The next morning, Minglan was unable to teach Changdong because Ruolan and Molan arrived early. They went into the right room that served as the study before the old lady got up. Minglan saw that something was wrong and secretly winked at Danju. Danju understood and went to the door outside to wait for Changdong and told him: There will be no classes today.
Molan arrived first. She hesitated for a long time and praised Minglan's study from beginning to end. Finally, she made her purpose clear - she hoped to change seats with Minglan. Minglan understood it in her heart, but said, "Huh? Didn't you want to sit by the left wall at the beginning? You said it blocks the light there, and you are in poor health. You will feel dizzy if you are exposed to the sun too much." She was sunburned to the point of dizziness. Fortunately, Mrs. Sheng found a piece of dark gauze from the storeroom and covered all the windows of the school with it.
Molan's face was half flushed, and she was humming and whining, but she hadn't said anything yet. When Rulan came, she became much more straightforward and asked Minglan to change seats directly: "It's too dark in the middle, it's brighter by the window!"
Minglan found it amusing and deliberately clapped her hands and laughed, "That's great. Why don't Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister switch places? Fifth Sister will have more light, and Fourth Sister won't get dizzy."
Molan's face looked extremely ugly, and she twisted her handkerchief in silence. Rulan didn't understand at first, but after finding out that Molan also came to change seats, her face became very ugly. They looked at each other and confronted each other. Minglan looked innocent and said, "It doesn't matter where I sit, but which sister should I give way to?" For some reason, Minglan was very happy with a bad intention.
Molan Rulan thought about it for a long time, then looked at the childish Minglan and felt that she was less of a threat. Finally, she concluded: Don't replace anyone.
Girls of this age began to change. Molan grew taller, her figure graceful, delicate as a willow, with a hint of melancholy and a hint of anger. Rulan, who had taken after Wang, had a slender and elegant figure, about the same height as Molan. Though not as beautiful as Molan, she was also youthful and energetic. Minglan, on the other hand, remained a round, chubby little girl. Minglan touched her nose. It was a genetic problem, none of her business.
From this day on, the days of the three sisters dressing like one came to an end.
Molan had her hair combed into a small flowing cloud bun, with a pair of coral, turquoise and beeswax pearl flowers inserted in it, a fresh white magnolia pressed on her temples, and a thin forged gauze shirt embroidered with long branches of flowers in autumn green. On each wrist hung a pair of tinkling silver-threaded jade bracelets, as tender as a green magnolia; Rulan had a colorful glass butterfly hairpin inserted in her double-ring bun, and the long pearl and jade tassels swayed brightly. She wore a cross-collared colorful kesi skirt and a large bead strung on each ear with fine gold thread, hanging down smartly and beautifully. With this outfit, she was not inferior to Molan.
The two Lans were dressed elegantly and gracefully, but not too flashy. Minglan was a little dazed when she saw them. She was inexplicably glad that she had wisely asked Mother Cui to comb her hair into a bun that morning. The two round buns would be very cute with some coral beads wrapped around them.
Qi Heng had arrived early in the morning with a few servants and book boys. He wore a royal blue long vest with a collar embroidered with auspicious sea beasts over a moon-white midi. His skin was white and his figure was straight and upright. Mo Lan's eyes lit up. She walked over slowly and said gently, "Brother Yuanruo, I had an idea last night and wrote a poem. I wonder if it's well-written? Could you please give me some advice?"
As he spoke, he took out a piece of flowery paper from his sleeve and handed it over. Unexpectedly, Qi Heng did not take it. He smiled and said, "The fourth lady's two brothers are both talented people. Why don't you ask them for advice?" Molan was embarrassed for a moment, and reacted quickly, "Mr. Zhuang often praises brother Yuanruo for his talent. That's why I want to ask for his advice. Why shouldn't I hesitate to give you some advice?" She pouted her little mouth, looking innocent and pretty.
Qi Heng took the flowery note and read it carefully. Molan simply stood aside and whispered to him. Then Changfeng also walked over. The three of them discussed the rhythm and parallelism. Changbai recited freely on the side and did not participate.
Rulan had been watching coldly, her face dignified and serious, her back straight. Last night, Madam Liu and Mrs. Wang said that a truly respected lady would never talk to anyone casually, and if anyone had to say anything, it should be Qi Heng who came to talk to her. A rich lady should be arrogant. Seeing Molan like this, Rulan gritted her teeth in hatred and sat up straighter with even more pride.
Minglan lowered her head and silently recited "Form is emptiness" a hundred times.
As soon as Mr. Zhuang entered the school, he saw the room full of bright pearls and jades, and began to teach calmly. Qi Heng was a very good front desk, his tall stature almost completely blocked Minglan's view. With such a good barrier, Minglan happily dozed off behind him. After being tormented by Molan and Rulan in the morning, Minglan was already tired, and she fell asleep while dozing off. When she woke up, she saw a pair of bright eyes looking at her with a smile.
