Episode 19

  Under the dim light, Lin's wife's face was blushing with shyness and tender feelings, softly saying: "Xu Lang, today I'm also very happy, first because our eldest daughter has married a good husband, secondly for our Mo Er, today many ladies praised that Mo Er is elegant and likable; only... Ah..." Sighing softly, trailing off into a long string of worries.

  "If you're happy, why are you sighing?" Sheng Hong was tired and wanted to sleep.

  "I wonder if in the future, Mo Er will also have such good fortune as her elder sister. Although now in the manor, all the young ladies are treated equally, but I'm afraid that when it comes to marriage proposals, others might look down on her for not being born to the madam..." Lin Yiniang's voice trailed off.

  Sheng Hong thought of the difficulties he had faced when he went to the Wang family to propose marriage, and sighed: "The difference between legitimate and illegitimate children is inevitable, but with me around, Mo Er will not be wronged."

  "Lin's wife said softly: 'How Langlang treats us, I am the clearest, but for the daughters of official families to come and go, Langlang must be accompanied by his mother to see the world before he can intervene. Otherwise, Mo will not be called by me, this humble birth mother, to drag him down and be buried in the inner court without being known.'"

  Sheng Hong sank into thought for a moment, then said, "That makes sense. I'll go back and talk to my wife about it. From now on, when we socialize with female guests, we can't just bring Rulan alone; we should also bring Mo'er and Ming'er along. If they have good character and are blessed, the Sheng family will be able to form two more good relationships in the future."

  Lin Yini's face was tender and charming, leaning against Sheng Hong's chest, she called out: "Really, my good Honglang!" In a flash, she suddenly became sad again, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: "I heard that the maids outside who were watching the excitement said that Hua Jie had 128 sedan chairs of dowry, as well as fields, mansions and many accompanying servants, what a magnificent display, I don't know about Mo Er..."

  Sheng Hong was a bit muddled, but after all, he had been brainwashed by Kong Yiniang twice, so he was somewhat wary of Lin Niang's request. After thinking for a moment, he said: "If we don't consider the maternal family, I treat my daughters equally, but the eldest daughter is the one that Madame added to her dowry, and if you calculate carefully, Mo Er may not have as much dowry as Da Jie."

  "Lin's wife said with a smile: 'Hong Lang is so good-tempered, now that the madam has married into our family, her dowry also belongs to the Sheng family. All the brothers and sisters call her mother, how can she be too biased?'"

  Sheng Hong's head suddenly felt cool, and his mind began to clear up. He said slowly: "Whether it is biased or not is another matter, only those useless men who are always thinking about women's dowries all day long. My brother-in-law was also from a prestigious family with three generations of officials at the time, and he used the Wang family's dowry. Now, he can't even speak in front of my aunt. When I asked for her hand in marriage, I had already made up my mind that I wouldn't touch a single penny of the dowry, and would leave it all to Longbai instead. After all, they are also descendants of the Sheng family."

  Lin Yiniang hastily sat up from her bed, saying: "Where are Fengge and Mo'er? Can't Langzi take care of them? Is it because of me, this aunt, that they will suffer in the future?" As she spoke, tears welled up again.

  Sheng Hong remembered Kong Yiniang's words in her heart and slowly said, "You don't have a thick dowry, could it be my fault?"

  Lin Yiniang was stunned and looked at Sheng Hong in disbelief, never expecting him to speak like that.

  Sheng Hong sighed secretly, thinking that Kong Yinniang was as cunning as a god. One time during casual conversation, Kong Yinniang revealed to him the cyclical pattern of her interactions with Lin Dajie: every time, Lin would first cry and complain about her own misery, then he would sympathize with her, then Lin would become even more miserable and fearful of her future, crying and wailing endlessly, and then he would soften and grant her this and that.

  Kong Yiniang sneered at the time, if Lin Niang had a family background and dowry like Mrs. Yu, would she have become the concubine of Sheng Hong?

  Sheng Hong believed that he and Lin Niang had "true feelings" for each other, but he was also aware of his own limitations and didn't indulge in wild fantasies. So Kong Yiniang taught Sheng Hong the sentence she had just spoken, to use as a brake on Lin Niang's excessive demands, and even prepared several more sentences to follow it up.

  Sheng Hong threw on a robe and sat up, her voice cold: "At first I was afraid that you and your mother would be bullied, so I forcibly allocated a piece of land from the ancestral property to support you. This was already not in line with the rules, but for your sake and Miao Ge's, I did it anyway. You are already much more dignified than an ordinary concubine, yet you're still not satisfied?! If you wanted to be on equal footing with the mistress of the house, you shouldn't have become my concubine in the first place."

