Minglan looked at Hualan with a smile.

First, since Hualan didn't mind Changbai having a concubine, Countess Shoushan who wasn't in a good relationship with Old Madam Yuan shouldn't mind her brother, Old Madam Yuan, marrying another concubine either. Second, First Master Yuan was not good at studying or martial art. The only thing he was interested in was living a life of leisure. But Yuan Wenshao was a sharp-sighted and capable man who had a bright future. Countess Shoushan should know which family she and her children could rely on in the future.

--That was the most essential thing.

"Only three people can know about this." Minglan couldn't help reminding that, "You, Countess Shoushan. After the thing is done, you can tell my brother-in-law. You and him are close to each other. Don't let it hurt his feelings."

"I know what you mean. After the girl marries to my father-in-law, I'll tell your brother-in-law everything." Hualan gave a cunning smile as if she had gone back to her childhood. At that time, her only mission had been tripping up Concubine Lin as many times as she could. "Don't worry! You have nothing to do with this from the beginning."

Minglan was relieved. It was always a pleasure to work with a clever person.

In fact, most of the sons in this era wouldn't mind their fathers having concubines as long as their interests and status in the family weren't threatened. What's more, at that time, with her two children whose bodies were covered with scars in her arms, Hualan would surely be able to persuade her husband when she knelt down in front of him while crying and begging with well-organized and delicate words.

After a while, Gu Tingye and Yuan Wenshao came back. While the latter was asking Minglan to leave the mansion with him with a smile, he never knew that his life had been changed in the short period of time just now. In the future, he would have a very obedient and loyal illegal brother. And the second half of his life was extremely happy and peaceful.

And Old Madam Yuan who was sitting on the brick bed while complaining about her miserable life fiercely wouldn't know that her bad days had just begun.

At the door of the outer yard, Gu Tingye was supporting Minglan to get into the coach. Seeing her being in a low spirit with a flat look on her face, he founded it quite strange. He turned around and saw that Yuan Wenshao hadn't come out yet, then he slipped into the coach and asked Minglan what had happened. Minglan told him what had happened briefly.

Gu Tingye frowned slightly, saying, "Brother Wenshao is too irresolute. His foolish filial piety has not only wronged his wife and children, but also stirred the whole family into a tempest."

"We cannot say he is irresolute. It's all about what is the thing he values the most." Minglan leaned on wall of the coach with a calm look on her face, "My brother-in-law knows that my sister is having a hard time, but he thinks that obeying his mother in every matter is more important. The man who has lots of concubines pretends to have a happy family not because he doesn't know about his wife's sadness. But he puts his own enjoyment before his wife's grievance... But I can't say that he has done anything wrong. We should always put our own enjoyments in the first place while we are alive."

Being stunned by her words, Gu Tingye looked at Minglan who seemed to a bit strange today and suddenly got a very uncomfortable feeling welling up in his mind. The he tried to suppress that feeling and asked calmly, "What about you? What will you do if you feed sad?"

Minglan relied him right away without thinking, "After I have been sad for a long while... I'll be recovered. There's always a way to recover."

After she had come to the ancient times, she finally realized that the women in this age had the most intelligent lifestyles. First, they managed money matters well to guarantee their fundamentals of substances. Then they loved themselves, love their children, loved the nice family of their husbands. Sometimes, they loved their husbands, not too much. The upper limit of their love to their husbands was feeling no sadness when their husbands married other girls. And the lower limit was expressing their everlasting love to their husbands to the point without feeling sick.

It was best not to feel disgust for their husbands so often. After all, it was so not healthy for a woman to be forced to live with a man she hated very much for her whole life.

--Minglan was practicing that right now. After a few days when Gu's mansion was well organized, she would hold a feast to invite Gu's relatives and friends. After that, she had to visit the elders in Marquis Ningyuan's mansion from time to time. The vacation day would be over soon. She just hoped everything would be fine at that time.

