Minglan was escorted home. Mother Cui was holding the chubby Tuan Ge'er and smiling at her at the door. Mother Fang came forward and whispered a few words in her ear. Mother Cui's face changed immediately and she glared at Minglan angrily. After Mother Fang left, she hurriedly handed Tuan Ge'er to Cuiwei and personally helped Minglan change clothes, take a bath and rest.
Sleeping comfortably on the soft and smooth silk mat, Minglan moaned with satisfaction - home is still the best. It was as if she was six or seven years old again, lying crookedly in a spread-eagle position, letting Mother Cui cut her nails, and repeatedly asking if she was feeling unwell.
Minglan has always been in good health. She has been exercising, eating properly, and living a healthy lifestyle for many years. Thanks to the late Aunt Wei, her figure is said to be the legendary ideal for bearing a son. Although she looks slender and delicate, her waist and hips are well-proportioned, making her an excellent breed that is very easy to bear children.
This time she was just tired, both physically and mentally. Now that everything has been resolved and there is a more powerful elder brother to clean up the mess, she is naturally relieved. She was just thinking of taking a good rest for two days, eating, drinking and sleeping, and returning to her previous happy life, but who knew that she was pregnant.
When Madam Cui heard the doorman announce Minglan's return, she had already ordered the maid to fetch the large watermelon and honey peaches from the well, cut them up, and arrange them in a white porcelain bowl stained with crimson lotus petals. Just as she had sent Madam Fang away and returned to her room, she saw Minglan picking up silver sticks to poke the fruit. She hurriedly snatched the fruit bowl away and glared, "Watermelon is cold and yin, peaches are sweet and hot. You're not allowed to eat either!"
Just as she was about to throw the fruit away, Xiao Tao quickly took it with great joy: "Don't worry, Mom, I will take care of it cleanly and won't let Madam get jealous at all!"
Minglan swallowed her saliva and watched Xiaotao jump out happily. Then she saw Tuan'er clinging to the brocade wall and slowly learning to walk, his chubby pink little feet stepping on the slippery lake green bedding. She became furious again.
How could I not miss my son after not seeing him for a few days? Unexpectedly, when this little brat saw his mother after a short separation, he did not show the sadness of a precocious child who was about to cry, nor did he show any shyness or complete unfamiliarity.
Young Master Gu was still living a healthy life, still full of pleasant fat (including on his feet and knuckles). He smiled and waved his chubby hands at Minglan - exactly the way Minglan had taught him to greet guests, and then he lay on the bed with his back to him, continuing to play with his clever wooden board as if nothing had happened.
For half the afternoon, Minglan tried hard to cultivate a relationship with her son, teasing him to roll over and over, and to stand on one leg against the wall. Tuan Ge'er was so happy that he finally called out incoherently, "...Sheep..."
I'm still a pig! Minglan was discouraged. It had only been four or five days since they last met, and she could clearly call her parents "Mom and Dad" before. Mother Cui sat nearby, watching the mother and son like a hawk, to prevent Tuan Ge'er from pouncing on Minglan.
It was still dark when Gu Tingye came back like a gust of wind. He stopped the car in front of the bed and carefully sat down next to Minglan, holding her hand. He seemed to have a lot to say, but in the end he only said: "...What do you want to eat?"
Minglan groaned secretly. A few days ago, he was so depressed that he looked like the emperor had fined him three years' salary. Even when he dragged her to take a walk by the lake, he was in the melancholy mood of a literary youth. But now, he was so happy that he couldn't hide it and it was about to burst out of his eyes.
Mother Cui smiled, picked up Tuan Ge'er and went out first.
Minglan grabbed his wrist, bit the back of his hand, and whispered, "I want to eat your flesh!"
Gu Tingye laughed out loud: "How difficult is that? I'll cut it off for you right away!"
Minglan quickly grabbed his sleeve, laughing and anxiously saying, "Stop right there! With your thick skin, even if you stew it for three days and three nights, no one would be able to bite it!"
