LRAB Chapter 106 The Wisdom of the Ancients
Chapter 106 The Wisdom of the Ancients
Chapter 106 The Wisdom of the Ancients
Back home, Wang You took his younger sister back to the backyard.
"You'er is back."
Madam Feng smiled and beckoned, "Come here, Mother has something to tell you."
"What makes Mother so happy? Is Big Brother coming back?" Wang You asked.
With only a few days left until the county examination, Wang Zhuo should be arriving in Bianjing to participate.
"No, it was the Earl of Yongchang's mansion that sent an invitation, inviting me to attend a polo match in half a month."
Madam Feng smiled and said, "The polo match hosted by Madam Wu is a grand event in Bianjing. I have already instructed the embroiderers in the house to make new clothes for you and Mu'er. You two can come with me to join in the fun."
Wang You was somewhat surprised to hear this, not expecting that Madam Wu would actually send an invitation to the Wang family.
It should be noted that the Sheng family had not been qualified to participate in the polo tournament even after living in Beijing for several years.
The first time Madam Wang went to a polo match, it was Hua Lan who took her.
The invitation was addressed to the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion, not to the Sheng family.
The second time he went was to a polo match organized by Madam Wu at Qi Heng's request, with the purpose of seeing Minglan.
However, that polo match was relatively small in scale.
According to Wang You, Madam Wu would hold a polo match every spring and autumn.
These two polo matches were of very high caliber, and officials of the fourth rank and above, as well as noble families in Bianjing, would be invited.
Only a small number of families below the fourth rank were invited.
For example, the Hanlin Academician, although holding a high position, actually only had a fifth-rank official position.
Since Madam Wu is hosting a polo match, it's only natural that we couldn't leave her out.
However, people from such distinguished families almost never go there.
The Wang family was not within this scope, so he was quite surprised to receive an invitation.
But after thinking about it carefully, Wang You also felt relieved.
Although the Wang family was not a family of low status and great power, his grandfather was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and his grandmother was still alive.
Old Mrs. Wang is a titled lady, so she will definitely invite the Wang family.
"Isn't Grandmother going?" Wang You asked.
"Your grandmother prefers quiet, so she asked me to take you there," said Madam Feng.
"Should we bring my aunt along?"
The polo club post says you can bring people along, otherwise Hualan wouldn't have been able to bring Madam Wang.
"No, it won't work."
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng immediately shook her head and said, "If I take care of your younger sister-in-law, what about your older sister-in-law?"
"Mother is so thoughtful; I almost forgot about that," Wang You praised.
Indeed, it would be fine if they didn't bring any of them, but they brought Madam Wang but not Madam Kang. Given her temperament, she'll probably cause a scene.
"Mother, what is the exact time? I need to ask for leave in advance."
Wang You was still somewhat interested in the gatherings of the upper class in Bianjing.
In ancient times, entertainment options were scarce. At his age, he looked down on what children played and couldn't participate in what adults played.
Go watch some polo; if it's interesting, you can even learn some in your spare time as a pastime.
"That's the date of your next ten-day break."
Madam Feng said, "The days that Madam Wu always chooses are the ten-day holidays of various academies in Bianjing."
In Bianjing, the ten-day holidays for all schools, including the Imperial Academy, academies of all sizes, and private schools were standardized.
After all, students are mostly young people, and they need to socialize regularly.
If our holidays are different, it's hard to meet up.
Upon hearing this, Wang You gained a better understanding of Madam Wu's social skills and adeptness.
Although it was just a small matter, it showed how thoughtful Madam Wu was.
The Liang family is just an earl's mansion. Even with the help of the Duchess of England to keep things in order, it wouldn't be easy for Madam Wu to host such a grand event.
Many of the officials' wives who went there were of higher status than Madam Wu, and many of these wives had conflicts with each other.
When they gather together, if any dispute arises, they may not necessarily give Madam Wu any face.
The fact that Madam Wu was able to keep running the business all this time was largely due to her own abilities.
Wang You chatted with his mother for a while, then made an excuse to go back to his room to read.
The next day, Wang You arrived at the Sheng family school. Sheng Changbai and his brother, along with Qi Heng, were already there, chatting about the fun they had had on their spring outing the previous day.
"Ziqian, it's such a pity you didn't come with us for the spring outing yesterday."
Sheng Changfeng smiled and said, "The young master's estate has a mountain that is covered with pear trees."
The pear blossoms covering the mountains reminded me of Cen Shen's poem.
Like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of pear trees burst into bloom.
"There will be other opportunities in the future. We really did have an appointment yesterday." Wang You smiled and sat down in his seat.
After chatting with them for a few minutes, Mo Lan walked in.
"Thank you for your hospitality yesterday, Brother Yuanruo. The sight of the pear blossoms blooming all over the mountain is still vivid in my mind. After I returned, I painted a picture and wrote a poem. I would like to ask Brother Yuanruo to take a look at how it is written."
