Episode 127

  It wasn't until much later that the women finally took their leave, and Minglan rubbed her cheeks, which were sore from smiling, and climbed onto the soft couch. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. She didn't know how long she slept, but when she was in a daze, she felt a very familiar pressure on her abdomen and chest.

  Minglan calmly opened her eyes to find the sun had already set outside the window. The man's heavy body was half-lying on top of hers, his thigh pressing against her stomach, his arm across her chest, and his head nestled in the crook of her neck, blowing warm, damp air onto her skin.

  Minglan let out a difficult breath, first twisting her waist and then making an effort to stretch out two arms from under the thin quilt, as if lifting dumbbells, she propped up the man's arm by two or three inches, and then rolled down from the soft couch with a series of movements that were smooth and extremely skilled.

  She sniffed the smell on her clothes and Minglan hastily entered the dressing room. Danju helped her untie her hair and loosen her clothes, while Xiaotao was busy heating water and fetching towels. The two of them looked at Minglan's angry face and exchanged a glance. Danju couldn't help but say: "Xiatu and Xiahua followed your instructions to prepare the bed for Master, but who knew...". Xiaotao spoke bluntly: "But who knew that as soon as Master entered the room, he asked 'where is my wife?' and then stumbled drunkenly towards the east wing." Her tone was somewhat indignant.

  Minglan let out a soft sigh: "You don't need to say anything, I already know."

  After washing and dressing, Minglan put on a clean undergarment and wore a light yellow thin cotton-padded jacket with plum blossoms outside. She powdered her face in front of the mirror and then told Xiaotao: "Call Xiangongzi and Shunzi over and ask them to tell us about the situation in the outer courtyard today."

  Xiao Tao left at the sound of her name, and before long, two boys arrived.

  Gu Quanzhi was eloquent and had a good memory, Gu Shun was steady and thoughtful. The younger ones were about 5 years old, and the older ones were just entering junior high school. Minglan handed them some fruit and asked gentle questions. Gu Quanzhi showed off his two small tiger teeth, speaking one by one, although he was young, his memory was not bad, which adults got drunk and had to be carried back, which adults lost their shape after drinking a little, naturally there were also those with good wine etiquette, the little boy remembered everything clearly.

  The Duan brothers were indeed a handful, and half of the people who were carried out were those whom they had plied with drink, including Old Man Gan, who claimed to be still vigorous in his old age and refused to retire. It was said that at the time, he was chatting with Gu Tingyan when he was persuaded by a round of strong liquor and ended up falling into the wine vat.

  The thin old general stroked his beard and smiled: At our age, we must be careful about drinking.

  "How old is Lord Gan?" Minglan asked curiously, as there was no standard retirement age in ancient times.

  "Looks like he's in his fifties or sixties." Gu Quan wasn't quite sure, and Gu Shun quietly added, "I heard that Old Man Gan had a 60th birthday celebration just two years ago."

  Ming Lan nodded in satisfaction: Madame Gan was only in her early forties, unless she was a fellow student of Gong Xuehua's, otherwise she should be a second wife.

  The banquet was basically a success, not only were the wine and dishes sumptuous, but all the necessary items such as arrow holders, sign tubes, and wine order cards were also available. Even sobering tea and sobering pills were prepared. What Minglan did not expect was that her father and brother, who were originally thought to be uninteresting because they were from a military background or had titles, turned out to be the opposite.

  Not long after the banquet started, Chang Bai, with a serious expression, met Houmiao Temple's Right Temple Director, Fu Qinran, who had an even more serious expression. They were then joined by Qiu Xie, who was still struggling in the Imperial Academy, and the three of them sat together, engaging in a dignified and solemn conversation. To those who didn't know, it seemed as if they were holding a memorial service.

