Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 274 Trouble with the Sun Family
"Changquan, you're amazing!"

Sheng Changquan still remembers the first thing the other person said when they saw him reading.

At that moment, her eyes and her actions were filled with the utmost admiration!

Sheng Changquan knew that she admired those who were good at reading!
Speaking of which, Sister Shulan's every move seems to be filled with the gentleness and virtue admired by scholars, and this temperament is very much in line with the preferences of scholars in this world.

Clearly, this was a deliberate way the Sheng family had raised Shulan.

"What happened to Sister Shulan?"

Recalling their past friendship, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but feel a touch of concern.

"Sister Shulan, she...she's not doing well!"

Seeing Sheng Changquan's concerned expression, Minglan felt reassured and decided not to hide anything. However, instead of going into details, she asked with some curiosity, "But, little brother, are you and Sister Shulan very familiar with each other?"

"Or is it still because of that thing from your childhood?"

Minglan remembered that when Sheng Changquan was very young, he, Sheng Changbai, and Sheng Changfeng had gone back to the old residence in Youyang with Sheng Hong to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony of the Sheng family. That's why she asked the question.

As for Minglan, she had never returned to Youyang before, since she did not need to carry on the Sheng family line and therefore did not need to go back in person.

Of course, among the Sheng family, only Hua Lan, Ru Lan, and the three Sheng brothers, Chang Quan, had returned to Youyang before. Mo Lan and Ming Lan had never been here and were not qualified to come.

Because they were all illegitimate daughters!
As she was born out of wedlock and was a girl, she was not allowed to participate in the Sheng family's ancestral worship ceremony.

"no."

Sheng Changquan shook his head, and then recounted the events of six years ago to Minglan.

"That's it!"

Minglan understood, and then asked, "Brother, do you know Sister Shulan's husband, Scholar Sun?"

Seeing that Sheng Changquan and Shulan were familiar with each other, Minglan immediately revealed the truth, adding, "It's that Sun Xiucai who passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve!"

"Scholar Sun?"

"Has Sister Shulan met the wrong person?"

Upon hearing Minglan mention Sun Xiucai, Sheng Changquan immediately guessed what trouble Shulan was facing.

"Ok!"

Minglan nodded, and then said, "Brother, you guessed right!"

"Sister Shulan really married the wrong person; she married a heartless wretch!"

At this point, Minglan couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and angrily commented.

"That scholar Sun is simply inhuman!"

"Ok?"

Sheng Changquan's expression changed, realizing that things might be getting serious.

"Brother, this is what happened..."

As Minglan recounted the story, Sheng Changquan gradually understood what was going on.

It turns out that after Sheng Changquan passed the provincial examination six years ago, Shulan was soon engaged to someone, and the person she was engaged to was none other than the scholar Sun that Minglan had mentioned before.

However, since Sheng Changquan went on a study tour with Mr. Zhuang after winning the title of "Top Scholar of the Academy", he was unaware of Shulan's marriage.

Sun Xiucai, whose real name was Sun Zhigao, was a well-known scholar in the Youyang County area. He came from a poor family but had a talent for studying. At the age of twelve, he passed the county-level examination and became a Xiucai.

Although his ranking in the provincial examination was not high, and he only obtained the title of a third-class student, it was still a remarkable achievement compared to others.

After all, Youyang wasn't exactly a place renowned for its literary tradition, and the quality of its students...

so so.

It is said that the Xiucai, also known as the Shengyuan, was divided into three grades.

A first-class leper receives a stipend from the imperial treasury, amounting to four taels of silver annually, along with a considerable amount of grain. All of this is enough to support a family of three.

Of course, this is excluding everything else and only talking about filling one's stomach.

Second-class students, being considered as additional students, did not receive such benefits and could only enjoy some ordinary rights, such as rent exemption.

As for the third-class students, they were attached students, whose status was even lower than that of the supplementary students, but their benefits were generally the same, except for the stipend and the ordinary rights.

But no matter what, a scholar is still a scholar, and he is someone that many ordinary people look up to. That's why Sun Zhigao has quite a reputation in the Youyang area.

The reason the Sheng family wanted to marry Shulan to the Sun family was because they valued his scholarly achievements and believed he was a promising official who would eventually become a local official, thus providing some assistance to the Sheng family.

