That night, Minglan served at the bedside, wiping the body, inducing vomiting, and even cleaning up the filth, helping without hesitation. Mother Fang was crying beside her. Doctor Lin was moved when he saw this - it was rare to have a lady of this rank - and his uneasy mood calmed down a little.
Last night, Imperial Physician Lin had just finished inspecting the kitchen when he was startled to discover two men, both menacing and burly, standing at the entrance of Shou'an Hall, answering questions. His heart raced with fear. In their line of work, especially those at the Imperial Hospital, they were constantly exposed to the secrets of powerful officials. Therefore, whenever they worshipped Medicine Buddha, besides praying for advancement in their medical skills and the cure of illnesses, they also had to be cautious and refrain from asking too many questions, speaking with restraint, and acting with care—lest they become embroiled in the consequences.
After changing into the clean clothes brought by the boy, Fang Mama politely asked Doctor Lin to go to the side room to rest for a while, while Minglan rested for a while in her clothes on the recliner in the old lady's room. At the beginning of the afternoon, when it was still dark, Minglan woke up slowly and heard a quarrel outside the room.
"...What does Sixth Aunt mean? She doesn't even let me in or out, and she even dares to hit me... The Master has to go to court..."
Minglan smiled slightly, stood up, and let Luzhi change her clothes. After combing her hair, she walked out calmly. The one arguing with Fang Mama was Qian Mama, Wang's wife. When she saw Minglan, she immediately said, "...Oh, Sixth Aunt, there were some scary villains here last night..."
Minglan waved her hand as if to tell her to speak softly, then said, "No need to say anything, I'll go with you to see the mistress and the master." With that, she strode out, and Luzhi followed closely behind her with a small bundle. Mother Qian was stunned for a moment, then hurried to catch up.
Along the way, Mother Qian kept chattering: "...The Madam was very angry. She was going to come and question the aunt in person, but I persuaded her not to. The Master asked me to come and invite you, saying that it would not disturb the old lady..." Minglan said nothing and just walked straight forward. Seeing that her face was slightly frosty, Mother Qian stopped talking awkwardly.
Arriving at the main courtyard where Wang lived, Minglan asked Mama Qian to stay outside while she went in. When Wang saw her, she impatiently scolded her, "You damned girl! What's wrong with you? You actually ordered people to surround the house and not allow anyone to enter or leave! And you even beat people if they refused..."
Sheng Hong, wearing his official uniform, paced back and forth in the room in annoyance: "What on earth are you thinking about? If this gets out, how will our family survive in the future..." Being surrounded by his own daughter in his house was truly an unprecedented event.
Minglan actually found it a little amusing. No matter what, this was always what her father worried about the most. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, Daddy. I've had the guards block the door from the inside. With the door tightly shut, how could anyone outside know what's going on inside?"
Sheng Hong was so anxious that he felt dizzy and his thoughts were distracted for a moment.
Minglan said, "Besides, didn't Daddy say yesterday that it wouldn't be a problem to take a day off?"
Sheng Hong was so caught up in his own words that he forgot to ask anything else.
Wang stood up and said angrily, "Master still has to go to court!"
Minglan took a few steps closer. "Don't worry, Daddy. I just sent someone to ask for leave. They said an elder in the family is seriously ill, and Daddy is deeply worried, so he's staying home to take care of Grandmother. Daddy has always been diligent and has never taken a single day off. If this gets out, people will only say that Daddy is extremely filial and kind in his care for Mother, which will greatly benefit Daddy's official reputation."
Sheng Hong wiped the sweat from his forehead and found that his daughter's words made sense. The old lady was indeed ill, and there was nothing important recently. Why not take a leave and be a filial son?
Seeing that Minglan had not paid any attention to her, Wang Shi became even more furious. "You have locked up our entire family. What exactly do you want to do?" Sheng Hong slowly took off his official hat and placed it upright on the table. "Tell me about it?"
"It's nothing serious, but I'm just worried that someone might leak the information." Minglan still smiled elegantly.
Sheng Hong frowned and asked, "What do you mean by tipping off?"
"Poisoned." Minglan put away her smile and looked straight at Wang.
Wang's heart skipped a beat and she slowly sat down, holding onto the edge of the table.
Sheng Hong was completely bewildered and whispered, "What the hell are you talking about!" Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized what was going on and was horrified. "You mean the old lady..." Minglan nodded. Sheng Hong's heart was shaken, and he stumbled to his seat. After gathering his composure, he shouted, "Don't talk nonsense! We're all family here, how could we..."
