Chapter 123: The Sheng Hong Couple at Shou'an Hall [Many Thanks for Your Support

The Old Lady of the Sheng family shook her head and said, "No, this concerns Sheng Hualan. Xu Zaijing, the Yuan family of the Loyalty and Diligence Earl's Manor that you found has encountered trouble."

At the Old Lady's words, both Lord and Lady Sheng were so startled they leaned back, exchanging a bewildered glance.

Lady Wang widened her eyes and asked, "Mother, did the Yuan family truly take an actress as a concubine?"

The Old Lady nodded heavily.

Sheng Hualan's face turned pale, and she seemed at a loss for what to do with her hands or feet.

Lady Wang first glanced at Sheng Xu Zaijing, then stood up from her chair, paced a few steps, and said with some urgency, "Mother, has someone in Bianjing taken a fancy to Yuan Yuan Erlang, prompting them all to send letters to sow discord?"

The Old Lady frowned and looked at her.

Seeing the Old Lady's gaze and expression,

Lady Wang raised one hand and hurriedly explained without stopping, "Daughter-in-law is not speaking of the Xu family, Mother! It is my elder sister who has not sent a letter; this might just be a rumor! Such a fine marriage for my Sheng Hualan."

Lady Wang had found the lifeline of 'my elder sister has not sent a letter.'

"Sheng Hualan is my elder sister's own niece!"

The Old Lady said loudly, "Sit down first."

Sheng Xu Zaijing blinked rapidly while thinking, then said, "Mother, when did this happen?"

The Old Lady said calmly, "It was sent on the eighth day of the first lunar month."

Looking at Lord and Lady Sheng, the Old Lady continued, "Taking an actress as a concubine is not even the main issue."

This statement left Sheng Xu Zaijing staring open-mouthed at the Old Lady of the Sheng family, while Lady Wang was utterly stunned: "Mother... this??? This isn't even the main issue?"

The Old Lady of the Sheng family nodded and said, "The letter states that in order to take this concubine, Yuan Wen actually administered to his younger brother, Yuan Yuan Wenshao..."

Glancing at Sheng Hualan, the Old Lady said, "... he administered beast-grade aphrodisiacs to Yuan Yuan Wenshao!"

Upon hearing this, Mama Fang in the room frowned with visible discomfort.

Mama Cui could not bear it and cast a pitying glance at Sheng Hualan.

Lady Wang still found it hard to believe; squinting her eyes, she raised her voice and said, "Mother, to ruin Sheng Hualan's marriage, would the Xu family dare fabricate such an outrageous story and even send it here?! What are they trying to accomplish?!!"

Lady Wang was desperately trying to find a plausible excuse for herself.

Sheng Xu Zaijing, however, frowned in great distress, then sighed, closed his eyes, propped one hand on the tea table, and covered his face.

As an Assistant Prefect, he knew that usually, the more outrageous a matter was, the more likely it was true.

Fabricating a story requires logic; reality does not.

Lady Wang looked at Sheng Xu Zaijing, then at the Old Lady, and softened her tone: "Husband, Mother, say something! My elder sister's family has not sent a letter!"

After she spoke, everyone cried out in alarm,

"Da Da Niangzi!"

"Mother!"

Having finished speaking, Lady Wang fainted directly; Mama Fang, Mama Cui, Sheng Hualan, and Sheng Xu Zaijing all rushed to the side of the chair to catch Lady Wang as she slid downward.

After supporting Lady Wang properly,

everyone busied themselves for a while before finally waking her up.

"Cui Ruan'an, send someone outside to fetch a Physician."

"Yes."

A moment later, Mama Cui Cui Ruan returned to the room and nodded.

Meanwhile, in Mama Fang's arms, Lady Wang slowly regained consciousness; the moment she woke and saw Sheng Xu Zaijing's face, she lunged at him, shouting, "Sheng Xu Zaijing, I'll fight you to the death!!!! Wuuu wuuu wuuu!"

As she spoke, Lady Wang's fingernails scratched several marks on Sheng Xu Zaijing's neck.

Mama Fang and the others hurriedly pulled Lady Wang and Sheng Xu Zaijing apart.

"My Sheng Hualan, what will you do in the future!" Lady Wang, utterly weak, collapsed into Mama Fang's embrace.

"My Sheng Hualan, wuuu wuuu wuuu," Lady Wang began to weep; seeing Sheng Hualan approaching while still in a daze, she changed embraces and nestled into Sheng Hualan's arms.

After crying for a while, Lady Wang stopped, spoke sternly, and said, "Break the engagement! Go break the engagement immediately; for such a family, break the engagement! Sheng Xu Zaijing!"

