"She is a concubine, and she can't afford anything on the stage. What kind of ceremony should we do for her? Who is a serious lady who is willing to come over and watch the ceremony for a concubine?"
Although Wang Ruofu's words are rough, his words are rough but his reasoning is not rough.
Any woman who can go out and socialize is the wife of the house.
As the head wife, no matter how virtuous he is, he will more or less dislike his concubines and the children they bear.
The natural hostility in their stance meant that no one was willing to participate in various ceremonies involving concubine children.
As long as the Sheng family's status is high, no matter what they do, there will be people willing to support them.
However, the Sheng family's status in Bianjing was not high. Relying on Sheng Hong's official position, they could barely be considered a middle-level person.
Sheng Changbai and his son have little real power in their hands. They cannot promote or support others, and others themselves will not be too flattering to the Sheng family.
Inviting the female relatives over is a thankless task, and it is normal for Wang Ruofu's character not to want to do it.
"Mom, Mo Lan is also my father's daughter. Her haircut ceremony was not done well, and it will be a shame for our Sheng family. Mo Lan is the daughter of the Sheng family, and Ru Lan is the same, and will be affected accordingly."
After much persuasion, Sheng Changbai finally asked Wang Ruofu to take over Ru Lan's hairpin ceremony.
But if you want Wang Ruofu to take care of Mo Lan wholeheartedly, no one can do it.
Wang Ruofu invited several ladies who were friends of Sheng Hong in the same year in the officialdom. They were all the wives of seventh- and eighth-rank officials.
If there is no female guest with a high status, there is no need for the Sheng family to sell favors.
I prepared two tables at home and held a hair-raising ceremony for Mo Lan.
All guests invited to the Jiji ceremony are female guests, and it is enough for the female guests to be entertained by their parents.
Sheng Changbai had nothing to do. Of course, Sheng Changbai still went to work in the Yamen.
When Fangya returned home, Sheng Changbai was about to send the hairpin gift prepared for Mo Lan.
It was discovered that Sheng Hong, Wang Ruofu, Lin Zheshuang, Ru Lan, and Mo Lan were all gathered in Wei Ruixuan.
"Mo Lan, why are you aggrieved? Didn't the eldest lady arrange your haircut ceremony for you?"
Before entering the door, Sheng Changbai heard Sheng Hong's voice comforting Mo Lan.
After walking in, they saw Wang Ruofu, Ru Lan, mother and daughter with dark faces, and Sheng Hong with a troubled expression.
Then there was Lin Zhishuang holding Mo Lan, mother and daughter sobbing.
"Father, mother." Sheng Changbai greeted.
"Are you back from the office?" Sheng Hong replied.
"Yes, after I came back, I wanted to send the hairpin gift I prepared for my fourth sister to my fourth sister. I heard that someone was here, so I looked for him. Didn't the fourth sister's hairpin gift go smoothly today? Is this another time? What went wrong?"
"It's not like anything went wrong...it's just that Mo'er is a little dissatisfied." Sheng Hong explained.
Wang Ruofu and Ru Lan on one side, and Lin Zongshuang and Mo Lan on the other, were in a stalemate, unable to speak, so Sheng Hong could only explain.
To put it simply, although Mo Lan was dissatisfied with herself and the ceremony, the ceremony went smoothly.
Mo Lan is a smart person. When there are outsiders, he will not embarrass himself and let outsiders spread his bad reputation.
But after sending the guests away, Mo Lan began to complain to Lin Zongshuang.
Then Lin Zongshuang took Mo Lan and came to Sheng Hong to avenge her injustice.
What Wang Ruofu gave his concubine and hairpin as a gift from his mother was just an old-style gold hairpin.
When Hualan got his hairpin, all the famous people in Yangzhou City came to participate.
There were dozens of banquets, and even Mo Lan's wedding ceremony and hair extensions were not enough for two tables.
Mo Lan's haircut ceremony has been held.
But there is not much difference between doing it and not doing it. Doing it half-heartedly or not doing it all shows that Mo Lan is not taken seriously in the Sheng family.
This basically shows that the Sheng family cannot be relied upon by Mo Lan.
Molan's value in the wedding market has naturally been greatly reduced.
Only a mother and her son could feel such great grievances and resentment.
The more Sheng Hong said, the more aggrieved Lin Zhishuang and her daughter felt, and the more they sobbed. Ru Lan couldn't help it when she was beside them.
"Fourth sister, please stop crying. You don't have to be so aggrieved. You should also consider yourself. How can you compare with the eldest sister? The eldest sister is the eldest daughter of the family. All the female relatives are willing to participate in the hairpin ceremony of the eldest sister. , is there anyone willing to attend your haircut ceremony?"
If nothing else works, Ru Lan has still mastered how to make a stabbing hurt.
It's just that it's too straightforward and the little thoughts are too obvious, just to make Sheng Hong stare.