Minglan pointed to the long table at the top, and Luzhi immediately placed a small bundle on it and gently untied it. Inside was a blue and white porcelain lotus plate filled with several golden and fragrant snacks.
When Wang saw this, her face turned pale. Sheng Hong pointed at the plate and said tremblingly: "This is the old lady's... Could it be... arsenic?" This is the most popular poison on the market today.
"It's not arsenic," Minglan said.
Wang stroked her chest, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with one hand, relaxed her shoulders and said casually: "I knew it, it's obviously just..." She was shocked and quickly stopped talking.
Minglan said coldly, "Just what? Does the Madam know the inside story?"
Sheng Hong also stared at his wife in shock. Wang stammered, "Mingming... Mingming is just sick."
Minglan smiled coldly, "This little bit of secret stuff may not be arsenic, but it can be fatal." She said to Sheng Hong, "Dad, do you know that ginkgo sprouts are poisonous?"
Sheng Hong nodded. "Of course. Everyone knows this. It's only those ignorant children who are greedy that are prone to poisoning."
Minglan said, "Someone refined ginkgo bud juice to a very high concentration and then injected it into the filling of this pastry. I asked Fang Mama, and she always ate two pieces of the pastry while it was still hot. Doctor Lin said that if she had eaten two, she would be in the underworld by now. But luckily, it's been hot lately, and she can't tolerate anything sweet, so she only ate one piece, which is how she survived."
Sheng Hong's vest was soaked with cold sweat, and the collar was already wet.
"The funniest thing is, yesterday at noon someone around Madam went to Shou'an Hall to ask for the leftover dim sum, saying my eldest niece was clamoring for some. Luckily, Madam Fang saw that the old lady didn't eat much, so she saved some for her in case she came back craving more. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect arrangement." Minglan stared at Wang, carefully observing her expression. "Whoever poisoned her was truly a very careful and meticulous person."
Wang was panicking. Seeing the father and daughter staring at her, she shouted, "Why are you looking at me?!"
Minglan asked, "Weren't these snacks sent by Madam? How many people praised Madam when a filial daughter-in-law bought snacks for her mother-in-law?"
Sheng Hong was furious, and regardless of his daughter's presence, he shouted angrily, "Tell me! What did you do?"
Wang gritted her teeth and decided to remain single. "It's not that easy to convict me based on just a few snacks. How can I know that it's not the servants around the old lady who have evil intentions and are plotting against her?"
Sheng Hong cursed: "Fool, idiot! The people of Shou'an Hall have been with the old lady for decades, why would they kill her!"
Wang held her neck high and retorted, "Who knows if the old lady is sweet-faced but bitter-hearted, secretly mistreating the servants? Or maybe that Imperial Doctor Lin made a random diagnosis, and since he couldn't cure the disease himself, he just spoke nonsense out of anger?!"
Sheng Hong was so angry that he was speechless when he saw her face full of nonsense. Minglan didn't care at all and smiled, "It's okay. We can call a few more doctors to see if the old lady is poisoned or sick."
"This won't do!" Sheng Hong said anxiously, "This is a family scandal. You were too reckless to ask Doctor Lin last night. If word gets out, how can our family maintain its dignity? How can we let anyone else know now?"
Minglan wasn't surprised by her father's reaction. "Don't worry, Daddy. Doctor Lin is someone my Lord trusts. He knows a lot, and he's very tight-lipped. As for hiring another doctor...it's because Madam doesn't trust Doctor Lin."
After saying that, he spread his hands.
Sheng Hong was so angry that he fell backwards and stomped his feet at Wang: "You...you still don't admit your mistake...!"
Wang's heart was filled with anger. She said unreasonably, "The old lady is old and has become more greedy. She ate sprouted ginkgo nuts and is not feeling well. Yet, you are wrongly accusing me of this with a few cakes! I tell you, I must die before I can admit it!" After a moment's thought, she added proudly, "Do you think there is no one in my family?"
When Sheng Hong thought that the Wang family was nearby, his voice suddenly became hoarse.
Minglan covered her mouth with her sleeves, laughing until her eyes filled with tears: "I'm afraid Madam doesn't know. This ginkgo bud juice, if only a little is not a big deal, but if you eat the raw sprouts of ginkgo nuts until you pass out, you'd have to eat at least a sack or two! But..."
She wiped away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. "Madam, there's no need to commit suicide. If you feel that Master and I are being unfair, why don't we go to court and ask the magistrate to try you? That would be all right, wouldn't it?"
