Qi Zhuang Jie'er said proudly, "Good girl, you can share your mother's worries and save your brother. You are a wonderful daughter and a wonderful sister. Sixth Aunt is very happy for you! Don't be afraid of bullying or difficulties. You are the eldest daughter of the Yuan family and the eldest granddaughter of the Sheng family! Let's see who dares to bully you!"
Sister Zhuang smiled slightly and nodded vigorously.
Cui Chan took the two children out. Ming Lan watched them leave, then turned back and smiled tearfully, saying, "Sister, you've brought up the children so well. You'll be blessed in the future! ... Uh, what happened next?"
Hua Lan was also filled with pride, smiling with relief. After calming down, she slowly said, "I thought that damned old woman would feel guilty, but who knew she would actually bite back, saying that it was Sister Zhuang who knocked over the incense burner and injured Shi Ge'er! She even wanted to punish Sister Zhuang!"
"Bullshit!" Minglan also cursed. "No matter what, the trouble only happened because there was no one waiting in the room. If there was someone there, even if Zhuang Jie'er knocked over the incense burner, she wouldn't hurt Shi Ge'er!"
"Who said it wasn't!" Hua Lan smiled bitterly. "The house was in chaos. When your brother-in-law came back, he was so angry that he wanted to whip those old women to death, but his mother stopped him. She scolded her son for being unfilial and said she wanted to go to the ancestral hall to kneel before the ancestors! When my father-in-law found out, he immediately sent those old women away and sent my mother-in-law to the farm to 'rest'. My mother-in-law, who knows where she learned this dirty trick, actually found a rope and tried to hang herself, saying, 'There's no reason to treat your wife badly for the sake of a daughter-in-law.' My father-in-law was so angry that he almost fainted! The matter was left unresolved. Fortunately, my son is finally coming home..."
Minglan was speechless. Hualan let out a faint smile. "When your brother-in-law saw Shi'er's injuries, he was also frightened and broke into a cold sweat. He was so angry, but he had no place to vent, so... hehe," she said with a strange laugh. "That damn old woman sent seven or eight concubines to my place. That night, your brother-in-law beat the two most prominent ones with fifty boards each. After beating them half to death, he threw them out of the gate of the Zhongqin Marquis's mansion! He also stripped the other two naked and made them kneel naked in the courtyard all night. They fell ill the next day and were then moved out. The rest are now very obedient. They dare not even show their heads, for fear of venting your brother-in-law's anger."
Minglan laughed: "That's actually true."
"When the old woman found out, she came back to make a scene. I held a hairpin to her throat and said, 'If she dares to mention taking my child away again, I will die on the spot.' So she beat and scolded her son. She scratched your brother-in-law until his face was covered with bruises. He couldn't go out and see anyone for several days."
After recounting this thrilling story, the two sisters remained silent for a long time, their heads leaning against each other, both filled with sorrow. After a long moment, Hua Lan finally said, "When will this ever end? I'm constantly afraid she'll do something weird again."
"Well...it's not that there is no way to cure it." Minglan said slowly.
Hualan immediately straightened up, her eyes shining. She grabbed Minglan and whispered, "What's the solution? Tell me! Tell me!"
Minglan remained silent, and Hualan became anxious and kept asking questions, making Minglan dizzy. Minglan said in embarrassment, "This is not a good thing, it's just a bad idea."
"What a bad idea! He's a perfect match for that old woman!" Hua Lan's eyes were burning.
Minglan gritted her teeth. Okay, the first major conspiracy in her life began. She said, "A while ago, I heard something happened at home. The madam...she wanted to take a concubine for my eldest brother, and my eldest sister-in-law fell ill immediately."
Hua Lan sneered, "My sister-in-law is so lucky. She's much better off than me. She won't die even if she takes a concubine."
Minglan sighed softly inwardly, understanding Hualan's mentality. She continued, "Not to mention that my brother didn't want to, my father also felt that the mistress was just messing around, so... ahem, he took in several maids in one go."
Hua Lan seemed to understand a little and asked softly, "So...?"
Minglan spread her hands and said the final conclusion awkwardly: "Madam doesn't have time to take care of my sister-in-law now."
