As soon as the year-long national mourning ended, the noble families in the capital took down the plain white lampshades in front of their doors. Because the emperor had been strict and stern before, and had won a victory in suppressing the rebellion later, the emperor's authority was growing. Although the dandy young men in the city were very tempted, they did not dare to act recklessly.
After another month or two, the emperor granted marriages to several honest royal family members, and the powerful eunuchs finally breathed a sigh of relief. Those who wanted to take concubines took concubines, those who wanted to get wives took wives, and those who wanted to visit brothels to inspect the people's sentiments... well, they had to change their clothes and put on a wide-brimmed hat before going.
The old lady did what she said. After Jufang had rested for ten days after the miscarriage, she set up a table of wine to promote her as a concubine. Wang was also very considerate and gave her a red envelope. Then, according to the share of concubines Xiang and Ping, she placed the new concubine Fang in her own courtyard. When concubine Fang saw Xiao Changdong going in and out of the school with a school bag on his back, she thought of her own child who was not meant to be hers, and she hated concubine Lin even more.
Because she was pregnant, Concubine Fang could not sleep with him, but that did not prevent her from touching his hands and kissing his lips, and saying a few clever compliments to make Sheng Hong happy and shake his beard, while wiping her tears to express her grief for the child, which made Sheng Hong hate Lin very much.
A few days later, the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion sent a matchmaker to the Sheng Mansion to make the engagement. Wang now regarded Molan as a plague god and wished to marry her off the next day. Anyway, the dowry had already been prepared, and Miss Chun Ge over there probably couldn't wait either. It would not look good to serve tea after the child was born. So the two of them got together and decided to propose on June 28th and get married on July 8th.
As soon as the marriage was settled, Molan became active after hearing the news. She first wanted to go to Sheng Hong to pay her respects and thank him for raising her. Hai Shi was reluctant at first, but Molan used the name of "filial piety" to make Hai Shi agree. Unexpectedly, when Molan arrived in front of Sheng Hong, she started crying, sometimes crying that she was unfilial, sometimes confessing that she had caused her father trouble, and then she sobbed and pleaded for Aunt Lin.
"Daddy, my daughter is getting married. Please at least ask me to come back for the sake of the Marquis's Mansion. I am your flesh and blood. Please ask me to watch me go out!" Molan knelt in front of Sheng Hong, crying like a pear blossom in the rain. The love between mother and daughter was very touching.
As expected, Sheng Hong said coldly, "It was Madam who arranged your marriage, and it was Old Madam who proposed and prepared your dowry. If you truly care, then thank them!... Lin has violated family rules and should be punished accordingly. Don't take advantage of your promise of marriage to the Marquis's Mansion and act so presumptuously! If you truly miss your aunt, then you can excuse yourself from the marriage by claiming you're 'weak and ill' and go to the farm to accompany her."
Molan lay on the ground in shock, looking at Sheng Hong in disbelief. She had no idea that Sheng Hong was behind the curtain when the old lady interrogated her that day, and she had no idea how many bad things Jufang had said about Aunt Lin to Sheng Hong over the past few days.
Sheng Hong lectured Molan a few more harsh words about her "morality and character", then called Hai to take Molan away and ordered her to keep a close watch on her.
Molan didn't believe it and rushed out of the yard again. Since ancient times, no matter how bad a daughter who was about to get married was, her family had to be tolerant and not punish her too harshly. This time, Wang was cruel. Without saying a word, she tied up Yunzai, who was beside Molan, and beat him up, and then sold him out. Molan cried and made a fuss, pulling Hai's sleeve to let her go.
Hai couldn't bear the pressure any longer, so Wang sent someone to tell her: "Miss, you are not doing well. It's all because the servants are not satisfied with your service. If you make trouble again, I will sell your seed. If you still don't stop, I will chase away Bitao, Furong, Qiujiang... in turn. When you get married, I will pick out the best ones for you to take with you." Molan looked at the maids kneeling around her, gritted her teeth, but didn't dare to make trouble anymore.
In fact, there is a relationship of mutual restraint between a married woman and her parents' family. If her parents watch their daughter being bullied without helping, they will naturally be laughed at for being incompetent. However, if a married woman disrespects her parents' elders, she will also be labeled as "unfilial and disobedient". However, in Molan's list of parents, there is no Aunt Lin, but there is Wang.
