After leaving Shou'an Hall, Hualan went to Wang's room. Wang had already heated the floor heater in the inner room and was waiting. When she saw her daughter come in, she hurriedly asked the maid to make tea and hold the hand stove. Hualan saw that Wang was the only one in the room and asked, "Where is Sister Zhuang?"
Wang pulled her daughter to sit on the kang and said with a smile, "Go and play with your sisters. They've moved the tables and chairs away from their room and made a space. The girls are playing 'blind man's touch' there. Don't worry, they'll stay with you."
Hualan took the hand warmer from Caihuan and turned to Wang, smiling, "Why should I be worried? This is probably another Sixth Girl's idea. Last time, Rulan and Molan were impatient to coax the child."
"Sixth girl is also a child, and she is having fun. It's just right for her to be with Sister Zhuang." Wang looked at the door and waved her hand to ask all the maids in the room to go out. Finally, Caihuan lowered the curtain and guarded the door.
Wang walked over to Hualan and sat down beside her. She looked at her daughter carefully. Seeing that her makeup looked fresh and her eyelashes were still a little wet, she whispered, "Have you told the old lady everything?"
Hualan leaned wearily against Wang, half-closing her eyes as she spoke, "Grandma, you have a sharp eye. How could I possibly hide this? I'll just tell you everything." Wang saw that her daughter, though exhausted, seemed somewhat more relaxed. She knew the conversation had been good, so she asked, "What did the old lady say to you?"
Hua Lan opened her eyes and smiled, "Grandma has seen a lot of things. After hearing about my husband's family's mess, she only taught me two things. The first is to quickly give up my job as housekeeper." Wang Shi became anxious when she heard this and quickly interrupted, "The old lady is confused. You finally got to manage the previous family. You put in so much effort over the years. How can you just let go like that?"
Hua Lan sighed and said, "I'm reluctant to leave either, but grandma is right. The Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion won't belong to your son-in-law in the future. No matter how well I manage it, it will only be a favor to others. It will not only tire me out but also cost me money. Besides, my most urgent task right now is to give birth to a son."
Wang snorted after hearing this: "Nonsense, I also know that you have to give birth to a son. What the old lady said is the same as if she didn't say anything."
Hua Lan rolled her eyes at her mother and said angrily, "Mother, you're the one who said it but it's as good as nothing. Grandmother not only told me, but also gave me some advice. She said she knew the old lady of the He family in Baishitan. The old lady's family was the Zhang family, three generations of imperial doctors. The old lady studied medicine at her family since she was young. If nothing else, she is an expert in women's internal medicine. However, she is a woman from the boudoir, and can't practice medicine like men can. It's also not easy to publicize it. After she gets married, no one will know. So this time, Grandmother asked her to go."
Upon hearing this, Wang's brows lit up. "Really? I had no idea. Luckily, the old lady knew the details. Even though you have a concubine's child, it's still no match for your own. In the past, you were too concerned about your reputation to invite doctors. And since they were all men, how could they examine him thoroughly? I feel so sorry for my son."
Hua Lan's eyes flashed with hope, and she said happily, "Grandmother also said that there's no need to make this public. I'll just go back to my parents' home when Madam He comes to visit. That's why I'm quitting my job as housekeeper so I can get away and recover slowly."
Wang clasped her hands together and chanted Buddha's name repeatedly: "Amitabha, my Taishang Laojun, now there is hope for my son. The old lady is a very realistic person. If she says that Madam He is capable, then it is at least eighty or ninety percent." Faced with the task of giving birth to a son, Wang felt that being a housekeeper was not important.
Hualan leaned lazily on Wang's shoulder and said in a soft voice, "Mother, it's great that you have come to the capital; I finally have someone to support me."
Wang embraced her daughter, her heart filled with love, yet she cursed softly, "It's all because of your stubborn nature that you refused to tell the truth in your letter. Your mother-in-law is so partial. When your sister-in-law couldn't give birth to a son, she was pampered and fed well. She nursed her to a ripe old age before she gave birth to a son. And when you lost your child just a few years ago, they hurriedly gave you a maid. Fortunately, you still had the sense to give your maid a favor early on, and only then did you give birth to a son to silence your mother-in-law."
