Chapter 250: The Solution (4)
Translator: Iris
As everyone in the room burst into laughter, Hai shi gave her obeisance and left. Then everyone sat on their seats in order according to their seniority. Sheng Hong and Wang shi sat on both sides of the Ocean Bed. Minglan sat opposite Changfeng.
“Where’s my sixth grandson-in-law?” Old Madam Sheng panted a bit after laughing too hard. As she calmed her breath, she asked.
Sheng Hong was about to stroke his beard, however, he only touched a tangle of hair due to his grandson’s grasp. Then he could only comb his beard and said, “He talked with me for a while in the study and then went to the Commandery of Five Armies. These days His Majesty wasn’t in the Royal Palace, so the morning report in the Imperial Court has been canceled temporarily. However, there are still lots of official business for us to do.”
Minglan took a glance at her father who had got off work early but still wore a patriotic look on his face. Then she, as cooperative as she always was, echoed her father right away, “Our two Empress Dowagers both caught illness and went to the palace in the West Mountain to recuperate. His Majesty visits them every few days, that is so sincere and filial!”
Sheng Hong nodded with satisfaction. Among all his daughters, Minglan was the most sensible one who always knew how to echo with her dad.
He was a sophisticated official after all. This morning after he had called the roll, he went back to Sheng’s mansion because there wasn’t anything for him to do. Since the emperor was not in the palace, there wouldn’t be anything urgent. Most of the officials who were still super busy now at this moment were either high-ranking or important ones, such as Sheng Hong’s Sixth Son-in-law who had just left in a hurry.
“Mother, what were you talking about just now? I’ve heard your laughter at a distance.” Sheng Hong who was in a good mood chatted with Old Madam Sheng respectfully.
Old Madam Sheng pointed to Minglan and said, “About her and her sisters. Hualan misses Minglan a lot. Rulan can walk now. Later when Hai family holds a two-month feast for Hui, they can get together.”
Sheng Hong also chuckled and echoed Old Madam Sheng with a few words. Suddenly he got a bit depressed and said gently, “Come to think about it, Molan is the first one who got married. Why haven’t we heard any good news from her?”
His words spoiled the atmosphere in the hall right away. Wang shi curled her lips disdainfully and ignored Sheng Hong’s words. Changfeng who had stayed silent suddenly raised his head with a seemingly worried look on his face. Old Madam Sheng stared at the father and the son and said in a flat tone, “What goes around comes around. Molan looked down upon the family of Rulan’s husband at that time. What else can we do about it?”
Wang shi felt quite pleased hearing that. Sheng Hong only sighed deeply. Old Madam Sheng glanced at him and got softhearted, saying in a gentle tone, “You are a good father and have already done everything you could do as a father. Molan strove for what she’s having now regardless of the damage she brought to her father, mother and all of her families. Now... She can’t blame anyone.”
Minglan lowered her head and said nothing. She had also heard of Molan’s situation. That girl’s life was not that happy, but also not very bad. Molan and her husband weren’t as intimate as those loving couples. However, she was never bullied in Liang’s family either.
Also, Molan was good at pretending that everything was going well and had handled the affairs in her family well so far. So, the relationship between her and her husband was not that bad.
Illegal daughters were like the weeds. The ones among them who could survive all had strong vitality. Even Hualan, a legal daughter who had been pampered since her childhood, had to tolerate all those things. Molan, as an illegal daughter, had no ground to be spoiled all the time in her family. Perhaps Molan would make it on her own without Concubine Lin’s protection and incorrect guideline.
What if she wanted to throw a tantrum, or act willfully, or lose her temper? Well, unless she had an extremely powerful family which was willing to support her, all those things were not allowed to happen. Actually, not many women in the ancient times were able to have a happy marriage. The ideal life for them was that they and their husbands could respect each other. The women would take care of their husbands’ concubines and children while the men would earn money to support the family. It was almost like the women and the men only got married to find a work partner to live a life with.
Everyone was struggling with their lives. Minglan had no intention to pity anyone.
Old Madam Sheng didn’t want to continue this topic. Then she said to Sheng Hong, “Do you have anything to tell me today?”
Sheng Hong, having remembered his purpose of coming, couldn’t help but get joyful and said smilingly, “That’s right, mother. I came here to announce a happy event today.” He looked at Changfeng and continued, “A few days ago we attended the feast in Liu family. A few days after that, Brother Liu came to tell me that he wanted to marry his daughter into our family.”
