Volume 1 Chapter 2 Episode 27

  Zhi Heng was born as a proud son of heaven, from a prominent and noble family, handsome and outstanding. He is kind and gentle to others, with a warm personality, and does not need his father's scolding to voluntarily love learning. Having the advantage of being the younger brother of Bao, he has made more progress than Bao in stability and maturity. After eating three meals at Shou An Tang, he was smiling and chatting, speaking eloquently and elegantly, even Fang Mama, who had been a widow for 28 years, began to show a softer expression.

  About twenty years ago, the Qi Guo Gong Fu was prosperous and flourishing. The two sons of the Gong Ye both married daughters of prominent families, with the eldest son marrying the daughter of the Commander-in-Chief and National Uncle, and the second son marrying the only daughter of the Xiangyang Hou. This made the originally low-ranking Qi Guo Gong suddenly rise to prominence overnight. However, this good fortune came at a price: the two daughters-in-law were from high-ranking families with big temperaments, and they would often make their mother-in-law dizzy with their demands, while also controlling their husbands tightly.

  The elder daughter-in-law took out her father's iron-fisted military tactics, sweeping away the chirping birds in her husband's room, pulling up flowers and weeds, leaving only one son under their knees, who was also a medicine jar. Although the maternal family's power is not as great as before, Qi Dajie is now old and cannot fight for a second son.

  Years later, the second daughter-in-law entered the house, learning from her predecessor, making Qi Heng's father also helpless. Since giving birth to Qi Heng, Princess Pingning could no longer give birth, and surprisingly, she did not allow Qi Dajie to open up a second front, but only guarded Princess and a childless concubine, living a miserable life.

  Apart from a cousin who had been bedridden for years, Qi Heng didn't have any siblings. He could still play with his cousins occasionally, but Ping Ning Junzhu was extremely cautious about any girl who might become her daughter-in-law, so he rarely interacted with his female cousins either. After entering the Sheng manor to study, under Ping Ning Junzhu's constant indoctrination of the importance of propriety between men and women, Qi Heng kept a firm distance from both Mo Lan and Ru Lan, who were as lovely as flowers. Only Ming Lan didn't seem to mind.

  So for Qi Heng, Ming Lan is the only little sister he has met so far, and she is as lovely and clever as a small squirrel. Qi Heng liked her at first sight, but little did he know that Ming Lan always had a serious expression on her face. After several meals together, Qi Heng couldn't help but tease her and play tricks on her. In fact, Qi Heng was a very nice person, and after eating Ming Lan's fish soup and dried fish the day before, he brought her a box of recipes from his own family's collection the next day, including ones for soups, medicinal dishes, and pasta dishes. When he saw Ming Lan doing needlework, he brought her several new flower patterns from the capital on the third day, along with a full bag of colorful threads.

  Minglan couldn't resist the temptation, and after being held by someone's hand for a short while, she would often become very diligent and lovely. She would help Qi Heng carry his stool and pour tea for him. When he came back from school, she would ask about his well-being in a gentle voice, "Qi Heng gege, you must be tired from studying. Qi Heng gege, hurry up and take a rest." The little fatty was busy running around, and when speaking to Qi Heng, she also became very clever and witty.

  "Sixth sister, you're bullying the weak." Qi Heng said with a smile as he saw Minglan teasing the goldfish with water plants.

  Ming Lan said innocently: "It's not; before I fought with it, I didn't know it was weaker than me."

  "Why don't you play anymore?" Zhi Heng asked as he saw her throw away the water grass.

  Ming Lan sincerely said: "I'll listen to Yuan Ruo's words and won't bully the weak anymore." —— She felt that she was really being a sycophant.

  Zhi Heng was overjoyed, and rubbed her head again, laughing so hard that her intestines were shaking, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes relaxed, shining brightly, as if she were a beautiful painting from the Wei and Jin dynasties, stunning all the young maids in Shou An Tang.

  It wasn't until the fourth day that he finally stopped coming for lunch. Minglan took out the water grass again and calmly walked to the edge of the goldfish tank.

  "...Miss." Xiaotao came in from outside, holding a delicate grass basket, with a confused face, "Young Master Qi had someone send this to Miss, saying that using this grass to tease fish is more fun."

  Ming Lan was there, feeling quite helpless, okay, maybe she was overthinking...

  Since Mo Lan moved into the Weirong Pavilion, Wang Shi was biased towards her own daughter. Although the girls' monthly allowance was the same on the surface, Wang Shi naturally gave more to her own daughter in private. Even if they all made three new dresses per season, her own daughter would get two more. Not even Old Lady could say anything about it, and Wang Shi was delighted. However, Mo Lan's eyes were sharp despite her weak appearance. If she got one more hairpin than Orchid, she would cry for half a day, with red and swollen eyes and a terrible expression. Then, she would walk in and out of the room, making sure everyone saw her. Wang Shi was so angry that she gritted her teeth, wishing she could slap Mo Lan.

