eurekapd Chapter 252 Slender and Graceful
Chapter 252 Slender and Graceful
Looking at Rulan who was so calm, Molan smiled.
"Did you pick the remaining two for Changtong and Changxiu?"
One is an ordinary brown rabbit, and the other is a fat rabbit with snow-white eyes and red eyes. You can tell which one Rulan chose just by looking at the colors.
"What I choose must be suitable." Rulan has a kind of mysterious confidence in her choice.
A few people laughed, and Molan ordered the maid to release the other rabbits back into the forest.
"It will be another delicious litter of rabbits next year."
Obviously, in the empty room, there was a not-too-obvious sound of someone drooling.
*
The pleasant autumn outing ended after lunch break.
While it was still early, several people got on the carriage and started their return journey.
The group had three more carriages than when they came. One carriage contained fruits, furs and vegetables that Molan brought back to the mansion, one carriage contained Huo Tuyi who was still taking the miserable autumn examination, and one carriage contained the 'small gifts' that everyone took home.
When you go out to have fun, you should always play the role of host.
Although it is troublesome, it is the etiquette that scholars and officials should follow. If you are not thorough, you will be laughed at.
Although the Sheng family is thriving, they are not a native noble family of the capital and their ancestors are from a merchant family. Everything must not only be done beautifully, but also must be done with excellence and perfection.
The carriages, horses, and servants of each family had been waiting at the gate of Sheng Mansion for a long time.
After getting off the bus and holding their earthenware ceremonies, the friends said goodbye.
Because of the Autumn Examination, Master Zhuang gave these little bastards a long vacation, so they haven't had the opportunity to spend a long time together in the past month.
"Then we'll meet early in the morning in two days."
In order to prepare the fresh meat that would make the candidates cry, several ladies wanted to do it themselves, so this invitation came about.
"it is good."
Zhao Ceying waited until the end before going up to talk to Molan.
"Cymbidium."
"Ok?"
The way the two addressed each other quickly changed from using their full names to using their given names.
Nowadays, according to etiquette, one does not use the full name unless it is a major event.
At that time, Zhao Ceying only thought that calling her by her name was a way of getting close to her, but after changing the name and saying a few words, he felt it was inappropriate, so he could only reluctantly, thrillingly, and even killing a few deer, call Molan by her name directly.
This change of words really made the taste different.
"Then we'll see you after Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Okay, bye."
Molan smiled and continued,
“I look forward to your ceremony.
But it’s actually a bit strange that you say goodbye like this. Didn’t we agree to grow spices and open a shop in Yuzhou?
There will definitely be correspondence. I am greeting you now, and it is Mid-Autumn Festival. Don’t I have to repeat the politeness again when the time comes? Hehehe."
As Molan was talking, her eyes narrowed with a smile, and Zhao Ceying scratched his head in embarrassment and laughed a few times.
"Ha, I'm too conventional."
"No, it's great."
Molan still squinted her eyes, covered her mouth with her sleeves and smiled.
"The gentleman is gentle and elegant, I like him very much."
like.
Is it this kind of personality or this kind of person that she likes...or rather, this kind of me?
Zhao Ceying, who had already said goodbye and walked away, still had his heart beating wildly.
Bang bang bang.
The thumping sound overlapped with the sound of the horse's hooves walking on four hooves.
*
[The fourth Miss Sheng is Molan Huijian.]
I would like to ask for your mother’s greetings on my behalf.
The autumn scenery is pleasant, looking forward to ambition and spirit.
I have recently traveled around Yuzhou with my manager, and I am sending you three volumes of notes and maps.
I listened to the manager talking about farming and read his teachings. It was like wise advice and my mind was suddenly opened.
Molan is a talented person, and Ceying would like to wish in advance that the spice business will be a great success, with a bright future and a prosperous business.
I am also happy to hear that Brother Changbai, Brother Changfeng and Brother Changtong have been on the list and qualified for the provincial examination. I would like to send a few words to express my congratulations.
Paper and ink are limited, and I cannot express everything I want to say. I will wait for you to talk in person.
Written by Zhao Ceying.
September 29
Because of the official business in Yuzhou, Molan and Zhao Ceying had more frequent correspondence.
In between the few daily greetings and letters were the professional reports from the managers. Molan was of course able to distinguish the priorities and had a very romantic time with Zhao Ceying.
Just as the letter said, the autumn examination was over and the vacation of Mr. Zhuang's private school in the Sheng mansion was also about to end.
When Molan's reply arrived, there was only one day left before Zhao Ceying set out to return to Tokyo.
The manager was working in Yuzhou, and with the help of the local boss of the Zhao Mansion, the project progressed very smoothly.
Both the land procedures and the recruitment of personnel went very smoothly.
Taking this opportunity, Zhao Ceying and Molan had a lot of interactions.
day to day.
As his business flourished, Zhao Ceying felt that his courage and hard work had finally paid off.
Just like the roses on the flower stand built by a group of "idle people" beside the private school who didn't have to take the imperial examination.
From planting the seeds and carefully caring for them, to now having winding vines and pink and white flowers about to bloom.
