Wang Ruofu, the eldest daughter of the Sheng Mansion, was losing her temper angrily.
"The official went to Lin Qige again. That little bitch, why didn't God send a thunder to kill her? If she is killed, she will be clean."
"Officials do too. Is that little bitch really that good? That pretentious and sultry way. Damn, what evil have I done? I met such a little bitch and made a big mess.
The wife is not a eldest lady, and the concubine is not a concubine. In the whole Yangzhou City, who eldest lady is as aggrieved as me?"
Seeing Mrs. Wang dancing and cursing angrily, as the most capable and loyal mother Liu around, she was about to persuade her.
"Lady..."
"The master is here, madam, the master is here."
Wang Ruofu's scolding stopped abruptly, his face changed in a second, and he asked happily: "The official is here? Didn't he go to Linqige?"
No one could answer her, because Sheng Hong had already strode in, so she greeted him with a happy face.
"Official..."
She was about to say a few nice words, but Sheng Hong quickly said: "Madam, something big has happened."
Wang Ruofu was interrupted and almost choked, but when he heard Sheng Hong said something serious, he suddenly looked panicked.
"What's the matter, sir?"
Sheng Hong said: "The house has just received a greeting card, please take a look at it first." He handed the greeting card to Wang Ruofu.
Wang Ruofu took the invitation and opened it to read. She didn't have much talent, and she couldn't play chess, calligraphy and painting with Sheng Hong, but she wasn't really illiterate.
"At Marquis Zhongjing's Mansion, their third son came to Yangzhou to deliver greeting cards to our family. What's going on?"
"I don't know either. I don't even know Marquis Zhongjing. I wonder if the Yue family has a relationship with them, so that's why they want to visit?"
Wang Ruofu looked confused: "Ah, my parents? I don't know about this."
Seeing that she couldn't give her any advice, Sheng Hong couldn't help but muttered: "It's really no use asking."
But his words aroused Wang Ruofu's dissatisfaction. She stared and shouted: "What do you mean asking in vain? My father deserves to enjoy the Ancestral Temple. He didn't come for my Wang family. Could it be that he came for your Sheng family?"
of?"
Sheng Hong looked disgusted. This was the reason why he didn't like Wang Ruofu. He was too vulgar and inelegant.
"What's going on with the third son of the Zhongjing Hou Mansion?"
"Forget it, let's ask my mother. Maybe she can know."
Although Sheng Hong feels that the Sheng family is what it is today thanks to his own efforts, it is undeniable that whenever he is in doubt, the first thing he thinks of is his aunt.
Upon hearing this, Wang Ruofu said: "Want to go to the old lady's place? I'll go with you."
Sheng Hong did not refuse, and the two hurriedly walked out of the room.
The old lady of the Sheng family lives in Shou'an Hall, which is also a relatively quiet and peaceful courtyard in the backyard. In addition to the old lady, there is also Sheng Hualan, the eldest daughter of the Sheng family. Sheng Hualan has been raised by the old lady since she was a child.
When Sheng Hong and his wife arrived at Shou'an Hall, Mrs. Sheng was teaching Sheng Hualan how to read the account books.
Before Mrs. Sheng came out of the cabinet, she was also a famous noblewoman in Tokyo. She was also outstanding among the many ladies in Tokyo. She basically knew a few things that women knew.
As the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, Hualan will definitely get married and become the head of the family in the future. As a head of the house, she must also know how to read account books, so Mrs. Sheng taught her very seriously in this regard.
Suddenly seeing Sheng Hong and his wife coming together, Mrs. Sheng frowned slightly and stopped teaching.
"Mother."
Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu both saluted respectfully.
There were many rules in ancient feudal dynasties, but the Song Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, with filial piety ranking first, and etiquette in this area was even more important.
Old Mrs. Sheng asked them to get up. She naturally knew her concubine and daughter-in-law, and knew that apart from asking for greetings, they would not be willing to come to her hospital unless they had nothing to do.
"You guys are actually free to come to my place today?"
Sheng Hong lowered his head and said, "My mother's words make my son ashamed."
Mrs. Sheng waved her hand: "Okay, if you have anything to say, just say it. I still need to teach Hua'er how to read the account books."
Sheng Hong walked forward with a smile and showed the greeting card in his hand: "Mother, it's strange to say that today, a servant who claimed to be the third son of Marquis Zhongjing in Tokyo suddenly sent a greeting card to our house. But
We don’t know the people from the Marquis Zhongjing Mansion at all, and we can’t figure out why they sent greeting cards, so we came here to nag mother.”
"Zhongjinghou Mansion?"
Mrs. Sheng's expression visibly paused, and Sheng Hongdun, who was good at observing words and expressions, felt something.
"Mother, do you know the Zhongjing Hou Mansion?"
Old Mrs. Sheng did not speak, but her expression suddenly became very nostalgic. After a moment, she spoke quietly.
"If it's the Zhongjing Hou Mansion, I, an old woman, really know the reason."