In fact, the main reason why Uncle Shengwei was considering marrying Shulan to Scholar Sun was because he was thinking about the future of the Sheng family.

Of course, the Sheng family here refers to the eldest branch of the Sheng family.

Nowadays, the eldest branch of the Sheng family is engaged in business, while the second branch is engaged in officialdom. In addition to engaging in business, the eldest branch also supports the expenses of the second branch.

In other words, the Sheng family was actually the god of wealth for the Sheng family, sending cartloads of gold and silver to the Sheng family every year.

The money that Sheng Wei's family sent to the mansion every year was actually just the ammunition that Sheng Hong used to entertain guests and give gifts during the New Year, so that he could maintain a proper appearance.

It was precisely because of the support of the eldest son's family that Sheng Hong was able to manage his affairs without having to be subservient to others, and he did not have to engage in corruption or bribery. This is why he was able to rise through the ranks so smoothly.

However, by doing this, the first wife's family wouldn't actually be at a loss.

Both Shengwei and Shenghong understand that only by maintaining a good relationship, with Shengwei contributing funds and Shenghong providing support, can the two companies develop better.

The reason Shulan's mother, Li, married her to Sun Xiucai was that she felt that if Sheng Hong became an official, what if he became unreliable one day?
Cousins ​​are naturally not as close as sons-in-law, so sending money, houses and property was intended to send the daughter to Sun Xiucai's side so as to plan for the future.

Of course, this wasn't just Li's idea; Sheng Wei... might also have had the same thought.

To be honest, the Sun family initially looked down on the Sheng family, and of course, they still look down on the Sheng family now.

Or rather, the Sun family has always looked down on the eldest branch of the Sheng family, thinking that since they were a merchant family, their daughters were not good enough for him, a scholar.

If it weren't for the fact that the dowry from the Sun family was so large and that there was a high-ranking official in the capital (referring to Sheng Hong) among their relatives, Sun Zhigao really wouldn't have wanted to "wrong" himself.

However, the Sheng family was not unaware of the Sun family's disdain. But that's how the world is; officials do look down on businessmen. For the sake of the Sheng family's future development, Sheng Wei and his family could only pretend not to know and try to please the Sun family even more, giving them more money and shops in the hope that they could feel the Sheng family's sincerity and that they could also treat Shulan better.

In Sheng Wei and the others' view, it doesn't matter if the Sun family looks down on them now. As long as Shulan has a son or daughter, their two families will be inseparable relatives. At that time, everything will be easier.

Little did they know that their actions would only backfire, causing the Sun family to look down on them even more...

greedy.

At first glance, this seems absurd, after all, didn't the founding emperor already elevate the status of merchants?

How did Youyang end up like this?
Actually, there are reasons for this. Firstly, Youyang is a remote place with poor transportation to the outside world. As the saying goes, "the emperor's power has never extended to the countryside," which means that old ideas from previous dynasties still exist here.

Secondly, although Emperor Taizu elevated the status of some merchants, the world was still dominated by officials. In other words, if a family wanted to develop, official power was indispensable.

Therefore, it was not uncommon for the Sun and Sheng families to adopt such attitudes.

On the other hand, ever since Shulan married into the Sun family, she has been suffering greatly.

Shulan's husband, Sun Zhigao, achieved early success, but later gradually began to indulge in frivolous pursuits and lose his ambition. The reason why the Sun family was willing to form a marriage alliance with the Sheng family was partly because their family was on the verge of collapse.

After passing the imperial examination at the county level, Sun Zhi became arrogant and spent his days drinking and behaving recklessly with his cronies in brothels. After marrying Shulan, he not only ignored his wife at home, but also stopped studying the classics, which he had once been proud of. He only knew how to eat, drink, be merry, and whore. After a few years, he was no longer even as good as a student who had passed the county level, let alone a county level.

Not only Sun Zhigao, but Shulan's mother-in-law, Sun Huangshi, was also not easy to get along with.

She was not only vulgar and foul-mouthed, but her personality and behavior were also indescribable.

Not to mention that she didn't care at all whether her son studied hard or not, when Shulan tried to persuade Sun Zhigao to improve himself as a wife, Sun Huangshi refused. She only knew how to go along with Sun Zhigao, thinking that he was a great talent and didn't need to study hard at all, as if he would definitely pass the exam next time he entered the examination hall.