……
Time passed, and Molan was already fifteen years old.
At this time, Mr. Sheng had achieved success in his career. He was now the Imperial Censor and concurrently the Director of the Privy Council, holding a high position and an important post.
He has both an honorary title and real power in government affairs, and there are only a handful of people in the court who can compete with Sheng Hong.
Apart from the title of king, the first rank also has the honorary titles of three ministers and the left and right prime ministers.
The first rank includes the honorary position of the Prince's Third Teacher, the Privy Councilor, the Grand General of the Three Departments, the Duke and the Prince.
After this... Sheng Hong would be promoted to the second rank, holding real power over the Privy Council.
The Censorate has been taken to the top level by Sheng Hong, and the Grand Censor is a nominal title of the second-rank official, in charge of the Censorate to supervise all officials.
What the Privy Council lacks is age and qualifications. As the second-in-command of the Privy Council, only the top-level "Privy Envoy" and the second-level Privy Deputy Envoy can suppress Sheng Hong.
The Deputy Privy Councilor is of the same rank as the Director of the Privy Council, both of whom are high-ranking officials of the second rank.
Just because the deputy envoy has the meaning of endorsement, in the 'Renzong period' when the official position is hollow and has not been reformed, the head of the Privy Council is half inferior to it.
Wearing a first-class purple official uniform, Mr. Sheng's imposing manner when he went out to court every day made people sigh, "Doctor Sheng, the Imperial Censor, has such great authority!"
The threshold of the Sheng Mansion is now about to be trampled down.
Red Wolf (as Hong Lang jokingly called him) is very steady and not anxious at all. He even has a scale in his heart.
With his keen political sense and shrewdness in maneuvering, he chose a daughter of the Hai family for Changbai to marry long before he was promoted.
The Hai family is a family of scholars. His grandfather was the imperial tutor for two generations, and his father and brother were both officials in the court. Now, there are five high-ranking officials in the Hanlin Academy in his direct lineage alone, so his students and old friends are spread all over the world.
Three years ago, the second daughter of the Hai family could still be "married down", but now it has become a powerful union of two well-matched families.
However, the clever time difference prevented the elderly official in a high position from feeling intimidated by Sheng Hong's increasingly powerful influence.
Changfeng's marriage is not yet arranged, but his talent is no less than Changbai's. As his name suggests, he is as charming and poetic as the red maple, and is a hot commodity in Beijing.
Recently, the Zhongshan Marquis family sent a letter to the Sheng Mansion, which inevitably led to some speculation among people.
Because now, the Zhongshan Marquis family has a sixteen-year-old legitimate daughter.
There were many families who proposed marriage to Changtong, who was only fifteen years old.
Changtong is the youngest, but he follows in his brothers' footsteps closely. He is now a 'zhengzouming' (a juren who passed the provincial examination) and is actively preparing for the palace examination.
Such a talented man... is like the prosperous New Year sales in Tokyo today, driving the noble ladies in the capital crazy about it.
However, Sheng Hong rejected all the kindness.
I understand everything I understand.
He felt bad.
……
The palace examination is approaching, but the families will not stop for this.
Madam Wu brought Liang Han to visit the Sheng Mansion, but unfortunately there was no "grand occasion of the past" anymore, and none of the daughters of the Sheng family paid any attention to this little dandy who was ranked sixth.
When love first begins, a beautiful lady is the ideal match for a gentleman.
Young Master Qi has been staring at Molan in a daze these days.
Molan noticed it, and Zhao Ceying also noticed it.
"Fourth Miss Sheng."
After school, Qi Heng called Molan on the small road.
"Recently, I have..."
It doesn’t really matter what Qi Heng says, because Molan won’t accept it.
"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Qi. However, this fine pen should be paired with a good person. Molan is not good at writing, so I am afraid it would be a waste of talent, so I cannot accept it."
She refused cleanly.
It’s not just because Qi Heng has Zhao Ceying following him, but also because the Qi family is not a rare commodity.
With a princess mother who is unable to let go of her mind and raising such an indecisive and willful son, their family has no political significance at all.
Honor? Power? Patronage? Friends? Business?
They don't occupy the Qi family either.
It was the most unprofitable and invisible investment in Mr. Zhuang's private school, but Princess Gu still felt that they had taken advantage of Qi Heng by coming to the Sheng Mansion Private School.
In Molan's opinion, Qi Heng is even more useless and burdensome than the Han family represented by Princess Qingchang, whose family style has always been controversial.
Molan originally thought that this was just an insignificant episode, but she never expected that just ten days later, Qi Heng would invite all of Zhuang Xuejiu's classmates to join the polo club.
Something unusual happened, Molan frowned, and she unconsciously recalled the original intention of Qi Heng to hold the polo match in the original plot - for Minglan.
So at the age of puberty, all he needed was a female Lan to satisfy his rebellion and his hormones that had nowhere to vent.
Seeing Chang Tong, who thought he was the elder, showing undisguised gloating and a look of "Sure! Sister!", Mo Lan rolled her eyes at Chang Tong, which was rare in public.