Wang had always been arrogant all her life. Even if she met a Buddha, she would be slapped by the Buddha, and beaten by the God, she had never changed her domineering and aggressive nature. How could she be afraid of a little concubine's daughter's throwing a tantrum? Anyway, the Yongchang Marquis' Mansion had proposed marriage, and the Sheng family had saved face. If Molan made trouble again, humph, she would be eager to disrupt the marriage!
After seeing how powerful he was, Molan stayed quietly in Shanyueju to prepare for her marriage.
June 28th was indeed a good day. Not only did the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion choose this day to propose marriage, but several wealthy families in the capital also chose this day to hold weddings. Among them, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue married his daughter, the Right Censor of the Censorate wanted a daughter-in-law for his son, and the son of Princess Fu'an took a concubine... In addition, the Prime Minister of the time, Shen Shiqi, married into the family of the Duke of Qi.
At night, Sheng Hong returned from a wedding banquet at his boss's place. He changed into casual clothes and went to his study. When he opened the door, he saw Changbai sitting at the table waiting. Changbai had already stood up and saluted him. Sheng Hong was quite satisfied and nodded slightly. He teased his son, "You're back early. Aren't the dishes at the Duke of Qi's wedding banquet good?"
Changbai said calmly, "The food is delicious, but Mother doesn't look happy." Sheng Hong frowned slightly, walked directly behind the desk, lifted his skirt and sat down, saying, "Your mother is very angry about Ru's matter, but she is also wrong."
Changbai remained unmoved. He walked to the table next to the desk and poured a cup of warm strong tea from a purple clay pot carved with the "Three Friends of Winter" pattern. He brought it steadily to Sheng Hong and said, "It is not appropriate for a son to say that it is his mother's fault. Brother Yuanruo cannot be blamed for this matter." At first glance, it sounded like he was blaming Princess Pingning, but in fact he was also implicating Wang.
Sheng Hong took the tea bowl. His mouth was dry from the wine, so he drank it in one gulp. He nodded at the same time, "Nephew Qi is a good person. Fortunately, he secretly informed you a few days ago, so I didn't add my name to Lord Yan's memorial. Yesterday, I went to see Lord Lu, and he confirmed that it was true."
Changbai held the teapot in his hand and refilled his father's teacup with tea. He whispered, "Father, why don't you take another look? Lord Yan is also a seasoned official. Perhaps there is something else going on."
Sheng Hong picked up the tea bowl again, took a sip, and explained to his son, "General Gan has been in charge of the military power for more than ten years. He is arrogant and proud of his achievements. Even General Bo handed over his military command to the emperor, but he still dared to be so arrogant. In the Northern Expedition a few years ago, the emperor almost mobilized all the troops of the three battalions, but General Gan led the army to delay and not fight, allowing the Jie slaves to wreak havoc in the border towns. Uncle Shen and Gu Erlang took advantage of the momentum of suppressing the rebellion in the south and led the army north to suppress the enemy. Not only did they split half of General Gan's military power, but they also won victory after victory, seizing countless supplies and cattle and sheep. Lord Lu, remembering the friendship we had when we were in the Ministry of Works, privately revealed to me yesterday that a battle report had been received a few days ago, but the emperor's secret order had not been issued. It said that Uncle Shen overturned the Jie slave army's central camp in one fell swoop, and Gu Erlang killed the King of Zuo Guli and countless of his generals. Don't you think Lord Yan is asking for trouble by accusing Shen and Gu of letting the troops cause trouble and disobeying military orders?"
Changbai pondered for a while and asked, "Lord Yan is extremely cautious. Why would he easily implicate Chen and Gu this time? Doesn't he know that one of them is the younger brother of the current empress, and the other is the emperor's confidant?" Although he was talented, he just stayed in the Hanlin Academy every day to study the books of sages, and was not very clear about the complicated relationships in the court.
Sheng Hong closed the tea bowl, the porcelain making a crisp tapping sound. He spoke slowly, "My son, you don't know. In our dynasty, military commanders have always been controlled by civil officials. Unless they are relatives of the emperor or the sons of powerful nobles, if a military commander has no support at court, how could General Gan have remained in the army for over a decade? Haha, I just don't know who is above Lord Yan? Prime Minister Shen is shrewd and slippery, and he doesn't get involved in anything. I'm afraid these people have taken the wrong path. I don't think the current emperor is as easy to talk to as the late emperor."
