Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 280 Heart-to-Heart Talk About the Past
"Mother, that's not what I meant!"

Sheng Wei naturally dared not say such a thing.

Moreover, although Sheng Wei felt that the old lady was indeed spoiling Sheng Changquan a bit too much, he was surprised by it because he knew what his mother was thinking.

To be honest, no matter how much the old lady dotes on Sheng Changquan now, in her heart, the people she values ​​most are still her own family.

Shengwei firmly believes this!
Meeting the scrutinizing gaze of the old lady, Sheng Wei shook his head and replied sincerely, "Mother!"

"Your son knows your thoughts and understands your meaning."

Unlike Sheng Hong and Old Madam Sheng, Sheng Wei and the First Madam Sheng are biological mother and son bound by blood. Therefore, their interactions are much closer and more sincere.

“Mother, I know that you value Quan’er’s future and believe that he will have a bright future, which is why you treat him this way.”

"My son agrees with this as well."

"but!"

Sheng Wei looked up at the old lady and said cautiously, "Mother, do you think we need to go this far with Quan-ge'er?"

"Even his aunt's face was slapped down because of him?"

Sheng Wei was still somewhat unhappy with the old lady's previous attitude towards Li Shi.

However, since the old lady was his mother, Sheng Weina could not be angry. Therefore, out of anger, he developed some opinions about Sheng Changquan.

In fact, what displeased Sheng Wei the most was Sheng Changquan's indifferent reaction.

While the old lady was lecturing Li, Sheng Changquan, as her nephew, didn't say anything to mediate. Instead, he just watched helplessly as his aunt was embarrassed.

It is precisely because of this that Sheng Wei harbors such dissatisfaction.

"Ah~"

Hearing what Sheng Wei said, the old lady couldn't help but sigh, and at the same time, a hint of disappointment rose in her eyes as she looked at Sheng Wei.

"My son, how can you still be so blind to the situation!"

However, while the old lady was heartbroken, she also felt somewhat comforted.

The old lady was naturally disappointed by her son's unwise idea, but seeing that he was angry because of his wife, she couldn't help but feel gratified.

It should be noted that among Sheng Xu's generation, apart from the third patriarch of the third branch who was always tightly controlled by the third patriarch, the two patriarchs of the first and second branches were not good people at all.

At the very least, both brothers were the type to favor their concubines over their wives!
Among them, the eldest patriarch's condition was particularly severe!

Because the second wife, Old Madam Sheng, was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi's family and came from a noble and prestigious family, Sheng Xu inevitably had reservations about her. There were some things he dared not do too much. In fact, he could only do those things secretly and did not dare to put them on the surface.

If it weren't for Old Madam Sheng's aloof and proud nature, and her unwillingness to use her family's power to oppress her husband, Sheng Xu would never have been able to bring the woman from outside back home!

When she was young, Old Madam Sheng was proud and aloof. She often felt that she was different from others and superior in morality and taste. Ordinary people were simply not worthy of her attention.

In the first half of her life, apart from her family and a couple of friends, the only person who could catch the eye of Old Mrs. Sheng was Old Mr. Sheng Xu.

That is why Old Madam Sheng chose Sheng Xu and married him.

However, after some time in the marriage, Sheng Xu couldn't resist the temptations of the outside world and fell in love with someone else. In fact, he eventually believed that she was his true love and wanted to bring her home.

Therefore, Old Mrs. Sheng developed a rift with Sheng Xu, and a rift grew between them.

Old Madam Sheng was also resolute; after being hurt by her husband's actions, she chose to let go.

She wouldn't, and wouldn't stoop to, competing with others for a man!
It should be noted that before Master Shengxu brought his "true love" home, he had brought in quite a few concubines in addition to his wife, Old Madam Sheng, including Sheng Hong's birth mother, Chun Xiaoniang.

However, although Old Madam Sheng was somewhat unhappy about this, she was not too heartbroken, because that's how the world is, as long as Sheng Xu doesn't love them, it doesn't matter.