When these words came out, Sheng Hong and Wang were both shocked. Wang scolded, "You damn girl! You have no shame, but the Sheng family still has some respect!" Sheng Hong jumped up and roared, "How dare you!"
Minglan stood in the middle and said indifferently, "If Master doesn't want to make a big deal out of this, please persuade Madam. Otherwise, I'll file a complaint with the authorities. Otherwise, Master can have the servants in the Qi Mansion and my guards have a fierce fight, hide the evidence and the old lady, and leave me with nothing to complain about."
Sheng Hong was so anxious that he stamped his feet. If a fight really broke out in his own home and the neighbors found out, he would never be able to face anyone.
"Good boy. You want to vent the old lady's anger, and I understand your intentions." He could only persuade her gently, "But we are all family, why do we have to make a big fuss? Let's close the door and investigate slowly."
"Family?" Minglan blinked. "If Daddy hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. In this mansion, everyone is flesh and blood, a close relative." With a ticking sound, a tear fell onto her sleeve. "Daddy and I are father and daughter, and my brothers and sisters are siblings. Madam and her sisters-in-law gave birth to the Sheng family's children. Our whole family is flesh and blood—except for the old lady."
Unconsciously, hot tears welled up in her eyes. Minglan repeated, "Except for the old lady. She has no blood relatives, father, big brother, big sister, and the rest of us. She doesn't have a single bloodline left. I think the person who poisoned her had anticipated this. Madam has her family to help her, but the old lady cut ties with her family long ago! Yes, our family is doing well now, why should we make such a fuss over such a small matter?!"
Sheng Hong saw the obvious sarcasm on his daughter's lips, his temples twitching violently. He reached out and slapped Minglan. Minglan took the blow head-on, her cheek burning. She gasped in pain, but she still refused to give in. She stroked her face and sneered, "Master, I dispatched people to block the mansion tightly last night. Why do you think that was?!"
Sheng Hong put his hand away and said grimly, "If you insist on doing this, you'd better think about the consequences!"
"I've figured it out a long time ago," Minglan said, her voice filled with indignation. "Father has always been a conciliatory person. For the sake of our families' reputation, this matter will inevitably be resolved into a small one. I can agree to other matters, but not this one!"
Sheng Hong sneered repeatedly: "Who would have thought that I gave birth to a capable daughter who is so disobedient to her father? I don't have a daughter like you!"
Minglan couldn't hold back her tears. "I know. After this, my father might not want to recognize me anymore. My elder brother and I will have a rift. My elder sister will no longer pay attention to me, not to mention my elder sister-in-law and my fifth sister. Even the Marquis will probably blame me for being ignorant. I have offended everyone. I will no longer have my family to rely on in the future. Let me make something clear today—"
She steeled her heart and croaked, "To seek justice for my grandmother. I can give up my father, brothers, sisters, and even my current comfortable life of wealth and honor!"
Having said this, Minglan threw everything on the table. "There are only two options," she said proudly. "Either, Madam, tell me everything; or I go to the Shuntian prefecture and beat the drum to protest my grievances. Master, please decide."
Sheng Hong was so angry that he was shaking all over, his hands and feet were cold, and he glared at his daughter with anger, but things had come to this point, so he could only settle for the next best thing. He turned around and glared at Wang, "It has come to this, and I don't care about my face anymore. If you still insist, I will have no choice but to write you a letter of divorce. The worst that can happen is that I will offend the Wang family and we will have no contact from now on." It would be fine if this matter could be covered up, but if it was exposed, it would be a big deal; at least he would be demoted, at worst he would lose his job, or even be sued.
Wang was also frightened.
In the past decade or so, Minglan had always been clever, well-behaved, knowledgeable, and understanding, knowing when to quit and never giving anyone a hard time. But today, she was like a madman, refusing to let go, even daring to go against her biological father and speak so recklessly. She shook her finger and said, "How dare you... How dare you disobey your elders..."
"When this matter is settled, Madam, feel free to sue me for disobedience," Minglan said calmly, "assuming Madam is still alright by then."
Wang choked and turned to look at Sheng Hong, pleading in her eyes, "Master..."
Sheng Hong didn't bother to pay attention to her. He pointed at the green branch behind Minglan and said, "Go get some pen and ink. I'll write the divorce letter right away."
Wang was dumbfounded, covering her face and crying, "Why is my life so miserable? I have endured such a long time in the Sheng family..."