"Did Sixth Sister sleep well?" Qi Heng smiled as he looked at the rosy little face and a pair of chubby paws on the table. Minglan giggled and said, "Not bad, not bad." She woke up completely and looked around. Class was over. Everyone was packing up their books and asking the servants to prepare paper and inkstones.
Qi Heng turned around, folded his long arms on Minglan's desk, and said with a smile, "Sixth sister is sleeping very soundly. She must be tired from studying all night long, right?"
Minglan straightened her hair and said shamelessly: "It's okay, it's okay, it's what I should do."
The smile in Qi Heng's eyes grew wider, and Minglan continued to silently recite 'Form is emptiness'.
At noon that day, Minglan still didn't have a nap. A distinguished guest came to her house. Qi Heng's mother, Princess Pingning, came to visit. She was talking to Old Lady Sheng, Wang, in Shou'an Hall, just waiting to meet the children of the Sheng family.
The princess of the third rank, bestowed by the imperial court, was indeed very majestic. Minglan had just seen the lush branches of the sweet-scented osmanthus tree in Shou'an Hall from afar when she discovered that two rows of maids and servants were standing neatly outside the hall with their heads bowed. The housekeeper was already waiting at the door. As soon as she saw them, she reported to the inside. From Changbai on down, everyone held their breath and entered the main room in order of seniority. They saw a beautifully dressed woman and Old Lady Sheng sitting on either side of the middle seat, while Wang was sitting on the crabapple wood long-backed chair with a carving of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, which was located below Old Lady Sheng. Qi Heng was the first to go up and pay his respects to the three elders, and then stood beside the beautifully dressed woman.
"Hurry up and kowtow to Princess Pingning." Old Lady Sheng ordered.
The six children of the Sheng family kowtowed to the beautifully dressed woman in turn, and then stood behind Wang.
Minglan calmed down and glanced at the Princess Pingning. She was no more than thirty years old and was wearing a ginger-yellow thin satin jacket embroidered with lush green branches and pink peonies. Inside, she wore a moon-white gauze blouse with a small vertical collar. Beneath it was a dark green long skirt with fine pleats, revealing a pair of small pointed embroidered shoes, each adorned with a finger-sized pearl. The princess had fluffy hair and looked as quiet as water. She was born with delicate eyebrows and eyes, charming and beautiful. A closer look at her eyebrows and eyes showed that they were about sixty percent similar to Qi Heng. Minglan thought to herself, no wonder that boy is so handsome.
Princess Pingning gave each of the brothers and sisters a welcoming gift. Changbai and Changfeng each received a jade pendant, the quality of which Minglan could not see. Changdong received a golden and exquisite lucky doll. The three girls each received a string of the finest South China pearls, each one round and radiant, and of extraordinary value. Old Madam Sheng said quietly, "The princess is very polite. It's embarrassing for us to spend so much money."
Princess Pingning smiled and said, "The girls are lovely, I like them very much. It's a pity that I am not so lucky. I only have Heng'er as an evil obstacle. What's the harm in giving them more today? Besides, alas, I have wronged them——"
Minglan was terrified when she heard this. What happened?
Wang smiled and turned to the three Lans, saying, "Mr. Zhuang has already told your father that you no longer need to go to school with your brothers. It's better for you to concentrate on learning needlework at home..."
Molan felt a pang of disappointment. Turning to see Rulan's composure, she knew she must have known all along. Her mind raced: Qi Heng was rarely seen outside of class. She couldn't just barge in while Mr. Zhuang was teaching. But if she couldn't see Qi Heng, what advantage would she have, given her parents' permission and respectable status? Thinking of Qi Heng's handsome face and his gentle, polite words, Molan felt even more angry and frustrated. She clenched her fists beneath her sleeves, and for a moment, she didn't even hear what Wang said next.
Minglan breathed a sigh of relief. That was great. If they continued to attend classes together like this, the private school would be filled with smoke of war. Amitabha, the war has been extinguished without a trace. How great!
Then Princess Pingning spoke to Old Madam Sheng for a few more words. Wang Shi tried to interrupt several times but didn't get a chance. As they were talking, Princess Pingning said with a smile, "...Who is the Sixth Young Lady of the Mansion? My Heng'er always laughs when she mentions her."
Minglan was daydreaming, thinking about not having to go to school tomorrow morning. After sending Xiao Changdong away and paying her respects to the old lady, she was about to go to bed to catch up on some sleep. Suddenly, her name was called, and she felt a little nervous. Old Lady Sheng smiled and beckoned Minglan over: "Look, this little rascal. Because I keep her by my side, I don't have time to take care of her, so she went to heaven."
