The 79th time

  In the second year of Chongde, in January, the imperial court appointed General Gu Tingyan to lead 3,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry from the outskirts of Beijing southward. They set up an ambush at Lufang Bridge in Yang County, Shandong Province, using the cavalry to repeatedly encircle and attack the rebel army from three sides, with a speed as swift as lightning. The rebel army was cut off from both front and back, causing great chaos among them. King Zhu then personally led the vanguard elite troops to rapidly advance northward towards Zhuangzhou.

  In the same month, Gu Tingyan divided his troops in half to resist the enemy with the garrison of Zhuangzhou, and he himself led a light cavalry to continue southward, racing against time, rushing to the road that the defeated army must pass through, ambushing at Lingyangu Valley south of Xuzhou, relying on geographical advantages, using a small force to surround a large one, annihilating more than 13,000 fleeing rebel soldiers, capturing Tan Wang alive; later ordered the Wei and Ma states to command the remaining troops to sweep away the remnants.

  By the end of March, Gu Tingyan led his army northward and joined forces with General Shen Congxing, younger brother of Empress Shen, to launch a joint attack on the remnants of the Jing Wang's army at Zhuangzhou. The Jing Wang was defeated, and his remaining troops fled in disarray. Thereafter, various regional military commanders opened their city gates and cleared out the remaining rebel forces. By April of the second year of the Chongde era (1097), the Jing Wang had fled to Mount Xiaoshang, where he was killed by his own soldiers, who then presented his head as a trophy. Thus ended the nearly half-year-long "Jing Rebellion".

  ……

  By May, the weather was warm and flowers were in bloom. The rivers were calm and clear, and the local bandits had been largely eliminated. Old Lady Sheng took Minglan and Changzhu back to Beijing by boat. Unlike their tumultuous journey here, they returned in peace and stability. The weather was also pleasant, with flowers blooming along the riverbanks and swallows returning north in the clear sky. The scenery was beautiful, and the mood of the travelers was greatly improved.

  The three of them often sat in the cabin on the second floor of the big boat, brewing a pot of fragrant tea, arranging several plates of melons and fruits, opening the window to enjoy the view, chatting and laughing, watching the busy boatmen on both banks, as well as the cargo workers who were constantly loading and unloading goods, just like the chaos that had occurred a few months ago had never happened.

  "Dongge, after drinking this cup of tea, you should go back to your room and study; don't come out until the end of the year, work hard." Sheng Lao Tai Tai sat on the soft couch, facing outward looking at the view.

  Xiao Changdong's face turned red, and Minglan helped to say: "Grandma, Fourth Brother hasn't dropped his books this time. No matter how chaotic it is outside, he has been reading honestly."

  "I know," said Old Lady Sheng calmly. "Your father told me that after the funeral, he was going to let Rong'er take part in the February examination this year, but who would have thought that this disturbance occurred and missed an opportunity for him to gain experience."

  Minglan looked at Xiaochangzhong with a mixture of pity and sympathy, the poor little twelve-year-old. Xiaochangzhong also honestly put down his tea bowl and gazed pitifully at Minglan. Old Lady Sheng ignored the siblings' exchange and continued: "Missing this year's imperial examination will surely displease Master, who knows, he might even test Changzhong's knowledge as soon as he returns; but it's better to have a few days of preparation, even if it means making a last-minute effort."

  Xiao Zhangdong knew what was good and bad, and he knew that the old lady was reminding himself. After bowing respectfully, he returned to his own room to read books. Minglan looked at Xiao Zhangdong's back and sighed: "White-haired and exhausted in studying, only then realized that reading all the poems and books is useless; Alas..."

  The old lady hummed heavily and Minglan hastily added: "When painting a yellow bun, one must know that playing with brush and ink has its own mind."

  The old lady smiled slightly and said, "You're quite the smooth talker! I suppose you've been reading books for a few days just to show off your eloquence? Have you packed everything up? Don't forget to label all your belongings."

  Minglan nodded and peeled half an orange for the old lady, feeding her segment by segment, smiling: "Of course! I've been collecting them for several nights. The hairpin gifts from Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister, as well as those from Madame and Eldest Sister, have all been distributed."

