Minglan and Molan have very different likes and dislikes, and basically have no common interests and hobbies, but the girl in gorgeous clothes and beautiful eyebrows in front of them successfully resonated with the two sisters, and they both hated her.
"Sister Ru, I enjoyed the white tea you sent me last time. My mother thought it looked weird at first, with the silvery-white buds looking creepy, but it turned out to be quite fragrant and refreshing when you taste it." In Taoranju, several girls were drinking tea, and Kang Yuaner was talking to Rulan while holding her hand.
Rulan smiled and said, "If my cousin likes it, I should have given you more. But this white tea was given to us by my sixth sister. You can ask her yourself."
Kang Yuan'er immediately looked at Minglan. Minglan blew on her tea and smiled, "They're not really anything special. They were all sent by Sister Yanran from Yunnan. They're just rare, there weren't many to begin with. I can't keep them, so I gave them all away."
Kang Yuaner's delicate oval face darkened as she stared at Minglan and said, "It seems that Sixth Sister doesn't treat me as her own sister. Why is there no share for me when it comes to distribution?" There was a hint of anger between her brows.
Molan smiled sweetly and said, "Oh, Sister Kang, my sixth sister is the most honest. There is only a little tea, and it is not enough for my sisters to share. Naturally, I will share it inside first and outside later."
This was like adding fuel to the fire. Kang Yuan'er was Aunt Kang's youngest daughter. She had relied on her mother's love and had been bossing herself around since she was a child. Her half-sisters dared not even utter a word in front of her. She had never been bullied like this before. After hearing what Molan said, she immediately sneered, "They've given away so much, even my eldest sister's family has a gift, but I don't have one! I guess my sister is looking down on me. I have to talk to my aunt about this."
Rulan also frowned and said, "You too, why don't you give some to your cousin? We are all family."
Minglan put down the scalding tea bowl in her hand, shook her hot hands, and said slowly, "Sister Yanran sent a total of two and a half pounds of white tea. I sent one pound to the old lady in my hometown in Youyang. She is there to take care of the eldest old lady for our family. She is really hardworking. We grandchildren should be filial. Then half a pound was given to the lady. The rest was divided among the four of us sisters, my eldest sister-in-law, and Sister Yuner. My eldest sister has taken care of me a lot since I was a child, so I gave my share to her as well, so Sister Wenying also has some. If my cousin really likes it, I will write to Sister Yanran later and ask her to send some more. But the road to Yunnan is long, so you will have to wait."
After all, the people Minglan shared tea with were all members of the Sheng family. What were you, an outsider, barking about? She didn't even keep any for herself and gave it all to Hualan. Even if she reported it to Wang, Minglan would still be able to say so.
Kang Yuan'er couldn't find any evidence to prove it, so she raised the corner of her mouth in displeasure, then smiled and said, "I was just saying it, why don't you take it seriously, sister?"
She was originally the legitimate daughter of a noble family, but because of her father's lack of ambition, the family's fortunes declined. It would have been fine if she could not compare to Hualan and Rulan in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation, but she only disliked Molan and Rulan, and always tried to sow discord between them. She smiled and was very friendly in front of Rulan, but behind her back she would always tell Rulan how domineering she was in front of her illegitimate sisters, etc. Whenever she came, Rulan would always be angry with Molan and Minglan for a while.
Kang Yuan'er rolled his eyes and smiled again, "I've often heard that Sixth Sister is very clever and skillful with needlework. Last time I asked Sixth Sister and my mother to make two curtains, I wonder how they are going?" Minglan said casually, "It's too early. I'm afraid we'll have to wait."
Kang Yuan'er was used to getting angry at her half-sisters. She snorted coldly, "You're so reluctant to do chores for the elders. They say you're filial and virtuous, but you're just shirking responsibility like this? Or do you look down on my mother?"
Minglan glanced at Molan, who was sipping tea beside her, and decided to go it alone. She said with embarrassment, "Look at what you said, cousin. I'm not idle. It was hot a while ago, and I thought children are most likely to catch cold in hot weather, so I quickly made two soft bellybands with interlayered cotton silk for Shi'er and Quan'er. I'm clumsy and slow, so it took me a lot of effort to finish them and send them to them. Aunt Kang is an elder, so she will always be considerate of children."
Rulan's eyes lit up: "Those bellybands... you made two?" Minglan winked at her twice and hinted, "Yes."
Rulan immediately lowered her head and stopped talking. Every time Minglan made something for Hualan, she would make two copies, one of which was said to be made by Rulan. In this way, Rulan could appear very virtuous among the relatives who came and went. Minglan was always very sensible in this regard.
Seeing that Rulan was not helping, Kang Yuaner became even more angry and asked, "When will it be finished? Don't try to delay it. My sisters at home have already finished it."
Minglan spread out her two white, tender hands and said innocently, "How can we compare with my cousin's family? Fifth sister only has me as a sister, but my cousin's family has plenty of people. Oh, fifth sister, it would be great if you had more sisters. It would be more lively and there would be more work to do."
