Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 334 Conversation (Understanding)

"what!"

"Is the imperial seal made of this thing too?"

Madam Wang held the jade pendant in her hand, her face filled with shock!

"Is emotion such a complex thing?"

Madam Wang lowered her head and carefully examined the jade pendant in her hand, feeling its warm texture. She was secretly surprised: "I didn't expect that this jade pendant would have the same origin as the treasures in the palace?"

Madam Wang was still somewhat incredulous, and kept rubbing the jade pendant in her hand, as if she wanted to polish away a layer of its outer layer so that she could reveal its true nature.

Of course, this would only be possible if it actually had this "true face".

In fact, it wasn't just Madam Wang who was surprised; everyone else in the room was equally astonished.

Apart from the elderly Mrs. Sheng at the very back, who seemed to vaguely know some of the details, the others were hearing about this secret for the first time.

Even Sheng Hong was no exception. Despite making many more "friends," some things were not so easy to obtain.

Sheng Hong once again realized the gap between the Sheng family and those other powerful families. This gap was not only in terms of connections and strength, but also in terms of family heritage and the amount of world secrets they possessed.

In response, Sheng Hong became even more eager to carry forward the Sheng family's legacy, hoping to achieve the status of an ancient family like the Hai family, which has been passed down through generations.

"Mother, that's different!"

Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, Sheng Changquan had no choice but to speak up.

"The jade seal in the Emperor's hand is actually carved from a giant jade heart with the colors of the five elements. Regardless of the carving, the material alone is different from the jade pendant in our hand!"

Sheng Changquan carried Zhuojie'er and brought her closer to Madam Wang so that the little girl could see the jade pendant more clearly and satisfy the little girl's curiosity.

However, since Hai Chaoyun did not speak, the little guy only dared to look at the jade pendant pitifully, but dared not move it or even touch it!
Seeing this, Sheng Changquan shook his head with pity and gently patted the little guy's back to comfort him. At the same time, he explained the relationship between the two to everyone.

"The jade pendant in front of us is only monochrome, and in terms of quality, it cannot compare with the legendary Imperial Seal of the State."

"In the classification of jade hearts, the different colors determine their status. The more colors a jade heart has, the more precious it is."

"Often, this difference in color can make all the difference!"

"So, don't overvalue this thing. A single-color jade heart isn't that extravagant."

Although Sheng Changquan offered this explanation, no one believed him at all.

Apart from Zhuo Jie'er, who was too young to understand, everyone else, even Wang Ruofu, could guess the value of the jade pendant and knew that it must be quite valuable.

Although it is very different from the Imperial Seal, what exactly is the Imperial Seal of the State?
That is the supreme treasure that has represented the orthodoxy of humanity since ancient times. What can compare to it?
Moreover, this jade pendant and the Imperial Seal of the State are made of the same material, both carved from jade, so they are, to some extent, on the same level.

Therefore, this jade pendant is certainly not as "ordinary" as Sheng Changquan described.

"All right!"

While everyone was still reeling from this inexplicable shock and falling silent, Sheng Hong suddenly spoke up.

"Since Changquan has said so, then daughter-in-law, you should accept it!"

Sheng Hong took the jade pendant from Madam Wang's hand, then walked up to Sheng Changquan and put it around Zhuo Jie'er's neck, saying, "From now on, Zhuo Jie'er must wear it carefully and is not allowed to take it off!"

"This can be considered a small token of my appreciation from Changquan, his uncle!"

Sheng Hong waved his hand and said decisively to Hai Chaoyun, "Besides, we're all family!"

"It's just a jade pendant. No matter how much you cherish it, it's nothing!"

"hehe!"

"Yes, Father is right!"

Sheng Changquan continued to hold Zhuojie'er, smiled, then bounced the little one around, and said in accordance with Sheng Hong's words, "Second sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite. We are all family, so there's no need for such formalities!"

"Besides, given the relationship between my second brother and me, this jade pendant is nothing at all!"

Hearing Sheng Changquan speak like this, Madam Wang couldn't help but smile and say, "Hmm, Changquan is quite sensible!"