  Sheng Wei and Sheng Yu were born to do business, making money quickly and generously spending it. The old lady had originally given Pinlan a pair of silver cups with inlaid jade lotus petals as her coming-of-age gift, while they gave Molan a gold phoenix hairpin with accumulated silk and pearl as her coming-of-age gift. In the third month, Rulan's coming-of-age gift was a gold hairpin with plum blossoms inlaid with red agate, and Minglan received a pair of eight-trigram gold cups with accumulated silk, precious stones, and jade inlays. Additionally, they also gave many gifts to Wangshi and Haishi.

  It's worth mentioning that later on, as the refugees dispersed, the wealthy families started visiting each other again. The aunt from her mother's side, Mrs. Li, would often come over and hold Minglan's hand, admiring her from head to toe, from the embroidery on her shoes to the earrings dangling from her ears, praising her without stopping. Before leaving, she would also give Minglan a pair of white jade bangles, with an excellent color that seemed to radiate a subtle glow.

  Minglan was originally reluctant to accept it, as in ancient times, a girl's family couldn't casually receive gifts from others. It wasn't until her aunt spoke up, saying it was just a courtesy between elders, that Minglan finally accepted.

  "I heard that Li's son, Yu Ge, is studying at Songshan Academy and has excellent academic achievements. He will take the imperial examination this autumn." Old Lady Sheng said slowly, "It's a pity that Mo Ya didn't wait any longer, otherwise I think it would be quite good."

  Wang's family made it clear that they would no longer keep Mu Lan, and they were not willing to wait for Li Yu to pass the exam before discussing marriage matters. It was unknown how the marriage between Mu Lan and Wen Juren had progressed. Minglan thought of her own affairs and hurriedly approached Old Madame, saying in a low voice: "Grandmother, that granddaughter of the Yongchang Marquis is refusing to go."

  The old lady glared at her with a smile and said sternly: "Others haven't even said anything yet! You're overestimating yourself!"

  Minglan said with a smile: "Isn't this preparing for a rainy day? If there's no best, then...". Minglan bit her lip and fell onto the old lady's lap, crying with a sad face: "If Madam insists on marrying me off, Grandmother, you must hold out! With my abilities, I'm not even a match for them. I'm afraid it'll be all over in just one round!"

  The old lady glared and scolded: "A young girl like you, what are you talking about?! Your elders have their own plans for your marriage, just be obedient and go along with it! It won't harm you anyway!"

  Minglan leaned against the old lady's neck, smiling foolishly.

  After Tai Lang took the books he brought and flipped through them, Ming Lan and his party arrived at the shore. The three of them got off the boat with a refreshed spirit and saw Lai Fu, the housekeeper, leading a group of servants waiting at the dock. They changed to horse-drawn carriages and headed towards the capital city. After traveling for several days, they finally arrived at the gate of the capital city. Unexpectedly, Hai Shi came in person to welcome them.

  Mrs. Lai and Minglan both felt a bit strange, but they quietly changed carriages. The previous one was a stable large carriage with a flat top, blue silk hanging copper lanterns, and when changing carriages, several nannies deliberately welcomed Xiaolong and Minglan to the back of another carriage. Mrs. Lai glanced at Hai Shi, only to see that her face was slightly yellow and her expression was haggard.

  "Let your sixth sister come along too. In a few months she'll be coming of age, let those who should know, know." The old lady said calmly.

  Hai lowered his head, his face slightly red, and then called out to the servant woman to bring Minglan over to this carriage.

  After checking the road guide at the city gate, several horse-drawn carriages of the Sheng family slowly headed towards the Sheng Mansion.

  "Tell me, what's going on at home?" The old lady leaned against a large autumn-colored cloud-patterned pillow, and Minglan went over to tidy up the pillowcase and bedding. She also took out some lily incense from a small box beside her and threw it into the censer.

  Hai's expression was still calm, but his tone couldn't hide his fatigue. He thought for a moment: "This matter... I originally wanted to write a letter to the old lady, but after Old Master calculated the date, he said that since the old lady had already set out, it would be better not to send any letters randomly, lest others find out."

  The old lady's slightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and she asked directly: "Is it your sister who has encountered something, which one?"

  Hai's eyes widened in surprise, and her eyes turned red as she choked out: "Nothing escapes Old Lady's notice... it's... it's Fourth Sister."

  "Stop beating around the bush and speak up! Make it clear before we return to the mansion!" The old lady was as sharp-tongued as ever, growing even more so with age.

