"Minglan, little girl, bring me an orange and make sure it's peeled." Little girl Rulan was sitting on the swing.
Minglan sat on the stone pier, staring at the sky. No one moved. Rulan called out a few more times, but when she saw Minglan still didn't respond, she picked up a small stone and threw it at her. Minglan felt a pain in her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Rulan grinning, "You little fool, why don't you peel an orange for me!"
Minglan looked up at the sky speechlessly, then slowly walked to a small table beside her. She picked up an orange and was about to peel it, but was blocked by a hand that stretched out from the side. The hand was delicate and beautiful, and its ten pointed nails were stained with light pink balsam juice.
"Rulan, you're bullying our sixth sister again! Get off my feet!" Miss Hualan stormed over and yanked Rulan off the swing. "What did father say the other day? Sixth sister is the youngest among the sisters, and we, as the older sisters, should be more considerate and attentive to her. But you, on the other hand, bully her all day long! Watch out, or I'll tell father!"
"Who bullied her? I just asked her to peel an orange!" Little girl Rulan stuck out her belly and rested her hands on her waist.
"All the servants are dead, and you're still asking the master to peel oranges?! Or are the maids around you so precious that you can't even use them?!" Hua Lan's beautiful eyes glared at them, and the three or four maids who had been standing by to watch the joke all lowered their heads and huddled in fear. "You saw Sixth Miss about to peel the oranges, and you all died, didn't you?! You capable maids, and now you're watching your master's joke! Tomorrow I'll report to the master and mistress, and I'll send you back home to watch the joke all day!" Miss Hua Lan scolded sharply.
Rulan immediately refused to listen. She stepped forward, tugging at her sister's sleeve and yelling, "Big sister, you are not allowed to bully my people. I'll tell mother! You're making things difficult for your own sister over a fool born by a concubine!"
"Go and sue! I've wanted to sue for a long time. What's the point of saying she was born by an aunt? Sixth sister is our sister. Besides, father brought her to mother, so she is our biological sister! If you say that nonsense about her being born by an aunt again, be careful or father will beat you with a stick!" Hualan poked Rulan's forehead with her index finger.
Rulan was furious but couldn't refute; Minglan lowered her head, pretended to be stupid and said nothing.
Although Hualan and Rulan were siblings, their appearances differed. Hualan resembled Sheng Hong, bright and beautiful, with a heroic look between her brows. Rulan, on the other hand, resembled Wang Shi, with a round face and well-defined features. Her looks were a little ordinary, but perhaps she would develop into something more dignified as she grew up. Clearly, the Creator had treated these sisters unfairly. Whether in appearance, talent, or parental love, the younger sister was inferior to the older sister. Minglan only hoped Rulan's imbalance wouldn't worsen.
In reality, making a living around Wang Shi wasn't that difficult. Sister Hualan and Brother Changbai already had their own courtyards, and little brother Changdong was still drooling over his affairs. Minglan only had little girl Rulan to deal with. Rulan wasn't a bad person, she just liked to act arrogant and domineering, and she wanted to be flattered every day. However, she couldn't afford to offend her elder sister and brother, nor could she afford to offend Aunt Lin's brother and sister. She found it boring to provoke little brother Changdong, who couldn't even stand steadily. So, she was left with only the unfortunate Minglan to order her around.
Every time at this time, Miss Hualan would descend from the sky like the Monkey King to uphold justice. She might not like Minglan, but she could not stand Minglan's arrogance. As the favored eldest daughter, her authority in the Sheng Mansion was second only to the three elders. She could scold her younger sister and punish the servants with ease and she could talk about it with confidence.
Minglan was very grateful to this beautiful and majestic elder sister. She was a true favored child of heaven, with beauty, family background and courage. She sincerely hoped that this elder sister would always be so happy and proud in the future.
