When the manager of Laifu went to wait for Sheng Hong outside the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Sheng Hong was planning to have a few drinks with the newly assigned young men to connect with each other and cultivate their personal power. Unexpectedly, Laifu came in a hurry. After hearing the news, Sheng Hong had no choice but to return to his house in a hurry.
Mo Lan was detained, and Aunt Lin had no chance to confront her with her confession, and she couldn't do anything, so she planned to wait at the door of the house and cry to Sheng Hong first. Who knew that Haishi had been prepared and called Manager Laifu to make excuses? Nearby, he led Sheng Hong in from the side door, and first went to Mu Cangzhai to see Minglan.
Sheng Hong saw Ming Lan leaning on the soft couch, with a clear palm print on her white jade face. The little girl seemed to be frightened, she was only pulling her sleeves and shaking in fear, shedding tears, Sheng Hong Hong listened to the eloquent maid next to him crying and explaining the whole story. Then he looked at the mess in the house, with broken cups and bowls scattered all over the floor. His face suddenly darkened.
"Where are the people?" Sheng Hong said in a deep voice.
Haishi blessed Fu respectfully and whispered: "Aunt Lin was so anxious that she was afraid that the fourth sister would suffer a loss and refused to let the wife take her away. So the wife took it upon herself to take the fourth sister to her own house and wait until her father comes back. Claim.”
Sheng Hong nodded with satisfaction, thinking of the many years of grudges between Wang and Aunt Lin, and worried that there was something fishy in it. His face seemed hesitant. Haishi glanced at him sideways and said warmly: "My wife arrived later. , I don’t know exactly what happened to this matter, dad should ask the fourth sister, don’t accuse her unjustly.”
Sheng Hong thought so, so he asked a few little girls to take good care of Minglan, and then waved his sleeves and went out. Haishi quickly followed, and called Dan Ju and Lu Zhi. The group came to the main house. At this time, Haishi It has already been arranged.
In the main room, Mrs. Wang was sitting on top, stroking her chest and panting. Next to her stood Liu Kun's family. Below them were Aunt Lin, her mother and her son, Aunt Xiang, her mother and her son, and all the maids and women were driven out. Several close servants stood at the door. Sheng Hong knew that family scandals should not be made public, and secretly lamented that his daughter-in-law acted cautiously.
Sheng Hong walked in without saying a word. Aunt Lin had been wiping her tears. When she saw Sheng Hong coming over, she quickly pulled him away and cried: "Master——" Before he could finish speaking, Haishi stepped forward and walked away. When he came to Aunt Lin, he pulled her back and said with a smile: "I put down some important business and rushed back. I have to let you speak first."
Aunt Lin's eyes filled with tears and she said in a trembling voice: "Grandma, is it possible that I can't even say anything to you? You can't watch the fourth girl being wronged and no one says a word."
Haishi's eyebrows were kind and he smiled and said: "I invited everyone here today, and I want you to make it clear in front of me. We are all one family, and we are close relatives. If there is anything we can't explain, if there is any fault, I will make it clear to you." Feel free to deal with it. If there is any misunderstanding, let's make it clear. How can we still be harmonious? However, Aunt Lin, I heard that you also rushed there after your wife, and I'm afraid you didn't see anything about the fourth sister and the sixth sister. Son, what are you going to say now?"
Aunt Lin was immediately speechless. Hei Shi didn't say anything yet. She didn't even have a chance to complain that she was wronged.
Sheng Hong walked forward and sat down. He first looked at Mo Lan. He saw that her body was intact, with no scars at all. She only looked a little panicked. Then he looked at Xiao Changdong next to him. There were a few pimples on her tender left cheek. There was a blister, which seemed to have been burned. There was gauze wrapped around his right hand, and his face seemed to be in pain. Finally, he looked at Chang Feng and saw him shrinking. Sheng Hong suddenly felt angry. He raised his hand and a The tea cup was smashed over and shattered at Chang Feng's feet, making Chang Feng jump a few steps.