Gu Tingye sat back with a smile, burying his head in Minglan's neck. After a long time, he said softly: "...In the past, it was all my fault." He raised his head, anxiously but incoherently, "...I didn't mean it..., Man Niang should have...It's not that I don't care about you...it's really..." After going around in circles for a long time, he still couldn't make sense.
Minglan looked at him with amusement, her usually arrogant face sweating profusely. She said coldly, "Speak, speak, speak..." Gu Tingye shut up in frustration and lay down beside her. Minglan gently stroked his sweaty hair, "If you can't explain it clearly, don't say it. You're just living at home, why should you explain it so clearly? This is not a lawsuit."
Gu Tingye suddenly stood up and said seriously, word by word: "If anyone dares to endanger you and your son in the future, let alone Man Niang, even if it is the king of heaven, I will make sure that she is killed to pieces!" The last few words were filled with chilling coldness.
Minglan looked into his eyes for a long time before she put her arms around his neck and whispered, "I believe you."
Why think so much? What’s important is the present and the future.
He treated her well, wholeheartedly, loved his children and his family, and did his best to keep them safe and sound. That was enough. They were so different people, but they both hoped for a peaceful and lasting life.
…
The mistress had been away for a few days, and everyone in the mansion only knew that the old lady of the Sheng family was critically ill, so the lady went to take care of her.
The next day, Shao brought the two girls to congratulate Minglan on her second pregnancy. Aunt Qiu suppressed her bitterness and spoke kindly, but Minglan changed her usual politeness and ignored her.
Qiu Niang was very bored after being ignored several times. She could only stand there awkwardly.
While the adults were chatting, Xian Jie'er looked at Minglan's belly curiously, but her face blushed and she didn't dare to ask - how did the baby come out? Rong Jie'er stood quietly with a smile on her face, and suddenly felt someone pulling the hem of her dress. She lowered her head to look, and saw Tuan Ge'er stretching out an arm from the head of the bed and pulling her, with his big head tilted up to look at her, and he was so cute with his chubby white face.
Rong Jie'er was delighted and was about to reach out to touch his head when she suddenly remembered Aunt Qiu and her mother's warning: "Never get close to your father's legitimate son, otherwise, if something touches you, you'll be in trouble." She withdrew her hand halfway and looked at Tuan Ge'er with regret.
But they look so much alike - she kept stealing glances at them - both have thick eyebrows, big eyes, plump cheeks, high foreheads, straight noses, and upturned mouth corners. They look more alike than her own brother Changger.
After leaving Jiaxiju, Shao led Xianjie'er back to her own courtyard, while Qiuniang and Rongjie'er went all the way back to their house. On the way, Qiuniang said with a worried look on her face: "What's wrong with Madam? Did I do something wrong? If so, just scold me directly, and I will apologize. Why are you so cold..."
Rong Jie'er stopped and, seeing that no one was around, said, "Auntie, I really don't know where you went wrong."
The girl's eyes were bright and sharp. Qiu Niang couldn't help feeling guilty and stammered, "I... I..." Wasn't it just during that period that I delivered a few midnight snacks to the Marquis who lived alone in the study.
Rong Jie'er was eleven years old, tall and slender, with a straight frame. She was the same height as Qiu Niang. She smiled and said politely, "My aunt has been in the mansion for so many years, how could you not have such a discerning eye? Pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth will only make you more disgusting."
You clearly know what the mistress means and that she has no intention of sharing her man with you, but you still knowingly do it and pretend to be honest and obedient. If you succeed, that's the best, but if you fail, just pretend to be confused - this trick is too common, even worse than the clown in the awakening story told by Mr. Xue.
If I hadn't seen that she took good care of herself on a daily basis, I wouldn't have bothered to remind her.
"Although Madam is kind and generous, she is not someone who can be easily bullied. Auntie, please don't be too clever."
You are always so submissive and flattering, but when the couple just have a little quarrel, you rush to fawn over the man of the house. Now you want to act as if nothing happened, as if the mistress is a dead person!