Sheng Hong turned around and sneered, "You foolish woman! Don't you see the situation? There's the old lady's diagnosis from the imperial physician, there's this poisoned cake, and you bought it—with these three things, this girl has your life in her hands."
There was both human and material evidence, and a lot of outsiders knew about the discord between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, which formed a complete chain of evidence. If it really came to court, Wang would be doomed, and it would be right for me to cut ties with her as soon as possible.
He added, "You killed my mother-in-law. Even if you tell the truth, I won't divorce you!"
Wang was stunned and stopped crying for a while. At this time, a soft cry came from the side - "Madam!"
Everyone turned around and saw Liu Kunjia lifting the bamboo curtain of the side room, walking in with his head lowered, and kneeling gently in front of Wang. "Madam, things have come to this point. Don't be stubborn. If you don't tell the truth, Brother Bo and his two sisters will be implicated!"
She raised her head and stared at Wang: "If something happens to you, how will the two sisters find a place in their husband's family in the future? And the eldest young master, he has a good career now!"
Wang shuddered. If she were divorced, how would her two daughters live? And her son...
Minglan looked at Liu Kun's family and sneered softly, "I forgot about you, Mother Liu. How could such an important matter be without you?"
Liu Kunjia knelt and turned to Minglan: "Back then, the old lady ordered that the concubines of the Kang family should not come to our house again. Although I, as a servant, dared not say anything, I also felt that it was absolutely right. I originally came from the Wang family, but today I have to say that the concubines are becoming more and more unruly. Unfortunately, our mistress is soft-hearted and can't stand being gossiped about, so she easily makes mistakes. I have often advised her not to associate with the concubines, but she always refuses to listen, thinking of the sisterly relationship. Whenever she speaks to the concubines, she always sends me away."
"So, Mother Liu knows nothing about this?" Minglan's legs felt weak from standing, and she slowly walked to the chair and sat down.
Liu Kunjia said, "I don't know the truth, but after hearing what my aunt said just now, I can guess about half of it." She looked up at Minglan, "My aunt is also suspicious, so she keeps asking Madam to tell the truth. Otherwise, based on the doctor's words and this plate of snacks, my aunt would have had a fit last night. She's already discussing with Master how to punish Madam."
Minglan felt a little admiration: "Madam Wang sent you here with such good intentions."
Liu Kunjia kowtowed again and said respectfully, "I don't know anything about the ginkgo bud juice or the concentrated extract that Auntie was talking about. I've served Madam since I was a child, and I know Madam's temperament very well. Although she can be a little impatient, she's an honest person. She would never have thought of such a sinister and calculating method."
Seeing his daughter's demeanor soften, Sheng Hong stopped rushing to write the divorce letter and sat there, fuming. He nodded in agreement. His wife couldn't even read. Even if she knew ginkgo buds were poisonous, how could she know their juice could be refined into a concentrated concentrate? Only someone who could read and write could come up with this advanced technology. A thought struck him, and considering Liu Kun's family, he already had someone in mind.
Liu Kun's wife turned back, took Wang's hand, and softly comforted her, "Madam, please just say it. If not for others, then for your brothers and sisters."
Wang couldn't help crying, "It's... it's my sister... she said that the old lady treated me very harshly, scolding and punishing me at every turn. Now even my daughter-in-law can step on my face. I really live a miserable life. But... but the old lady is in good health. I don't know how long I can survive, so, so..."
"So you sisters are teaming up to poison the old lady?!" Sheng Hong was also angry.
"No, no!" Wang waved her hands quickly and cried even louder. "... She said that as long as the old lady is weaker and often bedridden, she won't have the energy to take care of anything. Then I will be the one who makes the decisions at home..."
"Stupid!" Sheng Hong cursed in frustration. He had just had an argument with his daughter and was so angry that he didn't have time to think too much. He always thought that there was something else wrong. He didn't expect that it was really Wang who had evil intentions.
Wang cried even harder: "Sister said that the snack was nothing serious. Didn't the imperial physician say last night that the old lady's condition was stable? How could I know..."
Liu Kun's wife said, "Madam, you are so confused! Don't you think about it? Quan Ge'er is being raised by the old lady. If the old lady suddenly gets angry and breaks off a piece of dessert for the child to taste, wouldn't that be terrible?!"
Wang suddenly came to her senses, tears streaming down her face: "...Oh my God... How dare she?"
"He's the madam's grandson, not the concubine's. How could she care about it? Even if something happened to Quan'er, could the madam confront her? Only the concubine can control you." Liu Kunjia shook her head repeatedly.
