The 71st time

  Lai Fu rushed to the gate of the mansion to wait for Sheng Hong, who was about to have a few drinks with some new foolish young men to build relationships and cultivate personal influence. Unexpectedly, Lai Fu came in a hurry to report, so Sheng Hong had to rush back to the mansion.

  Mo Lan was detained, and Lin Daiyu had no choice but to make a statement with her. Unable to do anything else, she decided to wait at the gate of the mansion, intending to take the initiative to cry to Sheng Hui first. However, Hai Shi had already made preparations and called Fu Guan Shi to lead Sheng Hui in through the side door on the pretext that it was closer, and they went to the Wu Cang Zhai to see Ming Lan first.

  Sheng Hong saw Minglan leaning against the soft couch, with a clear palm print on her small white face like jade. The little girl seemed to be frightened and was trembling with fear, clutching her own sleeves and dropping tears. Sheng Hong listened to a clever maid next to him crying and explaining what had happened, then looked around at the messy room, with broken cups and bowls scattered all over the floor, and his face suddenly turned dark.

  "What about him?" Sheng Hong asked in a low voice.

  Hai's respectful servant, Fu, spoke in a low voice: "Aunt Lin was anxious and worried that Fourth Sister would be taken advantage of, so she refused to let Madame take her away. The daughter-in-law took matters into her own hands and led Fourth Sister to her own room, saying they would wait for Master to return before making any decisions."

  Sheng Hong nodded in satisfaction, recalling the long-standing grudge between Wang and Lin's wife. He was worried that there might be some hidden scheme, and his expression seemed hesitant. Hai Shi glanced at him sideways and said warmly: "The daughter-in-law arrived later, and this matter is not clear either. Father should ask the fourth sister too, so as not to wrong her."

  Sheng Hong thought so too, and instructed a few little maids to take good care of Minglan. Then she swept her sleeves and went out, Hai Shi hurriedly followed up, and also called Dan Ju and Lu Zhi. A group of people came to the main house, at this time Hai Shi had already made arrangements.

  Only in the main room, Wang Shi sat on the upper seat, holding her chest and panting constantly. Next to her stood Liu Kun's family, while Lin Niang and her son stood below. Xiang Niang and her son were also present. All the maidservants had been chased out, with only a few trusted female servants standing at the door. Shen Qian knew that family scandals should not be spread outside, and secretly praised his daughter-in-law for being cautious in her actions.

  Sheng Hong walked in without saying a word, Lin Niang had been wiping away tears, seeing Sheng Hong walk over, she quickly went to pull him, crying: "Master——" Before she could finish speaking, Hai Shi stepped forward and walked to Lin Niang's side, pulling her back, smiling: "The master has just rushed back from an urgent matter, let him speak first."

  Lin Yiniang's eyes were brimming with tears, and she trembled as she said: "Big Madam, can it be that I'm not even allowed to speak? Can't just watch Fourth Miss suffer injustice without anyone saying a word?"

  "Today, I've invited everyone here to speak clearly in front of Master. We're all one family, with the closest of kinship. What can't be made clear? If there's been a mistake, Master will deal with it freely. If there's been a misunderstanding, we'll clarify it and still maintain harmony. However, Lin Niangniang, I heard you also arrived after Madame left, so perhaps you didn't see what happened between Fourth Sister and Sixth Sister... What do you have to say now?"

  Lin's aunt was suddenly speechless, and Hai Shi hadn't said anything yet. She didn't even have the chance to shout "injustice".

  Sheng Hong walked up to the front, sat down after taking his seat, and first went to see Mo Lan. He only saw that she was fine, without a single wound, but her expression was somewhat flustered. Then he looked at Xiao Changzhu beside her, who had several blisters on his tender left cheek, as if they had been scalded. His right hand was wrapped in gauze, and his face seemed to be in pain. Finally, he went to see Zhang Feng, only to see him shrinking back with a timid expression. Sheng Hong's anger suddenly flared up, and with a raise of his hand, a teacup flew over and shattered at Zhang Feng's feet. Zhang Feng jumped back several steps.

