Do You Know?: Rule the World

"Mother is absolutely right!"

"The other day, when my sister learned that our Sheng family had found a good husband, her words were so sour, I couldn't even begin to describe it. I could have made a whole jar of pickled cabbage."

Wang Ruofu spoke with a beaming expression, and even looked a bit proud.

After all these years, she finally got to hold her head high.

The old lady slowly fiddled with the Buddhist beads on her wrist and said meaningfully, "The Kang family is not as good as it used to be, but our family is doing relatively well. It's natural for her to be envious."

"I'm afraid that these things will cause rifts between you sisters in the future."

The old lady had long seen that Wang Ruoyu was a vindictive and narrow-minded person, and he could not stand others being better than himself.

When Sheng Hong and his family were exiled to a side courtyard, she often ridiculed him openly and covertly during every New Year festival.

On the other hand, although Wang Ruofu is impulsive and irritable, and has a loose tongue, she is kind-hearted and would never think of taking anyone's life even if she were given a knife.

If the Sheng family had changed the eldest lady, Lin Qinshuang would not have been able to thrive for so many years.

Wang Ruofu frowned and the smile on her face gradually faded.

"Mother, you're overthinking it. My sister wouldn't be so rude. She even said she wanted to come and pay her respects to you the other day."

Although she said so, her eyes were a little uncertain, and it was obvious that she was not sure either.

When Wang Ruofu was born, Old Master Wang had been exiled to a remote and cold place where the conditions were extremely difficult.

He sent Wang Ruofu to live with his uncle who was a businessman, and only took his eldest son Wang Yan and eldest daughter Wang Ruoyu with him.

Merchant families don't pay much attention to etiquette and rules, and my uncle and aunt don't have any biological daughters.

The whole family treated Wang Ruofu as the apple of their eye and tried every possible means to please her, almost getting whatever they wanted.

Until I was ten years old.

Old Grand Tutor Wang had made remarkable political achievements and was transferred back to Beijing with great success and fame, and only then did he bring Wang Ruofu back home.

The old lady of the Wang family looked at her eldest daughter who was well-educated, sweet-spoken and beautiful.

Looking at his little daughter who spoke and behaved rudely and chattered all day long, it was obvious who he favored more.

When Old Lady Sheng went to the Wang family to propose marriage, she was originally after the eldest daughter.

Even Old Master Wang and Old Lady Wang agreed that Sheng Hong had great potential and wanted to marry him to their eldest daughter.

Prince Ruoyu looked down on Sheng Hong's family background and illegitimate status, and insisted on marrying Kang Haifeng, the eldest son of the Kang family.

At that time, the Kang family was a prominent family and was on par with the Wang family.

Kang Haifeng's ranking in the palace examination was higher than Sheng Hong's, and the famous ladies in Bianliang were vying to marry into the Kang family.

But unexpectedly, Kang Haifeng was a playboy with a splendid appearance but rotten inside.

Ever since the old man of the Kang family passed away, Kang Haifeng took over as the patriarch and completely let himself go.

If an official doesn't do his job well, he won't be able to make money.

He had a child while in mourning and was impeached by the censors, which led to him losing his official position.

In recent years, he has not thought about moving up and down and restoring his official position. Instead, he has just given up and spent all day fooling around with concubines in the house, and has produced more than a dozen illegitimate sons and daughters.

It seemed that she was about to fall to the point where she had to rely on Wang Ru and her dowry to survive.

Sheng Hong coughed lightly. He not only couldn't stand Wang Ruoyu's face, but also looked down on Kang Haifeng's behavior.

"It's better for you to have less contact with the Kang family in the future."

Wang Ruofu frowned, obviously disagreeing with what the old lady and Sheng Hong said.

He muttered to himself, "But she is my sister after all..."

Upon hearing this, Hua Lan pinched her arm without making a sound. After Wang Ruofu understood, she nodded heavily and promised to go to Kang's house less often in the future.

The old lady looked at Zhao Han again and saw that she spoke in a relaxed tone, as if she was chatting casually.

"Brother Han, when I was in Yangzhou, I heard that your father passed away before you were born?"

A hint of suspicion flashed across Zhao Han's eyes, and then he nodded solemnly, "Indeed."

"That year, my father was on his way to Bianjing when he unfortunately encountered an undercurrent. Four or five of his boats were swept into the river, and not even his body was ever recovered."

Old Madam Sheng nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Does your father have any relatives?"

Zhao Han paused for a moment, then thought carefully before saying, "I vaguely remember my mother and my mother back home mentioning that my father's branch of the clan moved out early on and started doing business in Bianjing."

"There are a few distant uncles, but we haven't had any contact in these years."

"Therefore, the younger generation has almost no way of knowing about clan affairs."

After hearing the word Bian Jing, the old lady's eyes showed an almost imperceptible ripple.

What he said made sense, but she just felt like something was wrong.

Sheng Hong looked at the old lady with confusion on his face, and his brows unconsciously frowned.

"Why would my mother ask such questions for no reason? It just reminds me of sad things."

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Han worriedly, fearing that these questions would upset his future son-in-law.

Old Madam Sheng smiled slightly, picked up the teacup calmly, and sighed softly.