Madam Wang was secretly pleased, thinking that Sheng Changquan was quite good.

In her opinion, Sheng Changquan spoke like that because he knew how to advance and retreat, and was tactful, unlike Sheng Changfeng in Linxi Pavilion, who always took Sheng Changbai as his goal and longed to surpass him!
Although Sheng Changfeng had always suffered crushing defeats against Sheng Changbai, seeing that her son had such an "enemy," and that the mother of this "enemy" was also an "enemy" of her own family, Madam Wang naturally disliked the "enemy" and her son very much.

"Well... if that's the case!"

"Then I will thank Seventh Brother on behalf of Sister Zhuo!"

After hesitating for a while, Hai Chaoyun finally agreed.

There was no way around it; this jade pendant was truly incredibly precious, especially for a child.

After all, jade heart nourishes and protects people, and for children who are prone to premature death, jade heart is indeed more protective.

Of course, there is such a claim, but whether there is any basis for it is impossible to verify.

However, judging from past examples, children who wear jade heart ornaments do indeed grow up healthy and rarely suffer from illnesses.

"Cough cough!"

"All right!"

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was gradually improving, Sheng Hong couldn't help but speak up: "Now that Chang Quan has returned, our whole family can be considered to be reunited!"

Although, at present, there are only these few people in the Sheng Mansion in the capital.

Oh, right!

Actually, Lin Qinshuang from Linxi Pavilion and Sheng Changbai, who had not yet returned from his official duties, were still in Bianliang City.

The others, however, have not yet returned.

Actually, the only two members of the Sheng family who lived in Dingzhou were Mo Lan and Ru Lan, and not in the capital.

As for Sheng Changfeng, he went to pick up his two younger sisters.

That's right, the two Lans should be heading towards the capital right now, and they should be back in the next few days.

Because Mo Lan and Ru Lan went to the Wang family, the maternal family of Madam Wang, even with the protection of the Wang family, it would still be somewhat unsafe for them to return to Bianjing.

At the very least, Madam Wang and Sheng Hong were still worried, which is why they sent Sheng Changfeng out to bring his two younger sisters back.

As for why Sheng Changfeng was chosen, there was no other way. In the Sheng family, only Sheng Changfeng, a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, had the leisure time. The other two were officials appointed by the imperial court and simply could not spare the time.

The reason why Mo Lan and Ru Lan need to come back quickly is because they are not young anymore and their marriages must be arranged before the end of the year. Otherwise, the Sheng family will have to go to the government office and pay the "late marriage fee" stipulated in the regulations!

The money is a small matter, but reputation is a big one. If people find out that the two daughters of the Sheng family are of marriageable age but still unmarried, things will get very ugly.

Even if there was a reason for the delay in choosing a husband for the young lady due to the imperial concubine selection, it still wouldn't make sense. People would just say, "If that's the case, then why can't the young ladies of the Sheng family get married?"

"I suppose it's because of your Sheng family's own reasons?" "Otherwise, why don't other families' daughters have this problem?"

"..."

These words left the Sheng family speechless, which is why Sheng Hong spoke in that manner.

After addressing the crowd, Sheng Hong turned and bowed to Old Madam Sheng in the hall, respectfully asking, "Mother!"

"It's getting late, why don't we go have some food?"

Upon hearing Sheng Hong's words, Old Madam Sheng suddenly felt a bit hungry, so she nodded slightly and said, "Alright!"

"In that case, let someone bring the food up!"

Grandma Sheng looked up and saw that almost everyone in the family was together. She said, "Today, let's all have dinner in my Shou'an Hall!"

"That way, everyone can join in the fun with this old woman!"

Grandma Sheng smiled and waved to Sheng Changquan, signaling him to bring Zhuojie over.

"Hehe, by the way, let Zhuo-jie and this old woman get a little intimate too!"

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but smile, thinking to themselves, "The old lady really likes Zhuo-jie'er!"

……

Dinner is over.

Seeing that Old Madam Sheng looked somewhat tired, everyone quickly greeted her and took their leave, preparing to leave her in a quiet environment to rest.

