Volume 3: Haitang doesn't mind losing her rouge color, nor does she wait for a golden house to recommend a magnificent hall, episode 109.

  Before Minglan's wedding, many ladies and madams came to congratulate her on her illustrious marriage. At the time, she didn't have any intuitive feelings, only thinking that Gu Tingye's betrothal gifts were too extravagant and tacky. It wasn't until the third day after the wedding when the couple arrived at the Sheng mansion gate in their carriage, where Changbai and Changwu welcomed them, coinciding with the arrival of Molan and Rulan.

  Minglan stepped down from the sedan chair with the help of Danju, and looked at Rulan's humble flat-headed sedan, as well as Molan's modest single-horse carriage. Turning back to look at her own family's ostentatious black lacquer three-horse carriage with stone-green canopy and silver-plated harness, Minglan began to feel a little uneasy.

  Yu Lan's smile froze, her eyes turned cold, and Mo Lan also stiffened for a moment before returning to normal. Ming Lan couldn't help but glance at Gu Ting Ye, this carriage... isn't it over the top?

  After getting off the carriage, Gu Ting Ye gave a faint smile to Liang Huan without saying anything. Ming Lan was able to subtly sense that he didn't seem to like Liang Huan very much. The group of people walked towards the mansion in a line, and the newlyweds were supposed to go to Shou An Hall first to pay their respects to Old Madame.

  The old lady sat upright at the head, Minglan and Gu Tingye knelt down on the couch and bowed. Although they had only been apart for a few days, the old lady seemed as if she hadn't seen Minglan in half a lifetime, and she pulled her hand, examining her without stopping, the more she looked, the darker her face became.

  But in just two days, Minglan's face had lost its luster, with a faint dark blue tint under her eyes, like the deep blue of a snail shell, which even the thin layer of powder couldn't cover up. Her expression was listless and lacking energy, but there was still a hint of allure between her eyebrows and eyes. On the other hand, Gu Tingye looked refreshed and invigorated, with his eyebrows and eyes relaxed, but with a subtle hint of satisfaction in the depths of his eyes.

  The old lady's anger surged up, her heart aching with discontent, yet she couldn't say anything, so she could only glare at Gu Tingyan with a sharp gaze, Gu Tingyan's expression remained unchanged, still calm and composed, as if he didn't know anything.

  The old lady let out a few more belches before saying: "Hurry up and kowtow to your parents, they're thinking of you."

  Minglan couldn't bear to part with Old Madam and whispered in her arms: "I'll kowtow to you when I come back, and we can have a good talk."

  The old lady smiled and nodded, seeing the young couple off; however, in a moment, her expression changed, she gave a wink to Fang's mother, who understood, turned around and went down, straight to find Cui's mother to ask questions.

  Cui's mother has always been calm and never quarreled with others for decades, but this time she had a strong desire to complain, so she waited in the Shou'an Hall before Fang's mother came.

  "It's normal for newlyweds to be affectionate, but not like him! ... He doesn't care if anyone is around or not, as soon as he sees the girl, he's like a wolf in the mountains, his eyes gleaming with green light. As soon as no one is looking, he starts getting physical, causing trouble day and night!" Mrs. Cui tapped her hand on the table, gritting her teeth, "The girl has just grown up! How can... it be like this?!"

  Mrs. Fang was stunned, her expression somewhat awkward, and if she hadn't known that Mrs. Cui was a straightforward person who rarely spoke, she might not have believed it: "At Sixth Uncle's age, he's still like a young punk... in the room... could it be that there's no one else?"

  Here is the translation:

  "Now that we mention it, Mrs. Cui finally calmed down a bit: 'Poor girl hasn't had time to take care of things these past few days, but I went out and asked around in a circle, and it turns out that one of your husband's original concubines and a maidservant are still at the Ningyuan Marquis' estate, saying they'll be brought over after a while. Your sixth uncle is very busy, always running around outside on official business and rarely returning to the estate, so it's actually quite peaceful inside, with only one woman named 'Fengxiang' living in the side courtyard, who I heard was sent by some general. I haven't seen her myself, but I've heard that your husband... hasn't paid much attention to her.'"

  Fang's mother also listened, and after a while, she said: "It's good that the young master loves his daughter, but...". She didn't know how to put it into words either, so in the end, she just said, "Let's go back to Old Lady."