In fact, when Hualan had her haircut ceremony, it was far from the same situation as it is now.
When Hua Lan was born, it was still when Sheng Hong was serving as a judge in Yangzhou.
As the second-in-command of the place, the first-in-command also had to give face, and Hua Lan had to hold a hairpin ceremony. Of course, all the officials, squires, and wealthy people in Yangzhou rushed to attend, and it was easy to hold a banquet for dozens of tables.
Now that the Sheng family is not ranked in Bianjing, and Sheng Hong has no real power, even if it is Hua Lan who wants to hold a hairpin ceremony, it will not be able to create such a big scene in Yangzhou.
Of course, if it is Hua Lan and Ji, it cannot be a simple fooling around between the two tables.
At least some distinguished guests must be invited, and others are willing to participate. The Sheng family still has potential. If it is suitable, I don't mind selling well, enough to set up ten tables and eight tables.
Mo Lan, a concubine, wants to invite some high-status guests, which is a slap in the face.
"Honglang, look at what the fourth girl said. Both the eldest girl and Mo Lan are the daughters of the Sheng family. Is it possible that just because Mo Lan was born from my belly, she must suffer the consequences?" Are you so aggrieved?"
Lin Zongshuang has been doing the same thing for more than ten years, just showing off her weakness and pity.
She didn’t even confront Ru Lan, but went directly to Sheng Hong to cry and complain, letting Ru Lan be taught a lesson by Sheng Hong and unable to talk back.
"Lin Xiaoniang, what you are saying is that the fourth sister is not inferior to others in terms of appearance, talent and learning. She should not be so wronged. The only difference is that she was born in Linxige."
Before Sheng Hong could explode, Sheng Changbai continued what Lin Zongshuang said and replied.
Although Mo Lan did nothing wrong and became a concubine, her status was inferior in every aspect, and she was a bit innocent.
But Sheng Changbai still believed that Mo Lan could be a little aggrieved by this situation.
But Lin Zhishuang really has no qualifications to be wronged.
The scorn and contempt that Mo Lan suffered because of her status were all the result of Lin Zhishuang's improper hookup with Sheng Hong.
If the marriage between the official wife and the official wife is not protected, the status of the concubine and the children of the concubine will be the same as that of the official wife and the children of the official wife.
How should the social atmosphere and morals be corrupted?
If there is no price for being a mistress, then the social system is encouraging people to be mistresses.
If a mistress can just climb into bed and be treated like the main wife, what's the use of the marriage system?
What kind of chaos should the back house of an old pervert like Sheng Hong be like?
If the mistress and the head wife have the same status, how can there be a normal marriage?
"Mo Lan, some time ago, I got a piece of white jade with ink patterns, which fits your name. Haven't you been collecting such ink jade for these years? Come and see if this piece of material is suitable. Is it enough to make a set if you combine what you already have?"
Mo Lan likes this kind of thing. When the Wang family gave Ru Lan a jade with ink patterns, Mo Lan snatched it away.
Having such a good heart is enough to share Mo Lan's heart.
Sheng Changbai still hoped that Mo Lan could get some comfort from the gift and stop making trouble with Lin Zongshuang's crying performance.
"Yes, Mo Lan, please take a look at the jade material your second brother gave you. If it's not enough, my father will ask someone to go out and look for it. Didn't I also give you a face today? Do you like it or not? If you like it, I'll go to their store and order another set for you."
Sheng Hong also has a headache when dealing with this kind of thing, and his usual principles are always inconsistent.
Wang Ruofu didn't dare to scold him too much, and Lin Zongshuang's Sheng Hong wanted to coax him down.
"Okay, fourth sister, you and Xiaoniang Lin should go back first. My father and I have some court matters to discuss."
Sheng Changbai gave him a step, and Sheng Hong gave him a bloodletting. Mo Lan followed Lin Zongshuang and left Wei Ruixuan.
A woman has a complete set of hairpins, including hairpins, back combs, hairpins, pendants, hoops, top hairpins, sideburns, sideburns, hairbands, hairpins, full crowns, etc.
Once it's ready, the raw material gold alone will cost one or two kilograms. With some gems and beads, the materials may be worth hundreds or even thousands of copper coins.
In addition to the craftsmanship of the masters at the famous Jinlou in Bianjing, a set of noodles requires several skilled workers and takes several months of work.
Gold plus craftsmanship and artistic value will obviously be much more expensive. Sheng Hong spent at least thousands of dollars on it.
Having such a big fuss and benefiting so much, no wonder Lin Jiaoshuang likes to have fun with Sheng Hong.
Sheng Hong obviously saw that Mo Lan had already reached the age of hairpin and would be getting married soon.
Firstly, she has no mother to rely on, and secondly, she does not have the favor of her grandmother. Lin Jiaoshuang is a poor man who entered the Sheng family alone.