  Lin Yiniang listened, almost suffocating with rage, her body trembling as she said: "Huang Lang, why are you like this? I have true feelings for you, even if I were the legitimate wife of another family's household, I wouldn't do it. I'm willing to be your concubine, how...how..."

  Sheng Hong felt a bit depressed, and directly said that Kong Yiniang was a female Zhuge, and even Lin Niang's next sentence could be guessed. So he followed suit and said: "You have been with me with true feelings, and you are willing to be small, why do you always complain, and often ask me for this and that? Is it true that one piece of heart is like this?"

  As he spoke, even Sheng Hong himself felt a bit disgusted, as if he also thought that Lin Niang and he were not so 'true-hearted' after all.

  Lin Yiniang was left speechless, as if she had been punched in the head, and sobbed for a while before organizing her words to say pitifully: "If it were just for myself, I wouldn't mention a word, but...but I have to think about the children! I know I'm insignificant, but Fengge and Mosi are Master's own flesh and blood after all...I really am worried..."

  Sheng Hong said in a cold voice, "If Mo Er marries into a high-ranking family in the future, for the sake of the Sheng family's reputation, I will make an exception and add to her dowry. However, if the groom's family is ordinary, can I really let Mo Er's dowry be compared to Hua Er's when she married into the Earl's household? And what about Ru Er tomorrow, they are also my flesh and blood! As for Feng Ge, as a man, he should stand on his own, read books, take exams, become an official, and establish his own career in the future. Can't he rely solely on his ancestors? My uncle almost squandered the family's property back then, and today's family business is mostly built by my brother himself! I may not be talented, but I didn't get to where I am today solely relying on my father!"

  Lin Yiniang wiped her eyes, secretly resentful. Since Kong Yiniang arrived, Sheng Hong had been much less affectionate towards her and no longer indulged her every whim. She had always tried to please him, serving him with a gentle smile, but today she had hoped to take advantage of his good mood to persuade him to purchase more property in her name, so that their children would have a secure future. But Sheng Hong seemed to have been prepared for this and spoke in a way that was impossible to refute, leaving her feeling secretly anxious.

  Sheng Hong looked at Lin Niang's anxious and pitiful expression, and slowed down his tone: "How could I not love Feng Ge'er and Mo Jie'er dearly? But after all, the order of seniority and legitimacy must be maintained. If I were to disrupt this order, it would not only invite ridicule from others, but might even lead to family strife."

  Sheng Hong suddenly felt that he was too soft, and remembered the last few words of Kong Yiniang. He immediately put them into practice, speaking sternly: "You must also take care of yourself. It's because you're always thinking like this that Momo and the sisters are competing with each other. If in the future Feng Ge is also so disobedient, I will deal with you immediately!"

  She immediately got out of bed, tidied herself up and walked straight to the door, ignoring Lin's cries behind her. She only turned back once to say: "Take good care of your children, you will have a good life ahead of you, I've given you everything I can, don't think about anything else!"

  Lin's aunt was shocked and angry, she was spoiled, for a moment she couldn't swallow her pride to beg Shen Hou, so she just gritted her silver teeth.

  Sheng Hong walked out while sighing, Kong Yiniang had been in the inner house for many years and was very clear about the details of these families. She knew those few families that fell and were deprived of their titles as marquises, earls, and viscounts, and even recognized some of them. Family disasters often start with unworthy children, and unworthy children come from poor family education. It's really true that a fallen phoenix is not as good as a chicken. Those declining families who lived in poverty, he had seen it all in the capital city, which was shocking. He also personally witnessed how his uncle doted on his concubine and destroyed his wife, almost exhausting the family property. If it weren't for the support of his own mother and Sheng Wei's hard work, that branch of the family would have fallen into poverty long ago. Thinking about all these things made Sheng Hong's heart tremble with fear.

  As the cold wind blew outside, Sheng Hong calmed down and thought to himself that he was worrying too much. After all, now Lang Bai and Lang Feng were both diligent and studious, how could they be compared to those idle rich kids who only knew how to play with birds and flowers? In the past, when Sheng Hong's father's old friend, Shi Shu, took him on a tour of visits to pay respects, he had envied those aristocratic families that had been prominent for generations. Those families were indeed strict in their family rules, and their children turned out well, with no decline over several generations. Even families with titles didn't dare look down on them lightly. Who knew if the Sheng family would have such good fortune in the future?

  Sheng Hong let out a long sigh, being an official with ideals and ambitions isn't easy.

  ……