Sheng Hong also thought of a deeper level - after the old lady passed away, Wang would take full control of the Sheng Mansion's affairs, and Aunt Kang would hold this handle and threaten Wang from time to time, whether it was people or money, and she was afraid that Wang would have to agree to anything.
He gnashed his teeth and said angrily, "This bitch! I have treated the Kang family well, and she actually dared to plot against my family like this!"
Wang hugged Liu Kun's arm and cried, Sheng Hong slapped his thigh in anger, Luzhi had already brought writing brushes, ink and another pot of new tea. Minglan stood up and paced slowly in the room, thinking: the concubine of the Kang family entered the palace as a concubine, the Wang family is back, the upright and strong Changsun Changbai has not come back yet, and she and Gu Tingye have quarreled again (Aunt Kang thinks so) - is there a better time than now?
Ginkgo sprout juice is not arsenic-like poison, and it cannot be detected by silver needles. As long as the old lady dies and her body becomes stiff, symptoms such as twitching hands and feet, diarrhea, and vomiting will not be found. At that time, she and Wang will take control of everything, search for the remaining materials and then destroy them. Even if she has doubts, there will be no evidence. Even if something goes wrong, all the suspicions will fall on Wang, and Aunt Kang can get away with it by just saying it to herself. Minglan sneered in her heart: What a vicious and cold-hearted woman!
After a while, there was a commotion outside. Everyone turned to see a ferocious-looking man pushing a disheveled old woman in. He stood on the porch, followed by Xiao Tao. As soon as she entered, she shouted, "Madam, Madam Qian just slipped some money to the servant boy and told him to slip out through the dog hole!"
Minglan nodded slightly towards the big man, "Master Tu, thank you for your hard work."
Wang was shaking violently when she saw Tu Hu's horrifying face; Sheng Hong was lucky, because he knew that his son-in-law had many people from the underworld to guard his house, and the Tu brothers were two of the leaders.
He said to Mother Qian, who was kneeling on the ground, "What are you going out for?"
Mother Qian's face was covered in mud and she cried bitterly, "Master, I'm innocent! I had an emergency at home, so I sent people back!"
Sheng Hong asked, "What's going on at home?"
"...My eighty-year-old mother is sick..." Mother Qian burst into tears.
Xiao Tao immediately pointed out the mistake: "Your mother passed away a long time ago! I even gave her a gift of money that year."
"Yes...it's my godmother, she's not in good health..." Mother Qian continued to argue.
Luzhi said quickly, "Just now when I went to get pen and ink, I saw her constantly looking into the room and eavesdropping." In fact, all the daughters-in-law and old women in Wang's room had this habit. She didn't care at first, but no one else wanted to go out and report the news.
Sheng Hong was furious: "You little dog slave! Tell the truth!"
Mother Qian lay on the ground, crying and wailing, saying that she was innocent.
Sheng Hong couldn't find out the answer for a while, and was afraid that the matter would be leaked, so he didn't dare to ask the servants to beat him.
Minglan frowned. "I don't have the time for that." She nodded slightly toward the door. "Thank you, Master Tu."
Tu Hu laughed proudly and said, "How difficult is that?"
He strode into the house, tore off a hand towel from his waist, pinched Mother Qian's jaw and stuffed it into her mouth, then pressed his left knee against her back, clasped her shoulders with his left hand, and pinched her with his right hand. I don't know how he exerted force with his hands, but there was a heavy sound of bones breaking, and Mother Qian screamed like a pig being slaughtered, but her mouth was blocked and she couldn't scream loudly.
Everyone looked and saw that her right pinky finger was bent in a strange position, the base of the finger pressed back, almost touching the back of her hand, while the tip was bent outward at more than 90 degrees. Wang stared at the finger, trembling with fear, her mind wandering like an idiot. Liu Kun's wife also looked unhappy. Sheng Hong's face was sullen and he said nothing.
Mother Qian's face flushed purple from the pain, her eyes rolled back, and she half fainted. Xiao Tao quickly poured out the bowl of tea that Lu Zhi had just brought and splashed it on Mother Qian's face. Although most TV shows use cold or ice water to wake prisoners, hot tea has proven to be just as effective. Mother Qian slowly regained consciousness, only to see Tu Hu's howling face.
The man said grimly, "If you say another word of nonsense, we'll do it again. You have ten fingers anyway." Mother Qian was so scared that she almost fainted and nodded quickly.