Princess Pingning took Minglan's hand and looked at it carefully. She saw that Minglan was white, plump, innocent, and round like a little squirrel. Her tender little hand was very comfortable to hold. She said, "What a charming child! No wonder the old lady loves her. I like her too. ... Miss Ming, tell me, are you unhappy that you can no longer attend Mr. Zhuang's class?"
Minglan was caught off guard by the hateful smile on Qi Heng's face. She thought this question was really tricky and could only say awkwardly, "No, no..."
Qi Heng couldn't help himself, so he covered his mouth and whispered a few words into Princess Pingning's ear. The princess was immediately happy, hugged little Minglan even more, and said with a smile: "...That's great, you can save your afternoon nap..."
The brothers and sisters who went to school with her had already noticed Minglan dozing off and burst into laughter. Rulan went to Wang and whispered something to her. Mrs. Sheng thought for a moment and understood. She pointed at Minglan and laughed non-stop: "...You little naughty boy, now you don't have to go to school. You must be so happy!"
Minglan's face flushed red, she lowered her head and gritted her teeth, muttering inwardly: Qi Yuan, if you tell on me, be careful that your son might not be XX!
Princess Pingning then continued, "... Heng'er, you can't file this complaint in vain. You don't have a biological sister, so you must treat Ming'er like your own sister..."
Old Madam Sheng smiled slightly and said, "How can I afford such a high standard?" However, Wang's face changed slightly, but she calmed down in a moment and joined in the conversation, laughing.
Minglan secretly looked at Molan and Rulan, and seeing that they were still unaware, she suddenly felt a little pity.
…
【Author has something to say】
First of all, this article is about a fictional dynasty and simulates the customs of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Those who have read my previous article already know the status of women in previous dynasties. What I want to say is that the Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties before the Ming and Qing Dynasties were all very romantic and free-spirited times. The Han people at that time were full of unrestrained and heroic enthusiasm. Even in the weak Song Dynasty, there were heroic poets like Xin Qiji and Su Dongpo, who wrote heroic poems such as "Eight hundred miles of roasted meat distributed to the subordinates, fifty strings echoed the sounds of the frontier" and "Rough rocks pierce the sky, crashing waves beat against the shore, and thousands of snowdrifts are rolled up. The mountains and rivers are picturesque, and there are so many heroes at the moment." In that era, there would never be anything pedantic and rigid.
If I were imagining a dynasty before the Ming and Qing dynasties, I wouldn't be writing about farming; I'd be writing about struggle. Empress Lü could be included in the Chronicles of the Emperors, Zhuo Wenjun could be a wine seller, Wei Zifu could dominate the world with her family, Gongsun Da Niang could dance with a sword, Wu Zetian could be the sun and moon in the sky, and Liu E could be the queen of the Song Dynasty. In that upright era, talented and ambitious women had the opportunity to live a wonderful life.
But by the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Confucian system had become complete, mature and impeccable. From men to women, from the emperor to the common people, the norms of life had been limited and standardized. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, everyone has heard of famous women. No matter whether in the harem or the court, no matter how talented the women were, they could not be like Li Qingzhao. No matter how charming and scheming they were, they could not influence the court. It was not that women lost their glory, but that the glorious era was over.
For example, Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, who is loved by everyone, had only one empress in his life. But have you heard of any extraordinary deeds of this empress? The only son he left behind, Emperor Wuzong of Ming, was a playboy and a naughty boy, whom she could not control, which led to the rise of Emperor Jiajing. It was not that she did not want to control him, but the system of the Ming Dynasty did not allow her to interfere in the education of the crown prince.
No matter how favored Concubine Zheng was, her son could not become the crown prince and could only be Prince Fu.
As for the entire Qing Dynasty, as Cao Xueqin said, "Thousands of beauties share one cave, and tens of thousands of beauties share the same sorrow." How many beautiful women were buried in the cannibalistic ethics.
Therefore, this farming article of mine simulates how the heroine should live in a society with complete rules like the Ming and Qing dynasties.
…
Again, I set the heroine as a concubine's daughter, not because I want her to overcome all difficulties and acquire all kinds of skills to make a name for herself in ancient times, but because I think that in ancient times, concubines' daughters can be exposed to a wider range of social levels than legitimate daughters. She can hear cold words, suffer identity discrimination when getting married, and her legitimate mother may not protect her when she is in trouble. She may also marry into a family of a different class than her original one. Therefore, she needs to exercise more subjective initiative. Of course, such subjective initiative is also very limited. In the hierarchical feudal society, women do not have many opportunities to control their own destiny.
(That’s about it, don’t think too much about it)
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