"Didn't I tell you I'd go back by myself? What are you doing here?"
In the three-horse carriage covered with light blue silk felt, Minglan was holding a teapot, with a stern face, and questioned in a low voice.
Because the mother had not yet given birth, the third-day bathing ceremony was mostly attended by female relatives, and there was usually no grand banquet. Wang only prepared a light lunch for them. After lunch, they took a short rest and the female relatives left one after another. Just when Minglan was about to say goodbye, Gu Tingye arrived. After chatting with Sheng Hong for a few words, he and Sheng Hong said goodbye to each other.
Gu Tingye was both amused and confused. Just now, he went to the Sheng Mansion to pick up his wife. Minglan looked like a shy young wife and hinted to him in a very virtuous manner - "Husband, riding a horse back and forth is too tiring. It's better to take a carriage back home."
Seeing Minglan's flushed face and bright eyes, Gu Tingye's heart was warmed up and he got on the carriage excitedly. But who knew that as soon as he got on the carriage, he was poured a bucket of cold water on his head...
"It's just a side trip, what's the big deal?" Gu Tingye looked at Minglan with amusement as she was getting anxious. His fingers suddenly felt itchy and he wanted to pinch her.
"You think I don't know the way?" Minglan felt her intelligence was being fooled. She immediately took out three teacups and placed them on the small table. "The imperial city is here, our home is here, my mother's home is here... How did you 'drop by'?!"
To put it in a simplified scale, the Gu Mansion is roughly located in the first ring road, the Sheng family is in the second ring road, and Gu Tingye's workplace is in Zhongnanhai.
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan's puffy cheeks, fiddling with the arrangement of the teacups like a child on a Chiffon board. He couldn't help himself and pinched Minglan's cheek. He smiled and said, "After the morning court, I accompanied Marshal Bo to inspect the Xishan camp. I saw that it was about time, so I came to find you... Isn't it nice to give you face at your parents' house?"
"Not very good." Minglan covered her cheek and said seriously, "You'd better be more distant from me in front of others. As long as you are polite, it's best not to show any other concern."
Gu Tingye stared at Minglan in amazement. He vaguely remembered that he did not go to pick up Yu Yanhong from her parents' home that year, and later she made such a fuss that she almost blew the roof off the house. In other words, his first marriage left him with many profound lessons.
"Didn't you see the faces of my wife, aunt, and sister just now? They were as black as the bottom of a pot." Fortunately, there was a considerate brother-in-law Wen. He once took an early break in the Hanlin Academy one day and ran to the mountain gate to pick up his wife who was going to burn incense. Therefore, Rulan didn't react much. After boasting about herself for a few words, she just teased Minglan a few times and left it at that.
Seeing Gu Tingye's surprised expression, Minglan patiently explained, "I'm not Madam's biological child, so it's fine that I married better than my sisters. I was also granted an imperial decree and given a separate residence. Now that my husband treats me well, doesn't that mean I've gotten all the good things? How can such a good deal happen? Where there is injustice, there will be resentment. The real reason is that I'm being made to suffer in vain!"
This was the first time Gu Tingye had heard such a lady's reasoning. He pondered for a moment and remembered the sour-faced middle-aged woman standing next to Wang, who seemed to be called "Aunt Kang." There was a hint of hostility in that woman's eyes. Gu Tingye looked at Minglan and said in a deep voice, "Someone... is jealous of you? Is they bullying you?"
Minglan shook her head. "It's better to have less trouble than more. As the saying goes, we live in harmony with each other. We're all family, and it's best for everyone to live a similar life. It's not good to appear too special. That's one thing. Secondly, if I appear too respectable in front of you, and someone comes to me asking for help with promotions, performance reviews, transfers, recommendations, and other miscellaneous matters, will I help or not?"
It is better for a married daughter to be low-key in front of her natal relatives. Don't show off, even if she really has the capital. Otherwise, people will come to her to borrow money, stay, ask for help, and ask for this and that... If she shows any difficulty or is unwilling to agree, there will be volcanic ridicule and cold words waiting for her - who told her to brag in the first place!
Gu Tingye was stunned for a long time before hesitatingly saying, "So... I shouldn't be too close to you at your parents' home?"
"That's right." Minglan was delighted to see that he had finally come to her senses. "It would be better if you could appear stern and fierce."
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan, feeling puzzled: "What about your face?"
"If relatives and elders come to complain to you, will you scold me?" Minglan asked with a smile.
"No." Gu Tingye rejected it outright.
"I'm in charge of household affairs. Will you challenge my authority?"
"I'm bored because I'm full?!" Gu Tingye laughed.
"I want to make new clothes, new jewelry, and do whatever I want. Will you stop me?"
