Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 481 Get out!
Time flies like sand through fingers; three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Mo Lan returned to her parents' home.

The carriage of the Earl of Yongchang's mansion stopped in front of the Sheng mansion. The four tall horses were shiny and smooth, the carriage shafts were carved and inlaid with jewels, and the accompanying servants were dressed in fine clothes, making quite a grand display.

However, this display of wealth and luxury reveals a deliberate ostentation, like a paper lantern that cannot withstand close scrutiny.

Mo Lan was helped out of the carriage by her maid. Her brand-new crimson brocade dress with gold trim dazzled the eyes in the slightly chilly early spring sunlight.

Her head was adorned with a profusion of pearls and jade hairpins, which were quite heavy and seemed to weigh down her slender neck. Her makeup was meticulously applied, with thick layers of powder, attempting to conceal the dark circles and weariness under her eyes, but instead making her face appear somewhat unnaturally stiff.

She tried to straighten her back, attempting to project the dignified air of a young mistress of the Earl's mansion, but a hint of gloom could not be concealed deep in her eyes, clearly indicating that her life was not as enjoyable as she had imagined.

Beside Mo Lan stood Liang Han, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe with python patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and a valuable mutton-fat jade pendant.

However, his mood was still affected by the last wedding procession, and he was somewhat unhappy. In fact, when he got off the carriage, he lazily yawned, and his eyes and brows were full of impatience. When his gaze swept over the not-so-grand gate of the Sheng Mansion, he made no attempt to hide a hint of "nothing special".

……

Sheng family.

Sheng Hong and Madam Wang sat solemnly at the head of the main hall. Sheng Changbai was absent due to urgent official business at the Hanlin Academy. His sisters Hua Lan, Ru Lan, Ming Lan, and Hai Chaoyun sat on either side. Sheng Changquan did not appear, citing his "unhealed right hand injury" as the reason. As for Sheng Changfeng, he had not left the house for a long time.

After everyone exchanged greetings, the atmosphere quickly became lively, but it was somewhat tense, like a taut string.

Liang Han was picky about the water temperature of the served tea and complained that the delicate pastries were not soft enough. His words always carried the condescending sense of superiority that noble sons had for the families of civil officials, as if he was complaining about the treatment he received during the wedding.

Mo Lan sat to the side, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Several times she tried to force a smile and find some topics to warm up the atmosphere, but Liang Han would shut her up with an impatient look or a light cough. She could only shut up awkwardly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the handkerchief tightly.

Finally, while Liang Han was getting a little bored and daydreaming after being asked a few indifferent questions by Sheng Hong, such as "Any new and interesting things in Bianjing these days?" and "Is your father still in good health?", Mo Lan seemed to have grasped a lifeline. She suddenly stood up and knelt down in front of Sheng Hong and Madam Wang with a "plop"!
"Father! Mother!"

Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice was filled with a mournful sob.

"Daughter begs you! Have mercy! Release my stepmother!"

"She was locked in that dark woodshed, all alone, crying day and night. My daughter... my daughter's heart is breaking!"

She raised her tear-filled face, as if she had used all her strength: "Father and Mother, please forgive me this time, for the sake of your daughter... for the sake of your daughter now being a member of the Liang family, and for the sake of the Yongchang Earl's Mansion! I will repay your kindness with the utmost gratitude in the future!"

She deliberately emphasized the words "Liang family woman" and "Earl of Yongchang Mansion," and looked at Liang Han beside her with a pleading gaze. Her intention was all too clear—to use her position to intimidate others.

Madam Wang's face darkened, and she curled her lips. She was about to scold, "A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; mind your own business," when Sheng Hong stopped her with a sharp glare.

Sheng Hong stared blankly at Mo Lan, who was kneeling in the hall with her makeup ruined by tears. He then glanced at Liang Liu Gongzi, who was standing next to him, seemingly unconcerned and even had a playful smile on his lips, as if he were watching a good show. He felt a surge of anger rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!
The humiliation, anger, and hatred towards Lin Qinshuang for failing to raise her daughter, which had been suppressed for several days, surged up like magma.

He took a deep breath, his voice as cold as ice: "The Lin family's affairs are my Sheng family's business! They will be dealt with according to the family rules of our ancestors! Now that you are married, you are a member of the Liang family. You should serve your parents-in-law and husband well and abide by the duties of a wife! How dare you interfere in the affairs of your own family?"

"stand up!"

The last two words already carried the authority of a command.

Mo Lan never expected that her father would be so tough and ruthless in front of Liang Han, leaving no room for negotiation!

She panicked instantly, disregarding everything else, and crawled two steps to Liang Han, reaching out to grab the hem of his robe as if grasping at the last piece of driftwood. Her voice was filled with sorrow and despair: "My lord! My lord! Please say a word for me! I beg you, please beg my father! My stepmother... she really knows she was wrong! Please, father, release her!" She placed all her hopes on her husband, hoping that the name of the Earl's mansion could suppress her father's anger.

