Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 140 Returning Home
"Mother, my brother passed the exam! This is wonderful news!"

Shen Jun was the first to recover. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her mother's tears, then said softly, "Mother, please don't cry. Right now, we should hurry back to the manor to inform Father!"

"what?"

"Yes! Jun'er, you're right!"

Madam Shen lost her composure in her joy. After all, this wasn't her own home, and if others saw this scene, it would inevitably cause gossip.

Madam Shen forced herself to suppress her inner turmoil, grabbed her son beside her, and then turned to the maids beside her, ordering, "Quickly, prepare the carriage!"

"After we tell Madam Wu, we'll hurry back to the manor!"

At the same time, Shen Jun, who was standing nearby, instructed a quick-footed servant to hurry back to the mansion and inform Shen Shouzheng of the news.

The maids who followed Madam Shen were all her confidantes, and they were well aware of Madam Shen's unusual concern for Shen Li's academic success. Seeing their mistress in this state, they naturally did not dare to delay any longer, and hurriedly responded before going to make preparations.

"Mother, should we go too?"

Seeing that only the three of them remained in the pavilion, Shen Lifang walked to his mother's side and asked in a low voice.

"You!"

Madam Shen saw right through Shen Li's reluctance to attend the social event. She poked her son's forehead in exasperation and said with a laugh, "Alright!"

"Today is a special case, so you and your sister should go wait by the carriage. I'll go and tell them!"

"Hehe, thank you, Mom!"

Shen Li smiled brightly, and without waiting for Shen Jun to speak, he quickly pulled her over and led her to the side.

"Sister, come with me, I have something to tell you!"

"Hey, little brother, slow down!"

"..."

"hehe!"

Seeing her two children so loving, Madam Shen couldn't help but feel gratified.

"Although Li'er is not very talented, she has a kind heart!"

Madam Shen sighed softly, thinking to herself, "I really hope that Li'er can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, and then inherit his husband's position."

"Otherwise, Heaven is being too harsh on Li'er!"

As the saying goes, a mother loves her own child. In Madam Shen's heart, she naturally felt that Shen Li had many good qualities. Even if he was guileless, couldn't that be explained as having a pure and innocent heart?

……

Once they were far from the pavilion, Shen Li slowly stopped and released Shen Jun's hand.

"Brother, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Shen Jun first took a few breaths, feeling somewhat unwell, and it took her a while to recover.

"Brother, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Seeing that Shen Li remained silent, Shen Jun became quite curious: "Why are you deliberately avoiding Mother?"

"hey-hey!"

Shen Li looked around to make sure no one was nearby before cautiously speaking, "Sister, actually, I wanted to say that I've made a new friend recently!"

"Ok?"

Shen Jun raised her beautiful eyes, a hint of annoyance in her voice: "So what?"

"Do we really need to avoid our mother for this?"

"Ah~"

"Sister, listen to me!"

Shen Li moved closer to his sister and began to introduce her: "This brother of mine is called Sheng Changquan. He's the top scorer in this case, and also..."

……

Leaving aside Shen Li's happy situation, the Sheng family residence on the other side was also gradually becoming lively.

That night, Sheng Hong, as usual, dismissed the officials and returned to his residence.

After all, even a fifth-rank official like Lord Sheng didn't have social engagements every day. Because the court valued filial piety, the first thing Sheng Hong did every time he returned home was to go to the old lady's courtyard to pay his respects.

Even though Old Madam Sheng had asked him to excuse himself from paying his respects, the cautious and reputation-conscious Lord Sheng absolutely refused to listen. For Lord Sheng, he would never allow himself to bear the slightest possibility of being labeled "unfilial."

I have never missed a single time to pay my respects, and today is no exception.

"Ok?"

However, this time is somewhat different.

On this day, as soon as Sheng Hong stepped into Shou'an Hall, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere in the room was different from usual.

He looked closely and realized that it was Sheng Changquan who had returned.

"Haha, Changquan, you're back?" Sheng Hong was also overjoyed.

Sheng Hong genuinely loved his youngest son, Sheng Changquan. Of course, he loved all three boys, as they were all descendants of his bloodline.

"Your son greets his father!"

When Sheng Changquan saw Sheng Hong return, he immediately stood up, bowed, and paid his respects to his father.

"Ok!"

Realizing his true feelings, Sheng Hong deliberately suppressed his smile and put on the appearance of a strict father.

After all, this is the rule of Confucianism—when dealing with one's own son, one must be a strict father, preferably beating him three times a day, so that the child can be motivated and have a future.

"father!"

At this moment, Minglan also stood up gracefully and gave a curtsy.

Sheng Hong nodded, then bowed to the old lady in the hall and said, "Son greets Mother!"

"Get up!"

The old lady in the hall gestured for Sheng Hong to stand up.

"Please all sit down!"

Seeing that Minglan and her siblings were standing, Old Madam Sheng spoke up.

"Yes, Grandmother!"

After responding, Sheng Changquan and Minglan took their seats, while Sheng Hong sat down in the armchair near the front, next to Old Madam Sheng.

"Cough cough!"

Seeing that everyone was seated properly, Sheng Hong finally couldn't hold back any longer!

"Changquan, how did you do in the preliminary examination? Did you pass?"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Sheng couldn't help but smile and said, "This child is still so concerned about fame and fortune!"

Ever since Sheng Hong's birth mother, Chun Xiaoniang, died, Sheng Hong was raised by Old Madam Sheng herself, so she really knew his temperament very well.

"Reporting to Father!"

Sheng Changquan was confident in his abilities, and his face showed no sign of weakness: "I was fortunate enough to be on the list this time, and I topped both lists."

"what?"

Upon hearing the news, Sheng Hong was shocked and, without realizing it, accidentally plucked a beard from his chin!
You should know that what Sheng Hong cherishes most is his beautiful beard, but at this moment he can't care about his "beloved" beard!
"Doesn't that mean you've already earned the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination)?"

Sheng Hong's face lit up with joy: "I can participate in the next township..."

"Cough cough!"

Suddenly, Sheng Hong stopped talking and calmed down again.

It turned out that Sheng Hong suddenly realized his loss of composure. Thinking of the Confucian family rules that his family regarded as the highest standard, he immediately changed his attitude, pretended to be very calm, and said leisurely, "Changquan, since you have won the top score in the prefectural examination, can't you already be awarded the title of Xiucai?"

Even so, Sheng Hong could not hide the joy on his face.

"Father, that is indeed true!"

Many thanks to readers 161026214431800, 20190530123651855, 150918230818011, and shuzhongke2017 for their generous donations!
I've been working overtime lately, so busy! I haven't had any drafts saved up; I was originally planning to release it around May Day...

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(End of this chapter)