Madam Kong's face looked very ugly. She sneered as she glanced at the four girls. Her eyes suddenly became sharp, and her cold and murderous gaze swept over them. The four girls couldn't help but shrink back and unconsciously became quiet. They stood aside respectfully, feeling a little uneasy.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was Molan's soft sobbing. She cried with a handkerchief in her hand, and stole a glance at Madam Kong, waiting for her to come and ask about her grievances. But Madam Kong ignored her completely and sat down in the main seat without saying a word. She asked the maid to bring four sets of writing brushes, inkstones, paper and inkstones and four copies of "Rules for Women", and spread them out in front of the four girls one by one.
The girls looked at each other in panic, twisting their handkerchiefs with their fingers. Madam Kong had a face as cold as ice, without a trace of a smile. She said coldly, "Fifty times each. If you can't finish copying, you don't need to come to study anymore."
Rulan was unconvinced and was about to open her mouth to argue when she was suddenly glared at by Madam Kong, who shrank back awkwardly. Hualan bit her lip, picked up her pen, and began copying. Minglan sighed and followed suit. Only Molan looked at Madam Kong in disbelief, her tears stopping as she stood there in a daze. Madam Kong didn't even glance at them, but picked up a scroll of Buddhist scriptures and began to read. Molan had no choice but to copy as well.
They copied until dusk. It was almost time for dinner, but Madam Kong still did not move. She asked the maid to light the lamp and told the girls to continue copying without saying a word. Minglan's arms were numb and her head was dizzy from copying. She looked up at her fellow prisoners. They all had sullen faces, especially the little girl Rulan, who kept stretching her neck to look outside.
Several maids and servants were waiting outside, sent from various places to fetch the young ladies for dinner. They had already quietly asked several times, and the girls, hungry and tired, looked up expectantly. But Madam Kong seemed to hear nothing, and simply sent a young maid out to say, "Class isn't over yet." The four girls all lowered their heads dejectedly, and Minglan secretly complained—she was innocent, so innocent! After a while, Madam Kong glanced at the copper clepsydra and instructed another maid, "Go and ask the master, the mistress, and Concubine Lin to come over."
At this moment, the four girls were all scared, knowing that things were going to get out of hand. Hualan was particularly uneasy, Molan also stole a glance at Madam Kong, Rulan was most afraid of Sheng Hong, and the brush in her hand began to tremble. Minglan continued to copy without stopping, but she was also secretly panicking. This scene was a bit like when she was a child and was kept back from class because of a mistake made by the teacher, and the teacher with a ferocious face was waiting for the parents to redeem her. Unexpectedly, after being reborn, Minglan enjoyed this kind of treatment again, and felt a sense of familiarity as if she had met an old friend in a foreign land.
Not long after, Sheng Hong and his wife, along with Concubine Lin, arrived. The four girls, swept by their father's stern gaze, all shrank back. Matron Kong stood up and offered the seat at the head of the table to Sheng Hong and Wang Shi. Sheng Hong declined first, then sat down with Wang Shi. Matron Kong took a seat on a large, sable-back chair nearby, and brought a low stool to Concubine Lin, who stood at the bottom. Concubine Lin bowed slightly, but didn't sit down, standing by. Minglan hadn't seen Concubine Lin for a long time since leaving Wang Shi's place. She was slender and graceful, dressed in a magnolia-green brocade gown embroidered with plum blossoms, elegant and beautiful. A white jade hairpin, dotted with kingfisher feathers, tinkled softly as she moved, a truly beautiful sight, surpassing even Wang Shi, who was surrounded by jewels and jade.
"You evil creatures, why don't you tell me what trouble you have caused?!" Sheng Hong knew at a glance that his daughters were in trouble, and shouted in a low voice, while looking at Madam Kong apologetically; Wang looked at her two daughters anxiously, but it was not convenient for her to say much, while Aunt Lin was calm and stood still with her head down, and none of the four girls dared to say a word.
Seeing that everyone was seated, Madam Kong waved her hand. The four maids beside her seemed to be well-trained and moved in an orderly and efficient manner. Two of them went out to keep the maids and servants outside a few meters away, and two of them closed the doors and windows of the main room of Weiruixuan, leaving only a few trusted servants inside the room to serve them.
After everything was arranged, Madam Kong smiled at Sheng Hong and said gently, "I'm sorry to bother you all today. Originally, this matter didn't need to disturb so many people, but since the old lady asked me to do it, I dared not delay and disturb the master and the mistress. Moreover, Miss Mo was raised in Madam Lin's room, so I disturbed Madam Lin as well."
