There were two ships when they came and six ships when they returned. If an official acted like this, the censor would have rolled up his sleeves and started writing a report immediately. Fortunately, Minglan and her grandmother were just visiting relatives. A letter came from the capital saying that Sheng Hong's performance in the evaluation was still excellent this time, and he had been promoted to a Langzhong in the Ministry of Works, in charge of the Ministry of Maintenance and Cleaning. His rank remained unchanged, but at least he was a Beijing official.
Since they were going to settle down in the capital, they simply moved the things from the old house there to decorate it. In addition, they added the food, clothing and daily necessities sent by Sheng Wei and Erniu's uncle. There were dozens of boxes of various silks, satins and furs alone. The baggage was huge. The grandfather and grandson said goodbye to their relatives and boarded the boat to leave.
In fact, Minglan was quite puzzled. Her father had been using his connections to get in touch with people since the beginning of the year. With his good political achievements, she thought Sheng Hong could get into the Ministry of Personnel, the top of the Six Ministries, or at least a popular unit like the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Justice. The current emperor has been on the throne for more than 20 years, and the construction of the palace and the imperial temple has been completed long ago. Now the Ministry of Works is so empty that it looks like a nursing home. Why would Sheng Hong go there? Minglan asked Old Lady Sheng this, and the old lady replied, "What do you think, Mingya?"
Minglan rolled her eyes. Old Madam Sheng was an advocate of interactive and inspiring teaching. She rarely told Minglan why or what to do, always requiring her to figure things out on her own. Minglan thought for a moment and said, "The Emperor is aging, and the succession is uncertain. The capital is in turmoil right now. If I really went to those places where competition is fierce, I might get into trouble. Daddy is really smart."
Old Lady Sheng stroked her granddaughter's hair with a smile, and nodded gently in approval. The waves of the river were gentle, and the boat was stable, with only a slight swaying, which was very comfortable. During this period in Yuyang, Minglan played with Pinlan every day. The two of them had not had a good conversation, and only started talking again after they got on the boat.
"Silly child, who in the officialdom isn't clever? Especially in the capital, the waters are muddy. It's just that some people are greedy and think they're clever, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to bet on the throne. But the affairs of the imperial palace are so treacherous. It's better for your father to be more humble." Old Lady Sheng leaned back on a velvet-covered couch and spoke leisurely to Minglan. "What did you say to Pinlan when you said goodbye just now? Cuiwei said you didn't sleep well last night."
Minglan thought for a moment and then said honestly, "My name is Pinlan, so please don't yell at Cousin Taisheng anymore. Be a little more quiet and steady. Auntie won't like it." Old Madam Sheng glanced at Minglan and said leisurely, "You're overthinking it. Your aunt likes girls who are outgoing and lively. How could she not like them?"
Minglan sighed and said, "Of course I like her as my niece, but if she were my daughter-in-law, it would be hard to say." There is no mother-in-law in the world who likes to see her son become a slave to his wife.
Old Madam Sheng frowned and said, "What daughter-in-law? You're just a girl, don't talk nonsense."
Minglan quickly said, "There's nothing I can't tell Grandmother, and we won't tell anyone. Pinlan and Cousin Taisheng are a perfect match, and anyone with eyes can see it."
Mrs. Sheng seemed to be quite interested in hearing this. She slowly sat up, stared at Minglan and smiled. "To be honest, Tai'er is a really good boy. His family has money and shops, and he has no brothers to compete with him. There are many families in Youyang who are interested in him. Your aunt has really loved you these days. She has a lot of treasures that even Pinlan was reluctant to give to you. I'm afraid they have all ended up in your pocket."
Minglan looked into her grandmother's eyes and said each word seriously, "Aunt treats me well, mostly because of your blessing. Even if your granddaughter is foolish, she wouldn't be so arrogant. Pinlan and cousin Taisheng grew up together, that... uh, childhood sweethearts."
Old Madam Sheng was slightly surprised. Seeing Minglan's clear and bright eyes, and her expression showing no hesitation at all, the old lady smiled and said, "You figured it out? You're not stupid at all."
Minglan felt very ashamed. If she hadn't overheard what happened that day, she would never have thought of it as she had been eating and playing with Pinlan these days.
Old Madam Sheng was halfway up, and Minglan hurriedly took a large pillow and tucked it behind her grandmother's back. She also consciously tucked herself into her grandmother's mattress. The old lady put her arm around her granddaughter's small shoulders and said, "You've been at your great uncle's house for the past month. You've seen and heard a lot, and you've seen a different world. What have you learned?"
Minglan leaned against her grandmother's soft belly, feeling very comfortable. She said lazily, "At first I couldn't understand it, but now I seem to understand. When I was at home, I heard that the third branch's family was very poor. Not only did they need my uncle's family to help them in everything, but they also seemed to be ungrateful. Later, when I saw it myself, I also looked down on the third branch's behavior. But the strange thing is that my uncle's family always seemed to tolerate them. Not only did they provide them with money from time to time, but they also never forgot to invite them out when they held banquets for holidays. At that time, I thought, if my aunt didn't like them very much, why didn't she stay away from them?"