"As long as you don't have any bad intentions, you can do anything!" Gu Tingye had a stern face, but there was a smile in his eyes.
Minglan waved her sleeves, hugged her husband's strong arm ingratiatingly, and said with a smile: "Then it's settled. Now that I have the inner peace, I can worry about the outer peace! People outside see that it's not easy for me to make a living under you. Maybe you will treat me better!"
Gu Tingye's eyes flickered slightly, his handsome eyebrows raised slightly. He dragged the cheerful Minglan to him, grabbed her by one hand, and said with a smile, "Let me summarize it for you. You mean to say that you want your husband to pull out a piece of white and tender lambskin for you to cover yourself tightly with, you cunning little fox cub, right?"
Minglan's large, clear eyes twinkled, innocent and naive: "My husband, when commanding an army, should be compared to the art of war, as the saying goes, 'the enemy is in the open, while we are in the dark; the best way is to be virtuous.'"
This even involves the art of war! Gu Tingye was both angry and amused. He pulled Minglan into his arms and held her tightly. With a force in his arms, Minglan whimpered like a young animal that had not been weaned. She struggled a little, then buried her head in her neck and felt a warm and soft fragrance. He could only laugh stifledly.
When he looked up, he smiled and said, "Have you finished your lunch?"
Minglan covered her hair and struggled to break free from his iron arms, trying hard to put on her makeup: "I go back to my parents' home occasionally, how can I eat like a starving ghost?" - Not to mention that Aunt Kang, who looked sour, was sitting opposite her.
"That's great! Marshal Bo's forty-year rule is that in the barracks, you have to eat and drink like the soldiers. I hid away on the pretext of visiting the armory, and I haven't eaten yet! I'll take you to Tianxiang Tower to eat!" Gu Tingye laughed loudly.
Minglan, with a playful expression, pointed at the man with her scallion-sliced index finger. A deep smile spread across her lips as she spoke in a deliberately soft voice, "You dandy young man, you can't stand even the slightest hardship. Be careful if Marshal Bo finds out, he'll punish you severely!"
"Is there a dude as brave and capable as me?!" Gu Tingye pretended to glare at him and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Are you going or not?"
"Go, go!" Minglan said hurriedly, her face full of joy, "Everyone says that the crispy pigeon and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at Tianxiang Tower are the best in Beijing, but I just never have the chance to try them." Tianxiang Tower is a famous restaurant in Beijing, specializing in entertaining wealthy and powerful officials. There are special rooms upstairs for female relatives to hold banquets. Wang took Rulan there, and Aunt Lin took Molan there. When Hualan found out, she wanted to take Minglan there too. However, when Hualan was about to go out that day, her mother-in-law suddenly had another attack, so she had to give up.
Seeing Minglan's joyful face, Gu Tingye felt a little bitter in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. He just hugged Minglan and smiled, "The capital has gathered all the delicacies in the world. I will take you to other restaurants later. The 'Fragrant Foods' fish with fermented black beans and spicy pepper chicken are really delicious. And the Dongpo pork and honey barbecued pork in 'Koushui Pavilion' are also delicious..." He listed them all and gave an incessant review.
Minglan clapped her hands and cheered with a smile on her face, secretly happy in her heart - it was not unfair to call this guy a playboy. If she were not his wife but his buddy, he would probably take her to the red light district by now, and maybe even rank the famous brothels in Beijing, and make a standard list based on their service attitude, charging standards and the quality of the goods.
"But..." Minglan suddenly remembered something and hesitated, "It's already this late, are there any seats available in Tianxianglou?" If she were a man, she wouldn't mind sitting in the lobby, but in this world, it's not appropriate for women to show up in public, and she didn't know if there were any private rooms.
Gu Tingye was speaking with high spirits. Upon hearing this, he sneered and said arrogantly, "Who do you think I am? I have to have it even if I don't have it!"
This sentence has some of the flavor of the heroes of Funiu Mountain robbing the rich to help the poor. Minglan suddenly realized that she could not be blamed for her poor imagination. It was a pity that she had never seen a living powerful person in her previous life, and then died in the line of duty. After reincarnation, Sheng Hong cherished his reputation as an official and never overstepped the line. She did not expect that she would be so lucky to be a member of the privileged class in this life.
Her face was filled with excitement. Her two chubby little hands fell on Gu Tingye's arms. Her eyes were dancing with excitement. She excitedly leaned over and stammered, "Could it be that I, could we... drive the guests from Tianxianglou away and sit in their seats?"
"I can drive the chef from Tianxianglou and let you make fish soup in there!" Gu Tingye chuckled, sneered, and rolled his eyes at Minglan, scolding, "Think about your status, you should have some ambition!"
