Chapter 211 - You Don’t Know Me (2)

Chapter 211: You Don’t Know Me (2)

Minglan sensed the irony in his words. These days she had also inquired about lots of information about Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion from some Mamas. She learned that Old Fifth Master’s sons were all good-for-nothing. Gu Tingyang, Old Fifth Master’s first born, had a son and a daughter with a Tong Fang before getting married. He even kept a prostitute as his mistress and paid court to the drama players. In a word, he had nearly done all kinds of the absurd things. However, every time Old Fifth Master got mad at Gu Tingyang, Old Fifth Madam could always find a way to protect his son.

‘Alas! A child is always a precious jewel to his mother.’ Thinking of that, Minglan raised her head secretly to take a glance at Gu Tingye.

“Eh…” Minglan changed the subject, “I want to give obeisance to Old Madam tomorrow morning. Then I’ll take Rong and the other two concubines back home. What do you think?”

Gu Tingye frowned and put down his bowl and chopsticks, asking, “So soon?”

“Sooner or later, it’s all the same. I don’t want to create more topics for others.” Minglan, having asked the maids to bring the basin and the tea, said with a smile, “Also, from tomorrow, I plan to give obeisance to Old Madam in Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion every five or six days.” The frequency would remain once in a week, four times in a month.

The wrinkles in Gu Tingye’s eyebrows became even larger and deeper. He said with an unpleasant look, “There’s no need for that. They will only bring troubles to you. I like it now that we could live in a distance from them.”

Feeling his plan quite inappropriate, Minglan could only coax him gently, “We can’t make mistakes because others have made mistakes first. It is like abandoning jade for the trifles. At last, we will also lose the ground to criticize the people who have hurt us.”

“Who have said that?” Gu Tingye mulled over her words and then asked with interest, “Your grandmother?”

Minglan smiled and said, “No, actually it’s my dad.” Meanwhile, she wondered how Gu Tingye knew that those words didn’t come from her.

Gu Tingye was stunned before he chuckled, “My father-in-law does have a head on his shoulder.” The way Sheng Hong had used to persuade others was very practical. He never talked about the sense of propriety, justice, honor and only analyzed the pros and cons by the possible consequences.

Xiazhu and Xiaotao carried the tea tray and a basin of hot water into the room. Minglan told them to put down those stuff and dismiss themselves. Minglan dipped the towel into the hot water before wringing it out and handed the towel to Gu Tingye, saying, “When I was a little girl, I have once listened to Sir Zhuang’s anecdotes with my families. Fourth Sister soiled my new clothes with ink on purpose. I got so angry that time that I stole two pieces of lard from the kitchen under the cover of changing my clothes. Then I applied a thick layer of the lard on my Fourth Sister’s chair…”

Before she finished her story, Gu Tingye already buried his face in the hot handkerchief and started to titter. Seeing Minglan glaring at him with two sharp eyes, he gave her the thumb-up right away and praised, “Well done!” Then he pulled Minglan over to let her sit down on his legs while rubbing her nose with a smile, “What happened next?”

Minglan blushed and gave out a vague statement with a bit complacency, “My Fourth Sister who was totally unguarded slipped from the chair and fell on the ground heavily.”

–The most important thing was, Qi Heng was there too! Molan who had always presented herself with a refined image fell onto the ground like a toad. Qi Heng opened his mouth wildly in astonishment right away. At that moment, Molan wished that she could bury herself. And it had taken her a long while to show up in front of Qi Heng again!

Gu Tingye was all smiles the whole time. As he saw Minglan trying her best to hide her complacency, he couldn’t help biting her little rounded earlobe. Then he said smilingly with his teeth gritted, “You dark-minded little rascal!” Then he rubbed her ear and continued, “And? Were you punished?”

Minglan nodded honestly, “Luckily my Fifth Sister told the truth to the elders. Then Fourth Sister and I have both transcribed three hundred times of the book. At that time, my father has reproached me with the words you have just heard.”

