The 130th Episode

  Humans are a reflective species, often haunted by things they were unable to accomplish or did poorly in the past.

  If the heavens gave Fang's mother a chance to travel through time, she would definitely go back to before and after Sheng's old lady got married. Either ruin this marriage or get rid of those little monsters. Every time she thinks about it, Fang's mother wishes that Sheng's old master could crawl out of his grave and take in a few unfaithful concubines, so that she can practice her skills now. And the result of this depression is...

  "...Then Autumn immediately busied herself and left." After dinner, Xiaotao took advantage of Gu Tingyan going to the study room and quickly reported in detail about Autumn's visit to Jiahui Residence that afternoon.

  Minglan was still dazed and she blinked hard: "What's it to you?"

  It's just a bit unsettling, wanting to have a heart-to-heart with the long-separated master and man, but unfortunately, things are not as they were before, Zhai Ren is still the same Zhai Ren, but Gu Ting Ye has never been Bao Gege.

  "This is no simple matter!" Danju muttered in frustration beside her, startling Minglan.

  "How did she know when the old master would return to the mansion? How come it's so coincidental, the old master just arrived and she followed right after. It's obvious that someone was sent to keep watch at the crossroads and report back as soon as there's news!" Dan Ju's eyes shone brightly, her reasoning seamless, "Hmph! This is only the first day! Where did she get people from, how did she know which road the old master would take?"

  "So..." Minglan helped her continue.

  "Ah, my sister Cuiwei said something and she immediately went to investigate. After those people moved into Qiangxiang Garden, Hong Yiniang and Rong Jie'er did calm down, but Autumn Maiden secretly went to talk to Lai Mama! Hmph! These restless ones!" Her usually gentle face was filled with indignation.

  "What can be done?" Minglan smiled and said, "Laimama and Qiuniang originally came from the Dowager's place, they don't count as being in the wrong if they want to talk; as for gathering information, unless all the girls in Qinxiaoyuan are confined, otherwise where they go in which garden or at which corner of the road, even I won't be able to manage. Just make sure to keep a closer eye on the gatehouse in this courtyard and that's the real thing."

  It's already connected if it needs to be connected, but she is not afraid of being connected either.

  Xiao Tao looked worried: "Is there really no way to deal with them?"

  "It's either staring at the crossroads or talking to a mother, which can't be considered a fault." Minglan shook her head and said, "It's pointless to argue over trivial matters, not only is it meaningless, but it also makes people laugh and say that I'm intolerant. Now that the family rules and courtyard rules are all there, as long as we grasp the mistake, it's easy to deal with."

  "If they didn't make mistakes, who would they bully?" Dan Ju reacted quickly.

  Minglan smiled wryly and spat out a sentence: "Well... then we can only let them be disgusted." In this era, how many big wives haven't been disgusted by little wives? Some with sensitive and intense personalities might even vomit blood.

  Something disgusting is coming soon.

  On the second day, early in the morning, Minglan was still dawdling on her bed when Hongcai and Qiuniang came to pay their respects with Rong'er. Danju and Xiaotao were busy getting Minglan ready to meet them.

  "Please give my regards to the lady." Hong Yingying curtsied, her body adorned in a vibrant peach-red embroidered silk jacket with intricate designs, looking very stunning. She looked up and saw Minglan wearing a lake-blue dark-flowered brocade jacket with a slender waist, complementing her radiant and elegant complexion, her figure slender and delicate. She couldn't help but praise, "I often heard people compliment the lady's exceptional beauty when we were at the Hou Manor. Now that we've moved back to Qingyuan, I'm truly fortunate. From now on, I'll have the chance to learn from the lady and won't be able to wear such common clothes every day." As she spoke, she also adjusted her own clothing.

  Minglan touched her own loose hair bun, and didn't even bring the hurriedly made jasmine flowers earlier. Looking at Hongcai's sincere face again, she was a bit speechless, and said lightly: "I think you look good in this outfit, besides... I sometimes wear this color too."

  Hong Yu somewhat embarrassed, retreated and sat down on a small stool.

  Autumn daughter saw Dan Ju bring a cup of clear tea, hurriedly got up, took the teacup from the tray, and respectfully handed it to Minglan: "Madam, please have some tea." Minglan nodded, took the teacup, and lightly sipped a mouthful. Dan Ju lowered her head, pouted, turned around, and went to clean up with Xiaotao in the inner room.