Sheng Hong scolded angrily: "Are you going to be successful? You don't study hard in the study, you just pick up flowers and grass all day long, and now you are involved in the affairs of the female family members in the house in Hedao. You are shameless, and you can read all the saints' books. Are you there? What use do you have! Get out of here first, and I will settle the score with you later!"
Chang Feng turned pale with fright and staggered out.
After Sheng Hongfa finished making his son, he went to see Mo Lan and drank: "Four girls, kneel down."
Mo Lan made a loud noise, knelt down with tears in her eyes, and quickly defended: "Father Mingjian, I just had a few quarrels with my sixth sister, and I got angry for a while. I didn't know how to use my hands lightly or how hard I was during the scuffle. My daughter didn't mean it; who did it? I knew my wife wanted to call me a sitter, and my aunt couldn't bear to let me go, so I started making trouble. My daughter realized her mistake and asked her father to punish her. Don't blame the third brother and aunt, they - they all feel sorry for their daughter." She cried as she spoke. When I woke up, I felt pitiful.
Sheng Hong's face froze, thinking that children really didn't care about the severity of a fight, so he frowned and said, "But that's not what others say."
Aunt Lin covered her sleeves and cried quickly: "The girls in the sixth girl's courtyard are naturally facing their master."
Sheng Hong looked hesitant. Seeing this, Haishi suddenly chuckled and said respectfully to Sheng Hong: "Dad, my fourth brother was here at the time, why don't we ask him?" Sheng Hong was a cautious person, and he rarely took sides since he became a Tongzhi. After hearing this, I felt that what my daughter-in-law said made sense, so she immediately asked Changdong: "What do you think the situation is like?"
Aunt Lin and Mo Lan looked at each other, their expressions darkening.
Aunt Xiang lowered her head and pinched Changdong's arm in her sleeve. Changdong understood, so he walked forward with his head lowered and raised his head. Although there were no tears on his face, his words had a clear crying sound. He recounted what happened at that time: "——I was about to go out. I was afraid of omissions, so I asked the sixth sister what else I should bring to Youyang. As soon as Xiao Taohong made a bowl of hot tea, the fourth sister came ——”
Changdong was not very articulate, but he excelled in detail. He explained every detail and every action clearly. Even Mo Lan scolded Minglan's mistress and mistress. However, Gone Dada's retelling only increased the credibility. Aunt Lin wanted to interrupt several times, but Heidi blocked her.
Sheng Hong's face became more and more ugly. When Chang Dong said that Ming Lan was leaving, Mo Lan chased after him and slapped her in the face. She couldn't bear it anymore, slapped her palm on the table and cursed angrily: "You evildoer!"
Mo Lan was so frightened that she couldn't say anything. Seeing the emergency, Aunt Lin immediately knelt down and cried towards Changdong: "Fourth Young Master, the whole house knows that you have always been close to Miss Sixth. Cotton shoes in winter, The sixth girl made summer veils with you, and your fourth sister neglected to take care of you, but you don’t have to be like this - like this -, aren’t you going to harm your fourth sister?"
No matter how stupid Xiao Changdong was, he could still tell that Aunt Lin was accusing him of lying for personal gain. His little face suddenly turned red, and he knelt down towards Sheng Hong, squeezing his neck and saying: "Everything I said is true! - If I tell a lie, tell me, call me——" Changdong felt that he had a clear conscience and said forcefully: "Tell me that I will never pass the scientific examination!"
"Nonsense!" Haishi quickly went over to cover Changdong's mouth and cursed lightly: "Is this also nonsense?"
Aunt Xiang also cried and knelt down, kowtowing to Sheng Hong: "Sir, there is no better son than a father. You know the fourth young master best. He - he is an honest guy. He can't even speak fluently on weekdays. How to fake it?”
