Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 306 The He Family Will Leave
Of course, even though it sounded so mysterious, Sheng Changquan didn't really believe it.

Although he had already experienced mysterious and extraordinary things such as time travel and reincarnation, he still had a strong belief in science.

Sheng Changquan believed that this so-called extraterrestrial black iron was nothing more than the remnants of stars in space that turned into meteorites and fell to earth, and then were tempered into a magical alloy due to friction and heat.

To be honest, who knows what elements are in space, and with the influence of various coincidences such as high-temperature catalysis, it's understandable that the purple sword forged in the end might have some supernatural properties.

To be honest, after the purple sword fell into Sheng Changquan's hands, he also examined it carefully and found that the purple sword was indeed quite remarkable.

No one knows which three generations of master swordsmiths were responsible for this, but the purple sword that came into being is so extraordinary!

Not only is it always warm and smooth like jade, exuding a magnificent aura, but its blade also remains free from dust, always maintaining its purity.

In other words, it kills without shedding blood; no matter what kind of killings it goes through, the blade remains completely untouched by anything!
Moreover, this purple sword is entirely a shimmering purple, radiating divine light and appearing extremely dazzling.

Not to mention its essential nature as a weapon—sharpness and hardness.

Because it is a soft sword, the Purple Sword has an extremely sharp edge, so sharp that it can shatter a hair with a single touch. However, its spine and other parts are extremely hard.

However, it is not only hard, but also extremely tough. At its peak, the purple sword could be folded in half without any damage and could be restored to its original state with a flick of the finger.

It can be said that this is a supreme weapon that combines beauty and practicality.

In addition, unlike the halberd, which is a long weapon suitable for the battlefield, the purple sword is more suitable for daily self-defense. It can even be placed in a special scabbard, hidden on the arm, or hidden in the belt.

Just like Sheng Changquan, he had a special scabbard belt that allowed him to wrap the purple sword around his waist for daily protection.

On another note, this purple sword was actually given to Sheng Changquan by a young woman.

However, it wasn't the female leader of the Lüliang Mountains, but another unique woman of the martial arts world, a heroine!
"Sigh, after traveling for more than six years, in the end, only two young ladies could truly be my friends?"

"That's... kind of ironic!"

Sheng Changquan shook his head, feeling a strange sense of emotion.

He recalled the various people he had met over the years, including many from prominent families among his peers.

Whether they were sons of powerful families or proud sons from humble backgrounds, Sheng Changquan always felt a distance between them, as if they were all wearing masks.

It could be a smooth and worldly enthusiasm, or a polite distance...

In short, there was absolutely no sincerity in their relationship.

"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it!"

Although he felt a bit emotional, Sheng Changquan didn't care about these "friends".

Whether he has it or not, he's happy; as long as it doesn't disrupt his rhythm, then everything is fine.

Speaking of which, Sheng Changquan's current small goal is to study hard and strive for success in this year's autumn examination, hoping to achieve his past glory and fulfill everyone's expectations.

— That is, by passing the six levels consecutively, one can achieve the pinnacle of success in the civil service examinations.

……

And so, Sheng Changquan and the others' days in their hometown of Youyang gradually came to an end.

Among them, Old Mrs. Sheng was constantly moving around over the next two weeks.

She would visit the elders of the clan to offer them care and comfort, or gather outstanding young members of the clan to offer them guidance and assistance. Even some elderly people living alone in Youyang City received care from Old Madam Sheng...

In short, she represented the second branch of the Sheng family and fulfilled the duties and responsibilities that the second branch should have within the Sheng family clan. She did a series of things in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner, and fortunately, she left a good reputation for the second branch in their hometown.

Caring for elders, mentoring younger generations, and looking after vulnerable neighbors—all these measures directly raised the cohesion of the entire Sheng clan by several levels.

After all, Old Madam Sheng's status is different.

She was not only the pride of the Sheng family and the wife of Old Master Sheng Xu, but she was also the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, a noble family in Jinling. She held a very important place in the hearts of her clansmen!
Therefore, even if we don't say that Old Madam Sheng has really done a lot of good things for the clansmen, even if she does nothing, just seeing these clansmen would definitely excite them and enhance the clan's cohesion.

Getting back to the main point, after Old Madam Sheng finished all these things, it wasn't long before she was to set off back to Beijing.

Five days before their departure, Old Madam Sheng personally welcomed an old friend to the Sheng residence.

……

West Prefecture.