  Minglan's eyes turned to Rong Jie'er, who was sitting in a corner with her head lowered and her body shrunk. Minglan couldn't help but ask: "Rong Jie'er, you just moved into a new house, did you sleep well last night?"

  Rong's sister Mu Mu raised her head, looking at Minglan with a somewhat wandering gaze, then lowered her head again, still not speaking. Autumn Mother hastened to say: "Madam has arranged everything very well, the bedding and quilts are all of the highest quality, and the maidservants have served with utmost care. I slept in the same room as Rong's sister last night, and she didn't wake up once throughout the whole night."

  Ming Lan smiled slightly: "No wonder Master has always said you're a reliable person."

  Qiu Niang suddenly lifted her head, with tears in her eyes, and choked: "I'm afraid I'll let down Master's trust."

  Her face was calm and collected, but her fingers fidgeted with the sash around her waist.

  Minglan took another big sip of tea, trying to hold back the discomfort of waking up early, and smiled casually: "From now on, there's no need to come so early to pay respects. There are fewer people here, and not so many rules. Come after 8 o'clock tomorrow."

  Qiu Niang's eyes were shining with eagerness, and she hastily said: "How can this be good? Although we know that the mistress is kind to us, we cannot just throw away our rules like this; besides, the master will go to court before dawn, and the mistress needs to attend to the master, so she won't be able to rest either. How can we overstep our bounds?"

  Minglan was greatly surprised. When did she ever give up sleeping in to serve Gongtingyan on his way to court? However, not many people knew about this.

  Inside, Little Peach couldn't help but almost blurt out "You're the one who's being unruly, your whole family is being unruly!" But she was held back by Danju behind her. Then they heard Minglan's gentle voice: "It's not that I didn't come to pay my respects, it's just that I'm a bit late, this much courtesy I can still manage! Besides, it's not for anyone else's sake, but only for Rong Jie; this child is growing up and is so weak and frail, she needs to be taken good care of."

  Everyone's gaze turned to Rong Jie, and Rong Jie's head lowered even further, almost burying it into her knees, her posture clumsy and ungraceful. Minglan slightly furrowed her brow, seemingly unintentionally glancing at Hong Yu, who smiled faintly and said gently: "She's already eight years old, it wouldn't do for her to be worse than five-year-old Yan Jie; in the future, if relatives or guests come, seeing Rong Jie like this, what would they say?"

  Rong Jie's shoulders shook slightly, but she didn't lift her head.

  Hong Yu and Qiu Niang both blushed, got up together to confess their mistakes. Qiu Niang trembled with fear, repeatedly saying: "It's all my fault." Hong Yu choked back tears and said softly: "Madam thought that in the past... Alas, it's not necessary to say now, since we are now in front of our own parents, we will be well taken care of."

  "The child is just sleepy, take good care of her and give her some nourishing food to dispel the chest, move around more, and she will slowly get better." Minglan slowly lifted the tea lid, "Tell her to sleep in a bit this morning, after eating breakfast, people will be refreshed, and it's not too late to come over and pay respects. From now on, I'll have someone send stewed dishes over every day, you guys need to keep an eye on Rong sister and make sure she eats, Autumn Mother, please trouble yourself with this matter."

  The autumn daughter busily responded with voice, repeatedly answering yes.

  Minglan turned to Hongyu with a gentle expression: "This child came to you at the age of five, can she read and write now? How many characters does she recognize? Has she finished learning 'Three Character Classic'?"

  Hong Yu trembled slightly, looked at Minglan, then glanced at Rong Jie'er, opened her mouth, and hesitantly said: "This...this...Rong Jie'er's body is not good, I don't dare to urge her too much, it seems...seems like she only recognizes about ten or so characters."

  Minglan's face showed a few hints of displeasure, and Hongcai stood beside her, looking flustered and not daring to speak. Minglan slowed down her tone and said: "We're in someone else's home, even if we can't compare to Tingcui's poetic talents, Rong'er shouldn't be completely ignorant. Before you arrived, I heard people say that Guan Niang was from a scholarly family and was very knowledgeable; at the time, I thought to myself, 'Rong'er is truly fortunate to have such a mother-in-law by her side to teach her.' In the future, when it comes to behavior, reading, and writing, there's no need to worry. But now..."