  ……

  Old Mrs. Shi was by nature a quiet and gentle soul, who never liked to invite the seven great aunts and eight great uncles to gather in the Shou'an Hall for noisy celebrations. Therefore, all the relatives were waiting in the main courtyard of the Wang family's residence to drink tea. Gu Tingyan and Minglan went straight into the main hall, where they saw Mrs. Kang and her husband, Yun'er, Mo Lan, Ruolan, Hai Shi with a big belly, Zhang Yu, Zhang Bai, Zhang Feng, Zhang Dong, Liang Huan, Wen Yanjing, Yuan Wenshao, and others.

  Everyone exchanged greetings, and Minglan followed Gu Tingye into the eastern wing room. Shen Guangyao and Wang Shi were sitting on the heated bed by the window, smiling as they accepted their kowtows.

  Wang smiled and looked at Gu Tingye, saying: "My Minglan, hasn't she caused any trouble for the general?"

  Upon hearing this, Wang's body stiffened for a moment. He truly admired his wife, who, aside from Hualan, used the same opening phrase with their three daughters when they returned home after marriage.

  The difference was that, facing Liang Huan, she raised an eyebrow and spoke in a cold tone: "Has my sister Mo Lan caused you any trouble?" Facing Wen Yan Jing, her eyes were fiery with enthusiasm, her voice soft and gentle: "Has my sister Ru Lan caused you any trouble?" Finally, facing Gu Ting Ye, she was half-flattering, half-reverent, her tone soft.

  Sheng Hong was speechless. Fortunately, Minglan was his last daughter, and this was also the last time he heard these words, thank goodness.

  "Gu Tingyan's reply was very much to the point: 'Minglan is well-versed in etiquette and propriety, gentle and obedient, and everyone in the family, young and old, loves her dearly.'"

  Minglan lowered her head and rolled her eyes, privately thinking that her most brilliant performance over the past two days had all been in bed.

  "Look at you all, settling down and starting families, it's reassuring for a father." Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled at Gu Tingyan, "If in the future I and her mother are no longer in the capital, you must take good care of Minglan."

  "Father... are you going out?" Minglan's heart skipped a beat as she spoke softly.

  Sheng Hong looked at Minglan with satisfaction, "To say that this daughter of mine is indeed intelligent and clever, she can understand the subtleties of music. He smiled and said: 'Your elder brother has completed his term as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and a few days ago, news came that he would either be appointed as a lecturer or enter the Six Ministries as a secretary to gain experience. As father and son serving together in the imperial court, there are many taboos to avoid, so it's better for old father to step aside, haha...'"

  Although he said this to Minglan, his eyes were on Gu Tingye. Gu Tingye's heart was clear, and after a moment of contemplation, he said: "Father-in-law's concerns are indeed valid. The Hanlin Academy is prestigious, with the responsibility of lecturing on classics and history, drafting important documents, handling practical matters in the six ministries, copying and issuing imperial decrees, and investigating errors. These are all positions of great power despite their humble status. Therefore, I believe that Brother-in-law, being a cautious and meticulous person, will be able to handle whatever comes his way."

  What Sheng Hongyuan wanted was this sentence. After hearing it, his expression became even more gentle and friendly, and he said a lot more to Gu Tingyan while holding him.

  Minglan understood Old Master Shi's plan. If the Shi family could produce a Grand Councilor, their value would increase a hundredfold. As far as she knew, there were roughly two paths to entering the Grand Council. One was to enter the Hanlin Academy through the Imperial Examination, and then work one's way up from being an imperial reader or lecturer to becoming a Hanlin Academician, and eventually entering the Grand Council. The other path was to serve as a Hanlin Bachelors for a term, then enter one of the Six Ministries or Six Departments, accumulate experience and seniority while serving in various positions, possibly being appointed as an official outside the capital for one or two terms, and then gradually work one's way up to becoming a Minister or Secretary of State, after which it was possible to enter the Grand Council.

  Chang Bai is cautious and prudent in his handling of affairs. Originally, several of his superiors, including the University Scholars, were all from the Hai family, so with their care, Ping Bu Qing Yun was sure to be safe. However, during the "Shen Chen Zhuan" incident, almost everyone was defeated, which is why Sheng Hou needs Gu Ting Yan to show some attitude. Today, the emperor's power is strong, and Chang Bai has a good reputation and is on the right path in his studies, so even without connections in the Imperial Court, as long as the emperor has him in mind, everything will be fine.

