That night, Minglan's stepfather and stepmother came to visit the wounded. Wang Shi caressed Minglan's face, her loving gaze practically tearing up, sending tears through her eyes. Sheng Hong, genuinely distressed, offered gentle, caring words. In return, Minglan, tearful, whispered a defense for Molan's behavior, hoping he wouldn't be too angry and arguing that it hadn't been intentional and that it was all a misunderstanding. Sheng Hong was deeply moved, feeling that his upbringing wasn't entirely a failure, and he praised Minglan several times, shaking his beard.
Minglan secretly repented, there was nothing she could do, the leader just liked this kind of weak and virtuous tone, everything was for survival.
No one knows what Hai and Wang said to each other, but the next day Wang pretended to be sick and handed over all the housework to Hai. Hai first arrested all the maids who had pushed and shoved in Mucangzhai that day and gave each of them twenty strokes of the cane. Then the leader of Liu Kun's family rushed into their house and searched it, and found a lot of gold and silver jewelry. Hai wanted to send them to the authorities for investigation on the charge of embezzling their master's property. The servants panicked and hurriedly tried to blame each other, pulling out radishes with mud, and dragged in all at once all the housekeepers who were usually close to Aunt Lin. Hai punished them according to the severity of the crime, marrying off the maids or selling them, and driving the rest to the farm.
In just one day, a new group of people were replaced in Linqi Pavilion. Aunt Lin wanted to cry and make a fuss, but Hai just smiled and said, "We found many inappropriate items in Xia Xian's house, but I thought she was the most capable person around you, so I didn't leave or report it to the lady." Xue Niang, who was supporting Aunt Lin, immediately turned pale and knelt down. Aunt Lin was so angry that she was shaking, but she didn't dare to make a fuss anymore.
Ruomei gathered all the information from outside and reported it to Minglan. "Only Xia Xian's wife and Ma Gui's wife remain from Concubine Lin's household. The rest have been driven out. Third Master's and Fourth Young Lady's are relatively safe; only a few of the most sharp-tongued and irritating maids have been driven out. When they saw me, they all begged me to help hide some of their valuables, fearing the First Madam might get angry and search again. I picked out two who were usually honest and trustworthy and took some minor items, but ignored the rest. If Young Lady finds it inappropriate, I'll return them."
Minglan curled up on the warm kang, resting her arms on the kang table: "That's not necessary, I think my sister-in-law won't make trouble anymore." Hai's goal was only to consolidate the power of the Sheng family. Molan was about to get married, so there was no need for her to offend her. Changfeng had his own parents to take care of him, so it was not her turn as the sister-in-law to have any say.
As they were talking, someone came in from outside. It was Xi Que, Rulan's sidekick, saying that Minglan would be leaving the next day and asked Minglan to come over for a chat. Before Minglan could say anything, Rumei couldn't help but say, "Fifth Miss is so arrogant. It would be fine if she didn't come herself to see me off, but she asked us to come over. What kind of etiquette is this?"
Xi Que said awkwardly, "Our young lady... isn't she just catching a cold?" As soon as she finished speaking, Minglan, Ruomei, Danju, and Yancao all covered their mouths and laughed. Xiaotao, however, was stunned and said bluntly, "If she's catching a cold, how can we ask our young lady to go? What if she catches it? The worst thing we can do on the road is get a headache or a fever!"
Xi Que was in a dilemma, but she was also quite clever. She quickly leaned over to Minglan's ear and whispered, "The mansion has been bustling these past two days, and our young lady is feeling like she's being scratched by a cat, but she can't leave. So, young lady, please do us a favor and go."
Minglan took a sip of tea, smiled, glared at her maids, stood up and told Yancao to tidy up her clothes. Xique finally breathed a sigh of relief. Danju took out a thumb-sized white porcelain jar and stuffed it into Xique's sleeve, saying with a smile, "Don't be offended, sister. We girls are generous and indulge these little hooves who talk nonsense without respect. This is clam oil, the best for washing hands and face in cold weather. If you don't mind, take it."
The magpie smiled widely: "Everyone says that the Sixth Miss treats the maids the best. I am a thick-skinned person, so I won't be polite."
Minglan followed Xi Que around Shanyue Residence and arrived at Taoran Pavilion after a while. After entering the room, she saw Rulan, her face rosy, leaning against the headboard, with a cloth tied to her forehead. When she saw Minglan, she shouted, "Why are you here so late? Why are you still urging me? Didn't you say you only got slapped in the face? Could it be that your leg was broken as well?"