In the lobby.

At this moment, besides Old Madam Sheng and the old friend she personally welcomed into the mansion, there were other people in the room—the eldest matriarch of the East Mansion and her family.

Of course, because some things were not easy to say, the two brothers, Sheng Changsong and Sheng Changwu, did not come. Only the eldest matriarch, Sheng Wei, Li Shi, Wen Shi, and the two sisters, Shulan and Rulan, came from their family.

Judging from the looks of it, their visit today is probably related to this friend of Old Madam Sheng.

On the second branch of the family, apart from Old Madam Sheng, Minglan and her siblings also attended together, since the person who came was closely connected to them.

"I presume this is Old Madam He?"

As the newcomer took his seat, and everyone else sat down according to the rules, the old lady suddenly spoke up, looking at the newcomer with eager eyes and asking a question.

"Haha not bad!"

"It's her!"

Before the visitor could respond, Old Madam Sheng, the head of the household, replied with a smile.

Then, she turned her head to look at her friend and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you're right, she is the old lady of the He family in Baishitan who is known as the miracle doctor!"

The person who arrived was none other than the renowned gynecologist who had examined Hua Lan years ago—the eldest daughter of the Imperial Physician Zhang family, and the matriarch of the He family in Baishitan.

Similarly, she was also Sheng Changquan's first mentor in exploring the path of medicine in this world.

"Ouch!"

"Big sister, what are you saying? I'm not some kind of miracle doctor at all!"

Grandma He immediately shook her head, showing great humility.

"I've only learned a few medical skills from my elders and haphazardly cured a few minor ailments. How can I deserve such praise?"

This old lady He clearly didn't want to bear such a high-profile reputation and stubbornly refused to admit it.

"Why are you still the same as always?"

Grandma Sheng wasn't surprised. She picked up her Jianzhan teacup, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile, "You've already made such a big name for yourself outside, yet you stubbornly refuse to admit it, as if someone is going to harm you!"

"Are you so suspicious all the time? Are you really that afraid of offending people?" Old Mrs. Sheng knew what her old friend was thinking and knew why she was saying this.

Firstly, because she is not an outspoken person and has always been humble, this behavior is normal.

Secondly, it was because Old Madam He knew the hardships women faced in this world, and she was afraid that if she gained the reputation of being a miracle doctor, she would be envied and her family would be harmed by others.

Don't assume that competition only exists in the imperial examinations or on the battlefield; in fact, there is also a lot of competition in the profession of traditional Chinese medicine.

In fact, due to the special nature of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, their competition will be even more fierce!

Let's leave aside the disputes among the imperial physicians for now, since that place is quite far removed from the outside world.

Even though Old Madam He came from the Zhang family, a family of imperial physicians, she didn't know much about the intrigues in the palace. She only knew that there were dangers at every turn, and that a slight misstep could lead to falling off a cliff!
Therefore, following her family's teachings, Old Mrs. He never dared to be ostentatious and always kept a low profile.

After all, in her decades of life, Old Mrs. He had personally witnessed how fiercely the doctors outside fought each other. In fact, to put it bluntly, some rivals had even reached the point of life and death.

Of course, that only applies to top-tier doctors, while ordinary doctors and physicians are just trying to make a living and are not qualified to participate.

Grandma He once told Sheng Changquan that the famous doctors outside often attacked each other for fame and fortune. They would first argue verbally, and then personally engage in a battle of medical skills to see who was better.

If that were the case, it would be fine, but some people just refuse to admit defeat.

This person often resorts to underhanded tactics after losing, concocting all sorts of strange and unusual poisons to harm and kill their opponent.

As the saying goes, if I can't beat you technically, then I'll destroy you physically!
As a result of several typical assassination attempts, these medical experts gradually developed another way of fighting: they would gamble with their own lives, poisoning each other to see who would win in the end.

Therefore, Old Mrs. He dared not be too high-profile, for fear of attracting such enemies.

However, since Old Madam He only treated young women and wives, she was subject to many restrictions, unlike mainstream renowned doctors, which is why she was able to avoid being disturbed.

Of course, the most important point is that Old Madam He has an official background. Not to mention that Old Madam He's maternal family is the Zhang family, a family of imperial physicians, her husband's family, the He family of Baishitan, is also a well-known official family in the area, with officials serving in the court for generations.

In fact, the eldest son of Old Madam He is now the prefect of a certain state, a local official who is the father and mother of the people. His rank is not low, he is a fifth-rank local official. Although he is not as good as Sheng Hong, he is still quite good and can be considered a person of importance.