Minglan's eyes lit up, and she became even more excited. She tried hard to suppress her stuttering, "Then, then... can we eat without paying?" Eating and freeing is the second most common trait in all movies and TV dramas for dandy bullies. What's the first one? Do you even need to ask?
Gu Tingye nearly choked on his saliva as he stared at Minglan for a full quarter of an hour before sighing deeply, "Madam, could you please be a little more capable, just a little bit?"
…
Ever since that restaurant outing, seeing Minglan enjoying her meals, Gu Tingye often brought back signature dishes from famous restaurants. Sometimes it was grilled ginger ribs wrapped in emerald lotus leaves, sometimes a bamboo tube fish and mutton soup, sometimes even duck blood vermicelli soup and giant wontons stuffed with wild mushrooms, found from some remote roadside stall. The gamey aroma was so delicious that Minglan practically swallowed the spoonful. Gu Tingye lived up to his reputation; to this day, he never brought back a dish twice.
Minglan sighed deeply as she ate: There is indeed no lack of beauty in this world, what is lacking is the eyes to discover beauty - marrying a playboy also has its advantages, at least Brother Changbai will not be able to find such a delicious and fragrant silver eel bucket.
Every time Minglan devoured her meal, Gu Tingye would watch her with a smile. Minglan was busy eating and didn't notice that her husband's eyes were filled with a strange inquiry, as if hinting at a spy. In their spare time, the couple would chat about everything from anecdotes in the martial arts world to the turmoil in the court. Gu Tingye loved this warm and playful atmosphere. They would often chat and gossip, and the conversation would go so far that Mr. Gongsun, who had been waiting in the outer study for a long time, couldn't help but send someone to call Gu Tingye.
After several times, Mr. Gongsun couldn't help but sigh: "No wonder Mr. Fangweng's mother insisted on divorcing Tang Wan!" When the relationship between husband and wife is too good, the man will often forget to strive for progress.
Unexpectedly, Minglan's eyes lit up and she asked hurriedly, "I heard that the husband that Mrs. Tang later married was better than Lu You in terms of family background, talent and appearance. Is this true?" Yao Yiyi vaguely heard of this gossip.
Mr. Gongsun was about to speak when he saw Gu Tingye's piercing eyes. He could only cough lightly and said seriously, "That's absolutely not the case. Madam Tang Wan has been depressed since her second marriage and has been missing Lu Wuguan all day long."
Gu Tingye smiled and refilled Mr. Gongsun's cup of tea.
Gongsun Baishi, born into a family of middle-class gentry in southern Shaanxi, after failing the imperial examination, turned to nature. With an older brother to look after and a wealthy family, he had no worries about making a living. He traveled extensively, visiting renowned scholars and discussing current affairs. For twenty years, he traveled extensively to various scenic spots and historical sites, increasingly wandering the world. A few years ago, in a remote and desolate area, he encountered a group of unethical bandits who not only robbed him of his money but also murdered him. Fortunately, Gu Tingye, seeing the injustice, saved his life.
In gratitude, Mr. Gongsun became Gu Tingye's advisor. Later, he learned that after his elder brother's death, his nephew, Gongsun Meng, had lost interest in studying for the imperial examinations and was unable to discipline his grandparents. So, they simply sent him here to be raised by his uncle and uncle, while he also trained with Gu Tingye. It was originally just a playful piece, a break from his travels, but Gu Tingye's fortunes turned, and Gongsun Baishi's position rose with him. Now he is Gu Tingye's top aide and a well-known figure in the capital.
After reaching a high position, Gu Tingye, who was proud of his martial arts skills, was not willing to have bodyguards with him. At Gongsun Meng's insistence, he had to be accompanied by his personal soldiers when leaving the city, and had to be followed by guards when walking in the city. The brothers Tulong and Tuhu were accompanied by a group of experts. Gongsun Meng then learned some martial arts from the Tu brothers, and read some books when he had time.
"If everything were peaceful, I wouldn't be so fussy, but now the Emperor..." Mr. Gongsun was worried. A gentle breeze blew through the pavilion as he picked up a white piece, hesitating to make a move on the chessboard. "The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Prison are all working around the clock. Every month, they bring people in for questioning. Some... never come out, and are thrown straight into jail."
Minglan pondered for a moment and said, "The Prince of Jing is plotting a rebellion, the Jie slaves are invading, and at this critical juncture, half of the three camps were mismanaged, subtly implicating much of the capital. Fortunately, the Emperor had a backup plan, and we escaped danger. I'm afraid the Emperor won't let this go."
