Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 330 Returning Home and Paying Respects
No one knows what Qi Heng and Sheng Changbai actually said, but in the end, Qi Heng withdrew all the people he had arranged near the Sheng residence.

However, even though those people were no longer watching him, it didn't mean that Qi Heng had given up his intention to find out about Minglan.

Given that he was able to learn about Minglan's situation so quickly and arrive here, it means that Sheng Changbai leaked the information about Minglan to Qi Heng.

Looking at Qi Heng's quiet and uninterrupted behavior, it's likely that he and Sheng Changbai made an agreement based on today's events, setting the stage for what would happen next.

Needless to say, the content of this agreement was probably that Qi Heng was only allowed to silently watch Minglan today, and in the future, he would probably no longer be able to approach her under any other pretext.

In short, we must use today's events to fully understand this relationship!
To be honest, Sheng Changbai had his own reasons for going to see Qi Heng.

He knew that Qi Heng was sincere towards Minglan, and he believed that Qi Heng was willing to give everything for Minglan.

However, there is a premise here: the only thing Qi Heng can give up is himself!
His family, his parents, were things he could never give up.

Therefore, a relationship between Qi Heng and Minglan was destined to be impossible.

Moreover, when he chose to marry Princess Jiacheng back then, he had already betrayed Minglan. Now, even if he still can't let go of the latter, it's just the result of his own actions and the consequences of his past choices.

Qi Heng has no reason or position to take this matter.

Moreover, if Qi Heng continues to secretly keep an eye on Minglan, what will happen to his family?

Will it eventually attract the attention of the Prince of Yong's Mansion, leading to a purge of both families?

As for the consequences of his actions, they will definitely hurt both himself and others.

At the very least, it would not benefit Minglan or the Sheng family in the slightest.

Most importantly, and what Sheng Changbai was most worried about, if Qi Heng insisted on doing this, the only consequence would be that he would incur the hostility of one person.

That person was Sheng Changquan!
Sheng Changbai wasn't entirely oblivious to Sheng Changquan's character, though he wasn't entirely certain. He knew that Sheng Changquan had a bottom line.

It's less of a bottom line and more of a sore spot!

Whenever it involves his older sister Minglan, Sheng Changquan will become like a hedgehog with its fur standing on end, making him unapproachable!

More importantly, he will be very aggressive at that time!
And this kind of aggression is absolutely terrifying!

In fact, the other members of the Sheng family could more or less sense the deep affection between Minglan and her brother, but they only thought it was because the two had depended on each other since childhood. Few people could discover the profound emotions hidden beneath.

This wave actually originated from Sheng Changquan's attention.

To be fair, among the three Sheng brothers, Sheng Changbai is upright and honest. Although he acts rigidly, he is also quick-witted. Sheng Changfeng is somewhat lazy, but he is still talented. Although his temperament is not good, he is not ruthless. At least he is not as vicious as his birth mother Lin Qinshuang and his sister Sheng Molan.

The last one, Sheng Changquan, was actually the most ruthless of the three brothers!
There's something that Sheng Changbai has never mentioned: when Sheng Changquan was still young, he personally witnessed Sheng Changquan practicing martial arts.

At that time, Sheng Changquan was practicing a set of boxing techniques to strengthen his body and hone his martial arts skills.

Normally, when Sheng Changquan practiced martial arts, he would be accompanied by his master, Master Xu. However, at that time, for some unknown reason, Master Xu had to leave temporarily, leaving Sheng Changquan to continue his arduous training.

Perhaps because no one was watching over him, at that time, Sheng Changquan, at a young age, actually picked up a granite piece that was more than half the size of his body, and carried it on his back with a rope to increase the difficulty of his training.

At the same time, even while carrying such a huge boulder on his back, he still diligently and meticulously cultivated himself.

At that time, Sheng Changquan was only three years old. Although he was exceptionally talented and physically strong, he still managed to study and practice diligently despite carrying such a huge rock on his back. This alone left others speechless.

Sheng Changbai, who witnessed this scene, was even more shocked!

That day, Sheng Changbai deliberately did nothing but silently observe him all day.

Finally, Sheng Changbai was surprised to find that, apart from necessary activities such as eating, Sheng Changquan was able to practice silently for an entire day, like an ascetic.