However, the one that Sheng Xu was going to bring back in the end was different.

That woman was Sheng Xu's self-proclaimed "lover," someone different from his concubines. In fact, in Sheng Xu's heart, she probably didn't even hold the same status as Old Madam Sheng.

It was precisely because of this woman that Old Madam Sheng became disappointed in Sheng Xu and eventually let him go.

Because of this, Old Madam Sheng stopped caring about anything and let Sheng Xu do whatever he wanted. At that time, she only cared about her own little world and her children.

During that time, the eldest patriarch did exactly the same thing as his younger brother—he took in a "delicate woman" who seemed like a pure white lotus flower.

However, unlike Old Madam Sheng, who was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Yongyi, the eldest matriarch's family was just an ordinary family. Her marriage to the eldest patriarch was simply arranged by her parents and a matchmaker.

Speaking of which, the eldest matriarch's maiden name was He, and she was also a merchant family. The Sheng family and the He family had a very good relationship in the generation of the Sheng family's patriarch. Therefore, the Sheng family's patriarch and the He family's patriarch arranged this marriage for their children.

Among them, the parties involved were the eldest grandfather and grandmother.

That being said, the He family was not the Yongyi Marquis's mansion, nor did they possess such formidable power. In fact, the Sheng family at that time had greatly increased its strength due to Sheng Xu's high school admission, and its influence far surpassed that of the He family.

It was precisely because of this that the eldest master dared to harbor evil intentions towards the eldest lady.

At that time, under the influence of the "white lotus" pillow talk, the old master had some improper thoughts. He actually thought about divorcing the old lady and then making the "white lotus" his wife!
However, the eldest master's idea was met with opposition from everyone!
Not only did the elders of the Sheng family oppose it, but even his close brother Sheng Xu disapproved. The reason for their opposition wasn't just that his actions were inappropriate—making rash decisions when the matriarch hadn't made any mistakes—but more importantly, they feared that if the patriarch acted this way, the Sheng family's reputation would be ruined!
Because such behavior is clearly a case of favoring a concubine over the wife and failing to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children, which is absolutely a taboo in today's world!
A family that aspires to be a family that values ​​scholarship and literature cannot afford such a bad reputation. Therefore, with everyone's dissuasion, the patriarch had no choice but to abandon the idea.

However, although he dismissed the idea, it did not mean that he had given up on the idea.

We can't force it, but that doesn't mean we can't do it at all.

So, the old master simply turned a blind eye to the "white lotus" woman's actions in the days that followed, with the intention of getting the old lady to back down and ask for a divorce.

With the cooperation of the eldest patriarch, the "white lotus" also plotted and schemed, even threatening the eldest patriarch's children!

Among them, Sheng Wei's eldest sister, Sheng Hong, who never grew up, was killed by the underhanded tactics of the inner court.

Some might wonder, even tigers don't eat their cubs, so how could the old man just stand by and watch his child be harmed?
However, this actually happened!

The main reason why the old master could turn a blind eye to this was that the "white lotus" had also given birth to twins for him.

A man and a woman, a perfect match, like a dragon and a phoenix.

At that time, twins were considered an auspicious sign, and therefore, the eldest patriarch was extremely fond of these two children, even regarding the boy as the future of the eldest branch of the family.

Although the eldest patriarch was also reluctant to see his daughter die young, in order to force the eldest patriarch to back down and request a divorce, he simply watched the tragedy unfold.

It's true what they say, men are more ruthless than women. The old master was so "decisive" in pursuing his own goals!
Actually, to be fair, the old master was still somewhat rational at this point, because he still cared about a little bit of affection and didn't take any action against Sheng Wei!
Of course, this might also be because he feared that the old lady might fight him to the death in a desperate situation, causing even greater losses to the Sheng family.

The reason why we say that the old master was rational is because he really lost his mind later on!
In order to divorce the old lady, the old master disregarded everything, and even in the end, he was willing to send the old lady and her two children to their deaths!

