Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 136 Return
"Sister, what are you thinking about?"

Inside the swaying carriage, Sheng Changquan, who had been secretly observing, suddenly noticed that Minglan's expression across from him was somewhat strange, and couldn't help but ask her a question in secret.

Because of the polo incident, Sheng Changquan didn't go to the poetry gathering with Shen Li again. After waiting for Minglan to help Yanran retrieve the gold hairpin, he exchanged a few words with Shen Li and agreed to meet again in the future. Then he simply went home with his sister Minglan.

After all, Sheng Changquan still needed to report his results in the preliminary examination to his patriarch, Sheng Hong, upon returning home.

Moreover, the consequences of Minglan's risky act today are considerable. Putting aside everything else, her reputation as a young lady is already in grave danger and is imminent!
It remains to be seen how Sheng Hong and Old Madam Sheng will react when Minglan returns home!
Of course, we won't mention Old Madam Sheng, since she is the elder who cherishes Minglan the most. But it's hard to say about Sheng Hong. In his eyes, Minglan's behavior is probably already extremely outrageous. At that time, who knows how Sheng Hong will punish Minglan?
Therefore, while waiting for his sister, Sheng Changquan simply consulted with Madam Wang first, preparing to leave first and return to his residence.

Of course, when Madam Wang learned of Sheng Changquan's examination results, she naturally offered a long prayer to the Bodhisattvas and Immortals, thanking the gods and Buddhas for their "help" on Sheng Changquan's behalf.

"Huh? Ah!"

Startled by Sheng Changquan's words, Minglan couldn't help but feel a little flustered!

"No...nothing!"

Minglan smiled to cover her face, then covered her cheek with her hand and stammered, "Um...it's probably because...it was too hot from playing polo, so I'm feeling a little uncomfortable and just wanted to...get some fresh air!"

"Yeah, it's a bit hot!"

Minglan stammered, concealing her emotions, and reached out to pull back the carriage curtain beside her. Peeking out, she deliberately changed the subject, saying, "Ah, little brother, the surrounding environment is truly serene and elegant!"

She reached out, feeling the cool breeze from the moving carriage, and murmured to herself, "If circumstances allowed, I'd really like to stay here forever..."

"Sister!"

Sheng Changquan looked up, interrupting Minglan's reverie, and asked softly, "What's wrong with you today?"

"How come you're playing polo with the young master?"

"Don't you know the consequences of doing this?"

The three sentences were all very understated, but upon closer listening, they sounded somewhat solemn, as if they contained some kind of irresistible force.

“Clang…Clang…”

The atmosphere inside the carriage suddenly became quiet, with only the sounds of the carriage traveling on the official road outside making a "spectacular" noise.

"Brother!"

Knowing she couldn't escape it, Minglan bit her thin lips and said with some difficulty, "I..."

"I only did this because I didn't want to hurt Sister Yanran!"

Minglan straightened her posture, seemingly finding a justification for her actions: "Changquan, you know Yanran's situation and understand the importance of that hairpin to her. Tell me, how could I not stand up for her?"

"is it?"

Sheng Changquan raised his head, looked directly into Minglan's eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Sister, is that really what you think?"

"I……"

"Alright, sister!"

Sheng Changquan abruptly interrupted Minglan before she could speak: "I don't want to dwell on the reasons for this matter anymore, but have you thought about it, Sister?"

"What will be the consequences of your actions today?"

Sheng Changquan didn't necessarily want to blame Minglan, but as her brother, he felt he had to remind her of certain facts.

"The consequences of her actions today!" Upon hearing this, Minglan fell silent and did not offer any further explanation. However, Sheng Changquan could see the composure in Minglan's eyes and understood that she was prepared.

In response, Sheng Changquan could only shake his head inwardly.

"Sister, do you think that today's events won't have much of an impact, so nothing will happen?"

Sheng Changquan frowned and looked at Minglan, analyzing, "Leaving aside how Father will react after today's events get out, what about your future reputation? What will happen then?"

"Aren't you afraid of the gossip outside, sister?"

"hehe!"

Hearing this, Minglan chuckled a few times, then turned to Sheng Changquan and explained helplessly, "Alright, little brother!"

"I understand all of that."

Clearly, Minglan had already made plans long ago.

“Brother, it’s just gossip, I don’t care.”

When Minglan saw how much Sheng Changquan cared for her, she felt a warmth in her heart. She knew that only someone who truly cared for her would do such a thing.

"Wouldn't it be a huge loss if I really got upset over what some irrelevant people said?"

"We all live for ourselves, so how can we let outsiders affect us?"

Minglan smiled freely and directly expressed her thoughts.

"What about your future marriage?"

Sheng Changquan couldn't hold back any longer and simply pointed out the most crucial thing.

"Sister, what about your future marriage?"

Sheng Changquan bluntly stated, "I know Qi Heng likes you, but his family is not someone to be trifled with."

"Putting aside whether this matter can actually be accomplished, our Sheng family and their Qi family are ultimately two completely different families. Moreover, Princess Pingning is the one who cares most about these things. If you succeed, how will your future be easy?"

Sheng Changquan ultimately did not reveal the other half of his story.

That means if Minglan and Qi Heng don't get together, the consequences will be even more serious!

At the very least, Minglan's reputation as a woman is completely ruined!
He was vain and got dumped...

This kind of talk will accompany Minglan throughout her life!
"All right!"

Speechless, Minglan finally adopted the posture of an older sister and firmly ended the topic: "Brother, I know about these things, don't worry!"

After lowering the carriage curtain, Minglan didn't want to talk about her own affairs anymore, so she simply asked about Sheng Changquan's preliminary examination.

"By the way, little brother, how did you do in the imperial examination for the first time? Did you pass?"

Although he knew Minglan was trying to change the subject, Sheng Changquan couldn't press her further, so he could only put aside his worries and say, "Yes, I passed!"

Actually, there was one more thing Sheng Changquan didn't mention: he discovered that Qi Heng was surrounded by many noble ladies. If they found out that Qi Heng's heart belonged to Minglan, then his sister's situation would be in danger!
As a result, Sheng Changquan felt a little lost. He was worried about his older sister's future, so his mood was inevitably somewhat low as he spoke.

Minglan interpreted this as Sheng Changquan having passed the exam, but not ranking highly, which explained his low spirits and somber tone.

Many thanks to the generous donor, Meng Xiaoyu y!


(End of this chapter)