Changbai nodded silently, then suddenly asked, "Since Father knew yesterday that Lord Yan's memorial was likely to bring bad things, why did he still go to the Yan residence for the wedding banquet today?"
Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled, "Bai'er, remember this. In officialdom, if you can't be resolute and unwavering, you'll have to live in harmony with the world. I'm unwilling to add my words to Lord Yan's, but our political views differ slightly. However, as superiors and subordinates, we shouldn't distance ourselves from each other so soon, as this will only lead to criticism."
Changbai listened carefully, and there was silence in the study for a while.
Sheng Hong turned to his son and said, "I think my nephew Qi is a very good person. He is quite fond of our schoolmate friendship. You can make friends with him. Your wife is very virtuous. I know that you should send a double gift this time. Don't worry about your mother getting angry. I will tell her. Also, that nephew Wen... he is also a good young man. It is Miss Mo who is unlucky. After all, you are his senior brother. Please comfort him more." Sheng Hong sighed, a look of disappointment on his face. "Forget it, let Miss Mo's fate be on his own. We have done all we can. The hateful thing is that we made the old lady sick. Fortunately, Miss Ming is filial and is always watching over her..."
After all, Old Lady Sheng was old, and she was exhausted from the bumpy journey by boat and car. In addition, she had a big fight as soon as she returned home. After she finished taking care of Molan's affairs, she caught a cold and stayed in bed to recuperate. It was not until the end of June when the weather gradually became warmer that she began to feel better.
For the first time, Minglan felt that her body should be very healthy. She had been staying near the patient for nearly a month without sneezing once. This was a landmark sign, indicating that this sickly and unfortunate body could finally get rid of the title of sickly girl since she was six years old!
Is this easy?! This is a shabby place with a 10% mortality rate from colds and a 20% birth mortality rate for women. Minglan must insist on taking constant walks every day, resolutely abandon her picky eating habits, consume a variety of nutrients, pay attention to the balance of coarse and fine grains, and maintain scientific hygiene habits. For nine years! Nine years!
Minglan was so happy that she simply used a net bag to catch two fat fish from the pond and decided to make a bowl of fresh raw fish soup for the old lady. After instructing the chef to pay attention to the heat and ginger ingredients, she rolled up her sleeves and went to the old lady's room, only to see the old lady squinting her eyes and reading a letter.
"I told you not to come near the pool anymore, why don't you listen?!" The old lady felt itchy in her bones every day without scolding Minglan. Minglan pretended not to hear, turned her head away, and said something else: "What a nice day today."
The old lady was both angry and amused. She slapped Minglan in the face. Minglan hugged her head and crawled into the old lady's armpit like a little squirrel. She said in a deliberately childish voice, "Oh... the edge of the pond is only two or three feet deep at most. Xiaotao can catch her granddaughter with just one scoop. It's such nice weather, she won't catch a cold if she falls in!"
As he spoke, he rubbed against the old lady, wishing he had no tail to wag in a show of flattery. As usual, the old lady couldn't hold out for long, and after pretending for a long time, she softened. Minglan quickly changed the subject: "Grandma, who is this letter from?"
The old lady placed the letter on the table, stroked Minglan's head, and said slowly, "It's from the He family. She's not feeling well, so she wrote to express her gratitude." Minglan said "Oh," and continued to lie in the old lady's arms, refusing to get up. "Do they think the house that your sister-in-law recommended is good?" The old lady nodded and smiled, "Your sister-in-law is also very kind. Otherwise, what young lady would have so much free time to act as a broker?"
Minglan picked up the letter and glanced at it briefly, then looked up and smiled, "Old Madam He said the gardenias in her backyard are blooming, and she invited us to go enjoy the flowers and have tea the day after tomorrow. Grandmother, shall we go?"
The old lady patted Minglan's shoulder and said with a smile, "I'm tired of lying down this month, and I haven't spoken to my old sister for a while. It would be nice to go and see her. It's a pity that Brother Hongwen hasn't returned from buying herbs yet..."
"In the eyes of Brother He, flowers and plants are all medicinal. Why reward them? He will use them as medicine."
Minglan shook her head, remembering a time when Old Madam He brought a pot of bright white peonies from outside the city. Before anyone was invited to appreciate them, He Hongwen, who was unaware of the situation, plucked all of them. He then made a box of "Spleen-Yiqingfei Pills" and sent it to the Sheng Mansion as a filial gift to Old Madam Sheng, who had a bad spleen and stomach. Old Madam He was left in a state of confusion.
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