Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 3 Beginning

Laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air as guests came and went.

The banquet was being prepared in the front yard, with the matriarch of the Sheng family, Wang Ruofu, presiding over the event.

Wang Ruofu, the eldest wife of Master Sheng, was the first wife of the Sheng family, and also the legal wife of Sheng Hong.

Her maternal family was a prominent clan for generations, with immense power and a complex web of connections. They had ties with various other families, and the patriarch of the family, Mr. Wang, was a high-ranking official in the imperial court. He had entered the Hall of Famous Ministers and became a renowned scholar, wielding considerable influence!
At present, Madam Wang's husband, Sheng Hong, the head of the Sheng family, is born out of wedlock, but is registered under his stepmother's name. Although his grandparents were just merchants, his father's family has changed their social standing and become a family of upright officials for generations.

His father, Master Sheng, was successful in his youth, ranking third in the imperial examinations. He even married the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, thus completely changing his family's status. However, even so, he could not compare to the power of the Wang family, who was then the sixth-rank official in Yangzhou.

However, thanks to his outstanding performance evaluation and the help of others, Master Shengda has already received news and is just waiting for the official decree of his promotion at the end of the month.

My father's old friend in the capital, Geng Shishu from the Ministry of Personnel, has already written to me, saying that he will probably be appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital.

Although there was no change in rank, it was a qualitative change from being moved from the local area to the capital, so it could be considered a promotion.

"Oh, madam, let me offer you a toast!"

A noblewoman from Yangzhou, speaking with a broken Mandarin accent, eagerly approached Madam Wang and offered her company.

"Madam, I am a relative of Old Wang's sister from next door in Shigu Township twenty years ago. Do you still remember me?"

"what?"

Looking at the Wang family's younger sister, who was holding a cup across from her, Madam Wang was completely bewildered, but her mind was racing.

I wondered, who exactly is this person?
After thinking for a long time, the old lady still couldn't remember who the other person was!

However, since it was her daughter's big day, Madam Wang felt that it wouldn't hurt for more relatives to visit.

Therefore, I decided to accept this younger sister as my own.

"Oh!"

"Yes, it's you!"

Saying things she didn't mean, Madam Wang also raised her cup and said:
"Okay, let's have a drink!"

He covered his mouth with his sleeve as he spoke, taking only a small sip.

The woman opposite her took it seriously, thinking that the soon-to-be-promoted eldest daughter-in-law of the Sheng family remembered her. She happily kept her company, slowly took a big sip, and then retreated with a smile.

Little did they know, the Wang family sister across from them was just putting on an act; she didn't even touch a drop of the wine in her cup!
……

Meanwhile, Minglan and Xiaotao sneaked into the banquet for the women at the back. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, they happily stole two pastries, holding one in their hand and quickly stuffing the other into Xiaotao's mouth.

"Eat quickly! Don't let anyone see us!"

Chewing like a little squirrel, Little Peach choked and couldn't speak, only able to roll her eyes and nod repeatedly.

Although Xiao Tao is still young and a bit silly, she has learned a lot from what she has seen and heard. She knows how hard it is to make a living in her own yard, so she takes advantage of this opportunity to quickly fill her stomach and eat more oily food.

After finally swallowing the pastry, Xiao Tao patted her chest and said to her daughter, "Girl, you should eat some too! This pastry is delicious!"

As she spoke, she stared longingly at the pastry in Minglan's hand.

Although the servants in the mansion were somewhat harsh on things in the courtyard, Xiao Minglan, as a daughter of the Sheng family, still had no shortage of food and drink.

Besides, there's Minglan's mother, Wei Xiaoniang, who, no matter how much she tries to endure, wouldn't let her daughter go hungry.

However, Xiao Tao, being a servant, was different and often experienced hunger. Therefore, she cherished the delicious food in front of her all the more!

Of course, his foodie nature also played a part.

"Hmph! Here you go!"

