Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 122 Minglan Requests an Audience, Lin Qinshuang Schemes
Inside the Ciqing Hall of the East Palace.

Today, Hualan, Minglan, and others are playing with Jingge'er. The nearly one-year-old Jingge'er has already learned to walk.

He was still a little unsteady, taking unsteady steps, with Minglan following behind, bending over and carefully protecting him.

Hua Lan sat on the soft couch, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and said, "Sixth Sister sent in the little shirt and hat earlier, and Jing-ge liked them very much."

"Big sister, I made this shirt." Rulan picked up a candied fruit from the fruit plate and chimed in with a grin.

Hua Lan glanced at her sideways, "Do you think I, as your older sister, don't know how good your needlework is?"

"That's clearly the acupuncture technique that Sixth Sister often uses. She's just being lazy, but now she's trying to pat herself on the back. She's really shameless."

Seeing that she had been exposed, Rulan lowered her head in embarrassment and fiddled with the pendant at her waist.

She has never been good at needlework, and relying on her status as the legitimate daughter, she is unwilling to put any effort into it.

Therefore, they secretly pushed all the tasks onto Minglan or the maids around her. Even if Wang Ruofu knew, she would only scold them lightly.

After all, Wang Ruofu herself wasn't very good at needlework; she had only been forced to learn some by her grandmother before her marriage.

"My fifth sister was learning how to manage the household from the eldest sister at that time, and I had nothing to do, so I took over for her."

Minglan turned around and smiled brightly.

Mo Lan gently waved her round fan, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing, "Steward... how is Fifth Sister's learning going?"

Rulan knew that Minglan was trying to save face for her, so she stubbornly said, "Of course I've learned very well!"

"Someone of my background is destined to marry into a prestigious family and become a matriarch. How could mere housekeeping and management be difficult for me?"

"Yes, yes, fifth sister is the most intelligent. Even Scholar Zhuang used to say that she was wise in a foolish way."

Mo Lan's lips curled up slightly as she stared at her with a half-smile.

“That’s right!” Rulan said, her brows furrowing slightly, as if something about what she said didn’t quite sound right.

She blinked, her gaze drifting over them. Hua Lan shook her head and slowly picked up her teacup.

Minglan lowered her head to straighten Jingge'er's clothes, while Molan slightly raised her chin at her.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the hall. Hearing the noise, Jingge'er staggered and ran towards the hall door.

Minglan was worried that he would fall, so she quickly lifted the hem of her skirt and bent down to follow him.

She hadn't walked more than a few steps out of the palace gate when, because her eyes were fixed on Jing-ge'er, she was momentarily distracted and bumped into a solid body.

She felt a sharp pain in her forehead and then collapsed to the ground.

"Is Sixth Miss alright?" Zhao Han leaned down slightly, smiling as she looked at Minglan.

As their eyes met, he was about to reach out to help her when he saw a look of fear flash across Minglan's face. He quickly stood up and took a step back.

"This humble woman has been impolite; I beg Your Highness's forgiveness."

Zhao Han said gently, "It's alright. But Sixth Miss, would you like to summon the imperial physician to take a look?"

Minglan shook her head repeatedly, "I'm fine, I'm fine, there's no need to trouble the imperial physician..."

Seeing that she was determined, Zhao Han did not force her, and led Jingge'er into the hall.

Minglan took a deep breath, calmed her thoughts, and then followed with dignified steps.

When Mo Lan and Ru Lan saw Zhao Han enter, they immediately bowed respectfully.

Zhao Han looked at them gently and asked, "Have you been settling in well in the palace these past two days?"

Rulan immediately put on a bright smile and answered first, "I'm used to it, very used to it!"

“Everything in this palace is exquisite and meticulous, even the snacks and meals are delicacies that I have never tasted before.”

"Especially the roasted quail, it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, even better than what my sixth sister makes!"

"All you ever think about is eating." Mo Lan silently retorted to herself before gently echoing, "Your Highness and elder sister have taken such good care of me, arranging all my daily needs so perfectly. I am deeply grateful for this honor."

Zhao Han smiled slightly.

"You don't need to be so reserved. Just make yourselves at home. Hualan has been looking forward to reuniting with you sisters."

Upon hearing this, Rulan nodded repeatedly, then turned to look at Minglan and tugged at her sleeve.