Hualan opened her eyes wide, she understood.
"Is this okay?" Hua Lan hesitated.
Minglan asked calmly, "Is it possible that the Yuan family divorced your mother-in-law?"
Hua Lan sat down dejectedly and shook her head, saying, "Impossible. After all, she has given birth to children. The Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion cannot afford to lose this person. The divorce letter is just to scare her."
"Then is it possible that your father-in-law will leave your mother-in-law to 'rest' in the manor for the rest of her life?"
Hua Lan's eyes were filled with despair. "No, not to mention others; even your brother-in-law can't bear to see your mother-in-law suffer in the village forever."
"Then what else do you have in mind?" - In fact, to put it the other way around, it is impossible for the Yuan family to divorce Hualan.
"That's right! That's right!" Hua Lan pounded the bed and whispered, "She's living such a comfortable life! It's time to find some beautiful young concubines for my father-in-law! ... But, my mother-in-law keeps a close eye on the concubines in my father-in-law's room!"
Minglan shook her left hand, lowered her voice, and leaned forward to say, "First, how could a daughter-in-law take a concubine for her father-in-law? If it gets out, wouldn't everyone laugh at her? Second, don't take a concubine casually. Take one that your mother-in-law can't easily beat or kill."
Hua Lan was very smart. She understood after a moment's hesitation: "You want me to go find my aunt?"
"Yes," Minglan said, "Go find the wife of the Marquis of Shoushan."
"Will she help me?" Hua Lan was skeptical. Although she liked herself very much, but...
Minglan said bluntly, "I'm not helping you, I'm helping her family! When she returns from her hometown, she'll definitely come to see you. Then, you should dismiss everyone and tell her everything. First, tell her about your suffering and your grievances. Show her the injured child and exaggerate the severity of the injury! Then, tell her the story of Duke Zhuang of Zheng and Gong Shuduan..."
"I know!" Hua Lan's eyes finally lit up. "Duke Zhuang of Zheng and Gong Shuduan during the Spring and Autumn Period were brothers from the same mother! But because Queen Mother Wu Jiang was partial to Gong Shuduan and acted in a perverse way, it eventually led to a quarrel between the brothers! In the end..."
"In the end, Duke Zhuang of Zheng personally killed his brother, Gong Shuduan! Honestly, this was largely Queen Mother Wu Jiang's fault!" Minglan added, "This isn't just a dispute between you, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. You know, if Madam Yuan continues to go crazy like this, the two brothers of the Yuan family will eventually become estranged. By then, the Yuan family will be completely torn apart."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole incident immediately escalated to a new level and became about maintaining family unity.
Hualan weighed the situation twice and decided it was feasible. She could have the Marquis of Shoushan find a poor woman of clean family background, beautiful, gentle, and clear-headed. She would realize that the second wife was her true support. The eldest sister could send a concubine to serve her younger brother, who was in poor health. As long as the old man agreed, no one could object. If Madam Yuan made a fuss, it would be a violation of the "Seven Grounds for Divorce"—a fact she always used to harass Hualan when she was trying to find a woman for her son.
Old Master Yuan, who had lived a life of poverty, would most likely like that woman. Even if she gave birth to a bastard, it wouldn't matter. Regardless, the second wife wouldn't get any property. After all, a mother-in-law can make things difficult for her daughter-in-law every day, but a daughter-in-law can't go to the father-in-law every day to complain. She might as well find someone to influence her. Then she'll see if Madam Yuan still has the energy to provoke her every day!
The more Hualan thought about it, the happier she felt. She looked so happy that she almost wanted to walk around twice.
Minglan looked at Hualan with a smile.
First, since Hualan doesn't mind Changbai taking a concubine, Lady Shoushan, who has a bad relationship with Lady Yuan, will probably not mind her brother Zhongqin taking a concubine; second, the eldest master of the Yuan family is not good at studying or martial arts, and just likes to hide away and have nothing to do, while Yuan Wenshao is smart and capable, and has a bright future. Lady Shoushan should know which branch of the family she and her children can rely on in the future.
——This is the ultimate key.
