Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 294 Settlement Begins

Moreover, to be fair, the truth is actually on Sheng Changquan's side.

Sun Zhigao was a vulgar and immoral man. Not only were his words and actions unsatisfactory and lacking in gentlemanly manners, but more importantly, he was also a violent man who enjoyed abusing his wife.

Although the imperial law did not explicitly stipulate punishments for domestic violence by men, Sheng Changquan's revenge as his brother-in-law was quite justified.

After all, responding to grievances with honesty is the true spirit of a scholar!
Speaking of which, contemporary Confucianism, although it has some elements of Neo-Confucianism, also contains some of the ideas of the Gongyang School of thought from the past, especially the story of "a gentleman can avenge even ten generations of enemies," which is very popular!
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many loyal ministers in the current court who want to reclaim Yanzhou!
In their eyes, the Liang Kingdom was an enemy that this dynasty could avenge for ten generations!
On the other hand, there is another advantage to having Sheng Changquan intervene, and this advantage is something that others simply cannot have.

Because Sheng Changquan was the "Triple Crown Scholar" who had won the top spot in the imperial examinations three times in a row, this identity was considered extremely outstanding by the education commissioner and others. In fact, this was his greatest advantage in this matter!
As mentioned earlier, most of the officials in charge of education and other positions of integrity were honest and upright civil servants. They were neither greedy for money nor lustful, and were a rare group of upright individuals.

For such people, their pleasure does not lie in food, clothing, or any other kind of material enjoyment; their happiness lies in the classics and the thoughts of the sages.

However, no one is perfect.

Although they don't care about material enjoyment, they inevitably do care about spiritual benefits.

Such as reputation, prestige, etc.

Therefore, in addition to studying and serving as officials, this group of people enjoyed mentoring talented younger generations, enabling them to realize their ambitions and make greater contributions to the country and the people.

Of course, to say that they mentor younger generations just to make themselves famous would be to really wrong them.

After all, their main reason for doing this was to cherish talent.

Fame was merely a byproduct.

Therefore, if Sheng Changquan were to take action, it would certainly be the best option for the Sheng family to file a lawsuit this time.

……

"Ok!"

Grandma Sheng didn't expose Sheng Changquan's subtle writing style, but simply nodded and gestured to the eldest grandma and the others, saying, "Quan'er is right."

“Once this matter is reported, Sun Zhigao will inevitably face punishment from the imperial court.”

"It's even possible that they might strip him of his scholar title!"

Grandma Sheng's words were filled with strong affirmation.

"is it?"

At this moment, the old lady, Shengwei, and Li Shi remained silent, quietly considering the pros and cons, while Pinlan listened with shining eyes!
"Hey!"

"If we could really strip him completely, that would be wonderful!"

After listening to what Old Madam Sheng said, Pinlan immediately showed a look of unfinished business.

"By then, let's see what the Sun family will have left to look down on our Sheng family."

Recalling all the interactions she had had with the Sun family over the years, Pinlan felt increasingly resentful.

"hateful!"

"Why didn't I see their ugly face before?"

Actually, before today, although Pinlan said she disliked the Sun family, she really didn't know that the Sun family disliked the Sheng family.

In her eyes, since the Sun family relied on the Sheng family's money to live, the Sun family was naturally far inferior to the Sheng family. What right did the other party have to dare to hate their family?

Where does the Sun family get their confidence?

However, after listening to the words of several elders today, Pinlan belatedly realized that the other party was looking down on her family because of their status as scholars.

Even though Pinlan wanted to say something about this, she ended up having nothing to say!
After all, the Sun family truly surpassed the eldest branch of the Sheng family in terms of political status.

"Humph!"

Pinlan wrinkled her nose, looking unhappy: "Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore!"

"If Sun Zhigao really loses his title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level) and loses our family's support, what good will it do for his impoverished family?"

"From now on, as long as they can survive, that will already be considered a mercy from God!"

"Let's see how smug they'll be in the future."