"Little Six, why is your face red? Are you sick?"

Minglan was lost in thought with her eyes downcast when she was startled by the tug and said in a low voice, "No, I'm just feeling a little stuffy."

"Bored? No, I don't think so?" Rulan was a little confused.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Earl of Yongchang's mansion.

Madam Wu held a cup of hot tea, her face full of worry.

Today, she visited the Sheng family to pay her respects to the old lady, intentionally or unintentionally revealing her desire to propose marriage to Minglan.

No matter how she tried to probe, the old lady kept changing the subject and didn't respond at all.

"Mother, what's so good about that sixth young lady? Why do you insist on having her?" Liang Liulang sat in the armchair, his fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest.

Madam Wu was furious and gritted her teeth, saying, "That Chun Ke in your backyard is nearly seven months pregnant. Once the child is born, what girl in Bianjing will dare to marry into our family!"

"You may not care about your reputation, but I do!"

“Over the years, Hui’er’s career has been smooth and he has been capable in handling affairs. The Earl has become more and more fond of him.”

"Neither of the two that crawled out of my belly amounted to anything!"

"Do you want to just watch our family's title fall into their hands?"

Liang Liulang lowered his head and said casually, "That's because my second brother is useless. What does it have to do with me? I can't inherit the title anyway."

"You...!" Madam Wu looked at him with exasperation.

"Besides, even the old lady doesn't agree, so why should Mother keep worrying about the Sixth Miss? She should focus more on the Fourth Miss."

Madam Wu frowned. In recent days, she had asked around about Mo Lan's character and habits.

He felt that if this fourth young lady entered the family, she would most likely indulge her sixth son in his love of poetry and romance, and all hope of passing the imperial examinations and entering officialdom would be lost.

If her illegitimate child were to inherit the title in the future, how could she possibly face anyone in Bianjing?

Their two legitimate sons will surely be suppressed by the couple until they have no chance to rise again!

“Go to the storeroom and pick out some jewelry that young ladies like. When the Sixth Miss comes out of the palace, find an excuse to send it to her.”

"Remember to pick something more expensive; we're not short of money," Madam Wu instructed the nanny beside her.

Liang Han sighed deeply. The sixth young lady was indeed more beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth. In terms of appearance, she was indeed better than the fourth young lady.

But he loved the way the Fourth Sister and he exchanged poems, a pleasure that haunted his dreams and made him unable to resist.

These past few days, even my sweet nothings with Chun Ke have lost their appeal.

-

As night fell, the stars shone brightly, and the side hall and study were brightly lit, with wisps of incense smoke rising from the burner.
Zhao Han was looking at the reports at his desk. With Zhang Fu's help these days, the Shenji Battalion had begun to take shape.

The soldiers, carefully selected from various regions, are intensifying their training at the western suburban camp. With Lü Yi and others overseeing the firearms department, all affairs are proceeding in an orderly manner.

After the New Year, it will be the sixth year of the Jiayou era. The Emperor will be over fifty years old. Apart from the founding emperor, there are not many emperors who can live past fifty.

The emperor must witness the day when Western Xia is pacified.

At this moment, a eunuch bowed and came forward, saying softly, "Your Highness, the Sixth Miss is outside requesting an audience."

Zhao Han raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. It was almost past midnight, what was she doing here?
"Let her in."

After the eunuch responded, Minglan's figure quietly appeared before them shortly afterward.

She was dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), without any makeup or hair ornaments, with a few strands of hair hanging down beside her ears.

"This humble woman has something to ask Your Highness..." After saying this, Minglan knelt down on the ground. Her stubborn expression, coupled with her frail figure, made people feel sorry for her.

Zhao Han looked at him with a deep gaze and said gently, "Sixth Miss, please speak freely. There's no need for such a grand ceremony."

"Back in Yangzhou, Lin Xiaoniang repeatedly plotted to harm us. It was thanks to Your Highness that Xiaoniang, her younger brother, and Xiaodie were able to save their lives."

"Because of her deliberate mistreatment, my young lady's hands would ache and itch unbearably every winter, and it was only in the last few years that her health was restored. I have seen all of this."

Before the Sheng family moved to the capital, Mo Lan and Ru Lan had a very refined diet, while Ming Lan didn't even have a decent piece of clothing, let alone jewelry.