"Only three people can know about this." Minglan couldn't help but remind him, "You, Lady Shoushan, after this is done, you can also tell your brother-in-law. You two have a good relationship, so don't let this hurt you."
"I know what you mean. Once they get through, I'll tell your brother-in-law everything." Hua Lan smiled slyly, as if she had returned to her carefree teenage years, when her only task was to set some obstacles in Lin's path. "Don't worry! From beginning to end, you have nothing to do with it."
Minglan felt relieved. It was always a pleasure to work with smart people.
In fact, as long as it does not threaten their own interests and status, most sons of this era would have no objection to their father taking a concubine. Moreover, when the time comes, Hualan can hold her two scarred children, kneel in front of her husband and cry and beg. If she uses more tactful and clever words, there will basically be no big problem.
A little later, Gu and Yuan returned. When Yuan Wenshao smiled and asked Minglan to leave the house, he would never know that in just a short time, the arc of his life had slightly bent; much later, he had a very obedient and loyal younger brother, and a very happy and peaceful second half of his life.
Mrs. Yuan, who was sitting on the kang at this moment, cursing her miserable life, had no idea that her truly miserable days had just begun.
At the gatehouse of the outer courtyard, Gu Tingye helped Minglan into the carriage. Seeing that she was in a low mood and looked indifferent, he felt quite strange. He glanced at Yuan Wenshao and saw that he had not come out yet, so he got into the carriage to ask what was wrong. Minglan briefly recounted what happened.
Gu Tingye frowned slightly: "Brother Wen Shaojin is too indecisive. This foolish filial piety not only wrongs his wife and children, but also indulges unrest in the family."
"It's not that I'm indecisive, it's just a question of whether it's worth it." Minglan leaned against the carriage wall, her expression indifferent. "My brother-in-law naturally knows that my sister has a hard time, but he thinks obeying his mother is more important. Men with three wives and four concubines pretend to have a harmonious family. It's not that they don't know their wives are sad, but that their own pleasures outweigh their wives' sorrow. ... But this is not wrong. In life, naturally, your own happiness is more important."
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan in slight surprise, and a feeling of discomfort spread in his heart. He suppressed this feeling and asked quietly: "What about you? What should I do if I feel sad?"
Without thinking, Minglan smiled and said, "It will get better as time goes by...it will get better. You can get through it eventually."
Only in this ancient time did I realize that the lifestyle of ancient women was the most sensible. They managed their property well, ensured their material foundation, and then loved themselves, their children, their well-intentioned parents' home, and occasionally loved men a little, not too much. The upper limit was that you wouldn't be sad if he found another woman, and the lower limit was that you could express your endless affection to him just right without feeling disgusted.
It is best not to feel disgusted easily. Spending your whole life helplessly with a man you deeply hate is a very unhealthy lifestyle.
Minglan was practicing diligently. In a few days, once the Gu Mansion was finished, she would host a beam-raising banquet for friends and family. After that, she would have to visit the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion from time to time to pay her respects to the elders. Her vacation was almost over, and she hoped everything would go well by then.
"You dare to say anything?" Gu Tingye narrowed his eyes, with a fierce look in his eyes.
Minglan tilted her head and said quietly, "You said you like to hear the truth, and besides... I can't hide it from you. If I force you to tell the truth, you might as well tell it yourself."
"You don't rely on me for your life?" Gu Tingye raised one eyebrow.
"No." Minglan cracked her fingers and spread them out. "I'm counting on you to live my life, but..." Her calm eyes looked straight at the man, clear and sad. "If you change your mind, what can I do?"
Gu Tingye's eyes darkened, and he suddenly asked, "Then what will you do?"
Minglan propped up her chin and thought hard, "I don't know. I'll see when the time comes. I probably won't commit suicide."
Her initial expectation of her sisters was that they would not harm her. As long as this was met, Hualan and Ruolan would be her good sisters. Her only expectation of Shenghong and Wang Shi was that they would not sacrifice her for too many benefits. As long as they still considered her marriage happiness, they would be good parents.
Now it seems that Sheng Minglan's life is basically happy; she will definitely find a lifestyle that makes her most comfortable, whether she leaves him or not.