Now every morning, Minglan was carried by her mother and went with Wang Shi and others to pay their respects to Old Madam Sheng. Before that, the concubines in each room had already paid their respects to Wang Shi. Aunt Lin's intervals of paying her respects were very regular, about three days for paying her respects and two days for taking leave. The reason was very versatile - she was not feeling well. If Sheng Hong stayed in her room the night before, she would hold her waist and say she was tired. If Sheng Hong did not go the night before, she would hold her chest and say she was tired. Every time Aunt Lin came to pay her respects, Wang Shi had to prepare herself mentally for a long time, so as not to get angry and pounce on Aunt Lin and scratch her charming face, which would be an extreme challenge to Wang Shi's cultivation.
On the other hand, little Minglan was only five or six years old, had no favored mother, was young and dull, and Wang had no need to bully her, and of course she would not take special care of her. Anyway, she ate and slept with Ruolan, but careful people could still see the difference.
Every meal was served with dishes that Rulan liked, and Minglan ate along, without the right to choose; Rulan's clothes were all new, and the clothes that Minglan wore were left over, although they were also 90% new; if there were any fresh fruits and cakes, of course Rulan would eat them first, and the rest would be given to Minglan; as for jewelry such as gold, silver, and jade locks and chains, Minglan had never seen them at all, but every time she went out, Wang would still give her something around her neck and head to wear to make her look presentable.
The career path that Minglan set for herself was to act dumb when necessary and to complain when necessary. Yingchun's experience tells us that we cannot enjoy peace by just swallowing our anger. If a concubine's daughter with no one to rely on does not stand up for herself, who will care about her? As the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves.
The mother beside Minglan is a lazy and careless old woman. She always gives things to others and pouts in dissatisfaction if she is told to do something more than once. The little maids follow her example and are also lazy and incompetent. They often whisper in a voice that Minglan can hear, saying things like "She keeps asking me questions here and there, it's really tiring", "She acts like a master, she really thinks she is a rich lady, but she is just born to a concubine", "She'd better keep quiet, who has the patience to serve her" and so on.
Minglan said nothing, pretending she hadn't heard, and continued to do her bidding. Sheng Hong, still not completely confident in Wang Shi, would check on Minglan from time to time. Then Minglan would bluntly say, "I was thirsty last night, and Mom didn't give me any water. ...Did you give me the crabapple dew last time? I didn't see any. ...And the snacks the Madam gave? Mom said her grandson liked them, so she took them away. ...She said she'd mend this hole in my clothes when she was free."
Sheng Hong's expression relaxed immediately, and Wang Shi was also very embarrassed. She had been busy preparing Hualan's coming-of-age ceremony recently, so she had no time to take care of Minglan. She was so angry that she punished all the maids and servants who had lost her face. At first, the maids and servants were not convinced and continued to make things difficult for Minglan. Minglan did not take it seriously and continued to complain. However, after two times, the maids became obedient, and Minglan's life became better.
Actually, making a complaint is a skill, the same in the modern workplace as in the ancient Sheng family. Making a complaint well can improve one's life, but making a complaint badly can backfire. There is a trick to this. First, the target of the complaint must be accurate. Minglan knew from the beginning that Wang Shi didn't care about her and just wanted to keep her alive. Sheng Hong, on the other hand, still remembered the kindness of Concubine Wei and felt guilty that she died so young, so Minglan's target of the complaint was Sheng Hong. Secondly, the target of the complaint must be clear. Minglan only complained about the maids and never mentioned Wang Shi. Instead, she often said that Wang Shi gave this and that and that it was the servants who were lazy and sly. Wang Shi was not worried about it while listening to it. Finally, and most importantly, she had to play dumb. Minglan had been dumb and stupid since she woke up. She spoke incoherently and reacted slowly. She looked completely foolish and innocent, which was safer.
As summer gradually approached, the sun was scorching, and the heat burned people's skin. On this day, Minglan was taking a nap in the inner room, and two little maids on duty were chatting idly in the outer hall.
