At first glance of the young man's distinguished bearing, the Sheng siblings knew he came from an eminent background. They immediately rose and returned his courtesy. Only after they had finished exchanging greetings did Zhuang Xiansheng proceed with introductions. It turned out this handsome youth was the only son of the current Salt Commissioner. His father was the second son of the Marquis of Qi Manor, while his mother was the sole daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang, personally ennobled by the Emperor as Princess Pingning—truly a family of distinguished nobility.
His name was Qi Heng, courtesy name Yuanruo, one year younger than Changbai. Several years earlier, he had studied under Zhuang Xiansheng in the capital before parting ways when accompanying his father to an external posting. Recently, Lord Qi had come to Dengzhou to inspect salt affairs and implement imperial reforms, expecting to remain for some time. Naturally, his family accompanied him. Upon learning that Sheng Hong's tutor was Zhuang Xiansheng, Qi Heng requested his father send a visiting card.
Minglan found it strange how warmly Zhuang Xiansheng treated Qi Heng. Throughout their lessons, the teacher's words and demeanor had suggested disdain for noble families, once even bluntly calling scions of ducal and marquis households "useless fools." As these thoughts crossed her mind, Changfeng voiced them aloud: "I presume this is Zhuang Xiansheng's esteemed disciple—we should address him as senior brother." He smiled and bowed.
Pointing at Qi Heng, Zhuang Xiansheng laughed: "This boy comes from such a prominent family yet refuses to purchase an official post, insisting on studying the hard way. He attended my humble thatched cottage through winter cold and summer heat, making the Princess fret endlessly."
Qi Heng's fair skin flushed slightly as he explained sheepishly: "My father often regrets not having taken the imperial examinations himself, so he naturally hopes his descendants will follow the proper path to officialdom. Fortunately, Lord Sheng has engaged you as tutor, so I've come presumptuously."
Glancing at Changbai, who stood silently smiling nearby, he continued: "This must be Lord Sheng's eldest son, Senior Brother Changbai. I heard you're preparing for the provincial examinations—might I ask your courtesy name?"
Changbai replied: "Zecheng, given by Zhuang Xiansheng."
After the three young men exchanged ages and formalities, Qi Heng bowed to the Sheng brothers with clasped hands: "Brother Zecheng, worthy younger brother Changfeng."
Zhuang Xiansheng, having waited impatiently, scolded: "You youngsters are more pedantic than this old man! If you want to chatter, go outside—I haven't finished teaching!" —Minglan silently added: No wonder you never became an official.
During their exchange, Minglan had the three bewildered maids leave. Danju properly followed them out, where they encountered the arriving Xiaotao. Minglan took the money pouch she brought, counted out fifty coins for each maid, and received their profuse thanks. Qi Heng glanced casually in her direction.
Zhuang Xiansheng instructed Qi Heng to sit for the lesson. Attendants promptly brought another desk. The original seating had Changbai on the right, Changfeng on the left, with their sisters behind them. Minglan sat before an empty space against the right wall, with little Changdong behind her. With this new student joining, Zhuang Xiansheng seated him to Changbai's right in the front row—directly in front of Minglan.
Just as Minglan was inwardly complaining about her blocked view, Qi Heng turned and smiled at her: "Greetings, Sixth Younger Sister."
Minglan stared blankly—how did this fellow...? Instinctively, she glanced at Molan and Rulan, confirming they were both watching. She immediately straightened her posture and remained silent.The room fell into silence. Zhuang Xiansheng cleared his throat and said, "You all heard what Sixth Miss just said to her maid. What are your thoughts? Feel free to share."
Changbai suppressed a smile. "Sixth Sister has already said all that needs to be said."
Changfeng moved his lips as if to speak, but after glancing at Qi Heng, he seemed to hesitate and refrained from criticizing the system of primogeniture. Both Molan and Rulan maintained the dignified demeanor of well-bred young ladies, remaining extremely reserved.
Seeing everyone's reaction today, Zhuang Xiansheng knew it would be difficult to elicit further opinions. He sighed and turned to Minglan. "Since no one else is willing to speak, Sixth Miss, perhaps you could continue."