Mo Lan approached Qi Heng with a charming smile and had her maid, Yun Cai, bring out the painting.
If we're talking about Minglan arriving the latest, then Molan is the opposite of Minglan.
As a young woman, she felt embarrassed to come so early with Sheng Changbaifeng.
But she was also the first of the three to arrive.
Wang You chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself that he had put her in a difficult position.
I came back from my trip yesterday and spent time drawing and writing lyrics.
In ancient times, it took quite a while to complete a painting.
Wang You glanced at it and thought it was pretty good.
He didn't understand the concepts of meaning and form, but it looked alright anyway.
Qi Heng took the painting with a somewhat unnatural expression. He first praised the painting and the poem, and then pointed out some of its shortcomings.
Mo Lan showed no displeasure, smiled and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Yuanruo. I will show you my progress when I have new works in the future."
Qi Heng's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly smiled and agreed.
Although Wang You had his back to Qi Heng, he could still sense a hint of reluctance in Qi Heng's voice.
Mo Lan didn't notice and happily returned to her seat.
It's no wonder that Mo Lan always felt that Qi Heng had feelings for her.
Qi Heng's good upbringing made him unwilling to refuse others easily. Even if he was annoyed, he would still respond politely on the surface and would not show it.
This behavior doesn't qualify as hypocrisy; it's simply a matter of personality.
At this moment, Rulan walked in looking listless.
He greeted Sheng Changbai and the others, then went to his seat and slumped onto the table.
Yesterday we went on a picnic, and in the afternoon Mo Lan suggested we go up the mountain.
The mountain where the Qi family lived has always been maintained, but the road is still difficult to travel.
But Rulan had been pampered since childhood and had never experienced such hardship.
But Mo Lan kept talking to Qi Heng, and she couldn't complain, so she could only follow along.
When I went to bed at night, I realized my legs were so sore that I couldn't fall asleep until midnight.
I was woken up early this morning to study, and my head is still spinning.
"Fifth Sister, I painted a picture of Lishan after our trip yesterday. Could you take a look and tell me how it turned out?"
As she spoke, Mo Lan turned around and handed the painting to Ru Lan.
"Take it away."
Rulan was already very upset because she hadn't slept well, so she had no mood to take care of Molan.
Upon hearing this, he impatiently waved his hand, hitting the painting squarely.
This painting was simply painted on ordinary Xuan paper and was not framed. It was torn when Rulan hit it.
When Mo Lan saw that the painting was ruined, her eyes reddened, and she said aggrievedly, "Fifth Sister, I just wanted you to see the painting. If you didn't want to see it, then don't. Why did you have to destroy the painting I worked so hard on?"
"Let whoever wants to watch it watch it, just leave me alone!" Rulan said irritably.
The two were making quite a commotion, which Wang You and the others naturally heard.
Sheng Changbai's face darkened, and he said, "Fifth Sister, apologize to Fourth Sister!"
"Why should I apologize?"
Ru Lan slammed her hand on the table and stood up, glaring angrily at Mo Lan, whose eyes were streaked with tears and whose expression was one of grievance.
"All you do is cry, cry, cry."
Rulan glanced at the painting and said, "What kind of rubbish is this? How dare you show it to anyone?"
"Fifth Sister!"
Sheng Changbai was somewhat annoyed, and his voice rose several decibels: "I'll make you apologize!"
He knew, of course, that Mo Lan was doing it on purpose. Ru Lan couldn't even remember a few poems, so how could she appreciate the quality of a painting?
Mo Lan did this simply to get Ru Lan to belittle her paintings.
Qi Heng had just praised her, but Ru Lan spoke up to belittle her. Wasn't that a slap in Qi Heng's face?
If Rulan's words make sense, Qi Heng, given his personality, naturally wouldn't care.
But Rulan didn't understand any of this. She belittled him without being able to explain why, which made her seem very crude in front of Qi Heng.
But knowing this is one thing; at least on the surface, Mo Lan only showed Ru Lan the painting.
From any perspective, Rulan was at fault first.
He believed that family scandals should not be aired in public, and his demand for Rulan to apologize was merely an attempt to cover up the matter for the time being.
Unexpectedly, Rulan not only refused to apologize, but also threw a tantrum.
"Cousin, don't be angry."
Wang You quickly smoothed things over, saying, "My two younger sisters are still quite young, it's normal for them to bicker, it's nothing serious. The scholar will be here soon, please sit down."
Rulan had fully regained her senses by this time, and upon hearing this, she obediently sat down.
It wasn't that she was afraid of Mo Lan, but Sheng Hong had repeatedly told them to behave themselves at school.
If this continues, there will definitely be bad consequences.
Mo Lan wanted to continue making a scene, since she was in the right anyway.
But since Rulan had already yielded and sat down, if she continued to make a scene, it would only make her seem less magnanimous.