Sheng Xu Zaijing also lowered the hand covering his neck, sat back down in his chair, said nothing, and cast a furtive glance at the Old Lady.

Sheng Hualan, holding her own mother and looking at the Old Lady's expression, vaguely seemed to understand something, and slowly helped Lady Wang back to her seat.

Composing herself slightly, Lady Wang said, "Mother, could there truly be a mistake? After all, the Yuan family is a noble house with a title; how could they..."

She cut off her own words; having grown up over these decades, she had heard quite a bit about the filthy affairs within great noble households.

Frowning again, Lady Wang said, "But, but, but my elder sister has not sent a letter; could it be that this is just a rumor! It must be a rumor!"

After speaking, she looked at everyone in the room and fell silent in exhaustion. The Old Lady waved her hand, and Mama Fang handed over a sheet of paper; it was a letter from the eldest branch in Youyang.

The content could be summarized in one sentence: 'Stewards in the capital have heard that the Yuan family's reputation is poor; regarding specific details, please decide yourself, Aunt. Nephew, Wei.'

The Old Lady of the Sheng family said, "Regarding the specific matters, Da Da Niangzi, since your natal family is so powerful, have your dowry steward ride a horse from Shou'an Hall to inquire. We will discuss further only after you have investigated and clarified the situation."

Looking at the dejected couple, she said, "The Yuan family coming to Yang Zhou was merely for the first of the Six Rites; our Sheng family has not yet finalized anything with the Yuan family, so there is no need for you to wear such mournful faces!"

"Furthermore! Da Da Niangzi, you should also send a letter to ask your elder sister why the Xu family's letter has arrived while theirs has not! The letter from the Hou Fu stated that they delayed sending it for three or four days for fear of being suspected of ulterior motives."

"I am also tired; you may return. Sheng Hualan, stay behind."

"Mother, your child takes her leave."

Lord and Lady Sheng withdrew from Shou'an Hall, and shortly thereafter, the sound of arguing drifted in from outside.

The Old Lady of the Sheng family looked at Sheng Hualan, who had already recovered her composure, and said, "Sheng Hualan, why are you looking at your grandmother like this?"

Sheng Hualan lowered her head.

The Old Lady said, "It is fine; say whatever comes to mind."

Sheng Hualan raised her head, tears still glistening in her eyes, and said to the Old Lady of the Sheng family, "Grandmother, do you know something else?"

Looking at Sheng Hualan, the Old Lady stroked her hair and said, "Sheng Hualan, in fact, ever since your father returned from Bianjing and told me about your situation, I entrusted an old sister in Bianjing to investigate the Yuan family; their elder master is a good man, but the relationship between the eldest daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law is indescribable."

"But since this marriage was arranged by your father, I could not refuse and cause him to lose face. I heard that Yuan Yuan Erlang himself is still a good person, so I just turned a blind eye."

The Old Lady Sheng looked at her granddaughter, who was still gazing at her, and said, "This letter states that the Xu family learned of this matter on the first day of the month, and my nephew's wife immediately formed the idea of seeking to marry my Hua'er. It was my nephew, hesitating and dithering, who only sent this letter on the eighth day."

Hua Lan said, "Grandmother, so you did not tell Father and Mother because you feared they would think the Hou Fu had snatched this marriage alliance, or even that you were egging it on behind the scenes?"

The Old Lady Sheng smiled at Hua Lan and said, "My little Hua'er has grown up; she understands human hearts now."

Then, the Old Lady continued, "My nephew's wife did not have an easy time entering the Xu household; she was originally the daughter of a low-ranking military officer who suddenly entered a noble family, living in constant terror every day. How could she conceive so quickly? Moreover, her mother-in-law is a sharp-tongued and mean-spirited woman. If not for that mother-in-law, I would not have fallen out with the Xu family so severely."

Hua Lan asked, "Grandmother, and then? Did you seek out the Old Lady of the He family?"

"Indeed! She is also a good child, knowing gratitude and repaying kindness. Knowing that you were raised before me, my nephew's wife wrote in the letter that if the Yuan family is ungrateful and tries to ruin your reputation by forcing the match, the Xu family will step forward to support this old woman, ensuring everyone knows that a young lady raised before this old woman has no lack of suitors!"

With a smile and a sigh of emotion on her face, the Old Lady Sheng glanced at Hua Lan and said, "Therefore, in Jing-ge'er's embrace during the journey lies the birth date and hour of Zai Zhang, the second legitimate son of the Xu family."

If there are any typos or awkward phrasing, readers are requested to point them out!

Many thanks and deep bows.

That is all.

We will continue tomorrow.

Goodnight.





(End of Chapter)