Upon thinking of this, Pinlan burst into laughter, her expression becoming somewhat distorted, resembling a Japanese "pervert"!
"Sister Pinlan...?"

Startled by Pinlan's strange expression, Minglan quickly patted her shoulder gently and asked worriedly, "Sister Pinlan, are you...are you alright?"

Because Shulan's situation was truly frustrating, Minglan was also worried that it might cause the usually straightforward Pinlan to develop hysteria.

In Sheng Changquan's words, it developed into some kind of psychological illness, such as aversion to marriage...

"Hahaha!"

"What...what could possibly be wrong with me?"

Fortunately, besides being straightforward, Pinlan also had a carefree and easygoing nature. So, upon hearing Minglan's question, she immediately shook her head and denied it, saying, "Minglan, don't worry, I'm fine!"

Pinlan gave Minglan an awkward smile, simply glossing over the matter with a joke, but she had no intention of revealing the things she had just thought of.

She had already decided that once her sister's matter was settled, she would specifically hire someone to keep an eye on the Sun family's situation. She wanted to see how the Sun family would fare without her sister Shulan.
……

The conversation between the young ladies went unnoticed, and even Sheng Changquan focused his attention on the other group of leaders.

After hearing what Grandma Sheng said, Sheng Wei's face first lit up with joy, then he paused, and then suddenly frowned, pondering for a long time.

a long time.

"Second Aunt, about this?"

Is it really necessary to go that far?

Sheng Wei's expression was somewhat solemn, as if he had some concerns about this.

"If this matter gets taken to the provincial education commissioner, then our family's situation will become a huge mess!"

Sheng Wei lowered his voice and whispered, "By then, the reputation of our Sheng family will be..."

"Wei'er, don't worry!"

Grandma Sheng wasn't surprised by Sheng Wei's doubts.

"I have already considered this matter."

"I would not have chosen to go this far unless absolutely necessary."

Grandma Sheng spoke as calmly and unhurriedly as ever, her words brimming with composure.

In fact, the things that Sheng Wei was worried about were things that Old Madam Sheng had really thought about.

If Shulan's matter becomes a big deal, it will surely cause a great uproar in Youyang, making everyone in the area aware that the Sheng family has a divorced girl.

Although Shulan's affair couldn't be kept secret forever, for the Sheng family at the moment, it was best to keep it quiet as much as possible. After all, while the fault for the divorce lay with the Sun family, people tend to be harsh on women, so Shulan would inevitably face more gossip and rumors, making the pressure on her even greater.

In that situation, if things went wrong, it could very well drive her to her death!
Therefore, although Sheng Wei and Old Madam Sheng had different focuses on this matter, they reached a consensus—that it was best not to make this matter public.

"actually!"

"The method I mentioned was merely a way of addressing the Sun family!"

Grandma Sheng turned her head and explained to the eldest grandma in detail: "No matter what, these words must be told to the other party from the very beginning, so that the Sun family knows that our family is not incapable of dealing with him, but simply unwilling to do so!"

"As for the initial steps, let's try to use some conciliatory methods to test the waters!"

"Let's see if the Sun family is willing to let go of Shulan!"

Clearly, what Old Madam Sheng meant was that if the gentle approach didn't work, then she would have no choice but to resort to this method. Otherwise, she couldn't just stand by and watch Shulan suffer and be controlled by others.

Hearing what the old lady said, Sheng Wei was still frowning and considering the gains and losses, but the old lady nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that makes sense!"

The old lady didn't care what her son thought, but turned to look at Old Madam Sheng and asked, "Second sister-in-law, what kind of appeasement approach should we take?"

"Does it mean we should just exchange it for some money?"

The old lady had no regrets about the money; she just said with some concern, "However, I don't think the Sun family mother and son are any kind of good people. I'm afraid they won't agree."

"Yes, Mother is right."

Since his mother had already made the decision, Sheng Wei naturally couldn't refuse.