Seeing that the two had calmed down, Sheng Changbai looked at Wang You with gratitude in his eyes.
Wang You smiled and nodded in response, then continued reading his book.
A moment later, Minglan walked in. Sensing that something was amiss, she greeted them and went to her seat.
After the morning classes ended and Sheng Changbai and his siblings left, Buwei and Xiaoman put the two tables together and waited for the Sheng family servants to bring them food.
"Ziqian, thank you for what happened before," Qi Heng said somewhat embarrassedly.
Although he is not very old, he is ten years old and understands some things.
What seemed like a quarrel between Mo Lan and Ru Lan in the morning actually involved him to some extent.
Although it's not entirely his fault, he was studying at the Sheng family's school on loan, and if things escalated, he would be somewhat embarrassed.
Wang You was somewhat surprised. He had thought Qi Heng didn't understand, but now it seemed that Qi Heng had also sensed it.
"Since you've figured it out, why don't you keep your distance?" Wang You asked.
Qi Heng said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is just my guess, and we're all studying in the same school, so it's not good to make things unpleasant because of this."
Upon hearing this, Wang You somewhat understood Qi Heng's thoughts.
Simply put, he was too embarrassed to admit it, and besides, the other person hadn't said it directly; it was just normal contact, so he didn't want to bring it up.
Besides, he was, after all, a student on loan, so he felt somewhat like a dependent.
Wang You remained silent for a while, then advised, "Yuan Ruo, it's better to be firm in your stance on some things."
"But how can I bring this up?" Qi Heng asked, troubled.
I can't just tell Mo Lan that I don't like her, can I?
She didn't confess her feelings to him.
You absolutely cannot simply ignore them.
"Next time she pesters you with questions about poetry, just tell her that you're focused on passing the imperial examinations and that poetry is just a minor subject, and you don't have time to waste on it."
Seeing Qi Heng's hesitation, Wang You said, "If some things aren't explained clearly, things will only get more complicated later. That's all I have to say. You can decide for yourself."
If the Wang and Sheng families weren't related, Wang Youcai wouldn't have bothered saying all this.
It's hard to say that Qi Heng wasn't a factor in Mo Lan's later affair with Liang Han.
It's not surprising that Lin Xiaoniang wanted Molan to marry into a wealthy family and persuaded Molan to do so.
Mo Lan was initially unwilling, but she only agreed after Lin Xiao Niang kept persuading her.
But Wang You thought that the reason she agreed, besides Lin Xiaoniang's persuasion, was probably because Qi Heng had raised her standards too high.
Sheng then chose an older man like Wen Yanjing for him, which was the main reason why Mo Lan agreed.
Although Liang Han is no match for Qi Heng, his looks and family background are far superior to Wen Yanjing's.
Of course, Wang You didn't care whether Mo Lan lived or died.
But what if something unexpected happens and things don't calm down as they were originally supposed to?
The Wang and Sheng families are related. The Sheng family's reputation has been ruined, which has more or less affected the Wang family.
If Mo Lan had faced reality sooner, she might not have done such a thing in the future.
If it still happens, then it's her fate.
"Yes, I'll think about it carefully," Qi Heng said.
Wang You didn't say anything more after hearing this.
Before long, a servant from the Sheng family brought in the food, carefully arranged it, bowed, and left.
Wang You and Qi Heng sat down to eat. After they finished, Buwei and Xiaoman finished the rest.
Wang You's words ultimately had no effect.
It can't be said that there was absolutely none. Qi Heng did tell Mo Lan that he had to study for the exam and had no interest in researching poetry when Mo Lan approached him to discuss poetry.
Mo Lan's face stiffened, and she awkwardly returned to her seat.
But the next day, he acted as if nothing had happened and greeted Qi Heng.
However, she didn't talk about poetry again, just gave a simple greeting.
As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face, and Qi Heng had no choice but to accept it.
A few days later, Mo Lan started asking Qi Heng about the content taught by Professor Zhuang.
Now Qi Heng had no excuse and could only explain it to Mo Lan.
Mo Lan listened attentively, occasionally asking questions and offering her own opinions.
Afterwards, he would praise Qi Heng with an expression of admiration.
Wang You was somewhat surprised; Mo Lan's methods were clearly much more sophisticated.
Did Lin Xiaoniang teach her?
Wang You shook his head. There was some wisdom in the ancient practice of having the principal wife raise the sons and daughters of concubines.
This can be well illustrated by Mo Lan and Ming Lan.
One daughter was constantly told to hide her talents, while the other taught her some tricks to seduce men.
These all depend entirely on their own circumstances.
Simply put, he passed on his experience to his daughter.
But do their experiences apply to Minglan and Molan?
Although Minglan and Molan were illegitimate daughters, given the Sheng family's circumstances, at worst they would marry into an official family of lower social standing as their principal wives.