As soon as they saw the young man's imposing manner, the Sheng brothers and sisters knew that he had a good background. They immediately stood up and greeted each other politely. Mr. Zhuang waited for them to finish their salutes before introducing him. It turned out that this beautiful young man was the current Salt Commissioner. The only son of the transfer envoy, his father is the second son of the Duke of Qi, and his mother is the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang, Princess Pingning, who was granted the title of Princess Pingning by the Holy Emperor.
His name is Qi Heng, his courtesy name is Yuan Ruo, and he is one year younger than Chang Bai. He studied under Mr. Zhuang in the capital a few years ago, and then left Mr. Zhuang when his father went abroad. Recently Mr. Qi came to Dengzhou for inspection. The salt affairs were ordered to be reorganized, and they were expected to stay for a while. Naturally, his wife and children accompanied him. Qi Heng heard that Sheng Hong's teacher was Mr. Zhuang, so he asked his father to send him a message to visit.
Minglan was a little surprised when she saw that Mr. Zhuang was very affectionate towards Qi Heng. After learning these days, Mr. Zhuang seemed to be very disdainful towards the princes and princes in his words and deeds. Once, he even pointed out that the children of the princes and princes were 'stupid beetles'. , she thought in her heart, but Chang Feng had already said it: "I guess he is Mr. Zhuang's disciple, so he should be called senior brother." He smiled and bowed.
Mr. Zhuang pointed at Qi Heng and said with a smile: "This boy has such a big family background. He doesn't want to donate to the official position, but insists on studying hard by himself. He comes to my shabby thatched cottage in the cold winter and hot summer, and the anxious princess jumps to her feet."
Qi Heng's snow-white skin was slightly red, and he said with a shy expression: "My father often regretted not having taken the scientific examination, and he hoped that his descendants could pursue a serious official career. Fortunately, Shanda invited Mr. Yuan Ruo to come here shamelessly."
He glanced at Changbai, who was smiling silently at the side, and then said: "This is the eldest son of Shanda people, senior brother Changbai. I heard that senior brother will take the provincial examination today, do you have any words?"
Changbai said: "The cursive character is sincerity, given by Mr. Zhuang."
Then the three older boys greeted each other and saluted each other. Qi Heng bowed his hands to the two young masters of the Sheng family and said, "Brother Zecheng, brother Changfeng."
Mr. Zhuang got impatient after waiting for a long time and cursed: "You young people are more pedantic than me, old man. You want to go out and talk about it. I haven't finished my lecture yet." - Ming Lan secretly added, so you have been I can't be an official.
While they were chattering, Minglan asked the three confused little maids to go out, and Danju followed them out in a polite manner. Outside, Xiaotao arrived just in time, and immediately took the money bag she sent and counted them each. Fifty coins were given to the three little maids. The maids all thanked her hurriedly. Qi Heng glanced at her as if nothing had happened.
Mr. Zhuang asked Qi Heng to sit down and listen to the lecture. The boy on the side had already brought up a pair of tables and chairs. The original positions were Changbai on the right and Changfeng on the left. Behind them sat his sister. The front of Minglan was empty and on the right. He sat against the wall, with Xiao Changdong behind him. Now a transfer student came out of nowhere. Mr. Zhuang asked him to sit on the right side of Changbai and asked him to sit on the right side of the first row. Minglan was naturally right behind him.
Minglan was complaining that her view was blocked, but she didn't expect that after Qi Heng sat down, he turned around and smiled at her and said, "Hello, Sixth Sister."
Minglan was stunned for a moment - what's wrong with this guy...? Then he intuitively looked at Mo Lan and Ru Lan, and saw that they were both looking here, and they quickly sat upright without saying a word.
The room was quiet at this time. Mr. Zhuang cleared his throat and said, "You all heard what Miss Six and the maid said just now. What do you think? You might as well talk about it."
Chang Bai smiled: "Sixth sister has said everything she needs to say."
Chang Feng moved his lips and glanced at Qi Heng. He seemed to have some scruples and stopped criticizing his eldest son. Mo Lan and Ru Lan behaved like ladies, extremely reserved.