  "Are you satisfied now? Not studying properly in the study, but instead indulging in romantic affairs and meddling with the internal affairs of the household women. Do you want to lose face or not? The classics are being thrown into the dog's belly! What use are you? Get out first, I'll settle accounts with you later!"

  Chang Feng's face turned pale and he stumbled out.

  Sheng Hong finished making his son and went to see Mo Lan, saying: "Fourth girl, kneel down."

  Mo Lan knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face, and hastily defended herself: "Father, please be clear-headed, I only quarreled with Sixth Sister for a few words, and in the heat of the moment, I didn't know my own strength, it wasn't intentional; who knew Mother would scold me, and Stepmother wouldn't let go, that's why things escalated. I was wrong, please punish me, Father, but don't blame Third Brother and Stepmother, they...they all pity me." As she spoke, she sobbed pitifully, a picture of sorrow.

  Sheng Hong's face hesitated for a moment, thinking that children fighting indeed didn't care about being gentle or not, and frowned, saying: "But others don't say it like that."

  Lin Yiniang covered her sleeve and hurriedly cried: "The maids in Liu Gu's courtyard, of course, are partial to their own master."

  Sheng Hong's expression was hesitant, and Hai Shi saw this, suddenly laughed lightly and respectfully said to Sheng Hong: "Father, at that time the fourth brother was also there, why not ask him?" Sheng Hong was a cautious person, since taking office as Tongzhi he had rarely listened to one-sided views, feeling that his daughter-in-law's words made sense, so immediately asked Chang Dong: "You say, what was the situation like?"

  Lin Yiniang and Mo Lan exchanged a glance, both of their faces sinking.

  Xiang Yiniang lowered her head, and lightly pinched Zhang Long's arm in her sleeve. Zhang Long understood, and walked forward with his head bowed. He lifted his head, and although there were no tears on his face, his voice was trembling as he clearly recounted the events: "Just as we were about to leave, I was afraid of missing something, so I went to ask Sixth Sister if we needed to bring anything else to Yangdu. Xiaotao Hong had just brewed a pot of hot tea, when Fourth Sister arrived..."

  Chang Dong's words were not eloquent, but he excelled in being meticulous and thorough. Every detail and action was clearly explained, including the scene where Mo Lan scolded Ming Lan, even the small servant girl and the old woman were not left out. Such attention to detail is hard to fabricate, and the stuttering repetition only added to its credibility. Lin Niang tried to interrupt several times, but Hai Shi stopped her each time.

  Sheng Hong's face turned increasingly ugly, and when Zhang said that Minglan was leaving, Mo Lan caught up to her and slapped her ear, which made him unable to bear it anymore. He slammed his palm on the table and cursed: "You damned thing!"

  Mo Lan was so frightened that she trembled and couldn't speak, Lin Niang saw the urgency of the situation and immediately knelt down, crying towards Zhang Tang: "Fourth Master, everyone in the mansion knows that you have a good relationship with Sixth Miss, from winter boots to summer handkerchiefs, Sixth Miss made them all for you. Your fourth sister was remiss and didn't take care of you, but you don't have to be like this...like this..., aren't you trying to harm your fourth sister?"

  Xiao Zhangdong's face turned bright red as he realized that Lin Niang was accusing him of being partial and telling lies. He immediately knelt down in front of Sheng Hong, his neck stiff with anger, and said: "Everything I said is true! If I told even one lie, let me...let me..." Zhangdong, feeling clear conscience, loudly declared: "Let me never pass the imperial examination for the rest of my life!"

  "Nonsense!" Mrs. Hai hastily went over and covered Zhang's mouth, scolding softly: "Is this also nonsense?"

  Xiang Niang also knelt down and cried, kowtowing to Sheng Hong: "Master, no one knows the fourth young master better than you do. He's a simple-minded fool, can't even speak properly on a daily basis, how could he possibly be deceitful?"