When Hua Lan came of age, Wei Xiao Niang rummaged through her chests and cabinets to find her a somewhat decent set of clothes.

Sheng Hong never cared about his daughter.

"So, what do you want to do?" He wasn't surprised that Minglan wanted to avenge the past. Who could bear to see their birth mother murdered and on the verge of death?

Minglan lowered her eyes and laid out her plan, which she had been pondering for many days.

“Once the matter is exposed, for the sake of the Sheng family’s reputation, Father will most likely send her to Youyang in secret, so that she will never be able to return to the capital in this lifetime.”

"As for Lin Qinshuang, she will never give up in order to achieve her goal, and she will definitely struggle to the death, even at the cost of mutual destruction."

"With the family's reputation at stake, even if my father still cherishes old feelings, he cannot tolerate her."

At this point, Zhao Han understood what she meant.

It's simply a matter of preventing the matter from spreading according to Lin Qinshuang's wishes, and then putting pressure on Sheng Hong himself.

"Does Your Highness consider me a ruthless, scheming, and utterly wicked person?"

Minglan looked up at him, her voice barely audible.

"Sixth Miss is joking. This is clearly Lin's own fault. What's wrong with you avenging your mother?"

"Besides, you didn't do anything wrong, and you still lost a good marriage for no reason."

Upon hearing this, Minglan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes. "The Liang family is not a marriage alliance."

“His eldest son’s wife, Lady Wei, deliberately revealed to me that Liang Liulang was a womanizer and a philanderer.”

"If it weren't for the fact that her concubine in the backyard was pregnant, Madam Wu wouldn't be in such a hurry to curry favor with him."

Liang Hui and Madam Wei had finally secured a place in the Liang family, so how could they just stand by and watch Liang Liulang marry a girl from the Sheng family?

Seeing how close Madam Wu was to Minglan, they naturally wanted to find ways to stop her.

"I see." Zhao Han looked at her with a half-smile.

"In my next life, I wish to be your ox or horse to repay Your Highness's kindness."

Minglan kowtowed deeply; this was the only way she could think of to repay the debt.

"Forget about the next life, let's stick with this one."

Zhao Han chuckled softly, grasped her wrist, and steadily helped her up from the ground.

Minglan was caught off guard and pulled up, staggering half a step before regaining her balance. She looked up at him, her eyes full of confusion, "This lifetime?"

“That’s right, there’s no rush. Sixth Miss can go back and think carefully about how to repay me.”

After leaving the side hall, Minglan was somewhat dazed, and the tips of her ears were still burning. How could she possibly repay him in this lifetime?

Is it possible...

She gripped her sleeve tightly, her heart pounding like a drum.

But then I thought, he already has an older sister, Sister Shulan, and Sister Yanran...

No, no, Minglan shook her head. He is the one who will ascend the throne as emperor in the future.

With three thousand beauties in the imperial harem, deciding who to send to the palace in the future is merely a matter of imperial decree, and no one can stop it.

After returning to her residence in the side hall, Minglan took off her brocade skirt, wearing only a plain white undergarment, and tiptoed back to bed.

"Girl, where have you been?" Danju, who was in the next room, sat up after hearing the noise and looked at her sleepily.

Minglan said softly, "I can't sleep, I'm going out for some fresh air."

Danju nodded groggily, "Miss, you can't wander around. The palace is so big, it'll be hard to find if you get lost."

"Okay, you should go to sleep now." As she spoke, Minglan covered herself with the blankets and stared blankly at the patterns on the curtains.

-

A few days later, the three girls returned home happily with the gifts from Empress Cao and Hua Lan.

To get closer to Minglan, Madam Wu spared no expense and effort, and even organized a polo match, extending a warm invitation to them to attend.

Rulan dressed herself up in a flamboyant manner and showed off to everyone she met that she was wearing all the palace items, which attracted a group of noble ladies to flatter her endlessly.

Mo Lan was equally impressive, but her mind was now entirely on Liang Liulang, and the two frequently exchanged glances.

Seeing this made Madam Wu feel increasingly angry.

While playing polo, in order to let Mo Lan see with her own eyes how much Madam Wu valued her, she deliberately tripped and fell.

