The Splendor of the Red Chamber

Let's set aside what happened to Jia Lian and Lin Daiyu on their journey.

After obtaining the witnesses and evidence, the Sheng family immediately sent someone to invite Sun Zhigao to their residence for a discussion.

Sun Zhigao, used to being arrogant, thought the Sheng family was going to use their shops and land to shut him up again.

When he arrived at the Sheng family home with his mother in an overbearing manner, he discovered that the elders of the Sun family had also been invited, and only then did he realize that something was amiss.

But Sun Zhigao, confident in his status as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and his reputation among scholars, and also in cahoots with Magistrate Chen, remained calm. Instead, he sneered, "Father-in-law, are you setting up a trap?"

"Hmph~"

Sheng Wei didn't waste any words with him and directly had someone show the confession and the Yellow Register to the elders of the Sun family.

Then he slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked, "This is incestuous marriage between people of different social classes, the unauthorized release of government slaves, and the defilement of official duties! If this is reported to the Education Commissioner, I fear your academic achievements will be in jeopardy and your future will be ruined!"

Upon seeing the confession and the yellow book, Sun Zhigao broke out in a cold sweat.

"It's fake, it's fake, it must be fake!"

He immediately jumped up and shouted, "The Yellow Register is a confidential document of the government; how could a mere merchant like you possibly obtain it?!"

"Fake?"

Sheng Wei scoffed, "This was personally delivered by Magistrate Chen; how could it be fake!"

"No, impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Sun Zhigao grew increasingly frantic, waving his hands wildly: "I'm very close to Magistrate Chen, how could he... how could he..."

"Hahaha~"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changwu couldn't help but burst into laughter. He picked up the grayish-brown cloth from the table and said to Sun Zhigao, "Look what this is!"

Before Sun Zhigao could respond, he loudly announced, "This was personally cut from Magistrate Chen's clothes. He said he had misjudged you, you shameless scoundrel, you disgrace to the literati, and from this day forward he sever all ties with you!"

"impossible!"

Sun Zhigao, clutching his hair, roared, "How many benefits have I given him over the years? How dare he..."

"How dare you falsely accuse the county magistrate?!"

Sheng Wei interrupted Sun Zhigao with a sharp shout, then questioned through gritted teeth, "Your family was originally impoverished, and after passing the imperial examination, you squandered your money every day. Where did you get the money to bribe Magistrate Chen?!"

Upon hearing Sun Zhigao's subconscious self-disclosure, he immediately realized that the exploitation over the past two years was not caused by Magistrate Chen, but by Sun Zhigao's machinations.

Sheng Wei coughed violently twice in anger, gritting his teeth and saying, "Divorce! We must get a divorce!"

With his Achilles' heel held by the Sheng family, Sun Zhigao finally lost his usual arrogance and slumped back into his chair like a broken-backed dog with its bones removed.

Furthermore, the elders around him also advised him to let the matter rest, so he had no choice but to reluctantly sign the divorce papers.

Li was about to sign on behalf of her eldest daughter, but Sheng Shulan gritted her teeth and stepped out from behind the screen: "Mother, I'll do it myself!"

Seeing his usually submissive wife suddenly become assertive, Sun Zhigao gritted his teeth, sneered twice, and was about to leave.

But when he reached the entrance of the hall, he felt unwilling to give up.

So he turned back and mocked Sheng Shulan, "Shulan, you are talentless, immoral, bland and boring. You shouldn't be with me. In the future, marry a country bumpkin who slaughters pigs and grows vegetables. Remember to be virtuous."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Shulan was taken aback at first, then walked up to him and spat with all her might: "Pah! You lecherous, greedy, despicable, and shameless scoundrel! I feel disgusted just looking at you!"

…………

The couple then went their separate ways.

For the next half month, Sheng Shulan enjoyed a comfortable life with the care of her parents and the pampering of her younger sisters.

But there was always something on her mind that she couldn't tell her parents, yet she was also reluctant to let go.

Before we knew it, it was September 4th.

Early that morning, the entire family was summoned to the main hall. Sheng Wei and his son Sheng Changwu, looking like they were about to embark on a long journey, repeatedly gave instructions to Li Shi.

"Father."

Pinlan, being the most impatient of them all, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where are you going?"

"Last night, the Salt Inspector, Lord Lin, passed away."

Sheng Wei clasped his hands in a fist salute to the sky and said, "Now the Lin family only has the young master to take care of things. Since our family has received the young master's kindness, we should repay it tenfold. So your brother and I are going to Yangzhou to help the young master with his funeral arrangements."