  For those who are determined to make a career through reading, this oath is no less vicious than "the whole family dies". Sheng Hong was angry with his youngest son for not being able to hold back his temper, but he also believed it more firmly in his heart. He soothed his expression and comforted him with a few words, telling someone to support Xiangniang and her child as they left. Before walking out the door, Xiaozhang still choked up and said: "Later, Fourth Sister even picked up the broken porcelain on the ground to scratch Sixth Sister's face..."

  Their voices faded away at the door, they left, but the people in the house changed their faces, the two sisters fought, which was still a matter of upbringing, but to ruin her sister's appearance, that was a matter of character. Liu Kun's family had quick eyes and hands, stretched out his hand to pull up Mo Lan's right hand, quickly flipped it over, under the lamp light, only saw Mo Lan's right thumb, index finger and middle finger, there were faint scratches, no need for Song Ci to come forward, everyone could see that this was caused by a sharp object.

  Sheng Hong's eyes were icy cold, his voice shot towards Mo Lan like a sharp sword, saying in a low tone: "Fourth daughter, your father asks you one last question, what Dong Ge said just now, do you acknowledge it or not?"

  Mo Lan's face was deathly pale, and she was on the verge of fainting. She looked up to see her father staring at her with a fierce gaze, his eyes filled with anger. She bit her lip and whispered "yes", before her body swayed and she fell to one side. Lin Niang rushed over, crying out in alarm as she hugged Mo Lan's limp form.

  Sheng Hong's face turned iron-green, without even looking at them, he wanted to pass on the family business. Lin Niang cried and waved her arms, opening the doors to the left and right, and shouted loudly: "Even if it was the fourth daughter who made the first move, Master should still ask about the reason! Ask Madame how she feels in her heart, what injustice has she done?"

  "King P" Wang endured for a long time, finally bursting out in anger, "Your own daughter is not worthy of praise, yet you want to shift the blame onto others. People are born with different fates, and Fourth Miss is just as virtuous as you!"

  Just as victory was in sight, Wang's enthusiasm became unbearable, and Hai was about to sigh. She suddenly remembered a joke she had with Minglan, where Minglan said "Don't be afraid of wolf-like opponents, just have teammates like Peng". Now she truly felt that this sentence was right, but also thought it would be impolite to think this way about her mother-in-law, so she suppressed the idea.

  Here is the translation:

  Indeed, Sheng Hong heard Wang Shi scolding loudly and immediately furrowed his brow. At this moment, Lin Niang had already knelt down and crawled to his knees, tugging at the hem of his robe, wailing pitifully: "Master, I know that Madam has always looked down on me, but it's been twenty years now! I've lowered my head to serve tea, kneeled to pour water, and served Madam faithfully without daring to be careless. Even if I have a thousand or ten thousand faults, shouldn't Madam consider the face of our family? How can she vent her anger on Fourth Miss? She's also Master's flesh and blood, even if not as good as Fifth Miss, but at least comparable to Sixth Miss! Fourth Miss has already come of age, why wasn't she called out to meet the noble guest today? Fourth Miss is pitiful, both younger sisters have found their places, but I, a useless person, gave birth to her and incurred Madam's dislike, delaying things until now. She's been harboring resentment in her heart, looking for fault with Sixth Miss! Although there are things that shouldn't be done, there are also reasons to be excused! Master, everyone in the household is going to trample us down, you must take charge of this matter!"

  As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like pearls, and Lin's wife cried with a beauty that was both sorrowful and elegant. Sheng Hong couldn't help but stare blankly for a moment, while Wang's body shook with rage, his finger trembling as he pointed: "You... you... how dare you be so shameless! The Lady of Yongchang wants to see Minglan herself, what does it have to do with me? She looks down on Fourth Miss, is that also my fault?"

  Lin's aunt looked wronged and resentful, her voice choked with emotion: "I'm not allowed to go out, I can't go among the rich ladies, but I also know that when it comes to marrying off a daughter, seven parts are talk and three parts are looks. If you, madam, would just put in a good word for Fourth Miss, it wouldn't be so bad! Madam, please have mercy, think of Master's face and help Fourth Miss out, this is her whole life we're talking about! You can scold me or beat me if you want, I'll kowtow to you right here!"