Minglan stood up respectfully. "Well... each has its merits, but..." She smiled bashfully. "The eldest legitimate son is easily identified, which saves trouble and effort, and reduces arguments."
Qi Heng resisted the urge to turn around, instinctively feeling that the voice behind him was delicate and clear, quite pleasant to hear.
Zhuang Xiansheng offered no evaluation, simply gesturing for Minglan to sit down before asking Qi Heng, "Yuanruo, you've been listening for quite some time back there. What do you think?"
Qi Heng also rose to his feet. "This student has only recently arrived, so it would be presumptuous to comment. However..." He paused, then smiled. "Sixth Sister's final question... was exceptionally well-posed."
The atmosphere immediately relaxed, and everyone found themselves smiling at the recollection. Zhuang Xiansheng pointed at him while shaking his head in amusement.
After a moment, Zhuang Xiansheng addressed the boys in the front row with solemnity. "I will only say this once today, and I will deny it outside this door. A true man should be loyal to his sovereign and devoted to his country. No matter how fierce the storms rage outside, they will eventually pass. What matters is holding firm at critical moments, avoiding unnecessary entanglements in futile disputes with colleagues. Being a pure subject is the true path!"
The students nodded repeatedly in acceptance of this teaching. Minglan thought to herself: This cunning old fox essentially means it doesn't matter whether you support primogeniture or not, as long as you remain loyal to whoever ultimately becomes emperor. This couldn't be stated explicitly, yet needed to be conveyed, so he expressed it in this roundabout way, fulfilling his duty while leaving comprehension to individual discernment.
...
Since Qi Heng was going to pay respects to Old Mrs. Sheng, all the siblings gathered at Longevity and Peace Hall for lunch. Old Mrs. Sheng looked Qi Heng over repeatedly, quite taken with him. Glancing at her three granddaughters blooming like flowers beside her, she couldn't help but entertain certain thoughts, though thinking of Minglan made her sigh. Madam Wang stood nearby, enthusiastically making introductions.
After receiving the visiting card from Official Qi, Sheng Hong had been overjoyed at this unexpected visit from his superior and a man of influence. He immediately invited Qi Heng to study at the Sheng family school. Official Qi had been concerned about his son falling behind in studies, so they found common ground and conversed delightfully. Upon tracing connections, they miraculously discovered that Marquis of Qi Manor and Madam Wang's maternal family shared some distant, convoluted kinship.
Madam Wang laughed. "After careful examination, we realized we're actually family. Though distant relatives, we should maintain closer ties from now on." Thus colleagues became relatives, making the conversation in the room even more animated, and the Sheng sisters no longer needed to maintain formal distance.
After listening to Madam Wang's lengthy explanation, Minglan finally understood why Qi Heng had addressed her as "Sixth Sister" from the start. But no sooner had this thought occurred to her than Rulan already warmly called out "Brother Yuanruo." Molan followed with a delicate, sweet greeting. Minglan couldn't help shivering slightly before adding her own greeting. Qi Heng politely responded to each: "Fourth Miss, Fifth Miss, Sixth Sister."Lowering his gaze to glance at Minglan, he saw her hair tied into two small buns, standing dazedly to the side. Her chubby little hands covered her mouth as she kept yawning, her tender cheeks plump like little steamed buns. Qi Heng curved the corners of his mouth, suddenly feeling an itch in his hands.
Minglan had never felt any day as trying as today. Before dawn, she had been teaching little Changdong to recognize characters. Zhuang Xiansheng dragged on the lesson, unwilling to let them go. During lunch, everyone was so engrossed in conversation that they lingered at the table. In the afternoon, the tigress-like Madam Zhuang was about to charge in, yet she hadn’t been able to take her usual nap. However, her two elder sisters clearly found the day utterly delightful.
During the afternoon qin lesson, Molan’s music flowed like a babbling brook, full of genuine emotion. Madam Zhuang closed her eyes in deep appreciation. Rulan, too, shed her usual impatience, a smile playing on her lips as she bowed her head to play attentively. Finding the music unappealing, Minglan glanced at them and saw their faces flushed, their expressions relaxed, as if they were about to burst into laughter from joy.