  Hai took out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes and slowly began to recount: "Fourth sister was originally confined to the house, even on ordinary days she didn't have to pay respects. The mistress thought she was honest and wholeheartedly arranged for her marriage, they had already met with that scholar Wen, both Master and Uncle Quan were satisfied, it was all settled and they were about to meet Old Mistress Wen when suddenly there was a rebellion outside, the roads were not convenient, so it was delayed; after waiting until the rebellion was pacified, just last month...last month..."

  Hai's eyes were filled with tears again, and she hastily wiped them away, continuing: "After the great chaos subsided, the capital city was not damaged at all. Many men who had served in the military went to temples and monasteries to burn incense and fulfill their vows. On that day, just before nightfall, suddenly a servant came to deliver a message, saying that the Yongchang Marquis's residence had sent someone to bring back Fourth Sister. Madame was stunned at the time, and Sunni quickly went to Shan Yue Residence to look for her, but there was no sign of Fourth Sister anywhere. Sunni was furious, and she tied up the maid in the courtyard to question her. It turned out that Fourth Sister had run away early that morning!"

  Madam Hai was sobbing lightly, nowadays many things in the mansion were managed by her. With such a thing happening, she must have been scolded a lot. Minglan saw Madam Hai's exhausted look and couldn't bear it, so she went over to gently pat her back and comfort her.

  Hai's eyes sparkled as he glanced at Minglan, wiping away tears. He continued: "...I went to the gate to pick up Fourth Sister and asked around, only to find out...it turned out that Fourth Sister had secretly gone to Xishan Longhua Temple early in the morning. Coincidentally, Young Master Liang was also accompanying Mrs. Liang to burn incense. No one knows how it happened, but Fourth Sister fell off the carriage and almost rolled down the hill. Luckily, Young Master Liang happened to be riding his horse nearby and saved her. With everyone watching, Fourth Sister was carried back in someone's arms!"

  As he said this, Hai lowered his head. Minglan and the old lady exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complex emotions, unsure whether it was joy or worry. For Minglan, there's no need to provoke Sheng Hong and Wang Shi anymore. For the old lady, she saved herself from speaking out of turn. However, for the Sheng household, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

  "Since you've managed to accomplish this, there must be some inside help. Have you figured it out?" The old lady stared at Hai Shi and said slowly.

  Hai stopped crying and looked up, saying: "As soon as the matter came out, Madam had everyone in the Shan Yue House tied up and interrogated according to family law. From Yun Cai, who had taken Fourth Sister's place in bed, to the gatekeeper who had prepared the carriage for Fourth Sister, it didn't take long to get to the bottom of things and find out about Lin Niangniang. This time Master was truly furious, and he severely beat Lin Niangniang and Fourth Sister, locking them up in the woodshed for three days and three nights, with only one meal sent each day."

  Minglan was secretly impressed, this Lin Yiniang is quite formidable and has great planning skills; first, she needs to find out when the madam and young master of Yongchang Houfu go to burn incense and what route they take, then she needs to bribe the insiders and outsiders to help cover it up, and finally, she needs to keep it a secret for a whole day, having both determination and means, what a capable person.

  The old lady was also somewhat angry, her chest heaving a few times, and then asked: "What does that shameless thing plan to do?"

  Hai's face turned pale, and he said in a low voice: "After this matter, the Yongchang Marquis' residence had no news again. Lin Niangniang knelt in front of Master day and night, crying and begging, saying that she asked Madam to propose marriage at the Yongchang Marquis' residence, otherwise Fourth Sister would have only one way to die; Madam was furious."

  The old lady snorted: "You're really useless, this little thing has already defeated you. Where's the energy from before? It's just a matter of dying, they have the face to do it, so they should have the guts to bear it! What's the point of reasoning with her?"

  A hint of embarrassment flashed in Hai's eyes as he said softly, "Madam didn't fall ill because of this matter."

  "Anything else?" the old lady asked briefly.

  Hai tied up her handkerchief, lifted her face firmly and said: "The Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, Mr. Shen, has chosen the second son of the Qi State Duke's Mansion, who is also the son of Princess Pingning, Qi Heng, to propose marriage not long after, and the Qi State Duke's Mansion has already agreed!"

  The old lady's mouth slightly slanted, her eyes seemingly sarcastic: "What does that have to do with anything? What business is it of my family?"

