in2ebook Chapter 253: Sister
Chapter 253: Sister
Rulan used straightforward words to intuitively describe her views.
And An Qingyan also commented,
"Marquis Ningyuan was born a military commander, so his family background and upbringing are hard to praise.
The matter of the mistress of Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion is so complicated that her family affairs are bound to be difficult to resolve.
You may not have known about it in detail, but Lord Ningyuan married two second wives in succession. His original wife was his childhood sweetheart, the girl from an aristocratic family and the eldest daughter of Lord Dongchang, Daqin. It was said that she was seriously ill and no medicine could cure her.
And immediately afterwards he married his second wife, Bai, the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Yangzhou.
Bai also died suddenly of illness, but just after the mourning period, Ningyuan Hou remarried with Da Qin's younger sister Xiao Qin.
Haha, I’m afraid only Ningyuan Marquis’ Mansion knows the ins and outs of this.
The three marquis’ wives all gave birth to legitimate sons. How can this family live in peace?
Poor Bai, she was supposed to be the only daughter of a wealthy businessman who enjoyed all the wealth and glory in the world, but now even her own son has ended up like this.
This Gu Er is really stupid and stubborn. I am afraid his mother can't rest in peace in the grave now."
The education of An Qingyan by the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion has always been based on that of a mistress and a clan lady, as she will be the one to take up the responsibility of supporting the family in the future.
Therefore, when she grew older, the Duke and his wife would not only teach her by example, but would also take her to analyze the current situation in the capital and even the government affairs of the court.
'A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent' is at most a sign of stupidity in the heyday of the Northern Song Dynasty, which values integrity.
A woman must be talented and well-mannered so that she can assist her husband in managing the household. A smart person can bring peace to the home and prosperity to the family.
Even "maids" were not called "servants" but were "honored" as "female servants" in special employment contracts. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the law clearly stipulated that they could not be beaten, killed, sold, or their wages could not be withheld. How could such feudal and pedantic ideas as "lack of talent is virtue" be tolerated?
It has only been more than three hundred years since Wu Zetian became emperor.
The "virtue" advocated by Confucians is thousands of years away from the outbreak of the patriarchal male society that had been fermenting in the Yuan Dynasty, which was ruled by a nomadic slave culture.
Although the Northern Song Dynasty today is a useless dynasty, it is not that bad.
Nothing is absolute and cannot be generalized.
From the modern times to the Qing Dynasty and all the way to the present, Molan's experiences have given her a deeper understanding of "time", a parameter created subjectively by humans.
The so-called cultivation of immortality, apart from cultivating powerful strength, is to see more, hear more, and think more during a long life.
……
At the polo match, Molan didn't even give Qi Heng a second glance.
But Qi Heng didn't think so.
He took this as the woman's shyness and reserved attitude.
He knew that this was a time when a man needed to step up and take responsibility. He needed to take the initiative, so how could he let Molan speak?
Soon, Qi Heng expressed his desire to marry Molan to his parents.
But how could Princess Pingning listen to this?
A mere concubine's daughter of the Sheng family, yet she dares to get involved with her son?
A toad wanting to eat swan flesh is simply too bold!
Don't you even look at your own weight? !
Although she was full of dissatisfaction and anger, Princess Pingning did not reject Qi Heng's idea outright.
She just said, "Then mother will go to Sheng Mansion in a few days to visit."
Qi Heng was so ecstatic that he ignored his father's sigh and the shrewd calculations brewing in his mother, Princess Pingning's eyes.
After Qi Heng left, the second master Qi persuaded his wife, Princess Pingning Gu,
“The Sheng Mansion is no longer what it used to be, so don’t make things too awkward.
Besides, what’s wrong with the daughter of the Sheng family?
Nowadays, everyone in the capital wants to marry a girl from the Sheng family. Isn't it appropriate for the fourth Miss Sheng to marry our Heng'er?"
The second master Qi knew that this girl named 'Molan' was the fourth daughter of Sheng. This shows how popular the daughters of Sheng family are in Beijing now.
First, there was the eldest sister who was praised by the eldest princess all the time and certified by the royal family as being filial, virtuous, and generous.
Now there are three capable brothers who are about to take part in the palace examination.
In addition, Sheng Hong himself has been promoted steadily, and the business of the Sheng family is now spread across all states...
"suitable?"
Gu's eyebrows were raised, and her calm voice, which was usually dignified and gave orders, was filled with surprise and anger.
"Is this how you treat your only son?"
Master Qi Er didn’t understand.