"The eldest lady's coming-of-age ceremony was really grand. It is said that the madam invited all the ladies and wives of some reputation in Dengzhou. There were two rows of sedan chairs at the door. In order to prevent the guests from getting hot, the madam bought dozens of carts of ice cubes at once to cool them down, and sent bowls of ice in at a constant price. The master also came back to the mansion to watch the ceremony." A little maid who was a little over ten years old.
"The Madam specially ordered a set of head ornaments from Cuibaozhai. My mother said it was the best jewelry store in the capital. I don't know how much money it cost. And the skirt that the eldest girl is wearing, my mother said the embroidery on it is Liushang embroidery. It seems that every line on it moves when she walks. It was given by the old lady from Madam's family. The eldest girl is so lucky. Sister Xiaomei, what do you think of our girl's future..." said a round-faced little girl of seven or eight years old.
"Hey, how can our girl compare? The eldest daughter is a legitimate daughter..."
Minglan was lying in the inner room listening to the conversation of the maids. These two little maids were assigned to her by Wang for personal service. The older one was called Qiuyu and the younger one was called Xiaotao. The former was originally a third-class maid in Wang's room, and the latter was just promoted from the family courtyard. It was said that she was of similar age to the Sixth Miss and was easy to get along with. Thinking of this, Minglan puffed up her face helplessly.
In order to tidy up the inner house of Sheng Mansion, Sheng Hong wanted to replace all the servants. Except for some wives and Lin Yi Niang's trusted confidants, almost all the other second- and third-rank cleaning maids were replaced. Then some new ones were selected from the family courtyard to replace them. Those who looked smart were given to the first few young masters and young ladies. When it was Minglan's turn, only the silly Xiao Tao was left.
But...it doesn't matter. Minglan turned her small body over on Rong Tan.
Minglan did not see Sheng Hualan's coming-of-age ceremony, but she could imagine the scene. She was not particularly envious or jealous, but when she was half asleep, she would think that Sheng Hualan's background was what a time-traveling girl should be reborn into.
After completing the coming-of-age ceremony, Wang immediately threw herself into the search for her eldest son-in-law with boundless enthusiasm, frequently exchanging opinions with Sheng Hong and Old Madam Sheng. Whenever this happened, Hualan would shyly hide her face and retreat to her room. Minglan couldn't help but sigh, society has indeed progressed. Back then, when Yao Ma held up photos and suggested blind dates for Yao Yiyi, Yao Yiyi had participated in the entire process and had the final veto and decision-making power. But here, even though Sheng Hualan was so favored, she couldn't interfere in her marriage. For the first time, Minglan witnessed the meaning of "parents' orders and matchmaker's words" being the norm.
After a period of discussion, Sheng Hong and his wife were left with two final candidates, the fifth grandson of the Duke of Lingguo and the second son of the Earl of Zhongqin. Before the couple could come up with a result, Lord Qiu Jing, the then prefect of Kaifeng, came to propose a marriage for his son.
"Originally, Hua'er had just come of age and was not in a hurry to choose a husband. But since Lord Qiu proposed this, we have to hurry up. We should either accept Lord Qiu's marriage proposal or have an explanation if we don't." Wang was sitting at a bat-shaped ebony table with several bright red and gold invitations piled in front of her. The tassels of the dragon and phoenix gold hairpin on her head kept shaking.
"Brother Qiu is my classmate, and our two families know each other well. Originally, there was nothing wrong with this marriage, but..." Sheng Hong walked around the room holding a boxwood folding fan in his hand.
"But what is it? Master, please tell me quickly." Wang said anxiously.
Sheng Hong sat down opposite Wang, took a sip from the white porcelain teacup with embossed patterns on the table, and said, "I've met the Second Young Master Qiu. His appearance and character are worthy of Hua'er. I don't like Hua'er marrying into a prince's mansion. Although it is rich, it is still a closed-door residence. Hua'er is also proud and arrogant. She may not be happy if she really marries into such a place. We are a good match for the Qiu family, so we are not worried about Hua'er being wronged. But this time I am going to the capital, and I don't think it is appropriate."