Mr. Gongsun nodded. "The current commander of the Imperial Prison Guard is Liu Zhengjie. He was formerly a captain of the Eight Princes' Palace's personal guards, highly trusted by the Emperor, and known for his ruthless actions. The Emperor, under the pretext of mourning for the late Emperor, had originally intended to intimidate a number of his relatives and nobles, but some, alas, failed to see the consequences and instead aggravated them. Yesterday, the Emperor merely pointed out the faults of a few high-ranking officials, and the court erupted in heated debate, demonstrating the depth of the situation. Furthermore, in the military camp, the Commander-in-Chief, upon taking command, discovered numerous abuses within the ranks: unpaid salaries, theft of military rations, occupation of civilian land, lending out military pay at high interest, illegal border trade, and the depots of equipment being mostly empty... The list is endless and appalling!"
Minglan smiled, seemingly unconcerned. "The late emperor was benevolent, lenient in taxation, frugal and modest, allowing the people to rest and recuperate, and treating officials and nobles with kindness, much like the style of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing. Now the treasury is full, and the people are relatively well fed and clothed."
"But the powerful are increasingly exacting wealth from the people, seeking only personal gain and enriching themselves..."
"So, raiding a property would also double the bounty!" Minglan added quickly. "One haul would yield a fortune! The wealth of an Anhui governor could cover half a year's worth of salt taxes. The seizure of the property of two earls and a marquis who rebelled would equal half a year's worth of surplus for the national treasury!"
Mr. Gongsun couldn't help laughing, his beard flying a few times with laughter: "That's right! After two rounds of beatings, the treasury is still not empty."
Minglan quipped with a smile, "Even in a prosperous era, there are always minor flaws. The previous emperor's policies were based on benevolence, but the current emperor is resolute and courageous. This balance of tension and relaxation is exactly the spirit of our dynasty's prosperity. The 'Jingtan Rebellion' affected three provinces and four regions, but the emperor immediately distributed the land of several princes and rebels to the people, and now things are gradually recovering." People involved in politics always look concerned about the country and the people. She added, "What's more, if the governor doesn't follow the emperor, what else can he do?"
Mr. Gongsun thought about it and could only nod with a wry smile - without the Eighth Prince, Gu Tingye would still be just a hero in the world.
"Just be cautious and don't be too aggressive. It's never good to offend too many people." Minglan whispered. Chairman Mao said it well. We should underestimate the opponent strategically and pay attention to him tactically.
Mr. Gongsun said with a light smile, "That's not a problem. The governor is a man of great talent, but he has a keen eye for detail. Besides, he has made friends with all sorts of people, so he's not a naive young man."
After three consecutive games, Minglan and Gongsun won, lost, and tied. Both were dissatisfied. They had both considered themselves masters of chess. Amidst their rage, they agreed to settle the score another day. Old Gongsun, brimming with confidence over his impressive memory, muttered something and walked away empty-handed. Minglan, more modest, asked Xiaotao to take the chessboard back to the house, intending to study the endgame.
At this time, someone came from outside to report: Cuiwei has arrived with her husband and children.
After not seeing each other for a few years, Cuiwei gave birth to a daughter. She had gained two times more weight and had a round, rosy face and looked in good spirits. She cried as soon as she saw Minglan, and even pulled Xiaotao, Luzhi and the others to cry with her. She talked and laughed, saying that she missed them so much. The girls were all happy and asked about her recent situation.
"I thought the old lady wanted to keep the girl for a while before marrying her off. It should have been next year, but who knew she would get married so early, leaving me with no time to return to Beijing!" Cuiwei wiped her tears and smiled.
"Who told our wife to be so popular? The master came to propose marriage early in the morning and is in a hurry to get married!" Luzhi smiled.
Cui smiled and glared: "You are still so sharp-tongued, be careful that you won't be able to get married in the future!"
Luzhi blushed and started to hit someone in anger. Danju looked sincere and immediately comforted her: "Don't worry, sister Luzhi, the lady will definitely find a good son-in-law for you!" Luzhi became even more embarrassed and chased them all over the ground, beating them.
After a burst of laughter, the maids withdrew, and Minglan called Cuiwei and her husband to speak alone. Cuiwei's husband was named He Youchang, the son of the old housekeeper He who looked after the old house in Jinling. He had a round face, clean-cut, and looked honest and thoughtful. Standing together, the couple bore a striking resemblance to each other.
"Your father belongs to the old lady, and I've always trusted him. You're still young, so start as the doorman first, and then learn how to manage things. See how you behave and how you speak politely. At least you should get a clear understanding of the affairs of the outer courtyard first." After the greetings, Minglan held a bowl of tea and smiled slowly. "Your children are still young, so Cuiwei can't leave them all day and all night. So, you can help Liao Yong's wife and keep an eye on them for now. She's a smart person and knows what to do."
