Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 131 Minglan's Birthday, Sheng Changfeng's Wedding

"Sigh." Gu Tingye looked up at the sky and sighed, his expression showing some worry.

"I don't know what she said to my father. After instructing me to take care of everything in the mansion, he stayed at home and hasn't seen anyone since."

"I am overwhelmed by both internal and external affairs, and I am truly exhausted."

Zhao Han picked up her teacup, secretly thinking that it was highly likely that Madam Qin and Gu Yankai had finally come to a complete confrontation.

Little did we know that Lady Qin would die.

Will she follow in the footsteps of the Qin and Bai families and become one of the people Gu Yanxin regrets and laments?

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Tingye spoke again: "The Marquis of Xiangyang is nearly seventy years old this year, and I have heard that his health has been deteriorating recently."

"I was thinking that if the opportunity arose, I might try to make it happen sooner rather than later."

"Let Tingwei be adopted as the heir of the Marquis of Xiangyang and inherit the title."

"He is a good boy who values ​​loyalty and righteousness, and the newlywed Zhu is also a dutiful, well-educated and reasonable person."

The Marquis of Xiangyang had a son in his early years, but unfortunately, the son died young.

To this day, he has only one daughter, Princess Pingning. After a hundred years, the title will surely be inherited by a nephew or son from the Gu family.

"If the Marquis of Xiangyang agrees, your two families can reconcile."

"But this matter is probably not as easy as you think."

Zhao Han looked up at him. Although both families were surnamed Gu and belonged to the same clan, they had not had any contact for many years, and the rift between them had deepened.

The succession of titles involves numerous interests.

Even if she wanted to give him a push out of respect for Gu Tingye, she would still need the approval of the Marquis of Xiangyang.

If he doesn't agree, this matter will be difficult to accomplish.

Gu Tingye smiled wryly and said, "Yes, so I plan to focus more on Tingwei in the future and nurture him properly."

"As for those good-for-nothings in the fourth and fifth wives' households, I don't even want to get involved with them."

Gu Tingye felt nothing but disgust whenever they were mentioned.

He had long planned that once he inherited the title, he would definitely find an opportunity to make the fourth and fifth branches of the family move out and establish their own households!
Not only did he waste his days doing nothing and squander his wealth in the Marquis's mansion, but he also lacked any self-awareness whatsoever.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, Gu Tingye went straight to the Shenji Camp to hand over his military duties after leaving the East Palace.

Only then did he return to the Marquis's residence to continue handling the funeral rites.

White banners and lanterns were hung high on both sides of the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, and the faint sound of chanting and praying could be heard coming from inside the high walls.

Both Gu Yankai and Gu Tingyu claimed illness and did not leave their homes, leaving all external affairs to be handled by Gu Tingye.

The affairs of the inner quarters were managed jointly by the two daughters-in-law, Madam Shao and Madam Zhu.

The only explanation for Xiao Qinshi's death was that a fire broke out accidentally at night, and although the servants tried their best to put it out, they were ultimately unable to rescue her in time, which led to her unfortunate death.

The people from the Dongchang Marquis's residence pretended to have just received the bad news and came to offer their condolences while weeping.

In their view, the death of Xiao Qinshi was actually a relief; they no longer needed to live in fear that their shameful secrets would be exposed and implicate their families.

This would also allow her to rebuild her relationship with Gu Yankai, since both of her daughters had been ruined by the Gu family.

Lady Qin was quite famous among the wives of nobles in Bianjing.

Therefore, several prominent officials' wives, including Wang Ruofu, Madam Wu, and the Duchess of Yingguo, came to pay their respects.

Even Princess Pingning, who is usually very proud and arrogant, made an exception and took the initiative to visit.

Princess Pingning used to look down on the Gu family the most.

The eldest son of the Gu family is frail and sickly, the second son, Gu Tingye, is a dissolute playboy, and the third son is mediocre and unfit for great responsibilities. Only Gu Yankai, despite his advanced age, can barely hold the family together.

