Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

……

The main hall of the Yongchang Earl's Mansion.

"Snapped--!"

A crisp, loud slap suddenly rang out, breaking the deathly silence in the room and causing dust to rustle between the beams and pillars.

"evil creature!!"

Madam Wu trembled violently, her well-maintained face turning a frightening purplish-red, her fingertips almost digging into Liang Han's rapidly swollen flesh.

"The back mountain of Yuqing Temple?!"

"Private meeting?!"

Madam Wu's voice shattered with extreme anger: "And you were caught red-handed by the Sheng family?! You wretched child, are you trying to throw the century-old reputation of my Yongchang Marquis's Mansion into the Bian River to feed the turtles?!"

Liang Han covered his face, burning with pain and shame, yet he still stubbornly screamed, his eyes brimming with a sincere grief and indignation: "Mother, please calm down! Your son is innocent!"

"My son is innocent!"

Liang Han knew he had made a mistake, but he couldn't bear to part with the delicate and beautiful Sheng Molan.

"Mother, I only pity Mo Lan! She is innocent!"

Liang Han explained his reasons, saying, "Mother, you don't know, the Sheng family claims to be a family of scholars, but behind the scenes they mistreat their illegitimate daughter. Mo Lan wrote a letter complaining that she was slandered and persecuted by the head mistress! She was also harshly reprimanded and confined by her father, suffering day and night, wishing she were dead... I... I really can't bear to see her forced to her death!"

"My son... truly pities her..."

"Pity?!"

Madam Wu was so angry that her vision blurred, and a surge of rage rushed to the top of her head. She grabbed a famille rose teacup from the high table and slammed it down with all her might!

"boom!"

The teacup grazed Liang Han's temple and shattered on the blue brick floor, splashing scalding tea all over him!
"He's blinded by greed! He's been bewitched by that vile woman's seductive tricks!"

Madam Wu was furious!

"Pity? Pity to the point of undressing someone and touching their body in a Taoist temple, a place of quiet cultivation?! And being caught red-handed by the person's father?!"

"You're courting death! You've brought utter disaster upon the Liang family!"

She paced frantically through the flower hall like a caged beast, her large, gold-and-king-feather phoenix hairpin jingling wildly, the clanging of which echoed incessantly: "The Sheng family! Even if the Sheng family is not of the highest social standing, they are still a family of upright officials!"

"Although Sheng Hong is only in the Ministry of Works, his family, Changbai, enjoys considerable imperial favor! And he also has the Hai family as a relative by marriage!"

"You beast, you've committed such a disgraceful act and been caught red-handed! How can the Sheng family swallow this insult?!"

"Let the whole of Bianjing criticize my Earl's Mansion, accusing my Liang family of abusing their power, letting their son commit violence, and tarnishing the reputation of officials' families?!"

Her heart was burning, and an indescribable sense of suffocation was building up inside her.

She originally had her eye on Minglan, the sixth daughter of the Sheng family!

That child, despite her young age, was dignified and calm, and was very endearing. What was even more remarkable was that her younger brother, Sheng Changquan, who had passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen!
What a dazzling young talent he was, with a bright future ahead of him!
If they could arrange a marriage, it would be a great benefit to Liang Han and the Liang family.

Who would have thought that this good-for-nothing wretch would be bewitched by the wicked concubine's daughter, Mo Lan, and cause such a terrible disaster!

Liang Han was terrified. He crawled over and grabbed onto Madam Wu's embroidered gold-threaded skirt, tears streaming down his face. "Mother, save me! Your son knows he was wrong! The Sheng family... they have their pride too, they wouldn't dare make a scene..."

The image of Sheng Changquan's handsome yet slightly aloof face flashed through his mind, along with the praise he received from the scholars of Bianjing for being a "young scholar with outstanding literary talent." A strong sense of resentment and bitterness welled up in his throat, and he blurted out, "If Sheng Changquan can pass the imperial examination, why can't my son?"

"If my son studies hard, he might not be any worse than him!"

“They are both from the Sheng family. Mo Lan is gentle and well-mannered. How could she be inferior to Ming Lan!”

"just you?"

No one knows a child better than their mother. As for Liang Han's skills, others might not know, but how could her, as his mother, not know?

"Shut your mouth right now!"

Madam Wu cursed out loud, nearly fainting from anger at her stupid, pig-like son. She kicked him away, a cold sneer on her lips, her disappointment and frustration adding, "Face? What the Sheng family lacks right now is a way to save face!"

"And you, you've handed over a knife that could stab my Liang family! Do you think they'd let you get away with it? You..."

The reprimand was interrupted by hurried, frantic footsteps outside the door. The head maid stumbled in, her face ashen!

"Madam...Madam! Lord Sheng...Lord Sheng is here! He's right outside the gate! He's carrying the Sixth Young Master's jade pendant...and...and his face looks grim...it seems he's come to...to question me!"

For a moment, the old woman trembled and couldn't continue speaking.

Actually, the old woman meant to say she was coming to kill someone, but considering her own status, she changed her words.

"Jade pendant?! To interrogate me?!" The two words pierced Wu's temples like ice needles.