Seeing Xiao Tao's expression, Minglan immediately shoved the pastry in her hand into Xiao Tao's hands, and then turned around and took two more pieces for herself.

However, in order not to be noticed, Xiao Minglan deliberately chose another table and took two pieces off it.

"Alright! Let's go!"

The content and sensible Minglan shared another piece of cake with Xiaotao and quickly slipped out.

……

Just as the lady of the house sat down, a maid rushed up behind her, her face full of undisguised panic. She hurriedly bit the lady of the house's ear and said, "Lady of the house, something terrible has happened!"

"The third brother of Linxi Pavilion is betting on pitch-pot with someone, and he's about to lose the young lady's betrothal goose!"

"what!"

Upon hearing this news, the eldest daughter-in-law became anxious, her face showing a mixture of shock and anger, and a fire ignited in her heart, wishing she could strangle that ignorant brat on the spot!

"This little bastard!"

Gritting her teeth and determined, the straightforward Madam Wang immediately stood up abruptly and left her seat. Without bothering to exchange any more pleasantries with the newcomer, she hurriedly prepared to salvage the situation.

Little did they know, with her personality, what effect could she possibly have?

……

Wow! I won again!

"It seems that Pingyan is going to lose!"

"Sigh! Who can argue with that?"

"..."

A series of sounds reached Sheng Hong's ears, making him even more anxious.

"If something like this happens now, the Sheng family... the Sheng family will probably become a laughing stock in Yangzhou's officialdom!"

Although he was frowning inwardly, he still maintained a cheerful demeanor. Sheng Hong had already applied the ways of officialdom to every aspect of his life.

"My dear nephew, if things continue like this, it will be difficult for both our families to save face!"

Sheng Hong sat on the couch, staring at Yuan Wenchun, the eldest son of the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion, and said, "Although it is just a child's game, this goose is, after all, the betrothal gift you just sent. What if the child loses it?"

"This is not only a loss of face for our Sheng family, but your Yuan family will also lose face, won't they?"

Sheng Hong wasn't oblivious to the other party's attitude, but he still wanted to try his best to avoid damaging the harmony between the two families.

pity!

"Heh! That's certainly embarrassing! Uncle should have stopped it immediately..."

Yuan Wenchun smiled and gave a perfunctory reply.

"what?"

Sheng Hong was in a hurry.

"This...this young man is someone you brought. Shouldn't it be your nephew who steps in to stop him?"

Sheng Hongqi swallowed hard and coughed as he spoke.

Seemingly realizing that her attitude was somewhat inappropriate, Yuan Wenchun added a sentence.

"Oh dear, Uncle-in-law, I didn't want to see this either, but!"

"This Brother Ye is a famous figure in the capital!"

Yuan Wenchun smiled and took a sip of tea.

"He noticed that the game of pitch-pot in Yangzhou was somewhat different from that in the capital, and that's when he got the urge to try it out. Him?"

"You can't persuade him!"

Yuan Wenchun looked troubled, speaking as if it were the truth.

"How can we stop this?!"

Sheng Hong grew anxious and, no longer bothering to conceal his feelings, spoke directly, saying, "Nephew, don't forget, this beauty was sent by your family. You can't just take her back in the end!"

Sheng Hong was getting a little anxious. He sat upright in his chair, his hands clenched tightly.

"Eldest brother, you brought Yan'er to my doorstep, and then had the people you brought win her back. You're deliberately trying to slap the Sheng family in the face!"

"hehe!"

Holding the teacup, Yuan Wenchun chuckled softly and replied innocently, "This was a decision your young master made himself!"

"At the time, I didn't know how to dissuade them, and I just thought it was a child's trick. Who knew?"

At this point, Yuan Wenchun added with a mocking expression, "Moreover!"

"Uncle-in-law, this beautiful girl has already been delivered to your home!"

"Perhaps, Uncle In-law, you should step in and stop this..."

Yuan Wenchun made a pointed remark, feigning a wry smile.

"This……"

Sheng Hong was speechless.

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(End of this chapter)