Seeing this, Old Madam Sheng naturally wouldn't refuse.

So, after receiving the old lady's permission, everyone went out.

Among them, Madam Wang, along with her daughter-in-law Hai Chaoyun, stopped Minglan and pulled her towards Wei Rui Xuan.

"Come on, Ming'er, tell me quickly, what exactly happened in Youyang?"

"What exactly happened to your uncle's family?"

"..."

Madam Wang's tone revealed an undisguised excitement.

It seems she's happy?
Minglan suspected she might have misunderstood; it was impossible for Madam Wang to be so happy about her uncle's family's misfortune.

After all, if something happens to Sheng Wei's family, Sheng Hong's family will also be affected.

Putting everything else aside, just consider the living expenses of the second branch of the Sheng family in Bianjing City. What will happen then?
If Uncle Shengwei really gets into trouble, then Sheng Hong will no longer be able to maintain his "incorruptible body". After all, if you can't even get enough to eat, how can you have any integrity?
Given Sheng Hong's personality, how could he not be greedy?
therefore.

"Madam, what are you thinking?"

Minglan thought for a long time before finally deciding to cautiously probe with a few questions.

"Madam, are you concerned about your uncle's family affairs?"

Minglan cautiously changed her tune, saying directly, "Actually, nothing bad happened in my uncle's family. It's just that Sister Shulan got divorced."

"Heli?"

Upon hearing those two words, Madam Wang's eyes lit up, and she immediately perked up.

"Quickly! Minglan! Tell me!"

"What exactly is going on here?"

……

Meanwhile, Sheng Hong took Sheng Changquan to his study.

"sit down!"

After the two entered the study, Sheng Hong pointed, indicating that Sheng Changquan should sit down.

"Yes, father!"

Sheng Changquan bowed respectfully first, and then, following Sheng Hong's suggestion, sat down in the chair in front of him.

This chair is placed in front of the desk, but it faces the chair behind the desk. The two chairs, one in front of the other, allow their owners to talk face to face.

Sheng Hong's study is quite spacious, with an elegant layout and a rather leisurely style.

It does seem to have a certain refined taste.

"Quan'er!"

Sheng Hong walked behind the desk and sat down in another chair. He looked at his son and asked, "Quan'er, in these six years, you've been to quite a few places with your teacher, haven't you?"

Although this sentence seems to be a question, Sheng Hong's tone is one of certainty.

It's likely that Sheng Hong has thought about this question many times.

"Have you continued your studies in the past few years?"

"You didn't forget to submit the article, did you?"

These few sentences revealed Sheng Hong's inner tension.

As early as six years ago, Sheng Hong already knew about Mr. Zhuang's plan and understood that he wanted to teach Sheng Changquan the principles of being a person through practical experience.

However, he had made a prior agreement with Mr. Zhuang, instructing him to ensure that Sheng Changquan's academic progress was adequate before undertaking this training.

Moreover, it is absolutely crucial to prevent him from falling into depravity in the path of the imperial examinations; otherwise, no matter how adept he is at interpersonal relationships, it will be of no use.

After all, what use is a scholar if he cannot pass the imperial examinations?
At least in the Sheng family, that's how it is. If someone fails the exam and is unable to pass, then in Sheng Hong's eyes, that person is truly a good-for-nothing.

“Father, over the past six years, I have indeed traveled to many places with my teacher and witnessed a great deal about human nature…”

Sheng Changquan honestly repeated his experience again, and finally said, "However, my son's studies have not fallen behind!"

"Furthermore, it is because of my experiences over the years that I have gained more insights into life, and I feel that my writing skills have also improved considerably."

Sheng Changquan said these words with great confidence, which comforted Sheng Hong, who was standing to the side.

"In that case, have you thought about the upcoming provincial examination?"

At this time, Sheng Hong did not know what Sheng Changquan's plans were, whether he would participate in this year's provincial examination or not, so he asked him this question.

"Father, that's natural!"

Without hesitation, Sheng Changquan said, "My son has decided to participate in this year's autumn imperial examination!"

(End of this chapter)