Mr. Xue has said it long ago, there are not only shrewd and evil people in the world, but also cunning and foolish people. Don't be fooled by a few words or a few tears. Women stay in the inner house all day long and don't see much, so they should have a pair of discerning eyes.
After saying this, Rong Jieer turned and left, leaving Qiu Niang standing there in a daze.
…
Happy events come in pairs. A few days later, Ruomei was diagnosed as being over three months pregnant. Old Gongsun was overjoyed and called everyone out for a drunken feast. He was eventually carried back to his room. Minglan sent Xiaotao to congratulate her and also sent some high-quality pregnancy-tonifying herbs, advising her to take good care of herself. Ruomei was overjoyed, unaware that Minglan had a crucial letter in her hands.
Gongsun Meng arrived with a letter, announcing his eldest brother's marriage and his new sister-in-law's virtuous and respectful devotion. His mother, concerned about her youth, pleaded with his aunt to stay for another six months to teach her how to manage the household and treat others well. His aunt agreed. Given the long journey, Gongsun Meng would stay a while longer, escorting his aunt to the capital to reunite with his uncle and his wife.
Enclosed within the letter was another, a handwritten note from Gongsun Da Niang to Minglan. It said: "If Mei Yi Niang is already pregnant by the time this letter arrives, I ask Minglan to keep this letter a secret, lest she become overly anxious and miss the birth of the child." "Anyway, my master is a man who only cares about the court and the mountains and rivers and doesn't care about the trivialities of the inner court. Just let him know three or five days in advance that his wife is coming."
Minglan counted on her fingers and found that when Gongsun Da Niang arrived in Beijing, Rumei would have already given birth, so there would be no delay for both.
Looking at the decisiveness revealed between the lines of the letter, she sighed and shook her head, then put the letter away safely - this Madam Gongsun was not only meticulous, but also deeply understanding of people's hearts; Rumei's little tricks were probably not enough.
Once the child is born, all sorts of unhappiness will set in. However, you have to bear the consequences of the path you choose.
Just after lamenting Ruomei’s life direction, Minglan soon faced the consequences of the path she had chosen - Hualan came to her house with Rulan and Yuner.
In reality, ever since Consort Kang was sent to the Ministry of Discipline and her closest associates had Old Lady Wang dispose of them, there was no need to conceal the truth any longer. Changbai first informed Hualan, then sent someone to notify Rulan, who had just returned from the countryside, and then Changwu Yuner and his wife, who lived a little further away. As for Molan... there was no need (Changfeng and his wife didn't know anyway).
As Hai tactfully recounted the events, Hua Lan was visibly overwhelmed, frozen in thought. She'd only been absent for seven or eight days, how could the world suddenly change? If she'd been back home more often, would this have avoided happening? Would the old lady and her biological mother have been spared this fate?
Rulan was stunned. The most diabolical schemes she had ever come up with were things like, "How wonderful it would be if I could make Molan eat a pile of dog shit!" Poisoning and murder? She'd never dreamed of it, but her biological mother actually did it! No, no, it was that damned aunt!
The worst off was Yoona. When she heard that her mother had instigated her aunt to poison and kill the most respected old lady Sheng in her husband's family, she fainted. After pinching her Ren Zhong to wake up, she learned that her mother had been sent to the Shenjiesi, a dark and gloomy place where she would never be able to leave. She fainted again.
Changwu first hurried to visit his great-aunt, and was relieved to see that the old lady was safe and sound. As for his mother-in-law... To be disrespectful, it would be better if this old lady disappeared as soon as possible so that the world would be peaceful.
Hua Lan finally recovered, and rushed into Wang's room on her wind-fire wheels, angrily scolding her biological mother, "...I have told you so many times that your aunt has bad intentions towards you! How dare you believe her in such a thing? This time you have caused a big disaster! I don't understand, she stole your son-in-law back then, why are you so calm?"