  Sheng Hong and the old man hit it off immediately. The two talked about their hard studies in their youth, the difficulties of the imperial examination, and the challenges of being an official, and surprisingly, they became more and more congenial as they spoke. The old man had always admired those with knowledge and learning, but ironically, many officials who came from humble backgrounds through the imperial examination looked down on the sons of nobles, whereas Sheng Hong was someone who understood social interactions very well, speaking elegantly and having a refined temperament, never failing to show an attitude that made others feel at ease.

  The old man said he was foolish for over ten years, but repeatedly failed in the imperial examination, which is really shameful; however, Old Sheng immediately expressed his sincere opposition, saying that there is no first or second in literature and martial arts, how can we judge heroes by success or failure? Maybe the examiner just didn't like your writing style. Then he cited many examples of past and present literary giants who did not do well in the imperial examination.

  The old man's eyes suddenly turned red, and he immediately regarded Sheng Lao as a close friend.

  Minglan couldn't help but think to herself: Nonsense! Who can smoothly sail through the officialdom without any tricks up their sleeve? Many old officials have been fooled by Sheng Laojie.

  Then they turned to the topic of education. If we talk about ancestors, Sheng Hong is not as good as Wu Lao Tai Ye, but if we talk about children and grandchildren, Wu Lao Tai Ye can't catch up with Sheng Hong even if he opens a blue ribbon kindergarten. As they spoke, Wu Lao Tai Ye gradually became inferior; just like when schools hold parent-teacher conferences, the parents of students who are at the bottom of the class often can't lift their heads in front of parents whose children have excellent grades.

  Minglan listened with great joy, holding her tea bowl and shaking her shoulders uncontrollably.

  Until Gu Tingye woke up, Minglan had not finished her fun, on the one hand arranging the meal, on the other hand laughing and saying this matter. In fact, it was already late in the afternoon, because of the harm of drinking at noon, both of them were uncomfortable with their spleen and stomach; Minglan then called the kitchen to make a mung bean almond porridge, as well as braised beef with sesame seed cakes, several light and refreshing vegetarian dishes, and also Ge Mama's signature pickled small dishes, mixed with fragrant oil or two drops of fragrant vinegar, extremely appetizing.

  Actually, Gu Tingyan didn't eat much at noon either. At first, he was a bit listless, but after eating a few mouthfuls, his appetite opened up and he slurped down three big bowls of porridge, ate five crispy and tender beef pancakes, and suddenly felt more comfortable; then listening to Minglan's interesting words, he couldn't help but laugh.

  "This time, my few cousins will have to suffer!" Gu Tingyan's deep eyes flashed with schadenfreude, and then his tone changed again, coldly saying, "But there's no need to worry, my fifth aunt has a way to get out of trouble."

  Minglan detected the sarcasm in his words, and she had also heard a lot of news about the Ningyuan Marquis's household from several mothers in recent days. Among them, the masters of the five houses were not well-behaved, especially the eldest master Gu Tingyan, who had a son and a daughter with a maid before marriage, and was still having affairs with prostitutes outside, doing all sorts of absurd things, but every time the old master got angry, he would be saved by the old mistress.

  Alas! A mother's child is like a precious gem; Minglan secretly raised her eyes and took a glance at Gu Tingye.

  "Hmm..." Minglan changed the subject, "I plan to go pay my respects to Madame Wang early tomorrow morning and bring Rong'er and the others back with me, what do you think?"

  Gu Tingyan furrowed his brow and put down his bowl and chopsticks: "So soon?"

  "It's all the same, why bother making people talk more?" Minglan ordered someone to bring a water basin and tea, smiling, "Also, starting tomorrow, I plan to go to the Hou Mansion every five or six days to pay respects to Madame Hou." Which is once a week, four times a month.

  Gu Tingyan's eyebrows furrowed even more, and he frowned at the center of his brows. He said with a displeased expression: "What's the point of this? It's just adding unnecessary trouble. This distance is already suitable."

  Minglan knew it was inappropriate, so she gently persuaded him, "Because others make mistakes, you also follow suit, just like abandoning pearls and jade for a handful of straw, which would only make yourself speechless to criticize others."

  "Who said that?" Gu Tingyan savored the words twice, asking with interest, "Was it your family's old lady?"