Such resilience is truly terrifying!
During that period, because Madam Wang took Rulan back to her parents' home to visit relatives, and Old Madam Sheng went to the mountains to visit the immortal as usual, the Sheng family's backyard was in a bit of chaos, and no one came to take care of Sheng Changquan.

It was precisely because of this that Sheng Changbai had the opportunity to coincidentally see another side of Sheng Changquan.

Admittedly, a person who is cruel to others can be called a vicious person, but a person who can be just as decisive to himself can be called a ruthless person!
It is more ruthless than fierce, but even more ruthless.

It was from that time onwards that Sheng Changbai sincerely believed that the only person who could raise the ceiling of the Sheng family's glory in the future was Sheng Changquan.

Only he could break his grandfather Sheng Xu's glorious record and achieve great success in the imperial examination.

After all, someone like Sheng Changquan, if he doesn't erupt from silence, he's bound to become a monster in silence. In any case, for better or for worse, this guy will eventually be able to stir up trouble.

Therefore, for the good of both the Qi and Sheng families, Sheng Changbai thought it best to completely eliminate the possibility of conflict between Qi Heng and Sheng Changquan before it even started, so that the two of them would not have the opportunity to become enemies.

After all, neither side should suffer losses, which is not what Sheng Changbai wants to see.

Of course, it's worth mentioning here that if a conflict were to actually occur between the two, Sheng Changbai would ultimately hope that the one who gets hurt wouldn't be Sheng Changquan.

As for the reason, those who understand will naturally understand.

After all, they all share the surname Sheng, and no matter how good their relationship with Qi Heng is, it can't overcome the bond of blood.

……

As luck would have it, not long after Old Madam Sheng and Minglan returned to the Sheng residence, Sheng Changquan also rushed back.

Of course, because Sheng Changbai had made prior arrangements, he did not find any trace of Qi Heng along the way, let alone his "spying".

After all, Qi Heng didn't have eyes for him.

The Sheng Mansion, Shou'an Hall.

Just as Grandma Sheng and the others had settled into their chairs, they heard footsteps outside.

"tread!"

"tread!"

"..."

The sound grew closer, and in a short while, Sheng Changquan walked in.

"Hehe, Quan'er is back!"

Grandma Sheng sat in the main seat and smiled at Sheng Changquan as he walked in.

"grandmother!"

Before Sheng Changquan could even take a closer look, he quickly bowed to the people in the hall and greeted the old lady, saying, "Grandmother, your grandson has returned!"

"hehe!"

Grandma Sheng smiled and nodded, saying, "It's good that you're back. Now, you should quickly meet your father and mother!"

"Those two of them miss you terribly too!"

"Yes, Grandmother!"

After Old Madam Sheng spoke, Sheng Changquan turned around and looked at the other people in the room.

At this moment, besides Old Madam Sheng and Minglan, Sheng Hong and Madam Wang were also present, and the couple were sitting in the seat below Old Madam Sheng.

"The son has met his father and mother!"

Upon arriving opposite the two elders, Sheng Changquan bowed respectfully.

"Ok!"

Sheng Hong maintained his aloof and stern fatherly demeanor, his eyes fixed intently on Sheng Changquan, as if scrutinizing something. Only after Sheng Changquan bowed did he reluctantly nod, accepting the greeting.

On the other hand, Madam Wang was much more sincere. She exclaimed excitedly, "My son!"

"You little rascal, you're finally back!"

Madam Wang's eyes were a little red, and her voice trembled slightly.

It was clear that she was speaking from the heart, and that she truly cared about Sheng Changquan.

Although Sheng Changquan was not her biological son, he was raised by her side. As the saying goes, "the kindness of raising is worse than the kindness of giving birth." To her, Sheng Changquan was "almost" the same as her own child.

Of course, "almost" is "almost," and compared to Changbai, Hualan, Rulan, and others, Sheng Changquan's status in Madam Wang's heart was still several levels lower.

However, this is understandable.

Because Sheng Changquan had always been good at sweet-talking and coaxing people since he was a child, sometimes Wang Da Niangzi felt that raising him was much happier than raising Changbai and Rulan.

After all, one doesn't have to worry about anything, while the other is extremely troublesome. Both of them have gone to extremes, and sometimes, they really give Madam Wang a headache.

Therefore, it is indeed true that Madam Wang misses Sheng Changquan.