All the assets now come from Sheng Hong's gift, although it is not a small amount.
But compared with the assets of Wang Ruofu and Mrs. Sheng, they are still far behind.
No one would give Mo Lan a lot of credit, so Sheng Hong began to seize the opportunity and began to support Mo Lan.
"Why are you so wealthy and have so much money? How come you don't know how to add more to Bai'er's betrothal gift so that Bai'er can have more face in front of the Hai family?"
Wang Ruofu said with a dark face and glared at Sheng Hong.
Although Wang Ruofu is rich, he doesn't think it's too much, let alone Sheng Hong being so partial to Mo Lan.
Of course Wang Ruofu has a normal feudal mentality, and most of the family property should be inherited by the legitimate sons and daughters of the family.
In Wang Ruofu's opinion, Sheng Hong was subsidizing Mo Lan like this, which meant that Sheng Hong was cutting the flesh of his own children.
"Bai'er, don't you have something to tell me about the court? Let's go to the study."
The excuse Sheng Changbai used to drive away Mo Lan and Lin Zongshuang was immediately used by Sheng Hong again.
"Yes, let's go to the study room."
Sheng Changbai still gave Sheng Hong some face and didn't say that he was just an excuse.
"What happened in the court today?"
After the father and son came out of Wei Ruixuan Gate, Sheng Hong asked.
"Nothing happened in the court. What I said just now is just an excuse."
"Then let's go over and have a cup of tea. We told your mother that we had something to go to the study, so we should go back immediately."
Just like that, acting required a complete set, Sheng Changbai followed Sheng Hong to Sheng Hong's study.
What I drank was Slow Tongtong Kung Fu Tea, which was the same tea-ordering process that Sanlan had learned before.
The two fathers and sons just sat there, and Sheng Changbai and Sheng Hong started chatting again.
After talking a few words about the latest news in the imperial court, we talked about Mo Lan again.
"Fourth sister has also gone through the wedding ceremony. Has father found any suitable family for Mo Lan?"
Sheng Changbai has always believed that it is too young for a girl to get married at fifteen.
It is not a good thing for a woman to be immature physically and mentally.
But at this age, it is not bad to get married too early, but the marriage should still be settled.
It's okay if she's just over fifteen, but if a woman doesn't get engaged in a few years, she'll easily be called an old maid.
"Although my father has said that he treats all the daughters in the family in a normal way. But after all, your fourth sister was born to you, Lin Xiaoniang. By marrying her into the official family, I was worried that she would be wronged because of her birth. So I I think it would be better to pick a young man who has learned well from a poor family and marry Mo Lan."
A noble family with many generations of officials, even a concubine in the family, is actually not willing to find a concubine who is just like her and looks well-matched.
The Sheng family is not even a wealthy family, they are still a relatively new upstart.
Neither of them wants their children to marry any concubine.
Sheng Hong never gave Sheng Changfeng any consideration of marrying a concubine.
It's not because I dislike the low status of concubines. The concubines of high-ranking officials and ministers have a higher status than their fathers, so naturally their status cannot be said to be low.
Judging from their growing up experiences, concubines are often suppressed and even chastened by their wives, which can easily lead to character flaws.
In terms of rules, etiquette, and talents, it is also easy for people to have incomplete education and lack of education.
Although children of concubines should, according to the rules, grow up with the head wife of the family and be educated by the head wife.
But in the process of growing up, it is inevitable to be influenced by the biological mother.
Many people who can be concubines have some flaws in their thinking and knowledge, which can easily affect their children.
As for men, they basically have to receive education from outside schools and colleges, so the situation can be better.
For women, they live in the back house all day and are more influenced by their biological mothers.
Chang Feng and Mo Lan are the true portrayal of this situation.
Without a thorough understanding of the situation, the probability of a concubine having problems with her character, psychology, and abilities is much higher.
The risk of marrying a concubine is much higher, so aristocratic families have naturally formed a custom of not marrying a concubine hastily.
"After such a long time, does my father have a favorite candidate?"
"I have met a few young men in Beijing. They are pretty good in appearance, character, talent and learning. It's just that Mo Lan's mother-in-law didn't want Mo Lan to marry into a poor family, so Mo Lan's marriage was put on hold.
It hasn’t been decided yet.”
The Sheng family's status is not yet qualified to catch a son-in-law at the bottom of the list during the imperial examination, or to catch a new scholar with good ranking.
Most of the Jinshi who were ranked lower in the list had little future, and Sheng Hong still looked down upon them.
Therefore, if Sheng Hong wants to find a potential stock for Mo Lan, he can only find gold among Juren.
"Father, marriage matters depend on the orders of the parents and the words of the matchmaker. As long as you and mother agree on Mo Lan's marriage, it doesn't matter if you marry his little girl!"