Seeing everyone's appearance today, Mr. Zhuang knew that no matter how hard it was to ask, he sighed and said to Minglan: "They all refuse to tell. Miss Six, it's up to you to do the talking."
Minglan stood up respectfully and said: "This... each has its own advantages, but..." She said with a shy smile: "The eldest son is easy to recognize, saves trouble and effort, and is less likely to quarrel."
Qi Heng resisted and did not look back, feeling that the voice behind him was delicate and clear, and it was very pleasant to hear.
Mr. Zhuang did not comment, motioned Minglan to sit down, and asked Qi Heng: "Yuanruo, you have been listening for a long time just now, what do you say?"
Qi Heng also stood up and said: "Students have just arrived, how can they talk nonsense, but..." He paused and smiled, "Sixth sister's last question...is a very good one."
The atmosphere immediately relaxed. Everyone thought it was funny again. Mr. Zhuang pointed at him and shook his head.
After a while, Mr. Zhuang said sternly to the boy in the first row: "I will only say what I say today once, and I will not recognize you after you leave this door. A true man should be loyal to the emperor and patriotic. No matter how violent the storm is outside, it will eventually pass. It's important to keep your joints."
You have to be careful, and you must not fall into it arbitrarily and have meaningless disputes with your colleagues. It is the right thing to be a pure minister!"
All the students nodded to accept the instruction, and Minglan complained: This old man is so cunning. What he means is that it doesn't matter whether he or she is a direct heir, as long as he is loyal to the person who becomes the emperor in the end. This cannot be said clearly.
But I have to say it in such a roundabout way, and I have accomplished the task. Whether I can understand it or not depends entirely on personal practice.
…
Because Qi Heng was going to visit Old Mrs. Sheng, all the brothers and sisters gathered at Ji'an Hall for lunch. Old Mrs. Sheng pulled Qi Heng and looked at him again and again. She liked him very much, and then looked at the three little flower-like granddaughters beside her.
, my heart couldn't help but move, and I couldn't help but sigh when I thought of Minglan; Wang stood aside and introduced it very happily.
After Sheng Hong saw the post sent by Mr. Qi, he was overjoyed that his boss and powerful man came to his door. He immediately invited Qi Heng to come to the Sheng Family School to study together. Mr. Qi was originally worried that his son would delay his studies, so they met him at that time.
They speculated, had a good conversation, and tried to establish friendship several times. Miraculously, they discovered that the Duke of Qi and Wang's maiden family once had a complicated relationship.
Mrs. Wang smiled and said: "After careful examination, it turned out that they are members of my own family. Although they are distant relatives, we should get closer in the future." Now the colleagues became relatives, and the people in the room became more and more animated, even the Sheng sisters.
No need to avoid it.
After listening to Wang's explanation, Minglan realized why Qi Heng called her sixth sister when she came up. But as soon as she had the idea, Rulan over there had already warmly called her 'Brother Yuanruo', and Mo Lan
Then she also called out delicately. Minglan couldn't help but tremble and called out too. Qi Heng also politely replied: "Fourth girl, fifth girl, sixth sister."
He lowered his eyes and glanced at Minglan, only to see her with a pair of small hairdos, standing aside blankly, her chubby little hands covering her small mouth, yawning constantly, her tender cheeks were as white as fat little buns, Qi Heng
He curled his mouth and suddenly felt a little itchy in his hands.
Minglan had never known a day to be as difficult as today. In the morning, she taught Xiao Changdong how to read before dawn, but Mr. Zhuang refused to let the class go. During lunch, everyone was very animated and refused to leave. In the afternoon, the mother
The tiger-like Mrs. Zhuang was about to attack her, but she didn't have time to take a nap. However, her two sisters obviously felt that today was a wonderful day.
During the piano class in the afternoon, Mo Lan played the piano with a gurgling gurgling sound, which was very emotional. Mrs. Zhuang closed her eyes and admired it very much. Ru Lan also changed her usual impatience and smiled at the corner of her mouth, lowering her head to play carefully. Ming Lan felt uncomfortable listening to it. , went to see them, and saw that their faces were flushed, their brows were stretched, and they seemed to be laughing with joy.
Minglan sighed and continued to strum her own strings, spring...