Hua Lan was unhappy and said bitterly, "My sister-in-law is my mother-in-law's niece, so she's naturally closer to me. Now that no one in her family has held official positions, she's still putting on airs." Wang patted her daughter on the back and said with a smile, "It's good that you know. Your son-in-law is capable. You'll have a good life after you split up the family. For now, don't be angry with them. Giving birth to a son is the most important thing."
Hua Lan was also looking forward to it and said softly, "I hope so."
Wang held her daughter close for a while, her thoughts drifting away. She said, "Now that your brother is settled, and your sister finds a good husband, I won't have anything else to ask for."
Hualan raised her head, chuckled softly, and said in a long voice, "Mother, you'd better betroth Rulan to your cousin honestly, while Grandmother is still strong and Auntie can't nag. If you change your mind, Auntie will laugh her heart out."
Wang was furious and made to strike Hualan, cursing, "You heartless woman! Now that you've married into the Earl's household, can't your sister also marry into a good family? Your uncle is a good man, but he's not as prominent as your grandfather was. Besides, my nephew is honest and dull, and I'm afraid your sister will find him a coward."
Hualan dodged Wang's slap with a smile, holding her arm and saying, "Although my uncle doesn't hold a high position, my maternal grandfather's family has been wealthy for many years. It's better for my cousin to be honest and not have any ulterior motives." She suddenly felt sad and said, "Mother, do you think my life will be easy in my husband's family? To be honest, I am still neglected in the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion. If this were a prestigious noble family, I'm not sure how they would show off. You always say I have a bad temper, but Rulan is not as good as me. Besides, she is not born with a good appearance. How can she survive in that wealthy family?"
Seeing her daughter's tired face, Wang Shi knew that she had not had a easy life, so she sighed softly. After a moment's silence, Hua Lan smiled and said, "However, I really didn't expect that the sixth girl would be so well-behaved. Her manners and conversation are also very pleasing. After the New Year, I will take her out to meet people. Maybe she can find a good marriage. Grandmother will definitely be happy."
Seeing that her eldest daughter was disparaging her younger sister but praising Minglan, Wang glared at her and said, "Don't meddle with me. The old lady has already made up her mind about Minglan's marriage. It's the grandson of the He family from Baishitan. Oh, and it seems there's also your aunt's cousin and your eldest aunt's brother. For this reason, the old lady went back to her hometown and registered Minglan as my daughter."
Hualan was a little stunned when she heard Wang name three candidates in one breath, then she laughed and said, "What's wrong with the old lady? In her early years, she only liked scholars. My aunt and my eldest aunt's families are both merchants. The He family is not bad. Although there are not many officials in the family, and their positions are not high, they are still a large family. But can they look down on Minglan?"
Wang also smiled, her eyes wide with joy as she said, "Who says not? When she first proposed marriage to that bitch, the old lady didn't take it seriously. Now that it's Minglan's turn, she's completely over it. She's biased after all, and doesn't want the sixth girl to suffer! Oh, right, that grandson of the He family is a biased branch."
Hua Lan raised her eyebrows and said angrily, "Mother, you've been arguing with Aunt Lin for years, and you've lost your mind. How can she compare to my sixth sister? She's just been taken in by the old lady out of kindness. She has no money, no power, no relatives, and even if she wanted to marry into a wealthy family, they might not look down on her. But my sixth sister is our flesh and blood, the old lady's legitimate granddaughter. She has a grandmother, a father, and brothers above her, and a wife and sisters below her. Even if she can't be compared with Ru Lan and me, she's not bad at all."
Wang said coldly, "Why are you so enthusiastic? She didn't come from the same mother as you!" Hua Lan spread her hands and said mockingly, "It can't be helped. The one who came from the same mother as me can't be outstanding."
After saying that, she dodged away mischievously. Unexpectedly, this time, Wang Shi didn't get angry. Instead, she sighed and said, "Alas... you two, father and daughter, are talking in the same tone. Your father also said the same thing. In a few days, the Marquis of Xiangyang will have a banquet for his 70th birthday, and he even told me to bring Molan and Minglan along."