  She let out a long sigh, her eyes scanning over with a hint of reproach, and Hong Yu couldn't lift his head. Minglan paused for a moment before continuing: "Let's just forget about what happened in the past. From today on, you need to take better care of yourself! Can it be that when relatives and friends come in the future, Rong'er will still look like this? It can't be that she'll spend her whole life cooped up in the inner courtyard without seeing anyone."

  Hong Yu's head, which had been hung low in shame, couldn't be lifted up. Just yesterday, she had mentioned "Madam's entrustment" and today she was slapped in the face; Qiu Niang didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Minglan's tone was slightly solemn, her voice stern: "Rong Jie'er recognizing me is only natural, but she has lived under the same roof as you two for many years. Since you both have accepted the entrustment, you must take on the responsibility!"

  Hong Yu and Qiu Niang trembled with fear, responding in unison. Ming Lan gave a few more instructions before sending the three of them back to Ke Xiang Yuan with someone; only then did Xiao Tao and Dan Ju let out a long sigh of relief inside.

  Danju smiled and came out, holding a few pearl flowers in her hand. As she slowly put them on Minglan's wrist, she said: "It was Lin Niangniang back then, who didn't dare to speak out of turn in front of the mistress, but now they really have the nerve! The mistress should teach them a lesson, otherwise they'll all bully you because of your kindness."

  Minglan sighed helplessly, she actually disliked using her status to pressure people, but some people seemed to be eating this set, you were good-tempered and gentle with them, and instead they would step on your nose and slap you in the face. "From now on, I can only sleep until dawn at most..." She sighed regretfully.

  Tangerine's face turned stern, and she began to scold: "I'm not saying this to you! Ever since you got married, your days have been too idle. Even when you were at your parents' house before, it wasn't as comfortable as this. From now on, you must perk up! How many people are waiting for you to make a mistake?"

  Watching Dan Ju's face full of determination, Ming Lan couldn't help but smile secretly.

  It was almost noon when Gu Ting Ye returned to the mansion, and Ming Lan helped him remove his official uniform and hat. After changing into casual clothes, she ordered someone to set up a meal on the windowsill kang, where a mat made of woven reeds, hemp, and silk had already been laid out. The couple sat down to eat together, enjoying the cool breeze carrying the scent of flowers and grasses. Gu Ting Ye took a sip of his light wine and smiled: "Was it good this morning?"

  "It's great." Minglan blinked her eyes, "It's also the first time in my life that someone has asked about my well-being."

  Gu Tingyan saw the coquettish pink on her cheek and smiled: "What's so difficult about this? Later, we'll have 17 or 18 sons. When they get married, they'll have to come to pay their respects to you one by one, won't that be lively?"

  Minglan glared at him and said, "So it's not you who was pregnant for ten months. You just touched your upper lip to your lower lip, and that's how a life is created?" She didn't mind having children, but she wanted to be in control of the physical conditions of childbirth. After all, ancient times didn't have obstetrics and gynecology, and she wasn't about to risk her life to give birth to a child.

  Gu Tingyan lowered his voice, his eyebrows and eyes hinting at provocation: "I'm not just moving my lips."

  "I'm eating!" Minglan's face immediately turned red.

  "Food and sex are also good, the girl said well." Gu Tingyan said with a smile.

  Minglan glared at him for a long time, but ended up breaking down herself and laughing: "You! You... Alas, if your daughter had half of your shamelessness, that would be great!"

  Gu Tingyan's expression slowly turned gloomy: "Rong Jie... is she still like that?"

  "She doesn't speak, doesn't interact with people, and at her age, she can't even read or write, let alone learn needlework or other feminine skills. As for receiving guests, it's not worth mentioning. It's as if no one is taking care of her." Minglan pondered, "You said she had a fiery personality when she was young, but now she's so listless and unenthusiastic... I suppose it's because of what happened back then... uh... these past few years... Now that she's with us, she'll slowly recover."

  "...... Man Niang has always been a ruthless and heartless wife. " Gu Ting Yan's mouth curled up with a hint of sarcasm, and he continued, "So what do you plan to do?"