But now Gu Tingye is highly regarded by the Crown Prince and will surely have a bright future.

Qi Heng kept calling him "Second Uncle," insisting that he should at least visit him.

For a time, carriages and horses were constantly passing by outside the gate of the Marquis's mansion, and there were many people coming and going.

-

A few days later, in Jiying Lane, at the Sheng Mansion, inside the Shou'an Hall, a joyous atmosphere filled the air.

A dazzling array of congratulatory gifts were neatly displayed on the table.

Today is Minglan's birthday, and everyone in the Sheng family has prepared a birthday gift for her.

Hua Lan always doted on her sixth sister, so she naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity and sent her trusted confidant with generous gifts early in the morning.

Rulan rummaged through her belongings for a long time before picking out a fine jade pendant to give to Minglan.

Nowadays, between his two daughters, Rulan and Minglan, Sheng Hong always unconsciously favors Minglan a bit more.

It wasn't just because of Wei Shuyi's feelings.

Minglan is polite and sensible, and she is growing up to be more and more beautiful and intelligent, taking the best traits from both Sheng Hong and Wei Shuyi.

Compared to the other two, Rulan was far inferior, and was honest and straightforward, not good with words, and would not be able to win Sheng Hong's favor.

Behind a screen, Minglan wore a light pink cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair was loosely tied up, and a pair of small white jade earrings dangled from her delicate earlobes. With her lowered eyes and gentle smile, she already possessed the charm of a young girl coming of age.

Rulan tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "At the gathering at the Duke of Ling's mansion yesterday, Madam Wei from the Liang family was also there. I heard quite a few rumors about Fourth Sister."

"Oh?" Minglan raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Rulan with curiosity in her eyes, and quickly leaned closer and said, "Tell me about it quickly."

Rulan put her hands on her hips, her eyes darting around, and said, "I want to eat water shield and perch soup!"

"Okay, I'll go to the small kitchen later to make it for you, Fifth Sister."

Seeing that she agreed so readily, Rulan pressed her advantage and said, "Add another bowl of steamed sweet cheese and some pickled goose feet!"

"Either is fine, Fifth Sister, you go ahead and tell me." Minglan had a faint smile on her face.

Although she was present at the gathering at the Duke of Ling's mansion, she avoided contact with Madam Wei to avoid suspicion.

She was indeed quite curious about Mo Lan's current situation in the Liang family.

Rulan whispered in her ear, "I'll tell you, Fourth Sister's child... died a while ago."

"What? How could it all be gone?" Minglan opened her eyes wide, looking at her with great surprise.

Mo Lan is already three or four months pregnant, and it's her first pregnancy, so things shouldn't be changing at this time.

"Who can say for sure? The concubines in the Liang family's inner quarters are all fighting and vying for favor. Fourth Sister's current situation is ultimately her own doing."

"Judging from what Madam Wei said, this matter is most likely related to that young lady Chun Ke."

"It is said that when Chun Ke gave birth before the Lunar New Year, not a single midwife was present, and she and her unborn child almost died."

Fortunately, she survived and gave birth to the child despite her own life, and both mother and child are safe.

"If it really was Fourth Sister who did it, it makes sense that Chun Ke is now taking revenge."

Upon hearing this, Minglan frowned slightly, a complex expression flashing across her face.

This method is exactly the same as what happened to his own mother back then.

She truly hadn't expected that Mo Lan would follow Lin Qinshuang's example and use this tactic against Chun Ke.

"Xiao Liu, what are you daydreaming about!" Ru Lan nudged her arm, her eyes full of delight.

"I couldn't be happier that my fourth sister is in trouble."

"She used to bully us every day, now she's finally getting her comeuppance!"

Minglan lowered her eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Rulan's gaze unconsciously turned to the pile of congratulatory gifts on the side.

She secretly thought that her older sister was now doting on Xiao Liu more and more; the gifts she received on her birthday were not as valuable as Xiao Liu's.