However, just three or four days later, Madam Wu sent another invitation to the Sheng family for an elegant gathering, and specifically requested that only Minglan attend.

As dusk settled, Minglan smiled, feigning joy, and returned home with light steps.

Behind them, Xiao Tao and Dan Ju were each holding a piece of the latest jewelry and various silks given to them by Madam Wu.

Inside Shou'an Hall, the three young ladies were all present.

Rulan craned her neck to look at the items inside the brocade box. For her, her greatest joy was eating, sleeping, and teasing Molan.

So, she deliberately raised her voice and said, "Sixth Sister, you're really something now! These things are quite valuable!"

“Yesterday, Mother said that although Liang Liulang cannot inherit the title, he will have a lot of wealth to inherit in the future and will also be granted an official position through hereditary privilege.”

Minglan smiled calmly and said gently, "Fifth Sister is right. Madam Wu also told me that her Sixth Brother is trying to fill the vacancy of Deputy Commander of the Five Cities Garrison. Even if he doesn't get the position, he still has a seventh-rank guard post in the Imperial Guard."

"I'll share half of these with you later." Then, she looked at Mo Lan, "Fourth Sister gets some too."

Mo Lan took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, saying, "Sixth Sister, you can keep these things for yourself. I don't need them."

"Fourth Sister is favored by Father, so she lacks nothing. It's just me who treats these things like treasures." Minglan looked at her with a smile.

Rulan blinked and chuckled, "Oh my, some people are just sour grapes."

"The things from the Earl's manor are usually of good quality. Little Six, since Fourth Sister doesn't want them, please give me a little more."

“Okay!” Minglan nodded repeatedly, ignoring Molan’s jealous gaze.

The old lady, sitting upright on the soft couch, frowned slightly. As she picked up her teacup, she looked at Minglan with a puzzled expression.

Given her usual personality, she would never flaunt herself like this today.

"Grandmother, I am not feeling well, so I must take my leave now." Mo Lan was displeased and immediately made an excuse to leave.

Upon entering Linxi Pavilion, her face suddenly darkened. After glancing at Lin Qinshuang, she grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it to the ground.

"Mo'er, what are you doing?"

Lin Qinshuang was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to stop her from continuing to smash things.

"Mother, that wretched girl Minglan is going to marry into the Earl's family!" Molan roared.

“Even if you smash Linxi Pavilion to pieces today, it won’t change anything. Calm down first, and your mother will think of a way to help you.”

Mo Lan wiped away her tears, "What other way can we think of? Madam Wu has already decided on Ming Lan!"

“The Liang family hasn’t come to propose marriage yet, and besides, Liang Liulang is so infatuated with you.” Lin Qinshuang pulled Molan to sit down beside her.

"Marriage is a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's word. Would Liang Liulang stand up to his mother for me?"

"Have you never heard of what kind of person Madam Wu is?"

A complex look flashed across Lin Qinshuang's eyes. After thinking for a moment, she patted the back of her hand and said in a low voice, "Mo'er, if I hadn't carried your third brother into my belly back then..."

"I'm afraid she would have been kicked out of the house by that old hag from Shou'an Hall long ago, and married off to a poor scholar, living a life of poverty."

Upon hearing this, Mo Lan immediately understood Lin Qinshuang's meaning.

"But what if word gets out? Will Father beat me to death?"

Lin Qinshuang smirked, a ruthless glint in her eyes. "What are you afraid of? The Sheng family and the Liang family both care about their reputation."

“If my daughter and I can’t live a good life, none of the Sheng family will have a peaceful life. In short, your brother is hopeless now.”

"If you want to watch Minglan marry into the Earl's family in the future, Rulan will naturally find a suitable match with Wang Ruofu's help."

"You alone are assigned a lowly official position without any title, sent to live a life of hardship, and will never be able to hold your head high again."

"Then you should just wait patiently for your father to arrange your wedding."

Upon hearing this, Mo Lan turned pale and hurriedly said, "I...I'll do whatever you say, Mother!"

"Mo'er, don't worry, your mother won't harm you. If you had been born into the womb of the eldest daughter-in-law, you wouldn't be like this today."

"It's all because of your mother and your family's affairs that you've been dragged down." Lin Qinshuang looked at Molan with eyes full of heartache.

(End of this chapter)