  "Wait." Minglan said succinctly, "Wait until she grows up, wait until she understands for herself. There's nothing in this world that can't be overcome with time - a month, a year, several years... everything will slowly get better. I've instructed Autumn to take care of her daily needs and clothes, and asked Mistress Guan to teach her reading and etiquette. For now, let's focus on nurturing her body, and when she's older, we can invite some good teachers to instruct her." She herself was a modern person who had been tempered by ten years in ancient times into a lady of the inner chambers.

  Gu Tingyan furrowed his brow, but he himself had no solution; when he was a child and misbehaved or threw tantrums, Old Master Gu would directly use the wooden ruler to discipline him, but it wasn't suitable for girls.

  Miss Minglan's expression was tinged with a hint of helplessness: "The self-proclaimed thousand-gold miss, the noble lady, most are raised like this, fed and clothed in finery, surrounded by silk and satin, served with reverence by slaves and servants, moving with elegance, cultivating refinement, slowly becoming dignified, gaining prestige, gaining face, quietly transforming."

  Gu Tingyan slowly nodded, showing his approval. Minglan's words were rough but made sense and showed good intentions everywhere. He smiled and said: "I'm just afraid she's a stubborn girl who won't obey you."

  "I don't need her filial piety." Minglan's face was full of disdain.

  Gu Tingyan was taken aback, and after a moment, he said in a deep voice: "You don't have to be disheartened, being filial to your stepmother is the proper thing to do. If she doesn't treat you with filial piety, I will severely punish her!"

  "What were you thinking?! I didn't mean it that way." Minglan smiled wryly, "I won't teach children either, but...". She slowly composed herself and said sincerely, "I just hope she understands that people live not to be stubborn, not to be depressed, nor to harbor resentment, but to live a good life. She still has her whole life ahead of her, and in the future, she'll also have children of her own. The past isn't something she caused, and she shouldn't keep dwelling on it either. With a broad mind and a wide horizon, only then can one's life be long and far-reaching."

  Gu Tingyan's heart seemed to have opened up, his eyes shining brightly, and he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth. He pulled Minglan onto his lap with one hand, embracing her waist and gently stroking it, his deep voice full of laughter as he said in a low tone: "Although you've coaxed me, intimidated me, and often fooled me, I've always known that your intentions are extremely kind."

  Ming Lan slanted her eyes and looked away, pretending to be displeased: "Are you flattering me?"

  After this sentence, Gu Tingyan didn't speak for a long time, but instead stared blankly at Minglan's collar, his eyes dull and no longer sharp as usual. Minglan patted his cheek: "What's wrong?"

  Gu Tingyan came back to his senses, placed his palm on Minglan's chest and pressed it twice, then rubbed it three times, sighing: "I don't know when this place has grown quite a bit of flesh." His hand lingered on her soft chest.

  Minglan was so embarrassed that she immediately turned bright red like a shrimp, covering her chest and wanting to turn around and run away, but was caught by Gu Tingye. Minglan stretched out her hand to scratch the man's waist, and the two of them laughed and fell onto the kang, playing around. In the end, Sheng Nu Xia couldn't defeat Gu Jiangjun, and was pressed down on the kang by the man and kissed for a long time.

  When Xiaotao went in, she still saw that Minglan's lips were a bit red and swollen. She couldn't help but wonder: Was the dish too hot?

  After lunch, the couple put down their chessboard and prepared to take a nap. Xiaotao and two little maidservants cleared the table, carrying bowls, plates, cups, and saucers into the courtyard, where they saw Danju talking to someone not far away.

  Tangerine smiled formally: "Autumn girl..."

  "You can just call me Qiū Niáng then. If you don't mind, little sister, I'll also call you Dān Jú little sister." Qiū Niáng hastily said.

  Tangerine's forehead twitched slightly, but her smile remained: "Autumn Sister, it seems the master is about to take a nap. If you have any urgent matters to discuss with him, I can go and announce your presence."

  "Take a nap?" Chūn Niáng's face was perplexed, "He never takes a rest at noon."

  The pain of the cheek was strongly maintained with a smile: "I don't know about that, but since our lady married in, the old master would take a nap for a while whenever he had time."