Changtong, Rulan and Changxiu covered their mouths and laughed.
Zhao Ceying, who was secretly observing everything, was hit hard.
An Qingyan, An Qingxu and Cai Qingyou shook their heads helplessly, having long been accustomed to the increasingly unscrupulous "collusion" of these three people in recent years.
They felt dreamy and envious every day when they saw that brothers and sisters from different mothers could have such a good relationship.
The Sheng family’s family tradition is great.
It was so good that even a representative lady like An Qingyan would often fantasize about getting married soon, giving birth to a daughter and marrying her into the Sheng Mansion to enjoy happiness.
Today, the old customs of the Tang Dynasty are still followed and "early marriage" is not popular.
Men and women get married after they are eighteen or sixteen years old, and girls are still at the age of marriage until they are twenty.
The Sheng family is the type of family that has no trouble finding a husband and is also actively looking for marriage partners. Most girls start looking for marriage partners when they are around 15 or 16, while boys start looking for marriage partners when they are 17 or 18.
The process can be slow, but the target must be found as early as possible.
This is the historical warning that Hua Lan left for the Sheng family, and it is also Sheng Hong's behavioral habit of being shrewd in planning.
Marriage is no trivial matter, and it requires careful planning step by step to maximize the role of in-laws.
Sheng Hong has inherited the true teachings from Old Master Sheng and is well versed in this field. None of them are good guys, they are all big-tailed wolves pretending to be elegant.
As for the An family, which is the auxiliary duke, and the Cai family, which is now the powerful minister, they are not in a hurry to marry off their daughters. They have many concerns. The court is unstable now. They are not like the Sheng family, which has the Princess's Mansion as a stabilizer.
Looking at the current situation in the palace, the turmoil will only last for three to two years.
Their daughter could wait.
The polo match was held smoothly on a sunny day.
As expected, Molan was not very active in participating.
Minglan, who disguised herself as a man and took care of the young Changzhu and the running Rulan, met Yu Yanran by fate.
Rulan is naturally approachable, and when Yu Yanran was lost in thought as she stared at her biological mother's belongings, the truth was quickly uncovered.
Minglan, who was the Changtong, frowned and looked at Changzhuo and Rulan. They decided to take Molan, who was both civil and military, to the battle to seek justice for this sister who looked very dignified.
This is probably what the so-called female loyalty is all about.
After hearing about Yu Yanran's experience, the An sisters, who had only practiced skills and rarely played, also became motivated.
The Shengfuzhuang private school team quickly assembled and stood in the center of the field.
All of you ladies learned horsemanship from Molan.
A famous teacher is one who can easily control the lower limit of his apprentices' learning and leave an upper limit like a ceiling.
Like a landslide, they won an undisputed victory with Yu Yanran, whose polo skills can only be described as above average.
"it is good!"
After the victory, Zhuang Xuejiu's small group cheered.
The Zhao clan members were shocked and regretful that they didn't even have a chance to appear on stage.
Of course the most frustrated person was Zhao Ceying, but the so-called brothers would laugh at each other unscrupulously when they were frustrated.
Zhao Cewu came over secretly and joked with him,
"Don't say you're ready to be a hero and save the beauty. The beauty in our private school has already become a hero!"
"Let's go to the martial arts arena first."
Zhao Ceying pulled Zhao Cewu and went to the outside field.
Although it is important to keep an eye on this little guy Qi Heng, it does not prevent him from practicing martial arts and exchanging feelings with his brothers first.
:)
From that day on, Rulan and the others would exchange letters with Yu Yanran, and through various means of assistance, they gave Yu Yanran the confidence and support to resist.
During this period, Gu Tingye, who had never appeared in front of Minglan, proposed to Yanran, but was ruthlessly rejected by the old master Yu.
During another tea party with the Yu family, a scandal broke out in which he left with his mistress.
"Wow! Molan Molan, did you hear what I just said?
Gu Er from the Gu Mansion wants to marry Sister Yanran, but he also wants to force her to accept his concubine! My God! ! What kind of person is this! "
Rulan, who spread the gossip the first time and expressed her thoughts the next, turned to Molan to ask for her opinion.
In this regard, Molan, who knew Gu Tingye's perspective, still commented bluntly,
"fool."
If Gu Tingye is not a confused fool, then what else could he be?
If everyone needs to go through a "growth" like him, then every family should not have a difficult sutra to recite, but every parent and grandparent should have to go through 81 difficulties.
Rulan, who had become friends with Yu Yanran, strongly agreed with Molan's rare direct and clear criticism.
"Yes! Stupid!
A fool who can't see his own identity and doesn't consider Yanran's face.
How can a mistress who brings her children crying to the door of the teahouse and says things like "I can only live with you" and "I won't live anymore" in front of everyone be a good person?
Old Master Yu was so angry that he sent his guards to beat him out on the spot. It was so, so, so dramatic! "
The word "drama" was a way of describing it that I learned from Rulan and Minglan.
Rulan used it here and felt it was very appropriate.
Because those storytellers in teahouses wouldn't dare to tell such ridiculous things.