"Mother!"

Upon seeing this, Sheng Changquan quickly "abandoned" his elderly father beside him, stepped forward, and, seeing the subtle expression on his father's face, took Wang Da Niangzi's hands, his expression also quite moved.

"Mother, it is your unfilial son who has failed you!"

"You've gone to so much trouble and worried about me!"

Supporting Madam Wang, Sheng Changquan looked somewhat guilty.

"You!"

Madam Wang gripped Sheng Changquan's right hand tightly, her voice tinged with helplessness: "Since you knew I was thinking of you, why didn't you come back sooner?"

"Moreover, he doesn't even write many letters!"

Madam Wang scolded, "It's made your father ask questions every time someone delivers a letter, suspecting that they've lost your letters!"

"Besides, we've asked so many times already, we almost made those messengers afraid to even step into our house!"

"Absurd...absurd!"

As soon as Madam Wang finished speaking, Sheng Hong jumped up and said, trying to cover it up, "You're talking nonsense!"

"I...I only asked two or three times, it's not as exaggerated as you say."

Sheng Hong's expression was a little off; he seemed to be trying to hide his tenderness and only wanted to show his tough and aloof side.

"You, a woman, must not speak nonsense and say things that don't make sense!"

"Hmph! Me, spouting nonsense?"

Upon hearing Sheng Hong's denial, Madam Wang's eyes widened, and she immediately decided to take it seriously!
"I……"

"Mother! Mother!"

"Please don't say anymore, I know, I know!"

Seeing this, Sheng Changquan quickly stepped forward to comfort Madam Wang, while also saying with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Mother, please don't say anymore, I believe you..."

The last sentence was spoken in a low voice, in order to avoid embarrassing Sheng Hong.

"Hmph, Quan'er, let me tell you..."

"..."

Madam Wang glanced at Sheng Hong, then grabbed Sheng Changquan and went on to reveal more, which made Sheng Hong jump up and down in displeasure.

……

"hehe!"

Seeing that Sheng Hong and his wife were bickering again, Old Madam Sheng couldn't help but smile, while Minglan and the others secretly covered their mouths and laughed.

"Okay, stop arguing!"

After a long pause, Old Madam Sheng finally spoke up, stopping them, saying, "You all have daughters-in-law now, why are you still so serious?"

Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the younger generation?

Grandma Sheng smiled at a woman holding a child not far away and said, "Granddaughter-in-law, this scene is making you laugh!"

"Grandmother, it's nothing!"

The woman smiled gently and explained to Sheng Hong and his wife, "When I was at my parents' home, my father and mother also joked like this."

"They say, this is what life is all about."

"It's normal. Noisy arguments can actually enhance relationships and promote harmony among family members."

"Cough cough!"

Hearing their conversation, Sheng Hong and his wife finally quieted down.

Madam Wang stopped clamoring to expose the truth, and Sheng Hong stopped trying to defend himself; the scene immediately quieted down.

Seeing this, Sheng Changquan finally secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.

"Changquan greets Second Sister-in-law!"

Filled with deep gratitude, Sheng Changquan walked up to the woman and bowed.

This woman was none other than Sheng Changquan's wife, Hai Chaoyun, of the Hai clan.

"Seventh Brother, please rise!"

Upon seeing Sheng Changquan bow, Hai Chaoyun immediately had her personal maid help her up, preparing to let Sheng Changquan stand up as well.

"Seventh brother, you're too kind. We're all family, there's no need for such formalities!"

Because of her pregnancy, Hai Chaoyun's movements were inevitably a bit clumsy. So, without waiting for Hai Chaoyun to be polite, Sheng Changquan quickly straightened up and said urgently, "Second sister-in-law is right. I was too polite!"

At the same time, Sheng Changquan followed Hai Chaoyun's words and said, "Second sister-in-law, you are pregnant, so please sit down quickly!"

"Just as my second sister-in-law said, we are all family, so please don't be so polite!"

"This……"

Hai Chaoyun hesitated, seemingly unwilling to lose his manners in front of his younger brother whom he was not yet very familiar with.

"Hey! Chaoyun, you can't move around like that!"

Fortunately, Madam Wang was present. With a wave of her hand, she quickly helped Hai Chaoyun to sit down comfortably.

(End of this chapter)