Minglan glared and said, "It seems that Fifth Sister is very ill. I'd better leave. If she gets sick, she won't be able to leave."
Rulan immediately let out an "Ah", fearing that Minglan had really left. Xi Que smiled and pushed Minglan over, apologizing repeatedly: "Miss, at least you are here, stop joking with our girl." He turned to Rulan and said, "Miss, you too, I just went to Mu Cang Zhai, and the Sixth Miss was busy there, and she was injured. It's best that you can come." Rulan puffed up her cheeks and said nothing.
Minglan reluctantly sat down beside Rulan's bed and said with a stern face, "There's no other way. The lightly injured are no match for the seriously ill. We still have to come!"
Rulan was amused. She turned Minglan's face and looked at it carefully from top to bottom. She said, "No wonder I thought you looked weird. It turns out you put on powder. Oh, the fingerprints are still there."
Minglan sighed, "It's not good to run around with a slap on my face, so I have to put on powder."
Rulan said angrily, "My eldest sister-in-law is powerful, but she's too soft-hearted. They dared to contradict Madam like that, but she didn't punish them harshly. Instead, she fed and drank well with them. Why did she keep the respectability for that family?"
Minglan pondered for a moment and said calmly, "My sister-in-law is kind, which is a good thing; and...she also has concerns."
When doing things in the inner house, unless you can kill the snake with one strike, you will end up suffering from it instead of killing it. Today, Aunt Lin was neither sealed off nor driven out, and she is still Sheng Hong's concubine. As long as Sheng Hong goes to sleep with her for one night, maybe things will change. If you leave room for maneuver, even if Aunt Lin wants to complain, she won't be able to say anything, and Sheng Hong will think that his daughter-in-law is kind-hearted and not a mean person.
Rulan sighed slowly and frowned, "I really hate it. If you like it, just say you like it. If you don't like it, just say you don't like it. You have to pretend."
Minglan touched the cloth on her forehead and sighed softly. Rulan suddenly became happy again and pulled Minglan, saying, "This time when you go, please bring me some osmanthus oil, the colorless kind. I've been using it for more than a year, and look at my hair. It's much better now."
Minglan was dumbfounded and pointed at Rulan, saying, "This time I went because... My aunt and my aunt are already crying, and you still have the nerve to worry about my hair?! I don't have the face to ask for it!"
Rulan was used to being arrogant and getting whatever she wanted. Seeing Minglan not agreeing, she raised her eyes in displeasure. Suddenly, she saw Minglan's face again and said, "It's just a few bottles of oil. Come with me. I'll tell you something exciting. I'm sure you'll be happy."
In fact, Minglan still had a few bottles in her hand, but she couldn't stand Rulan's selfish temper. Minglan asked curiously, "What's so happy?"
Rulan came over with a mysterious look on her face and whispered, "Do you know what kind of person the fourth sister is going to marry is like?" Minglan shook her head. How could she know? There was no human flesh search here.
Rulan quietly began to reveal: "I heard that Wen Juren comes from a poor family, lost his father at a young age, has a mean mother, and has jerk brothers! He's also indecisive. The only thing I can say about him is that he's 'honest'! We'll see how she handles the bullying from her mother-in-law and uncle!"
"It can't be that bad, right? Whatever Daddy likes is always good." Minglan was not excited or surprised.
This is nonsense. Juren is only one step away from Jinshi. If one has a good family background and outstanding character, there are many high-ranking officials in the capital, with a lot of legitimate daughters and concubines. How could the concubine daughter of a fourth-rank official be the right one? Forget Wen Yanjing, even Li Yu, if he really opened up his search for relatives in the capital, wouldn't he find better than the Sheng family? It's just that the Li family is afraid of finding someone with unknown background, who will become arrogant and pretentious, causing trouble for the natal family and the daughter-in-law to be arrogant, which will cause trouble for the family.
Rulan was disappointed to see Minglan disagreeing with her. She pulled a long face and lost her temper. Minglan smiled and coaxed her, "Okay, I'll definitely get you that osmanthus oil!"
Early the next morning, Changwu arrived with six or seven large carts to pick them up. Sheng Hong gave Changwu a few urgent instructions, saying that Yun'er was already five or six months pregnant. Wang Shi held her niece's hand and told her a lot of things to be careful of. After a while of instructions, Minglan and Changdong finally said goodbye to their parents. Hai Shi accompanied them to the door and secretly slipped a banknote into Minglan's hand. Then, she said to Changwu and Yun'er earnestly, "I haven't visited my parents since I got married. I should have gone this time, but I couldn't leave due to the family situation. I'm sorry for the trouble, Sixth Sister and Fourth Brother, Second Cousin, and Sister Yun'er. Please don't be offended. When you see Uncle and Auntie, I will apologize for my mistakes."