At this moment, he also chimed in, "Although Sun Zhigao is morally corrupt, it must be said that he is not a fool. Otherwise, he would not have been able to pass the academy examination and become a scholar."

Sheng Wei sighed, still feeling that Shulan's marriage was a bit of a pity.

"He must know that if they let Shulan leave like this, their family will suffer a huge loss!"

"Putting aside the fact that the Sun family will no longer be able to rely on our family after the divorce, they will be the first to lose a large sum of money right now during the divorce!"

"After all, Shulan's dowry must be returned!"

Everyone knew the character of the Sun family mother and son, and knew that they were greedy people. In their eyes, Shulan's dowry had probably already been taken by them as the Sun family's property.

If Sun Zhigao and Shulan divorce, then they will have no legal basis to continue to occupy this money.

In truth, the Sun family's motive for deliberately tormenting Shulan might not have been entirely unfounded; they might have intended to seize her dowry after her death.

"It doesn't matter!"

Upon hearing Sheng Wei say this, the old lady spoke first.

"It's just some money, nothing to worry about!"

The old lady waved her hand, showing that she took the matter in stride.

"As long as they are willing to let Shulan leave, even if they leave the entire dowry to the Sun family, it's not unacceptable!"

Because of her past experiences, the old lady believed that silver was not the most precious thing in the world.

How can material possessions, which you can't take with you when you're born or when you die, compare to your family?

"In that case, second sister-in-law, I'll leave Shulan's matter to you!"

After hearing what Old Madam Sheng had to say, the eldest old lady finally understood.

It turned out that she was the only one in the whole family who didn't know about Shulan's situation.

After all, if Old Madam Sheng hadn't already known about Shulan's situation, how could she have come up with such an organized plan so quickly?

Moreover, the old lady recalled the expression on the old lady's face when she mentioned Shulan.

That look clearly suggested that it was something that had been expected all along.

Therefore, apart from the younger generation, she, the matriarch, was probably the last person in the family to know about Shulan's situation.

Thinking of this, the old lady couldn't help but glance down at Sheng Wei and Madam Li.

"It seems this house really needs some tidying up!"

The old lady made a decision in secret.

Seeing the old lady's wry smile, the old lady nodded.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law!"

"I will take Shulan's matter to heart!"

Now that they know the bottom line of the East Mansion, Old Madam Sheng naturally knows what to do.

After all, for a scholar like Sun Zhigao who considered himself "noble," the second branch of the family was more suitable.

After agreeing to the old lady, the old lady secretly glanced at Sheng Wei below, her eyes filled with a hint of amusement.

She knew that the old lady was aware of her subtle hints.

It wasn't that Old Madam Sheng was trying to sow discord between her and her son, or that she wanted the eldest madam to punish Sheng Wei. Rather, she simply felt that Sheng Wei had gradually gone astray over the years.

Over the years, perhaps because he has done so much business, Sheng Wei has begun to treat everything as a business transaction and weigh each other.

Marrying off a daughter is a way to gain support from the family, and turning a blind eye to her suffering is also a way to avoid greater losses...

These repeated actions clearly show that he has forgotten his original intentions and has become a ruthless head of the family.

Just like Sheng Hong in the capital city...

"Hehe, Wei'er, you'd better pray for yourself!"

Seeing that Sheng Wei was still completely unaware of the situation, a hint of a smile suddenly appeared in Old Madam Sheng's eyes.

……

The Western Mansion, Shou'an Hall.

After the welcoming banquet at the East Mansion, Grandma Sheng and Minglan and her brother rushed back immediately.

After all, with something like what happened to Shulan, how could anyone possibly be in the mood for eating and drinking right now?

"Quan'er!"

After everyone was seated, Old Madam Sheng suddenly spoke up, addressing Sheng Changquan: "What do you have to say about what happened today?"

Many thanks to the generous donors for enriching campus culture and Ice and Snow Crimson for the generous donations! (A few more chapters to go, back to the capital...)
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(End of this chapter)