For scholars who are interested in an official career, this oath is no less vicious than "death of the whole family." Although Sheng Hong was annoyed that his younger son could not calm down, he was convinced in his heart, so he softened his face and comforted him with a few words. , asked someone to help Aunt Xiang and her son down, and before walking out of the door, Xiao Changdong choked and said: "Later, the fourth sister picked up the broken porcelain on the ground to scratch the sixth sister's face -"
The words died at the door, and they went out, but the expressions of everyone in the room changed. The fight between two sisters was still a matter of upbringing, but to ruin the younger sister's appearance was a matter of quality. Liu Kun's family had a sharp eye and quick hands, and they reached out and pulled her up. Mo Lan's right hand quickly turned over. Under the light, Mo Lan's right thumb, index finger and middle finger were clearly covered with shallow scratches. Everyone could see that this was a scooping tool without Song Ci's intervention. Caused by the film.
Sheng Hong's eyes were cold, his voice was like a sharp sword shot at Mo Lan, and he whispered: "Fourth girl, my father wants to ask you one last question, do you recognize or not what Brother Dong just said?"
Mo Lan's face turned frighteningly pale, and she almost fainted. She looked up and saw her father, who had always loved her, glaring at her fiercely. She twisted her lips and said in a low voice: "Yes." Then she tilted her body and fell to one side. In the past, Aunt Lin rushed over and hugged her daughter's body.
Sheng Hong's face was livid, and he wanted to pass on the family without even looking at them. Aunt Lin was crying, waving her arms, opening the ladies on the left and right, and crying sternly: "Even if the fourth girl made the move first, I will take it for granted." Ask why! Ask my wife how biased she is and what injustice she has done."
"Let it go." Mrs. Wang endured it for a long time, and finally yelled, "Your own daughter is not up to par, and you want to blame others for it. There are so many things in life, and the fourth girl has the same virtue as you!"
Seeing victory in sight, Wang couldn't bear the excitement, Hai almost sighed. She suddenly remembered that when she was joking with Minglan, Minglan said, "Don't be afraid of opponents like wolves, just teammates like Peng." She was worried now. I felt that this sentence was true, but I also felt that I wanted to be disrespectful to my mother-in-law, so I suppressed the thought.
Sure enough, Sheng Hong frowned when he heard Mrs. Wang scolding him. At this moment, Aunt Lin was already kneeling in front of his knees, pulling at the hem of his robe, crying miserably: "Master, I know that my wife has always looked at him. It’s not like me, but it’s been twenty years. I’ve lowered my head to serve tea, knelt down to cut off the water, and served my wife honestly. I dare not be careless. I have 110,000 faults. My wife doesn’t look at the monk’s face. We also want to see the Buddha's face! How can we put all our grievances on the fourth girl? She is also the master's bone after all. Even though she is not as good as the fifth girl, she is still the same as the sixth girl! The four girls have hairdos and we have distinguished guests today. Come on, why don't you ask the fourth girl to come out and see you? The fourth girl is pitiful. Both girls are already settled, but they were born in my useless belly, which offended my wife. It has been delayed so far, and now she has a baby. Are you looking for the sixth girl in the belly fire area? Although it is wrong, it is excusable! Master, everyone in this house is going to trample us, you have to make the decision on us!"
As she spoke, strings of tears flowed down her pretty face. Aunt Lin cried so hard that Sheng Hong couldn't help but froze for a moment. Mrs. Wang was so angry that she was shaking all over and shaking her fingers: "You, you - how dare you be so shameless? Mrs. Yongchang Hou wants to see Minglan herself, what does that have to do with me? She doesn't look down on the fourth girl, is it my fault too?!"
Aunt Lin looked aggrieved and lamented, and choked: "I can't go out, and I can't go among the rich and wealthy, but I also know that for a daughter-in-law, seven points is said to be good, and three points is to look at her. Yes, if the wife talks kindly to the fourth girl too much, it shouldn’t be like this! Madam, please do a good job and for the sake of the master, help the fourth girl. This is her whole life! You have to fight If you want to scold me, I will kowtow to you!"
After saying that, he kowtowed his head, his forehead turned red, Sheng Hong looked relaxed, and Mo Lan also woke up slowly, pulling Aunt Lin to cry, she was really miserable and pitiful.
