As soon as they saw the young man's demeanor, the Sheng siblings knew that he was from an important family. They immediately stood up and returned the greetings. Mr. Zhuang waited until they finished the greetings before introducing the young man. It turned out that this handsome young man was the only son of the current Salt Transport Commissioner. His father was the second son of the Duke of Qi, and his mother was the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang. He was the Princess Pingning appointed by the Emperor, and he was indeed from a distinguished family.
His name is Qi Heng, with the courtesy name Yuanruo. He is one year younger than Changbai. He studied under Mr. Zhuang in the capital a few years ago, and then left Mr. Zhuang when he followed his father to a post outside. Recently, Mr. Qi came to Dengzhou to inspect the salt affairs and to rectify them. He is expected to stay for a while, and his wife and children will naturally accompany him. Qi Heng heard that Sheng Hong's teacher was Mr. Zhuang, so he asked his father to send a letter to visit him.
Minglan was a little surprised to see that Mr. Zhuang was very affectionate to Qi Heng. During these days of teaching, Mr. Zhuang seemed to be very disdainful of the princes and nobles in his words and deeds. Once he even pointed out that the children of the princes and nobles were all "idiots". She thought so in her heart, but Changfeng had already said it: "I guess you are Mr. Zhuang's disciple, so I should call you senior brother." He smiled and bowed.
Mr. Zhuang pointed at Qi Heng and laughed, "This kid has such a rich family background, but he didn't want to donate money to become an official. Instead, he chose to study hard on his own. He comes to my shabby cottage in the cold winter and hot summer, and the princess is so anxious that she is jumping up and down."
Qi Heng's fair skin flushed slightly as he said with a blush, "My father always regretted not having taken the imperial examinations and hoped that his descendants would pursue a legitimate career in government. Fortunately, Lord Sheng was able to invite you, so Yuan Ruo had the audacity to come."
He glanced at Changbai, who was smiling silently at the side, and then said, "This is Master Sheng's eldest son, Senior Brother Changbai. I heard that Senior Brother Changbai will be taking the provincial examination today. I wonder if you have a name?"
Changbai said: "The cursive character is Zecheng, which was given to me by Mr. Zhuang."
Then the three older boys, after their age was announced, exchanged greetings. Qi Heng bowed to the two young masters of the Sheng family and said, "Brother Zecheng, dear brother Changfeng."
Mr. Zhuang had been waiting for a long time and had become impatient. He scolded, "You young men are even more pedantic than an old man like me. If you want to keep on talking, go away. I haven't finished my lesson yet." - Minglan secretly added, "That's why you have never been an official."
While they were chattering, Minglan asked the three confused maids to go out. Danju followed her out obediently. When they got outside, Xiaotao arrived just in time. She immediately took the money bag from her and counted out fifty coins to each of the three maids. The maids thanked her hurriedly. Qi Heng glanced at her nonchalantly.
Mr. Zhuang asked Qi Heng to sit down and listen to the class. The servant had already brought a set of tables and chairs. The original seats were Changbai on the right, Changfeng on the left, with his sister sitting behind them. The seat in front of Minglan was empty, sitting against the right wall, with Xiao Changdong behind her. Now that a transfer student had come out of nowhere, Mr. Zhuang asked him to sit to the right of Changbai, and asked him to sit on the right side of the first row. Naturally, Minglan was right behind him.
Minglan was complaining about her view being blocked, but she didn't expect Qi Heng to sit down, turn around and smile at her, saying, "Hello, Sixth Sister."
Minglan was stunned for a moment—what was this guy...? Then she instinctively looked at Molan and Rulan, only to see that they were indeed looking in her direction. She quickly sat up straight and said nothing.
The room was now completely silent. Mr. Zhuang cleared his throat and said, "You all heard what the Sixth Miss and the maid just said. What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts."
Changbai smiled softly: "Sixth sister has said everything she needs to say."
Chang Feng moved his lips and glanced at Qi Heng, seeming to have some reservations, so he stopped criticizing the eldest son. Molan and Rulan behaved like ladies from noble families, being extremely reserved.
Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Mr. Zhuang knew it would be difficult to get any more information out of him. He sighed and said to Minglan, "They all refuse to speak. Sixth Miss, you should speak for yourself."
Minglan stood up respectfully and said, "Well... each has its own advantages, but..." She smiled shyly, "The eldest son is easier to recognize, saves trouble and effort, and it's less likely to cause arguments."
Qi Heng resisted the urge to look back, as he instinctively felt that the voice behind him was tender, clear, and very pleasant to hear.
Mr. Zhuang didn't comment. He motioned Minglan to sit down and asked Qi Heng, "Yuanruo, you listened in from behind for quite a while just now. What do you think?"
Qi Heng also stood up and said, "I've just arrived, so why would I speak so carelessly? However..." He paused and smiled, "Sixth sister's last question... is an excellent one."
The atmosphere immediately relaxed, and everyone thought about it and found it funny again. Mr. Zhuang pointed at him and shook his head.
After a while, Mr. Zhuang said sternly to the boys in the first row, "I'll only say this today once. I won't admit anything I say outside this gate. A true man should be loyal to his emperor and his country. No matter how turbulent the outside world is, it will eventually pass. You must grasp the important junctures firmly and must not get caught up in them or engage in meaningless arguments with your colleagues. Being a loyal minister is the right thing to do!"
The students nodded in agreement. Minglan muttered to herself, "This old man is so cunning! What he's saying is that it doesn't matter whether the eldest son is crowned emperor or not, as long as we are loyal to whoever becomes emperor in the end." This couldn't be said directly, but it couldn't be withheld either. So, he said it in this roundabout way, as if he had accomplished his mission. Whether or not he could comprehend it depended entirely on his own practice.
…
Because Qi Heng was going to pay a visit to Old Madam Sheng, all the brothers and sisters gathered at Shou'an Hall for lunch. Old Madam Sheng pulled Qi Heng to look at it again and again, and she liked it very much. Then she looked at the three little granddaughters who were like flowers beside her, and her heart was inevitably moved. She thought of Minglan and sighed. Wang stood aside and introduced them with great enthusiasm.
When Sheng Hong saw the invitation from Lord Qi, he was overjoyed that his superior and powerful official had come to him on his own initiative, and immediately invited Qi Heng to study at the Sheng family's private school. Lord Qi was originally worried that his son's studies would be delayed, so the two of them hit it off and had a great chat. After a while, they became friends and miraculously discovered that the Duke of Qi's Mansion and Wang's family had a complicated relationship.
Wang smiled and said, "After careful consideration, it turns out that they are family members. Although they are distant relatives, we should get closer to them in the future." Now colleagues have become relatives, and everyone in the room started talking more enthusiastically. Even the Sheng sisters no longer had to be shy.
After listening to Wang's explanation, Minglan finally understood why Qi Heng had called her "Sixth Sister" right away. But just as she had thought of this, Rulan had already warmly called her "Brother Yuanruo". Molan followed suit with a delicate call. Minglan couldn't help but shudder and followed suit. Qi Heng also politely replied, "Fourth Miss, Fifth Miss, Sixth Sister."
He glanced down at Minglan and saw her with a pair of small buns on her head, standing there in a daze, her chubby little hands covering her mouth, yawning non-stop, her tender cheeks like chubby little buns. Qi Heng curled the corners of his mouth and suddenly felt a little itchy.
Minglan had never felt a day as difficult as today. She had to teach little Changdong to read before dawn in the morning. Mr. Zhuang kept the class going and refused to let him go. Everyone was very interested in lunch and was reluctant to leave. In the afternoon, the tigress-like Mrs. Zhuang was about to come and attack her, but she had no time to take a nap. However, her two sisters obviously thought today was wonderful.
During the piano lesson in the afternoon, Molan's piano music was like the gurgling sound of flowing water, and her feelings were sincere. Mrs. Zhuang closed her eyes and admired it very much. Rulan also changed her previous impatience, with a smile on her lips, lowered her head and played the piano carefully. Minglan didn't like what she heard, so she went to look at them, only to see that their faces were flushed, their brows were relaxed, and they seemed to be happy and about to laugh.