She hid some facts. Actually, Sheng Hong hadn’t fully trusted Rulan’s words. Minglan had planned to ask Changbai to testify. However, Qi Heng had rushed to find Sheng Hong the moment he had got off class. After that, Qi Heng had stated what had happened in a euphemistic but clear way, claiming that Molan had been the one who had bullied Minglan first. Only after that had Sheng Gong punished the two girls fairly. Thinking of that, Minglan got a little painful feeling in her heart.

Minglan had detected long ago that Qi Heng had already seen through Molan’s true color long before. (Thanks to Junzhu Pingning’s education) However, as a well-bred man, he knew how to use his gentle and graceful smile to cover up his detestation and ridicule toward Molan.

The most ridiculous thing was that Molan knew nothing about that and had put on an act the whole time in front of the Qi family.

Minglan was smiling while having an inexplainable pitiful feeling toward Molan. With her arms encircled Gu Tingye’s neck, she said softly, “Since we live very close to Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion, it’ll be our fault that we don’t give obeisance to the elders there. So, I have to go.”

Gu Tingye, face still sullen, nodded reluctantly. Minglan smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I have done my homework. For example, the Lu family, ever since Old Master Lu has moved into the mansion which was rewarded by His Majesty, Master Lu and Madam Lu still live in their original mansion. Due to the great distance between the two mansions, the couple normally gives obeisance to Old Master Lu and Old Madam Lu once in five days. And Han family, although Master Han’s parents are still alive, Second Master Han and Third Master Han have already lived apart from their old mansion. However, the two daughters-in-law of Old Madam Han still give their obeisance to Han’s elders every half month… We have opened our new mansion and live very close to Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion. However, Old Madam is not your legal mother. So, I’ll follow the Lu’s rules then.”

Gu Tingye saw the shrewd look on her face, finding her quite funny. Then he said in a low voice, “I never want you to be involved in all those annoyances. When I accepted the mansion from His Majesty, I haven’t given too many thoughts about the situation today…” He said that with a bit regretful tone.

“I’m fine! I wasn’t made of the porcelain.” Minglan joked, seeming sensible and considerate, “As the saying goes, where there are people, there are disputes. One should always get used to the annoyance.”

Gu Tingye, feeling warmness inwardly, touched Minglan’s face and said gently, “Don’t tell me that my father-in-law is the one who told you that again… You seem to admire your father a lot.” Gu Tingye had heard that Minglan hadn’t been Sheng Hong’s favorite daughter.

Minglan felt inappropriate to deny that. Having pondered for a while, she said frankly, “My grandma always complained about my father’s partiality. But I think he is a good father. In my childhood, when my sisters took away the jade pendant which had been meant to be given to me, my father would present me a huge gold lock to make it up to me. No matter how busy he is, he still came to visit me every month…”

Especially after Minglan had moved into the House of Clear Dusk, Sheng Hong would always ask how Minglan was doing, if she was short of clothes or other subjects and if the servants had served her well– in front of Wang shi, as a warning.

Sheng Hong was an illegal son. So he was well aware of how the mean servants bullied their young masters and ladies while concealing the true state of the affairs. So when Wang shi had told him that, “The children are all fine.” He hadn’t really trusted her and had never left everything behind. Before Yao Yiyi had transmigrated to Sheng’s mansion, Wang shi and Concubine Lin had already contended with each other overtly and covertly for a long time. And at that time, Concubine Lin had manged to drive away all the servants who served Changfeng and Molan and let her own people to fill the vacant positions.

Of course, only Concubine Lin had dared to do that, Concubine Xiang, on the other hand, never had that gut.

Because of Sheng Hong’s restraint to Wang shi, all his illegal sons and daughters had grown up healthily and been treated relatively well. Although he had shown favouritism sometimes, he was a lot better than those selfish men who never cared about their children.

In this age, he really was not a bad father.