Minglan didn't know how to answer her, so she just smiled bitterly, "Fourth elder sister, don't you know that I have little learning? Don't baffle me please."

Rulan rolled eyes at her and then turned to Molan instead, "Father always praise you as the one with most learnings, don't you think so, my fourth elder sister?"

Molan's face turned purple from embarrassment. She forced a smile, "If you like this one, just tell me. Is it necessary to cite a story? We are sisters. I, as your elder sister, won't take away what you like."

Rulan said slowly, "It's not about hairpin. It's just I want to learn from you as my role model."

"Then you choose first!" Molan put down the golden hairpin, her eyes looking down, full of resentment.

Rulan despised her, "Now that you already picked that one, how can I take it away from you? Father will blame me."

Minglan frowned at Rulan's further pushing. She looked up at Wang shi who was immersed in the conversation with Liu Kun's wife and didn't take a glance at them at all, as if having no idea of what was happening over there. Minglan lowered her head, understanding it all.

This time, the Emperor opened a Special Examination of Divine Grace. Many sons of Sheng Hong's former classmates and colleagues attended the exam, but only Changfeng didn't even pass it to make pre-scholar and had to watch this rare opportunity fly away. Therefore, recently, Changfeng was disliked by Sheng Hong in every aspect. A few days ago, the final session started when half of the Department of Supervision were talking about their sons taking the exam, making Sheng Hong quite depressed. He went home with a long face and headed directly to Changfeng's study room, planning to urge him to pass the autumn exam next year and achieve even better result from then on.

Unexpectedly, the moment he reached the door, he heard laughter of a man and a woman. He kicked open the door, finding that his son was laughing and holding a jade writing brush in a handsome pose while next to him was a provocative pretty girl who pulled up her sleeves to let Changfeng write erotic poems on her fair smooth arms.

Sheng Hong had a pair of sharp eyes, so by one glance he saw the erotic lines on the arm "Crystal fragrant skin of mine/wait for you to unclothe and try". It made Sheng Hong hit the roof at once and immediately ordered to bind Changfeng up for club-beating based on the family rules. Afterwards, the handsome charming young lord could do nothing except for crying and shouting. Concubine Lin came over, kneeling down on the ground to beg mercy for him.

Sheng Hong was so upset that he, in front of everyone in the main hall, pointed at the mother and son, rebuking them as "losers of no promising future".

Concubine Lin felt wronged as well. Didn't she want to well discipline her son? However, after all, she was a concubine whose son wouldn't listen to her at all. In addition, she feared strict discipline might do harm to their relation, and he was the only one she could rely on for the rest of her life.

Sheng Hong decided to carry on the inspection, thoroughly rummaging Changfeng's study room and leaving no stone unturned. As a result, a dozen of pornographic pictures and poem collections were found, and the paper of the books were quite old, an indication that they had been leafed through for many times.

Sheng Hong flew into a rage, taking up a club to hit Changfeng on his own and grounded him. Then, he contacted the family accountant to prohibit Changfeng from getting money at random and any expenditure more than five taels of silver must be reported to him.

There were just two reasons why Concubine Lin was loved, one was herself and the other was her son. At present, she was no longer loved by Sheng Hong like before and her son was despised. Therefore, at a time, the servants across the mansion, who all had crystal hearts that could see things through, began to curry favor with Wang shi.

"What do you want?" Molan sneered. She had never been mocked like this before.

"I don't want anything." Rulan slowly flapped the clothes while saying deliberately, "Yet if you insist me picking first, this would go against father's will. We need a good reason. Otherwise, as sisters of the same family, is there anyone who is nobler than others?"

She stretched the last syllable and watched Molan with provocation.

Molan bit her lip, aware that Rulan was forcing her to spell out the "legitimacy priority" thing. Many years ago, when Concubine Lin was Sheng Hong's favorite, Molan frequently used it as a method to gain more pity and love from Sheng Hong.

Although things had changed, she couldn't give in easily. At the sight of Minglan who stood next to her lowering her head, she had another idea, smiling, "You're right fifth younger sister. In the story of Kong Rong the Good Boy, the elder brother gives up the larger pear for the younger brother, so let sixth younger sister choose first."

Minglan took a look at Molan. Alright, the sympathy that had just been provoked for her vanished at once. Seeing Molan walk up to pull her over, Minglan turned around flexibly and avoided Molan's reaching hand. Minglan had already found an excuse, and just as she was about to say, a voice came over from outside, "Master is back."

Wang shi, who had been watching the drama from aside, was a bit shocked. Taking a look at the water clock which suggested four o'clock in the afternoon, time before the due time he got off work.

Liu Kun's wife was alert and immediately helped Wang shi get up to welcome Sheng Hong. He was in the official costume, walking in, looking upset, and a few strands of his beard pointed to different directions. He headed right to the master's chair and sat down. Wang shi ordered tea for him in a hurry, walking over and smiling, "You're back, my master. Why did you return so early today?"

Sheng Hong took off the official hat with great care and replied casually, "Today is the final day of the special exam. We saw even the head of our department leave, so we all went home as well." An official shouldn't act different from others. As long as no bottom line was broken, it'd be best to follow suit.

The three sisters stood in a line and greeted Sheng Hong respectfully.

Sheng Hong nodded in response to the three girls, but the clothes and hairpins on the table made him frown, "Didn't Hua'er send these yesterday? Why do you give to them until this day?"

