Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 329 Peeping at Qi Heng
"My daughter has met daddy!"

Minglan walked quickly to Sheng Hong's side, forcibly suppressing her inner excitement and trying her best to appear calm.

Because she knew that Sheng Hong especially emphasized the rules for his children, believing that a lady from a respectable family should maintain composure and dignity in public and not casually reveal her emotions to others.

Women from prestigious families are more likely to achieve this, and since Sheng Hong wants to elevate the Sheng family's reputation and prestige, he naturally needs to hold his daughters to similar high standards.

In this respect, apart from Rulan, the other girls in the Sheng family all did a very good job.

Hua Lan goes without saying; she was raised by Old Madam Sheng, so naturally she was capable of doing this. Similarly, Ming Lan later on was the same.

Of the girls, only Mo Lan was raised by Lin Qinshuang, but given her mother's "high-level" methods, Mo Lan could naturally do the same.

Of course, Mo Lan's occasional "true feelings" were an exception. In Ru Lan's words, it was nothing more than her affected manner and a pose she deliberately put on.

In reality, if Mo Lan truly didn't want to reveal her feelings, outsiders would never be able to tell.

Mo Lan is naturally quite shrewd; just by looking at how she can bewitch those so-called romantic and talented men, one can already see how skilled she is.

"May Father be well!"

Minglan looked at Sheng Hong's broad and generous figure, bowed slightly, and looked at him with deep affection in her eyes.

"Hehe, good morning, get up quickly!"

"Let your father take a good look at you!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Sheng Hong quickly stepped forward and helped his youngest daughter up. At that moment, a rare feeling of paternal love welled up in his heart.

He looked at Minglan with affection, who had grown up a lot and was now quite graceful, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Tomorrow!"

"These years have truly been tough on you!"

"You stayed with your grandmother in Youyang for so long!"

Sheng Hong knew exactly what kind of place Youyang was. He also knew that although Youyang was the ancestral home of the Sheng family, it was indeed just a remote little town.

Not to mention Bianjing, even Dingzhou, where Molan and Rulan went, is far inferior.

However, because Old Madam Sheng wanted to return to Youyang for a visit, and Minglan needed to leave the capital to avoid the palace selection, the two of them set off together to return to Youyang, both so that the old lady would have someone to take care of her and so that Minglan would have someone to look after her.

However, although this is a win-win situation, Minglan is clearly at a disadvantage compared to Rulan and Molan on the other side.

Even someone as biased as Shengda Ren couldn't help but feel sorry for his youngest daughter.

After all, Minglan was well-behaved and sensible, a truly good child. When Sheng Hong occasionally thought of this matter in his spare time, he would feel a pang of heartache for her.

As for why Mo Lan and Ru Lan weren't allowed to return to Youyang with Old Madam Sheng, he didn't need to say anything; naturally, all three branches of the family were unwilling.

First, Old Madam Sheng wouldn't be happy; she certainly wouldn't want to have to discipline those girls when she returned to Youyang. Second, Mo Lan and Ru Lan would definitely not be happy either.

Both of them are typical examples of people who are afraid of hardship, and they simply couldn't stay in that rural area of ​​Youyang!

Not to mention, they were not close to the old lady to begin with, and their fear of Old Madam Sheng outweighed their respect for her.

As for the third one, their respective birth mothers, Lin Qinshuang and Madam Wang, would naturally not be willing to send their daughters to the remote place of Youyang.

The former felt that they couldn't find a good partner there, while the latter simply disliked Youyang and found it boring, saying their daughter couldn't stay there.

Therefore, in the end, it was Minglan who went there with Old Madam Sheng.

……

“Father, I’m doing very well back in my hometown of Youyang. I haven’t suffered at all.”

Minglan shook her head and comforted Sheng Hong, saying, "Besides, I've made many friends and learned a lot back in my hometown!"

"Like my uncle's sister Pinlan, she introduced me to many interesting things, and I benefited a lot from it!"

Minglan used Pinlan as an example to put her father at ease.

However, when he heard Minglan mention Pinlan, Sheng Hong's expression suddenly changed, and he asked, "Oh?"

