Upon returning, Minglan immediately confessed the mud incident to Old Madam. The elderly woman lay sideways on the luohan bed without saying a word. Feeling somewhat anxious, Minglan asked, "Does Grandmother think your granddaughter did wrong?"
Old Madam shook her head, stroking Minglan's soft hair as she spoke slowly, "You did nothing wrong. Fourth Miss won't beat drums and gongs to file a complaint, but..." Minglan held her breath, waiting for the old woman to continue, "I'm afraid it's easier to dodge a spear thrust in the open than an arrow shot from hiding."
After brief consideration, Minglan understood. Looking up, she said, "Father will have his day off the day after tomorrow. I'll deliver the newly made short-platform shoes then. Please pretend you know nothing about this matter, Grandmother."
Old Madam nodded in agreement.
On Sheng Hong's day off, after instructing Changfeng and Changdong to study diligently in the morning, he changed into casual clothes and went to his inner chamber study. There he practiced calligraphy and composed poetry, demonstrating that despite his years as an official, he hadn't forgotten his scholarly roots.
Just then, Minglan arrived with an adorable smile spread across her face. Sheng Hong frowned slightly, his expression somewhat cold. Appearing completely unaware, Minglan presented the newly made shoes and had a maid help her father put them on. Then she stood by, grinning cheerfully while awaiting praise.
As soon as Sheng Hong slipped into the thickly padded shoes, he felt their soft comfort and perfect fit. A warmth spread through his heart as he recalled how Minglan had been making various items for him since early childhood, showing remarkable filial devotion. "My child is very thoughtful," he remarked.
Little Minglan happily skipped over, tugging at Sheng Hong's sleeve while chattering away. She shared some amusing anecdotes suitable for a young girl, and since Minglan was quite eloquent, Sheng Hong couldn't help but laugh heartily at the funny parts.
With a pained expression, Minglan complained, "...This embroidery needle isn't as obedient as a writing brush! No matter how carefully I hold it, it won't behave. But when I put on a sturdy thimble, it suddenly becomes tame! Hmph, I've finally learned it only bullies the weak!"
She then spread out her plump little hands for Sheng Hong to see - several fingertips showed numerous needle pricks.
Both amused and exasperated, Sheng Hong felt genuinely touched. After teasing Minglan good-naturedly for a while, he watched his youngest daughter's adorable, obedient demeanor with growing affection. His lips moved several times before he finally couldn't resist asking, "The day before yesterday at Guangji Temple, why did you throw mud at your fourth sister?"
Minglan's heart sank - the moment had come!
Widening her innocent eyes, she stared blankly at Sheng Hong and said, "Did... Fourth Sister say this?"
Sheng Hong fell silent. That evening, when he had gone to rest at Consort Lin's quarters, Molan had come crying to complain. Consort Lin had also wept bitterly. Furious, Sheng Hong had wanted to reprimand Minglan immediately, but Consort Lin desperately persuaded him otherwise: "...Master, Sixth Miss is Old Madam's treasured darling. If you punish her today because of Molan, our daughter will become even less welcome in Old Madam's eyes! How are we mother and daughter supposed to live? Master, as long as you understand our grievances, your humble servant is content. Let's not speak of this matter further."She kept kowtowing repeatedly, begging Sheng Hong not to bring up the matter again, while continuously complaining about how Minglan, relying on Old Madam's favor, looked down upon Molan and others, thoroughly poisoning his mind. At the time, Sheng Hong agreed angrily, feeling extremely dissatisfied with Minglan but keeping his anger bottled up, which only grew the more he thought about it. Yet today, seeing Minglan's innocent and filial demeanor, he couldn't help but feel fond of her and ended up revealing everything.
"Never mind who said it! Just tell me if it's true or not?" Sheng Hong coaxed gently. "It's just a quarrel between sisters. If you were at fault, simply apologize to your fourth sister."
Unexpectedly, Minglan didn't speak, only letting tears as large as beans fall one by one. Biting her lip without making a sound, her large eyes moist, she choked out, "Does Father truly think his daughter is such an unreasonable person?"
Recalling how well-behaved and considerate Minglan had been over the years, Sheng Hong hesitated, "Could there be more to the story?"
Minglan had always feared Molan would make false accusations against her, leaving her clueless about her own downfall. Now that everything was out in the open, she actually felt relieved.
She lifted her head, gazing at Sheng Hong with adoration, and said, "Father, please summon Fourth Sister. Whatever the case, I can only speak properly if she is present."