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan without blinking. In the dim carriage, only a ray of light came through the curtains, shrouding her face as white as jade. Her long eyelashes drooped, covering the dim crystal-like brilliance. Her bent neck leaned weakly, looking fragile, decadent, and dazed, with a helpless indignation against the world.
Such a breathtakingly beautiful creature, full of self-deprecating mockery and sadness. She loves life, she despises life, she is optimistic and enthusiastic, she is decadent and indifferent, she seems to be affirming and denying at all times, a perfect symmetry of contradictions - from the moment he pulled her wet from the river, he has been curious about her, he has never been so fascinated by someone.
"If you encountered something like your sister, how would you deal with it?" the man suddenly asked.
Her silent eyes became lively, like beautiful ripples spreading across a lake. She patted the small table and said with a playful smile, "Officials forcing the people to rebel, this is unacceptable! I'll immediately grab two kitchen knives, one to my neck and the other to that person's neck, and shout - If you don't let me live, I won't let you live either!"
Then she laughed and fell on the scarlet mattress embroidered with gorgeous gold thread, like a naughty child.
Gu Tingye looked at her deeply. He didn't smile. He knew she was not joking. Her eyes did not smile - it had been like this many times. On the contrary, there was a strange determination in her eyes; beautiful like a moth flying into a flame.
He dragged her up, grabbed her into his arms roughly and violently, and held her tightly, tightly and desperately, until she was almost breathing, and then he slowly let go. Minglan raised her head and gasped for air, her face flushed red from the suffocation, and she almost died, looking at him blankly.
Gu Tingye felt baffled. He seemed angry, angry that she didn't trust him, but he had to admit that her concerns were valid. In the end, he could only caress her beautiful eyelids, sigh softly, and say in a low, calm voice, "No need for a kitchen knife. I'll do it for you if you want to chop someone." After all, his mother was long gone.
Minglan was stunned and confused as to what he was talking about.
He paused and added, "I'm better at chopping."
Minglan smiled stupidly a few times to show her agreement; Gu Tingye suddenly became furious again, violently overturned the small table in the carriage, punched the wall of the carriage, shaking it, and Minglan was frightened.
Gu Tingye suppressed his hatred and said, "You little heartless bastard! It's been less than a month since we got married, and you're already thinking about how to escape all day long! You little bastard!"
As he spoke, he lifted Minglan's arm, rolled up her sleeve swiftly, and bit her snow-white and tender elbow, leaving two neat rows of teeth marks.
Minglan was so frightened that her face turned pale, her lips pouted, and she watched with tears in her eyes as Gu Tingye turned around and got out of the car angrily!
【Author has something to say】
About the evolution of the staff.
I have always been fond of characters like Dog-Headed Master, and it is quite interesting to conceive the outline of such a novel.
The so-called advisors are also called aides, guests of the staff, and friends of the staff. The boss among them is generally called the head of the staff. They are not formal government officials, but staff-type talents hired by some officials themselves. They make suggestions for their masters, participate in confidential matters, draft memorials, and even issue and approve replies, contact officials, and handle case files.
They are completely different from the so-called "Qingke", whose main function is to flatter the master, recite poems, and talk about trivial matters such as love and sex.
The power of some high-ranking officials' staff and advisors is almost greater than that of ordinary officials.
This situation originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when staff members had another name, called "menke"; at that time, the rulers or dignitaries of various countries were vying to support scholars, and Mengchangjun supported 300 of them at once, including those who were good at martial arts, those who could recite poems and compose couplets, those who were good at debate, and those who were good at stealing and cheating.
After the Qin and Han dynasties, the Central Plains gradually became unified, and the society demanded stability. The retainers gradually disappeared, and were replaced by literati-type staff. Most of them were hermits who were talented but not appreciated, or simply scholars who failed in the imperial examinations.
The Ming Dynasty was the development and formation period of the staff and advisors. The landmark event was the rise of the Shaoxing clerk gang, which was the embryo of the Shaoxing advisors. The Qing Dynasty was the heyday of the advisor system.
In the Qing Dynasty, all local officials at all levels took office with them. The number of advisors ranged from three to five to dozens. Many of these advisors were famous in history.