Sheng Hong was overjoyed: "Mother, you know the reason. What's going on? Our family has nothing to do with the Marquis Zhongjing's Mansion. Why did the third son of the Marquis of Zhongjing suddenly send a greeting card?"
Wang Ruofu and Hualan also looked at Old Mrs. Sheng curiously. Although they didn't know how famous the old lady was back then, they also knew that even in Tokyo, she was a very respectable person. She knew the Marquis Zhongjing Mansion.
It's not surprising for people.
Mrs. Sheng sighed and said: "If you really think about it, the Zhongjing Marquis' Mansion has some relationship with me. The Zhongjing Marquis' Mansion and the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion are related by marriage, and the current eldest lady of the Marquis' Mansion is the direct descendant of my second brother.
She is my niece, but I only met her a few times when she was a child, and in the blink of an eye, I haven’t seen her for decades.”
Both Sheng Hong and his wife did not dare to speak, because they both knew that Mrs. Sheng had cut off all contact with her mother's family, Yongyi Hou Mansion, just for the sake of the Sheng family.
"That means that the third young master of the Zhongjing Hou Mansion is your grandnephew, mother?"
"In terms of blood relationship, that's it."
Sheng Hong felt relieved now: "No wonder he sent the greeting card. It turned out to be because of my mother. It seems that he must have been ordered to visit by the eldest lady of the Marquis Palace. Mother, I didn't know there was such a relationship.
.”
But who knew that Mrs. Sheng's expression was not good-looking, and she hummed, "I haven't contacted that place for many years. If you hadn't mentioned it today, I would have almost forgotten it."
Sheng Hong quickly apologized. He didn't dare to say anything more on this matter. In any case, he was able to survive until now thanks to the old lady's care.
Mrs. Sheng muttered: "Tomorrow you will entertain me normally according to the rules. If he says he wants to come to see me, you will bring him here."
She had not contacted her mother's family for decades, and suddenly a great-nephew came to her. She was still somewhat excited. Even though her great-nephew was far from being related to her, if they were truly considered to be blood relatives, she was more excited than anyone else in the Sheng family.
Everyone is close.
"Yes, mother."
After Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu left, the old lady did not continue to teach Sheng Hualan, but sat there, wondering what she was thinking.
The young Sheng Hualan was very curious. She had been with her grandmother for many years and had never seen her grandmother show such a sad mood.
She could feel that although her grandmother didn't say anything, she was definitely looking forward to meeting the young master of the Hou family who had not yet been masked.
Early the next morning, Zhou Chen put on expensive clothes, tidied himself up, and then left Li Mansion in a carriage and went straight to Sheng Mansion.
The Li Mansion is not far from the Sheng Mansion. It took half an hour to arrive by carriage. I got off the carriage and made an announcement. After a while, the main door of the Sheng Mansion opened wide and several people walked out. The leader was Yangzhou Tongpan.
Sheng Hong.
Logically speaking, the two families are barely related, and Sheng Hong is considered the elder, so he should not come out to greet him in person. However, there is a huge gap between the Sheng Mansion and the Hou Mansion. Apart from Sheng Hong, the Sheng Mansion cannot send anyone to greet him, so
Sheng Hong could only open the front door and come out to greet him.
Sheng Hong was a well-rounded person. At a glance, he knew Zhou Chen was the protagonist and immediately greeted him with a smile.
"This must be the Third Young Master. He is truly a talented person with a dashing appearance."
Although Zhou Chen had never met Sheng Hong, he guessed that this person was Sheng Hong, so he also smiled.
"I've met Shanda people."
Sheng Hong said with a smile: "The third young master is too out of touch. I didn't know until now that we are still relatives. If you don't mind, just call me uncle."
If Sheng Hong was Mrs. Sheng's biological son, according to the blood relationship, Zhou Chen should be called uncle, but Sheng Hong was self-aware and did not mention it at all.
Zhou Chen also took advantage of the situation and called out: "Uncle Sheng, I have taken the liberty of visiting you today, please forgive me."
"We are all one family, never see outsiders, never see outsiders."
Sheng Hong was very polite. He couldn't bear to have such a relative, so how could he meet anyone outside the family?
"My dear nephew, please come inside."
Zhou Chen waved his hand, and Shui Quan and his guards followed him carrying two boxes. It was his first time to visit, so of course he couldn't be empty-handed.
Sheng Hong deliberately brought Zhou Chen to the main hall, and Wang Ruofu, the eldest wife of the Sheng Mansion, was already waiting in the main hall. When she saw the person coming, she immediately stood up with a smile on her face.
After Sheng Hong's introduction, Zhou Chen took the initiative to salute politely: "I've met the eldest lady."
Wang Ruofu smiled broadly: "You're welcome, please take a seat."
Zhou Chen asked Shui Quan to put down the things and said, "Uncle, Madam, I came from Tokyo. These are some specialties brought from Tokyo. Please don't dislike them, Uncle and Madam."
"What are you doing, my dear nephew? He came right after he came and didn't even bring anything with him. You're so polite." Sheng Hong's words in the scene were not bad at all.
