It was not until the end of the afternoon that the female members of the household began to say goodbye one after another. Minglan climbed onto the couch, rubbing her cheeks that were about to cramp from laughing. She closed her eyes and passed out. She didn't know how long she slept, but when she was half asleep, she felt a very familiar feeling of pressure in her abdomen and chest.
Minglan opened her eyes calmly and saw that the sun was setting outside the window. The man's heavy body was half lying beside her, his thighs resting on Minglan's stomach, his arms across his chest, and a head against his neck, breathing wet hot air at her.
Minglan let out a breath with difficulty, twisted her waist first, then tried to stretch out her arms from under the thin blanket, lifting the man's arms two or three inches as if lifting a barbell, and then rolled down from the soft couch while twisting and crawling. This whole series of movements was smooth and skillful.
Smelling the smell on her clothes, Minglan hurried into the bathroom. Danju helped her to loosen her hair and clothes, while Xiaotao was busy getting hot water for the towel. Seeing Minglan's angry face, the two of them looked at each other. Danju couldn't help but said, "Xia Zhu and Xia He made the bed for the master as you instructed, but who knew..." Xiaotao spoke frankly, "But who knew that the master asked 'Where is the madam' as soon as he entered the room, and then went to the east wing drunk." Her tone was quite angry.
Minglan sighed slightly: "You don't have to tell me, don't I already know?"
After washing up, Minglan put on clean inner clothes and a light yellow cotton jacket embroidered with plum blossoms. She put on her makeup in the mirror and said to Xiaotao, "Call Xiaoquanzi and Xiaoshunzi and tell them what happened in the outer courtyard today."
Xiaotao responded and left. After a while, two boys came.
Gu Quan was articulate, Gu Shun steady and thoughtful. The younger one was probably in fifth grade, the older one barely into the first year of junior high. Minglan handed them a handful of fruit and gently asked. Gu Quan, his two little canine teeth flashing with joy, began to recount each one. Though young, he had a good memory. He remembered clearly which adults had been carried home drunk, which adults lost their composure after drinking, and of course, some who drank well.
The Duan brothers were big drinkers, and half of the people who were carried out were drunk by them, including Mr. Gan, who claimed to be in good health and refused to retire. It was said that he was talking to Gu Tingye at the time, but after a lot of persuasion, he fell asleep in the wine jar.
General Bo stroked his beard and said with a smile: As you get older, you should pay attention to drinking moderately.
"How old is Mr. Gan?" Minglan asked curiously. There was no standard retirement age in ancient times.
"He looks to be around fifty or sixty." Gu Quan wasn't quite sure, so Gu Shun beside him added softly, "I heard that Mr. Gan celebrated his sixtieth birthday two years ago."
Minglan nodded with satisfaction: Madam Gan is only about forty years old. Unless she is from the same school as Gong Xuehua, she should be a second wife.
The banquet was basically a success. Not only were there abundant dishes and wine, but all the tableware such as chips, gourds, sticks, wine tokens, etc. were available, and even sobering tea and sobering meatballs were prepared. What Minglan did not expect was her father and brother. She had originally thought that most of the guests at the banquet would be generals from the military or playboys from noble families, and that Sheng Hong and his son would be very boring. However, the situation was exactly the opposite.
Not long after the banquet started, Changbai, who had a serious expression, met Lord Fu Qinran, the Right Minister of the Honglu Temple, who had an even more serious expression. Then he met Qiu Shu, who was still spending his days in the Imperial College. The three of them sat together and talked in a dignified and solemn manner. If someone who didn't know saw them, they would think they were holding a memorial service.
Sheng Hong and the Fifth Elder hit it off immediately. They discussed their arduous studies as a teenager, the challenges of the imperial examinations, and the challenges of being an official, and surprisingly, they bonded over time. The Fifth Elder greatly admired and respected the learned, but officials who emerged through the formal imperial examinations often looked down on the sons of powerful nobles. Sheng Hong, on the other hand, was a highly sociable person, with elegant conversation and a refined demeanor. Regardless of his inner feelings about others, he always managed to be comforting.
The fifth old man said that he was ten years older than himself, but he failed the imperial examinations repeatedly, which he felt ashamed of. However, Old Man Sheng immediately expressed his sincere objection, saying that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts, so how can one judge a hero by his success or failure? Perhaps the examiner just didn't like your writing style. Then he immediately gave examples of many great writers throughout history who had failed in the imperial examinations.
The Fifth Old Master's eyes suddenly became hot, and he immediately regarded Old Man Sheng as his close friend.
Minglan couldn't help but complain inwardly: Nonsense! How could one have made it this far in the officialdom without some skills? How many veteran officials have been fooled by Old Man Sheng?