Sheng Hong immediately bowed and said, "Madam, please tell me what you want to say. It must be these evil creatures who are causing trouble and making you angry." Then he glared at his daughters. The four girls huddled aside and dared not speak.
Madam Kong shook her head gently, saying softly, "I'm not angry, but the girls are getting older, and they need to distinguish right from wrong. Yan'er, come here and tell us everything that happened this afternoon." As she spoke, a little maid emerged from behind Madam Kong. She walked into the middle, bowed, and then recounted the afternoon's quarrel in detail. Though young, the maid spoke eloquently, her voice clear and crisp. She recounted everything the four girls had said during the quarrel, not omitting a single word or adding a single word. The Lans, overhearing, blushed in shame and fell silent.
After hearing this, Wang Shi felt that it was just a quarrel between two sisters, but Sheng Hong became angrier and angrier. When he finished, he slammed the table and shouted, "You evil creatures, kneel down!"
The girls were so frightened that they wanted to kneel down immediately, but were stopped by Madam Kong, who said, "It's cold, don't freeze your knees." Madam Kong asked the maid to take out four brocade and thick velvet cushions and put them side by side on the ground, then nodded her chin to indicate that they could kneel down now. The girls knelt down in a row. Minglan was a novice at kneeling and knelt crookedly, so Madam Kong kindly helped her correct her posture.
Sheng Hong slammed the table with a loud bang, his roar almost shaking the roof. Pointing at the girl kneeling below him, he said, "You evil creatures, you are so ignorant of etiquette and talk nonsense. You are no different from those vulgar country girls. How can you have the face to be the descendants of the Sheng family? Fortunately, you are girls. If you were sons, you would inevitably fight over the family property in the future. Wouldn't it be a quarrel between brothers immediately? Forget it, why not kill them now and be done with it!"
As he spoke, he went to get the family rules. Minglan had never seen them before, Rulan was ignorant and fearless, but Hualan and Molan were so frightened that they burst into tears. Wang Shi wanted to plead for mercy, but seeing Sheng Hong's rage, she twisted her handkerchief and dared not speak. She looked at Madam Kong and pleaded with her eyes. Madam Kong smiled and waved her hands, saying, "Master, don't be angry. It's not good to punish them blindly. They must know where they have gone wrong. I am honored to be the girls' foster nanny. If I may be more generous, I am also half their teacher. Why don't you let me ask them?"
Sheng Hong was furious and said apologetically to Madam Kong, "Madam, your cultivation and knowledge are first-class. You were able to question and discipline even the nobles in the palace. What's more, you can ask these evildoers as much as you want."
Madam Kong glanced at the four kneeling girls and said, "Do you realize you were wrong?" Several Lans immediately said they did. Madam Kong asked, "Then what was wrong?" The girls' faces changed. Some gritted their teeth, some wiped their tears, some sulked, and some stared blankly. Hua Lan bit her lip and spoke first, "My daughter was wrong. I shouldn't have scolded my sister. I didn't cause any trouble and made my father and mother angry and worried."
Wang Shi didn't know what to do, so she went to see Sheng Hong. Sheng Hong had a blank expression on his face. Madam Kong gave a slight smile and went to see Mo Lan. Mo Lan was shaking like a willow catkin in the wind, obviously frightened and sad. She choked up and said, "My daughter was wrong too. She shouldn't have talked back to her sister."
Madam Kong raised the corner of her mouth slightly, and then Rulan, feeling unwilling, said, "I shouldn't have quarreled with my sister."
Finally, it was Minglan's turn. She was so desperate that she wanted to cry but had no tears. She racked her brains but couldn't think of anything. After a long while, her face flushed red as she timidly said, "I, I... I really don't know."
Sheng Hong breathed a sigh of relief. He had just listened to the maid recount what had happened. Minglan was right no matter how he looked at her. She hadn't quarreled, started the fight, or fanned the flames. Instead, she had given some good advice, yet she was dragged down to her knees. Seeing the childish and pitiful appearance of the little girl, he felt a great deal of sympathy. He also glanced at Molan's sorrowful crying. Thinking of Hualan and Rulan's cold words, his anger rose again. Pointing at Hualan, he cursed, "You are the eldest sister, much older than them. I had hoped that you would look after the younger sister and set a good example. I didn't expect you to be so mean and don't like your younger sister at all. When you get married in the future, it will be a disgrace to our Sheng family!"