  "Madam, don't take it to heart. What if she goes to cry and complain to the old master? Each of the three girls has her own backing, which the old master is also aware of. The third girl has you, Madam, the fourth girl has Lin's wife, and the sixth girl has the old lady. Everyone minds their own business; if someone has the ability, they can take back Lin's wife's property, move the sixth girl from Shou'andang to Weiruixuan, and let Madam truly take charge of raising these girls. Only then can Madam speak with authority."

  "Wang said with a scowl: 'How could I not know what's going on behind the scenes? I'm not afraid to speak up in front of the master either, but that dead girl walks around with a mournful face every day, who knows how she's spreading rumors about me outside.'"

  Liu Kun's wife smiled and said, "Children are innocent and think they can control their mother like this; Mother might as well go find Father and say that although she didn't hit or scold Fourth Miss, and fed her well, Fourth Miss still cries every day. Mother is afraid of not taking good care of her, so it's better to let Fourth Miss return home. Mother hasn't even lifted a finger against Fourth Miss, just wait and see what she can say? If she dares to say that Mother favors some and not others, then Mother will also have something to say."

  "Suppose she doesn't say anything and just cries there?"

  Liu Kun's family shook their heads and said, "Madam can speak for herself. You have taken good care of her without any complaints, but she has been crying and wailing all day long, half dead and half alive, making it seem like you are bullying your stepdaughter. This bad reputation you cannot bear, ask the old master what to do?"

  Wang felt that although it was a bit stiff, it did not affect the etiquette, so he followed Liu Kun's family and did it. Sheng Hong heard about it and was indeed displeased in his heart, so he went to talk to Mo Lan. As soon as he entered the door, he ordered Mo Lan to kneel down and scolded her. The maids outside only heard Mo Lan crying non-stop, and Sheng Hong's angry rebukes: "...learn how to cry, make a fuss, and hang yourself like a lowly performer...", "...learn from the good manners of everyone's virtuous women...", "...take back...property..." and so on, then he turned and left.

  Mo Lan was scolded by her father for the first time and cried all night. The next day, she went to pay respects to Wang Shi, made tea, served water, and acted like a good daughter. Whatever Wang Shi said, Mo Lan listened, even if it was a reprimand, she would lower her head and listen obediently. Seeing Mo Lan's pitiful appearance, Wang Shi couldn't keep up the act of being strict and also pretended to be a kind stepmother.

  In ancient times, it was a patriarchal society with clear division of labor between men and women. Men worked to earn money while women managed the household and took care of children. The couple shared childcare responsibilities equally. Sheng Hong was in charge of their son's education and official career, while Madame Wang was responsible for teaching and disciplining their daughters, managing the household chores, and supervising the servants. She also had to make clothes and accessories for her daughters regularly. When visiting with women from noble families in Langzhou, she would bring out three of her daughters to meet the guests. However, Sheng's mother found it strange that Minglan was not allowed to go twice out of the three times.

  A few days later, Wang's stepmother came down and suddenly realized that her husband was indeed a good schemer, with a truly kind fatherly heart.

  Liu Kun's wife was sitting on the kang with Wang Shi, going over the accounts. When she heard this, she asked in a hurry what it was all about. Wang Shi sighed and said: "The old master has always had his mind set on putting those two girls under my name. Minglan is fine, but the old lady took her in, so I won't have to worry about her when she grows up. As for this one, judging from how Qi's son came this time, it's clear that she's a simple and honest girl who doesn't know how to fawn over people, knows her place, and won't compete with her older sister. It wouldn't be a problem if I were to take her in, at most I'd just have to add some dowry for her later. But as for the fourth... Hmph! The old master knows that I've had a grudge against Lin's wife for years, and it's not good to force me to accept the fourth girl, so he came up with this plan to cook the rice while it's still raw. First, he'll get the person over here, let me teach her, raise her, and take her to meet guests. Later, when Minglan grows up and we talk about marriage, at that time if I were to refuse to acknowledge her as mine, I wouldn't be able to push it away."

  Liu Kun's family heard this and thought to themselves that the lady had made progress, smiling and saying: "The lady is right, I think it's reasonable too; but the lady doesn't need to worry, this kind of thing about registering the concubine-born daughter under the name of the legitimate mother is something that all big households have. This kind of thing is recorded in the family tree, it's just a deception for the ancestors and a deception for later generations, who among the living doesn't know each other's secrets? Can't outsiders who come to propose marriage really think that Mo Lan is the lady's own daughter? It's just a matter of appearances, trying to get a good match, but even if it's more proper, can it be more proper than the lady's own legitimate daughter?"

  Madam Wang sighed and said, "I know what you're saying, it's just that I'm not feeling well in my heart." Thinking of Lin's concubine's pampered appearance in the past, Madam Wang felt suffocated with anger, constantly thinking of a way to make that woman's daughter marry miserably. However, she couldn't act rashly, or else she would end up implicating her own daughter and suffering a loss.

