Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Inside Shou'an Hall, a gentle fragrance wafts through the air, and the elegant yet dignified furnishings exude a tranquil air, a result of the refined tastes of a scholarly family that has been refined over the years, quite different from the opulent grandeur of noble households.

Although Old Madam Sheng was born into the Yongyi Marquis's family, after living in the Sheng family for a long time, her temperament has changed somewhat.

At this moment, the old lady was not sitting in the main seat, but leaning on the rosewood inlaid with mother-of-pearl soft couch under the window, with a gold-hearted satin pillow behind her and a royal blue brocade blanket casually draped over her body. Although she was in good spirits, there was still a trace of weariness from hard work between her brows. Her gaze swept gently over her children and grandchildren below, and that sense of comfort and love flowed quietly.

Meanwhile, Madam Wang sat on a rosewood armchair with a lingzhi pattern at the lower end of the table, her back ramrod straight. She was dressed more formally than usual, and her face was filled with an unrestrained and triumphant expression.

Ever since her daughter and son-in-law entered the family, the smile on her face has never faded; her lips are always turned up high.

Following custom, the group came to pay their respects to the old lady and Madam Wang.

As the eldest brother-in-law, Yuan Wenshao took the first step forward.

Today, he specially changed into a brand-new dark blue Hangzhou silk robe, which made him look even taller and more upright, with a steady and powerful gait. When he walked into the hall, he bowed solemnly to Old Madam Sheng on the couch and Madam Wang on the seat. His voice was loud and sincere, with the straightforwardness unique to a family of military generals.

"Grandson-in-law Wenshao greets the old lady and mother-in-law." He was respectful and courteous. "Congratulations to the old lady and mother-in-law on the success of my seventh brother in the imperial examination. Your name is on the list of successful candidates, bringing glory to the Sheng family. I am overjoyed and honored to hear this."

He knew that because of Hua Lan's matter, the Sheng family, especially his seventh brother Sheng Changquan, was already dissatisfied with him. However, since it was his seventh brother who reminded him rather than his father-in-law Sheng Hong who directly reacted, it meant that the Sheng family still left him some face and room for maneuver.

Therefore, his attitude at this moment was more respectful than before, and his manners were impeccable, revealing his genuine respect and gratitude for the Sheng family as a marriage partner.

Seeing this, Madam Wang felt even more comforted, as if she were sitting in a warm stove. She smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared, and quickly raised her arm, her voice three points higher than usual: "Good, good, Wenshao, get up! There's no need for such formalities among family. Get up!"

"I heard you've been very busy with official duties at the Military Command, so you took a day off to come here today. You must be very tired, and it's kind of you to still remember me."

Her tone was warm and friendly, revealing her great satisfaction with her eldest son-in-law, who was steady, proper, and now clearly more tactful.

After all, she had just carefully observed Hua Lan's complexion. Today, her eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, and her face was rosy. It seemed that she had been quite happy at her husband's home lately.

"Wen Shao is so kind." Old Madam Sheng nodded slightly and said gently, her gaze sweeping over Hua Lan, who was standing by. "Hua'er, quickly help your husband up. We're family, there's no need to be so formal. I'm happy that you could come."

His words carried the kindness of an elder, yet also a subtle scrutiny.

Hua Lan responded gently with a "Yes," stepped forward, and lightly supported Yuan Wenshao's arm with a natural and fluid movement.

Yuan Wenshao stood up and turned to the two elders, asking with concern, "How has the old lady been feeling lately? Springtime is unpredictable, with the weather still chilly, making it easy to catch a cold. She needs to take good care of herself. It must have been very tiring for your mother-in-law to manage such a joyous occasion, welcoming and seeing off guests."

His words were full of the sincere concern of a younger generation, which made Madam Wang nod repeatedly, feeling even more pleased.

Immediately afterwards, Liang Han also stepped forward.

Today he was dressed in a brand-new royal blue brocade robe with gold trim, and a jade belt around his waist. He tried hard to appear composed, but the hint of his carefree and unconventional nature between his brows was hard to conceal.

He cupped his hands in greeting, his face beaming with an obsequious smile, and deliberately raised his voice: "Grandson-in-law Liang Han greets the old lady and congratulates his mother-in-law! Congratulations to my seventh brother for passing the imperial examination with flying colors and achieving the top honor!"

"This is a great fortune for the Sheng family and an honor for our in-laws! When we heard this yesterday, everyone in the Yongchang Marquis's mansion was full of praise and envy!"

He spoke very eloquently, trying his best to create a warm and friendly atmosphere.

However, while Madam Wang's smile remained, it had subtly faded, lacking the heartfelt enthusiasm she once had for Yuan Wenshao, and instead displaying a more official, polite demeanor and an imperceptible sense of distance.

She simply nodded, her tone calm and even, without the lengthy pleasantries and inquiries she had shown to Yuan Wenshao. She simply said, "Zhaobai is here too. Congratulations!"