For example, Chen Huang, a water conservancy expert in the Kangxi period, Wu Sidao, the advisor of Tian Wenjing in the Yongzheng period, Gu Lihu and Wang Hui in the Qianlong period, and even the famous writer Pu Songling, the famous scholar Zhang Xuecheng, the famous politicians Lin Zexu, Li Hongzhang, and Zuo Zongtang, all served as advisors and became nationally famous for their roles.
These powerful aides and advisors actually just haven't met Liu Bei's version of Zhuge Liang. Although they are in the common people, they can accurately guess the emperor's intentions and pacify the local people with ease. They often have accurate judgment in matters such as river transportation, water conservancy, salt transport, lawsuits, and even official factions and royal succession struggles, and can help their masters (also called Dong Weng) to serve as officials smoothly.
So why didn't they become officials themselves? It's very simple. They got an average score of 80 on the imperial examination.
A certain official conducted a detailed investigation into the system of staff and advisors in the Ming and Qing dynasties and found that officials in the Ming Dynasty could basically handle government affairs on their own, and advisors were not a necessity. However, in the Qing Dynasty, it was impossible to take up an official position without an advisor.
Why? Theoretically, the eight-legged essay wasn't as harmful to scholars during the Ming Dynasty. Basically, the results of the imperial examinations could still reflect a person's ability to some extent, and generally, those with good results in the imperial examinations could basically complete the task of becoming an official.
By the Qing Dynasty, the eight-legged essay had poisoned people's minds to an incredible extent. Most of the people who passed the exam were high-ranking but incompetent nerds. They were only proficient in the eight-legged essay, but had no understanding of national economy and people's livelihood, and were uninformed about government affairs. They were stupid and incompetent. This objectively led to their dependence on staff, advisers and clerks.
The most annoying thing is that the advisors of officials serving outside the capital do not have a regular staff and cannot be supervised by the state apparatus like normal officials. They do not need to be transferred during term changes, and they do not need to be evaluated or assessed for their performance. Officials often come and go, but they remain entrenched in the local area for decades.
They held low positions but had great power, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty they had caused great harm to society.
Finally, the system of legal advisors ended with Mr. Zhang Zhidong. It was not that he hated legal advisors. In fact, the famous talent in the late Qing Dynasty, Gu Hongming, was his favorite aide. It was because he recognized the importance of aides (the actual staff) that he set up various departments in the Marshal's Mansion, allowing these legal advisors to learn and develop their talents.
The legal advisor system gradually disappeared.
Here, a certain pass has excerpted several interesting stories about legal advisors. The relationships between legal advisors and their employers are varied. In some cases, the sons are officials and the fathers serve as legal advisors. One female legal advisor is even more legendary, having served as legal advisor to her father, brother, and husband.
Father and son team
During the Qing Dynasty, there was a story of fathers acting as advisors to their sons. During the Qing Dynasty, a young scholar in Zhejiang Province passed the imperial examination at the age of eighteen and was soon appointed magistrate of a certain county. His father, a veteran legal advisor with a mastery of pen and ink, feared his son's youth and unfamiliarity with government affairs, so he accompanied him to his new post. He lived in seclusion within the government office, offering his son advice and handling various official documents. Every evening, under the lamplight, the advisor discussed the day's successes and failures with his son, providing guidance on how to govern. As a result, the young magistrate achieved remarkable political achievements and gained widespread fame. (Volume 4 of "Strange Stories of Judicial Review")
Brothers
There are also many stories of younger brothers acting as advisors to their older brothers. For example, during the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty, the renowned playwright and opera critic Yang Enshou was the legal advisor to his sixth brother, Yang Lusheng. At the time, Yang Lusheng was transferred to Beiliu County, Guangxi. Following the Taiping Rebellion, the region was in disarray, with prefectures and counties in ruins. Officials had little extra income, and some even offered 80 taels of silver to hire legal advisors who could handle criminal law, finance, and official correspondence. Consequently, few were willing to apply in Guangxi.