Wang nodded repeatedly when she heard about Hualan's difficulties in marrying into a noble family. At the end of her speech, she even fanned Sheng Hong with her round fan. Sheng Hong paused, leaned over, and whispered, "The current Empress has no sons, so the legitimate heir is out of the question. The next oldest and most precious sons are the Third and Fourth Princes, born to Consort De and Consort Shu. Your Majesty has been hesitant to appoint a crown prince simply because the Third Prince was frail and childless at forty, while the Fourth Prince, who already has children, was born a long time later. It's good that Your Majesty is still strong now, but if there's a mountain collapse in the future, I'm afraid those close ministers around the princes will be in trouble."
Wang Shi knew nothing about the affairs of the imperial court and said in bewilderment, "What does this have to do with the eldest girl's marriage? Lord Qiu Jing is an official from outside the capital."
"But Qiu Jing's elder brother is the Third Prince's lecturer!" Sheng Hong was furious. He actually wanted to open up to his wife, but his wife's thoughts were always out of sync with his. Aunt Lin was in sync with him, but she happened to be a concubine.
Wang thought about it and was horrified. "Master, this is indeed inappropriate. Regardless of whether the emperor appoints the Third Prince as his successor or not, as long as the Third Prince cannot produce a son, the throne will have to be given to someone else in the future! I heard that the Fourth Prince is not a pushover."
Seeing that his wife finally understood, Sheng Hong nodded and sighed, "I often advise Brother Qiu Jing that it's okay for officials like me to secretly make friends with some officials in the capital, but we must not get involved in the important matter of appointing a crown prince. There are so many dukes and earls in the capital, and there are so many smart people in the capital, how many of them would get involved! The late emperor ascended the throne smoothly, but he also stripped away many titles that were not tactful and dismissed countless first and second-rank officials, not to mention us. I advised him several times, but Brother Qiu would not listen. Instead, he became doubly close to his eldest brother, the Third Prince. I also know that the Third Prince is a kind-hearted person with great virtue and filial piety, but, but..."
"But he has no son!" Wang Shi quickly added to Sheng Hong's remarks. "Without a son, even if the Third Prince is virtuous, it's useless. Lord Qiu is too foolish. The fight for the throne is no joke. I think the Fourth Prince will definitely take the throne."
"That's not necessarily true." Sheng Hong suddenly responded, "Brother Qiu and the officials around the Third Prince aren't completely clueless. They know that if the Third Prince hadn't had issues with his offspring, he would have already appointed a crown prince. So they came up with an idea."
Wang asked, "What idea?"
Sheng Hong lowered his voice further and further: "This is no secret. They instigated a few ministers to advocate outside and emulate the story of Song Yingzong."
Wang twisted her handkerchief and angrily said, "Master, please stop trying to show off your knowledge. I can't even read a single word, so how can I know anything about the story of Emperor Yingzong of Song?"
Sheng Hong sighed subtly and explained helplessly, "That is, if the Third Prince still has no son after ascending the throne, he can adopt a son from his brother. The emperor has more sons than just these two princes. Don't the younger princes have sons? In short, they are all the emperor's grandsons."
Wang smiled and clapped her hands, saying, "That's a good idea. Not only are the young princes' mothers of humble origins, but the emperor doesn't care much about them either. They have no chance of inheriting the throne, so adopting their sons would be the most appropriate option. But... can it work? Will the Fourth Prince agree?"
"Who said it wasn't? Those who advocated for adoption have already become thorns in the eyes and bones in the body of the Fourth Prince. It's better to be safe than sorry. If the Fourth Prince ascends the throne in the future, then the Qiu family..." Sheng Hong didn't say anything else, but Wang Shi understood everything.
"This is a bet. If we win, the Qiu family will prosper. If we lose, the Qiu family will be ruined. But why bother to gamble? The Qiu family is already rich and powerful now." Sheng Hong sighed.