  Minglan thought to herself, this is the power of family! Through continuous intermarriage, they formed a powerful alliance. In ancient times, among the noble classes, there was no more direct and powerful bond than blood ties and marriage, it sounds mundane and laughable, but it's the truth.

  In ancient times, the rules of propriety were based on clans, and it was considered proper to promote the worthy without avoiding relatives. If one person made a mistake, it could implicate three clans, or even nine clans if the circumstances were severe. If they were unlucky enough to encounter an emperor with a unique personality, even students and teachers from the tenth clan might be affected. Since they were destined to share bad luck together, they naturally wanted to share good fortune as well. Therefore, as long as relatives were not too incompetent or had some ability, helping others was equivalent to helping oneself. By supporting each other, families could thrive for generations without decline.

  One of the main reasons for the downfall of the four families, Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue, is that from the third generation onwards, none of them had any worthy successors. The Jia family at least produced a noble daughter who became an imperial concubine, while the Wang family had Wang Ziteng, who held office in nine provinces. The only one who could read books was Jia Zhu, but he died early. As for the others, there's Jia She, who caused trouble with his fans; Xue Pan, who beat people to death; and Jia Baoyu, who flirted with the prince's male favorite - each one more capable of stirring up trouble than the last.

  A family without an heir will eventually decline and perish; it is only a matter of time.

  Minglan could understand, so she remained silent. Wang Shi didn't quite comprehend and couldn't help but feel a bit bored. She had originally wanted to put on the airs of a first wife and scold Minglan in front of her illustrious son-in-law, but Sheng Hong had taken over the conversation, from the fate of the country to the future of the nation, one sentence after another, she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

  Fortunately, it wasn't long before the crowd waiting outside surged in, and Yuan Wenshao and Chang Yu led the way, laughing and joking that the wine and dishes were almost cold. Sheng Hong looked at them and said they were about right, so he smiled and followed the crowd to go drink outside.

  Minglan was pulled by the ladies to have a feast in the inner hall, and the maids set up a round black lacquer table that could seat seven or eight people. After the dishes were served, everyone sat around eating and chatting, with Wangshi pulling Minglan to sit beside her.

  Everyone present was a woman. After taking a look at Minglan's appearance, each of them had their own thoughts, some with envy, some with resentment, and some with relief, each lost in their own deep contemplation.

  Mo Lan stared straight at Ming Lan, but looking at Ming Lan's bright red silk brocade with golden phoenix and cloud patterns, wearing a thin gold-embroidered flower-patterned cloak, her hair styled in a high bun, adorned with a five-phoenix purple-gold hairpin, earrings made of crimson gold, and a thumb-sized ruby ring on her finger; just before leaving the house, Gu Ting Ye also stuffed six or seven gold and jade rings onto Ming Lan's hand, making her feel embarrassed to extend her hand.

  This attire is not only luxurious and prestigious, but also a top-grade noblewoman's exclusive wear. Mo Lan felt extremely uncomfortable in her heart, yet she had to put on a very happy face and frequently chatted with Ming Lan.

  Minglan, suppressing her dizziness, took the wine cup and turned around to look into Wang's eyes, saying in a clear and sincere voice: "This first cup of wine, I'll start by toasting you, madam. When Minglan was young and weak, if it weren't for your and elder sister's careful care, I'm afraid this little life would have been lost long ago! Minglan thanks you here!" As she spoke, the wine cup was drained in one gulp. At least this part about Hualan is true.

  The Wang family was suddenly moist, drank the wine in one gulp, and pulled Minglan with a few points of emotion, muttering: "You child, good day, what nonsense are you talking about! Family members say thank you or not... You've been obedient and sensible since childhood, more considerate than several older ones, how can I not love you?!" Emotions came, and she herself was true.

  Mo Lan's face turned pale, and she lowered her head in silence; Ming Lan glanced at her sideways, only to see that Mo Lan was dressed in a very dignified and elegant manner, with light makeup, a neat hair bun, and even her earrings were simple and round, not moving at all, like a standard model of a virtuous wife. However, she couldn't hide the fatigue and tension around her eyes, and a deep furrow gradually appeared between her eyebrows.

  Ming Lan let out a soft sigh, she wasn't thinking of settling scores after autumn, but only hoped that Mo Lan would put her mind at ease and not take herself too lightly, making bold demands was the real deal, this was just a preventive measure.