Sheng Hong thought for a moment, then waved for a maid to fetch Molan. Soon, Molan arrived. She had been practicing calligraphy in the Mountain Moon Residence and, upon hearing Sheng Hong's summons, brought along a few of her best works to show her father. But as soon as she entered the study, she saw Minglan with reddened eyes and Sheng Hong comforting her. Seeing Minglan's pitiful state, Sheng Hong was no longer angry with her, assuming she was just a child who didn't know better. He even consoled her, "Silly child, why cry over a lump of mud? Even if you were wrong, your sister would forgive you..."
Hearing this, Molan's heart turned cold.
No matter how Sheng Hong tried to persuade her, Minglan remained silent, only weeping softly. As soon as she saw Molan, she stood up, tears in her eyes, and immediately asked, "Father said that the day before yesterday, I threw mud at you, Sister. Did you tell him that?"
Molan immediately looked at Sheng Hong, as if to say, "Why did you break your promise?" Sheng Hong's face flushed with embarrassment, and he adopted a stern paternal tone, "Now that both of you sisters are here, let's clear this up!"
Minglan stepped forward, weakly tugging at Molan's sleeve, shaking it gently as she cried, "Say it, say it! If there's any grievance, you're the elder sister—just scold me! Why go to Father to complain and now refuse to speak?"
Under Sheng Hong's pressing gaze, Molan gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, it was you. Isn't that true?"
Minglan gently wiped her tears and asked, "Alright then! Sister, please tell me, what exactly did we quarrel about that made me so unreasonable as to throw mud at you?"
Molan's face reddened, and she mumbled vaguely, "Just some argument." When pressed for details, she couldn't provide any.
Minglan turned to Sheng Hong and said aggrievedly, "In all these years, Fourth Sister and I have never quarreled. Even if there were minor issues, we made up by the next day. Father, think about it—what could possibly be so serious that I would deliberately embarrass Sister in public?"
Seeing Molan so evasive, Sheng Hong grew suspicious. Remembering how often Molan and Rulan quarreled, he glared at Molan and snapped, "Are you falsely accusing your sister?"Scolded by her father, Molan grew even more guilty. She hurriedly wiped her eyes but said nothing, intending to use tears to buy time. Unexpectedly, Minglan countered, "No, Father. I did indeed throw mud at my sister, but I have a clear conscience."
Sheng Hong was immediately confused. Minglan, with a calm and composed expression, clearly and crisply recounted the events of that day in just a few words. The more Molan listened, the redder her face grew, while Sheng Hong grew angrier with each word. Unable to contain himself, he slammed the table and scolded, "You unruly thing! How dare you rush into the plum grove where so many men had gathered? What kind of reasoning is this, to be so shameless?"
Molan’s knees weakened, and she immediately knelt down, sobbing pitifully. "How would I dare? I merely wanted to admire the exquisite Nine Dragon Wall in one go. My sisters spoke harshly, and in my anger, I stubbornly insisted on going further!"
Seeing Molan crying as if her heart would break, Minglan quickly knelt beside her, tugging at Molan’s sleeve with a pained and aggrieved expression. "Sister, you’ve truly lost your senses. No matter how beautiful the Nine Dragon Wall is, could it possibly be more important than Father’s reputation? Father is so cautious in both his official duties and personal conduct. As daughters, if we cannot share his burdens, must we also bring disgrace to the family? Most of the people in the plum grove were distinguished young masters from the capital. If they had seen you, what would have happened then...?"
Minglan couldn’t continue, her voice choked with sobs as she turned away, covering her face to weep. Furious, Sheng Hong swept a teacup off the table, sending shattered porcelain flying across the floor. His face was ashen, and his hands trembled uncontrollably as he roared at Molan, "What are you crying about? You’ve lived these extra years for nothing, yet you’re not as sensible as your younger sister! Where did you learn such deceitful tricks? Do you think everyone else is a fool? You shameless creature, how dare you accuse your sister!"
This was the first time Molan had been scolded so harshly by Sheng Hong, and she cried even more vehemently.
Minglan didn’t rest either. She crawled on her knees to Sheng Hong’s side, clutching the hem of his robe, her eyes brimming with tears as she pleaded mournfully, "I thought Sister had merely lost her senses momentarily. I was afraid that if word got out, Grandmother would blame her, so I kept this matter tightly sealed in my heart, not even telling Grandmother. I thought, after all, we are flesh and blood. Even if we had a disagreement, we would reconcile the next day. But who would have thought... who would have thought... Sister would actually accuse me behind my back?!"
Minglan looked utterly heartbroken, weeping as if her very soul were shattered. She turned to Molan and asked sorrowfully, "Fourth Sister, Fourth Sister, why would you treat me like this?" Her expression was one of profound pain, as if betrayed by her own kin.