"It should, it should."
After exchanging polite words, Wang Ruofu asked his servants to move the things away, and the three of them sat down in the hall.
"Actually, this time I specially sent the teacher back to his hometown. When I arrived in Yangzhou, I found out that Uncle Sheng was an official in Yangzhou, so I came here to visit him."
Sheng Hong was very surprised: "Oh, does my nephew's teacher live in Yangzhou? I wonder if he respects his teacher?"
"The teacher's surname is Li and his given name is Zhang. He was a Jinshi in the ninth year of Tiansheng."
When Sheng Hong heard this, he was in awe: "It turns out to be Master Li. I have heard of Master Li for a long time. He is a highly respected and admirable senior in Yangzhou."
He had indeed heard of Li Zhang, but that was all, he was not familiar with him, he was just talking politely.
"Teacher is indeed erudite and knowledgeable. Without him, my brother and I would not have the knowledge we have now."
"Oh, my nephew and brother also took the imperial examination?"
Sheng Hong became interested. Listening to Zhou Chen's tone, it was obvious that he had accomplished something in his studies. But after all, he was in the Hou Mansion. Could it be that he had actually taken the imperial examination?
As soon as you inquire about this kind of thing, you will know that Zhou Chen did not hide anything and said directly: "My eldest brother was the first-class Jinshi in the last year, and I just passed the Qiu Wei."
Sheng Hong's expression suddenly became solemn. Zhou Chen is the legitimate son of the Hou family, so wouldn't his eldest brother be the eldest son, the future Marquis of Zhongjing? It's really amazing that such a young Marquis can pass the first-class Jinshi examination.
As for Zhou Chen, he was even more curious: "My nephew is not very old, but he has also passed the Qiu Dynasty. He is really a young and talented person."
Wang Ruofu also regained his sense of presence at this time, and said with a smile: "Yes, I think you are only sixteen or seventeen years old. Have you passed the provincial examination so early?"
"Unsatisfied uncle, eldest lady, I have just turned sixteen."
"sixteen?"
Sheng Hong took a breath. He passed the provincial examination at the age of sixteen and became a civil servant. In a small place, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a child prodigy. Even if he was placed in Bianjing, it would not be easy.
He was shocked by the talents of Zhou Chen brothers and felt that these brothers would definitely be great in the future.
Wang Ruofu was much simpler than he thought. Her eyes kept looking at Zhou Chen, and the more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
He has a handsome young appearance, a talented person, a noble birth, and speaks and behaves like everyone else. Although he is young, you can tell at a glance that he is a promising person.
She couldn't help but think of her beloved eldest daughter Hua Lan, and thought that it would be great if Hua Lan could find such a husband.
Zhou Chen chatted with Sheng Hong and his wife for a while, and then took the initiative to say that he wanted to meet the old lady. Neither Sheng Hong nor Sheng Hong was surprised. They knew that this was Zhou Chen's real purpose, so the couple took Zhou Chen with them in person.
Went to Shou'an Hall.
Zhou Chen asked Shui Quan and the others to stay, and he followed Sheng Hong and his wife to the backyard.
Shou'an Hall is located in the backyard of Sheng Mansion. It is a relatively secluded courtyard. Zhou Chen followed him to the inner hall and soon met Mrs. Sheng, whom he had admired for a long time.
Mrs. Sheng appeared frequently in this drama and was one of the soul characters of the drama. For Sheng Minglan to achieve such achievements, the old lady must take half of the credit.
The old lady is a real wise man. To be honest, marrying the Sheng family is really a secret investment. This old lady is admired from the bottom of the heart and is also the anchor of the Sheng family.
Zhou Chen is not a person who likes to kowtow. After living for so many years, he has kowtowed only a handful of times. However, this time, after seeing his relationship with Mrs. Sheng, he still knelt down and kowtowed respectfully.
"My great-aunt Ci'an."
The old lady stood up hurriedly, walked over in a few steps, stretched out her hand and pulled Zhou Chen up.
"Good boy, good boy, the ground is cold, get up quickly, get up quickly."
He pulled Zhou Chen up with both hands, and then did not let go. He held Zhou Chen's hand with both hands and looked at Zhou Chen with tearful eyes.
"A good boy, so delicate. He looks a lot like Huiniang when she was a child."
In fact, the last time she saw her niece was when she was seven or eight years old, and her memory has long been blurred. But when she saw Zhou Chen, she felt close and similar to her.
Seeing the old lady pulling Zhou Chen to look at her, Sheng Hong coughed dryly and said, "Mother, let your nephew sit down and talk first."
The old lady immediately patted the back of Zhou Chen's hand: "Look, I'm so confused. Brother Chen, come on, sit next to me quickly and let me take a good look."
With that said, she pulled Zhou Chen to the opposite side of the Arhat bed where she was sitting, and continued to look at him with a smile on her face.
For the first time in decades, she saw a descendant of her mother's family who was related to her by blood. She was excited and excited.