  Qiu Niang's expression was melancholic, her hands clutching a small bundle tightly; Dan Ju hummed coldly and turned to enter the inner room to report. Ming Lan had just helped Gu Ting Ye remove his outer garment, and upon hearing this, Gu Ting Ye's eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, but he still said: "Call her in."

  Qiu Niang entered and saw Gu Ting Ye wearing a white silk robe, sitting on the edge of the bed with a look of impatience: "What is it?"

  "This... old master... it's been many years since I've seen you; I... I..." Autumn Maiden heard the tone and knew something was off, glanced at Minglan who was sitting on the bed arranging her morning clothes, felt embarrassed, hesitated for a few moments, but couldn't say clearly what she meant. Gu Tingye became impatient and asked directly: "What's going on? Hurry up."

  Qiu Niang had to cut her words short: "In these years, I made some clothes and socks for Master, but it's been a few years since we last met, so I'm afraid the size might not be quite right. I wanted to ask Master to try them on and see if they fit well."

  Minglan made an effort to suppress the faint smile at the corner of her mouth, continuing to focus on tidying up her clothes, and even spared a gentle smile for Autumn.

  Gu Tingyan lightly scolded, "This small matter has been talked about for half a day! In the past few years, how have you become less efficient than before?! Just find a few of my clothes and shoes to compare, isn't that enough? I don't have the energy to try them on one by one."

  Ming Lan smiled and said, "Autumn's concerns are also valid, Xiao Tao, did you hear that?" Little Peach, who was guarding the door of the inner room, smiled foolishly and said, "Alright, Autumn, if you want to compare clothes sizes in the future, just come find me and I'll give them to you."

  The autumn daughter's heart was filled with bitter sorrow, unable to respond with words, she could only repeatedly echo back.

  Gu Tingyan said to Minglan: "I'm going out early tomorrow, you must wake me up by noon at the latest."

  Minglan turned her head to look at the water clock and replied softly, "Alright. You hurry up and rest for a while, nourish your spirit, and you'll be clearer when handling matters."

  Gu Tingyan's mouth curved into a gentle smile as he looked at Minglan: "Don't oversleep."

  Minglan smiled shamelessly: "Even if I was sleeping soundly, there's still Danju and Xiaotao."

  The two of them asked and answered each other like a normal couple, calm and peaceful, yet elegant and beautiful.

  Qiu Niang's heart ached for a moment, and she couldn't help but interrupt: "I'll stay with the old master and mistress, I'll go wake up the old master."

  Gu Tingyan looked at her and frowned, saying: "Wasn't it you who was supposed to take care of Rong Jie? How could you...!" He was about to scold her a few more times, but thinking that he should also give Qiu Niang some face in front of Minglan, he stopped himself.

  Qiu Niang, who was originally a servant girl, was accustomed to reading facial expressions and knew that Gu Ting Ye was currently displeased. She didn't dare stay any longer either, so she said a few more words before hastily retreating and leaving the main house with three glances back.

  ……

  In the ear room on the left wing, Green Branch stared with her eyes wide open: "You really dare to pass on messages for her! Are you out of your mind?"

  "I'm not confused at all! She's always thinking about the old master, isn't she? I specifically told her to use that trick on him. Does he have a good temper to give to her? Hmph! Dream on!"

  Lu Zhī's expression eased: "That woman had a thick and honest face, I thought you'd been fooled."

  "How is that possible?!" Dan Ju looked at the opposite house, Cai Huan was standing in the courtyard, smiling and sending Qiu Niang out. She lowered her voice and said hatefully: "Lu Zhi, do you still remember what House Mom said to us?"

  "Remember naturally!" Green twig's gaze also passed by, seeing Cai Huan and Qiu Niang. She suddenly showed a fierce light in her eyes, "The other day, she was still twisting and turning to tell us something about 'giving the lady a share of worries'. Bah! Share her ghostly worries! Seeing Master treating the lady well, she got jealous and had improper thoughts. Who can see through that little mind of hers?! Housekeeper Ma said long ago, whoever has nothing better to do but to cozy up to the young masters' side must have ulterior motives; whoever is eager to become a concubine is a cheap good!"

  A relative told me that instead of updating a lot at once, it's better to update every day with fewer words, as readers prefer this. Is that true?

  I'll give it a try.