Her vision went black for a moment, and she managed to stand up by holding onto the back of the rosewood chair.

Sheng Hong actually came in person so quickly!
That's right, this matter really can't be delayed, but this attitude... it's like they're going all out and tearing off all pretenses!
Madam Wu was worried, and her face looked unwell.

"what?!"

Liang Han collapsed to the ground, wailing, "Mother! I can't accept it! It was Sheng Molan who set me up..."

At this point, he changed his tune.

"Shut up!" Madam Wu shouted sharply, her mind in turmoil.

Sheng Hong came knocking on their door, bringing with him the jade pendant—the evidence was "conclusive." He was ruthless and forceful, determined to tear the Liang family apart!

"Mother, calm down."

Just then, a soft, sinister voice, like the hiss of a venomous snake, suddenly slipped into the arena.

Suddenly, the eldest son of a concubine, Liang Dalang, was quietly standing at the door.

He had a handsome face, a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes were somewhat deep.

Liang Dalang bowed respectfully, speaking slowly and deliberately, each word dripping with venom: "Mother, things have come to this point. My sixth brother has committed a terrible crime, and the Sheng family is pressing us with 'evidence,' their momentum is overwhelming. If we keep denying it, I'm afraid it will only backfire and give them more ammunition."

"Lord Sheng disregarded official decorum and rushed to our door, showing his determination and confidence. If we were to break off relations, the Sheng family would be determined to expose our scandals to the Censorate, causing a city-wide uproar... Mother, the Liang family's century-old reputation would be utterly destroyed."

Madam Wu's chest heaved, her gaze piercing him like a knife: "In your opinion?"

Liang Dalang's smile deepened, though it didn't reach his eyes; it was tinged with a chilling glint in his eyes: "In my humble opinion, what the Sheng family seeks is nothing more than a marriage alliance to silence the gossip of the world."

"Miss Sheng Si..."

He paused deliberately, his face showing disdain, but his eyes were filled with schadenfreude as he said, "Although he is born out of wedlock, the Sheng family is considered a rising star among the elite, and Sheng Hong's official reputation is decent. As for the marriage... it is barely a good match."

Suddenly, he abruptly changed his tone, his words dripping with venomous instigation: "But Mother, please be wise! Sixth Brother is the legitimate son of the Earl's Mansion, a man of noble birth and privilege! Lord Sheng is merely a minor official in the Ministry of Works, and the father of an illegitimate daughter. How dare he come to our door to 'question' us and discuss marriage based solely on a jade pendant? Where does that leave my Yongchang Earl's Mansion? If word gets out, the entire Bianjing will laugh at the Liang family for being weak, able to manipulate even the father of an illegitimate daughter?"

He leaned forward slightly, each word striking at Madam Wu's most sensitive spot: "I dare say that marriage is negotiable. But if the Sheng family is truly sincere, they deserve full respect! At the very least... we must invite the venerable Lord Sheng, who once saved the Empress, is highly respected, has a deep friendship with the late Empress, and is still frequently summoned by the palace, to personally come and discuss this! Only then will it appear solemn, and only then will it be barely... worthy of the Liang family's reputation!"

"Otherwise, how could the father of a concubine force the earl's legitimate son into marriage with 'evidence'? There's no such rule! There's a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, a hierarchy of respect and rank, and the fundamental principles of propriety and morality must not be disregarded, Mother!"

His repeated emphasis on the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was like adding a spoonful of boiling oil to Madam Wu's burning heart.

The four words "legitimate and illegitimate children, superior and inferior" were like a branding iron on Madam Wu's heart, which already despised Mo Lan. They also stirred up her regret and resentment towards Ming Lan and Sheng Changquan for missing their good match.

Liang Dalang's words were piercing, seemingly protecting the family's reputation while actually putting her in a difficult position, and also implying a threat from the collateral branches of the household.

Madam Wu's lustful anger surged to her head, burning away her reason.

His deep hatred for Mo Lan and his overwhelming anger at the fact that the "lowly collateral branch" of the Sheng family dared to "coerce" him completely overwhelmed all other considerations.

Her eyes flashed with a fierce light as she forced out a command through gritted teeth to the head maid, each word sharp as ice: "Go! Tell Sheng Hong! His Sheng family has raised a shameless girl who seduced my son, and the Liang family hasn't even questioned him about his 'lack of upbringing' and 'corruption of family tradition' yet! He dares to act so arrogantly with a jade pendant of unknown origin? Humph! Wishful thinking!"

She straightened her back, chin held high, and the countess's haughty and imposing aura permeated the air: "Want to discuss marriage? Fine! Make the Sheng family show their sincerity! Go back and respectfully invite their patriarch, Lord Sheng, to personally come and discuss this tomorrow!"

Otherwise, let's drop everything!

"The gates of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion are not a place where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can knock on with a broken piece of jade!"

Madam Wu emphasized the phrases "old feudal lord" and "personally visited," making her blatant and unforgiving demands and humiliations.

"Yes!"

The old woman, feeling as if she had been granted a pardon, scrambled away. (End of Chapter)