Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 356 The Father and Son's Plan Comes to an End
"Humph!"

Upon hearing Sheng Changbai's words, Sheng Hong immediately snorted coldly!
However, after venting his anger, Sheng Hong did not continue to lash out. He simply straightened his back and quietly looked at Sheng Changbai, seemingly ready to hear what he had to say next.

"Father!"

Sheng Changbai stood up, bowed respectfully to Sheng Hong, and then said in detail, "Actually, I think that Xiao Qi's approach is not a bad move."

Although he said that, there was still a hint of apology in Sheng Changbai's voice.

There was no other way; after all, Sheng Changbai's statement contradicted Lord Sheng's, and as his son, he naturally had to apologize.

"A good move?"

Upon hearing Sheng Changbai's statement, Sheng Hong glanced sideways at the two brothers opposite him and said sarcastically, "What kind of good move is this?"

"I think this is a terrible move!"

Sheng Hong scoffed at this.

He slowly stood up from his seat, put his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice, "Leaving aside whether this matter will arouse hostility towards my Sheng family from others, just consider that he is just a mere scholar who has not yet obtained an official position, yet he dares to meddle in the affairs between first-rank ministers in the imperial court?"

Sheng Hong turned around, glared fiercely at Sheng Changquan, and said with exasperation, "Who do you think you are? How dare you act so recklessly?"

"I think your six years of studying abroad have probably made your heart wild!"

"They've even lost the most basic sense of reverence for this world!"

"If you don't take precautions, you might not be able to stand firm in the court in the future!"

Sheng Hong was still worried about Sheng Changquan's future. He felt that his most intelligent son had "gone astray" and had even forgotten the caution he had shown in his childhood.

It should be noted that the reason why Sheng Hong liked Sheng Changquan the most back then was not only because of his unparalleled talent, but also because of his cautious and prudent nature.

But now, who would have thought!

However, while Sheng Hong lamented this matter, he failed to consider the saying, "Times change."

What was Sheng Changquan's situation back then? The situation is quite different now.

In other words, Sheng Changquan was helpless and had no choice but to rely on the two heads of the Sheng family. That's why he hid his talents and was cautious to avoid being harmed by others!
However, things are different now. He has grown up and can still live well even if he leaves the Sheng family. That's why he dares to act this way and take a gamble for the future.

Inside the room, listening to Sheng Hong's lecture, Sheng Changquan simply kept his head down and didn't say anything to explain.

"Father!"

However, Sheng Changquan remained silent, but Sheng Changbai had a different opinion.

“Father, I think you probably haven’t figured out Xiaoqi’s intentions yet.”

"Ok?"

At this moment, not only was Sheng Hong surprised, but even the silent Sheng Changquan was slightly taken aback, wondering what Sheng Changbai was going to say.

"Father!"

Sheng Changbai took two quick steps toward his father and stood directly in front of Sheng Hong, lowering his voice to say, "Actually, think about it carefully."

"Whether this matter succeeds or fails, in the end, it will not affect our Sheng family."

To prevent Sheng Hong from not having thought things through, Sheng Changbai simply broke it down and explained it in detail.

"Father, if this matter succeeds, that would be wonderful!"

"Xiao Qi can also take this opportunity to establish a relationship with the Shen family. In the future, whether it is in the imperial examination or in his official career, he can benefit from Lord Shen's support and use it to his advantage."

"But if it doesn't work out, it won't be a big problem."

After discussing the advantages, Sheng Changbai began to analyze the disadvantages.

"In the imperial court, Lord Shen's strength is not weak. Even if he fails to enter the cabinet this time, it will not affect his power much. At most, he will have to lie low for a while!"

"Perfect! Lord Shen can use this opportunity to avoid the struggle between the two kings!"

Sheng Changbai understood that Shen Shouzhen's entry into the cabinet would not result in significant losses regardless of success or failure. After all, he was a capable minister favored by the emperor, and as long as the emperor valued him, the Shen family would be safe.

Moreover, the Shen family of Shandong has a strong base of support and is not afraid of this conflict at all.

"This……"

Upon hearing what Sheng Changbai said, Sheng Hong couldn't help but nod in agreement, agreeing with his point.