Tu Hu loosened his arm, took away the sweat towel, then stepped out and stood outside the door again. After all, considering that this was Marquis Gu's wife's family, he did not use any brutal force and no blood was shed, otherwise he would have probably scared a few people to death.
Minglan stared at Mother Qian coldly: "Speak."
This time, Mother Qian was spilling the beans. She covered her fingers with her hands and trembled as she spoke, "... Madam Kang gave me some silver and told me to tell her about things in the mansion. Yesterday, she gave me quite a bit more and told me to keep a close eye on it. When the old lady fell ill, I was to report to her immediately if there was any sign of trouble..."
Minglan smiled and turned around and said, "Dad, now you know why I want to close the mansion."
Sheng Hong was furious. If Minglan hadn't pretended to be angry last night, first to get everyone away and then investigate, but had just exploded on the spot, then the traitor within the family would have been in collusion with the outsiders.
Minglan asked Tu Hu to drag Qian Mama away. Looking at the sky which was gradually turning blue and bright, she said to herself, "Let Aunt Kang think that everything is peaceful at home." - It was just the right time.
She turned to Liu Kun's family and said, "Mother Liu, get up quickly. I'm afraid this will be hard for you."
Liu Kunjia stood up and said with a stiff upper lip, "Please give your instructions, Sixth Aunt."
Minglan's expression was particularly pleasant. "For so many years, you've often advised Madam not to be foolish. I knew you were a good person. Now that something so serious has happened, Madam is deeply implicated. I can only trouble you to go to the Kang family and invite the concubine to come. Then we can sit down and talk it over. Perhaps everything will become clear."
Liu Kun's wife was confused: "Go and invite the concubine?" At this moment, the sixth aunt wanted to skin Aunt Kang alive, so why should she invite anyone?
Minglan nodded. "You have to act panicked and say that the old lady has been struggling all night and is finally dying. The mistress is timid and has been terrified all night, so she came to ask the concubine to come over at dawn. Ask her to at least give her sister some courage, give her some advice, or lend a hand."
Liu Kunjia understood and said with a chill in her heart, "Will this... concubine be willing to come...?"
Minglan smiled meaningfully. "Why doesn't she want to come? If she asks if Madam has informed the aunts, just tell her that you did tell her first. The aunts have their own husbands, so we'll go and invite them after daybreak."
After thinking about it carefully, Liu Kun's family understood that her aunt would indeed come.
Mother Qian's failure to report the news indicated that everything was normal. If she continued to pretend, Aunt Kang would think that Wang had witnessed a murder and was now scared to death, and that she needed her. She also needed to come and gather information and get rid of some evidence.
Liu Kunjia secretly sighed in his heart that the Sixth Young Lady was very capable; he could only respond in a low voice.
"Madam Liu," Minglan said slowly, "you know the bond between me and the old lady. If I can't get justice from the person responsible this time, then I'll have to find someone else to vent my anger on. I heard Jiu'er is now married well, and Madam Liu's sons also have great prospects. So..." She smiled and smoothed her hair, "Behave properly, don't reveal your true colors."
Liu Kun's family felt a bone-chilling cold. She knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "I will definitely invite my concubine to come!"
After Liu Kun's family left, and Lvzhi helped the frightened Wang back to the inner room, Sheng Hong frowned and said, "Why lie? Just go and confront the Kang family directly."
"If the facts are true and all the evidence is in place, and the Kang family... oh no, the Wang family is willing to hand Aunt Kang over to us for our own punishment? Then, should we lead our servants to attack them, or should we actually file a complaint with the government and seek justice?"
Minglan poured a cup of tea herself and offered it to her father. "We have him in our hands. We can decide whether to kill him, shave him, or use poisoned wine or white silk. I don't think the Wang family would dare to sue." She lowered her voice. "Father, if possible, I don't want to ruin my eldest brother's future or the reputation of the Sheng family."
Sheng Hong was horrified: "You want to kill Wang Kang?!"
Minglan said, "Don't worry, Daddy. I won't cause any trouble for you. I will take the man outside and kill him."
Sheng Hong held the tea bowl in his hand, unable to react for a long time.
How could the little daughter who had been well-behaved and lovely for more than ten years suddenly turn into a she-devil? Not only did she disobey her biological father, she also threatened her stepmother, tortured her, and lied to people without even frowning. Now she even kept saying that she wanted to kill people!
He murmured, "Your biological mother died young, Molan wanted to cut your face, your marriage was full of twists and turns, and it was not easy. You always took the overall situation into consideration and never cared about anything. Why is it now..."