Then the topic turned to education. If they talked about ancestors, Sheng Hong was inferior to the Fifth Old Master. If they talked about children and grandchildren, the Fifth Old Master could not catch up with Sheng Hong even if he drove a Lamborghini. As they talked, the Fifth Old Master gradually became more and more inferior. It was like a parent-teacher meeting at school, where the parents of the bottom-performing students could not raise their heads in front of the parents of the students with excellent grades.
Minglan laughed so hard that she shook her shoulders while holding the tea bowl.
Even after Gu Tingye woke up, Minglan still hadn't fully recovered from her joy. She chatted about this with a smile as she set the table. It was actually already the end of the evening hour, and both of them were feeling unwell from the heavy drinking at noon. So Minglan ordered the kitchen to prepare mung bean and almond porridge, braised beef with sesame pancakes, a few light and refreshing vegetarian dishes, and some of Ge Mama's specialty pickled vegetables. Tossed with sesame oil and a few drops of vinegar, it went perfectly with the rice.
In fact, Gu Tingye didn't eat anything filling at noon. He was listless at first, but after a few bites, his appetite was greatly improved. He gulped down three large bowls of porridge and ate five soft and tender beef sandwiches. He felt much better immediately. When he heard what Minglan said, he couldn't help laughing.
"My cousins are going to suffer this time!" Gu Tingye's deep eyes flashed with gloating, and then his tone changed again, and he said coldly, "But don't worry, my fifth aunt has plenty of ways to solve the problem."
Minglan heard the sarcasm in his words. She had been hearing a lot of news about the Ningyuan Marquisate from the other women lately. The masters of the Fifth House were the most incompetent, especially the eldest, Gu Tingyang. Before his marriage, he had fathered a son and a daughter with a concubine, and he also engaged in prostitution and theft, engaging in all sorts of absurd behavior. However, whenever the Fifth Old Master got angry, the Fifth Old Mistress would always come to his rescue.
Alas! A child with a mother is like a treasure. Minglan secretly raised her eyes and glanced at Gu Tingye.
"Uh..." Minglan changed the subject. "I'm planning to go pay my respects to the Madam tomorrow morning and pick up Rong Jie'er and the others. What do you think?"
Gu Tingye frowned and put down his bowl and chopsticks: "So soon?"
"It's the same in the morning and in the evening, so why make people say more?" Minglan asked someone to bring a basin of water and tea, and said with a smile, "Also, starting tomorrow, I plan to go to the Marquis' Mansion to pay my respects to the Madam every five or six days." That means once a week, four times a month.
Gu Tingye's brows furrowed even more, forming a knot between his eyebrows. He said with an unhappy look, "Why bother with this? It only adds a lot of trouble. It's fine if we stay neither too far nor too close."
Minglan knew it was inappropriate, so she tried to persuade him gently, "If you make mistakes because others make them, it's like throwing away pearls and jade for a rough note. It will only make you speechless and unable to criticize others."
"Who said that?" Gu Tingye chewed his words twice and asked with interest, "Is it your old lady?"
Minglan smiled and said, "No, it's my father." She thought to herself, how do you know it wasn't her words?
Gu Tingye was surprised and chuckled, "My father-in-law is quite insightful." Sheng Hong's way of persuading people was very practical. He didn't say anything empty about etiquette and morality, but only analyzed the consequences.
Xia Zhu and Xiao Tao came in carrying a tea tray and a copper basin of hot water. Minglan told them to put their things down and went back down. Then, smiling, she twisted a handkerchief and handed it to them, saying, "When we were little, we all gathered to listen to Mr. Zhuang's talk about his wild experiences. Fourth Sister deliberately stained my new clothes with ink. I was so angry that I stole two pieces of lard from the kitchen while changing clothes and smeared it thickly under Fourth Sister's chair cushion..."
Before he could finish his words, Gu Tingye buried his face in the hot handkerchief and chuckled. Seeing Minglan staring at him with her large, distinct black and white eyes, he quickly gave a thumbs-up and praised loudly, "Well done!" Then he pulled Minglan over, put her on his lap, scratched her nose, and asked with a smile, "What happened next?"
Minglan blushed, but seemed somewhat pleased with herself. She mumbled, "Fourth Sister wasn't prepared. As soon as she sat down, she slipped off the chair and fell flat on her face."
The point is, Qi Heng was there too! Mo Lan, who always prided herself on her elegance, fell flat on her face, her mouth wide open in shock. Mo Lan wished she could have burrowed underground, and for a long time, she was too embarrassed to show up in front of Qi Heng!
Gu Tingye laughed heartily. Seeing Minglan trying to suppress her smugness, he couldn't help but bite her plump little earlobe. He grinned and said through gritted teeth, "You black-hearted little scoundrel!" Then he reached out to rub her ear. "What happened next? Did you get punished?"
