NCCnovel Chapter 73 Do You Know? 27
Chapter 73 Do You Know? 27
Madam Wang was terrified. Looking at Sheng Hong, who seemed ready to devour her, she stammered, unable to speak. It was Liu Mama, who, seeing her anxiety, mustered her courage and spoke for her:
"It was Sixth Miss who told Madam that Madam had been bullied by Lin Xiaoniang her whole life. When Lin Xiaoniang was in charge of the household in Yangzhou, she had already become the laughing stock of the whole city. Now that Third Brother has obtained an imperial title for Lin Xiaoniang, it is even more shameful for Madam to be Madam."
The sixth sister also said that since the third brother became a high-ranking official, he started to suppress his elder brother and even made the eldest sister fawn over him. It was simply too much! If they didn't find a way to stop it, they were afraid that they would all be bullied to death.
It would be better to join forces with her, take a gamble, and seek wealth and power within the imperial family. She would surely help the eldest son and daughter then. That's why our mistress acted so foolishly."
"Absolutely utterly stupid!"
Sheng Hong uttered the words that Madam Wang often used: "Who is the Crown Prince? Does he think he can be easily manipulated? Even the lowest-ranking concubine in the Crown Prince's residence is carefully selected. What makes you think that Ming'er would definitely catch the Crown Prince's eye? Now look what's happened, the Emperor knows about this! I've lost my official position! Are you happy now!"
Sheng Hong was so angry he nearly fainted. He turned to Minglan and asked, "Are you crazy? Why did you do this? What have I done to wrong you that you've harmed me and the Sheng family like this?"
Sheng Minglan had endured her whole life, but now she didn't want to endure it anymore and directly tore off the mask of a well-behaved daughter.
"Father, besides giving me a life, what else have you given me! My stepmother was murdered, and you turned a blind eye, instead indulging and pampering the murderer who killed her. I lived a cautious life in the Sheng family since I was a child, but you didn't care. You are also a son of a concubine, so why do you make me suffer the same pain you suffered?"
Sheng Minglan suddenly smiled, but her expression was so sad: "Because of those ridiculous rules of etiquette between legitimate and illegitimate children, I can only keep a low profile, endure, and be cautious, to be an impeccable sixth daughter of the Sheng family."
I clearly don't like needlework or embroidery, but I have to pretend I do. What else can I do? I have to do this to survive.
Forcing myself to do things I don't like, always being careful around others, afraid to stand out, afraid to be flamboyant...
Sheng Minglan's face was already covered in tears. She seemed to want to tell all the grievances she had suffered since childhood. By the end, she had lost all logic, her voice grew softer and softer, and finally she collapsed helplessly.
Enraged by the scolding, Sheng Hong, who had been providing his daughter with good food and drink, was furious that she had given birth to such a wicked child. He tore down the curtain hanging in the room and was about to strangle Minglan.
Grandma Sheng was both angry and heartbroken at Minglan's actions, and quickly ordered someone to stop him: "My lord, please show leniency, she is still your daughter!"
"I don't have such a shameless daughter." Sheng Hong gritted his teeth in hatred. All his hard work in his life had been ruined by this wretched child. Even if she died right in front of him now, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of heartache.
Sheng Changfeng found his expression amusing: "Father, the outside world doesn't know about this yet. If you really beat Sixth Sister to death, it will only cause speculation and gossip outside."
"Give Minglan to me. I will find her a good family as soon as possible. I will never return to the capital again, and I will never let you see her again," said Old Madam Sheng, suppressing her heartache.
Why are all the children she raises like this? Lin Qinshuang has an affair with her illegitimate son, and Minglan is even more insane, actually setting her sights on the Crown Prince.
Although Sheng Minglan was unwilling, she had no choice. Seeing her grandmother's distressed expression, she couldn't say a word.
All he could do was frantically think to himself, "How wonderful it would be if this could all be accomplished today!"
She told the eldest daughter-in-law that she wanted to seduce the crown prince, but she knew in her heart that even if she succeeded in becoming the crown prince's woman and later a royal concubine, she still wouldn't be able to bring down Sheng Changfeng, who held all the power.
So her intention wasn't to seduce the crown prince, but to assassinate him.
As long as she sees the Crown Prince and makes a show of assassination, regardless of whether the Crown Prince is injured or not, the Sheng family will be finished, and that way she will have indirectly avenged herself.
It's such a pity that it was just a little short!
She's already gone mad!
She had already gone mad when Sheng Molan married into the imperial family, Lin Qinshuang was granted an imperial title, her status became more and more stable, and her life became better and better.
She always felt that her life shouldn't be like this, but why did she end up in this situation?
Sheng Hong looked up at the sky and sighed, feeling that he would rather be dead than face this situation.
"What should we do about the old lady?"