Yang Lusheng was busy campaigning in the countryside to eliminate bandits, so the county government needed a reliable legal advisor to head it. He urgently summoned Yang Enshou, a former legal advisor from his hometown in Hunan, to come and help. Yang Enshou, single-handedly responsible for both criminal cases and finances, had to grade exams during the county examinations, and also oversee local customs duties. His workload was so intense that his old illness relapsed. He lamented in his diary, lamenting, "I'm so anxious." Later, Yang Lusheng asked another brother, the third brother, to help manage the customs, and Yang Enshou finally felt a little relieved. Nearly two years later, Yang Lusheng hired another legal advisor at the then-highest price in Guangxi—six hundred taels of silver per year—and Yang Enshou was finally able to escape and return home. (Tanyuan Diary)
The Legend of the Female Adviser in the Qing Dynasty
It wasn't uncommon for a father to serve as a clerk for his son, or a brother to serve as a clerk for his elder brother. Even during the Qing Dynasty, there were stories of wives serving as clerks for their husbands. According to Qing Dynasty diaries, during the Qianlong reign, there was a remarkable female clerk in Zhili. The daughter of a prefect, she accompanied her father to his post from a young age, learning everything from criminal law to financial matters, correspondence, and the flow of taxes. When her father grew old and ill, his energy waning, she took charge of government affairs, becoming a "female legal advisor."
After the prefect's death, this valiant woman followed her brother to his new post, becoming his advisor, "her brother relied on her like his right-hand man." It wasn't until she was thirty-nine that her brother arranged for her to marry a newly appointed county magistrate, through a matchmaker. After the wedding, she instructed her husband to focus solely on "housekeeping," while she set up an "internal signing and securing room" in the inner courtyard, with four concubines handling copying duties and two elderly women guarding the door and delivering official documents. "No documents were left unwritten, and no work was wasted in the county." Her husband's outstanding political achievements earned him a promotion from his superiors to prefect of Zhili Prefecture. However, she advised him, "Your talent is only sufficient to govern a county, not a prefecture, and I have household chores to manage, and I don't have the energy to help you. It would be best for us to retire while we can and return home on sick leave." She then took out a petition she had already drafted, asked her husband to review and sign it, and then the couple returned home to live out their days in peace. (Volume 1 of "Miscellaneous Talks on Officialdom in the Qing Dynasty")
PS: It is said that the story of the female lawyer above is the prototype of the female protagonist in the Hong Kong drama "Iron Teeth and Silver Teeth".
…
Here I will explain two points in the article that some readers may not understand.
First of all, the setting of Minglan's talent and learning is based on a female classmate of Guan's own. She is a graduate of the Political Science and Law Department of a good university. After graduation, she directly took the civil service exam and worked in the court.
In fact, among professionals like these who have received strict political and legal education, there are certainly nerds who can only recite laws, but there are also many guys who have really learned analytical and judgment skills. For example, my friend seems very gentle and cute at ordinary times, but once he is reporting on international and domestic news, his comments are really sharp and venomous, and he has extraordinary insights.
Combined with the story of the female legal advisor above, there were actually many virtuous wives in ancient times. They were influenced by their parents' families since childhood, and had excellent knowledge and insight into the world. They were often very foresighted. Their husbands sometimes trusted them more than their own staff and often discussed current political situations with their wives - because the boss can be replaced, but the husband is basically difficult to replace.
However, most women like this live in seclusion in the inner chambers and are not very famous.
For example, Qi Jiguang's wife was very knowledgeable about military affairs. She often talked with her husband about marching and deploying troops, and the couple would even have a fight when they were happy. Looking through the history of ancient concubines, there are countless women who were well versed in state affairs without any guidance, such as Fu Hao, Shulü Ping, Liu E, Wu Zetian... I won't say much.
…
Next, regarding Mrs. Yuan, many readers say that her description is too exaggerated. How could a grandmother burn her own grandson? This is not true. Please read the text carefully.
Mrs. Yuan had no intention of harming her grandson, she just wanted to control Hualan; however, she was indeed responsible for negligence and disrespect, which led to the maids below not taking the young master seriously. Subjectively, she had no intention of harming anyone, but objectively she needed to be held responsible.
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