When Haishi came in, he saw Aunt Lin's ability for the first time. He couldn't help but secretly admire her. No wonder her mother-in-law had asked her to endure it for twenty years. She was so capable and resourceful that she could do even one thing clearly. Asking her to confuse right and wrong, it was clearly Minglan who suffered the loss, but when she defended her, she actually turned it around and made Molan accept her grievances.
Thinking of this, Hai Shi glanced at Liu Kun's family. Liu Kun's Li Ke understood, and went over to gently touch Wang, and slowly rubbed her back, making up his mind not to ask Wang to speak again.
Seeing Sheng Hong's expression of embarrassment, Haishi took a few steps forward, bowed in front of Sheng Hong, and said softly: "Dad, why don't you ask your daughter-in-law to say a few words." Sheng Hong was quiet for a while and nodded slowly.
Haishi first asked the maid to help Aunt Lin, who was half-dead in kowtow, and said politely: "Aunt Lin, I am a junior. I have something that I don't understand. I wonder if Auntie can clear up the doubts with me?"
Aunt Lin wiped her face in confusion. Haishi looked at her and said quietly: "According to what Auntie said, whenever there is an grievance between sisters, the fourth girl can beat and scold her sister, hurt her brother, smash things, and disobey her aunt. What?"
As soon as these words came out, Sheng Hong was shocked and Aunt Lin's expression changed.
Haishi turned to Sheng Hong and said slowly: "Dad, my daughter-in-law's mother-in-law's family only has one sister, but we also know that when brothers and sisters get along with each other over time, there will always be someone who is long-term and short-term, not to mention fighting with each other. Words and quarrels can also make people laugh. The wife did not call the fourth sister once, and the fourth sister used obscene words to insult her brothers and sisters, and even intended to harm the younger sister. If anything happens today, the sixth sister's face will be like - "
After Sheng Hong's anger subsided, his mind became clearer. He looked at Mo Lan with disappointment. Aunt Lin was so alert and wanted to speak again. Haishi quickly rushed to her and said, "Besides, Auntie, please speak out with your conscience. Since arriving in the capital, every time my wife goes out, she doesn't take her fourth sister with her. On the contrary, her sixth sister doesn't go with her a few times. Besides, when it comes to marrying a man to a woman, how can the bride's family rush to ask for it? You call me Mrs. How can I help my fourth sister?"
Haishi's words were simple, but every sentence hit the mark. Aunt Lin looked unwilling and said sadly: "What about the four girls? Is it possible that she saw all the sisters flying up to the branches, and she was the only one falling into the mud?"
Haishi burst out laughing, covering his mouth softly and said: "What did my aunt say? The fourth girl has an old lady on her head, and brothers and sisters-in-law below, how could she fall into the mud? And marriage is destined by God, and other people's fate is for others. Those who have cultivated in previous lives cannot be jealous."
Aunt Lin's throat was blocked, her face no longer had the delicate look, her beautiful eyes showed a fierce light, and she said hoarsely: "Grandma, you have such a strong tone, but I don't want to hurt you. It's not you who married those people." A poor scholar who can lift people up?"
Haishi sighed slightly: "Which official in the court today is not a scholar? Who was the chief minister of the pavilion from the beginning? Even the master also passed the imperial examination, was ranked as a Jinshi twice, and then worked hard and worked hard. Accumulate qualifications, benefit the local people, and gradually become a pillar of the country. Why should I look down on the talented people?"
This flattery made Sheng Hong very comfortable, and he couldn't help but think that if he was just a scholar at that time, then Aunt Lin——
Aunt Lin was stopped by this sentence and glared at Haishi fiercely. Seeing Sheng Hong's expression of dissatisfaction and her sharp gaze coming towards her, her mind quickly changed. She immediately changed her mind, put down her body, and softly apologized: "Grandma said The thing is, I am ignorant of the truth. I have made amends with my wife, and the fourth girl will also apologize to the sixth girl later. If the master feels that it is not possible, he will put a few words on it and ask the fourth girl to remember the pain. It is not easy to ground her. , she, she also has to prepare to leave the cabinet."