Changwu repeatedly said yes, and Minglan nodded in agreement, saying with a childish smile, "Uncle and Auntie are the best people. Even if they are angry now, they will be all gone when they see their plump, white grandson."
Everyone around laughed. Hai shook her head and said half-angrily, "This child!" Yoona blushed and smiled with her handkerchief covering her face. Changwu had a sad face, but he also laughed when he heard it.
There were rumbling sounds of carriages and horses along the way. Changdong originally wanted to ride a horse with Changwu, but he was driven back. He had to sit in the carriage with Minglan and stretch his neck out. Yoona felt a little uncomfortable sitting in the carriage, but as Minglan and her brother talked and laughed, she also felt more at ease.
Changwu had been away from home since he was young and had been running around everywhere. He was very capable in arranging accommodations. He had made all the arrangements for rest and meals along the way and never missed his place to stay. Yuner watched coldly and did not see how Minglan ordered the servants. The maids made the beds, lit the stove to warm the kang, sorted out the dressing table and clothes, and the old women asked for hot water to heat the rice, scalded the cups and bowls, and served the meals. Although there were no elders around, everything was in order. If there were some disputes or conflicts with other distinguished guests who came to stay with him, Minglan would appease them with gentle words, ask the servants to give in, give more silver, and settle the matter amicably.
Once, Luzhi had a few words with a servant of an official's family who was staying with her. She came back angrily and said, "He's just a councilor. Why is he so arrogant just because he claims to be the son of a marquis? He thinks he's the king of the world!"
Minglan half laughed, half sighed, "What can we do? This is all you girls are capable of. There's always someone better than you. The only way is to send our Miss Luzhi to the palace, so she can serve the Empress and then she can act however she wants!"
Luzhi blushed. At this time, Xiaotao came back from outside with a proud look on her face, saying that a group of Shangshu's family members had come again, and they were related to Duke Lian. The councilor's servant immediately gave up the upper room. Now, the little girls in the room laughed. From then on, Minglan disciplined the servants more carefully and did not allow them to cause trouble. Whenever the girls went out, they had to ask the strong servants to follow them.
After watching her for several days, Yun'er finally couldn't help herself and said to her husband at night, "No wonder my aunt always wanted Minglan to marry up. Look at her, a little girl like a baby, but she does things clearly and without any confusion. She is also open-minded. I am ashamed of myself. I was born like that and have no brothers. If I were born in your belly, it would be my fate." Changwu hugged his wife and laughed, "Nonsense, I think you are the best."
Yoona laughed and hit her husband.
After a few more days of travel, they finally arrived at the river ferry pier. Changwu had hired a two-decker red paulownia lacquered wood boat. Yoona then asked Minglan to get off the car and get on the boat together. No matter how strong her body was, she was tired after many days of travel. As soon as she got on the boat, Yoona lay down to take care of her pregnancy. Minglan chatted with her for a while, and when she saw that she fell asleep, she tiptoed away.
After all, the boat was more stable than the car, and Yoona could fall asleep, unlike the previous few days when she couldn't lie down comfortably. In the next few days, Minglan watched Yoona take medicine and rest, and talked to her to relieve her boredom, while she pulled Changdong back from the side of the boat and started reviewing her books again.
"When we went from Quanzhou to Dengzhou, big brother never put down his book, whether in the car or on the boat. Tell me about yourself, have you touched a book in the past few days?" Minglan cited an advanced role model as an example.
No matter how hard Changdong studied, he was still a child at heart. This was the first time he was so free. Sheng Hong, Wang Shi and Xiang Yi Niang were not around, and Changwu and his wife did not control him much. He gradually lost his mischievous nature, and after hearing what Minglan said, he drooped his ears and went back to studying.
Seeing this, Yun'er chuckled and said, "Sixth sister is amazing. She'll definitely encourage her husband to make progress in the future." Minglan rolled her eyes and shoved away, "Just tell me, when this baby in your belly is born, won't you urge him to study and become the top scholar?"
Yoona pretended to be angry and hit Minglan, but she was very happy in her heart, as she hoped to have a boy.
In the next few days, the waves were calm and the boat was stable. The north wind made the sails fat, the water was fast and the boat was fast. They stopped at Shizhou, Jining, Shangzhou and Huaiyin one after another. Changwu happily told everyone that with such good wind, they would arrive in about three or four days.
