Liu Kunjia helped Wang lie down on the Jinyanrong Tanxiangfei couch covered with thin satin and cotton, and stuffed a golden python pillow behind her. Rulan followed a few steps and said hurriedly, "Mother, can you please say something? I..."
Wang waved her hands wearily and said, "I understand your thoughts, but... it's useless. Princess Pingning looks down on our family."
Rulan's eyes widened. "...How could that be? I think the princess is quite kind."
Wang smiled bitterly, staring at Rulan's ignorant face, and suddenly her expression became serious: "Think carefully about what the princess said to your sixth sister today. It's time for you to use your brain and stop being so willful and confused."
Rulan lowered her head and thought carefully, gradually understanding, and murmured: "... Could it be?" After figuring it out, a feeling of depression suddenly surged in her heart.
Seeing Wang's dejected expression, Liu Kun's wife couldn't help but say, "That princess is quite cunning. She deliberately picked on the Sixth Miss as an excuse. She saw that she looked like a child, so she didn't offend anyone and still made her intention clear."
"But, but..." Rulan went over and tugged at Wang's sleeve, saying anxiously, "I, I...Brother Yuanruo..."
Wang irritably shook off her daughter's hand and sternly said, "What brother Yuanruo? He's not your brother at all! From now on, call him 'Young Master' properly! ... No! Don't see him anymore, Sister Liu. From now on, as long as Qi Heng is in the mansion, Fifth Miss is not allowed to leave Weiruixuan. Otherwise, you will be punished according to the family rules!"
Rulan had been spoiled since she was little, and Wang had never been so harsh before. She was stunned: "Mother, mother, how could you...?"
Wang suddenly sat up, her expression stern. "It's all my negligence. I just treated you like a child, so I didn't care to pamper you a little. I didn't realize how much you've grown up. Yesterday, when Qi Heng came home, I started to get interested in you, so I let you do whatever you wanted. Look at you. What kind of clothes are you wearing? You don't look like a legitimate daughter of a wealthy family, but more like a lowly woman vying for attention! You've really embarrassed me. If you don't listen, I'll slap you to death right now! You'll save yourself from embarrassing yourself!"
Rulan had never been scolded like this before. She was so frightened that she burst into tears. After hearing her mother scold her so harshly, she collapsed at Wang's feet, sobbing non-stop and mumbling, "...Why...are you scolding me..."
Wang Shi watched her daughter gradually reveal her young figure. Knowing she couldn't be soft-hearted anymore, she said calmly, "Sister Liu, wring out a wet towel for the young lady to wipe her face... Rulan, stop crying. Come up and sit down. Let me tell you what I'm going to say."
Rulan sobbed and leaned against her mother. Wang seemed to recall the past of her mother's family and said, "Over the years, I've walked countless wrong paths. Some were schemed against me, and some were truly my own fault. Now that I think about it, every word your grandmother said to me was truly wise and trustworthy. It's a pity that your mother didn't take it to heart. That's why we have that bitch Lin Qige today! You must listen to me now."
Rulan stopped crying and listened in a daze. Wang paused and said, "... Marriage is a matter of great importance. Since ancient times, it has been decided by parents and matchmakers. No girl would go out and agree to it on her own. I am the one who acted so shamelessly. You are a legitimate daughter, how could you act like that? Marriage should be between people of equal social status. If someone doesn't want you and looks down on our family, can you flatter them?"
Rulan was the proudest of women, and her face immediately turned red as she angrily said, "Of course I can't!"
Wang felt relieved. "You're still young. Enjoy your life as a girl for a few years. When you get married, you'll know how comfortable life is. With your mother around, you can live comfortably as a young lady. Isn't that wonderful?"
Rulan thought of Qi Heng, still reluctant to leave: "But Yuan... Master Qi has been very kind to me. Perhaps the princess will change her mind?"
Wang's rage flared up again, and she cursed, "You blind girl! You're so foolishly flattered by the mere fact that you're being treated with such respect! Think carefully, isn't he generally polite to all three of you sisters? He's actually more affectionate towards Minglan, but that's because she's young and childish! Besides, it's his parents who make the decision about the marriage, and he might not even be interested in you. Lord Qi and the princess are thinking of arranging a marriage between equals, so why would they want you? If you continue to have these wild thoughts, I'll tell your father right away and give you another beating!"
Rulan started crying again, stamping her feet: "Mother... Mother..."
Wang Shi was completely heartless this time. She pointed at Rulan and cursed, "You have no shame, you are a young lady from a wealthy family, and yet you are so worried about a young man from the outside world just because you met him twice. You are so shameless!"