Zhao Bai was Liang Han's courtesy name.

Old Madam Sheng was more composed than Madam Wang. She lingered on Liang Han for a moment, then exchanged a few pleasantries with him, inquiring about the well-being of Lord Yongchang and his wife, as if she had no recollection of the unpleasant parting during their last homecoming visit.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, the old lady naturally turned her gaze to Shige, who was being led by his wet nurse beside Hualan. A genuinely gentle smile appeared on her face as she gently beckoned, "Come here, Shige!" "Come to your great-grandmother and let her see if our great-grandson has grown taller again."

Liang Han was quick-witted, and he immediately noticed Wang Da Niangzi's unapproachable coldness and the old lady's clever change of topic. His smile froze for a moment.

But he quickly returned to normal, consciously taking a step back and standing aside, his eyes flickering slightly as he secretly observed the expressions of everyone in Shou'an Hall, pondering how to more effectively build closer relationships.

He knew that the reason for this differential treatment lay in the things that had happened in his own courtyard and the turmoil that had occurred when Mo Lan returned to her parents' home last time.

Of course, the main reason was that the marriage between their two families was not as "legitimate" as that of Hualan's family. At that time, the Sheng family lost a lot of face!

Liang Han's mind raced. He wished he could turn back time. If he could, he would never have let his family do that.

"Mother!"

Watching this scene unfold, Mo Lan felt a mix of emotions, a bitter taste in her mouth, and a surge of resentment welled up within her.

She quickly forced out her sweetest smile, took a few steps forward, and affectionately tried to take Madam Wang's arm, her voice soft and sweet, as if coated with honey: "Mother! This is truly a joyous occasion!"

"When my daughter heard that her seventh brother had passed the imperial examination, she was so happy that she couldn't sleep all night. This morning, she urged her husband to hurry back so that she could congratulate her mother and grandmother as soon as possible and share in the family's joy!"

Unexpectedly, it was as if a caterpillar had suddenly landed on Madam Wang's arm, and her body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment!
Then, extremely unnaturally and almost subconsciously, she pulled her arm back, cleverly avoiding Mo Lan's touch. Instead, she raised her hand to straighten her already neat sleeves and collar, her smile unchanged, but her tone was obviously perfunctory and distant: "Oh, Mo Lan is back too."

That attitude!

As if he had never seen her before, he was even more distant and indifferent than he was to Liang Han, as if Mo Lan was just an unrelated distant relative who occasionally came to freeload, completely out of place in this room full of glory and celebration.

Mo Lan's hand hung awkwardly in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward. The smile on her face almost shattered in an instant, and she felt both angry and resentful!

However, at this moment, she could only force herself to endure it, and she pulled her hands back and clasped them tightly in front of her body, her nails digging into her palms, using the sharp pain to maintain the precarious expression on her face.

She refused to give up, her gaze darting anxiously across the crowd. She deliberately raised her voice, trying to regain everyone's attention, her tone exaggerated and enthusiastic.

"Our Sheng family is truly blessed; our ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke!"

"Seventh Brother is so promising! He's already a top scholar at such a young age. He's a true literary star descended to earth! He's destined to be a Grand Secretary! He'll bring glory to our ancestors!"

As she spoke, she looked at everyone with pleading eyes, especially the old lady on the bed and her stepmother beside her, hoping to get some response and recognition.

However, the room was only quiet for a brief moment.

Grandma Sheng seemed completely absorbed in interacting with her great-grandson, smiling as she watched Shige'er toddle over. Madam Wang picked up the famille rose teacup beside her, slowly skimming off the foam with the lid, and took a small sip, as if she hadn't heard anything.

As for Hua Lan, she gently straightened her son's wrinkled clothes from playing earlier. Hai Chaoyun and Ming Lan sat quietly to the side, keeping their eyes down. Ru Lan, on the other hand, made no attempt to hide her pursed lips and turned her head away, looking like she couldn't be bothered to pay any attention.

Mo Lan felt her face burning, and could only continue on her own. Her voice sounded even more abrupt and hollow in the overly quiet hall: "We married daughters also benefit from this, and we can walk with our backs straighter! Yesterday at the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, all those sisters-in-law and aunts were so envious of me! They all said that our Sheng family has good feng shui, is good at raising children, and produces talented people!"

She tried to emphasize that she was part of the Sheng family and that she was proud to be a part of it.

As she spoke, she seemed eager to find someone to agree with her and break the awkward isolation. She turned to Minglan, who was sitting quietly to the side, and took a few steps forward to try to take her hand, pretending to be a close sister.

"Sixth Sister, don't you think so?"

"We are sisters by blood; we share both glory and loss!"

"Our seventh brother has made great strides, and we sisters are all benefiting from that in our husbands' families!" (End of Chapter)