Molan was momentarily stunned. To be honest, in the arts of crying and playing the victim, she and her mother had never met their match. They had been reigning unchallenged in the Sheng residence, but now, for the first time, they faced an unprecedented challenge.Minglan threw herself weeping at Sheng Hong's feet, her sorrowful sobs tugging at his heartstrings. He tenderly helped her up and seated her in a nearby chair before turning to point furiously at Molan, his voice sharp with reproach: "You wretched creature! After all the affection I've shown you, how could you stoop so low? Your younger sister tried to dissuade you for the family's honor, and you harbored resentment, waiting for a chance to retaliate! So young, yet already so venomous toward your own sister—what use are you to me? Summon Madam at once!"
Madam Wang was teaching Rulan how to read fish-scale account books. Rulan, lacking patience, had already made two errors and was about to give up entirely. Just as Madam Wang was growing impatient and ready to scold her daughter, joyous news descended from the heavens. She hurried to the study, where she found her husband livid, unleashing a torrent of harsh reprimands upon Molan, while Consort Lin knelt to the side, weeping softly.
After quickly grasping the situation, Madam Wang was overjoyed. Noticing Minglan slumped nearby, crying so hard she was nearly breathless and exhausted, she immediately assumed the role of the caring matriarch and ordered servants to escort Minglan back to rest.
Minglan didn't witness the subsequent events, as she was "too heartbroken." That evening, Rulan excitedly came to share the news: Molan had received thirty strikes on each palm with a ruler, her hands swollen to twice their size, and was confined to her quarters for six months. Additionally, she was forbidden from reading poetry and instead had to copy "Admonitions for Women" and "Models for Women" one hundred times each.
Madam Wang had initially wanted to implicate others, but Molan stubbornly insisted that Consort Lin had been deceived and was unaware of the plot. Thus, Consort Lin was only punished with fifty ruler strikes and three months of confinement.
...
"Did you know about this earlier?" Sheng Hong, finally having a day off, was so enraged he could only lie in bed groaning.
Madam Wang sat before the rhombus-patterned mirror, carefully applying fragrant balm, and replied nonchalantly, "Yes, Rulan told me that very day."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Sheng Hong roared, pounding the bed frame.
In high spirits, Madam Wang had deliberately changed into a brand-new dress of sheer silk gauze, its watery pink Suzhou-Hangzhou brocade embroidered with vivid yellow lotus leaves and crickets, exquisitely crafted. She turned her head and smiled, "How dare I meddle in affairs from that side of the house? You'd only accuse me of being narrow-minded and biased against the fourth girl. Why would I invite such trouble? Not only did I not speak of it, but I also forbade Rulan from saying anything, lest you blame her again."
Her tone was drawn out, almost teasing.
Sheng Hong choked on his anger. Madam Wang rose gracefully and sat by the bed, smiling as she said, "Now you see how cunning that fourth girl is, don't you? It's not that I'm criticizing her, but in terms of scheming, ten Rulans combined wouldn't equal half of her. What a pity she doesn't use her wits for good!"
Sheng Hong was also deeply annoyed. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Did Old Madam know?"
Madam Wang scoffed, "Old Madam can't tolerate the slightest impurity. If she had known, would things have remained peaceful until now? ... Tsk, tsk, the sixth girl is truly good-hearted. She even kept it from Old Madam to spare the fourth girl's dignity. Sadly, her kindness was repaid with malice—bitten by the very one she tried to protect!"
Madam Wang relished her sarcastic remarks, feeling immensely satisfied.
Sheng Hong sighed and shook his head, "That's Old Madam's upbringing for you. The child is filial, sensible, kind-hearted, and values sibling harmony." At this, he suddenly sat up and declared bitterly, "The fourth girl must not see Consort Lin anymore. She's only learning underhanded tricks from her."He was not unaware of Consort Lin's little schemes. Out of consideration for their past affection, he tolerated what he could and harshly reprimanded what he couldn't, never allowing her to overstep her bounds. Sheng Hong believed a concubine's antics within the inner residence were harmless, but seeing his own daughter behave this way displeased him greatly. He immediately decided to separate the mother and daughter.
...
"Stop crying! I know you're upset. It's all Fourth Sister's fault. Let's just ignore her from now on!"
Rulan hadn't lifted a finger yet got to watch the drama she'd long dreamed of seeing. Watching Molan cry out in pain from the beating and getting scolded harshly by Sheng Hong filled her with such delight that she mustered extraordinary patience to comfort the hero of the situation. After consoling for a long while only to see Minglan still unable to stop crying, she couldn't help but complain, "Why are you still crying!"
Minglan kept her head lowered, continuously wiping her eyes with a damp handkerchief: Damn, the osmanthus oil Pinlan sent was too effective! Truly, it's not about the advertisement but the actual results.
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