Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 309 Asking Sheng Yun for Help
"ah!"

Upon seeing that Old Madam He had agreed, Madam Li immediately stood up and repeatedly thanked Old Madam He, saying, "Thank you so much, Old Madam!"

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Haha, it doesn't matter!"

Grandma He smiled and waved her hand, indicating that Madam Li did not need to be so polite.

Seeing this, Li was overjoyed and immediately beckoned Shulan over.

"quick!"

"Shulan, why don't you go inside with Old Madam He and let her give you a proper check-up!"

After all, she was Shulan's mother, so how could she not be anxious about Shulan's childlessness?
Moreover, if Shulan cannot clear her name of being unable to have children, not only will it be difficult for her to find a husband in the future, but Pinlan's future marriage will also inevitably be more difficult.

After all, if the older sister can't have children, then the younger sister might not be able to.
At that time, it's likely that not only the eldest son's branch of the family will be criticized, but even the daughters of the other two branches of the Sheng family will be criticized in the same way.

"Yes, mother!"

Hearing her mother's greeting, Shulan's eyes reddened, and she immediately thought of the grievances she had suffered over the years.

"Thank you for your trouble, Madam He! Shulan thanks you in advance!"

Shulan first responded to Li Shi, then stood up and bowed, gently thanking Old Madam He sincerely.

"Oh, no need!"

Grandma He waved her hand kindly, indicating that she didn't mind.

"Poor child, come here quickly!"

"Let this old woman take a good look at you!"

Grandma He looked at Shulan with pity, her face filled with emotion.

"This child is pitiful!"

Grandma He beckoned to Shulan and urged her, "Quick, come here!"

Actually, the reason why Old Mrs. He was so emotional was not only because she had a good relationship with Old Mrs. Sheng and regarded Shulan as her own granddaughter, but also because of another reason.

That is, her marriage was also like that.

However, Mrs. He was luckier than Shulan in that although Mr. He made a mistake, he still had a bottom line and was not as despicable as Sun Zhigao!

Of course, Old Madam He's methods also played a part in this.

Compared to Shulan's submissive nature, Old Madam He was much more shrewd!
Back then, when Grandpa He acted foolishly and wanted to bring a woman of unknown origin home, Grandma He acted decisively and devised a plan to get rid of her.

In other words, Old Madam He had several lives on her hands. That woman was six months pregnant when she entered the house, but Old Madam He still managed to get rid of her.

Therefore, it is precisely because Old Madam He has a strong hand that she has been able to live comfortably until now, much better than Old Madam Sheng and the First Old Madam!
The old lady was too proud and disdained to deal with her enemies, but she was framed by a villain and lost her only son. The eldest lady, on the other hand, was too soft-hearted and lacked confidence, so she dared not take action.

Although she later gained the ability with the help of Old Madam Sheng, she ultimately lost the initiative and lost a child.

Therefore, compared to the two women, the ruthless Old Mrs. He still had all her children and grandchildren and lived a comfortable and carefree life.

"Yes, old lady!"

Hearing Grandma He's invitation, Shulan quickly followed.

However, as she stepped forward, a hint of trepidation appeared on her face, and she seemed extremely nervous.

It seems that Shulan does have some suspicion that the reason she doesn't have children lies with her.

"hehe!"

"Shulan, don't be nervous!"

Noticing Shulan's nervousness, Old Madam Sheng, who was sitting in the hall, spoke up at this moment: "If you are afraid, why don't you take your mother and sister-in-law inside with you!"

"By the way, let me, your old sister, take a look at each of you and see how you are feeling?"

As she spoke, Grandma Sheng turned to Grandma He beside her and asked with a smile, "I think you, as an elder, wouldn't refuse the child, would you?"

"Humph!"

Grandma He glanced at Grandma Sheng with feigned anger, and said speechlessly, "You've done all the good work, what can I say?"

"You, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, are indeed extraordinary, able to scheme against even your old friend of decades!"

"Ha ha!"

Grandma Sheng laughed heartily, but didn't take it to heart.

"You!"

Grandma He could only shake her head helplessly, unable to do anything about her old friend. However, in the end, she couldn't help but laugh herself.

"In that case, everyone, come with me!"