Old Madam Sheng’s eyes sparkled and she said, “Which girl?”
Speaking of that, Sheng Hong got even happier, “It’s his second legal daughter who is also the third child of his family.”
Wang shi opened her mouth wide and Minglan was also stunned. Old Madam Sheng asked right away, “Is it true?”
“Absolutely! Brother Liu is a man of his word.” Sheng Hong stroked his beard and stared at his son smilingly. The more Sheng Hong looked at his boy, the more he found the latter super handsome and charming.
Changfeng blushed and moved his body uneasily with his head lowered. Minglan who was sitting on a short stool across from him saw it clearly that the look on his face now was quite strange. Changfeng was a bit bashful, a bit reluctant and seemed to have already resigned himself to his destiny.
As for this Official Liu, Liu Ming, he was one of the few best friends of Sheng Hong and also used to be the latter’s classmate and colleague. At present, Official Liu took office in the Dali Temple as a five-class Left Assistant Officer. Although his official rank was lower than Sheng Hong’s, he was the legal son of Liu Family in Prefecture Yan. As a real literary family, Liu Family had been privileged and influential for hundreds of years.
From the last dynasty, there had been lots of scholars in Liu’s family in every generation. What was more, in that family, there had been two officials of the first class, three officials of the second class and lots of men working in the government. Although none of their family members had become the most powerful courtier or commander of border-provinces, this family never lacked officials.
It was said that the memorial tablets of the people who had official ranks in the ancestral hall of the Liu Family were so many that they could form a set of cards. Although Liu Family was less famous than Hai Family, they still had a strong base. Every time Sheng Hong talked about Liu Family, he always showed an admiring look and sighed for a while.
At that time, Sheng Hong had wanted to marry Rulan to a boy of Liu’s family. However, as a big family, the Liu Family valued their family rules very much. That boy of Liu’s family had already been engaged to another girl. Anyway, why would a family like that marry their daughter to...? Minglan wasn’t in a hurry to know the answer and only turned her head slightly to Wang shi, waiting slowly.
“What do they see in Chengfeng?” As Minglan had expected, Wang shi couldn’t help but ask that bluntly, “Master, you have to ask about the details. What if there are some misunderstandings?”
Sheng Hong, after being questioned awkwardly on the spot, glowered at Wang shi. Old Madam Sheng also frowned and said, “Third Lady of the Liu Family? Why do I remember that she has already been engaged?”
Changfeng hung his head even lower and was not willing to raise his head at all. Wang shi shouted in surprise, “Was that girl’s engagement canceled?”
Sheng Hong glowered at her again and turned his head to talk to Old Madam Sheng, “Mother, don’t worry, I will never be careless about the children’s marriages. Brother Liu always calls you aunt, you know what kind of person he is. He has told me everything. The Third Lady of Liu Family did have been engaged to the boy of the Jiang family in Ding An, who’s also the youngest legal grandson of Minister Jiang.”
Old Madam Sheng squinted her eyes and nodded, “That will be a well-matched marriage.”
As Sheng Hong saw Old Madam Sheng getting more relaxed, he took a sip of the tea and then said, “Their wedding was about to be held before the last New Year’s Eve. However, Minister Jiang’s son passed away due to the pestilence in Ding An in that year. Therefore, Young Master Jiang had to observe mourning for his father for three years.”
“Yes, he should. So, their wedding had to be put off.” Old Madam Sheng said that.
Sheng Hong put down his tea cup and sighed, “Therefore, the two families both agreed to hold the wedding after the mourning. However, a few months ago, someone from Liu’s family heard of something...” He sighed deeply and continued, “Young Master Jiang has committed adultery with a maid during the mourning. The maid has even given birth to a son!”
The look on Old Madam Sheng’s face turned sullen. Wang shi twitched her mouth and said with contempt, “Jiang’s family in Ding An is merely thus.”
“Madam Liu is also from a big family that always sticks to the disciplines. After she had heard of that, she went to Ding An specially to ask about what had happened. The people of the Jiang Family kept apologizing to her. However, although Madam Liu argued with them for a long time and Jiang Family promised to add more betrothal presents, Madam Liu still hasn’t got the answer she wanted. After that, she didn’t want her daughter to marry into the Jiang Family anymore.” Sheng Hong said in a low voice.
The room fell into silence. After a long while, Old Madam Sheng said, “I wouldn’t let my daughter marry into that family either.”