"Master, we can't agree to the Qiu family's marriage. They're willing to gamble, but we can't gamble with Hua'er. If things go wrong, our whole family might be implicated." Wang's thoughts suddenly became clear. She pulled out a crimson handkerchief embroidered with sunflowers from her waist and gently pressed it against her forehead. Suddenly, she looked up and asked, "Master has always been a kind person in the officialdom and has always made friends with everyone. Now, there is no one he can marry into?"
Sheng Hong said, "It's not that I don't have any. When I was still in Quanzhou, I carefully considered my group of friends who were the same year and the same subject, and none of them were suitable."
"Neither of them is suitable?" Wang asked doubtfully.
"What did you say about choosing a son-in-law the other day?" Sheng Hong glanced at her and said slowly, imitating Wang's tone: "It must be a good family background, rich family background, simple family, easy to take care of parents-in-law and sisters-in-law, and most importantly, the young man must be capable, either with academic achievements, or with property, or with martial arts titles. Most of my friends are scholars, and there are not many who are of the same age and examination as me. They hold high official positions. Those who have a good reputation and high official positions have poor family backgrounds, but those with rich family backgrounds have already been chosen by their elders. Brother Liu from the Dali Temple is suitable, but his legitimate son is still young, so I can talk to Rulan about it in the future. Alas -"
Wang looked a little embarrassed and smiled sheepishly, "Master, don't worry. There are other families out there. I think the Duke of Lingguo's Mansion is very good. Although they inherited the title by a lower rank, it's only the third generation since the conferment of the title by our great grandfather. The Duke of Zhongqin's Mansion is also a descendant of the nobility, but their current situation is not good and they have long been disliked by the emperor. It's better not to have it. The Duke of Lingguo's Mansion is good. It is famous and famous, with a prosperous family background."
"...That's not necessarily true." Sheng Hong leisurely opened his folding fan and waved it gently. "When I was young, I lived in the capital with my grandfather and mistress. My elder brother Wei and I attended the private school at the Duke Ling's mansion. I despised that family; it looked glamorous on the outside, but was filthy inside. The school was also very shabby. My elder brother Wei and I only studied there for half a year before leaving. This time, when I went to the capital on business, I heard that the Duke Ling's mansion had become even worse. The family was large, with masters and servants, rich and honorable. The few young masters, no more than Changbai was old, had more than twenty wives and maids to serve them. They were so extravagant, big and small, all squandering money and living lavishly. They spent more than they earned, and their treasury was already empty. I just hinted to Uncle Geng that Hua'er was about to come of age, and they came to me and told me, hinting at their intention to marry me."
Wang was shocked: "You mean, they're interested in the eldest girl's dowry?"
"It's hard to say. Besides, it's not the first or second time that their family has embezzled their daughter-in-law's dowry." Sheng Hong said disdainfully.
Wang hesitated and said, "But it's the Duke's Mansion after all. Such a grand and magnificent family, if it weren't for the difficulties now, it wouldn't be our Hua'er's turn."
Sheng Hong sneered, "If it was just money I was shortchanged, I wouldn't have acted so badly. It's just that the descendants of that family are truly unfilial. In such a large family, there's not a single one who studies martial arts or has any plans. The old Duke and his wife are fine themselves, but their sons... humph! The first wife is arrogant and extravagant, and the father and son are always ridiculed for having an affair. The second wife, oh, it's the second son of this wife who came to propose marriage. The second wife is already old and still keeps asking for concubines. He has raped the maids and wives in his room. I heard in the capital that he even asked to sleep with his daughter-in-law's personal maid. He is truly an insult to civility and a scumbag!"
Wang was horrified. "Why would a mansion like that, a Duke, come to the home of a sixth-rank prefect like us to propose marriage? I'm afraid even the respectable families in the capital wouldn't marry their daughters to them, right?"
"Madam is right this time." Sheng Hong put away his fan and shook his head.
"That can't be the residence of the Marquis of Zhongqin. His Yuan family is very deserted now." Wang said angrily.