But then I thought about it again. Minglan is younger than me and is born out of wedlock. She is obedient and well-behaved, but not as clever as me. It is only right that she should receive more care.

With this self-comfort, her slight displeasure quickly dissipated, and she turned back to playing cricket fighting with the magpie.

...Behind the screen, the old lady, Sheng Hong, Wang Ruofu and others were talking.

Hai Chaoyun sat quietly to the side, her eyebrows relaxed.

Some time ago, the He family matriarch moved to Beijing and came to visit the Sheng family matriarch.

During their conversation, Mrs. He, who was an expert in women's internal medicine, took the opportunity to examine Mrs. Hai's pulse and unexpectedly discovered that she was pregnant on the spot.

As the first child of the Sheng family's generation, he was highly valued by both the old lady and Wang Ruofu.

Not only did he exempt Hai Chaoyun from the daily morning and evening greetings, but he also instructed the servants to carefully prepare her meals, showing consideration and thoughtfulness in every aspect.

"Mother, there is something I am unsure whether I should agree to, and I would like to ask you to make a decision."

Sheng Hong stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and looked at the old lady with great seriousness.

Wang Ruofu frowned slightly, her face full of curiosity, secretly blaming Sheng Hong for not telling her in advance.

The old lady slowly put down her teacup. "Tell me in detail."

"It seems that Liu Ming, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, is interested in forming a marriage alliance with our family."

"In the past few days, after court, I have mentioned it once or twice, openly or subtly."

The old lady's gaze darkened slightly. Lord Liu is now a third-rank official, and the Liu family has been a distinguished family for generations.

Over the years, the clan has produced one Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and Juren (successful candidate in the provincial imperial examination) after another, without interruption.

They were a prominent and prestigious family in their hometown of Yanzhou.

Unexpectedly, the matter was brought up by him. She asked softly, "Which daughter of yours does Lord Liu wish to marry into the family?"

"Yes, Mother, she is the third daughter born of the legitimate wife."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruofu glanced at him sideways, "His third daughter?"

"I heard that she has already been engaged to Grand Secretary Jiang's grandson and they will get married as soon as the mourning period is over."

"Sir, you must have misheard me and are just making things up!"

Ever since Mo Lan got married and Lin Qinshuang was banished, Sheng Changfeng has remained secluded at home.

He was in a daze all day, only caring about fooling around with a few maids.

Wang Ruofu had no intention of planning any future for Sheng Changfeng, nor did she want this little brat to have a good life in the future.

In her plan, once Changbai takes over the Sheng family in the future, she will give Sheng Changfeng a share of the family business and send him out to start his own business.

As long as I don't go out and cause trouble that brings shame to the Sheng family, everything is fine.

Although Sheng Changbai knew about Changfeng's actions, he was so busy at the Hanlin Academy that he had no energy to advise him.

Sheng Hong did reprimand him severely a few times, but Sheng Changfeng just let it go in one ear and out the other.

"What nonsense am I spouting? The Liu family and the Jiang family have broken off their engagement." Sheng Hong turned to look at her.

"Such a thing exists?!" Wang Ruofu exclaimed in surprise.

Lord Liu and Sheng Hong were close friends who had studied together, so they didn't hide anything from each other.

It's true that his third daughter and the Jiang family were engaged, and they originally planned to get married at the beginning of last year.

Just as the joyous occasion was about to arrive, Jiang Ge Lao's son, who was also the father of Jiang Erlang, unfortunately fell ill and passed away.

According to the established customs, the second son of the Jiang family was required to observe three years of mourning, so the wedding had to be postponed.

The Liu family initially did not intend to annul the engagement. After discussing it, the two families decided to wait until the three-year mourning period was over before getting married.

Unexpectedly, the second son of the Jiang family had an affair with a maid during the mourning period and even fathered a son.

The Liu family, who valued rules and etiquette above all else, personally went to their home to question them after learning of the matter.

However, considering that the Jiang family had few male heirs and that their second son was infatuated with a maid, they insisted on taking the maid as a concubine.