Cuiwei and He Youchang are both smart people and know a lot about the situation in the Gu Mansion. Now that Minglan has no one to trust in the inner and outer courtyards, they have to be her eyes and ears, helping her find out the details and personalities of each manager, and the mutual involvement of internal and external events, so that they can be promoted and rewarded in the future.
After the couple came out, they looked at the scenery of the Gu Mansion with smiles on their faces and talked in low voices.
"Madam is quite nostalgic. I heard that my wife was originally going to give you a dowry from another family, but she begged the old lady and insisted on bringing us over from Jinling." He Youchang sighed. He was still in his prime, so he naturally knew the huge difference between looking after an old house in Jinling and working for a powerful family in the capital. "It's all thanks to you."
"...We must do our duty well and share Madam's worries." Cuiwei looked at her husband tenderly, then raised her head and continued, "When I went to her courtyard that year, she said to me, Danju and the others, 'Giving you the power to govern these little girls is both to restrain them and to test you.' Now it seems that she must have seen that something was wrong with Yancao all along. We must be impartial in our work. If we make mistakes or mess up, it's easy to deal with them. But if we harbor ill intentions and let Madam know... Madam has a sharp eye and will not tolerate any injustice!"
He Youchang respected his wife greatly and said with a smile, "Of course! My father lectured me for two whole nights before we left. He said it's best to meet a good and understanding master. As long as you are loyal, you won't suffer any harm."
In reality, Minglan hoped Cuiwei wouldn't be so busy. Not only did she have a young daughter to look after, but she also hoped to have more sons while she was still young, so she could have hope in the future. It couldn't be helped; this was the ancient times. For example, if Minglan had to choose between Hai and Hualan, she would have chosen Hualan to have a son and Hai to have a daughter. This would have made Hualan's situation worse, leaving Hai's life relatively comfortable.
A few days later, someone came to report that Hualan had really given birth to a son.
To avoid being late, Minglan rose early for her third-day bath. She wore a simple, moon-white, carved silk gown with a subtle pattern of jewels, and a crimson, violet bodice with a subtle pattern. Her hair was tied in a side-knotted bun, at the bottom of which three or four large, round, clear pearls, the size of thumbs, were faintly visible. A delicate, large, scarlet-gold, multicolored, butterfly-shaped hairpin inlaid with purple gems adorned the top, its antennae trembling with the emerald green. Xiaotao brought in freshly cut flower buds, still trembling with morning dew. Minglan selected a magnolia flower, the size of a cup, and tucked it sideways into her hair. She looked in the mirror, the subtle fragrance lingering, the freshness and charm only adding to her beauty.
Minglan sighed deeply for the Nth time, and thought to herself: This appearance is really wrong! If she were to travel to a chaotic era, it would probably not be a problem to become a demon concubine. But I don’t know if she will end up with the tyrant emperor, or continue to serve the new emperor.
The Duke of Zhongqin's Mansion is located in the Third Ring Road area. Minglan took almost two hours to arrive in the carriage. Xiaotao climbed into the carriage and helped Minglan to fix her makeup, and then the master and servant got out. Wang Shi saw that Minglan came quite early and smiled slightly. Aunt Kang still had a weird look on her face. When Rulan saw Minglan, she pulled her sleeve and whispered in her ear with a smile: "My husband will come to pick me up today!" After that, she glanced at Minglan with a sidelong glance, smiling, as if she was showing off.
Minglan was almost speechless. She gritted her teeth and leaned close to her ear: "It's not in vain that you ran out to meet him in the middle of the night."
Rulan's face suddenly turned red, and she glared at Minglan hatefully, but she couldn't hide the fact that she wanted to laugh. So she pinched Minglan's arm hard twice. Minglan couldn't help but whispered, "Ouch!" The wound she pinched from the wolf yesterday hasn't healed yet.
Molan just watched coldly from the side.
When Minglan saw Hualan, she was shocked. She saw Hualan lying on the bed with a brocade scarf with spring flowers wrapped on her head. Although it was carefully tidied and her clothes were clean and tidy, it still couldn't hide her sallow complexion and haggard and thin appearance. Compared with Hai's plump and round figure, Hualan didn't look like she had just given birth to a child, but rather like she had a serious illness.
Wang rushed over immediately, calling "son" over and over again. Hualan just smiled and said, "...The pregnancy doesn't look good this time, you just need to take care of it slowly." She spoke weakly and kept gasping for breath.
Looking at the little baby again, he was also sickly and thin, with barely a cry. When he was undressed and washed for the third day, he just whimpered a few times like a sick cat and didn't move much. Minglan remembered that when Hai's daughter was washed for the third day, her chubby little hands and feet struggled, splashing water all over the ground, and she was so excited!