  As she spoke, she knocked her head against the ground with a loud thud, knocking her forehead bright red. Sheng Huai's expression relaxed, and Mo Lan also slowly came to, pulling Lin Niang and wailing in tears, truly a pitiful sight.

  Since Hai entered the house, it was the first time he saw Lin's mother's skills, and he couldn't help but secretly admire her. No wonder his mother-in-law called her to hold on for twenty years. She really had skills and wisdom, and could turn a clear matter upside down. It was clear that Minglan was at a disadvantage, but after Lin's mother argued, it turned out that Molan suffered a loss instead.

  Thinking of this, Hai nodded to Liu Kun's family, and Liu Kun's rationality was clear. He went over and gently patted Wang's back, slowly rubbing it, making up his mind not to let Wang speak again.

  Hai looked at Sheng Hong with a difficult expression, composed himself and stepped forward a few steps, bowed his head in front of Sheng Hong, and said softly: "Father, why not let your daughter-in-law say a few words." Sheng Hong was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

  Hai called the maid to help Lin Niang up, who was almost knocked unconscious, and politely asked: "Lin Niang, I'm a junior, there's something I don't understand, would you be willing to enlighten me?"

  Lin Yiniang was stunned, wiping her face, Hai Shi looked at her and said quietly: "So, according to what you said, if there's any injustice between sisters, Fourth Miss can beat and scold her sister, hurt her brother, smash things, and disobey her mother?"

  As soon as these words came out, Sheng Hong was shocked, and Lin Niang's face changed.

  "Father, my sister-in-law has only one younger sister, but even among siblings, there are always some disagreements and quarrels after a long time. Not to mention the times when they got into fierce arguments, even just verbal spats would be laughable. The mistress didn't invite Fourth Sister once, and Fourth Sister not only insulted her with foul language but also wanted to harm her younger sister. If something were to happen today, Sixth Sister's face would..."

  After Sheng Hong's anger dissipated, her mind cleared up and she looked at Mo Lan with a disappointed gaze. Lin Niang was about to speak when Hai Shi hastily interrupted: "Besides, Niang, be honest with yourself, since we arrived in the capital, every time the mistress went out, didn't she always bring Fourth Sister along? It's actually Sixth Sister who hasn't gone with her many times; and besides, in matters of marriage, which family of the bride has ever rushed to propose? How can you ask the mistress to help Fourth Sister?"

  Hai's words were simple, but each sentence hit the nail on the head. Lin Yiniang's face was filled with discontent, and she said in a sorrowful tone: "What about Fourth Miss? Can't bear to see her sisters flying high while she alone falls into the mud?"

  Hai's voice was lost in laughter, and she lightly covered her mouth, saying: "What is Auntie talking about? Fourth Sister has the elderly lady and gentleman above her, and brothers and sisters-in-law below her, how could she fall into the mud? Besides, marriage is predestined by heaven, other people's fate is what they accumulated in their past lives, don't be envious."

  Lin Yiniang was choked with rage, her face no longer showing that gentle and delicate look, a pair of beautiful eyes revealing a fierce glint, hoarsely saying: "Big Madam has such a big mouth, isn't it because you didn't suffer on your own body, not marrying those poor scholars?"

  "Hai sighed softly: "Nowadays, which high-ranking official on the court is not a scholar or a Confucian? Who was originally a senior minister from the beginning? Even the master himself took the imperial examination and became a jinshi twice before working hard and accumulating experience to benefit the local people and gradually becoming a pillar of the country. Why must you, madam, look down on scholars?"

  This flattering praise is very comfortable, can't help but think that if I were just a scholar at that time, Lin Niang...

