Chapter 157: Sheng Changbai's Gift [Many thanks for everyone's support! A second bow of gratitude!]

"Sister Xiaodie, go to sleep. Minglan, come in," Wei Wei Shuyi said.

"Yes, Wei Xiaoniang."

Minglan lifted the cloth curtain and approached the bed; Wei Wei Yuyi climbed down, lifted Minglan onto the bed, covered her with a quilt, and, feeling Minglan's somewhat cold hands and feet, asked, "You silly girl, how long have you been standing outside?"

"Minglan, how much did you hear?" Wei Wei Shuyi asked, holding Minglan's hand.

Minglan remained silent, so Wei Wei Shuyi continued, "You must be curious why I have always told you not to stick your head out; tonight, your aunt will tell you."

In the candlelight, Minglan tilted her head beside Wei Wei Yuyi, staring at her aunt.

"Sister, do you really want to say it?"

"Say it; she must know these reasons sooner or later."

"Ming'er, this story begins with your mother's childhood."

After Wei Wei Yuyi finished the tale and let Minglan digest it on her own, she said to her elder sister, "Actually, I have already spoken about this matter to the nobles of both Hou Fu."

"No wonder that Miss Ping looked at me as if she already knew me. Minglan, now that your aunt has told you all this, do you understand?"

"Mother, are my elder brother, elder sister, and I truly different?"

"Wu Da Da Niangzi has a noble family background and a father worthy of worship in the Imperial Temple, granting her honor; Lin Qin's Pavilion is your father's beloved, granting her dignity; my family background is poor and I have no dignity, bringing you only prejudice. Naturally, we are different."

"So that is why Mother sent me to the Old Lady's side; Mother, you are Empress Dowager Zhao, and I am Lord Chang'an."

"Sister, Ming'er actually understands the Strategies of the Warring States?" Wei Wei Yuyi asked, looking surprised at the child in her arms.

"Before the New Year, there was no charcoal in the courtyard; Mother and I were too cold to sleep, so Mother would tell me these stories to lull me to sleep," Minglan said from Wei Wei Yuyi's embrace.

"Sister, your days are already so difficult; how could you still send silver to the family? Truly... I should have come sooner; I..." Hearing Wei Wei Yuyi's self-reproach, Wei Wei Shuyi said nothing, merely patting her younger sister's arm.

"This was my duty all along."

"But, Mother, Father does not agree; what if he comes to the courtyard again tomorrow?"

"Since the Old Lady had Nurse Cui come to the room to speak these words today, she naturally would have considered this."

"Is Grandmother truly that formidable?" Minglan asked with some curiosity.

"Sleep; whether the Old Lady is that formidable or not, you will only know once you wake up," Wei Wei Shuyi said, while Wei Wei Yuyi by the bedside got up, blew out the candle, and in the darkness opened her eyes, secretly making a resolve in her heart.

Early the next morning,

Sheng Hong, waking from the bed in Lin Qin's Pavilion, looked at Lin Lin Qinshuang beside him, her eyes swollen from crying, and his heart was filled with pity.

After being served and rising to eat breakfast, Sheng Hong said, "Shuang'er, today I will go to Lady Wei's place once more; I will give her more silver and maids to quell her hopes, and naturally, our Mo'er will be raised by the Old Lady."

"Hong-lang, do not force yourself too much; it is all Shuang'er's fault; it is because Shuang'er's affection was so deep she could not control herself, abandoning the position of a proper wife to become a concubine for Hong-lang, causing Mo'er to be born from my womb and looked down upon by others," Lin Lin Qinshuang said, beginning to sob again.

"Shuang'er, do not cry; by then, if Minglan herself does not wish to go to Shou'an Hall, the Old Lady certainly will have nothing to say."

"Hong-lang, do not wrong yourself."

"For one's own child, what does it matter whether one is wronged or not? Just rest well."

"Mm."

After tidying his appearance, Sheng Hong walked toward Shou'an Hall, pondering how to persuade the Old Lady.

However, upon arriving at Shou'an Hall, he was told that the Old Lady had not yet risen, and he was turned away.

Sheng Hong could only leave dejectedly and proceed to the Yang Zhou government office.

Just at noon, after settling matters at the office, Sheng Hong returned to the Sheng family residence,

passing through the second gate without stopping and heading straight for Shou'an Hall.

Upon entering the courtyard of Shou'an Hall,

while still some distance from the main hall, Sheng Hong heard the laughter of women from within.

At the entrance, a young maid hurriedly announced his arrival; when Sheng Hong entered the main hall of Shou'an Hall, he discovered quite a few people inside.