  Minglan smiled and said: "No, it's my father." In her heart, she thought, how did you know it wasn't her own words.

  Gu Tingyan was taken aback and chuckled, saying: "Father-in-law has a good point." Sheng Hong's way of persuading people is quite down-to-earth, without mentioning any empty words about etiquette and shame, but analyzing the consequences.

  Xia Zhu and Xiao Tao brought in the tea tray and copper basin of hot water. Minglan told them to put down their things, then she went down herself. She smiled as she handed over a towel, saying: "When I was young, once everyone gathered to listen to Mr. Zhuang's stories, Fourth Sister deliberately stained my new clothes with ink. I got angry and took advantage of changing clothes to secretly take two pieces of lard from the kitchen and thickly spread them under Fourth Sister's chair cushion..."

  The words were not yet out of his mouth when Gu Ting Ye buried his face in the hot towel, tittering with laughter. Seeing Ming Lan staring at him with her big, bright eyes, he hastily raised his thumb and loudly praised: "Well done!" Then, he pulled Ming Lan over and sat her on his lap, scratching her nose and laughing, "What happened next?"

  Minglan's face turned red, but she also looked somewhat pleased with herself, and said vaguely: "Fourth sister was not careful, sat down and slid off the chair with a thud, landing on her backside."

  The key point is that Qiheng was also present! Mo Lan, who had always been known for his elegant demeanor, suddenly became a toad-like figure with his mouth agape. Qi Gongzi's expression of shock at the time was one of utter astonishment. Mo Lan was so humiliated that he wished he could burrow into the ground and didn't dare show his face in front of Qiheng for a long time!

  Gu Tingyan burst out laughing, looking at Minglan's suppressed triumphant expression, and couldn't help but nibble on her round and delicate earlobe. Smiling with gritted teeth, he said: "You little black-hearted rascal!" Then he reached out to rub her ears, "And then? Did you get punished?"

  Minglan nodded honestly: "Fortunately, there is Eldest Sister as a witness. Fourth Sister and I will each be punished by copying books three hundred times. That sentence was what Father said to me at that time."

  She concealed some facts, how could Sheng Huan fully believe Rulan's words? Minglan had originally planned to find Changbai as a witness, but unexpectedly Qiheng quickly went to find Sheng Huan after class, tactfully and clearly explaining the situation at the time, making it clear that Mulan was the one who intentionally bullied her sister first. Only then did Sheng Huan fairly punish both of them. Thinking of this, she felt a slight pang in her heart.

  Ming Lan had long since seen through it, but in fact, Qi Heng had seen through Mo Lan's actions from a very early age (the education of the Ping Ning County Master was very effective). However, his upbringing since childhood allowed him to cover up all the ridicule and dislike with an elegant and warm smile.

  The most ridiculous thing is that Mo Lan still doesn't know and continues to put on airs in front of the Qi family.

  Minglan's smile carried a hint of inexplicable sympathy, she wrapped her arms around Gu Tingye's neck and whispered: "We live so close to the Ningyuan Marquis' residence yet we don't go pay our respects, isn't that our fault? So I have to go."

  Gu Tingyan still looked gloomy, and nodded reluctantly; Minglan smiled and said: "Don't worry, I've also thought about it. Take the Lu family for example, after Old Master Lu moved into the imperial mansion, Mr. and Mrs. Lu stayed in the old house to take care of it. Because of the distance, they would go to pay their respects to their parents once every five days; And then there's the Han family, although the parents are still alive, they have already divided the household among the second and third sons, and those two daughters-in-law would go to pay their respects once every half month... I think we can learn from the Lu family's example."

  Gu Tingyan looked at her with a calculating expression, couldn't help but smile, and said in a low voice: "I didn't want to ask you to get involved in that muddy water, when I received the mansion at first, I didn't think so much..." His tone carried a hint of faint apology.