"When people get old, it's inevitable that they like to gossip about family matters. Please don't blame me, Brother Han."

Zhao Han hurriedly bowed and said, "The old lady is just caring about the younger generation, where is the blame?"

On the other side, Tingxueju is decorated in a simple and elegant manner.

Wei Xiaoniang was teasing Liu Ge'er with a doting look in her eyes. Liu Ge'er was now four or five months old and was growing fatter and cuter.

The little arms and legs, like lotus root nodes, kicked happily non-stop, and giggled from time to time.

Sheng Hong would visit them several times a month, but mostly at Linqi Pavilion.

Xiaodie slowly opened the dressing box and whispered, "Miss, have you really thought it through?"

Wei Xiaoniang restrained her expression, gently stroked the edge of the dressing table with her fingertips, and finally nodded.

"Since my near-death experience, I've figured out a lot of things."

"Although I have no intention of competing with her, I can't just watch myself being slaughtered time and time again."

"Lin Qinshuang would never dare to reach out to Shou'an Hall. Now, I feel much more at ease knowing that I have the old lady's protection tomorrow."

"In the future, Ming Er's marriage will naturally be decided by the old lady. The old lady loves her very much and will not treat her badly."

"But Brother Liu is still young. As the heir of the Sheng family, we all rise and fall together."

"Although the master won't completely ignore him, he still distinguishes between relatives and strangers, noble and humble in his heart."

Parents who love their children will make long-term plans for them. Minglan has a bright future, so Wei Xiaoniang naturally starts to think about Liu Ge'er.

There is no need to say much about Sheng Changbai's status in the Sheng family, but Liu Ge'er is different.

As both were illegitimate sons, if one day he could gain Sheng Hong's favor, he would be blocking Sheng Changfeng's way.

Even if he was in Bian Jing, Lin Qinshuang would never tolerate him.

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Chapter 51 Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight

Seeing Xiaodie in a daze, Wei Xiaoniang smiled and patted the back of her hand, saying softly, "Hurry up and help me dress up. It's getting late. We still have to go to Shou'an Hall to celebrate the old lady's birthday."

"Yes, little girl."

Xiaodie collected her thoughts, responded, and deftly combed her hair.

When Wang Ruofu chose the girl from Zhongwei, she was attracted by her stunning appearance that could not be concealed by her straw hat and cloth skirt.

Even though she has given birth to two children and has been living in a deep house for a long time, her eyes and eyebrows are still clear and elegant, and she has a natural charm.

Not long after, Wei Xiaoniang took Xiaodie and Liu Ge'er and slowly walked out of the courtyard.

When passing by Linqi Pavilion, her expression remained unchanged, but a hint of imperceptible complexity flashed in her eyes.

In Shou'an Hall, laughter and joy continue.

Zhao Han, Changbai and others were having a pleasant conversation outside, while Hualan took her sisters to wish the old lady a happy birthday one by one.

Mother Cui walked around the screen and came in and said, "Old lady, Miss Wei is here."

Old Madam Sheng raised her eyebrows slightly, smiling, "Let her in. She has always been a thoughtful person."

Molan, who was sitting beside him, felt her fingertips tremble slightly, and she subconsciously looked up at Sheng Hong, only to see her father looking at the door with a smile, obviously looking forward to Wei Xiaoniang's arrival.

It was the old lady's birthday, and the concubines in the mansion should have come to congratulate her, but Lin Qinshuang wanted to come but couldn't.

Whenever she got close to Shou'an Hall, the nanny would send her away. This was a rule that the old lady had set long ago.

Wang Ruofu glanced at Molan lightly with the corners of her mouth rising slightly. She had been looking forward to sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between tigers for a long time.

There are concubines on both sides, and the more fierce the fight, the more she, the eldest lady, can reap the benefits.

Wei Xiaoniang walked to the inner room, lowered her eyebrows, bowed respectfully, and said in a clear voice, "I am here to congratulate the old lady on her birthday."

"May the old lady live as long as the Nanshan Mountains, unfading and unremitting, and as luxuriant as the pines and cypresses, and may all be passed down to you."

After these words were spoken, Sheng Hong, who was originally leaning on the chair, leaned forward unconsciously, with a look of surprise on his face.

He knew that Wei Xiaoniang had read some books, but these words had a unique charm coming from her mouth.

"I'm afraid ordinary things won't be pleasing to the old lady."

"I spent several days copying this volume of the Diamond Sutra by hand to celebrate the old lady's birthday."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaodie handed the scripture to the old lady, who looked at it expectantly.

On the sutra, the small calligraphy with hairpin flowers was as neat as soldiers lined up in battle formation, and the faint fragrance of ink mixed with sandalwood came over.

She nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good boy, you are thoughtful. Come and sit down and talk."

Wang Ruofu looked at Molan's expression and couldn't help but smile. "The Wei family's sister is so filial. Mother really loves Ming'er well. One of them is more considerate than the other."

These words were openly praising Wei Xiaoniang and Minglan, but secretly mocking Lin Qinshuang and Molan.

Sure enough, Molan's pretty face was tense at this moment, and the handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted into a knot.