Liang Han was idly playing with the warm jade pendant at her waist when Mo Lan tugged at her and begged her. Her brows furrowed into knots, and her face showed obvious impatience and displeasure at being disturbed.

He disdainfully shook off Mo Lan's hand, as if getting rid of something dirty, then glanced sideways at the tear-streaked Mo Lan, before looking at Sheng Hong, whose face was ashen, and said lazily in a condescending tone, as if giving alms to a beggar, "Father-in-law, Mo'er was only trying to be filial, and was impolite in the heat of the moment."

"No matter how terrible Lin Xiaoniang's faults are, she is still Mo'er's birth mother. She has been locked up for some time now, and she must have received the lesson she deserved. In my opinion, why don't we just let her go and release her? It would be better for everyone to be on good terms and save face."

“After all…” he drawled, with a self-satisfied sense of superiority, “our two families are now officially related by marriage, aren’t we? We have to give each other some face to get things done.”

These words were a blatant attempt to exert pressure from the Earl's mansion, displaying an extremely arrogant attitude.

Sheng Hong was already deeply ashamed of this scheming marriage that had humiliated him, and he loathed Liang Han, this dissolute playboy, to the core.

Seeing that he not only did not advise Mo Lan, but instead relied on his noble status to arrogantly interfere in the affairs of the Sheng family, with such a disrespectful attitude, the anger that had been building up for many days erupted like a volcano!
"boom--!"

Sheng Hong slammed his hand on the rosewood coffee table next to him!
The force was so great that the teacups on the table clattered and jumped, splashing scalding tea and wetting the tabletop.

He abruptly stood up, his face ashen, veins bulging on his forehead. Pointing at Liang Han's nose, his voice boomed like thunder, each word like a knife, and he sternly rebuked him without any mercy: "Sixth Young Master Liang! You better listen to me!"

"This is a matter for the Sheng family! It's none of your business, an outsider! No matter how high the rank of your Yongchang Earl's Mansion, or how illustrious your title, you have no right to interfere in the private affairs of the Sheng family! The crimes committed by Madam Lin are too numerous to count! They will be severely punished according to family law! As for you—"

Sheng Hong's voice suddenly rose, filled with thunderous rage and utter contempt: "Mind your own business! Don't think that just because you've acquired the empty title of Earl, you can boss people around and act arrogantly in my Sheng family! Although the Sheng family isn't exactly a wealthy and powerful clan, it has been a family of scholars for generations, and we won't tolerate your insolence! Show him out—!"

This earth-shattering explosion shook the rooftops!
Not only was Mo Lan terrified, her face turning pale, and she screamed before collapsing completely onto the cold floor tiles, but Liang Han was also utterly stunned!

He was used to a life of luxury and arrogance in Bianjing; he had never been publicly insulted like this before, especially by a mere fifth-rank civil official he usually looked down upon! The immense humiliation caused his face to flush instantly, turning as red as a boiled shrimp, before fading to a deathly pale. His lips trembled as he pointed at Sheng Hong: "You...you dare..."

If his mother hadn't analyzed the pros and cons for him, and if his father hadn't said that a marriage alliance with the Sheng family would be beneficial to his future, he wouldn't have been willing to lower himself to such an humiliating position.

After all, recently, not only Mo Lan, but also another "lovely one" has been secretly hiding in his house!

"see a visitor out!"

Sheng Hong didn't give him a chance to speak at all, and shouted again in a sharp voice, his voice firm and leaving no room for negotiation!
The butler and several burly servants, who had been waiting outside the hall, immediately responded and entered. Although they bowed and made a respectful "please" gesture, their approach and intense gazes carried an irresistible sense of pressure.

Liang Han was so angry that she trembled all over. She pointed at Sheng Hong and stammered "You...you..." for a long time. Looking at the several strong servants who were obviously not easy to mess with, she finally did not dare to make a move in someone else's residence.

He stomped his foot angrily, glared venomously at Mo Lan, who lay on the ground like a lump of mud, and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Useless!" Then he snorted angrily, flicked his sleeves, and stormed out of the main hall without looking back, skipping even the proper farewell.

As Mo Lan watched her husband's heartless departure and met her father's cold, piercing, and disgusted gaze, she felt dizzy and utterly hopeless, too exhausted to even cry.

She was lifted from the ground by two expressionless maids, as if being dragged away as a sack of rags, and was "sent" out of the Sheng Mansion gate in a daze and staggering.

What should have been a respectable homecoming banquet turned into a farce where everyone broke up and the event ended badly.

Inside the main hall, there was a deathly silence.

A hint of disdain and worry flashed in Hua Lan's eyes, and she quickly lowered her eyelids. Ming Lan, on the other hand, kept her eyes downcast and calm, as if everything was irrelevant to her. Ru Lan couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Serves her right!" She was only silenced when Hai Chaoyun gently tugged at her sleeve.

Madam Wang let out a long, long sigh of relief, feeling as if the pent-up frustration in her chest had been swept away, leaving her feeling incredibly relieved and refreshed!