Hua Lan's heart burned with anger, her fingernails digging deep into her palms. She lowered her head stubbornly, refusing to acknowledge a single word. Sheng Hong pointed at Ru Lan and scolded her again, "You're so young, yet you still don't behave yourself. You dare to say all this nonsense. What do you mean by 'Who did you learn these despicable tactics from? You like to steal other people'? Mo Jie'er is your sister. How can a younger sister talk to her like that? Seeing your sister crying so hard, you didn't even give way. Didn't I tell you about 'Kong Rong giving away his pears'? You're so uneducated!"
Rulan had a quick temper to begin with, and upon hearing this, she immediately retorted, "Do we have to give her everything good first? Last year, my uncle sent someone to bring me a piece of top-quality seed jade to make a jade locket, but my fourth sister saw it and started crying, saying that since she had no real uncle, Daddy gave the jade to her! And that time, Daddy specially brought a square field yellow stone for my eldest brother to make a seal, but it was intercepted by my third brother on the way! Why does Daddy always tell us to give it to her? I won't accept it, I just won't accept it!"
Sheng Hong's arms trembled with anger, and he was about to hit Rulan, but Wang stopped him. She hugged Sheng Hong's arm and cried, begging, "Master, you are so biased. This time, the children made a mistake, and Nanny Kong treated them all equally, but you only scolded the two I gave birth to. Master hates me, so why don't I go and beg you now?"
For a moment, the room was in turmoil. Aunt Lin lowered her head and gently wiped away her tears. Molan was also crying heartbroken. Madam Kong glanced at them with a mocking look. Then she put down her teacup, stood up, and said to Sheng Hong with a smile, "Master, please don't be angry. This is not a big mistake. It's just that I am responsible for raising the children, so it is my duty to sort it out. It is my fault for making Master and his wife so angry today."
Sheng Hong shook his hands repeatedly: "Mammy, that's not true. It's all because of my poor management of the household that Mammy laughed at me. Fortunately, Mammy and the old lady are old friends, so she is like an elder to us...Okay, let Mammy speak."
Madam Kong stood at the head of the group and addressed the four girls loudly, "Most things in this world are inherently rational. I don't like saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back, as this might lead to miscommunication. Today, I'm going to make things clear in front of you, your parents. Just now, you all said you knew you were wrong, but I doubt that's the case. Let me ask you something."
The girls were silent, and Madam Kong continued, "Okay, let's start with the cause. Fourth Miss, please raise your head. I want to ask you, Fifth Miss said that you always try to take the lead over the eldest lady and even make her a burden. Do you admit it?"
Molan's eyes were filled with tears, and she said sadly, "It's all my fault. I thought since Madam Kong rarely came, I wanted to learn more, to bring honor to Dad and to bring glory to the family. I didn't expect to upset my sisters. It's all my fault..."
Sheng Hong felt reluctant when he heard this. Thinking of Wang's previous complaints, he looked at Hua Lan again with dissatisfaction.
Hualan was filled with hatred and could hardly hold back, rushing forward to pinch her clever sister. Wang Shi almost gnashed her teeth. Madam Kong laughed softly and said, "Fourth Miss, you are clever and tactful, and you speak and act with care. But I still want to advise you today: don't rely on your cleverness to treat others as fools. You must know that cleverness can backfire."
As soon as these words were spoken, Molan stopped crying immediately, opened her eyes wide, looked at Madam Kong in disbelief, and then looked at Sheng Hong with grievance. Sheng Hong was also a little confused.
Madam Kong continued as if nothing had happened, "You made two mistakes. One was your words. When you argued with your sisters, you shouldn't have kept referring to the illegitimate and legitimate children. Although I'm not a good family, Fourth Miss, tell me honestly how Master Sheng treats you. You started throwing a tantrum over a single disagreement. Is this the behavior of a young lady from a wealthy family?"
Molan sobbed softly. Aunt Lin could no longer sit still. She moved her body slightly and looked at Sheng Hong pleadingly. But Sheng Hong didn't look at her. He seemed to be persuaded by Madam Kong and kept listening carefully.
Madam Kong said, "Secondly, you have bad intentions. You keep saying you want to learn and bring honor to your family. But are you the only girl in the Sheng Mansion? Is it only when you bring honor that the Sheng Mansion can be considered glorious? What about your sisters? Don't they need to learn to bring honor? Not to mention that I originally came here for your eldest sister, don't you think about how many days your eldest sister can spend with you? In a few months, she will be married off, and she is marrying into an earl's mansion. Learning etiquette is the most important thing. Even if you don't think about the humility between sisters, you should think about your eldest sister's urgent needs. I heard that Concubine Lin was also from an official family. Didn't she teach you that even if you don't distinguish between seniority and illegitimate children, you still have to prioritize?"