  Lin Yiniang was stopped by a sentence, staring fiercely at Hai Shi, seeing Sheng Hong's face unsatisfied, her sharp eyes scanning over, she quickly changed her tone, put down her posture, and apologized softly: "Madam is right, it's all because I don't understand the rules, I apologize to Madam, and later Fourth Miss will also apologize to Sixth Miss, if Master thinks it's not enough, just beat me a few times, let Fourth Miss remember the pain, after all, she can't be forbidden from marrying out, she has to prepare for her own marriage."

  He spoke bluntly, with an apologetic expression.

  Hai's heart was coldly laughing, thinking to herself, "You think you can just get away with this?" So she composed herself and respectfully bowed to Sheng Hongfu, saying: "Father, there is something that a daughter-in-law shouldn't say, but today's matter, although small, will bring disaster to the family, and although it seems light, it will leave troubles for future generations."

  Sheng Hong was quite satisfied with his daughter-in-law and said warmly: "You speak."

  "Fourth Miss, you're being unreasonable today. Even if your emotions are justified, it's not right to behave like this. As a married woman, you'll be in trouble when you go to your husband's home. Third Brother is also at fault for interfering in the affairs of women. It's not surprising, though - after all, he was raised by Aunt Lin and wouldn't want to see his aunt suffer. However, it's still not right. And those maidservants in the courtyard are even more detestable! No matter what, the mistress is always the one in charge at home. How can they dare to interfere with her? If they spread this outside, won't it tarnish Father's reputation?"

  Sheng Hong's heart skipped a beat, and Hai Shi added another sentence that hit the nail on the head. She said in a low voice: "Father, it's not necessarily impossible for Yongchang Hou Fu to form an alliance with our family. If Fourth Sister continues to cause trouble, I'm afraid even Sixth Sister will be affected; and most importantly - you also know that when a new emperor ascends to the throne, what he dislikes the most is the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children!"

  Sheng Hong's forehead suddenly dripped with sweat, and he thought of the nobles who had been stripped of their titles and positions in the past few months, several cabinet members and high-ranking officials who had repeatedly hit a wall, and his palms were also wet.

  Wang's family finally saw the way out, took a handkerchief to cover her face, and cried softly: "Before Old Lady left, she repeatedly entrusted me to take good care of Liu Yatou, saying that she was honest and thick-skinned, even if someone bullied her, she wouldn't know how to say it. Now Minglan is about to set out for Yang, if the scar on her face doesn't fade, what will Old Lady think when she sees it?

  She cried only for a moment and didn't cry well, just wailed a few times and couldn't cry anymore. She sighed secretly, indeed, there are specialized skills in every profession.

  Today, everyone was talking about it, and after saying this, Sheng Hong's heart was already clear. The source of all the troubles at home was in one place. He thought quickly and hesitated for a moment before finally pronouncing his verdict: "Mo Lan bullied her sister, spoke vicious words, and had no virtue or elegance. From today on, she is forbidden to leave the courtyard, and must copy out the 'Admonitions for Women' to cultivate her nature and character. She is not allowed to come out."

  Mo Lan initially thought she would be caned, but Lin Niang's heart was racing with anxiety. If not caning, then there must be an even heavier punishment, and since no duration for house arrest was specified, did that mean she would be locked up forever?

  Sheng Hong turned to Wang and said, "Mulan has already reached the age of hairpinning. The other day I met with Wen Yanjing, the scholar we were talking about, and I think he's a great match for her. In a few days, you can invite Old Lady Wen to the palace for a chat, ask about their birth dates and taboos, and if everything is fine, after the national mourning period is over, we'll settle the matter."

  Mo Lan and Lin Daiyu were shocked and immediately cried out to Sheng Hui, who glared at them with a fierce gaze and scolded: "My mind is made up, don't waste your breath! If you say one more word, I'll disown you as my daughter!"

  Mo Lan's words made everyone present, Lin Niang couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at Sheng Hong, while Wang Shi lowered her head with secret delight.