Mrs. Sheng patted Minglan's hands and said, "Do you understand now?"
"Hmm." Minglan rubbed her grandmother's belly, feeling quite satisfied. "Be strict with yourself and lenient with others. Everyone in Yuyang knows the good things about my uncle's family and the bad things about the third branch. No matter what happens, everyone will think it's the third branch's fault."
Old Madam Sheng nodded in satisfaction, pinched her granddaughter's face, and said with a smile, "You've been lazy since you were little and hate socializing. I was worried that your temperament would become too aloof, but now that I see you understand worldly affairs, I'm very happy. Ming'er, remember, no matter how poor the Third House is, the Third Old Master is still here. So, we're relatives within two generations. If you really don't care about them at all, only caring about your own wealth without helping them, wouldn't people say you're snobbish? Merchants often have a reputation for being unjust, but your uncle is praised throughout the county. Although it only costs a little money, it's worth providing the Third House with delicious food and fish. If you can gain a good reputation, wouldn't that be better for future generations?"
Minglan knew the old lady was trying to teach her a lesson, so she listened carefully and interrupted, "When Sister Shulan divorced, Pinlan and I were furious. The Sun family was so abhorrent, why did they leave half of the dowry with them? But then I thought, if we really took all the dowry, the Sun family would just go all out and definitely refuse to divorce. What would we do if we had to write a divorce letter? It's also the principle of losing money to avoid disaster."
Old Madam Sheng gently stroked Minglan's soft hair and said slowly, "Yes, who wouldn't be angry with that family! But there's nothing we can do. The barefoot are not afraid of the ones wearing shoes. Divorce is not easy. There must be a reason. The man is immoral, the mother-in-law is immoral, these are not things that can be brought to the table. My old sister-in-law is very skillful. She appeals to her emotions, persuades her with reason, lures her with money, and forces her with benefits. In this kind of matter, we need to cut the Gordian knot quickly, put an end to it in one day, and then send Shulan out immediately. Once the gossip dies down, everything will be fine."
Minglan nodded repeatedly, then suddenly jumped to her feet and pouted, "But the Sun family is so despicable, it really makes me want to bite them. Can we just let it go like this?"
"What a surly little girl!" Old Madam Sheng said with a smile. "Your aunt is no pushover either, but we can't do anything about it in the short term. We can't show our hostility openly. We have to make friends with the other members of the Sun clan, and we'll have to wait for the future. But I think the Sun mother and son are both foolish and greedy. Perhaps they won't get away with anything without anyone else's intervention."
Minglan said excitedly, "Pinlan promised me that Scholar Sun will write to me as soon as he has a story, and I will read it to Grandmother." Old Lady Sheng scolded her, "You naughty little girl, you love quarreling and causing trouble like this. You are a powerful person! You have had enough fun with Pinlan this time. I didn't restrain you at all. When you get home, you must behave yourself."
Minglan hugged her grandmother's arm and promised sincerely, "Grandma, don't worry. I've seen the world this time and learned a lot about the ways of the world. When I return, I will be fine and won't worry you."
Old Madam Sheng hugged her little granddaughter lovingly and said leisurely, "It's easier to pass the time when you have someone to worry about."
When they arrived at the Beijing-Tianjin ferry, they got off the boat and took a carriage, heading straight to the capital along the official road. As soon as they arrived at the gate of the capital, a maid from the Sheng family was waiting for them. After changing to the carriage from the mansion, they continued on their journey.
Speaking of places like the capital, where officials gather and powerful people are everywhere, the price of real estate is no cheaper than the capital when Yao Yiyi was there. Moreover, people in ancient times were even more picky. In addition to money, status was also important. Especially in those prime locations near the imperial city, those with low professions and unclean backgrounds were not allowed to live there even if they had money.
For example, a loan shark or a small boss of a meat processing plant would not be able to succeed even if they brought the Titanic with them. The Sheng family was born into a merchant family and had no chance of success. However, decades ago, Grandpa Sheng took advantage of the time when his son passed the imperial examination and won the third place in the imperial examination, and used his fame and banknotes to buy a large house with four or five entrances outside Tai'an Gate. The location was above average, with Linqingfang, where scholars lived, on the right and a residential area of Banlazi, where the rich and powerful lived, on the left. He also took advantage of his son's marriage to the daughter of a marquis to buy a garden behind the house and connected it into one piece.
Many of Sheng Hong's peers or colleagues came from ordinary families and became officials through the imperial examinations, so they could only buy houses in the alleys outside the capital or in the corners. Sheng Hong, on the other hand, became one of the few officials of the same level who owned a house with a garden. Minglan once again lamented the importance of reincarnation.
"When the old marquis knew that the old master had such a house, he felt that our family was not poor and without any foundation, so he reluctantly agreed to the marriage." Mama Fang whispered to Minglan.
Minglan sighed to the sky: If a man wants to get married, he really needs to have a house.
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