The palace man who drove the Sheng family daughter Juan drove all the way to the gate of the Sheng Mansion in Jiying Lane. He took the money Wang Ruofu asked Liu's mother to give him, thanked him, and then drove the palace car back to the palace.
After entering the backyard, Wang Ruofu said goodbye to Old Mrs. Sheng and hurriedly led Ru Lan to Wei Ruixuan. Old Mrs. Sheng also led Minglan back to Shou'an Hall.
Today's matter is of great importance. After Sheng Hong goes home to understand the situation, he will definitely hold a family meeting to discuss the matter.
Before that, they all had to have a heart-to-heart with their juniors to decide their stance on the family meeting.
The two sides separated with their own concerns, and no one had the time to care about Mo Lan. Mo Lan received the cold reception, and immediately stamped his feet angrily and went back to Linqi Pavilion to complain to his wife.
As soon as she returned to Shou'an Hall, Mrs. Sheng called Minglan into her room. Looking at her granddaughter standing with her head bowed in front of her, the old lady's eyes were filled with distress.
If anyone in the Sheng family really cares about Minglan, Minglan's biological mother Wei Shuyi must be the first. However, the second in line is not Minglan's biological father Sheng Hong, but the same person as Minglan. The unrelated Mrs. Sheng.
Ever since Hua Lan left the cabinet and Ming Lan entered the Shou'an Hall, after several years of getting along with her, the old lady has long regarded this sensible and well-behaved granddaughter as her darling.
In the old lady's heart, appearance, family status, wealth, and reputation are not important. She just wants Minglan to live her own life comfortably.
As long as Minglan doesn't want to, even if the Queen really decrees the marriage, the old lady can go back with all her face.
However, although the old lady was determined, she was also a little unsure whether Minglan was willing to marry Wei Chen with Rulan.
What a shrewd person the old lady was. From the first day Ming Lan entered Shou'an Hall, she could tell that her granddaughter had an unusual feeling for Wei Chen.
It’s no wonder, after all, during those days when Minglan and Wei Shuyi were oppressed by Lin Sushuang and suffered from hunger and cold, Wei Chen’s appearance was like the warm sun in winter, piercing the darkness and bringing them hope and hope. bright.
This huge mental shock will be unforgettable for the rest of Minglan's life.
Even though Minglan loved to quarrel and fight with Wei Chen when she was a child, in fact, deep down in her heart, the person she was closest to and most admired was her cousin Wei Chen.
She truly regarded Wei Chen as her own, so she showed her innocent nature in front of Wei Chen. If she was in front of Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu, she would always be the cautious and well-behaved concubine.
As Minglan grew older and was educated by the old lady after joining Shou'an Hall, her temperament began to become mature and steady, and her feelings for Wei Chen gradually became introverted and rarely revealed.
But the old lady knew her granddaughter very well. She could see that Minglan's love and admiration for Wei Chen had never weakened by half, but were like an old wine, becoming more mellow and fragrant with the passage of time. , with a long aftertaste.
It was precisely because she understood her granddaughter's thoughts that the old lady was so hesitant.
In the Shou'an Hall, the grandfather and grandson looked at each other in silence for a long time. Just when the old lady was about to break the silence, Minglan mustered up the courage to speak before her.
Minglan fell to her knees on the ground with a plop, her eyes firm and her tone decisive: "My grandson begs my grandmother to do it for me!"
Sure enough...
The old lady closed her eyes in pain and sighed helplessly. After a long time, she opened her eyes and looked at Minglan. There was both love and care in her eyes, but also a bit of anger: "Then the boy from the Wei family is really so good. Is it worth gambling your lifetime of happiness on?"
Minglan nodded solemnly: "My grandson will never marry anyone other than this person in his life."
"You must think clearly. You can only marry with your title as a concubine, and with your fifth sister weighing on your head, you will have to suffer a lot of grievances in the future!"
The old lady looked at the stubborn granddaughter in front of her, as if she was seeing herself in her youth. Of course she didn't want her granddaughter to follow her own old path, and earnestly advised her: "Wives and concubines are different after all! Why hang on this tree?" Why don't you find a middle-class family with an upright family background, marry an honest husband, and be your wife in peace and stability."
Minglan walked forward on her knees, fell on the old lady's lap, and cried: "Grandma, you have been here in this deep house for so many years. Don't you still understand that the so-called status of wives and concubines actually depends on where a man's heart goes. Our daughter No matter how much you care about it, it will be in vain.
Besides, Fifth Sister and I grew up together, and I know best who she is. This time I was able to meet the Empress, thanks to Fifth Sister’s help in negotiating the case. It can be seen that Fifth Sister is tolerant and will never He bullied me based on the name of his wife. "
Ming Lan's words made the old lady dumbfounded and speechless. She could only shake her head and sighed: "I really don't know that the boy from the Wei family has been cultivating admiration for several lifetimes to make you so devoted to him." .”
Hearing her grandmother's relaxed tone, Minglan burst into tears and smiled. She leaned her head into her arms and said, "Isn't it good to be determined to stay on the ground? There are not many great men like my cousin in the whole Zhou Dynasty. If it weren't for the queen, The empress asked me to marry him, but how could I, a little concubine, be so virtuous as to marry such a man? As it is now, I have actually made a profit, but some people can’t calculate it.”
"Huh?" The old lady was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, she glared at Minglan and cursed with a smile: "Damn girl, you are trying to scold grandma for being stupid in a different way. It's getting more and more unruly!"
After saying that, he stretched out his hand to tickle Minglan. Minglan quickly dodged with a coquettish smile: "Grandma, have mercy on me, grandma, have mercy on me!"
The grandfather and grandson started laughing and playing around, and the previous solemn atmosphere in the Shou'an Hall was suddenly wiped away. Fang's mother, who was standing by, secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this.
After a while, the old lady was panting and stopped, leaning back on the soft couch.
Looking at her granddaughter who was in her golden years and risking her life for love, the old lady suddenly felt envious.
Maybe, it's really because I'm getting old...
In the evening, Sheng Hong returned home from duty. When he heard the news that the Queen had given marriage to his two daughters, he was first shocked and then ecstatic.
For Sheng Hong, a child's marriage is more like a transaction. Everything is based on the interests of the family. The husband's family to which a daughter marries must be able to contribute to the development of the Sheng family. This is the meaning of marrying a daughter.
Although two daughters were lost in one fell swoop and one less in-law would be able to help him in the future, one son-in-law like Wei Chen could stand up to ten.
At only fifteen years old, he is already a powerful figure in the world, and he has the Holy Scroll in his possession. In the future, even if he is still alive, he will be able to become a prime minister and an important minister. If such a person really becomes the son-in-law of the Sheng family, he will be able to protect the Sheng family for a long time. Ten years of prosperity and wealth are very likely for three generations of Fu Ze.
This business will never be lost.
The only doubt is that sisters marrying together is rare among official families, and if word spread, it may have a bad impact on the reputation of the Sheng family.
But Sheng Hong didn't care about this.
In the final analysis, the reason why he values his family's reputation so much is actually due to interests. As long as the benefits he brings are large enough, what if he can bear some criticism?
Moreover, this time it was the Queen who granted the marriage, and it was not the Sheng family who took the initiative to buy one and get one free. The relationship here changed, and the meaning was completely different. The blame could not be placed on the Sheng family.
Therefore, after Sheng Hong learned about the marriage, he made the decision that was best for the Sheng family without any hesitation.