Grandma He smiled as she looked at the expectant younger generation in front of her and invited them to join her.

"Yes, old lady!"

Li agreed with delight, and then quickly led her daughter Shulan and daughter-in-law Wen to Old Madam He.

"Grandma He, please come this way!"

Seeing that everyone had stood up, Madam Fang quickly stepped forward and guided them to the inner courtyard.

"Let's go!"

Grandma He smiled and then followed Mama Fang, with the others following behind her.

After everyone had left, only Old Madam Sheng and her son Sheng Wei remained in the hall.

Because Sheng Wei is the master of the East Mansion, he is currently sitting in the hall, listening to the two old ladies talk. He also has a vague idea of ​​what they are going to talk about next.

However, at this moment, no one spoke up immediately, as if the two old ladies were considering how to explain.

After a while, Old Madam Sheng, being the head of the household, spoke first.

"I wonder if my sister-in-law has something to say to me?"

Grandma Sheng picked up a Jianzhan cup next to her, took a small sip, and then asked slowly.

"Whoo~"

When she saw that Old Madam Sheng had finally spoken, the old lady couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Since Old Madam Sheng has spoken, it means that she hasn't completely made up her mind about that matter yet; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked us to speak first.

That's right, that's how efficient and decisive Old Mrs. Sheng is in doing things.

His knife moved with surprising grace and efficiency.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen Sheng Xu so quickly back then, and then insisted on marrying him, even the old Marquis Yongyi couldn't stop her.

"Brother and sister!"

The old lady pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Just now, I noticed that you seemed to treat that child from the He family with some special regard?"

"I wonder, sister-in-law, is there something you intend to do?" The eldest old lady looked up and asked the old lady tentatively, "Is it... that you want to arrange a marriage for her?"

"Do you enjoy being a matchmaker?"

Don't blame the old lady for being impatient; she was simply doing something on someone's behalf.

A matter that is of utmost importance to someone's entire life.

"Ok?"

Upon hearing the old lady's words, Sheng Wei's eyes lit up, and he became much more energetic.

"Could it be that Mother also received a letter from my sister?"

Sheng Wei's mind raced, and his expression became much more serious.

"Hehe, sister-in-law, you're really overthinking it!"

"What kind of marriage proposal can I possibly offer Wen-ge'er?"

Grandma Sheng shook her head, refusing to admit it at all.

"is it?"

The old lady knew what the old lady was thinking without her saying it outright.

Because it concerns a woman's reputation, Old Madam Sheng would definitely not say it explicitly unless there was absolute certainty.

Thinking of this, the old lady suddenly changed the subject and brought up another matter.

"In that case, I do have something I'd like to trouble you with, sister-in-law!"

"Oh? What's the matter?"

Grandma Sheng's eyes flashed, and she slowly looked at the eldest grandma.

"Hehe, it's about Yun'er!"

"Yun'er?"

Suddenly, an image of a rosy-cheeked, mischievous little girl flashed through Grandma Sheng's mind.

"Yes, this is the child!"

When Sheng Yun was mentioned, a smile appeared in the corner of the old lady's eyes.

Yun'er, also known as Sheng Yun, is Pinlan's younger sister and Pinlan's aunt.

Because of the eldest patriarch, Sheng Wei and his sister had an extremely difficult childhood. In fact, if it weren't for the rescue by the old lady, the two siblings might not have survived.

Therefore, Sheng Yun was extremely grateful to Old Madam Sheng and was very close to her.

Similarly, within the eldest branch of the family, Old Madam Sheng also favored Sheng Yun the most.

Because, in their family, she was the most upright, intelligent, and discerning.

"What's wrong with Yun'er?"

Thinking of her closest niece, Grandma Sheng couldn't help but smile, saying happily, "Speaking of which, it seems like I haven't seen Yun'er for a long time this year. I wonder what she's been up to?"

Grandma Sheng knew what the eldest grandma wanted to say, so she didn't really think that Sheng Yun had encountered trouble.

"Ugh!"

The old lady feigned a sigh and said, "Sister-in-law, you have no idea."

"What bothers Yun'er the most right now is her son's marriage!"

The old lady looked up at the old lady Sheng and continued, "As you know, the Hu family has always had only one son per generation, and now, Taisheng is of marriageable age."