"Ming'er, how are things at your uncle's house lately?"

"Has anything happened?"

As if he had just thought of something, Sheng Hong suddenly frowned and asked, "How come I heard from your eldest uncle's letter that your sister Shulan has divorced?"

"I remember, isn't Shulan's husband a famous child prodigy from Youyang?"

How did the two of them end up in such an embarrassing situation?

Because Sheng Wei was concerned about saving face, he didn't go into details in the letter. He simply informed Sheng Hong that something had happened at home.

"Father, I know about this, but it's not Sister Shulan's fault!"

Seeing that Sheng Hong's expression was off, and that he seemed to be blaming Shulan, Minglan quickly spoke up to defend Shulan.

"is it?"

Sheng Hong raised a thick eyebrow, seemingly not quite believing it.

"Father, Grandmother knows about this too!"

Left with no other choice, Minglan had to bring up the issue of Old Madam Sheng, saying, "Besides, it was she who directed my brother to handle this matter!"

"Oh, wait!"

"Changquan got involved too?"

Sheng Hong suddenly realized that things were getting complicated.

"This little beast!"

Sheng Hong was somewhat displeased: "What can a mere child like him do to help?"

"It's just playing the piano randomly!"

Although Old Madam Sheng was watching over things and the matter had been resolved satisfactorily, Sheng Hong was still a little scared!
You know, this kind of thing is not easy to get involved in. If you're not careful, you can easily end up pleasing neither side. Sheng Changquan is still young and has a bright future to strive for. If he were to tarnish his literary reputation now because of this, it would have a huge impact on his future!

Thinking of this, Sheng Hong became even more furious, wishing he could immediately take action and give Sheng Changquan a "fatherly love"!
"Father, actually, Sister Shulan..."

"Silence!"

Before Minglan could even defend Sheng Changquan, she was suddenly interrupted by Sheng Hong.

He looked around and, noticing there were still many outsiders present, stopped Minglan from speaking, saying, "Let's discuss this matter after we get home. It's not appropriate to say more now!"

Sheng Hong looked around again and asked, "By the way, where is your brother Changquan?"

"Where did that kid go?"

"Why haven't you come to pay your respects to your father yet?"

Ultimately, it was out of love for his youngest son that Sheng Hong only uttered the word "little beast" before involuntarily changing his address.

He stood there, searching around but still couldn't find Sheng Changquan. He became a little anxious and started asking Minglan for directions.

"My younger brother?"

Upon hearing Sheng Hong inquire about Sheng Changquan's whereabouts, Minglan couldn't help but smile inwardly, feeling happy that her younger brother held a high position in her father Sheng Hong's heart.

"Father, my younger brother is still taking care of some miscellaneous matters for this trip!"

Minglan glanced at Sheng Hong, who looked somewhat anxious, and said, "My brother told me earlier that he wanted me to take Grandmother home first, and he won't be able to catch up until later!"

"Oh, I see!"

Sheng Hong's brows relaxed, and he felt a little less nervous.

Just now, he was really afraid that something had happened to Sheng Changquan on the way, which resulted in him not being able to come back in time, making Sheng Hong feel uneasy and restless.

However, upon hearing Minglan's news, Sheng Hong was immediately relieved.

"That's good! That's good!"

After muttering a few words to himself, Sheng Hong changed the subject and said directly, "In that case, you will come back to the manor with me tomorrow!"

"As for Changquan, let him go back on his own!"

Sheng Hong said something to Minglan in a somewhat resentful tone, like a child arguing with Sheng Changquan.

However, what's somewhat encouraging is that Sheng Hong's "competition" was only one-sided, and Sheng Changquan was completely unaware of it.

"Yes, Daddy!"

Minglan covered her mouth and chuckled, but agreed.

After Minglan agreed, Sheng Hong suddenly turned around and instructed the servants behind him: "Dongrong, you guys stay here for now. When the Seventh Young Master arrives, you will follow his instructions and handle the matters he has in mind properly!"

"Also, when you see the Seventh Young Master, tell him to hurry back to the manor. I still have some questions to ask him!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Upon hearing Sheng Hong's arrangement, Dong Rong quickly led the servants who often served Sheng Hong to respond in unison. Then, they all bowed to Sheng Hong and watched the father and daughter leave.