Everyone present had a look of suspicion on their faces. They turned to look at Madam Yuan and Grandma Yuan, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Grandma Yuan seemed a little embarrassed, lowering her head to talk to her mother, Aunt Zhang, who was standing beside her. Madam Yuan, however, looked calm. Seeing the doubts in others' eyes, she even said casually, "I told my second daughter-in-law a long time ago that this pregnancy is not a good sign and she needs to be more careful. But she just..."
As they talked, they started to criticize Hualan for not coming. The other women didn't dare to join in the conversation, so they just smiled and listened. Wang secretly resented it, but because there were so many people present, she couldn't question him directly, so she could only grit her teeth and endure it. Molan calmly lowered her head and drank her tea, feeling quite happy.
Minglan turned her head slightly to look at Hualan, but saw that she lowered her head with a hint of resentment in her eyes. Minglan felt sad and sat down at the head of Hualan's bed, gently stroking the back of her skinny hand. Suddenly, it felt hot and there was a drop of moisture on the back of her hand.
Minglan felt a pang of sadness and bitterness and held her hand tightly.
Rulan was a bit slow to react than the others, and it took her a while to notice that something was wrong with Hualan. Once she noticed, she immediately flew into a rage, stood up, and shouted at Madam Yuan, "Why is my sister so thin? Is she sick?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the room immediately fell silent. Sometimes the rude ones are afraid of the rude ones. Rulan glared at the Yuan mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Mrs. Yuan's face immediately darkened: "How can you say that, my dear aunt? Pregnancy has its ups and downs! You'll know once you give birth yourself!"
This statement would be effective in shutting up most young wives, but Rulan was not one of them. She was the modern-day Cui Yingying who climbed rocks to have a tryst in the middle of the night. Sure enough, she took a few steps forward and said even louder, "No need to wait, I'm here to ask you something! Have you stuffed a bunch of concubines and maids into my sister's room again?" - This was Madam Yuan's masterpiece when Hualan had her first miscarriage.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Mrs. Yuan's face flushed red, and the tea bowl in her hand kept clinking. People around her were already sneering.
"You're forcing my sister to behave for you despite her big belly!" Rulan's finger almost touched the tip of Madam Yuan's nose - this was Madam Yuan's idea when Hualan Huaizhuang was a child.
"How dare you! You are so despicable!" Mrs. Yuan was trembling all over, and the mocking looks of the female relatives became more and more explicit.
"Or you forced my sister to be your housekeeper while pregnant?" Madam Yuan was not Sheng Hong, so Rulan was not afraid at all - this was a new trick that Hualan had used since she was pregnant with her real brother.
"You, you, you..." It was the first time that Mrs. Yuan met such a straightforward and bold woman. She didn't know what to say for a moment. Minglan felt secretly happy in her heart.
Among the ladies present, except for the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan who was unable to come due to work in her hometown and the married Yuan Wenying, many were female relatives who frequently visited the Marquis of Zhongqin's mansion. Many of them knew the ins and outs of the Yuan family. Most of them watched the show with a smile on their faces, and only a few frowned slightly.
Grandma Yuan quickly supported her mother-in-law and said in a sharp voice, "Auntie, please be more polite. Is it our fault if anything happens to my sister-in-law?!"
Unexpectedly, Rulan said as if it was a matter of course: "Of course! Anyway, if anything happens to my sister, it will definitely be you, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, who bullied her! Look at you two, you eat so much and are so fat, your chins are doubled. If you really treat my sister well, you should have lost weight by taking care of her!"
Minglan almost burst out laughing. Meeting such an unreasonable person, and Wang Shi not stopping her, Grandma Yuan was speechless. She secretly touched her double chin, turned around and lowered her head in shame and indignation, and sat down. Hualan said weakly, "Ru'er, don't say anymore..."
Madam Yuan recovered her breath and said sternly, "Your daughter from the Sheng family is precious. Our Yuan family cannot afford to take care of her, but please take her back quickly!"
Seeing that things had come to this, everyone knew that things were not going well, and they all started to persuade Madam Yuan to calm down. However, Madam Yuan had a cold face and acted arrogantly. Hualan was angry and anxious. Minglan stood up in shock and glared at Madam Yuan coldly: "Madam, please explain it clearly! What do you mean by 'take her back'? You have to issue a letter of divorce!" Her tone was cold and hard.
Mrs. Yuan never dreamed that the Sheng family would dare to question her directly. She thought that the Sheng family would say a few nice words and then let the matter go. She was choked for a moment. It would be fine to say yes, but it would be too embarrassing to say no.
Minglan narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sharp, and she spoke slowly, word by word: "Madam Yuan, please make your point clear! Do you want to divorce me?"