  "Don't be so nervous! I'm not made of fragile porcelain." Minglan said with a smile, looking very wise and knowing. "As the saying goes, where there are people, there's a world of its own, and in this world, how can there not be muddy waters?"

  Gu Tingyan felt a warmth in his heart, stroking Minglan's cheek and softly said: "This sentence wasn't said by Old Master Taishan again, was it? ... Do you have great admiration for your father?" But he had heard that Minglan was not the most favored daughter of Shi Ying.

  Minglan couldn't deny it, so she thought for a moment and said calmly: "Grandmother always felt that Father was biased, but I think Father is a good father. When I was young, my jade pendant was snatched away by my sisters halfway, but at least Father would give me a big gold lock as compensation; no matter how busy he was, he would definitely come to visit every month..."

  Especially after Minglan moved into the twilight shed, Sheng Hong would always ask her if she was doing well, if she lacked any clothes or items, and if the service was satisfactory - all in front of Wang's face, to show off his care.

  Sheng Hong was born as a concubine's child and knew very well the tricks of deceiving masters and mistresses. He would never believe Wang Shi's words "the children are all fine" and neglect everything, but whenever his daughters mentioned that any servant or nanny was being lazy, they would be replaced immediately. Even before Yao Yiyi arrived, Wang Shi had already openly clashed with Lin Niang several times, which allowed Lin Niang to remove the people Wang Shi had placed beside Chang Feng and Mo Lan and replace them with her own people.

  Of course, only Lin Yiniang has the guts to do this, Xiang Yiniang wouldn't dare.

  Under Sheng Hong's restraint, the children of the Sheng family can grow up safely and healthily, with relatively good treatment; although he often has a biased eye, compared to those who are muddle-headed and selfish, only caring about giving birth but not raising them, he is much stronger.

  In this era, he is actually not a bad father.

  Gu Tingyan looked at Minglan's nostalgic expression, her pretty mouth still curved in a smile. She hesitated for a moment before speaking: "My father... he was very strict with me; I was mischievous since childhood and received many punishments from him."

  Minglan was taken aback, it was the first time she heard him mention the late Old Master Gu. She spoke softly: "Did Grandfather treat you well?"

  "......Is that okay? It's also unclear." Gu Tingyan paused for a long time before saying lightly, "The old master loved to trouble and punish me. On extremely cold days, my older brother and third brother could warm up in the house, but I had to get up early every day to practice my skills; however... among my brothers, only I was personally taught by him, with each move and style taught hand-in-hand, but if there was one mistake, it would be a severe beating. No one could persuade him otherwise."

  "What about Big Brother and Third Brother?" Minglan asked lightly.

  "Big brother's body is weak, no need to say more, third brother is called Waiguan's guardian deity."

  Minglan thought she couldn't deceive her conscience, so she said in a low voice: "Father is for your own good... um... Is Madam Yu treating you well?" In fact, Gu Tingye understood it very well, but he just couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.

  "Excellent." Gu Tingyan replied swiftly, with a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth. "Every time I and my third brother fought over something, she always took my side. No matter how much silver I spent, she never said a word. The maids in our courtyard are not only the most numerous but also the prettiest. When I did something wrong, she was always the first to come out and defend me. Everyone in the Hou Mansion praises her for being warm, kind, and generous."

  Minglan snorted secretly: old trick! No creativity.

  Gu Tingyan sneered and chuckled: "This isn't anything new, most people would think of it, I gradually realized something was off as I grew older, but by then Father wouldn't believe me anymore. Whenever we talked, Father and son couldn't get along for a few sentences before starting to quarrel. Later on, Nurse often came looking for me and told me about my birth mother's past... He suddenly took a deep breath, his face revealing a hint of resentment, "It was only then that I truly began to hate! For so many years, Father clearly knew everything, yet said nothing, allowing those servants to mock my mother's humble origins behind my back! Allowing Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle to scold me every time, always bringing up my maternal family!"

  "......You are also angry for a reason." Minglan sighed.