I only heard Gu slamming the table and angrily saying,
"His grandfather had made great contributions to the country, his grandmother was a descendant of the founding prime minister, Liu, and his mother was a princess, a daughter of the distinguished Gu family.
With such a distinguished family background, you want him to marry a concubine's daughter from a small family or a merchant family?!"
"..."
Master Qi was speechless and couldn't utter a word.
This was related to his inherently poorly-spoken nature, but it was also related to his surprise at Gu's nonsense and evasion of the main point.
The founding prime minister, Liu, has long lost his former power and is now only able to keep the family afloat by relying on the glory of his ancestors.
The situation in the Duke of Qi's mansion can only be described as neither good nor bad. The family can be considered wealthy. He holds an idle position in the court and does not live on a salary. He mainly wears a first-class purple official uniform for the sake of dignity and good luck.
Is it noble? Yes, it is noble.
Useless? That's obviously useless.
As for the Gu family? What has become of the Gu family?
The Gu family of Marquis Xiangyang died without an heir and severed ties with the Gu family of Marquis Ningyuan.
And does the Ningyuanhou Gu family still have face in the capital now?
There are a lot of dirty things going on at home, and he doesn't want to ask about them. He feels ashamed to have anything to do with him!
Let’s talk about her identity as a princess.
They both have the same "backing", so wouldn't it be true that the princess is more powerful than the eldest princess?
The dukes and lords who are not kings are considered as the first rank by default.
But is a first-rank official far from Sheng Hong? ? ?
What's more, he was born in the Censorate and now holds power in the Privy Council.
The Sheng Mansion is on good terms with many old and powerful civil officials and ministers, such as the Duke of Fuguo and the Duke of Yingguo. It is also related by marriage to the Princess's Mansion and the Hai family, which has many disciples all over the world. It also has close contacts with several major members of the Zhao clan.
Such a strong background was unexpectedly summarized with just one sentence: "born as a merchant."
He didn't know that the Gu family actually came from the freehand painting school!
Are there any families in the capital city today that are richer than the Sheng family?
Can the number of people who are more valuable than him be counted on the ten fingers of both hands?
But Gu's business was never one to allow others to interfere, so the second master Qi could only pray that she would not do anything stupid and cause the Sheng family to hate the Qi family.
This is truly a waste of the network of contacts that have been built up through nearly ten years of friendship with classmates.
This is what ruined Qi Heng's life.
He had already foreseen the outcome and could only hope for it, not letting everything lead to the worst possible enmity.
……
Three days later, Princess Pingning, who had submitted the invitation, came to Sheng Mansion.
Due to Princess Pingning's status, the Sheng family naturally treated her with great hospitality.
After finishing his private school class in the morning, Qi Heng also ran over excitedly.
Erlan, who finished the women's housekeeping course early, had been chatting with Princess Pingning for a long time.
Madam Wang was puzzled as to the purpose of Princess Pingning's visit. She just felt that the princess spoke very slowly and used strange words and sentences. Talking to her was a bit... brain-consuming and really annoying.
As the grandmother, Old Lady Sheng Xu saw that Princess Pingning spoke with ulterior motives and smiled with a dagger hidden behind her words, and she had speculations, sneers and dissatisfaction in her heart.
Gu takes herself so seriously that she made a special trip to Sheng Mansion just to be picky about the girls in their family?
Is she worthy of it?
As the only daughter of a marquisate, although Madam Sheng did not have the title of princess, her pride was no less than that of Madam Gu.
It's just that she didn't have the capital to be arrogant in the past, so she wisely chose the right way to survive.
But now?
What else does she need to endure?
How many people in the capital city could she tolerate?
Raising Sheng Hong for a thousand days, isn't it just a matter of using him?
He can’t even save his stepmother’s face, so he might as well just crash into death in front of the throne room?
Qi Heng greeted the old lady and the girls politely, and Gu followed suit, speaking as if jokingly.
"Speaking of Zhuangan, I think having a son is boring, that's why."
Rulan, who had received "private lessons" from Molan, An Qingyan and Cai Qingyou in turn, was still as innocent as before, but she also had an instinctive "muscle reaction" to this kind of "banquet" and "chat".
She suddenly focused her eyes, and pulled herself out of her dazed and fake smile, thinking, "Here it comes!"
“No one would look at me if I picked out rouge and powder on weekdays.
I just hate myself for not giving birth to a girl."
Gu spoke calmly as always, which was completely different from Rulan's usual chattering style.
Rulan hated this kind of behavior, but now she gradually understood the meaning of Sister Qingyan's repeated emphasis on "speaking slowly".
Could it be that she is afraid that others won't be able to understand the hidden meaning in her words?