The "mysterious" thought process behind it is truly astonishing!

But that wasn't the most vulgar thing. The most shameful thing was that Sun Huangshi, as the mother-in-law, actually made Shulan serve her day and night and sleep with her.

When Shulan married into the family, she did have maids with her as part of her dowry. However, Madam Sun deliberately made things difficult for Shulan, forcing her to do everything herself, and even claimed that this was a rule she, as the mother-in-law, set for her daughter-in-law!

However, by doing this, Sun Huangshi practically broke up Shulan and Sun Zhigao's married life. The two of them might not be able to have sex for several months at a time, so how could they possibly have children?

Therefore, over the years, Shulan naturally did not give birth to a son or daughter for the Sun family, and as a result, her status in the Sun family became increasingly lower.

Not only did she often have to do laundry and cook for her mother-in-law, Sun Huangshi, but she also had to do things herself, such as bathing and washing chamber pots. Sometimes, when Sun Zhigao and his mother were in a bad mood, Shulan would even get punched by them.

At this moment, Shulan had become like the lowest servant in the Sun family, living an inhuman life.

After listening to Minglan's story, Sheng Changquan's brows furrowed tightly. However, he didn't say anything else first, but asked in return, "Sister, do Uncle and Aunt know about this?"

Although Sheng Changquan felt very uncomfortable, his first thought upon hearing the news was about other issues, such as whether Shulan's biological parents knew about it.
What is their attitude towards this?

“Brother…”

Minglan gave Sheng Changquan a complicated look, knowing what he meant: "Brother, why would you think that?"

"If Uncle and Aunt knew that Sister Shulan was like this, how could they possibly remain indifferent?"

"is it?"

Sheng Changquan shook his head, expressing his opinion.

"Sister, that's not necessarily true!"

"what?"

Minglan didn't believe it.

"Sister, think about it!"

Sheng Changquan began to analyze the details, explaining, "Sister, what do you think of the strength of our Sheng family in Youyang City?"

"Is there anything about this city that we want to know but can't find out?"

After asking a question in return, Sheng Changquan continued, "To be honest, I don't believe that my uncles don't know what kind of life Sister Shulan is living in the Sun family!"

"After all, Sister Shulan is their own daughter. How could they possibly leave without planting any people in between?"

"I dare say that among the people accompanying Sister Shulan in her dowry, there must be spies from Auntie's side!"

Sheng Changquan's mind raced as he began to speculate on the intricacies of the situation.

"This……"

Minglan was somewhat swayed by Sheng Changquan's words.

Although she didn't want to think that way, she had to admit that Sheng Changquan was absolutely right.

Because in Youyang, the Sheng family is truly a local power, and their strength is definitely among the top three families. To say that they know nothing about the Sun family would be a joke.

"Brother, then you tell me..."

Minglan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then tell me, what exactly are Uncle and the others thinking?"

"How could they just stand by and watch their daughter suffer such torment?"

Minglan looked pained, as if she shared a similar feeling with Shulan.

"Sister, your thinking is not right!"

Sheng Changquan shook his head and comforted them, "Actually, your uncle and the others also have their reasons!"

"Think about it carefully, and I'm afraid that Sister Shulan's problem is not easy to solve."

"what?"

When Minglan saw Sheng Changquan start speaking up for Sheng Wei and the others, her expression changed somewhat.

"You're the one who speaks ill of them, and you're also the one who says they have their own difficulties!"

—Minglan said with this expression.

"hehe!"

Sheng Changquan immediately understood the meaning on Minglan's face, and couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Sister, don't be in a hurry!"

"Actually, I think my uncle and the others are probably waiting for an opportunity!"

"Opportunity?"

Minglan asked skeptically, "What opportunity?"

"Could it be that this opportunity won't appear for another five or six years?"

Minglan had already believed Sheng Changquan's words, and at this moment she couldn't help but sneer!

"If this opportunity doesn't come soon, will they just keep letting their daughter suffer like this?"

"This one……"

Sheng Changquan scratched his head awkwardly and whispered, "Sister, I think the opportunity that Uncle and the others are waiting for is probably our family!"

"what?"

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(End of this chapter)