  Liu Kun's family looked at Wang Shi's face and knew she was being stubborn again, so he advised: "Madam, put your mind at ease, in the future when our daughter gets married, she will still rely on her natal family's reputation. In the future, as long as Bo Ge grows up to be a capable person, she will still have to look up to Madam; I think, Madam should not quarrel with Yaotou and instead focus on supervising Bo Ge's studies, the imperial examination is about to begin soon, let's just hope that our young master can pass it in one go, then Madam's reputation for the rest of her life will be secured!"

  The Wang family suddenly remembered their eldest son, and their spirits lifted greatly. They patted the embroidered pillow and said: "That's right, that woman has been boasting about how well-behaved and studious Fengge is every day. He took two attempts to pass the provincial exam, and Father doted on him like he was something precious. It's laughable that this time he didn't even make it onto the list for the imperial examination! You reminded me of this, luckily Mother sent you over!"

  Having read books for a year, the county exam was approaching, and Mr. Zhuang lectured on classics and literature with great fanfare, so he put aside the half-day class of still reciting "Analects" and only left three big boys to study intensively. Although Zhang Feng was not yet a student, he was also considered half an examinee and was pulled into the pre-exam cram school together. Wang's family provided daily nourishment with fish soup, chicken soup, and pig brain soup, but Sheng Hong wanted to ask a few questions, pretending to be calm and carrying a copy of "Tao Te Ching".

  Minglan is a very apolitical little secretary, and with her grandmother, the two of them huddled on the window-side kang bed eating the freshly steamed red bean yam rice porridge, which was Minglan's new creation of Southern snacks. The grandmother and grandson ate with relish, and Minglan said vaguely: "...Mmm, it's really delicious...and there's another basket for grandma to have as a midnight snack tonight, to warm her stomach."

  The old lady wiped her hands with a wet towel and said, "Send some to Bo Ge to eat, it's not easy, this is also for the sake of the prosperity of the Sheng family. Later, you will also benefit from it." After thinking for a moment, she added, "I think that school bag you made for Dong Ge last time was very good. This time, your brother is going to take the exam, put aside other chores and make some useful things for him too. Your brother will appreciate your kindness."

  Minglan nodded, at first she saw that the little servant beside Xiaozhang was not capable, and when he went to school, many things still had to be carried by himself. So she made him a three-layer double-shoulder backpack with brocade patterned shoulder straps, white cloud blue sky green grass patterns, and used the old lady's unused sandalwood Buddhist beads at the mouth of the bag to tie the buckle, which was both light and beautiful. Xiaozhang liked it very much.

  After her craftsmanship was affirmed, Minglan was very encouraged. After Changbai sent over a pair of goldfish last time, she made a stone-green pine-bamboo-plum fan case and sent it over. Changbai was delighted and returned a pen holder made from the special product of Tongcheng - woven flower bamboo basket.

  Minglan thought that her initial decision on learning direction was extremely wise; girls' learning directions could still be chosen, but boys' hard work goals had only one - imperial examination.

  The benefits of the imperial examination are numerous. Those who perform well can become officials, those who do moderately well can become clerks, and even those who do poorly can still work as private tutors in their villages. Once one has achieved a degree, they can be exempt from taxes; even if it's just a xiucai, when meeting the county magistrate, they don't need to kneel. The imperial examination is not only crucial for changing the fate of commoner men, but also important for sons of officials like Sheng Changbai. In ancient times, official positions were not hereditary; although Sheng was an official, his sons still had to rely on their own abilities to pass the imperial examination in order to obtain official positions. Otherwise, the prosperity of the Sheng family would only last one or two generations.

  These were all said by Old Lady Shen, and as she spoke, a serious tone naturally emerged from her words. Minglan stole a few glances at her, and from a long time ago, Minglan had discovered that her grandmother was very unusual. Although she came from a noble Hou household, she looked down on those who relied on their family background to become officials, but she had an inexplicable fondness for scholars who relied on their own abilities to pass the imperial examinations. It's likely that this was how she fell in love with Shen Xin's father, the talented and elegant Exploratory Flower Lang.

  Minglan was reasoning about the previous events while unconsciously stretching out her hand to grab another pastry, but she felt empty air. She found that Old Lady Shen had already asked Housekeeper Fang to put away the pastries in a warming box and send them off. Old Lady Shen turned around and saw Minglan's small white hand suspended in mid-air, furrowed her brow, and advised with a bitter tone: "Little Ming, listen to your grandmother's words, you're getting bigger every day, it's not like when you were young, eating so much will make you too fat, and it won't look good when you wear clothes."

  Minglan hastily withdrew Xiaopang's paw, wasn't she just covering up her beauty and pretending to be low-key?