When I came to this era, I realized that the gap with modern times was far beyond imagination. In ancient times, the first priority of a girl’s life was to get married, and then raise her husband and raise her children for the rest of her life. Before that, she had to study, be a female prostitute, settle accounts, and be a housekeeper. , being a director, and even reading and writing are all preparations for this ultimate goal.
Mo Lan recited poems and composed poems not to be able to shine in Xinglin in the future, but to be known as a talented girl, to be more valuable in the marriage market, or to please her husband more after marriage; Ru Lan learned to read account books, not to work as an accountant in the future. , but to be able to manage the husband's family's property and manage money better in the future; the same is true for Minglan Xuenu Hong - at least in the eyes of others.
For an ancient girl, her elders would instill the concept of marriage into her from a very young age. When she was a child, Yao Yiyi heard from her mother - "Your midterm exam results have declined this time. Be careful that you won't even be able to pass the xx high school!" "In ancient times, what she heard from the mother of the house, Mother Cui, was - "It took four days to embroider a teal duck. How will you use your husband's children to do personal work in the future? Don't be rejected by your husband's family!"
Of course, at this time, the girls will act shy as usual, but they have accepted the concept of getting married and having children very early in their hearts, and the scheming girls have even started to make plans for themselves early. So, looking at the faces of Mo Lan and Ru Lan, In spring, Minglan is not surprised at all. For ancient girls, a husband is not only love, but also a lifetime meal ticket and a guarantee of a peaceful life.
Minglan felt that it was natural for them to be so kind. If they pretended to be innocent and pretended that they were close to each other as brothers, that would be hypocritical. When meeting an outstanding, beautiful young man with a prominent family background, it would be unreasonable for him to have ideas. Nothing but normal.
Minglan suddenly felt melancholy. The life in Ji'antang was safe and warm, but she couldn't stay there forever. Ten years old was a checkpoint. They were outside the checkpoint, but she was still inside.
…
Before going to bed at night, Minglan was reading a book of music scores. The boy next to Changbai ran over in a hurry, holding a blue and white porcelain open shallow bottom basin about a foot wide in his hand, and carefully placed it on the table. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Sixth girl, these two little fish are naughty to you because I told you that you want to study and become a female celebrity. It's good for your eyes to look at these often." "
Minglan leaned over to take a look, and saw two koi carps with red and white stripes in a shallow porcelain basin. Their scales were either bright red or snow-white, and their tails were flowing. There were also a few small pebbles and a few tender aquatic plants dotting the bottom of the water. The shimmering water, the swimming fish, the bright red green ducks and the blue and white porcelain are very pleasing to the eye. Minglan was overjoyed, raised her head and smiled at the sweating cow: "This is really beautiful. You go back and tell the eldest young master, my sister likes it very much. Thank you very much;...Danju, quickly scoop out two hundred dollars to give Brother Xiaoniu a shock. It’s hard work carrying this pot with your heart and soul all the way.”
Han Niu was only eleven or twelve years old. He was overjoyed when he heard about the money reward. He took the string of money and hurriedly thanked Ming Lan. Dan Ju grabbed a handful of fruits on the table and gave them to him, and then let Yu Zhi Sent him out.
Xiao Tao was still childish. When she saw Khan Niu leaving, she immediately went over to look at the koi and praised it for looking good. Dan Ju turned around and saw the master and servant staring at the koi stupidly and pointing with their fat short fingers. She couldn't help but laugh.
: "The young master is really attentive. I heard that he has such a big tank in his house and keeps several pairs of koi. This pair was probably scooped out of his tank."
Xiaotao raised her head and giggled: "Sister Danju is right, I heard the same thing when I was in my wife's room. The eldest young master treasures this koi. No one is allowed to touch it on weekdays, especially the fifth girl. This time he actually gave it to me.
It's really strange for our girl to have two."
Minglan didn't say anything, but put her short and fat fingers into the water to tease the two fat-bellied koi. She thought to herself: Could this be the reward for standing in line during the day? If so, that's not bad. It means that Brother Changbai is very smart and can
It's really gratifying to have a sensible boss.
It has to be said that Wang's hitting success rate is still very high, with at least two strikes in three swings.