  Look at the harmony between mother and daughter, Aunt Kang has some sourness: "Ming Yatou is now grown up, and in the future, there will be many places in the family that rely on you. You must remember your mother's kindness to you, don't forget your roots!" Half of her dowry was spent on the children of concubines, she had thought about settling for a few marriages, but the Kang family relied on their noble status and insisted on showing off.

  Ming Lan's mouth curled up slightly, and she smiled faintly without responding. However, Ming Lan was not pleased. She had always been a straightforward person, and after Kang Zuo Er married into the Wang family, she regarded Kang's mother as a despicable person. If it weren't for Rong Er's sake, she would have said something unpleasant like "What business does a daughter of the Sheng family have with the Kang family? Coming to our doorstep uninvited and scrounging for food?"

  "Aunt, you're absolutely right! Sixth sister, you must remember that if someone treats you well, you should repay them. Even if you can't repay them, you shouldn't repay kindness with resentment!" Rulan was wearing a bright pink satin jacket with silver embroidery and a white silk skirt, which made her look particularly radiant, highlighting her rosy cheeks and good complexion, showing that her life after marriage wasn't bad at all.

  Kang's mother looked unnatural, lowering her head to drink wine. Yun'er knew the ins and outs of the situation and also felt apologetic for her mother's behavior. Chang Yu had always been very good to her, and over the years, he had helped the Kang family many times. Her own husband's family and the Sheng family were as close as could be, so she didn't want to provoke anyone's dislike, only hoping that her mother would say a few less words.

  She was pulling Rulan aside and speaking softly to apologize, while also serving dish after dish to Wang Shi, which made Minglan sigh inwardly.

  Hai looked at the atmosphere and felt it was a bit awkward, so he came out to smooth things over: "A few days ago, my mother went to the Yuan family to see my older sister. She said that her belly is even bigger than mine! And she's clearly younger than me by a month or two - could there be two in there? My older sister often complains of stomach pain, maybe it's two little rascals in there practicing their boxing and kicking!"

  As they spoke, all the women burst out laughing, and Wang Shi was the most delighted, extremely pleased, and had several cups in a row, with her face flushed from drinking, and she was already slurring her words; after two rounds of drinks, a maid came in from outside and whispered a few sentences in Minglan's ear.

  Minglan got up and smiled at everyone: "The old lady is probably going to say a few words to me, I'll go over first."

  The Wang family was no longer very clear, and Hai said with a smile: "Go, the old lady has a lot to say to you."

  Minglan smiled and bid farewell, turning to follow the maid as she left. As soon as they stepped out of the door, they quickened their pace, rushing straight to Shou'antang. Once inside the gate, they turned into the eastern wing, where a table of food had indeed been set out. The old lady was sitting by the window, waiting.

  Minglan's heart was moved, and she giggled as she rushed over to hug her grandmother's arm, shaking it playfully: "I have a spiritual connection with my grandmother, I knew you were waiting for me! I came on an empty stomach especially!" The old lady couldn't help but smile, scolding: "It's all because of this little monkey, waiting for you has made me hungry!" Minglan rushed into her grandmother's arms, coaxing: "Let me rub your belly for you, Grandma!"

  The old lady pinched Minglan's cheek: "What's good about rubbing an empty stomach, isn't it still not enough to alleviate the hunger pangs?!" Minglan helped the old lady sit down at the table and personally filled a bowl with winter melon and pork ribs soup for her: "You eat, you eat!"

  The housekeeper looked at her with tears in her eyes and said, "It's been a long time since the old lady has been so happy!"

  "How long?!" The old lady turned back and glared, "It's only been two days!"

  Minglan held her small face, a picture of melancholy: "One day without seeing you is like three autumns apart. Alas, so many autumns have passed, grandmother must be missing me to the point of getting lovesick! What can I do about it? Who made me so lovable, there's no way out!"

  The old lady finally couldn't hold it in and almost laughed out tears: "You shameless thing, always putting gold on your own face! Do you want to have a face or not!"

  Minglan tilted her head, stretched out a pretty face and smiled: "No! You take it!"

  The old lady laughed so hard that she and Minglan fell down together.

  This meal, the old lady kept listening to Minglan's chatter about the people in the Gu household, sometimes saying something and sometimes laughing. Minglan was sad at heart, knowing that after this day she might not be able to see the old lady often, so she deliberately made things sound peaceful and lively, vividly describing her new life as interesting and fun, making it seem like the Gu family was full of happiness and bliss.

  The old lady listened with a smile, after finishing the meal, Fang's mother ordered the servant girl to take down the table and bowls, close the door and go out.