That night the wind died down and the waves were calm, so Changwu simply ordered the boat to stay in the water and rest for the night. He also asked the fishermen on the shore for some river fish, made a river fish hot pot and asked his younger brothers and sisters to eat together. Yun'er just smiled and accompanied him to eat some fish porridge. The three brothers and sisters of Changwu finished five or six baskets of fish and shrimps in one breath, some blanched, some peppered, some braised, and some grilled. The whole boat was filled with the aroma of fish, shrimps and crabs, especially Minglan, who seemed to have a grudge against the river crabs and ate them with all her might. However, Yun'er was afraid that Minglan's stomach could not bear it, so she snatched it away. Minglan gave up in anger. Changdong was dumbfounded holding the eight pieces of crab.
When eating crabs, one always has to drink some rice wine to ward off the cold. Changwu was slightly tipsy, so he and his wife went to bed early. The maids were also half drunk, so they all went to bed early. Minglan asked Xiao Changdong to go to her room. As soon as she entered the room, Minglan's expression suddenly changed, and she carefully closed the doors and windows.
Little Changdong didn't understand why, but he followed Minglan to the innermost bench. Minglan said seriously, "I've been busy these past few days, and it's hard to talk with people around. Fortunately, you don't like crabs, so you haven't been drinking either. Now tell me everything I asked you to find out."
Changdong paused suddenly, knowing what Minglan was asking. He had actually been holding it in his heart for a long time and wanted to say it when he was at Sheng Mansion, but the incident with Molan happened. Later, he hurriedly got on the car, but there were always people around along the way. Minglan was very cautious and never wanted to say a word outside, so she ordered Changdong not to mention it.
About half a year ago, Minglan learned from Qian Mama's fragmentary words that after Wang discussed marriage with Princess Pingning and the wife of Marquis Yongchang at a banquet at the Duke of Qi's mansion, Minglan secretly became interested. She vaguely guessed that Wang wanted to marry into the Qi and Liang families.
According to Wang's logic, if there is a good thing, she will never let Molan get it. Then the only ones left are Ruolan and herself. Based on the ranking of the candidates for husbands, Minglan reluctantly concluded that Wang probably wants to marry her to Liang Han.
Minglan's heart was in her throat. The reason why she was so calm before was because she trusted the old lady's judgment. She had met He Hongwen and felt that she could live a good life with him, but now... Sorry, it's not that she didn't trust Wang, but that Wang would not consider her marital happiness.
But marriage is always decided by parents. Yu Yanran's grandparents were relatives at the time, and they almost couldn't disobey Lord Yu. If the marriage with the Liang family is really beneficial to the Sheng family, and will benefit Sheng Hong, Changbai and even the whole family, and there are no obvious problems, then what should Old Lady Sheng say?
For the first time, Minglan felt confused and helpless. She knew nothing about that man, so she secretly asked Danju to find out about him while she was visiting her family at the farm. However, the maids in the inner house, especially those around the girls, were kept under strict watch to prevent any private transactions. With just one or two attempts, it was impossible to find out anything. They only knew that Liang Han had no major faults, had never killed anyone, had no scandals, no homosexual tendencies, and nothing unusual happened in the house.
Minglan still felt uneasy, and Ruomei later reminded her that the school Changdong attended had both children from scholarly families and those from the imperial court. The Liang family had many relatives, and while not particularly prominent, they were a source of considerable gossip. So Minglan asked Changdong to inquire. Little Changdong was an honest and reserved child, someone like him who wasn't usually guarded against. He slowly put in the work, asking questions in circles. After a full six months, he finally had a clear picture of the situation.
Liang Han is a cheerful and generous person who does things carelessly. He is very passionate with his brothers and friends. Because the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang is very strict, except for three or two concubines, the rest of his family is clean. But just a few months ago, the Liang Mansion began to feel uneasy because the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang's eldest son brought a girl into the mansion.
"She's said to be the concubine's daughter of the Liang Mansion's eldest grandmother's cousin's aunt." Changdong had a good memory and counted the relationships on his short fingers. "She's called Chun Ge."
Minglan couldn't help laughing at that time, it turned out to be "Chun Ge".
Miss Chun Ge was naturally beautiful and probably had great skills. She actually had something going on with Liang Han under Madam Liang's nose. The eldest lady of the Liang family cried and asked Madam Liang for an explanation.