"You are brave enough to have spoken your heart." Gu Tingye squinted his eyes, in which was a vaguely fierce expression.

With Minglan's head tilted, she said calmly, "You said that you liked to hear my true words. Let alone that... I am not able to hide anything from you. I'd rather speak those words on my own than being forced to speak out the truth by you."

"You are not counting on me to support your life?" Gu Tingye asked that with one of his eyebrows raised up.

"No." Minglan rubbed her fingers and opened her hands, saying, "I am counting on you. But..." She looked at the man straightly with composed look. That expression in her eyes looked so clear that could make anyone feel sad. "What can I do if you fell in love with another woman?"

With darkness filled in Gu Tingye's eyes, he asked again, "What will you do?"

Minglan propped her chin up while thinking hard, "I don't know. I'll wait and see. But I won't kill myself, I guess."

The only expectation she had for her sisters was that they wouldn't hurt her. So Hualan and Rulan were both her great sisters because they had never harmed her. The only expectation she had for Sheng Hong and Wang shi was that they wouldn't trade her for too many profits. As long as they still concerned about her marriage and her happiness more or less, they were good parents to her.

Not it seemed that Sheng Minglan basically had lived a happy life. Because she could always find the most comfortable way for herself to live, with Gu Tingye or without him.

Gu Tingye stared at Minglan without blinking. In the dark coach, the only glimmer of light which filtered through the curtain enveloped her jade-like gorgeous face. Her long eyelashes drooped, covering the crystal light in her eyes. With her neck bent and leaning on the wall weakly, she seemed fragile, dispirited and dazed, detesting this world and its ways.

Such an extremely beautiful creature was filled with self-mocking sentiments now. She loved life, she disdained life, she was optimistic, she was indifferent. She seemed to be positive all the time but also negative all the time. She was a perfect contradiction-- Ever since he had salvaged this wet girl from the river, he had been curious about her. He had never been so obsessed with anyone else.

"If you run into the same thing like your sister, what will you do?" The man suddenly asked.

Hearing that, she suddenly showed a lively expression in her eyes like the surface of the lake ridging with ripples. She patted the small table and laughed adorably, "The people will definitely rise in revolt against the oppression of the official! I'll carry two kitchen knives right away. Then I'll put one knife against my neck and another against the neck of the person who bullied me, shouting, 'If you don't want me to live, I won't make your life easier either!"

After that, Minglan chuckled and fell on the splendid scarlet quilt embroidered with golden threads like a naughty child.

Gu Tingye looked at her deeply. He didn't laugh, because he knew that she wasn't telling a joke. Her eyes weren't laughing now-- He had seen her being like this for many times. Moreover, there was a strangely resolute look in her eyes, which made her as beautiful as a moth which was flying to the fire.

He suddenly dragged her violently into his arms and held her tightly in his arms. Only until she almost couldn't breathe in his arms did he slowly let go off her. Minglan raised her head and breathed heavily. Her face was covered with redness because she had nearly been stifled. Then she looked at him in a daze.

Gu Tingye also found himself quite ridiculous. He seemed to be angry at her for not trusting him. But he almost had to admit that she was right to have those misgivings. As a result, he could only touch her pretty eyelids and sigh while saying in a low voice, "You don't need to use a kitchen knife. I'll hack anyone for you." His blood mother had been long gone anyway.

Minglan was in a loss-- What was he talking about.

He paused and then added, "I'm better at hacking people."

Minglan laughed blankly and expressed her agreement to him. Suddenly, Gu Tingye flew to a rage and turned over the small table in the coach violently. After that, he thumped on the wall, which even shook the coach. Seeing him being like this, Minglan could only shrink to herself with fear.

Gu Tingye said bitterly in a lower voice, "You ungrateful woman! It hasn't been a month since we got married, and you already begin to think of a way out! You wicked woman!"

On these words, he lifted Minglan's arm right away and rolled up her sleeve quickly. Then, he took a big bite on her fair and tender arm, leaving two rows of orderly teeth marks there.