Furthermore, relying on their higher social standing than the Liu family, they were only willing to offer more betrothal gifts to settle the matter hastily.

Unwilling for their daughter to suffer such injustice, the Liu family angrily dissolved the engagement with the Jiang family and turned their attention to the Sheng family.

After all, with the broken engagement still pending, it would be quite difficult for the third daughter of the Liu family to marry a legitimate son from a prominent family, no matter what.

The Liu family had also secretly inquired about Sheng Changfeng.

Although he was born out of wedlock, his birth mother unfortunately passed away from illness last year, so after entering the family he only needed to serve his legal mother, Lady Wang.

A son born out of wedlock could only observe the mourning period of Si Ma for his birth mother, which was three months.

That's all in the past now, there's no need to delay any longer.

Moreover, Sheng Changfeng passed the imperial examination at a young age. Although he failed the last spring examination, if he can restrain his mind and study hard in the future, he will surely pass the imperial examination soon.

They also learned that Sheng Hong had always favored this illegitimate son.

Even if they separate from the family in the future, with the help of the Liu family, they may still have a bright future.

Not to mention the opportunity to curry favor with the Crown Prince, so she decisively brought up the matter to Sheng Hong.

"I wonder what Mother thinks? I think it's a good thing that Changfeng is able to marry a girl from the Liu family."

Sheng Hong asked tentatively.

The old lady did not answer Sheng Hong directly, but instead focused her gaze on Wang Ruofu.

She asked softly, "What does Madam think of this marriage?"

Wang Ruofu twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself: When has it ever been my turn to make decisions about such things!

"Mother and husband can decide; I have no objection."

The old lady turned the prayer beads in her hand and sighed softly, "Changfeng is, after all, the son of the Sheng family, no matter where he is in the future."

“Every move we make is related to the honor and disgrace of the entire Sheng family. This marriage is indeed a good one.”

"Although his family only approached our Sheng family out of necessity, you know Changfeng's personality better than anyone else."

"Find an opportunity to bring it up with Lord Liu, so that we don't have to ask him to speak again."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong nodded vigorously, for he truly knew best what kind of person Sheng Changfeng was.

He was originally a smart child, but under Lin Qinshuang's upbringing, he became increasingly unrestrained and frivolous, and became obsessed with women.

He originally planned to wait until Changfeng passed the imperial examination before discussing marriage, so that he could find a girl from a higher social class. But look at his current good-for-nothing state.

Without someone strictly disciplining him day and night, and constantly urging him on, he would probably never amount to anything in his life.

Although the third daughter of the Liu family was of average appearance, she was virtuous and kind, and had a strong and resolute spirit.

If we can bring her into the family, we will surely be able to strictly control Changfeng.

They dismissed all the concubines in his room and forced him to study and improve himself.

On the other side, Sheng Changfeng was drinking and making merry with several maids in the room.

In his drunken stupor, he learned from the servant that his marriage had been arranged and that he was to marry the third daughter of the Liu family. He sobered up instantly.

He had seen Liu Yufu, the third daughter of the Liu family, before. She was plain-looking and had nothing special about her.

Not to mention Wan'er, she's not even as good as Ke'er and Mei'er!
"No, no, I'll go beg my father! I absolutely refuse to marry a girl from the Liu family!"

Sheng Changfeng shook his head repeatedly, stood up, and was about to rush out.

The servant hurriedly stopped him, bowing and advising, "Young master, please think it over! The old lady has already agreed. If you make a scene now, you might anger the master."

"Besides, marrying a girl from the Liu family will benefit your future, young master!"

"Forget about future prospects, marriage is a lifelong commitment, so naturally you should marry someone as beautiful as a flower!"

After saying that, Sheng Changfeng pushed aside the servant and ran straight to Sheng Hong's study.

As expected, he was brutally beaten by Sheng Hong. Now that Lin Qinshuang was no longer protecting him, he was beaten until his skin was torn and he cried out in pain.

In the end, he could only accept his fate, limping back into his room, not daring to utter another word.

(End of this chapter)