Rulan was so dumbfounded by the scolding that she was filled with shame and indignation. She turned around and ran away, crying as she ran. Liu Kun's wife wanted to chase her, but Wang Shi stopped her and instead shouted at the curtain, "Let her cry! This shameless evil creature, if she wakes up from crying and understands, it's fine. If not, I will beat her! Beat her until she learns about propriety, righteousness, and shame! Go out and ask around, which young lady would ask about her marriage on her own? Young ladies from respectable families let their elders make the decisions. On weekdays, they don't ask anything, and even if they do, they feel ashamed for a long time! Even if she is young and ignorant, she can learn from her elder sister's dignified behavior. What sin did I commit in my life to give birth to such a shameless girl? I might as well beat her to death!"
Rulan heard it outside and burst into tears. She ran all the way to her boudoir, buried her head in the pillow and quilt, and cried her heart out, refusing to come out.
Wang sat there, her chest heaving with anger. Liu Kun's wife came over to calm her down, "Don't be too angry, Madam. The girl is young after all, and she likes to argue with the fourth girl. She may not really know the rules, but she saw the fourth girl's behavior and followed her example, and she just picked up the fight out of spite."
Wang said angrily, "It's all that bitch! She led my son astray!"
Liu Kunjia brought another cup of tea to Wang Shi. Seeing that Wang Shi had calmed down a bit, she asked tentatively, "What about the Qi family... has the Madam really given up? They are a good family."
Wang shook her head and said, "As a fellow mother, I understand the princess's feelings. She only has this one son, with such good looks and such a family background. It's hard to imagine him marrying any girl in the future. Although our master is a good person, he is not from a wealthy family, nor is he a close confidant of the emperor. The Qi family themselves are from a duke's mansion, so how could they look down on us?"
Pursing her lips, Wang continued, "To be frank, if it was Hua'er today, maybe I would have fought for it, but Ru'er..." She sighed and continued, "I'm not saying this to discourage myself, but in terms of appearance and talent, how can she be worthy of Qi Heng? I would think so for my own daughter, let alone the princess? Forget it, why bother to make yourself unhappy? Although we may not have other things, we still have these few prides. Ru'er doesn't have any tricks, so I'd better find her a match from an equal family so that she won't be bullied in the future!"
Liu Kunjia laughed and said, "Madam has really changed her character. She is so sensible. I'm sure the master will be pleased to hear this."
Wang sighed and said, "I've suffered for half my life, only now I realize that the marriage my parents chose for me was truly a good one. My mother-in-law is worry-free, and my husband is ambitious. Although we're not rich, we have enough food and clothing. If I hadn't been careless, that bitch wouldn't have gotten married! Thinking about my sister's life now, ah... it was such a close call. I was jealous that my sister married better than me, but she used all those tricks to marry into the Kang family and ended up like that. If it were me... ah... I won't say anymore."
Liu Kun's wife took the empty tea bowl away and returned to continue rubbing Wang's back to soothe her. "When Madam was four or five, the master was sent to inspect the northwest. Madam insisted on going with him, so they entrusted you to the care of the uncle. The uncle and his wife are truly kind people. They have no daughters of their own, and they have a deep brotherly relationship with the old master, so they dote on Madam with all their heart. But they are businessmen after all, and how can their experience compare to that of the old master and the old lady? The eldest daughter learned all those skills from the old lady. Madam didn't reunite with her parents until she was ten years old. How can you blame Madam?"
Wang said quietly, "It's hard to say what's good or bad in this world. Ever since I was a child, I've always felt inferior to my sister. When she got married, her husband was from a higher family than mine. I even made a scene and nearly got punished by my father. At the time, my mother told me that the Sheng family was simple and my mother-in-law wasn't a relative, so she wouldn't use her pride to tease her daughter-in-law. My husband was ambitious and with some help, he'd have a good life. I just needed to behave myself as a daughter-in-law. My brother-in-law, on the other hand, although he came from a distinguished family and was well-educated, was a frivolous, playboy. My mother didn't like him because it was the close friendship between the old man of the Kang family and my father that made us in-laws. Now that I think about it, my mother's words were all good advice."
Liu Kunjia laughed and said, "As a girl, you only know the benefits of your mother when you become a mother yourself. It seems that this is true."
Wang finally smiled. "My sister and I had a fight over my brother-in-law, and she won. It's so funny when I think about it! When I choose a son-in-law in the future, I'll be satisfied if he has half the ability as my mother."