Minglan nodded honestly. "Luckily, my fifth sister testified. My fourth sister and I were each punished to copy the book three hundred times. That was the sentence Dad used to scold me."
She had concealed some of the truth. How could Sheng Hong truly believe Rulan's words? Minglan had intended to ask Changbai to testify, but Qi Heng had rushed to Sheng Hong after class and explained the situation tactfully but clearly, stating that it was Molan who had deliberately bullied her sister first. Only then did Sheng Hong punish them both fairly. Thinking of this, her heart ached slightly.
Minglan realized early on that Qi Heng had actually seen through Molan's actions from a long time ago (Princess Pingning's education was very effective), but the upbringing he received since childhood allowed him to cover up all his sarcasm and dislike with an elegant and warm smile.
The funniest thing is that Molan has no idea about it and keeps pretending in front of the Qi family.
Minglan's smile was filled with an inexplicable pity. She put her arms around Gu Tingye's neck and whispered, "We live so close to the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion, but we don't go to pay our respects. Isn't that our fault? So, I have to go."
Gu Tingye's face remained sullen, and he nodded reluctantly. Minglan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've actually made some calculations. For example, with the Lu family, ever since Old Master Lu moved into the imperially granted residence, Mr. and Mrs. Lu have remained in the old house to look after the household. Because the journey is long, they visit their parents every five days to pay their respects. And with the Han family, while their parents are still alive, they've divided the family estates between their second and third sons, and the two daughters-in-law visit every two weeks to pay their respects... I've thought about it. We're living in separate residences, but we're so close, yet we're not blood relatives. So, we might as well learn the Lu family's customs."
Gu Tingye couldn't help laughing when he saw her calculating look on her face, and whispered, "I didn't want to ask you to get involved in that muddy water. I didn't think so much when I gave you the mansion..." There was a hint of apology in his tone.
"Don't worry! I'm not made of brittle porcelain." Minglan teased, looking very understanding. "As the saying goes, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. And rivers and lakes, there must be muddy waters."
Gu Tingye felt warm in his heart. He stroked Minglan's cheek and said softly, "Isn't this what old man Taishan said again?... Do you admire your father-in-law very much?" But he heard that Minglan was not Sheng Hong's most beloved daughter.
Minglan couldn't deny it. After a moment's thought, she said frankly, "Grandma always thinks Daddy is partial, but I think he's a good father. When I was a child, my sisters stole the jade pendant I gave him, and Daddy would at least give me a large gold locket as compensation. No matter how busy he was, he would always come to check on me every month..."
Especially when Minglan moved into Mucangzhai later, Sheng Hong would always ask Minglan if she was doing well, if she needed any clothes or anything else, if she was being served well, etc. - in front of Wang Shi, as a warning.
Born a bastard, Sheng Hong was well aware of the ways in which unruly servants could deceive their masters and lie to their superiors. He would never listen to Wang's words, "The children are all fine," and then leave everything alone. Whenever his children complained about a maidservant being negligent, they would replace her. Long before Yao Yiyi arrived, Wang and Concubine Lin had been engaged in several rounds of open and covert struggles. This allowed Concubine Lin to remove all the people Wang had placed around Changfeng and Molan and replace them with her own.
Of course, only Aunt Lin had the courage to do this, Aunt Xiang didn't dare to do it.
Under Sheng Hong's control, the illegitimate children of the Sheng family were able to grow up safely and healthily, and were treated relatively well. Although he was often partial, he was much better than those foolish and selfish men who only cared about giving birth but not raising children.
In this era, he is indeed a good father.
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan's nostalgic expression, his playful lips curled up in a smile. He hesitated for a moment, but still spoke: "My father...he, he was very strict with me. I was naughty since I was a child, and I got punished by him a lot."
Minglan was startled. It was the first time she heard him mention the deceased Marquis Gu. She whispered, "How is your father-in-law treating you?"
"...Is it good? It's hard to explain." Gu Tingye paused for a long moment before saying calmly, "The old man loves to torment and punish me. In the coldest days of winter, my eldest brother and third brother can stay in the house to keep warm, but I have to get up early every day to practice martial arts. But...among my brothers, I'm the only one who was taught martial arts by him personally. He taught me every move, step by step. But if I make even the slightest mistake, he'll beat me severely. I won't listen to anyone's advice."
"What about the eldest brother and third brother?" Minglan asked softly.
"My eldest brother is weak, needless to say, my third brother asked the guards in the outer courtyard to teach him."
Minglan felt that she couldn't go against her conscience, so she whispered, "Father-in-law is doing this for your own good. Well... is the Madam good to you?" In fact, Gu Tingye understood it very well, but he just couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.