At the same time, the group walked towards the boat by the water to meet Sheng Changquan.

"Alright, Minglan, let's go!"

After leaving behind a few capable servants, Sheng Hong waved his sleeves and returned home with Minglan.

……

Just as Sheng Hong and his daughter were about to leave, not far from them...

A place not far from the dock, yet difficult to spot.

A man dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe stood there, secretly watching them.

There were quite a few people there, mostly small vendors who were businessmen who sold their services at the docks to earn money.

Because there are many people coming and going on this side of the dock, it is extremely difficult for this person to be discovered by the other side while hiding here.

Moreover, this man is handsome and has an extraordinary demeanor; he is clearly not the kind of lewd and despicable person. He must have some reason for hiding here.

As the saying goes, one's values ​​follow one's appearance. Since this person has a dignified appearance, he is naturally not a bad person.

Moreover, this person is actually the heir of the Duke of Qi's mansion, Qi Heng, the young master Qi.

Several years have passed, and Qi Heng has matured a lot.

Qi Heng at this time has changed a lot compared to before. Not only has he shed his former immaturity in appearance, but his temperament has also subtly gained a more resilient and weathered charm.

Of course, Qi Heng hadn't grown up to be ugly; he was still as stunningly beautiful as ever. In fact, with his slender figure, he now possessed a more mature and charming aura, like a fine wine that had been aged for many years, gaining depth and richness, making him even more captivating.

Otherwise, Princess Jiacheng of the Yong Prince's Mansion would not have gone to such lengths to accommodate the Qi State Duke's Mansion for his sake, transferring a considerable amount of the Yong Prince's Mansion's benefits to the Qi family.

If it weren't for the fact that Prince Yong and Princess Yong truly loved their only legitimate daughter, anyone else, even the heir of Prince Yong, would have had their bones broken by Prince Yong long ago if they dared to act like that in Prince Yong's residence!

"Sixth Sister..."

Seeing Minglan following closely behind Sheng Hong, Qi Heng muttered to himself.

"Grown up..."

"Sixth sister...you've grown up too..."

Qi Heng stared intently at Minglan not far away, watching her walk away step by step until she reached the Sheng family's carriage. He watched as Sheng Hong helped her into the carriage, the curtain was lowered, and finally, she slowly drove away...

The light in Qi Heng's eyes seemed to follow Minglan's every move, and when Minglan finally got into the carriage and left, Qi Heng's heart seemed to leave with her.

In fact, Qi Heng's presence here today was not a coincidence, but rather because he had been keeping an eye on the Sheng family.

It can be said that ever since Minglan returned to Youyang, Qi Heng has sent people to guard the Sheng residence, hoping to receive news of Minglan as soon as possible.

His goal was simple: to see Minglan again.

In fact, the person Qi Heng was able to see Minglan so smoothly and immediately was none other than Sheng Changbai.

Although the Duke of Qi's mansion was quite powerful, it was wishful thinking to think that they could plant people in the Sheng family without making a sound. Therefore, the fact that Qi Heng was able to get the news so quickly was actually because Sheng Changbai secretly passed it on to him.

Sheng Changbai knew about Qi Heng and Minglan's relationship, and he also knew why Qi Heng had wronged Minglan.

Although Qi Heng did nothing wrong, as Minglan's brother, Sheng Changbai did not think that Qi Heng was qualified to get close to Minglan or his sister.

Therefore, when Sheng Changbai discovered Qi Heng's little tricks, he immediately went to his door, exposed him, and strongly demanded that Qi Heng respect himself and not approach his younger sister again as a married man!
Faced with his furious classmate, Qi Heng did not argue, but remained silent with a pale face.

However, even with Qi Heng's reaction, Sheng Changbai remained ruthless and unwavering in his decision, demanding that he promise not to harass his younger sister again, otherwise, their relationship would be severed and they would become strangers in the future!

Finally, Qi Heng spoke up.

Many thanks to the generous readers 20180816014942920, saynol, and 170331081517255 for their generous donations!


(End of this chapter)