Liu Kunjia also laughed. After a while, Liu Kunjia suddenly thought of something and said, "Madam, what do you think the fourth young lady will say to Aunt Lin when she returns? Will Aunt Lin ask Master to plead for her?"
Wang burst into laughter. "I wish she would tell the master! If she does, expect a good scolding!"
…
It was a rare occasion that Wang was able to predict the future. That night, after Sheng Hong left the government office, he went to Linqi Pavilion to rest.
"...What did you say?" Sheng Hong asked in confusion, "Mo'er still wants to continue Mr. Zhuang's class?"
Aunt Lin said coquettishly, "I know Master is trying to avoid suspicion. It's fine with Rujie'er and Mingjie'er, as they don't really like books. But Mo'er is different. She has inherited Master's temperament and has been well-educated since childhood. She's enjoying Mr. Zhuang's class right now, so why stop? So I'm going to plead with Master. At most, we can just put a screen between us."
Sheng Hong frowned and said, "That's not right. Mo'er isn't a man after all. Even if she's full of poetry and books, what good is it? Can she possibly take the imperial examination? A few years of study is enough for a girl. In the future, she should stay home and learn some needlework! Ming made me a black purse the other day. It's dignified and elegant, and very appropriate. It's time for Mo'er to learn some needlework."
Aunt Lin gritted her teeth when she heard this, but she forced herself to hold back. She walked slowly to Sheng Hong's side, gently pinched his shoulders to loosen up his muscles, and whispered softly in Sheng Hong's ear, "Studying or not is a trivial matter. Why don't you think about the long term, Master? Think about the young master of the Qi family, think about our Mo'er..."
Sheng Hong suddenly turned around and looked at Aunt Lin in disbelief. His body, which had just felt a little dizzy and hot, immediately cooled down. "What is the relationship between the Young Master of the Qi family and Mo'er?"
Aunt Lin didn't notice anything unusual about Sheng Hong and continued, "I think Mr. Qi is really handsome and has a good family background. He even discussed poetry and literature with Mo'er today. We seem to be very compatible. Why not..."
Sheng Hong stood up suddenly, waved away Aunt Lin's soft red hand, and looked her up and down. Aunt Lin felt her whole body tremble under his gaze, and forced a smile and said, "What are you looking at, Honglang?"
Sheng Hong sneered, "Look at you, how can you be so arrogant? You keep talking about proposing marriage to the son of a noble family!"
Aunt Lin clutched her sleeves tightly and said in a trembling voice, "What do you mean, Honglang? Did I say something wrong?"
Sheng Hong walked away a few steps, waved his hand to ask the maid to go down, then stood in front of the window again, closed the window pane, turned back to look at Aunt Lin, and whispered: "Qi Heng's grandfather was the Marquis of Xiangyang. In the past, the Marquis of Xiangyang made great contributions to protecting the emperor, but lost a leg. The emperor then named his only daughter the Princess Pingning. The princess grew up in the palace and was extremely favored. Lord Qi is an official of the third rank, and the Salt Transport Commissioner is a very lucrative position. Only the emperor's trusted ministers and dignitaries can take up this position. There is another thing. The eldest master of the Duke of Qi's mansion has only a weak son and has no offspring to date. If things go wrong, Qi Heng might even own the Duke's mansion in the future!" Sheng Hong took a breath, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, then continued: "Since ancient times, young men from dukes and earls' mansions are either mediocre or debauched bullies. There are really not many children as motivated and talented as Qi Heng!"
Aunt Lin's eyes lit up as she listened, her heart aching with desire. She couldn't wait to recruit Qi Heng as her son-in-law. But Sheng Hong suddenly changed his tone, looked at Aunt Lin with a puzzled expression, and said in a deep voice, "Qi Heng's talent and family background, with his parents' background, what wealthy and noble lady wouldn't marry him? Back then, in the capital, his house was so crowded with people who came to propose marriage that it almost broke down the door, and now it's my turn as a mere prefect!"
Aunt Lin was immediately doused with a basin of ice water, her heart chilled considerably, but she still refused to give up and said, "Although there are many wealthy and noble ladies in the capital, how many are as outstanding as our Mo'er? She is also beautiful, and she is talented in poetry and songs. How can she not be her turn?"
Sheng Hong sneered, "You are completely clueless! When have you ever heard of a legitimate son of a noble family marrying a concubine as his wife? You should have some brains even if you are so delusional! Don't tell others and make them laugh! Even if it's Ruolan, the wife's daughter, they might not look down on her, let alone a concubine's daughter like you!"