However, Sheng Hong was used to being cautious and prudent his whole life, so even though he understood the reasoning behind it, he still couldn't help but ponder it for a while.

After much deliberation, Sheng Hong finally had to admit that what Sheng Changbai said was indeed reasonable.

"And, Father!"

Before Sheng Changbai could finish speaking, he continued in a low voice, "Even if Xiao Qi fails to make this happen, Lord Shen will still remember his favor."

"In the future, if Xiao Qi ever encounters difficulties, Lord Shen will surely lend him a hand."

"Not to mention, Xiao Qi and the young master of the Shen family have a good relationship. With this connection, we can't escape it in some matters."

After saying this, Sheng Changbai didn't say anything more, but the other two people in the room understood the other meaning behind his words.

In fact, Sheng Changbai's subtext was quite simple: given the relationship between Sheng Changquan and Shen Li, he had already been branded as part of the Shen family.

Unless there is some special reason, when Sheng Changquan enters the court, he will naturally stand on the side of the Shen family.

"this!"

After listening to everything Sheng Changbai had to say, Sheng Hong's expression became somewhat strange.

It seemed like worry, yet also joy, and in the end, there was even a hint of envy.

However, these expressions were fleeting and no one was able to see them clearly.

"Ugh!"

After a long silence, Sheng Hong finally came to his senses and sighed, "Bai'er, what you said makes perfect sense!"

"But!"

"Whether this succeeds or fails, it will offend people!"

Sheng Hong did not explicitly state who he had offended, but both Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changquan understood his meaning and realized that he was referring to the Shen family's political enemies.

"Father!"

Seeing that Sheng Hong was still worried about offending people, Sheng Changbai couldn't help but gently advise, "How can one avoid offending people in this life?"

"When necessary, we must sacrifice some people and dedicate ourselves to others!"

“This…” Sheng Hong was speechless upon hearing his most trusted eldest son speak in such a way.

However, it's understandable, since the most important principle for officials in the Shengda clan, besides having a wide circle of friends, is not to offend anyone!
Whether it was his superiors, colleagues, or subordinates, Sheng Hong valued harmony and tried his best not to cause trouble. Therefore, Sheng Changbai's statement and Sheng Changquan's actions were difficult for Lord Sheng to accept for a while.

"father!"

Seeing that Sheng Hong's attitude had softened somewhat, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but lean forward and quietly open his mouth.

However, Sheng Changquan was also cunning. Seeing that Sheng Hong's anger had subsided, he secretly changed his form of address, hoping to use this to get closer to the two and gently awaken the other's "dormant" fatherly love.

"father!"

Sheng Changquan called out softly again, and then said, "Actually, given my son's relationship with the Shen family, whether I help him or not, I'm already marked with the Shen family's name."

"So, my son thinks that since we can't remain neutral, we might as well completely side with one side. Maybe the rewards will be even greater!"

Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai both knew what Sheng Changquan meant and understood his thoughts.

a long time.

"That's it!"

Sheng Hong finally had no choice but to accept this "bleak" reality.

He waved at Sheng Changquan and said weakly, "Since you've already agreed to this, there's no going back."

"You...you should just go ahead and do it!"

Sheng Hong paused for a moment, then could only say helplessly, "Even if it doesn't work out, the Sheng family can still protect you!"

"father!"

Upon hearing this last sentence, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but feel a little moved.

To be honest, although Sheng Hong was rather "confused" about some things, he still cared a lot about his children, especially his three brothers, Sheng Changbai.

You should know that in this world, apart from legitimate sons and daughters, those children born out of wedlock are basically just half-house slaves.

Leaving aside the other small and humble families, their illegitimate sons and daughters were even more miserable. Forget about their future; just being able to live to adulthood was already extremely lucky.

Returning to those prominent families, don't be fooled by the fact that the sons and daughters of illegitimate children from those aristocratic clans are all highly capable individuals; in reality, their circumstances are extremely tragic!
Although their situation was better than the former, they were not only rarely abused, but also had no worries about food and drink, and even these illegitimate children could be carefully trained by the mistress and learn some skills.

However, it is also more difficult for these people to stand out.

Needless to say, the illegitimate sons were destined to serve the legitimate sons, but in any case, they were still in the front courtyard, with some freedom and more choices.