Hua Lan was a little surprised, but then she understood: "Daddy's thinking is reasonable. Finding more good marriages is always a boost to the family. But...if Miss Mo marries well, wouldn't that bitch be even more proud?"
The mother and daughter looked at each other, both having the same thought in their minds. In fact, Wang Shi also wanted to do something, but Rulan was not married yet, so she had to be cautious and not ruin the reputation of the Sheng family's daughter.
That night, Yuan Wenshao came to Sheng Mansion after finishing his work, kowtowed to Old Lady Sheng, and then chatted and laughed with his father-in-law and three brothers-in-law. Yuan Wenshao was a smart man. As a military officer of the Ximeng family, it would have been difficult for him to establish relations with the upright civil officials. However, Sheng Hong's marriage arrangement for his children was a good match for both the upright and the corrupt, which was a good opportunity for him to have the best of both worlds.
Seeing that the family was bustling with activity, Wang invited her sister and brother-in-law, the Kang couple, to come along for the gathering. Also coming with them were the Changwu couple, so the Sheng family had two large banquets.
At the outer table, the men were toasting each other and talking about the social interactions in officialdom, in a lively and lively atmosphere. The women's table was set up in the inner room next door. Minglan listened carefully to the conversations outside and had some insights in her heart. The ancient times were indeed a family society. Even the upright people who rose to power through studying and taking the imperial examinations paid great attention to the complicated personal relationships between teachers and students of the same year. However... isn't it the same in modern times?
Minglan remembered reading in a magazine that most future political leaders in foreign countries were trained by a few top universities. For example, if Oxford and Cambridge held a large alumni reunion and dropped a bomb there, most of the top British politicians could be caught in one fell swoop.
Although the officials at the table outside did not hold high positions, with the highest being only Sheng Hong of the fifth rank, their family power was considerable when they united.
The whole family was reunited, and Wang was very happy. She drank a few more glasses, and her face was rosy and she looked quite pretty. Aunt Kang beside her looked a little haggard. Compared with her sister, she was much inferior. But seeing Yun'er's rosy face, which looked even more beautiful after the marriage, she felt a little relieved. After all, this marriage was a good one, so she toasted the old lady several times, and the old lady actually drank it happily. Then she asked Fang Mama to help her go back to rest.
Zhuang Jie'er's little face was as red as if she had put on rouge. She and Minglan had been playing hide-and-seek for the whole afternoon, and she was full of energy. She also sat next to Minglan during dinner. Hualan was even happier to see that her daughter was cheerful and talkative.
Minglan was exhausted. She understood one thing deeply: no matter how shy a little thing looked, it would consume a lot of energy if it started to act crazy. Now she was trying desperately to get rid of this little burden.
After the banquet in the evening, Mrs. Sheng was afraid that the maids would not be able to take good care of Minglan after she drank too much and got winded, so she asked Fang Mama to take Minglan to Shou'an Hall to sleep. After drinking a bowl of sobering tea and a bowl of ginger soup, Minglan felt much better. She asked someone to wash and undress in a daze, and finally fell asleep with a bloated belly, hugging her grandmother's arm. After lying down for a while, for some reason she did not fall asleep immediately, but was a little energetic, and the two of them started chatting.
"This is the first time I see Uncle Kang. Why... he is not the same as what I heard. He is nowhere near like my father." Minglan recalled the scene when she greeted him and kowtowed just now. Uncle Kang should have been a handsome young man like Sheng Hong when he was young. But now Sheng Hong is still a well-dressed middle-aged man, while Uncle Kang looks like he has been drinking and having sex too much, with cloudy eyes and an arrogant attitude.
The old lady sighed and said, "Your father experienced the ups and downs of human nature when he was a child, and he knows that life today is hard-earned, so he has become more cautious. But your uncle is the only son in the family, and he was spoiled by Old Lady Kang..." She didn't say anything else.
Minglan added secretly: A loving mother often spoils her child.
"Aunt Kang is so beautiful. She doesn't look much like Madam." Minglan thought of the haggard middle-aged beauty. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She propped up her round belly and lay down beside the old lady. "Why didn't you marry her back then?"