Rulan has already seen through Princess Pingning's thoughts!
You want to have a daughter even though you haven’t given birth to one?
Qi Heng likes Molan, but Princess Pingning is obviously not here to propose marriage, so she wants Sister Molan to be Qi Heng's sister?
Σ(⊙▽⊙！！！！
Rulan suddenly realized something, but she was also angry.
Qi Heng is not as good as Changbai and Changfeng in literature, not as good as Zhao Ceying in martial arts, and can even only tie with Minglan. How dare such a person want to be Molan's brother?
No, no, no, it’s this kind of person, but Princess Pingning still feels that Sister Molan is not worthy of him?
Instead, you want to come and bully Sister Molan? ! !
what!
What do they think of the Sheng Mansion? !
Sister Hualan and Sister Qingyan both said that they, as women, always seem to be alone. They have to leave home after marriage, and their children will also separate from the family in the future. Maybe they will move around in different places in their old age. But because their "home" continues, they have a lot of support. Sisters, brothers, and even in-laws will give them the confidence to not be looked down upon when they go out.
Rulan's mind was working quickly. She knew clearly the advantages of her own identity and the disadvantages of her sister Molan's identity.
She felt that this was a rare opportunity in her life where she could stand in front of Sister Molan, speak up for her, and win face and dignity for her.
Rulan, you have to let Sister Molan know that her love for you over the years was not in vain!
At this time, Princess Pingning, Gu, was still chatting with the old lady and Wang Ruofu with a smile.
"I see you have more than one daughter. There is also a fourth daughter, who is very annoying."
"Heng'er."
Qi Heng, who was called, smiled foolishly, even showing his whole mouthful of white teeth.
Seeing this look, the little Rulan in Rulan's heart shook her head frantically, and she felt that she would not smile sincerely for at least ten days! !
When she laughs, is she as stupid as Qi Heng?
Help.
It’s all because of that idiot Qi Heng and his confused bad princess. She will never laugh sincerely again TAT.
"What do you want to say?" Qi Heng asked respectfully and filially, without noticing that Gu's sword had already been unsheathed.
Gu smiled.
"Don't you usually complain that other people have sisters but you don't?
Today, why don't you treat the Sheng family's sister as your own biological sister?"
"Legitimate."
Qi Heng was completely dumbfounded. He even asked in confusion,
"What biological sister?"
At this time, Wang Ruofu also heard something wrong in what Princess Pingning Gu said.
The friendship is so deep that it is indeed a beautiful thing to recognize them as brother and sister.
But is this a good time to create a good story or a beautiful talk?
Besides, how could she not know that Qi Heng was so close to their Molan that Princess Pingning had to go through so much trouble to become "real siblings"?
Wang Ruofu was outspoken. She knew that she needed to fool around with this matter, so she asked bluntly,
"I'm afraid your majesty is drunk.
How can we, the straw mat girls, be the young master's biological sisters?"
It was self-deprecation, but in her heart Wang Ruofu didn't want Molan to have such a useless brother.
He can't even study as well as Minglan, a girl, so how can he be Molan's husband?
Are you dreaming before you wake up?
Moreover!! What made Wang Ruofu speechless and even accidentally revealed a speechless expression was that this lousy princess actually looked down on her Molan? !
crazy.
Calling you "queen" is just a courtesy, do you really think you are a dish?
Now, because of Sheng Hong, Wang Ruofu has already been a noble lady, and is now honored as the "County Lady". Would she be afraid of Gu's princess of a different surname who was specially granted a title and has no blood relationship with the royal family?
(As mentioned earlier, this is a world of "Do You Know?" that is integrated with the Song Dynasty, novels, and film and television dramas. The original title of the Mingfu rank is based on the Song Dynasty.
The original work was based on the Ming Dynasty, but it was moved to the Song Dynasty. If the background of the Song Dynasty is used again, there will be many places that need to be supplemented.)
At this time, Molan, who was the center of the topic, did not stand up, but just kept her head up and lowered her eyes, and said,
"My daughter is not blessed enough to marry someone so handsome."
Seeing Molan's attitude, Qi Heng felt a sharp pain in his heart. He stood up and bowed to his superior for instructions.
"Mother, I'm afraid you are really drunk.
I'll take you to the side room to rest first."
"Yes, the side room is ready." Wang Ruofu continued.
Let's suppress the matter today and trouble this confused Gu family another day.
Want to be Molan's brother?
Haha, is your Duke of Qi’s Mansion very powerful?
But Gu would not go down the stairs at all. She smiled and refused.
“I haven’t had any wine yet, why am I drunk?
I brought all the gifts.”