With the Sheng family's current prestige, although it is not as good as the above, it is better than the Yuan family. Mrs. Yuan knew very well that if Hualan was divorced, she would be kicked out right after. She turned her head away angrily and said nothing.
Aunt Zhang saw something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "What are you saying in anger, my dear aunt? My elder sister just wanted my nephew's wife to go back to her parents' home to recuperate and recover, so that she can recover well, right?"
"I see." Minglan chuckled with disdain in her eyes, "I misunderstood."
Minglan slowly walked over and pulled the angry Rulan to sit down. She smiled gently and said, "Ladies and grandmothers, please don't blame my sister for her rude words. She is very straightforward and can't hide anything she is worried about."
Minglan was now an imperially conferred rank of second grade, the highest among the women present. The other female relatives had no choice but to flatter her and had no doubts. Some even smiled and said "yes, yes"; Madam Yuan turned her back angrily.
Minglan smiled again and said, "No wonder my fifth sister made wild guesses. It's just too coincidental. Every time my eldest sister gets pregnant, there's always some story to tell. Those who know will say 'what a coincidence', while those who don't will think my aunt-in-law is being mean to my eldest sister and partial to her own niece! But we know it among ourselves. My aunt-in-law would definitely not be like this!"
Nonsense! Even if the mother-in-law's mistake was unintentional, the daughter-in-law had been careful after several mishaps during pregnancy. How could she be so eager to cause trouble? Madam Yuan's chest heaved with anger, her heart almost bursting, but she couldn't say anything. The women around her, some indifferent, some mocking, all looked at her with all kinds of eyes, and she was almost fainting from anger.
"My dear aunt-in-law is really sharp-tongued," Madam Yuan said sarcastically, "Whoever marries a daughter of your Sheng family is truly blessed!"
Minglan smiled and said, "I don't deserve it. I'm just telling the truth. If I said anything inappropriate, please don't blame me, aunt. Just point it out. I will definitely change next time!"
Wang's face was filled with joy. She breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a little better. She said loudly, "Don't worry about my family, my dear. All the girls in my generation got married last month, no more, no less! Now, there's only one unmarried girl in the Sheng family, and that's my plump granddaughter, who's only a dozen days old. It's still a long way to go before she gets married."
After he finished speaking, there was a burst of laughter in the room. Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, the women in the family quickly joined in the fun and started joking.
Mrs. Yuan looked at Rulan, who was baring her teeth and about to scold, and then at Minglan, who had a warm face. One was a poor woman, and the other was a smiling tiger. She knew that she would not get any good results today, so she simply stopped talking. Because she was angry, she didn't even want to keep her for lunch, and just complained about having a headache and feeling unwell. When the female guests saw that the Yuan family had issued an order to expel them, they all left.
Minglan watched coldly and saw that many of the female guests were slightly dissatisfied, and a few even made sarcastic remarks. She knew that Mrs. Yuan was not very popular.
As expected, Brother-in-law Wen came to fetch Rulan. Minglan suspected he had been secretly waiting nearby, coming specifically to give her face. Amidst the envious gazes of the others, Rulan happily and triumphantly departed. Just as Minglan was about to leave, a servant from the Yuan family arrived with a message: "Second Master said he'll be back with Commander Gu soon. We just heard today that Marshal Bo's wife is ill, so please stay a while until Second Master and the Commander return so we can go visit her together."
Since handing over his military talisman, Bo Tianzhou has been in semi-retirement, living in a manor outside the capital, which is actually close to the residence of the Earl of Zhongqin. Minglan pondered for a moment, then went to see Madam Yuan and said with a smile, "What should we do?"
Wang quickly added more firewood: "If it's inconvenient for my wife, my Minglan can wait at the door."
Madam Yuan was furious today, her anger nearly causing her to have a brain hemorrhage. If Minglan had really waited at the door today, the Yuan family would have become the laughing stock of the entire capital. She gritted her teeth again and again, finally holding back, and yelled at the maid beside her, "Go prepare tea for Madam Gu!"
…
Minglan walked slowly back to Hualan's room. Hualan had already received the news and smiled as she asked her sister to sit next to her. While she asked the maid to serve tea and snacks, she kept asking Minglan if her marriage was going well. When she heard about Minglan's interesting life, Hualan covered her eyes with a handkerchief and was happy for her. When Minglan talked about her troubles, she gave her some bad advice. The two sisters talked affectionately for a long time.
Minglan glanced around, motioned Cuichan to the door, and whispered, "Sister, what's going on? Are you really not going to tell me? Ever since Old Madam He reminded you of important matters, you will not neglect your body during pregnancy."
Hua Lan was stunned, her eyes suddenly moist. Remembering that women in labor shouldn't cry, she quickly held back her tears and choked out, "I knew it... It's okay for others, but I can't hide it from you."