How could Mrs. Liang be interested in the identity of a concubine's son's wife, the concubine's sister's concubine's aunt's cousin, with such behavior and relationship, Mrs. Liang would not even want her to be a concubine. Miss Chun Ge was very strong-willed and said that if the Liang family did not give an explanation, she would kill herself by ramming her head into the door of the Yongchang Marquis' Mansion. She would risk her life to let everyone in the capital know how mean and immoral the Liang family was.
After listening to Changdong's stuttering, Minglan took a deep breath, slumped back, and leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. This was right, this was in line with her worries. To be honest, she had never considered herself so precious, worthy of the Yongchang Marquis's repeated attention and generous treatment. A marquis's youngest son and the concubine's daughter of a fourth-rank official were more than enough.
So what was the reason that made the wife of Marquis Yongchang look at me differently?
Minglan turned her head slightly and saw a simple beech dressing table leaning against the wall. The diamond-shaped mirror on it was polished very smoothly, which just happened to reflect Minglan's face. It was really like the glow of a pearl and the halo of a jade. No wonder Molan wanted to cut her face like a madman.
This answer is very frustrating, but considering her inherent lack of hardware conditions, this is probably the most reasonable explanation.
What follows is easy to deduce.
After the incident, the wife of Marquis Yongchang made a prompt decision and agreed to let Chun Ge be a concubine, but she required Liang Han to marry a wife first. The two sides were deadlocked for a long time. Mrs. Liang could wait, but Miss Chun Ge could not, so Liang Han had to agree to marry first.
Mrs. Liang was very shrewd. She knew that if she randomly picked a young lady from a wealthy family, it would not only not help, but would cause trouble.
Already with her eldest son and a daughter-in-law of noble birth, she had no shortage of daughters-in-law from well-connected families. She knew her son well. Liang Han's love for her wasn't deep, but rather the hand that a beautiful woman with means had won over. Her goal was to find a woman even more beautiful than Chun Ge, whose manners and conversation could rival hers. If she could win Liang Han's favor by marrying him, all the better. If not, she could simply win him over according to etiquette and laws, and there wouldn't be any major complications.
Miss Chun Ge was very beautiful. Madam Liang had been looking for many, but she still couldn't find one she was satisfied with. Then, Ming Lan appeared before her, and her eyes lit up. Over the next few months, Madam Liang gradually got to know Ming Lan, and the more she saw her, the more she was satisfied. She came from a scholarly family, had a capable father and brother, and although she was a concubine's daughter, her upbringing and behavior were very much to her liking. So, she...
Minglan's heart was quite clear, and strangely, she wasn't particularly angry. Honestly, Liang Han's marriage was considered too high a priority for her. If it weren't for 'Chun Ge', how could she have gotten it? Even if it was He Hongwen, it wasn't necessarily Minglan. It was just that Madam He and her grandmother had a long-standing relationship, and the two families were on good terms.
Minglan suddenly felt relieved, like a helmsman who had no idea how many dangers lay in the fog ahead. Later, when the confusion dissipated, even knowing that there were many mudflats and reefs ahead was much better than the feeling when he was ignorant.
In fact, the problem of "Chun Ge" is not very serious. Looking at the example of Aunt Lin, we can know that for the children of officials, love is short-lived, and only family, future, and offspring are eternal; the daughter-in-law who marries Liang Han has the support of etiquette and law, the protection of her mother-in-law, plus some beauty, scheming and means. Over time, there is no need to worry about "Chun Ge" not falling.
Unless Liang Han is the "Fifth Prince" type, who is determined to hang himself on a bird, then he can only consider himself unlucky, but the probability of that happening is very low.
Changdong looked at Minglan anxiously. Although he was young, he had learned to observe people's words and expressions early on because he had not been favored since childhood. He knew that this was not good news for Minglan. Seeing Minglan leaning against the back of the chair and staring at the ceiling in a daze, he nervously pulled Minglan's sleeve. Minglan came to her senses and said to Changdong with a smile, "It's okay. Everything will be fine after we see the old lady."
Minglan weighed her own weight and felt that she might not be able to defeat Miss Chunge, so she gave up and asked Madam Liang to find someone else. Changdong had made great contributions this time. With these materials, the old lady would probably be able to refuse with a straight back. Wang had always kept the affairs of the He family a secret from the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang. Once the old lady returned, she only needed to say that she was engaged, and then everything would be at peace.
Just as she was thinking, suddenly there was a loud "bang" in the distance, shaking the entire surface of the water. Minglan shook on the chair before she could steady herself, and then looked at each other in confusion with Changdong who was holding the chair.
——What happened?
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