"That's not the case." Sheng Hong finally became interested and said eagerly, "I went to visit the Zhongqin Marquis's mansion on purpose this time and met several of the old uncle's sons. The eldest son was the daughter of Master Zhang, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College. I think that son is quite good. He is calm, polite, and dignified. At a young age, he got a job in the Five Cities Military Command. I also went to ask Commander Dou about his character and talents. You know that Dou Laoxi, he has always been arrogant, but he also praised Yuan Wenshao very much and sighed, saying that because of the young man's family background, ordinary official families dared not marry him, and they looked down on lesser families. A good young man has dragged on until he is almost twenty and still hasn't married. It was probably because I showed my interest in Dou Laoxi that the Yuan family asked someone to speak for him the next day."
Wang Shi still had a stern face: "You said it yourself, ordinary officials and noble families don't dare to marry into their families. They have neither power nor money now, so why should we rush to marry them!"
"Nonsense! If they weren't in trouble now, our Hua'er wouldn't have gotten into trouble." Sheng Hong also used Wang's words to retort, "His family was also unlucky. During the reign of the previous emperor, they were accidentally involved in the Yi Wang treason case. They were stripped of their titles along with several other noble families, and fell into poverty for several years. Later, after the current emperor ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty, they reviewed the old cases and found that several dukes and marquises, including the Zhongqin Marquisate, were indeed wrongly implicated. So they restored four or five families, and his family was among them. However, they were still reprimanded for their careless behavior and improper conduct, and their silver and rice salaries were stripped for ten years, leaving them in the cold."
"Since what the master said makes sense, why should we marry into his family?" Wang pouted.
"What do you know? Most of the children of noble families like this are clueless and incompetent. Because of their ancestors' influence, they don't care about studying, practicing martial arts, or striving for progress. After two or three generations, they become a mess. But the Yuan family has suffered hardships, so their descendants are more capable and sensible than others. Only those who have experienced hardships know how difficult it is to build a career. I think Yuan Wenshao is a good person."
Wang was still unwell and turned her head away without saying a word. Sheng Hong walked over and held Wang's shoulders, saying softly, "Hua'er is our firstborn daughter. How could I have wronged her? I remember that I was just a small deputy governor, and I was assigned to that bitter cold place. When Hua'er was born, we couldn't even find a decent wet nurse. I was studying for the exam while working, and you had to manage the household and serve me and the old lady. Hua'er was so well-behaved back then, never crying or causing trouble. Now that she's a little older, she can even help you manage things. To be honest, of all these children, the one I love the most is Hua'er."
Wang's eyes welled up as she recalled those difficult days. Sheng Hong's voice trembled slightly, "At the time, I thought, I can't let anyone get hurt, but I can let Hua'er get hurt. I don't expect Hua'er to marry a man of high rank, I just hope she can marry a responsible man, live in harmony with him, have children, and live a smooth life."
His words were so earnest and full of a fatherly heart that Wang Shi could no longer hold back her tears and hurriedly lowered her head to wipe them away. Sheng Hong continued, "No matter how bad the Yuan family is, they still have the protection of a noble title. If your career doesn't go well, at least you have a baron's mansion to rely on. If Yuan Wenshao succeeds, there will still be wealth and glory waiting for Hua'er in the future."
Wang Shi had long been persuaded. While wiping her tears with the corner of her handkerchief, she angrily said, "Pah! You've made a poor fellow look like a flower. Master, you see things better than I do. And let me find out more about Yuan Wenshao's character. He's already twenty years old, and I don't know how many women he has in his room. If there's any mischievous or domineering one, I won't allow it. My Hua'er didn't marry him to suffer."
"Okay, okay, I'll do as my wife says." Sheng Hong hugged her affectionately. "If that boy is a womanizer, I'll be the first to disapprove. We must think carefully and find the best son-in-law for Hua'er."
【Author has something to say】
In ancient times, officials were very particular about marriages and would often check three generations of the family. Officials were also divided into those with wealth and those without, and into those of the first generation and those of generations. Good parents would often choose their daughters and sons very carefully.
Usually it's the legitimate sons and daughters. Concubine's sons are okay, but concubine's daughters have no chance.
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