He spoke sincerely and looked like he was admitting his mistake.
Haishi sneered in his heart, thinking, do you want to let it go like this? So he looked solemn, respectfully blessed Sheng Hong, and said seriously: "Dad, there is something I shouldn't say to my daughter-in-law, but what happened today, Although the matter is small, it will bring disaster to the family; although the love is light, it will bring disaster to future generations."
Sheng Hong was quite satisfied with his daughter-in-law and said warmly: "You tell me."
Haishi stood up straight, still lowered his head, and said respectfully: "The fourth girl would be so violent and unreasonable today, even if it is excusable, it is unforgivable. The fourth girl is old, how many days can she stay at home, if this is the case Marrying like this will not be good for her husband's family in the future. The third brother is even more ridiculous. There is a quarrel between the female family members in the house, and he, a man, intervenes in it. Alas - but that's right, he is raised by Aunt Lin after all. It is not good to look down on his sister. It's okay to suffer a loss, but this is always wrong; also, the girls and women in the courtyard are the most hateful. No matter what, the wife is always the master of the house, right or wrong, how can they interfere to hinder the wife? What if it happens again? If you keep your mouth loose and spread the matter outside, won't you ruin your father's reputation?"
Sheng Hong's heart was shocked, and Heishi added another warning. She whispered: "Dad, the Yongchang Marquis Mansion does not necessarily have to marry my family. If the fourth sister makes trouble again, I am afraid that the sixth sister will also be disturbed; but also The most important thing - as you know, when the new emperor ascends the throne, the most taboo thing is that he doesn't distinguish between his legitimate sons and his concubines!"
Sheng Hong suddenly had a few drops of sweat dripping from his forehead. He thought of the dignitaries who had been deprived of titles and titles in the past few months, as well as the several cabinet ministers and senior officials who had repeatedly encountered obstacles, and his palms actually became wet.
Mrs. Wang finally saw the way out, covered her face with a handkerchief, and cried softly: "Before the old lady left, she asked me to take good care of the sixth girl again and again. She said she was honest and kind and she was bullied, but she didn't know what to say. Now, Minglan is about to leave for Yang. If the injury on her face persists and the old lady sees it, how can she be sad?"
She was not very good at crying. She only howled a few times before she couldn't cry any more. She sighed to herself. Sure enough, she had a specialty in the art.
Today, everyone said that after saying this, Sheng Hong's heart became clear. All the troubles in the family were in one place. He thought very quickly, pondered for a moment, and finally pronounced: "Mo Lan bullied his sister, and said Those who speak evil words and have no proper and skillful virtues will be banned from the courtyard from today onwards, and they will be allowed to copy the "Girls' Precepts" and cultivate their health and character, and will not be allowed to come out."
At first, Mo Lan thought she was going to be slapped with a slap in the face, but her heart was lightened. However, Aunt Lin was panicked. If she didn't slap the strap, there would be a heavier punishment, and if she didn't specify the detention time, wouldn't she be locked up forever?
Sheng Hong turned to Mrs. Wang and said: "Mo Lan has reached the age of hairpin. The person I told you about at the meeting, Wen Yanjing, looks very good to me. In a few days, you can ask Mrs. Wen to speak to the government and ask questions." Birthdays are taboo. If everything goes well, we can settle the matter after leaving the country for the funeral."
Mo Lan and Aunt Lin were shocked and immediately screamed and begged Sheng Hong. Sheng Hong glared and cursed: "I have made up my mind, you don't need to say more! If you say one more thing, I won't have a daughter like you!" "
Mo Lan paused there, Aunt Lin looked at Sheng Hong in disbelief, and Mrs. Wang lowered her head and secretly rejoiced.