Minglan sighed and continued plucking her own qin strings. Ah, spring…
Since arriving in this era, she had realized the gap between ancient and modern times was far greater than she had imagined. The primary duty of a girl in ancient times was to marry, then serve her husband and raise children, living out her life accordingly. All her learning before that—embroidery, accounting, household management, etiquette, and even reading and writing—were preparations for this ultimate goal.
Molan composed poetry not to shine in literary circles but to enhance her value in the marriage market with the reputation of a talented girl or to better please her future husband after marriage. Rulan studied account books not to become a bookkeeper but to better manage her husband’s family assets and finances in the future. Similarly, Minglan’s learning of embroidery was viewed the same way—at least in others’ eyes.
From a very young age, elders would subtly instill the concept of marriage in ancient girls. In her past life, Yao Yiyi heard from her mother: "Your midterm grades have slipped; be careful you don’t even get into XX high school!" Here, she heard from Mama Fang and Cui Mama: "It took you four days just to embroider a duck—how will you manage the intimate tasks for your future husband and children? Don’t let your husband’s family look down on you!"
Of course, at such times, girls would conventionally feign shyness, but deep down, they had long accepted the notion of marriage and childbirth. Ambitious girls might even start planning for themselves early on. So, seeing the spring-like expressions on Molan and Rulan’s faces didn’t surprise Minglan at all. For an ancient girl, a husband wasn’t just about love; he was a lifelong meal ticket, a guarantee of security and stability.
Minglan actually found their attitudes natural. Pretending to be naive and insisting they saw him only as an elder brother would have been hypocritical. Encountering an excellent, handsome young man from a prominent family, it was only normal to develop such thoughts.
Minglan suddenly felt melancholy. Life in Longevity and Peace Hall was safe and warm, but she couldn’t stay there forever. Ten years old was a critical juncture—they were already beyond the pass, while she was still inside.
…Before bedtime, Minglan was reading a music score when Changbai's servant Hanniu came trotting over, carefully carrying a blue-and-white porcelain basin about a foot wide with a wide mouth and shallow bottom. He placed it gingerly on the table before wiping the sweat from his forehead and letting out a relieved sigh. "Sixth Miss, these two small fish are from the young master for your amusement. He said since you often read and do needlework, looking at them regularly will be good for your eyes."
Minglan leaned over to examine the basin. Inside swam two red-and-white patterned koi, their scales shimmering in crimson and snow-white hues, their tails flowing gracefully. The bottom was adorned with several small pebbles and tender aquatic plants. The shimmering water and lively fish, combined with the vibrant red, emerald green, and blue-and-white porcelain, created a delightful visual feast. Overjoyed, Minglan looked up at Hanniu with a smile. "These are truly beautiful. Go back and tell the young master that his younger sister is very pleased, and I extend my heartfelt thanks... Danju, quickly give Little Brother Niu two hundred coins to ease his fright. Carrying this basin so carefully all the way must have been quite taxing."
Hanniu, only about eleven or twelve years old, beamed at the mention of reward money. Taking the string of coins, he repeatedly thanked Minglan. Danju casually grabbed a handful of fruits from the table for him to pocket before having Lüzhi see him out.
Xiaotao, still very childlike, immediately scurried over to admire the koi after Hanniu left, exclaiming how beautiful they were. Danju turned to see both mistress and maid staring dumbfounded at the fish, pointing with their chubby short fingers, and couldn't help laughing. "The young master is truly thoughtful. I heard he keeps a large tank like this in his room with several pairs of koi. These two were probably scooped from his tank."
Xiaotao looked up with a silly grin. "Sister Danju is right! When I was in Madam's quarters, I heard the same. The young master treasures these koi dearly—usually no one is allowed to touch them, especially Fifth Miss. How remarkable that he's given two to our miss!"
Minglan remained silent, dipping her plump short fingers into the water to play with the two round-bellied koi. She thought to herself: Could this be the reward for taking sides during the day? If so, it's not bad—it shows Brother Changbai understands the ways of the world. Having a sensible leader to follow is truly something to celebrate.
It must be said that Madam Wang's batting average was quite impressive—swinging three times would likely result in at least two solid hits.
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