Rulan's face was strange. She didn't want a legitimate sister, let alone a concubine's child. Molan burst out laughing, then covered her mouth and trembled slightly. Kang Yuaner stamped his feet and said, "Who said that? I was saying you're too slow!"
Minglan said seriously, "My cousin is right. I will definitely practice hard and learn more from them. I will definitely catch up with the needlework and embroidery skills of the ladies out there!"
This time even Rulan couldn't help but curl her lips. Aunt Kang said sweet words but was bitter at heart. She often ordered and made things difficult for the illegitimate children. No one could marry them easily, and no one could marry them off easily. Aunt Kang had come so many times, but Minglan had only seen two illegitimate girls from the Kang family. They were as beautiful as flowers, but unfortunately, one was timid and couldn't act in big occasions, and the other was trying to please her mother and sister.
Every time she saw this kind of scene, Minglan thanked God for not letting her be born into that kind of family, otherwise, she might have turned around and committed suicide immediately; after all, Kang Yuan'er was also a bully who only bullied the weak and feared the strong, just because he had neither a biological mother nor a brother, he always picked on the weak.
Kang Yuan'er was furious, but she couldn't say anything in defense. Minglan would never let anyone catch her in a ruthless position.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, as if there was an argument. Rulan frowned and asked Xi Que to go and check. After a while, Xi Que came back and said with a smile, "Miss, it's nothing serious. Xizhi was trying on a new hairpin in the room. Xiye saw it and thought her hairpin was too short. Who knew it was a gift from Xizhi's family? So they had a quarrel. After I talked it over, they made up."
Rulan was about to speak when Molan interrupted, half jokingly and half seriously, saying, "This girl is too ignorant. Although we are both from the same mansion, Xizhi's parents are both capable of the master and the mistress, and her brother and sister-in-law are also capable. Xiye's mother died a long time ago, and her father is a drunkard. How can he compare with Xizhi? Even if you want to compare, you should see if you are worthy enough."
Kang Yuan'er's face turned pale, and Rulan felt uneasy, but she didn't know what to say. Molan deliberately glanced at them and then said to Xi Que, "Also, although you are all maids in the brothel, you each have your own father and mother, and your surnames and ancestors are different. You keep staring at other people's family affairs all day long, and you start a dyeing factory if you give it a little color. Don't take yourselves too seriously."
Kang Yuaner slammed the table and stood up, his hands red from thrashing. He shouted angrily, "What do you mean?!"
Molan pretended to be surprised and said, "I only taught the girl a few words. I didn't hit or scold her. Do you think it's inappropriate, cousin? I dare not overstep my bounds. If I like to discipline a girl, I will do it in my own courtyard." Molan looked at Kang Yuan'er with a smile. Her backer has never been Wang. Kang Yuan'er has often ridiculed her status as a concubine's daughter. Aunt Kang has actively advised Wang not to find a too good marriage for her concubine's daughter, so as not to suppress the legitimate wife in the future and accumulate deep resentment.
Kang Yuan'er was extremely angry and said a few more words before they parted on bad terms.
Minglan looked at the trembling leaves on the branches outside, which seemed to be gradually falling. She turned to Rulan and said with a smile, "The weather is getting cold, and father's knees will definitely hurt from the cold. Why don't we make knee pads for him? Fifth sister, how about you rub the flannel?"
Sheng Hong knew his daughter's worth very well, so it was difficult to fake it. However, helping out a little would count as a contribution so that Sheng Hong could praise her a little. Rulan immediately said happily, "Okay, I happen to have some good materials here, you can choose later." In fact, even the kneading work was done by the maid, so she simply provided some materials.
According to the rules of official rank, there is nothing wrong with the women in the inner house. They just don't have to go to the opera or hold big banquets. Anyway, they can still visit relatives, do needlework, and chat about gossip, and their days are spent.
But the men had a hard time. The sons of powerful officials in the capital endured the first few months, but the true colors of several powerful families were gradually revealed. Some of them gathered at home for banquets and entertainment, some went to the red-light district to have fun, and some secretly took concubines.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, the ministers were still unaware of his temper and were inevitably hesitant in writing memorials. However, a young man who had just been assigned to Sheng Hong's unit submitted a memorial in which he reported on the affairs of all the playboys in the capital. The emperor was so angry that his face turned blue and he lost his temper at the court meeting.
After finally becoming emperor, he didn't dare sleep with concubines or hold banquets to observe mourning for his father. He even dismissed the female musicians from the palace. He lived a life more peaceful than a monk, purer than mineral water. Yet, those sons of noble families who ate the emperor's salary dared to set fire to the country?! They thought he, a provincial official, was a dead man!
The emperor acted quickly. He first greatly commended the young censor, praising him for being "upright, loyal and filial" and not a "fawning" person. Then he immediately promoted him and rewarded him. He then issued an edict, ordering the governor of Shuntian Prefecture to intensify the crackdown, the censors to expand their supervisory functions, and the 50% military department to be ready to arrest people at any time.