At that time, after Sheng Hong died young, the old lady went crazy and stubbornly held on, ignoring everything. She couldn't believe that the old master would kill his own son who was the one to carry on the family line for that "white lotus"!
However, the old lady was wrong!

Although the old master was reluctant, it was definitely not impossible!
Therefore, when he finally lost patience with the old lady, the old master had already decided to take matters into his own hands and send his first wife and children on their way!
Once a man's heart changes, he is definitely more dangerous than a woman!
Just when the old lady lost her bet and was about to lose her life along with her two children, a turning point came.

A turning point that changed her life and the lives of her two children.

—Old Mrs. Sheng has made her move!

As the second branch of the Sheng family, which is the pillar of the family, the old lady of the Sheng family naturally holds an extraordinary position, not to mention her own maternal family, the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion.

Seeing the plight of the eldest branch of the Sheng family, Old Madam Sheng naturally wouldn't stand idly by. Perhaps it was because of her shared plight with the eldest matriarch that she could truly empathize with her.

Therefore, Old Madam Sheng personally took action, summoned the clan members, held a clan meeting, and revealed the matter in front of the eldest patriarch and the entire clan.

In an instant, such immoral and scandalous behavior became a hot topic, causing the clansmen to exclaim in shock!
However, while doing so ruined the reputation of the eldest branch of the family, it also saved the old lady and her two children.

After this matter was exposed, regardless of whether the clan elders were genuinely unaware or pretending not to know, the only thing they could do now was to supervise the eldest patriarch and make him guarantee the lives of the eldest patriarch and their two children!

The matter escalated, and the old master had no choice but to comply; there was no way to fake it.

After all, besides the supervision of the clansmen, Old Madam Sheng was also keeping an eye on him. More importantly, his "white lotus" had her chance to be "officially recognized" canceled in front of many clansmen. In fact, under Old Madam Sheng's planning, she even signed a new indenture and handed it over to the eldest old lady.

In this world, concubines are not considered proper masters; they are only half masters and half servants.

Concubines were further divided into noble concubines and lowly concubines.

Concubines held a high status and were free, considered half mistresses. Although their status was not as high as that of the housekeeper, they were by no means servants who could be beaten, scolded, or disposed of at will.

Most importantly, the concubine did not have a contract of indenture, and her life or death was subject to investigation by the government. In other words, if the concubine disappeared without cause, the government would also need to intervene and investigate.

Sheng Changquan and Minglan's biological mother, Wei Xiaoniang, was a concubine.

But the concubine is different. She has a contract of marriage, which means that her life and death are in the hands of the master. Moreover, most importantly, the concubine has no dignity whatsoever.

If a concubine is favored by her master and can be protected by him, then so be it. But if she is disliked, even if the master beats her to death, the master will not be held responsible.

This point, however, is clearly recorded in the official laws and regulations.

Getting back to the main point, that "white lotus" came from a bad background; she was a courtesan. Although she was only a performer, she was ultimately not considered respectable. After the old master's affair was exposed, she was directly reduced to the status of a lowly concubine, and her indenture was even taken by the old lady as a means to control the old master.

So, in general, the biggest benefactor of the old lady and Sheng Wei and his two children was the old lady Sheng.

That's why the Sheng Changquan family put in so much effort.

Otherwise, even if Sheng Hong were a fifth-rank official in the capital, he would never have received such great assistance from the Eastern Prefecture, enough to supply their family with cartloads of gold and silver.

After all, the expenses incurred in bribing superiors and subordinates for decades to advance one's official career are considerable.

……

"mother!"

Sheng Wei paused, as if he wanted to explain something, but the old lady shook her head and interrupted him directly, saying, "You don't need to say anything, I know what you want to say."

"I can tell you, Quan-ge'er is definitely not a simple child!"

The old lady's voice drifted over slowly.

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(End of this chapter)