Minglan gave a low, bitter laugh, "Yes. Why is that?"
After saying this, she turned and left, "...Dad, take a rest. I'll go see the old lady again."
Sheng Hong looked at his little daughter's frail back and suddenly realized that he had never known this child before.
…
Xiao Tao supported Ming Lan, her nose thick with tears: "Madam, can we really avenge the old lady?"
Minglan said tiredly, "Remember this. In this world, people often see who is more willing to take risks. Father, Madam, and the Wang and Kang families, none of them dare to take risks, but I do!"
After a pause, she said softly, "Sometimes not avenging those you love most isn't because you can't, but because you don't want to. Being afraid of this and that is simply because you have too many concerns, unable to give up either."
Xiao Tao looked up and said, "Madam, have you given up everything?"
Minglan had a strange look on her face and replied, "If it weren't for my grandmother, what would I have to give up?" This body was not originally hers, so there was no need to thank Sheng Hong and Aunt Wei for giving birth to her.
Entering the inner room, Minglan said, "I want to talk to grandma for a while."
Mother Fang looked at the redness and swelling on Minglan's cheek, and led everyone out with tears in her eyes.
But in just half a day, Old Lady Sheng had lost a lot of weight. Her skin was dry, wrinkled, and sallow. She was still unconscious, but her vomiting and diarrhea had stopped. Minglan sat on the edge of the bed and slowly put her head on the old lady's arm, just like she had when she was a child.
She silently said in her heart: "Thank you. When I was most lost and helpless, you raised me, protected me, taught me to grow up, and gave me the courage to face this disgusting place."
She has always been very good at pretending.
She pretended to be indifferent, to be fearless, but deep down she was terrified. In this completely unfamiliar world, what would she be like without the care and warmth of this old woman? Old Madam Sheng was like a solid rock, standing firmly behind her, allowing her to lean on her. No matter when, where, or what happened, she always remembered that when she turned back, there was a safe haven.
"I will never let them go." She said softly, "You shouldn't die like this." The old lady should live to be over a hundred years old, with her children and grandchildren respecting and loving her, and then pass away peacefully in her sleep.
"You've been alone for half your life, without any family or home, so they bully you. Don't worry, you still have me." She suddenly cried sadly: "Even if you are abandoned by everyone, just consider it as if I came to this world in vain."
【Author has something to say】
To summarize, some readers have expressed dissatisfaction with the plot in Chapter 193. Some of their comments are: Filial piety was a standard of moral integrity in ancient times, ranking among the top ten unforgivable sins. No matter how mad or mentally retarded Wang Shi was, she couldn't possibly have done such a thing. Therefore, this plot is jarring and somewhat contrived. To highlight the protagonists, the characters of Wang Shi and Sheng Hong are ultimately destroyed.
Is that right? Thanks to several readers for their comments, now I will state my opinion.
I thought about this plot for a long time when I was writing it. But I had come across a case in either "Yuewei Caotang Notes" or "Xiyuan Jilu Annotations" where a mother-in-law was extremely vicious and hateful, often abusing and beating her daughter-in-law, even instigating her son to divorce her. Finally, the daughter-in-law could no longer tolerate it and killed her mother-in-law (or poisoned her, I forgot).
Regardless of who was right or wrong, the daughter-in-law did kill her mother-in-law. This means that even if filial piety were universally promoted, even if it became a social norm, it's still not 100% guaranteed; some people would still take risks for whatever reason. Therefore, a daughter-in-law murdering her mother-in-law is not completely impossible.
Readers dissatisfied with this plot point cite Dream of the Red Chamber as an example, saying that even though the Jia family was in such chaos, no one thought of poisoning Grandmother Jia. I think this is simply incomparable.
Judging from the novel, Lady Jia is the biological mother of Jia She and Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng is extremely filial to his mother, almost foolishly, and his filial piety comes from the heart. Moreover, Lady Jia's family, the Shi family, was doing well at the time. What daughter-in-law would dare to get angry and cause such trouble?!
From a realistic perspective, Cao Xueqin's ancestor was Kangxi's wet nurse, Sun. This is even more ridiculous. Kangxi grew up without a father or mother, so he must have had a deep affection for his wet nurse. Much of the Cao family's glory came from this ancestor. Even though Cao Xueqin's father was not Sun's biological son, she was still served respectfully and worshipped like a bodhisattva.
This is completely incomparable to the old lady Sheng in this article.