With this example in mind, the Censorate immediately became busy. Sheng Hong, already well-established, naturally didn't want to offend too many powerful figures, so he only wrote about minor matters. However, the petty censors, waiting for their turn, were emboldened and impeached nearly every live seafood in the capital. In ancient times, the moral standards for men were simple: filial piety was paramount. The new emperor's claim to be "filial to the late emperor" was undeniable, especially since the upright censors already disliked the powerful and aristocratic.
In just half a month, the emperor punished more than a dozen families with titles and salaries, including salary cuts, demotions, and reprimands, with varying degrees of severity.
There were more than a dozen particularly conspicuous royal relatives who refused to obey the rules and insulted the officials who came to inspect them in the street. The emperor immediately sent out the imperial guards to capture them, bring them into the palace, and beat them with boards. After their injuries healed, they were dragged into the dormitory of the Imperial College and locked up. The emperor invited several doctors of Hongxue who hated evil to open a training class for them to focus on learning propriety, integrity, loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness.
The emperor personally sent two university scholars to conduct regular inspections and randomly ask students to recite. Those who could not recite the book were not allowed to go home. Those who disrespected their teachers would be beaten with a stick. You bastard, I still want to beat you to submission!
Those dandies were so busy with cockfighting, running errands, and bullying men and women that they had no time to learn cultural knowledge. Their detention periods were repeatedly extended, and the weather was getting colder, but they were still miserable eating vegetable buns in prison. Some of them were particularly lawless and were beaten black and blue. The one who cried the most was the beloved son of Princess Qingning. She cried and begged for mercy in the palace, but was stopped outside before she could even see the two Empress Dowagers.
A eunuch read out the decree coldly: "The king and his father have passed away, and the whole nation is in mourning. You are of the royal bloodline, deeply blessed by the emperor. How can you be so dissolute and disobedient? There is no use keeping such a disloyal and unfilial person."
Princess Qingning was horrified after hearing this. Emperor Renzong had always been kind and benevolent, and he showed favoritism to the imperial grandsons, both inside and outside the palace. He seldom punished the powerful relatives in the capital. The princess realized at this moment that the emperor had changed. From then on, no one dared to enter the palace to plead for mercy. After these playboys finished the training class, they had to go to the palace to express their gratitude. They all said that their cultural level had made a qualitative leap, and it would not be a problem for them to help their families write couplets and invitations in the future. Some of them were traumatized during the labor reform, but they could still write a few lines of poetry with neat rhythm and rhythm.
After this round of attacks, everyone inside and outside the court knew what was going on. Whether the new emperor was wise or not was another matter, but he was definitely not someone to be trifled with, unlike the old emperor who was so easily influenced.
"The Emperor is asserting his authority." Sheng Hong, dressed in a round-necked green robe, stood before the desk. He finished writing a single line of calligraphy and then stroked his long beard. "That's right. First, shock the capital before we move on to other things."
Changbai, who was standing aside, pondered for a moment and said softly, "The emperor has ascended the throne. Is there still any dissatisfaction?"
Sheng Hong exchanged a small red and purple brush for a brush and wrote in small characters in the corner of the inscription: "Of course there is. The Prince of Jing is the fifth son of the late emperor. According to seniority, he should have ascended the throne. However, the late emperor disliked his tyrannical nature and granted him a fiefdom early on, banishing him from the capital. After the 'Shenchen Rebellion', the late emperor rushed to make the mother of the current emperor empress, using the principle of legitimate heir and nobility as the basis for establishing this heir. How could the Prince of Jing accept this?"
Changbai nodded slightly, understanding the situation. "Now that the relationship between the monarch and his subjects has been established, justice is on the side of the emperor. I only hope that the emperor will be magnanimous and not bear grudges against the King of Jing. Peace is not easy to come by."
Sheng Hong paused, seemingly satisfied with his calligraphy. He then put down his brush, took out his personal seal, and added another stamp. He said to his son, "We shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the imperial family. You should focus more on your own family." After affixing the small vermilion seal, Sheng Hong continued, "The old lady's letter said that the eldest old lady might die during this period. By then, Wu Ge'er will have to observe a year of mourning. What a pity! He hasn't even completed a full year in his position as the general."
Changbai whispered, "My cousin's case is easy to handle. He's doing his job very well and gets along very well with his superiors and colleagues. We'll just have to help arrange for his reinstatement in nine months. However...my aunt came again yesterday."
Sheng Hong held up the scroll and read it in the light. He frowned at the words, "It's not that we're unwilling to help your uncle, but he's so arrogant and proud of his talent that he's making irresponsible remarks about the cabinet's right and wrong. He's also so audacious that he dares to scrape the flesh off a mosquito's leg."
Changbai didn't like Uncle Kang either, but he was a relative after all, and since his aunt had come to him so many times to ask for help, he couldn't just ignore her. So he said, "Why don't we help our cousin? I think he's steady and capable."
Sheng Hong put down the scroll, walked back and forth a few steps, looked up and said, "That's fine."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