Sheng Hualan stood beside the Old Lady,

Wang Shi was already seated at the Old Lady's lower side, with Sheng Changbai, Hearing Rulan, and Minglan standing beside her, while on the other side stood Sheng Changfeng and his siblings.

On an embroidered stool at the lower side beside Wang Shi sat another woman: Wei Wei Shuyi.

Sitting opposite Wang Shi was Xu Xu Zaiduan, currently serving in Yang Zhou; below Xu Xu Zaiduan sat Xu Xu Pingmei, and below her was Xu Xu Zaijing.

Upon seeing Sheng Hong, everyone except the Old Lady immediately rose and bowed to him.

A smile appeared on Sheng Hong's face as he nodded to everyone, saying, "Mother, what is happening today?"

As he spoke, Xu Xu Zaijing's maid, Seeing Seeing Qingcao, entered and stood behind Xu Xu Zaijing.

The Old Lady smiled and stood up, while Wang Shi and Wei Wei Shuyi each stepped back one pace to make room for Sheng Hong.

"It is all because of this girl Xu Pingmei, who has been clamoring for a long time that she hasn't seen me and wants to come mooch lunch in my courtyard; Xu Zaiduan, as the elder brother, joined in the fun as well," the Old Lady said.

"The culinary skills of Mama Fang in Mother's courtyard are renowned by all," Sheng Hong quickly replied with a smile, then glanced at the three Xu children, his heart beginning to understand.

"Husband, when Sister Ping arrived earlier, she happened to mention Mother's health; knowing that Mother wishes to raise a child nearby, she insisted that Brother Jing stay in our home for a few more days to return to Bianjing with us," Wang Wang Ruofu said with a smile, finishing with a glance at Sheng Changfeng and Seeing Mo Lan from Lin Qin's Pavilion.

"As long as it ensures Great-Wei Wei Yima's health and longevity, our family's Little Five is willing to do anything," Xu Xu Zaiduan said with a smile from the side.

"Hong'er, I see that Little Lady Wei is heavily pregnant and nearing delivery, and Minglan has been obedient and well-behaved in Shou'an Hall these past few days; today, with so many people present, let us settle this matter, so that those two mischievous monkeys, now married, can set their minds at ease,"

the Old Lady said, laughing and pointing at the three Xu siblings.

"Mother is absolutely right; it was my lack of consideration; I should have settled this long ago."

With these words, both Sheng Hong and the Old Lady took their seats.

Wang Wang Ruofu nearby also lowered her head and cast an appreciative glance at Wei Wei Shuyi beside her, while Hearing Rulan, hearing the Old Lady's words, finally released the breath she had been holding and looked at Minglan with some schadenfreude.

"Good, Ming'er, Grandmother asks you one question: are you willing to stay by my side?"

"Grandmother, Minglan is willing to stay by your side so that Grandmother may recover quickly," Minglan said in a crisp voice from the center of the main hall.

"Good child," Lady Sheng said, nodding with a smile.

Minglan turned to glance at the smiling Wei Wei Shuyi, then looked at Sheng Hong, who was forcing a smile.

Sheng Hualan, beside the Old Lady, beckoned to Minglan, who then walked over to Sheng Hualan's side.

"Come, Sister Minglan, I did not prepare anything; this is my gift to you." Saying this, Xu Xu Pingmei removed a ring from her finger and placed it into Sister Qingzhi's hand.

Sister Qingzhi hurriedly delivered the ring into Minglan's hand.

"I will make it up tomorrow," Xu Xu Zaijing said.

"Sister Six, this is a gift for you." Xu Xu Zaijing directly took an embroidered pouch from Seeing Seeing Qingcao's hand, stood up, and handed it to Minglan.

"Thank you, Sisters, and Jing Biao Ge." Minglan squatted to perform a bow.

"Sister Six, today while studying I happened to read 'Repaying Kindness' from the Garden of Stories; I give you the phrase 'knowing kindness and plotting repayment' as a gift."

"I thank Elder Brother Sheng Changbai."

Hearing Sheng Changbai's words, a trace of embarrassment slightly appeared on Sheng Hong's smile.

At mealtime, everyone ate together in Shou'an Hall before returning to their respective quarters; Xu Xu Pingmei also settled an arrangement for Mama Fang to go to the Bai family to instruct the kitchen maids.

Sheng Hong naturally went to the yamen.

Walking on the road back to Weirui Pavilion, Wang Shi spoke to Mama Liu with a joyful face: "I truly wish to go see Lin Qin Pavilion and witness what that vixen looks like now!"

"Speaking of which, this Lady Wei did indeed do her utmost."