Sheng Hong was a sensible man, but because he felt particularly sorry for Aunt Lin, his heart was somewhat inclined towards Molan. When he heard what Madam Kong said, his heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself: That's right, it seems that Molan is narrow-minded and selfish; his eyes looked at Molan and Aunt Lin with a complicated look; Minglan knelt on the ground and glanced at Aunt Lin, only to see her slender hands tightly grasping the handkerchief, with blue veins bulging on the back of her hands.
Madam Kong continued, "Fourth Miss, I know you've always been outstanding, but everyone has their own destiny. While it may seem like the eldest sister was the one who started today's incident, you actually had a lot to do with it. For the past ten days, you've been so competitive and eager to take the lead. Whenever you're not satisfied, you cry and blame yourself for being born out of wedlock. Do you think of your sisterly love or your father's kindness in this way?"
The series of questions sounded gentle, but they hit the nail on the head. Molan was speechless, tears still on her face, and she was tongue-tied and unable to utter a word. She looked at Sheng Hong looking at her with displeasure and accusation. She turned to look at Aunt Lin and saw that she was also shocked and angry, but could not speak to help. Molan felt cold in her heart, and she collapsed on the ground, wiping her tears gently.
Madam Kong turned around, bowed to Sheng Hong, and said gently, "Just now, Master said that the old lady and I are old friends. I am shamelessly saying a few words today. In a family with many children, parents must treat all of them equally to ensure peace in the home. Although sisters should be humble and yield to each other, it is unreasonable to ask one to give way today and the other to give way tomorrow. Over time, some resentment will inevitably arise between father and daughter. Master, don't you agree?"
She was old in stature, but her voice was gentle and pleasant, and she spoke in an orderly manner. People who listened to her could not help but be convinced and naturally felt the same way. Sheng Hong thought of his past actions. It was okay for his daughters, but if his sons also had resentment among themselves, the Sheng family would not last long. What's more, the legitimate wife has her own way of living, and the concubine has her own way of living. He was always kind to Aunt Lin's family, and he was afraid that trouble would come. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, and bowed repeatedly to Madam Kong.
At this time, the stubborn Hualan couldn't hold back her tears, Wang wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and the mother and daughter looked at Madam Kong with great gratitude; Minglan's eyes lit up when she heard it, and she admired Madam Kong very much, it was so sharp and straightforward, it was really refreshing!
After talking to Molan, Madam Kong turned to Hualan. Hualan had calmed down now and felt more relaxed. She knelt straight and looked at Madam Kong submissively, waiting for her lecture.
Madam Kong said sternly, "Big sister, you are the eldest daughter of the Sheng family. You are naturally more respectable than your younger sisters. The master, his wife, and the old lady also dote on you the most. As time goes by, you have become arrogant and spoiled. When you are dissatisfied, you scold your younger sisters bluntly, and no one has ever said anything to you. What's more, you have been holding back your anger for the past ten days."
Hualan nodded with difficulty. Madam Kong looked at her and said earnestly, "Sister, I'm sorry to say something unpleasant. I'm a precious guest, and I'm pampered at home. But once I become someone's daughter-in-law, everything will change. You have to serve your parents-in-law respectfully, be careful and considerate to your husband, and be attentive and polite to your sisters-in-law. You can't offend anyone in your husband's family easily. If one thing goes wrong, it will all be your fault, and you won't even be able to argue! Even if your fourth sister is wrong, you shouldn't be so cold and hurtful. As the eldest sister, you should come up with a proper way to let your sister know her mistake without hurting the sisterly harmony."
Hua Lan couldn't help but say, "Fourth sister never listens to me. She won't listen to anything I say. Madam, what do you think we should do?"
Madam Kong said coldly, "That's your own ability. You can't even manage your own sisters today, and if you get involved someday, you'll have to deal with your parents-in-law to the east, your sisters-in-law to the west, your uncles and cousins to the north, the housekeeper to the south, a whole room full of strangers separated by blood and mountains and rivers. How are you going to handle this? Do you think you're going to ask your parents to back you up?"
Hualan was stunned and lost in thought after hearing this, but Wang was an experienced person and knew that these were thoughtful words from Madam Kong. She thanked her repeatedly, "Madam, these are really heartfelt words. My Huaer will definitely remember these heartfelt words. Huaer, why don't you thank Madam?" Hualan was stunned and was forced by Liu Kun's wife next to her to kowtow to Madam Kong.