On the other hand, Old Mrs. He had been treating some powerful and wealthy families for many years, which had earned her a lot of goodwill and connections. It was precisely because of this that she was able to live a peaceful life.

Even so, Mrs. He has always lived a low-key life and never dared to publicize her name in the outside world, for fear of attracting the attention of others.

"hehe!"

Grandma He gave a bitter smile.

"Old sister, I wish everyone were like you, with all their children and grandchildren doing so well!"

"Not to mention that your Hong-ge'er is a fifth-rank official in the capital, your eldest grandson Bai-ge'er is also remarkable. Not only did he marry a girl from the Hai family, but he also directly entered the Hanlin Academy as a compiler!"

Grandma He's eyes reddened slightly: "The Hanlin Academy is a necessary step to enter the cabinet!"

“In the future, your son Bai might just be able to rise to the rank of prime minister and enter the Hall of Famous Officials, just like his maternal grandfather!”

Old Mrs. He was naturally very familiar with prestigious families like the Hai and Wang families, after all, her He family of Baishitan was also a family of seasoned veterans in the officialdom.

Although their family could not be considered a prestigious one, the reputation of Baishitan Academy alone was enough to prove the He family's extraordinary status.

Similarly, it was precisely because of this that Old Mrs. He knew what kind of future Sheng Changbai would have.

"Ah!"

Grandma Sheng chuckled softly, but remained silent.

However, it was Old Mrs. He who was modest before, but now it's Old Mrs. Sheng's turn.

"You're talking too far ahead. How could joining the cabinet be so simple?"

She took another sip of fragrant tea, then waved her hand and said modestly, "Besides, with my Bai'er's rigid personality, he is not liked by his superiors and colleagues at all, so how could he possibly end up like that?"

"I think it would be good enough if he could retire at the second rank!"

When officials retire, they are usually promoted one rank. Therefore, when Old Madam Sheng said this, she meant that Sheng Changbai would only be able to reach the third rank in the future.

"Big sister, you're really being dishonest by saying that!"

Grandma He glared at Grandma Sheng with feigned displeasure and said, "What a good child Bai-ge is!"

"This child is well-mannered and has proper manners. His knowledge and abilities are evident to everyone!"

Grandma He spoke her mind, saying, "Also, elder sister, please don't say anything about Brother Bai's temperament!"

"My old man has said that this boy, Bai-ge, is just like Master Wang back in the day!"

Old Mrs. Sheng knew what her old friend was talking about. Lord Wang was actually Madam Wang's father, a renowned prime minister who had already entered the Hall of Famous Ministers.

Of course, this dynasty does not have a prime minister, but when Lord Wang served as Grand Secretary in the cabinet, he was the chief minister, and the chief minister was what people called the prime minister.

Therefore, it is acceptable to use the word "appearance".

"Yes, sister-in-law!"

At this moment, the old lady also spoke up, continuing from what the old lady He had said, praising, "I know this boy, Bai-ge'er, he will definitely amount to something great in the future!"

"While it's not certain he'll enter the cabinet, with his talent, he'll definitely not be confined to the third rank!"

Grandma Sheng just smiled and didn't say anything more.

Unlike Old Madam He and Old Madam Da, who had a shallow understanding of officialdom, Old Madam Sheng knew that entering the cabinet was harder than climbing to heaven, but similarly, moving from the fourth rank to the third rank was no easier.

"Haha, I hope so!"

Grandma Sheng thought to herself, but didn't say anything on her face. She just chatted with the two elderly people with a smile.

"Humph!"

"Old lady, you're just being hypocritical after getting the benefit!"

As they got into the conversation, Old Mrs. He became somewhat "unhappy"!

"Leaving aside your Bai-ge'er, just look at Quan-ge'er in this house. He'll probably be just as good as Bai-ge'er in the future!"

"Maybe we can even get a little better!"

Grandma He glanced at Sheng Changquan below, her face a mix of joking and seriousness.

"Ok?"

Upon hearing someone mention him, Sheng Changquan, who had been lost in thought, was suddenly jolted awake!
Thank you so much for the generous donation from the generous reader "Leaf" who's been reading out of boredom! I've been feeling really bad lately, so I'm planning to stop reading reader comments for a month and focus solely on writing... (mainly because I'm afraid of getting so much flak from all the criticism!)
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(End of this chapter)