However, the daughters of concubines were different. They could only live in the backyard and obey the words of the mistress of the house. If they could win her favor, they might even have some advantages in marriage.

However, for those wealthy and powerful families, the greatest role of illegitimate daughters was to arrange marriages and to serve as tools for winning over various forces.

The phrase "arranged marriage by parents and matchmaker" essentially sealed off this rule, leaving these illegitimate daughters with no way to resist!

Therefore, compared to those people, Sheng Hong and Madam Wang were indeed extremely responsible and kind.

"All right!"

Feeling a little uncomfortable under Sheng Changquan's gaze, which was three parts moved and seven parts exaggerated, Sheng Hong waved his hand and said, "Let's settle this matter like this for now. We'll talk about the rest later!"

As a strict father, Sheng Hong naturally couldn't stand such a "genuine expression of emotion." Therefore, under Sheng Changquan's gaze, Sheng Hong turned away rather uncomfortably, avoiding his eyes.

However, Sheng Hong was unaware that the "sincere emotions" in Sheng Changquan's eyes were not entirely without substance.

Sheng Hong, who appears aloof but is actually very emotional, didn't see through Sheng Changquan's acting at all. He assumed that the emotions in his son's eyes were genuine, but he didn't know that what he saw was just what Sheng Changquan wanted him to see.

Call Sheng Changquan rational or cold-blooded, but while he was moved, he was mostly indifferent!
The phrase "indifferent" here does not mean that he has no feelings at all, but rather that his feelings remain in his heart but he does not take any actual action.

If it were Minglan, Sheng Changquan would dare say that she would absolutely open her heart to her father, Sheng Hong, to show her affection.

However, Sheng Changquan still cannot fully trust his father, Sheng Hong, and remains somewhat wary of him.

Of course, he also believed that his father would protect him, but this protection had its limits.

In other words, Sheng Changquan's trust in Sheng Hong was only limited.

Within a certain scope, and as long as it doesn't involve the entire Sheng family, Sheng Hong might offer his full support. However, when the entire family is in danger, Sheng Hong will definitely not protect them to the death!
After all, Sheng Hong didn't only have one son.

Sheng Changquan could understand this, but while he could understand, he still couldn't accept it emotionally. If Minglan were in Sheng Hong's position, Sheng Changquan was sure that his older sister would do everything in her power to protect him, even at the cost of the entire Sheng family!
Therefore, Sheng Changquan had such an attitude towards his sister and father.

"All right!"

Sheng Hong spoke again: "Changquan, actually, the other reason I called you here this time is still because of your provincial examination."

"The provincial examination?"

Sheng Changquan seemed to realize something.

"That's right, Xiao Qi, it's the provincial examination!"

Sheng Changbai, who was standing to the side, also spoke up.

"Xiao Qi, do you know who the chief examiner for this year's provincial examination is?"

"Hmm? I don't know!"

Sheng Changquan honestly shook his head.

"However, second brother, has the imperial court already decided on the position of chief examiner?"

Sheng Changquan looked at his second brother with some confusion and asked curiously, "But in the past, wasn't the position of chief examiner usually announced three days before the start of the provincial examination?"

"What...this time?"

Sheng Changquan was somewhat suspicious.

"Ah!"

Hearing this, Sheng Hong smiled and said, "Chang Quan, these rules will naturally not change!"

Having accepted Sheng Changquan's decision, Sheng Hong naturally let it go. Therefore, he said, "However, before that, the officials will first select a few of the most suitable candidates and then present them to His Majesty for His decision!"

"For this provincial examination, three people were selected as chief examiners."

Meeting Sheng Changquan's puzzled gaze, Lord Sheng began to explain the secrets behind it.

Having served as an official for decades, he dared not say much about other matters, but he was quite confident in the intricacies of the system. He began to tell his youngest son about the inside story of the provincial examination, preparing him to ensure that he would not lose at the "starting line".

"Among them, besides Minister of Personnel Sun, Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy Zhai and Chancellor of the Imperial Academy Liang are the most suitable."

Sheng Hong began to tell his youngest son about the inside story of the provincial examination, preparing him to ensure he wouldn't lose at the "starting line".

(End of this chapter)