"What the hell is going on?"
Hualan suddenly called out, "Cui Chan, go get Shi Ge'er and bring over Zhuang Jie'er. Yin Jie, make sure the doors and windows are secure!"
There was a response from outside.
Hualan held Minglan's hand tightly, her voice choked with sobs, "That, that...that damn old woman! She's really going too far! Ever since I got pregnant, she's been asking to keep Shige'er in her house!"
"Really?" Minglan exclaimed.
Hua Lan said bitterly, "It's common for a grandmother to raise her grandson in an ordinary family. But, but... that damn old woman has always been trying to control me. How can I feel at ease?!... Your brother-in-law refused to do anything, and just kept dragging his feet until two months ago. Suddenly, the damn old woman started whining and pretending to be sick. She even found a Taoist nun and kept saying that Shi Ge'er's horoscope was auspicious for her, and if she wanted to recover, she had to keep Shi Ge'er by her side! With the big hat of 'filial piety' thrown on her, how could your brother-in-law resist?!"
Minglan was silent. This trick was so damn despicable and shameless!
She chose to attack Hualan when she was at her weakest. She didn't even know whether the baby in her belly was a boy or a girl. Shi Ge'er was Hualan's only son. If Shi Ge'er was taken away, Hualan would be worried day and night about how she could take good care of the baby. How could she dare to disobey her mother-in-law's orders?
Hua Lan wiped her tears, her expression sad, and continued, "I don't know how I got through those two months. Every time I closed my eyes, I dreamed that Shi Ge'er had an accident. I couldn't eat or sleep well, and I almost went crazy!"
Minglan felt pity and gently caressed Hualan's hand. Although she knew that Madam Yuan might not harm her grandson, if something happened, could she really ask her grandmother to pay for her grandson's life? But with just one word of negligence, she was doomed to suffer the consequences.
"About ten days ago, there was a sudden commotion in the front yard. When I asked about it, I almost fainted." Hua Lan's face was bleak. "Those black-hearted women actually let Shi Ge'er take a nap alone without anyone watching. They all went outside to drink tea and chat! Shi Ge'er is very good at crawling now. When he woke up, he crawled all over the bed. There was an incense burner next to the bed. The child didn't know and knocked over the incense burner. It rolled under the bed, and the ashes in the incense burner fell on Shi Ge'er!"
"Ah!" Minglan screamed, "Is anyone hurt?!"
"Poor Shi Ge'er, he cried for a long time but no one paid any attention." Hua Lan's voice was filled with fear as she trembled, "Luckily, there's Sister Zhuang..."
"What's the matter, Sister Guanzhuang?"
Hua Lan's face was filled with shame. "...It's all my fault. I was only thinking about Shi Ge'er and neglected her. The child knew I was worried about her, so she often left her wet nurse and sneaked out to the front yard every day to see her brother. She was small and others were not on guard, so no one noticed. Her wet nurse came to complain, and I was upset and scolded her severely. That day, Zhuang Jie'er sneaked out again. She heard Shi Ge'er crying in the room and hurried in to see her brother rolling on the ground crying, his head and face covered with blisters! Zhuang Jie'er couldn't hold her brother, so she had to brush off all the ashes on his body. Her poor hands were also burned in several places... Ah, come in, Zhuang Jie'er, come to see your sixth aunt!"
A little girl ran in hurriedly. Minglan hugged her and kissed her hard on the forehead: "Good girl, let your aunt see your hands."
Zhuang Jie'er's childish face also showed the fear that only adults can have. She timidly stretched out her two small hands. There were a few dark rose-colored spots on her short, white fingertips. The little girl shyly withdrew her fingers and said in a childish voice, "Auntie, I don't feel any pain anymore. It's my brother who is really burned."
Minglan hurried to see the boy in Cuichan's arms. He was sound asleep. On his delicate, fair face, she saw a startling red spot on his forehead, probably from the fall. From his right eyebrow to his cheek, a row of tiny, deep-red burn scars ran. The most alarming one was right on his right eyelid! If anything had happened, he would have lost an eye!
The boy seemed to wake up and whimpered twice. Sister Zhuang hurried forward and patted her brother twice, coaxing him in a baby voice, "Be good, be good..." The little boy seemed to know it was his sister's voice and fell asleep again.
Minglan was heartbroken and could no longer hold back. She hugged Zhuang Jie'er tightly, tears streaming down her face. Hualan looked at the two children and was overwhelmed with grief. She leaned over the bed and cried softly. Cuichan quickly handed the boy to the wet nurse next to her and helped Hualan up to wipe her tears, saying repeatedly, "Second Madam, you must not cry. It will cause you lifelong problems!"
Minglan wiped her tears quickly and hugged
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