  Sheng Hong's stern gaze swept across the crowd, and he continued: "The Lin family is too lenient in their discipline. From today on, you are forbidden to leave the house until the fourth daughter gets married. If before then, you dare to meet with Mo Yaotou again, I will immediately write a divorce letter and drive you out of the mansion! From now on, without my orders, you are also not allowed to see Feng Ge'er! You have corrupted good children with your wicked ways, and they will be dragged down by you!" Sheng Hong's words were severe, and Lin Niangniang covered her face and wept. She had wanted to grab onto Sheng Hong's robes, but he kicked her hand away in disgust, not even bothering to look at her. Lin Niangniang felt as if all hope was lost, and she began to wail loudly.

  Sheng Hong felt extremely exhausted, stood up and slowly walked to Lin Niang's mother and daughter, looked at Mo Lan and said in a low voice: "You have been pampered by me since childhood, I taught you poetry and literature, but I didn't expect you to speak such filthy words. I taught you to read and write, hoping that you would understand reason and distinguish right from wrong. But I didn't expect you to be so unreasonable and bullying your younger siblings. As a father, I am extremely disappointed in you." Sheng Hong looked at Mo Lan with disgust, his cold tone revealing his disapproval. Mo Lan's heart sank like it had fallen into an ice cave, almost fainting.

  Then he said to Lin Niang in a low voice: "The old lady is right, everything is due to one word - greed. If I hadn't spoiled you too much, you mother and daughter wouldn't have had such absurd thoughts." After finishing speaking, he didn't care about Lin Niang's pulling and begging, and walked straight out, walking to the door and turning back, looking at Wang Shi and her daughter-in-law, saying word by word: "You'd better clean up the maidservants, sell those who should be sold, punish those who should be punished. The inner house should be peaceful."

  Madam Wang was overjoyed this time, and Liu Kun's family hurriedly twisted her arm again. Madam Wang lowered her head in distress, trying to hold back her smile, while Hai Shi remained expressionless, comforting him by saying: "Father, don't take it to heart, it's not that the daughter-in-law is boasting, but there are only a few households in the entire capital that are as peaceful and safe as ours. It's just some minor flaws, which will be resolved in a few days."

  Sheng Hong's heart was slightly comforted, and he turned his head and left.

  ——

  Dang Ju and Lü Tong returned, the case was closed, and the evidence could be left behind. Dang Ju hurriedly found some ointment to apply to Ming Lan's wounds, while Lü Tong, with her quick wit and sharp tongue, efficiently recounted what had just happened.

  "Old Lady is really something, usually seeing her gentle and elegant, who knew that when she speaks, it's so fierce, every sentence hits Lin Niang's weak points, can't even retort! Green Branch has a face full of idolization, "Now we can finally be at peace, Fourth Miss won't dare to cause trouble again, Old Master must also dislike her, I heard that Wen Juren's family is very poor."

  Minglan listened quietly, shaking her head: "Father is afraid that Fourth Sister will make another mistake, this is for her own good. As long as she can get through this, if in the future Fourth Brother-in-law is capable and his career goes smoothly, Fourth Sister will still be able to live a good life."

  Green branches shook their heads, and began to speak in a crow's mouth: "How many talented scholars are there in the world? Every three years, they take an exam, and then become imperial scholars, and then officials. How many can make a name for themselves? Otherwise, they still need to rely on the old masters and young masters to support them." She was bought from outside, originally from the village, she had also seen fallen scholars who were once officials, or those who had been dismissed after serving several terms because they didn't know how to manage relationships. Some of the better ones could still acquire some property and become gentlemen, while the worse ones had to find another way to make a living.

  Minglan disagreed. Fundamentally, Sheng Hong's vision was still good; looking at Yuan Wenshao, Hai Shi, and even the situation, they were all within ten points. Anyone he looked up to couldn't be bad; it's just that... making Mo Lan live a slightly better life of clear poverty would be like taking her life! Alright, this counts as punishment.

  Gently rubbing Minglan's bruised and aching elbow, she smiled and said: "In any case... Lin Niang is finished. From now on, it depends on whether Third Young Master has any prospects or not. If he doesn't, then she'll have no hope."

  This time Minglan agreed, thinking of Changfeng's timid appearance, she couldn't help but nod.