Wang shi froze for a moment before she tried to explain, "A few days later, the Mansion of Marquis Zhongqin will hold a one-month birthday party for Hualan's son. I suppose it would be improper to wear too plain, so I added more fabrics and give them today."

Sheng Hong nodded. Suddenly, he recalled the scene when he just came in. Molan and Minglan were standing on one side and Rulan on the other. On the table, there was an open jewelry case. He took a look at Wang shi, feeling unhappy, "How come Rulan is the only one choosing? Did my Molan and Minglan get something?"

Molan walked gracefully to Sheng Hong, smiling, "Let fifth younger sister choose first."

Sheng Hong knew that Rulan and Wang shi were of the same temper and never generous. He believed that Wang shi might have bullied Molan, daughter of a concubine, so he at once shot a stare at Rulan whose face then turned pale.

Minglan felt something wrong and hurriedly stepped forward to pull Sheng Hong's sleeves, laughing, "Father, please do our justice. Just now, fifth elder sister said that based on age, fourth elder sister should pick first; yet fourth elder sister said that we should learn from Kong Rong and she let me pick first. In this way, no matter what, it'll be either me or fourth elder sister that would pick first, but fifth elder sister could never have the luck. How poor she is! Therefore, this time, I'm willing to let her pick first. Do you think this is a good idea, father?"

Sheng Hong had always liked Minglan. In view of her cute and lovely look and childish speech, he smiled to the three sisters and said, "That sounds good. I'm so happy to see you get along well with each other."

Molan secretly bit her teeth because she couldn't refute and only had to agree with a smile. Rulan was also relieved. Wang shi took this opportunity to cut in, "Later I'll send these staff to your houses and let you make your own decision. Your father needs rest."

The three young ladies retreated with respect.

After the three daughters left, Sheng Hong stood up and walked into the inner room with Wang shi. He stretched out his arms to let Wang shi unclothe him and asked, "Is Quan well? How about our daughter-in-law?"

Reminded of the chubby grandson, Wang shi was all smiles, "Good! They are all good! The child is too young to take out, otherwise I would have taken him out to meet you. The boy has really strong arms and legs!"

Sheng Hong laughed as well and kept saying, "By his look, he is a blessed boy. Strong boy, nice! Nice!" As the folk saying went, the youngest son and eldest grandson were the old couple's favorite children. The sight of grandson's swaging white chubby little arms softened Sheng Hong's heart. He kept telling Wang shi to take good care of him.

"Not only Quan, Hualan's Shi is also adorable. Last time I visited them, he was already able to smile. How sweet! He looked exactly the same as Hualan when she was young!" Wang shi exclaimed with full joy in her heart, "From now on, Huanlan's life could get easier with her son propping her up. She doesn't have to take cold eyes from her mother-in-law!"

Sheng Hong, in fact, loved this eldest daughter very much. Among so many of his children, Hualan was the only one that he had held in his arms to coax her into eating or sleeping. As an official who shouldn't judge people, Sheng Hong couldn't help but comment, "Marquis Zhongqin is a nice guy, but his wife...She's getting better now."

Wang shi snorted, "Hem, but for my visiting them, she had planned to throw a small party of two-table dinner for the one-month birthday. Both are her sons, for one she threw a fifty-table dinner party and for the other a small one like that. Wouldn't she be afraid of being laughed at? Our son-in-law is filial but in a stupid way. My poor baby Hualan. I'm afraid much of her dowry has been cheated by them. This time, only after you and Changbai got promoted did her mother-in-law stop making troubles. Hem! Why isn't she grateful for Hualan's willingness to marry her son at a time when the family was on decline?"

Sheng Hong thought for a while, saying, "That day I mentioned this to the old Marquis. He will discipline his wife."

Speaking of this, Sheng Hong suddenly thought of something and asked, "What about Molan's marriage?"

Wang shi folded the official gown, frowned and sighed, "I did try to reach out, but none of them is to your liking. You don't like the editor, one of Changbai's colleagues, because he's too poor. As for the one I beg others to set up, you don't like him for lacking family background. Then all others are sons of concubines. To be honest, some of them are indeed good candidates, yet they're as picky as we're when it comes to finding a daughter-in-law. What kind of match does Molan, a daughter of a concubine, deserve? Where should I find a perfect guy?"

Sheng Hong felt uncomfortable as well. Actually, he thought those candidates were good enough, but he couldn't turn down Concubine Lin who cried to beg him for a better one. Confronted with reality, Concubine Lin had to compromise, and she found that He Hongwen was really good in many ways.

"I have to let you know in advance. A few months later, Molan will turn sixteen. I will give up if she's still so picky. Yet, even if she doesn't fear of a late marriage, Rulan and Minglan do. By then, don't blame the younger sisters of not waiting for her." Wang shi explained the possible bad case scenario to Sheng Hong in advance.

Sheng Hong's eyebrows were pushing together as he got a headache, "Old Madam mentioned this to me once. Last time she went to Youyang, she met a boy called Li Yu, our sister-in-law's maternal nephew. He is a progressive learner with abundant family property, a good candidate. Let's wait and see whether he could make pre-scholar in next year's exam."

He really trusted Old Madam's choice. When Old Madam mentioned this to him, she told him with a smile that the boy carried the same temperament with him as a youth. Thinking of this, Sheng Hong felt much better. Someone like him must be a handsome talented youth!

Nice, nice! If they could make a couple, Molan was so blessed.

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