These words were spoken harshly and urgently, like a steel knife that stripped away all the glory of Concubine Lin, leaving only her humble and destitute appearance. Concubine Lin couldn't help crying: "Master, just say it. Why do you have to keep talking about legitimate and illegitimate children and hurt people's feelings? I said it at the beginning, I was afraid that I, the concubine, would delay Mo'er's life in the future. I was right!"
Sheng Hong snorted and said, "What's the point of wasting time? You're just being too ambitious, your mind is not clear and you're just daydreaming. Even if you're trying to reach a higher level, you should know the limit! What's Mo'er's background? What's her background? You don't even consider it carefully. You're just daydreaming. Why don't you just let Mo'er become the queen? You're just daydreaming!"
Aunt Lin felt as if her heart was being stabbed by a knife. After thinking for a while, she leaned beside Sheng Hong and said softly, "Hong'er, this is not entirely for me and Mo'er. Think about the Qi family, who are such a good family. If you can marry into their family, your future career will surely be smooth sailing, and the Sheng family will also benefit a lot, right? You might as well give it a try..." Her voice was soft and gentle.
Sheng Hong was deeply moved after hearing this, and said to Aunt Lin, "Give it a try? You want me to propose marriage?"
Seeing this, Aunt Lin nodded with a charming look.
Sheng Hong took a deep breath, collected himself, and angrily said, "I'm telling you honestly today. It was the princess who brought up the distinction between men and women, implying that the girls in the mansion shouldn't study together! Her meaning couldn't be clearer. She simply didn't want to have anything to do with our girl! Besides, even if the princess changes her mind in the future, it won't be the concubine's turn!"
Aunt Lin hadn't expected this and asked in surprise, "It's the Princess...? How could it be?"
Sheng Hong pondered the consequences, and the more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. He shoved Concubine Lin, who was tugging at his sleeve, to the ground and cursed, "You want me to give it a try? If I propose marriage and get rejected, how will I stand before Lord Qi in the future? You ignorant woman, you are so foolish, you only think about your own little calculations, and don't think about the whole family. If I listen to your stupid words, what will happen if my career is ruined in the future?!"
Aunt Lin knew she had said the wrong thing. She turned pale with fear and raised her neck to say in a hoarse voice, "Master, Mo'er has been outstanding since she was young. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also well-versed in poetry and speaks well. I always hope that her future marriage will not be unfair to her! Master, she is also your biological daughter. You can't just ignore her!"
Seeing that the woman was still hesitating, Sheng Hong slapped her hand away and said, "As long as you're not greedy and don't try to marry someone above your station, I'll take care of Mo'er's marriage and won't let her down! Okay, okay, okay, I'll have someone clean up the empty west courtyard of Weiruixuan and have Molan move in with Rulan tomorrow. From now on, all matters will be handled by the old lady, so she won't be a bad influence if she stays in Linqi Pavilion! Do you want to take Mo'er as a concubine in the future, just like you did?!"
After hearing this, Aunt Lin was so breathless that she almost fainted. She hugged Sheng Hong's thighs and begged desperately. Sheng Hong thought of his children's future, so he hardened his heart, kicked her away, and strode out.
Concubine Lin was still lying on the ground. Molan, who had been hiding in the corner room, lifted the curtain and emerged, her face also covered in tears. She went over and gently helped Concubine Lin up. The mother and daughter looked at each other with tears in their eyes. After a while, Concubine Lin took her daughter's hand and said, "Child, don't listen to your father. He's a grown man and doesn't know the twists and turns of the inner chamber. You can't compare to Ruolan in terms of family background, but your looks and talents are ten or a hundred times better than hers. We have the same father, so why should you be inferior to her in the future? If you don't strive for strength, how can you get the good things? Do you really want to be worse than Ruolan for the rest of your life?"
Molan's eyes were blurred with tears: "But, but, if my father knew about this, he would not let me off easily..."
"Silly child, you should be smarter and use some excuses to gain some reputation. Your father won't notice. Good child, your poetry and prose are good, and with time, you won't have to worry about Master Qi losing his heart for you. ... Don't cry, child. Living in Weiruixuan will also have its advantages. You can watch Rulan with a cold eye. If there's anything she needs, ask the Madam for it. If the Madam doesn't give it to her... well, I'll make her pay for it! Didn't the old lady say that all girls are equally respected until they get married?"
Aunt Lin's delicate features unexpectedly turned fierce.
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