Wang sobbed, "I was angry at first, but then I saw that Ru'er had married a good man. Her husband is a considerate man, and the couple lives in harmony all day long. But Yuan'er and You'er have been at odds with each other, and he's been punished every other day. But when I heard your aunt often talk about Yuan'er's troubles, I stopped being angry and even felt it was better for Ru'er not to marry him."
Rulan blushed and shouted, "Sister, mother, what are you talking about? You're bringing up something irrelevant!"
What the hell is going on?! She gradually grew sensible, but her biological mother became unreasonable again.
Hua Lan was heartbroken: "Mother, that was my aunt's trick. First, she made you calm down, and then she would slowly trick you! Who is my aunt? My sisters and I never like to talk to her. It's not because the Kang family is weak and we look down on her, but because my aunt is..." She was at a loss for words for a long time. "Changbai is right, she is a disaster! If you get close to her, you will be unlucky!"
The last sentence almost made Yun Er, who had just entered, faint again. Chang Wu supported his wife and came to apologize to Wang. Wang was so angry that her teeth itched. She said coldly: "I have a sister like that. It is a sin of my past life. I am not worthy of being your niece!"
Yoona knelt on the ground and cried, and Changwu had to kneel with her.
Hualan hurried over to help her up, and said to her mother, "Mom, look at you! What does this have to do with sister Yoona? Even if you don't recognize your niece, you have to recognize your niece-in-law!" This sentence had a serious implication. Yoona understood it to some extent, but she didn't dare to agree and could only fall to the ground and cry.
Seeing that things had come to this, the two Lans no longer had to work any tricks on Wang. Instead, they turned to comfort their grandmother's frail body and their father Sheng Hong's "wounded heart" - he was very sad because of his unsuitable wife and misfortune in his family.
Yoona went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and begged desperately, just to see her mother, but the result... of course, was nothing.
Changwu secretly hoped that the officials would be fair and strict.
Yuner burst into tears and went to consult her father and brother. She learned that the inner house was now run by Concubine Jin. Her father was cold and did not want to mention her mother at all. Her brother looked distressed and confused, not knowing what to do. Fortunately, his sister-in-law had a good dowry and his mother's remaining dowry was taken back by his grandmother. With Kang Jin's salary, he could be independent even if his father turned against him.
She wanted to ask the Wang family for help, but her grandmother was unconscious, her uncle was busy taking care of her at the bedside, and her aunt was contemptuous and disgusted, and she kept making excuses and procrastinating. In the end, Yoona could only go to the Sheng family with an impossible hope.
Because Shenghong was still "grieving," Yuner had no choice but to go see Changbai. She didn't know what to ask for: to release her mother? Or to forgive her mother's cruelty? As a child, she had no choice.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Hualan and Rulan, who were also pleading with Changbai. They didn't care that Aunt Kang was imprisoned in the Taliban, or even in a concentration camp, but they hoped that Wang Shi would not suffer too much. And the result... this time, there was a result: the two sisters were thoroughly lectured by Changbai. Not only did he fail to obtain any reduction in their mother's sentence, but they were also warned about their behavior in their in-laws' house and forced to listen to three or four sages.
If he was so polite to his own sisters, he would not be so polite to the daughter of the culprit. Changbai said bluntly: "If you are here as my aunt's daughter, there is nothing to say, just leave. If you are here as my cousin's wife, we are still family."
Yuner cried heartbrokenly, and before she could say anything, Changbai added, "I have already written back to Yuyang and informed my uncle and aunt of the situation."
Changwu, who was trying to comfort his wife, was stunned. Yoona was dazed, but she stopped crying.
Only after returning home did the couple grasp Changbai's subtext: Dear cousin Kang, do you want to be divorced? Do you want to be separated from your children? Then please make the right choice. Your sinful and irredeemable mother, or your own happy and complete family?
"But she is my mother after all!" Yoona burst into tears.
Chang Wu said solemnly, "When my mother-in-law did something so vicious, she should have thought about the consequences for her children."
