Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 418 Exploration
After passing by his wife, Sheng Hong ran off and disappeared into Sheng Changquan's courtyard.

"Quickly! Changquan!"

"Come in with me quickly!"

Upon entering the courtyard, Sheng Hong spotted Sheng Changquan immediately. Without a word, he hastily dragged Sheng Changquan into the study, leaving Zi Yuan and the others outside dumbfounded.

"Uh... Father..."

Helpless, Sheng Changquan could only obediently walk into the house with Sheng Hong's help before he could even finish a sentence. However, before entering the house, he waved to Ziyuan and the others to reassure them.

"Wow! What did the young master do wrong?"

Of the group, Kikyo was the quickest to speak. She didn't see Sheng Changquan's gesture, and without thinking, she blurted out that sentence.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Shion glared at her first, then immediately reached out and gently tapped Kikyo's little head with her finger, saying helplessly, "Master just has something to discuss with Young Master, what do you mean by committing a crime? Be careful someone doesn't overhear!"

Shion was quite speechless at Kikyo's stubbornness. If it weren't for Sheng Changquan's good nature, he would have beaten her eight times a day long.

“Ah…yes…” Kikyo replied awkwardly.

"Whee!"

The two little ones standing to the side, Qingfeng and Mingyue, secretly chuckled, "Sister Kikyo is so silly, she didn't even see the young master's gesture!"

The two little ones weren't too worried about it, after all, they had complete confidence in their young master.

"Hmph! You two little brats have really gotten bold!" Seeing this, Kikyo, who was always strong-willed, became somewhat embarrassed and angry. Her face immediately turned red, and she stretched out her "claws" towards the two little ones!
"How dare they laugh at my sister!"

"Hehe! Kikyo-neechan, your eyesight is terrible, how could you..."

"……whee……"

Before Xiao Qingfeng could finish speaking, Kikyo stepped forward and pinched her cheek!

"Hmph! You little brat, talking nonsense!"

“That’s exactly right!” Qingfeng couldn’t say anything, but Mingyue added from the side.

"Ok?"

Kikyo glanced at Mingyue and immediately included her in her attack range.

"Hehe... good sister... I was wrong..."

"……I was wrong……"

The three of them immediately started arguing.

Seeing this, Ziyuan shook her head and decided to ignore the children. She turned and walked to Cuiming on the other side, and asked softly, "Sister Cuiming, what do you think?"

Although Sheng Changquan reassured them, Ziyuan was still somewhat worried.

After all, Shion knew her master's temperament. If it weren't for something of utmost importance, how could he possibly disregard his "head of the household demeanor" and act so rashly?
After all, Sheng Hong wasn't followed by anyone from Wei Rui Xuan at this moment.

Generally speaking, only Madam Wang could put Master Sheng in such a anxious state. However, in such situations, Mama Liu, who was by Madam Wang's side, would usually send someone to follow him.

This time, however, Ziyuan did not see anyone following Sheng Hong, which is why she was a little worried.

"It's okay."

Compared to Ziyuan's worry, Cuiming was very calm. She looked up at the servants outside the courtyard gate and found that none of them were from Shou'an Hall.

"The lord hasn't gone to see the old lady yet, so there should be no major problems."

Upon hearing this, Ziyuan immediately understood.

“That’s true!” Ziyuan turned to look at the closed door of Zhiyuan Hall and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “The old lady wasn’t disturbed, so there’s really nothing to worry about.” Clearly, Ziyuan and the others understood the procedures that Master Sheng used to handle important matters.

……

Zhiyuantang.

After Sheng Hong pulled Sheng Changquan into the study, he didn't say anything, just stared at him intently without uttering a word.

"Uh... Father, what's wrong?"

Although he knew that he would definitely be arrested by his own father after leaving the yamen today, he did not expect him to have this expression.

My father seems a bit... today.

"Severely hit"?
Sheng Changquan pondered to himself, but his face remained one of confusion.

"you……"

Sheng Hong hesitated for a moment, but his expression remained largely unchanged. He simply stared intently at his favorite youngest son, his expression unreadable.

In fact, among his three sons, Sheng Hong valued his eldest son Changbai the most, and his most beloved son was his second son Changfeng, the fruit of his true love. But if he had to choose his favorite son, it would be his youngest son, Sheng Changquan.

This is not only because Sheng Changquan is the youngest, nor only because his background is most similar to Sheng Hong's—he lost his mother at an early age and lived under the care of the eldest daughter-in-law—but more importantly because of his cleverness. Especially after he repeatedly won first place in the imperial examinations, Sheng Hong often had the shameless thought that "this boy is like me."

Although Sheng Hong's achievements in the imperial examinations were not as dazzling as Sheng Changquan's, Sheng Hong can say with certainty, "The results this child achieved were exactly what I wanted to achieve!"

In short, Sheng Changquan lived the life that Sheng Hong most wanted to live, embodying Sheng Hong's expectations.

"Quan'er!"

Sheng Hong struggled to suppress the inexplicable emotions churning within him. After a moment of contemplation, he finally asked, "Tell me honestly, what do you know about Grand Secretary Yu's retirement?"

"Or rather... what did you do?"

Thinking of Grand Secretary Yu's attitude towards him when he went to the yamen today, Sheng Hong's face showed a more solemn expression.

"Huh? Nothing?"

Sheng Changquan first pretended to be somewhat puzzled, looked up at his old father, and then lowered his head as if thinking, but in reality, his mind was racing.

"It seems someone said or did something to Father?"

Sheng Changquan understood Sheng Hong's temperament and knew that his questioning meant someone was testing him.

"Quan'er, you've been visiting the Yu residence quite frequently lately!"

Seeing Sheng Changquan feigning ignorance, Sheng Hong simply pointed it out: "I previously thought you went to the Yu residence because of your mother's orders, but today, Grand Secretary Yu mentioned you to me. What? Even now, are you still trying to hide it from me?"

Sheng Hong didn't know what role Sheng Changquan played, so he decided to trick him to see what the boy had actually done.

"How dare I! Father, you have wronged your son!"

"My son just didn't understand at first and didn't know what you were asking about?"

Seeing that Sheng Hong's expression was gradually turning hostile, Sheng Changquan immediately changed his tune, defending himself a few times. Then, he suddenly changed the subject and asked softly, "By the way, Father, has the court already reached a conclusion regarding Grand Secretary Yu's retirement?"

"Humph!"

Sheng Hong, of course, knew about Sheng Changquan's little tricks. He snorted in annoyance and said, "Of course!"

"The matter of Grand Secretary Yu's retirement has long been discussed in the court, and the Emperor has long been determined to recommend a new Grand Secretary today. If nothing unexpected happens, the next Grand Secretary will be Minister of Works, Lord Xiao!"

The reason it's not surprising is that after today's court recommendation, there will be a three-day public announcement period. If no one impeaches Xiao Qinyan, then his entry into the cabinet will be a done deal.

Thank you to the generous readers 20230116143701580 and RR橙子 for their support!