"Excellent," Gu Tingye replied quickly, a hint of sarcasm curling his lips. "Every time my third brother and I argued over something, she always sided with me. No matter how much money I asked for, she never objected. Not only are the maids in my courtyard the most numerous, they are also the most beautiful. If I did something wrong, she would always be the first to come to my defense. Everyone in the Marquis's Mansion praises her for her kindness and generosity."
Minglan snorted inwardly: "Old tricks! Nothing new."
Gu Tingye chuckled sarcastically, "This is nothing new. Most people would have guessed it. I realized something was wrong when I grew up, but by then, the old man no longer believed me. Father and son would quarrel after just a few words. Later, Nanny Chang came to find me and told me about my biological mother..." He suddenly took a quick breath, a hint of resentment on his face, "That's when I really hated her! For so many years, the old man knew everything, but he said nothing, letting those shrewd slaves laugh at my biological mother's humble background behind my back! He let his fourth and fifth uncles always bring up my mother's family when they scolded me!"
"...You have reason to be angry." Minglan sighed.
Once the words were out of his mouth, it was easy to say them later. Gu Tingye said self-deprecatingly, "I was fooling around outside, and when the old man found out, he scolded me. I sneered at him and said, 'Without my mother's money, you wouldn't even be able to keep your title. This whole mansion is only as prosperous as my mother. Why are you putting on so much airs?' The old man was furious, and the whole family scolded me for being unfilial. However, this wasn't the only time I'd pissed him off."
Minglan rubbed his thick, coarse hair without saying a word.
"I didn't even see him for the last time." Gu Tingye stated quietly, resting his head on Minglan's chest, feeling the warmth and softness. "I didn't dare close my eyes for three days and three nights. I tired six horses to death, but still couldn't catch up."
His tone was calm, but Minglan felt a dull pain.
Human emotions may be the most troublesome thing in the world. Because of their illogicality, even the most sophisticated instruments are difficult to measure. Lord Gu may not love Bai, but he feels guilty towards his second son. However, he has the affection of Daqin in front and the decent reputation of his family behind, so he cannot make any obvious compensation.
Minglan wasn't a psychologist, so she didn't know what to say. She could only softly offer comfort, "My father-in-law has been gone for years, and I haven't had the chance to offer him a cup of tea. Why don't you tell me a little about him?"
Gu Tingye's eyes were blank for a moment, and after a long pause, he said, "...It was a snowy morning. I was about seven or eight years old. I was shivering with cold and really wanted to go back to bed to warm up, but the old man wouldn't give in. I waved the ash spear, cursing in my heart. The snow was heavy, falling down, piling up on the old man's head, eyebrows, and shoulders. Half of his body was white, but he still stared at my moves motionlessly. He said, you're different from your brothers. You have to rely on yourself."
Under the dim candlelight, a strange melancholy appeared on his handsome face.
Minglan could only sigh. They sat for a while. Minglan felt a little sleepy. When she was considering whether to leave him alone, Gu Tingye suddenly laughed softly. In the silence of the room, the laughter was quite creepy.
A fierce look appeared on his face, and his chuckle turned into a sneer: "Huh, why?!"
He turned to Minglan, his tone filled with sarcasm and coldness: "Why do I have to live on the edge of a knife? They are more valuable than me, so they can sit comfortably on their titles and wait for the blessing of their ancestors? The whole Gu family has relied on the wealth of the Bai family to live respectably until now, but why do I have to live with my tail between my legs? I am wandering around like a stray dog!"
Gu Tingye stood up suddenly, his thick and messy black hair scattered on his snow-blue satin robe, reflecting a shocking and bleak luster. His handsome face was hidden in the shadow of the candlelight. He stood upright in the middle, his whole body filled with a dangerous aura of gnashing hatred, like a ferocious beast ready to devour people.
He sneered, his voice as sharp as iron, and sternly declared, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor! If I had done as they wished, I would have lived in complete silence, and this debt would have naturally been forgiven. But now I've been forced to take the blame. This is Heaven telling me to settle this debt!"
Minglan huddled in the armchair, completely shrouded in the shadow of his towering figure, a wave of fear etched in her heart. She wanted to say, "Perhaps Heaven has other intentions, and you've misunderstood," but she dared not speak. She knew he wasn't after the title or the money, but simply had a proud and stubborn nature, and couldn't bear to accept this. Alas, how many people could remain indifferent to such injustice?
At this moment, Minglan suddenly had an idea in her mind. She raised her head abruptly and asked tentatively, "What are you going to do?"
Gu Tingye turned his head, his eyes clear and calm. He elegantly brushed the front of his robe and sat down diagonally on the couch, looking noble and calm. He even smiled gently: "Don't be afraid, my lady. I won't do anything."
Minglan sat there blankly, looking at the man in confusion, and suddenly felt relieved - people are complicated, she didn't know him very well, just as he didn't know himself very well.
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