Then he solemnly stated his position: as a son-in-law, although he should actively rescue his mother-in-law, Old Lady Sheng is the eldest wife's benefactor, so if his wife insists on continuing to pester her, he can only give up.
After two days of such chaos, Yoona's eyes were dry from crying and she could no longer shed a tear. Facing the iron wall of Changbai, the two Lans were completely helpless. Wang gradually calmed down and began to accept reality.
At this time, the two sisters thought of Minglan.
It's not that they're slow-witted, but rather that Hai's narrative deliberately downplays Minglan's presence and role in the incident, as if it were Sheng Hong and his son who were fighting on the front lines, while Minglan merely sat there in anger. Of course, Sheng Hong wouldn't proactively clarify the situation, as if his mother was murdered while he was merely playing a supporting role, and Fang Mama and the others wouldn't say anything either.
Rulan listened to Cuiping's retelling without any doubt. She only heard Hai say that Rulan was extremely angry and hated Wang Kang to the core.
Only then did Hualan begin to feel uneasy. She knew her younger sister's feelings for their grandmother. If she hated the ringleader to the core, what about Wang, the accomplice? That's why she brought Rulan and Yun'er with her to the Ningyuan Marquis' residence.
Minglan frowned upon seeing Yun'er. She had originally liked this gentle and kind cousin-in-law, believing that good things had come out of bad things. But now, seeing her reminded her of Kang Wangshi, and the hatred she felt could not be dispelled. She said, "Our two families have always been close. I welcome you to my place. I only ask that you never mention your mother a single word."
Seeing Minglan's frosty expression, Yun'er lowered her head in tears, too ashamed to speak. She knew her mother had committed a grave sin, and as a child, she had fulfilled her duty and could not expect anything more.
Meanwhile, Rulan couldn't wait to talk about Wang, saying that her mother's punishment was too severe. This time, Minglan smiled and said, "Fifth sister, you should go talk to eldest brother. He was the one who made the decision about Madam. He didn't even say a word to father."
This is the truth.
Speaking of Changbai, Rulan fell silent immediately, then her hope rekindled: "Why not... have my brother-in-law talk to my elder brother? The Marquis is a powerful figure, so my elder brother can't even turn his back on him."
Minglan pondered for a moment and said, "Fifth Sister should go and talk to the old lady first. After all, she was the one who was poisoned and left half dead, struggling for life. Fifth Sister, you can ask the old lady what she thinks of the wife who wanted to make her seriously ill and unable to recover."
Rulan was completely disappointed. She didn't have the nerve to do that.
After hearing this, Hua Lan understood her younger sister's attitude. She did secretly resent Wang, but she did not hate her deeply, because she felt sorry for the old lady.
Oh, forget it. I can only ask my mother to go back to her hometown and reflect on it.
And, to be honest, she actually secretly agreed with Changbai.
First, the mother was indeed wrong and should be punished, otherwise the grandmother would have suffered too unjustly; second, separating the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law and waiting for them to make amends with tears several years later would make it possible for them to put aside their past grudges, which is better than appearing good on the surface but harboring strong resentment in their hearts over the years.
After understanding this crucial point, Hualan stopped nagging and only expressed concern for Minglan's pregnancy with a smile. She also pulled Rulan into the conversation, chatting and laughing, talking about family matters, and trying her best to make the atmosphere cheerful. At her age, she had experienced a lot and deeply understood the power of family. She would not allow her aunt's stupidity and madness to cause a rift between their flesh and blood and break up the family.
Of course, the public narrative had to be consistent: Old Lady Sheng suddenly fell ill (the old lady couldn't say for sure), and lay unconscious for days and nights. Her daughter-in-law, Wang, tearfully vowed to the Buddha that if her mother-in-law could ever recover, she would go to the family temple, a vegetarian, and chant sutras for several years (what a good daughter-in-law, everyone said). But the root of the old lady's illness remained unresolved, so she accompanied her eldest grandson to his post in search of the hidden doctor.
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