Old Lady Sheng pinched Minglan's warm little face under the dimly lit charcoal fire on the ground and scolded her, "You little thing, you pretend to be honest outside, but you dare to tell me anything when you come to me. Is this what you asked?" Minglan rubbed her head into her grandmother's arms coquettishly, which made the old lady laugh because of the itch.
"Back then, I simply came to ask for a marriage, and I didn't specify which one I was looking for. It was Old Master Wang's idea, and it was your Aunt Kang who saw through the curtain and chose her own," the old lady said calmly. "Old Master Wang and Old Master Kang were both important ministers of the late emperor, and the two families were well-matched. At that time, your Uncle Kang had just passed the imperial examination and was full of vigor. As for our family, your grandfather died young, and we don't have any foundation in officialdom, so she wasn't wrong to choose."
Minglan nodded, but suddenly felt something was wrong. A light flashed in her mind, and an idea came to her mind. She leaned over and whispered, "Grandma, could it be that... you never thought of Aunt Kang from the beginning?"
The Kang and Wang families are good friends and have a verbal marriage agreement in place for a long time, but the bride price has not been decided yet. However, everyone knows that the most outstanding daughter in the Wang family is the eldest daughter, not the second daughter who has been raised in her uncle's house since childhood. So if nothing unexpected happens, the Wang family will marry the eldest daughter to the Kang family, and then marry the second daughter to the Sheng family, which has a shallower foundation.
In the dim light, it was difficult to discern Old Madam Sheng's expression, but she reached out and patted Minglan's head, as if approvingly. "You want both a high-class family and a perfect daughter, but how could you possibly have that? Besides, I've heard that although your mother is blunt and has a bad temper, she's not a bad person at heart. She's capable of managing the household and wouldn't do anything truly vicious or cruel. That's all very good. If it weren't for that... well, our family would be quite harmonious."
Minglan nodded in agreement. Wang was narrow-minded, fussy, and unkind to others, but she was not a bad person. She was incapable of carrying out such evil ideas as drugging for abortion, false accusations, and sowing discord... That was why she was schemed against by Aunt Lin.
"Your Aunt Kang looks kind, but she is actually very cruel. Over the years, I don't know how many people have died in your uncle's house and how many concubines have been sold." The old lady said again.
Minglan didn't rush to respond this time. After a moment's silence, she slowly spoke, "If it weren't for the powerful, the Kang family would be in even worse shape now. Aunt Kang is the one who forced the people to rebel, so she inevitably bears the label of 'jealousy and evil'. Those in the other house are innocent victims, and they are inevitably accused of being seductive and deserve it. But the one who is truly at fault is not necessarily blamed much by the world."
This is a patriarchal society. Who doesn't want to be a pearl? Who wants to become a fish eye? But under the pressure of life, there are a few lucky pearls that can always maintain their luster and brightness.
"Haha, it seems my Ming has grown up." The old lady seemed to be laughing. "Since you understand, that's the best. You have to know that even the most strong-willed daughter will be ruined if she marries a bad man. Marriage is a woman's second life."
Minglan leaned against the old lady's neck, feeling a warm and gentle sandalwood fragrance. She felt an indescribable closeness in her heart, and whispered, "But it's easy to know a few words, but it's hard to know a person. Many of these scoundrels are just painted skins."
This remark amused the old lady. She hugged her little granddaughter to her chest, laughed for a while, and then said, "Little girl, why do you sound a bit like Empress Jing'an? She rarely blamed the concubines in the harem, and only blamed the late emperor."
Minglan's heart moved, but before she could say anything, Old Madam Sheng spoke again, this time with an unprecedentedly cold and solemn tone: "But, Ming'er, you must remember, if it really comes to that, it will be a life-and-death struggle. If you blindly pity others, you will be the one to die! Back then, Queen Jing'an was harmed by a so-called good sister, which is why she died so young!"
Minglan's heart was shocked.
She knew that the old lady was actually talking about herself. Her own flesh and blood had died at the hands of a pitiful woman, and the couple eventually turned against each other.
In a war between women, when two men meet on a narrow road, the most important thing to avoid is being soft-hearted.
Minglan sighed in her heart: She doesn't want to be a fish eyeball.
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