Sheng Hong glanced at everyone with his majestic eyes and said: "Lin's discipline is not strict. From today on, you will be grounded until the fourth girl comes out. If you meet Mo Yatou again before then, I will cut you off with a piece of paper." Get out of the house! From now on, you are not allowed to meet Brother Feng without my instructions! You are such a shameless person, and even a good child has been ruined by your instigation! There is no need to drag them down!" Sheng Hong said Her voice was fierce. Aunt Lin hid her face and cried. She wanted to pull Sheng Hong's robe, but Sheng Hong kicked her hand away in disgust and ignored her. Aunt Lin felt completely despaired and she really burst into tears this time. .
Sheng Hong also felt very tired. He stood up and walked slowly to Aunt Lin and her daughter. He looked at Mo Lan and said slowly: "You have been favored by me since you were a child. I taught you poems and songs. I didn't expect that you were full of words." I used filthy words to teach you how to read and write because I wanted you to be sensible and understand right from wrong. I didn’t expect you to be so arrogant and unreasonable, always complaining and bullying your younger siblings. As a father, I am very disappointed in you." Sheng Hong looked at Mo Lan with disgust. There was disapproval in the coldness, and Mo Lan's heart felt like it was falling into an ice cellar, and she almost lost her breath.
Then he whispered to Aunt Lin: "What the old lady said is that everything is caused by the word 'greed'. If I hadn't doted on you too much, you mother and daughter would not have such delusions." After saying this, he ignored Aunt Lin's complaints. Begging, he walked straight out, turned back when he reached the door, looked at Wang's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and said word by word: "You'd better clean up the maids and women, sell those who should be sold, punish those who deserve to be punished, and punish those who deserve to be punished. It’s always about peace.”
Mrs. Wang was really overjoyed this time. Liu Kun's family quickly squeezed her arm again. Ms. Wang lowered her head with difficulty and tried her best to hold back her smile. However, Ms. Hei's expression remained unchanged and she said comfortingly: "Dad, don't take it to heart. My daughter-in-law is not boasting, but there are few families in the entire capital who are as peaceful and peaceful as ours. However, some minor flaws will be healed in a few days."
Sheng Hong felt slightly comforted and turned around to go.
——
Danjue and Yuzhi came back, the case was closed, and there was no need to keep any evidence. Danjue quickly found ointment for Minglan to apply, while Yuzhi spoke eloquently and flexibly recounted the situation just now with his hands on his hips.
"Grandma is really amazing. I usually see her being gentle and kind, but who knew she could be so powerful when it comes to speaking? Every word of her sentence hits Auntie Lin's target, and she can't even reply!" Yuzhi looked like an idol worshiper. , "Let's calm down now. The fourth girl doesn't dare to make trouble again. The master must also be disgusted with her. I heard that Wenju's family is very poor."
Minglan listened quietly and shook her head: "Dad is afraid that the fourth sister will do something wrong again. This is for her own good. As long as we can get through it, if the fourth brother-in-law can do well in the future and his career goes smoothly, the fourth sister can still live a good life." .”
Yuzhi shook his head and began to mutter: "There are so many candidates in the world. There is an exam every three years, whether it is a Jinshi or an official, how many can stand out? Don't look back and ask for the help of the master and the uncle." She was bought from outside. In the original village, she had also seen some down-and-out scholars, or those who had served as officials for several terms. Because they did not know how to run a business, they were exempted from returning to their hometowns. Many of them were able to buy some properties and become gentry. , those who are worse off have to find another way to make a living.
Minglan Heide disagreed. Basically, Sheng Hong's vision was pretty good. He looked at Yuan Wenshao, Heide, and even the current situation. He couldn't be far behind in the young man he liked. It's just that ——Asking Mo Lan to live a second-class life of poverty is like killing her! Well, this is considered punishment.
Danju gently rubbed Minglan's bruised and painful elbow, raised her head and said with a smile: "Anyway - Aunt Lin is in a miserable state. It will depend on whether the third young master will be successful in the future. If not, she will have no hope." Already."
This time Minglan agreed. Thinking of Chang Feng's timid appearance, she couldn't help but nod.