  As soon as the words were out, it was easy to talk about later. Gu Tingyan self-deprecatingly said: "I made a scene outside, and when the old master found out, he scolded me. I coldly smiled at him and said, 'Without my mother's silver, you wouldn't be able to keep this title, would you? This whole household is relying on my mother to prosper until now, what's the point of putting on airs?' The old master was furious, and the whole family scolded me for being unfilial. However, I wasn't just angry with the old master this one time."

  Minglan stroked his coarse, hard and dense hair, speechless.

  "I didn't even get to see him one last time." Gu Ting Ye stated quietly, resting his head on Ming Lan's chest, the warm and soft feeling. "For three days and three nights, I didn't dare close my eyes, exhausting six fine horses, but still couldn't catch up."

  His tone was light, but Minglan felt a faint pang of pain.

  Human emotions are perhaps the most troublesome things in this world, as they defy logic and are difficult to measure even with the most precise instruments. Lord Gu may not have loved Madame Bai, but he felt guilty towards their second son. However, with the presence of Madame Qin's emotional debt in front of him and the family's reputation and dignity behind him, he was unable to make any overt amends.

  Minglan wasn't a psychology expert, and didn't know what to say, so she could only softly comfort him by saying: "It's been years since Father passed away, and I never had the chance to offer him a bowl of tea. Why don't you tell me some stories about him?"

  Gu Tingyan's eyes were dazed for a moment, and after half a beat, he said: "... On the morning of the goose feather snow, I was probably seven or eight years old. I was frozen to the point of chattering my teeth, and all I wanted to do was go back to bed to warm up. But the old man wouldn't let me off the hook. I wielded the white wax spear pole, cursing in my heart. The snow fell heavily, piling up on the old man's head, eyebrows, and shoulders, half of his body was white, but he still stood motionless, staring at my moves. He said, 'You're different from your brothers, you have to rely on yourself.'"

  Under the dim candlelight, his handsome face revealed a peculiar melancholy.

  Minglan could only sigh, and the two sat for a while. Minglan felt a bit sleepy and was considering whether to let him sit quietly by himself when Gu Tingye suddenly laughed softly. In the quiet room, this laughter was quite infectious.

  A ferocious expression appeared on his face, and his faint smile turned into a cold sneer: "Hmph! What makes you think so?!"

  He turned to Minglan, his tone was sarcastic and cold: "Why do I have to lick the knife and bleed to make a living! Are they more precious than me? Can they comfortably nest in their noble titles and rely on their ancestors' prestige? The entire Gu family relies on the White family's money to maintain their dignity. Why should I be humble and obedient like a stray dog wandering outside?"

  Gu Tingyan suddenly stood up, his thick and disheveled black hair scattered on the snow-green silk robe, reflecting a shocking pale light. His handsome face was hidden in the shadow of the candlelight, standing straight in the middle, his whole body filled with a menacing aura of hatred, like a ferocious beast about to pounce.

  He didn't coldly laugh, his voice was like gold and iron, sternly saying: "Injustice has a head, debt has an owner! If I were to follow their wishes, my whole life would be silent and still, this account would naturally have been settled; but now it's precisely because of me that this account is being brought up, this is the heavens calling me to settle this account!"

  Minglan shrank her body into the armchair, completely covered by his tall and large shadow. She was afraid in her heart and wanted to say "Maybe God has other intentions, you misunderstood?" But she didn't dare speak out. She knew that he wasn't actually greedy for that little bit of wealth and status, but rather had a proud and stubborn nature, and couldn't swallow this insult. Alas, how many people could face such humiliation calmly?

  At this time, Minglan suddenly had an idea in her mind, and she abruptly raised her head, probing: "What do you plan to do?"

  Gu Tingyan turned around, his eyes were clear and calm, he elegantly adjusted his robe and sat down on the soft couch with a gentle smile: "Don't be afraid, my wife, I won't do anything."

  Minglan sat there, looking at the man with a puzzled expression, and then suddenly relaxed - people are complex, she didn't understand him very well, just as he didn't understand himself.