  Hai looked at the old lady with difficulty, stuttering: "The old lady doesn't know, a few days ago, Pingning Junzhu and his wife hinted that they wanted to marry my fifth sister, and his wife was very satisfied. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it was tacitly understood. Who knew that Pingning Junzhu would change his mind! His wife sent someone to question him, but he only replied with one sentence: 'What about the marriage of the fourth daughter of your noble family?'"

  The old lady slapped the case table and scolded loudly: "Shameless thing, you've brought disaster to our family!"

  Minglan is also depressed, this ancient family system is really annoying. A girl loses her reputation and all the other sisters are affected too. What does Molan have to do with going out and flirting?

  Hai was still muttering to himself, the old lady lost her patience and shouted: "What else is there? Just say it all at once! My old bones can still take it!"

  Actually, Hai Shi was originally a straightforward and easy-going person, but these days, one sudden change after another came like swift thunder, really making people unable to catch their breath. Hai Shi calmed down and decided to tell everything in one go: "The old master wants the madam to go to Yongchang Hou Fu to propose marriage, but the madam refused, and at this stalemate, a letter arrived from Wang Jia's aunt, saying that Wang Jia's cousin and Kang Jia's Yuan Er's younger sister had already fixed their engagement, even the betrothal gifts were sent! The madam was shocked beyond measure, and immediately sent someone to ride overnight to Fengtian to ask about it. Aunt Wang replied with a letter, saying that since the madam had already promised her daughter to the Guo Gong Fu's noble son, her own unworthy son could marry on his own. The messenger also brought back words from Old Lady Wang, saying that she was angry with the madam too, and that the madam treated the legitimate grandson of the Wang family as nothing! How did the Wang family in Fengtian know about the engagement between the madam and Ping Ning Jun Zhu? The madam held back her breath and went to reason with Kang Niang, but returned half-dead from anger, and only then fell truly ill.

  Minglan took a deep breath. The reason why Wang Shi was so stubborn about Mo Lan's matter was that she relied on the fact that Ruolan had already agreed to marry into the Wang family. Anyway, it was her own mother's family, and she wouldn't care about anything else. With Ruolan married off without any issues, Wang Shi could rest easy. Who would have thought that she would be betrayed by her own trusted sister!

  For the old lady of the Wang family, although her daughter was lovely, after all, her grandson was more intimate. The picky behavior of Mrs. Wang seriously hurt the self-esteem of the Wang family members. With the tireless efforts of Aunt Kang, anyway, whichever girl was an outsider's granddaughter. In this way, the lifelong problem of Kang Yuaner's elder sister was smoothly resolved.

  After hearing all this, the old lady didn't want to speak either, and just sighed, looking at her little granddaughter with her head down, gently patting her own leg. She suddenly felt relieved, thinking that after all, with He Lao's character and their relationship, Minglan's marriage shouldn't go wrong.

  Alas... how can this mess be understood?

  It seems that Wang's family has already taken over Lin Niang's mother and daughter's hearts.

  "Besides these, everything else is fine at home." The old lady's tone was tired and she slightly shifted her body.

  Hai put down the handkerchief, forcing a weak smile: "It's all right, the eldest son has grown up and can now call out to several people; ... Oh, also, this New Year, my daughter-in-law followed your instructions and sent gifts to the He family again. The old lady of the He family was very grateful and thanked her repeatedly. Recently, I heard that the He family is looking for a suitable house, saying that their brother's family has come to Beijing. My daughter-in-law has a cousin who happens to have such a courtyard, with two rows of houses in front and back, not too big, but clean and tidy, no need to renovate, can move in immediately... I was thinking of waiting for your return to discuss whether to talk to the He family about it..."

  Minglan's hands paused for a moment, and she looked up at the old lady, only to see that the old lady's eyes were also flickering slightly.

  He Hongwen's mother had only one sister, so He Hongwen also had only one aunt. In the early years, the two families often came and went, and in recent years, they had been in contact with the He family, and Sheng Lao Tai Tai also knew that He Mu had a lot of attachment to the Cao family, but didn't know if Liangzhou's water and soil were suitable for people.

  The old lady took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the rosary beads, her knuckles turning slightly white. Things were coming one by one, she had to gather her spirits.

  I went home too late yesterday and fell asleep as soon as I lay down. I didn't have the energy to ask for leave, don't disturb me, I'm too tired.