"Tell me, as a mother, how could Yun'er not be anxious?"

Sheng Yun's husband was named Hu Erniu. He was from a wealthy family in the neighboring county. Although the Hu family was not as rich as the Sheng family and did not have a lot of money, they had a deep foundation and owned a lot of land, especially hundreds of acres of high-quality paddy fields. They were truly wealthy.

More importantly, Sheng Yun and Hu Erniu only have one son, Hu Taisheng, who is only nineteen years old this year and is considered a good match by many girls in the surrounding counties.

"Oh, it's Taisheng!"

Grandma Sheng smiled slightly.

"Yes, that's the child!"

The old lady glanced at her son below the hall and gave him a meaningful look.

"Yes, Second Aunt!"

"It's this child, Taisheng!"

Upon receiving his mother's signal, Sheng Wei immediately realized what was happening and quickly explained, "Second Aunt, you have no idea!"

"Taisheng is getting old, so his family is urging him to get married, especially his brother-in-law's parents, who wish they could have a granddaughter-in-law today and a great-grandson tomorrow!"

Sheng Wei's words were somewhat exaggerated, but the situation was indeed as described; the Hu family was genuinely anxious.

However, Sheng Yun was very capable and firmly controlled her husband, Hu Erniu, leaving the elderly couple with no choice but to let their daughter-in-law take charge and control the overall direction of the Hu family.

Who told their son to be "unworthy" and only listen to his wife?
The elderly Hu couple only had one son, Hu Erniu, in their entire lives. What else could they do but "submit" to Sheng Yun?

Of course, Sheng Yun was not a malicious person. In fact, the incident with the old master made her heart even softer.

Therefore, although Sheng Yun was assertive, she was still very filial and respectful to her parents-in-law. So, gradually, after the elderly couple in the Hu family understood Sheng Yun's personality, they simply relinquished their power in the family and let her make the decisions.

Looking at Old Madam Sheng, Sheng Wei continued earnestly, "However, although Taisheng is honest and kind, he is a bit stubborn. He just doesn't like the girls that matchmakers introduce, so my sister is really anxious!"

Actually, Sheng Wei made that up; Hu Taisheng wasn't really that picky.

The reason he hasn't gotten married yet is simply because of Sheng Yun's feelings for him.

Several years ago, when Old Madam Sheng brought Minglan back to Youyang, Sheng Yun rushed over to pay her respects to Old Madam Sheng, and therefore, she had also met Minglan.

At that time, when Sheng Yun first met Minglan, she fell in love with the girl and slowly developed a desire to "bring" her back to the Hu family.

Therefore, from that time on, Sheng Yun did everything she could to prevent her son from getting married, insisting on waiting for an opportunity.

Therefore, everyone else just said that Hu Taisheng had high standards and looked down on those girls.

The Hu family also thought that Sheng Yun had high standards and didn't like those girls.

Little did she know, this was merely Sheng Yun's excuse; in her heart, the best daughter-in-law for the Hu family should be Minglan, who was by the side of Old Madam Sheng.

However, because the two families are of vastly different social standing, even though Minglan is only the illegitimate daughter of the second branch of the Sheng family, she is definitely not someone the Hu family can aspire to.

Of course, it's not that the Hu family's conditions were bad, but rather that Hu Taisheng didn't have any official rank. Sheng Yun knew her cousin's personality well; Hu Taisheng, without any official rank, would definitely not be considered by him.

Therefore, over the past few years, Sheng Yun has been forcing Hu Taisheng to study, hoping that he could at least pass the imperial examinations to become a scholar or a licentiate, so that she could propose marriage to him.

It was precisely because of this that several years were wasted, and Sheng Yun only came to Youyang a few times.

This time, it was only after Sheng Yun heard the news that Old Madam Sheng was about to return to Beijing that she had to disrupt her plans and prepare to confront Old Madam Sheng.

Even though Hu Taisheng still doesn't have any official title, Sheng Yun can't care anymore. After all, if Minglan goes back to the capital with Old Madam Sheng, wouldn't her plan to become her daughter-in-law be even more ruined?
At this moment, Sheng Yun was unaware that her son now had a formidable rival in love!

(End of this chapter)