Old Madam Sheng looked at Madam Wang, who was already slumped in the mud: "Except for Changfeng and Changbai who are in the court, everyone else should go back to their hometown of Youyang! Just say that I am sick and need to go back to my hometown to recuperate. This way, your dismissal can be covered up. To the outside world, we can say that you resigned and returned to your hometown to be filial to me. After you go back, Madam Wang should stay in the family temple to pray for blessings and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to go out unless necessary."
Upon hearing this punishment, Madam Wang could no longer hold back her tears. In her grief and indignation, she wanted to say something, but Liu Mama, who was beside her, quickly pulled her back and whispered something in her ear. After hearing it, she stopped struggling and just cried helplessly.
Now that things had come to this, Sheng Hong said no more. He had already been dismissed from his post, so how could he have the face to stay in the capital? He might as well go back to his hometown of Youyang, where the emperor was far away and no one knew about his dismissal.
That was how the matter was decided. Not long after, Old Madam Sheng hurriedly found a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan to marry Sheng Minglan. After that, she took Sheng Hong, Madam Wang, and Madam Lin back to Youyang.
Sheng Changfeng wanted Lin Xiaoniang to stay, but Lin Xiaoniang was really worried about Sheng Hong's current state. The two had been together for twenty years, and even if it started as pretense, over the years, genuine feelings had developed between them.
Anyway, she now has an imperial title, so Sheng Hong doesn't dare to touch her. In fact, since the eldest daughter-in-law was confined to the family temple after returning to Youyang, she will be the only one in the backyard, which will make her more comfortable than she was in the capital.
Upon hearing the news, Sheng Molan hurriedly brought her child back to ask what was going on. Lin Xiaoniang didn't tell her about the eldest daughter-in-law and Minglan, because even if she did, it would only make her anxious and wouldn't make any difference. She simply said that the old lady was ill and that they were going back to fulfill their filial duties.
The mother and daughter were separated for the last time, not knowing when they would see each other again, and both of them cried their eyes out.
Hua Lan and Ru Lan also returned, but they did not see Madam Wang. Old Madam Sheng sent them away.
After Sheng Hong and the others left, Sheng Changbai thought it over and over again and felt that he probably would never get ahead in his life. Rather than being a sixth-rank official for the rest of his life, he might as well resign and go home. He would have plenty to eat and drink and would not have to worry about food and clothing. There would also be no more restrictions in his hometown.
Most importantly, he wanted to be away from Sheng Changfeng, which would give him some relief. So he resigned from his official post and, along with Lady Hai and numerous concubines, followed Sheng Hong back to Youyang.
At this point, all three of the original owner's wishes were fulfilled. He even gave the original owner one more: he stripped Sheng Hong of his official position, thus completely resolving the Sheng family's affairs.
After thinking it over, he figured that since everything was fine now, he decided to let loose and start making a big show of himself in the court, urging Emperor Qianyuan to attack the Liao Kingdom and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
Emperor Qianyuan had long harbored this idea, and the emperor and his ministers hit it off immediately. After Sheng Changfeng presented the complete "Treatise on Military Preparedness," he was promoted to the second-rank position of Vice Minister of State Affairs. After two years of preliminary preparations, the court officially launched an expedition against the Liao Kingdom, with Emperor Qianyuan personally leading the campaign.
The Liao Kingdom never expected that the usually weak court, which only talked about negotiations and reparations, would be so assertive this time, launching an attack right away. Before they could even react, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were already gone.
They were clamoring for the court to return Yan and Yun, and their self-righteous attitude despite their defeat amused Emperor Qianyuan and Sheng Changfeng. They had meticulously prepared for two years, not just for the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and immediately marched north, seizing the opportunity to conquer the Liao Kingdom.
After successfully destroying the Liao Kingdom, the hot-blooded Sheng Changfeng saw that there was still a lot of military supplies prepared over the past two years. He felt that he should not waste his efforts, so he simply urged Emperor Qianyuan to wipe out the Western Xia, Tubo and Jin Kingdoms that were not yet developed in the surrounding area.
Emperor Qianyuan became addicted to war and intended to expand in all directions. Fearing that the Crown Prince would not be able to control the court officials, he appointed his trusted general Sheng Changfeng as prime minister and left him to assist the Crown Prince. He then led his troops to conquer the south and north, taking over territory after territory, and the imperial territory continued to expand.
With a larger area comes more things to manage, so Sheng Changfeng can only keep working hard and has no time to be sentimental or think about life and death. He has even forgotten why he became an official in the first place.
Come back home?
Hey! After I get home, it's just a bunch of court matters, isn't it?
He's completely free of all his former flaws, like being confused, sentimental, or melancholic!
Power is indeed the best tonic for men!
Highly nourishing!