I, I have never blamed you. I only hate myself for being so useless! Gu...he is actually not a bad person. Don't believe the rumors. You...you have to live a good life!"
Minglan's heart was overflowing with emotion. She looked up and said loudly, "I came to this world to live a good life!"
After she finished speaking, Qi Heng's eyes had turned red and seemed to be about to fill with tears. Minglan was still smiling like the sun. She straightened her dress to hide the few drops of moisture on the tip of her shoes, then she bowed gracefully and turned away without looking back.
Above my head, a crescent moon was like a hook, flickering with a faint light, but it no longer had the brilliance it had just now.
Minglan walked quickly towards Shou'an Hall and quickly entered the inner room. She saw the old lady, who had just taken off her hairpins, rings and clothes, and was resting by the edge of the kang. After Minglan bowed and greeted her, she dismissed the attendants and stepped forward to ask, "Grandmother, please tell me about the He family. How are things going since you last went back?"
The old lady was a little puzzled by Minglan's behavior. She stared at Minglan for a while and smiled strangely. "Since the marriage was settled, you have never asked me about the He family again. Why do you want to know today?"
Minglan's expression remained normal, and she said simply, "Some things can't be ignored and ignored, so it's better to know them clearly."
The old lady slowly raised herself up, her eyes filled with admiration and satisfaction, and said, "I went to the He Mansion and made it clear. You are already engaged, but there is no contract between the two families. Without a matchmaker and no token of trust, there is nothing to it!"
Minglan nodded, bowed and thanked the old lady, then asked, "What do the He family say?"
The old lady smiled, her eyes twinkling as she replied, "My sister is the most open-minded. She's understood everything since what happened with the Cao family, and she won't dwell on it. Hong'er has always been ambitious. He heard that the Zhang family intends to go to Yunnan and Guizhou to collect medicinal herbs and consult with famous doctors, so he has decided to go with them to see the world. He will probably be leaving in a few days, and I'm afraid he won't be back for three or two years. Madam He San has always been frail, and she's been feeling unwell recently, so she'll just have to recuperate slowly."
Minglan's face was as gloomy as water, and she didn't show any emotion at all. She asked again, "Does anyone in the He family have anything to say or give me?"
The old lady smiled, the Buddhist beads on her wrist trembling with shock, and then she said, "My sister knows the truth. She just said that you were wronged and that He Jiajue wouldn't say a word. Anyway, Mr. He has already submitted a petition, requesting to retire and return to his hometown. He will probably leave Beijing in a year or so. As for the rest... only Hong'er left a message for you."
Minglan said calmly, "What did he say?"
The old lady said slowly, "He said that he was sorry for you, but it was his own fault and it had nothing to do with you."
Minglan was speechless for a long time after hearing this. The old lady stared at Minglan's expression and said earnestly, "You don't have to take it to heart. It's better to untie some knots as soon as possible. Anyway, you won't see each other in the future. It's important to live your own life."
Minglan raised her head and smiled, her face gentle, playful, and bright. She said, "Grandma is right. However, whether we meet again in the future or not is not a big deal. Madam He is just an intimate friend of yours, just an ordinary relative."
After hearing this, the old lady felt relieved and praised: "It's best that you have come to terms with it."
Minglan smiled and said, "The eyes are in the front of the head, so they are meant to look forward."
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