Seeing that Madam Kong had subdued her two sisters with just a few words, Rulan had already lowered her head obediently. Madam Kong glanced at her, without a trace of anger, and scolded her, "Fifth Miss is really arrogant today. Originally, your two sisters just had a few words and it would have been fine if it was just brushed off, but you were afraid that the matter would not get out of hand. Instead of trying to persuade them, you jumped up and down, fanning the flames. Although you are young, you shouldn't be so outspoken and say whatever you want. Just now, your father said a few words to you, and even if there were some unpleasant things to hear, you shouldn't be so disobedient and talk back. In my opinion, you should be punished more severely than your sisters!"
Rulan was about to cry out in injustice when Sheng Hong's fierce eyes immediately came towards her. She shrank her head and kowtowed repeatedly to admit her fault: "I was wrong, I was wrong. Father, please forgive me. I won't say nonsense again!"
Seeing Rulan give in, Sheng Hong felt a little relieved. He had always known that his daughter was simple-minded but unruly. Now that she had behaved herself, he was no longer angry.
Finally, Madam Kong's gaze stopped at Minglan. Minglan's forehead tightened, and she quickly knelt down obediently and raised her head bravely. Madam Kong looked into Minglan's clear eyes and said, "You must feel that you have done nothing wrong and should not be implicated, right?"
Minglan hesitated, then nodded firmly. Madam Kong said calmly, "Today I'm going to tell you a truth. Brothers and sisters in a family are of the same blood and share the same fate. Even if you're not wrong, but your three sisters are all wrong, you're still wrong. So later I'm going to punish you as well. Do you accept this?"
Minglan's mouth dropped open. Suddenly, she saw the maids beside Madam Kong approaching with several rulers. She nearly fainted. This, this, this is a blatant case of collective punishment?! "Oh my God, what's this?" she asked. "But this is ancient times, I have no choice but to accept it." Minglan nodded with a mournful face.
Sheng Hong, however, felt sorry for Minglan and couldn't help but plead for her: "Mammy, Ming'er didn't do anything wrong. Besides, she's the youngest and weakest. Why not just give her a few words of reprimand? She's always been obedient and sensible, and she'll definitely remember it next time."
Unexpectedly, Madam Kong was ruthless and shook her head, saying, "No, if we only let her go, wouldn't that encourage the brothers and sisters to stay out of trouble next time? What will happen if they all sit on the sidelines and watch the brothers and sisters get into trouble in the future? We must punish them. Minglan's beating today is to make all the sisters understand what it means to be a family!"
Minglan wailed in her heart: Why did she have to be beaten with a stick to explain this problem to everyone?
Madam Kong took a few steps forward and said quietly, "I never intervened when you sisters quarreled. I've been playing dumb for over ten days, simply because I figured you were sisters after all and would eventually reconcile. So I waited for you to resolve the issue. I never imagined your quarrels were no different from those of poor families fighting over fruit and clothes. You young ladies have absolutely no magnanimity, and I'm deeply disappointed. You know, for a family to thrive, it must rely on the concerted efforts of brothers and sisters. Many great families often fall from within. I hope you sisters will take this into consideration."
Sheng Hong nodded repeatedly after listening to it, thinking it made a lot of sense. He hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself if he entered the capital in the future. Nanny Kong's advice today was really valuable, and even he benefited from it, since he came from the palace after all.
Madam Kong made her final ruling: "I will now punish each of you with ten smacks on your hands. Go back and copy the fifty copies of 'Rules for Women'. Anyone who hasn't finished by tomorrow will not be allowed to see me!"
As he spoke, he lifted up the ruler from the tray and shook it. The ruler was made of old bamboo, and was flexible and strong. It shone with a light red luster under the dim light. It made a whirring sound when it was waved, and just the sound was enough to scare people. Rulan softened a little and begged to pull Wang's dress. Molan began to cry again, Hualan stubbornly held her neck and bit her lip, and Minglan was in a daze.
Madam Kong took a deep breath, her eyes swept over the few people in the room, and then she said, "But you are all young ladies after all. After you are punished today, this matter does not need to be spread outside, and it will also preserve the reputation of the young ladies."
As she said this, she asked four maids to each hold a ruler and stand beside the young ladies. Wang felt a little reluctant when she saw the rulers. She was about to plead for mercy when she suddenly heard a gentle voice - "Madam, please wait."
Everyone turned around to see, and it turned out to be Aunt Lin.
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