"Mm, not bad; I heard that for this matter she specially embroidered that painting."

While speaking, the group entered Weirui Pavilion; inside the room, Mama Liu rubbed Wang Wang Ruofu's shoulders, saying, "Da Da Niangzi, that Lin Qin Pavilion clearly knew it had previously offended the Old Lady, yet still dreams of sending her daughter to Shou'an Hall."

"What does she not dare to think? This was the Master wanting to stuff a rag into the Old Lady's mouth to disgust people, but he did not expect so many people from the Old Lady's natal family to come and back her up. Hmph!"

"By the way, Da Da Niangzi, today the Old Lady of the Wang family sent a letter, saying that..."

By evening, Sheng Hong had just entered the main gate when Mama Cui invited him to Shou'an Hall; after paying his respects, Sheng Hong sat on a chair.

With lowered brows and obedient eyes, facing the Old Lady, he said, "Mother, I do not know what matter has caused you to summon your son."

"There is a matter I must tell the Assistant Prefect," the Old Lady said, looking at Sheng Hong.

"Mother could have simply sent someone to convey a message."

"Hmph, you certainly harbor quite a bit of resentment in your heart."

Sheng Hong kept his head lowered, still not looking at the Old Lady, and said, "Your son is terrified; your son would not dare."

"Today when the Eldest Young Master of the Xu family came, he told this old woman some news the Duke of Qi just learned: the selection for the Minister of Personnel has been decided."

"Ah?" Sheng Hong looked at the Old Lady with a completely bewildered expression.

Immediately afterward, he hurriedly stood up, faced Lady Sheng directly, and said, "I beg Mother for your guidance."

"It is Li Li Guangren, Grand Master Li." After Lady Sheng finished speaking, Sheng Hong's face lit up with joy as he said, "Could it be the one who shared the same examination year as my father-in-law?"

The Old Lady nodded and said, "Correct; during my birthday celebration, your mother-in-law also mentioned to me that Grand Master Li is also your mother-in-law's younger male cousin."

Sheng Hong's expression froze; after lowering his head and thinking everything through clearly, he hurriedly bowed deeply to the Old Lady and said, "Your son was confused! I thank Mother for helping your son avoid a disaster."

"Mm, what follows is crucial for your promotion; be cautious in all matters; remember this, remember this."

"Your son understands! Your son will keep this in mind!"

"I am also tired; you may go."

"Yes, Mother." Sheng Hong bowed respectfully, then exited Shou'an Hall, letting out a long sigh.

If in these past few days the Old Lady of the Sheng family had truly allowed Mo Lan to be raised in Shou'an Hall, regardless of what Lady Sheng thought, this action would more or less represent the Old Lady backing Lin Lin Qinshuang.

Given Sheng Hong's understanding of Lin Lin Qinshuang, she would certainly treat a chicken feather as a command banner.

With both the head of the household and the old matriarch of the inner quarters showing favor to Lin Lin Qinshuang, whether the Old Lady of the Wang family, upon learning this news, would teach the Sheng family and Sheng Hong a lesson is truly hard to say.

In that case, I will not go to Lin Qin Pavilion tonight.

Yang Zhou is drawing to a close; restricted by the protagonist's age and status, saving Wei Wei Shuyi will require much more effort.

Because it is not merely about saving a person, but also about reversing Wei Wei Shuyi's mindset.

Of course, it is also possible that the author is self-righteously assuming it will be difficult.

Only with someone and money can one survive well in the inner quarters.

The author accepts both praise and criticism.

After all, encountering such a miserable thing as moving house and changing environments happens precisely when one's condition is at its best.

These past few days, the author has not dared to look at the comment section.

The book's performance is very good; once again, I sincerely thank everyone for their support!

Regarding any leave of absence, the author will definitely announce it in advance, so please rest assured.

The book title is 'I Am a Son of the Xu Family,' with the two characters 'Zhi Fou' preceding it.

In the first three episodes of Zhi Fou,

the most moving part is Wei Wei Shuyi's death in the third episode.

But when you slowly savor the second episode, where Sister Xiaodie was framed,

Wei Wei Shuyi's progression from confusion to realization, to striving, to shedding tears of grievance, to abandoning her dignity and persistence to comply with Sheng Hong, and finally kneeling to beg for mercy—this sequence of performance makes one feel even more distressed.

She was once such a good young lady, and Sister Xiaodie such a good servant, yet they had to suffer slander just to survive—what kind of world is this!

Therefore, the author will provide something not too abrupt within his capacity, after all, there are even better worlds ahead.

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(End of Chapter)