Minglan sighed and continued plucking her zither. Spring...
When I came to this era, I found that the gap with modern times is far beyond my imagination. The first priority of a girl in ancient times was to get married, then take care of her husband and children, and live out her life. Before that, all the learning, needlework, accounting, housekeeping, management, and even reading and writing were preparations for this ultimate goal.
Mo Lan wrote poems and essays not to become a famous doctor in the future, but to be more valuable in the marriage market or to please her husband after marriage with the name of a talented woman; Ru Lan learned to read account books not to become an accountant in the future, but to be able to better manage the family property and money for her husband's family in the future; the same is true for Minglan learning needlework - at least in the eyes of others.
From a very young age, a girl in ancient times would be subtly instilled with marriage concepts by her elders. As a child, Yao Yiyi would hear from her mother, "Your midterm exam results have declined. Be careful you won't even get into XX High School!" And in ancient times, she would hear from her mothers, Fang and Cui, "It took you four days to embroider a single duck. How are you going to do personal work for your husband and children in the future? Don't let your husband's family dislike you!"
Of course, the girls would act coy as usual at this time, but they had already accepted the idea of marriage and childbearing in their hearts. The more calculating girls even started planning for themselves early on. So, seeing Molan and Rulan's happy faces, Minglan was not surprised at all. For a girl in ancient times, a husband was not just love, but also a lifelong meal ticket, a guarantee of a safe and secure life.
Minglan found their behavior natural. If they pretended to be innocent and insisted that they were close to each other as brothers, that would be hypocritical. It was normal to have some thoughts when meeting an outstanding, handsome and prominent young man.
Minglan suddenly felt melancholy. Life in Shou'an Hall was safe and warm, but she could not stay there forever. Ten years old was a checkpoint. They were outside the checkpoint, but she was still inside.
…
Before retiring that night, Minglan was reading a musical score when Changbai's servant came running over, sweating profusely, carrying a foot-wide, blue-and-white porcelain basin with an open mouth and a shallow bottom. He carefully placed it on the table, then breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Sixth Miss, these two little fish are given to you by the master. He said you should study and do needlework, and it would be good for your eyes to look at them often."
Minglan leaned over to take a look. She saw two red and white koi carp in a shallow porcelain basin. Their scales were either brilliant red or snow-white, their tails flowing gracefully. A few pebbles and tender aquatic plants dotted the bottom of the water. The water shimmered, the fish swam nimbly, and the vibrant red and green combined with the blue and white porcelain were a feast for the eyes. Minglan was delighted. She looked up and smiled at Hanniu, saying, "This is truly beautiful. Go back and tell the eldest young master that I like it very much. Thank you very much. ... Danju, quickly give Brother Xiaoniu two hundred coins to calm him down. You must have worked so hard carrying this basin all the way with such care."
Hanniu was only eleven or twelve years old. He was overjoyed when he heard about the reward. He took the money and thanked Minglan repeatedly. Danju grabbed a handful of fruit on the table and put it in his pocket, then asked Luzhi to send him out.
Xiao Tao was still a child. When she saw Han Niu leaving, she immediately went over to look at the koi, praising their beauty. Dan Ju turned around and saw the master and servant staring at the koi, pointing with their fat short fingers. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "The eldest young master is really thoughtful. I heard that he has a big vat like this in his room and keeps several pairs of koi. This pair must have been scooped out of his vat."
Xiao Tao raised her head and smiled foolishly, "Sister Danju is right. I heard the same thing when I was in the Madam's room. The eldest young master treasures these koi fish very much. Normally, no one is allowed to touch them, especially the fifth young lady. This time, he actually gave our young lady two. It's really strange."
Minglan said nothing, dipping her chubby fingers into the water to tease the two plump-bellied koi. She wondered, "Could this be the reward for standing by during the day?" If so, that was good too. It showed that Brother Changbai was quite sensible. It was truly a blessing to be able to follow such a sensible boss.
It has to be said that Wang's batting success rate is still very high, with at least two strikes in three swings.
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