First, Old Lady Sheng's family had long since severed ties. Second, having been widowed at a young age, she had not received an imperial decree from her husband. Even Sheng Hong, a mere middling civil servant, hadn't received one. Third, Sheng Hong wasn't Old Lady Sheng's biological son, and his filial piety toward her was mostly superficial, not truly heartfelt. Wang Shi was well aware of this.
Let’s talk about the Wang family.
Although she was not favored by her husband, she had a powerful family, her brother's official position was similar to her husband's, her mother was a noble lady, and her elder sister's illegitimate daughter was a concubine of the prince (the confidence instilled in her by Aunt Kang); most importantly, her son Changbai was like the rising sun and had a bright future, her eldest daughter Hualan was also doing well in the Yuan family, and her son-in-law Yuan Wenshao was becoming more and more promising.
Therefore, she deeply believed that she should live a comfortable and prestigious life and that she should be the boss in the inner court.
But it was not the case. The old lady kept suppressing her, and every time Sheng Hong made a decision on important matters, he stood on the side of his stepmother without exception, causing the housekeeping to fall into the hands of the eldest grandson's wife, and Wang was marginalized and became a facade.
The gap between reality and ideal made Wang increasingly angry, and with Aunt Kang's instigation, she became angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.
Here, some readers forget one fact: Wang Shi never wanted the old lady to die. She did not have the courage or wisdom to do so. She just wanted the old lady to be sick so that she could take back her power and dignity.
For clear-minded people, such as our smart readers, they will certainly not believe others so easily. They will always think more about it and think more about the pros and cons. But Wang is a confused person. To be more precise, she is a person who is easily excited and angry, so she completely lost her husband's heart under the attack of Aunt Lin's weak tears.
Aren't there such foolish people in real life? There's one like this among my relatives. When they get angry, they forget everything, say all kinds of nasty things, and do all kinds of stupid things.
So, when Aunt Kang's sweet talk and persuasion persuaded her, the menopausal Wang was completely bewildered. In her view, it was just a matter of injecting croton seeds, and she didn't think she would be discovered (everyone who commits a crime thinks so).
Aunt Kang had ulterior motives, thinking that even if the truth was revealed, she could completely shirk responsibility and let Wang take the blame.
As for Sheng Hong, he didn't disregard his stepmother's life. They still had some mother-son affection, but he was more focused on his own career and prestige. He wanted to keep the matter under control and resolve it behind closed doors. Of course, as Wang Shi thought, for the sake of the Wang family and their children, how severe a punishment could Sheng Hong impose on his wife?
Not to mention Aunt Kang. If the Wang family refused to hand over the person, Sheng Hong would not dare to speak out and probably would not even be able to reach her.
In summary, Sheng Hong did not want to punish Wang, but his method and intensity of punishment obviously could not satisfy Minglan, and she had thought of this from the beginning, so she made arrangements in advance and deliberately escalated the situation to seek justice.
Let me add one more thing here.
I say it again, the ancient times were not a society ruled by law, so please don’t think too highly of the ancient legal system.
Even if a wife poisons her mother to death, if the son and husband does not report the incident afterwards, it is usually considered as "not investigating", more seriously considered as "sheltering", and even more seriously considered as "unfaithfulness and unfilial piety". As long as he did not participate in the poisoning, he will not be beheaded or have his property confiscated, but he may be dismissed from his post or stripped of his official title, and in more serious cases he may face lawsuits.
As for the readers who criticize Minglan's private court - even this plot, I really have nothing to say.
Have you ever seen "Raise the Red Lantern"? This film is based on the famous novel "Wives and Concubines." It was already the Republic of China era. How did the unfaithful third concubine die? She was a good concubine, wasn't she? She didn't have a contract to sell her in. So, what grounds did the family have for killing her?
Since ancient times, clan power has been a very powerful force. In some isolated or remote areas, clan ancestral halls can directly judge some crimes, such as disobedience, adultery, etc. Pig cage immersion, lynching, etc. Basically, the government tacitly tolerates the existence of such situations to some extent.
In ancient times, the emphasis was on emotion, reason, and law—a trinity of the three. Law came last. This wasn't because reason was the least important, but rather, the legal path was the ancients' last resort for resolving problems. They believed that, if possible, court proceedings should be avoided, especially in family matters, as going to court would be a scandal.
Of course, Minglan's private court was still illegal, she knew it, but it was the only choice. She needed to seize the initiative with lightning speed to fight against the Kang family, the Wang family, and the timid father Sheng Hong.
Minglan knew it was wrong, but
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