Upon hearing the word "Yangzhou," Shulan's heartstrings were immediately touched.

She instinctively pressed, "Besides Father and Brother, who else is going to Yangzhou?!"

"Just the two of us."

Sheng Wei was also planning for his daughter's future, so he said to Shulan, "After I leave, your mother will send you to a country estate to lay low for a while, and then she will arrange a marriage for you."

Li added, "This time, it doesn't matter what kind of family they are, as long as they are honest, law-abiding, and treat you well."

According to the original plot of "The Story of Minglan", Shulan eventually remarried to a simple and honest country landlord as arranged by her parents.

If Shulan didn't have that lingering attachment in her heart, she would accept it, after all, she was still better than Sun Zhigao.

But now...

Shulan touched the handkerchief she always kept close to her body and couldn't help but say, "If I really married a farmer from the countryside, wouldn't that contradict what Sun Zhigao said?!"

"this……"

Sheng Wei and Li Shi exchanged a glance, and Li Shi tentatively asked, "So you mean to find another place in the city...?"

"Mother!"

Sheng Shulan interrupted Li Shi and mustered her courage to say, "I haven't decided yet. I just don't want to go to the countryside. Otherwise, I would like to go to Yangzhou with my father and brother."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Wei frowned. He and his son were there to help with the funeral arrangements, so what was the meaning of bringing their daughter, with whom they had just divorced, along?

Just as he was about to scold Shulan for being willful, Li suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

Before he could react, Madam Li raised her voice and said, "Miss Lin is indeed alone. Why don't we send Shulan, Pinlan, and Minglan to help out if there are any issues in the inner quarters?"

Sheng Wei also thought there was some truth to it, so he asked his second daughter and cousin for their opinions.

Pinlan didn't care, saying that since her sister was going, she would go with her.

Minglan clearly noticed something, but she didn't point it out. She just said she needed to discuss it with her grandmother.

After the second wife, Old Madam Xu, took Minglan outside to talk, Madam Li hurriedly invited Shengwei to the back hall.

Sheng Wei was still a little confused: "What's wrong? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"The head of the household."

Madam Li asked with trepidation, "Do you think that girl Shulan might have taken a liking to the young master?"

"ah?!"

Sheng Wei was stunned for a moment before he finally realized what was going on. Then he became conflicted: "Logically speaking, since Shulan is remarried, it would be a good thing if she could marry the young master and become his concubine... But would the young master even be interested in our Shulan?"

"Our Shulan is quite beautiful!"

When it came to currying favor with the powerful, Madam Li immediately became astute and said, "Aren't you just worried about how to cling to the Rongguo Mansion? If Shulan goes with the young master, we can just give them more money as a dowry, and that'll solve the problem, won't it?"

Sheng Wei was also tempted.

He originally thought that his daughter would divorce and remarry, and it would be good if she could marry a local gentry. But if she could marry the young master—even if she became a mistress with no title or status, it would bring huge benefits to the family!

only……

"Given Shulan's personality, she probably wouldn't do something like taking the initiative to seduce... uh, to get close to the young master."

Li was also a little worried. Sun Zhigao thought his daughter was bland and boring. This young master was knowledgeable and worldly. How could she get anything done if she was still so shy and hesitant?

After much deliberation, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "How about I go to Yangzhou with you? I can talk things out with Shulan then and give her some advice on what to do!"

This biological mother actually wants to instruct her daughter to seduce a married man...

"become!"

Sheng Wei readily nodded: "If we can get in touch with the Rongguo Mansion, we can finally hold our heads high in front of the second branch of the family!"

When the couple returned to the hall, Old Mrs. Xu and Minglan had already discussed it, but they politely declined the invitation to go to Yangzhou, saying that they wanted to stay in their hometown for a few more days.

Clearly, the grandfather and grandson had seen through the eldest son's intentions and were unwilling to get involved in this mess.

But Li thought that Minglan and Lin Daiyu were the most familiar with each other, and if she didn't go, Shulan and Pinlan would seem to have no legitimate reason to go.

So he advised Minglan, "Miss Lin is your good friend. Now that her parents have passed away and she has no one to rely on, you should go and keep her company."

Then he said to Old Madam Xu, "Auntie, if you're worried, I might as well go to Yangzhou with you. With me looking after Minglan, you should feel more at ease, right?"

"this……"

Grandma Xu looked at Minglan hesitantly.

Minglan sighed inwardly. Although she didn't want to get involved in this mess, Madam Li had already said so much, and she was genuinely worried about Lin Daiyu.

So he changed his mind and said, "In that case, I'll go to Yangzhou with my aunt."