Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 66 Three Years
As Minglan had predicted, Sheng Hong was indeed furious, so much so that he almost beat Rulan severely!

If it weren't for Madam Sheng's desperate protection and her use of the matter of raising Tuan Ge'er as leverage to blackmail the other party, Ru Lan would probably have become the first daughter of the Sheng family to be punished by Sheng Hong.

Even so, Sheng Hong still punished Ru Lan by making her copy "Admonitions for Women" ten times, and issued a strict order that no one in the Sheng family should ever mention Wei Xiao Niang again, or anyone who violated it would be severely punished!
Whether it was because Sheng Hong felt guilty or because he was concerned that his family's suspicions were a sign of ruin, from then on, no one dared to mention Wei Xiaoniang's difficult childbirth in the mansion. Even the outspoken Rulan and her daughter never did it again, as if it had truly become a taboo for Sheng Hong!
Similarly, this also became a question in Sheng Minglan's mind!
However, Minglan did not dare to ask aloud. She always kept in mind Wei Xiaoniang's dying wish: to stay out of the limelight, to remain humble and discreet, and to live a peaceful life in the courtyard.

……

And so, the days passed one by one.

Mr. Zhuang Ru's family school also opened, and all five children of the Sheng family entered it, studying diligently and trying to learn some principles and the principles of being a person.

However, things were not always so smooth. Ever since Mr. Zhuang Ru arrived at the Sheng family, countless families have come to the door, begging to send one or two of their children into the family school to receive guidance from a famous teacher.

These requests from superiors and colleagues truly caused Sheng Hong, who had spent his entire life being careful in his conduct and cautious in his official duties, considerable distress!

If he speaks up, he'll be sorry to Mr. Zhuang, since the old man is unwell and can't teach many students. If he doesn't speak up, he'll definitely offend a lot of colleagues and superiors. He's really caught in a dilemma, and it's really worrying Mr. Sheng!

Fortunately, Mr. Zhuang saw all of this and, out of consideration for the friendship between the two families, he took the initiative to step forward and refused all of them!

After all, he wanted to live for several more decades!

However, there were exceptions. The only child who was admitted to the Sheng family school and studied with the other children of the Sheng family was because he had been a prized disciple of Master Zhuang's university. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, he only studied for about a year before leaving.

Upon seeing his former teacher again in Tokyo, he immediately rushed from his home to the Sheng family school, hoping to once again become a disciple of Master Zhuang.

That's why there's a student with a different surname.

This person is named Qi Heng, courtesy name Yuanruo. His father is the Duke of Qi, and his mother is the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang, who was personally conferred the title of Princess Pingning by the Emperor. He comes from a distinguished family with an extraordinary background!
Most importantly, Qi Heng was not only the only legitimate son of the Duke of Qi and the designated successor to the Duke of Qi, but he was also extremely handsome. Some people called him the most handsome man in Dongjing (Kaifeng), leading the way and attracting the hearts of countless young women.

Qi Heng was a year younger than Chang Bai. When he heard that the tutor of the Sheng family was his former teacher, he immediately asked his father to send a letter of invitation to visit him, which is why this happened.

Thus, the Sheng family members, along with the young master Qi Heng, studied under Master Zhuang for several years.

……

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Wei Ruixuan.

The room was brightly lit.

Sheng Hong was sitting at the octagonal table carved with begonia flowers, facing Wang Da Niangzi and her husband, enjoying their meal.

Since it was already night, Sheng Hong had no official business to attend to, so he had time to leisurely enjoy the food in his mouth.

"Official!"

Madam Wang didn't eat much; she only ate a few bites before stopping. She wiped her mouth, sat down beside Sheng Hong, and hesitated before speaking.

“A few days ago, Quan told me that he was getting old and wanted to study at Mr. Zhuang’s private school.”

"My lord, what do you look at this?"

Since he is no longer an infant, people generally no longer call Sheng Changquan by his nickname, but instead call him by his full name, or Changquan, or Quan-ge'er.

However, the latter is a nickname specifically used by elders or close relatives. "What?"

Sheng Hong put down his bowl and spoon and asked, "Did he really say that?"

Only after Madam Wang nodded repeatedly did Sheng Hong believe her.

However, considering that Sheng Changquan was so ambitious at only three years old, how could Sheng Hong, as his father, not agree? After thinking for a moment, he said, "Since he is willing to study, then I, as his father, will naturally not stop him."

"However, it is not suitable for him to study at the family school right now. After all, Mr. Zhuang does not have the time to give him his early education."

Thinking of Mr. Zhuang's vast knowledge, Sheng Hong pondered and said, "How about this, tomorrow, I'll find him a tutor so he can begin to educate Quan-ge'er!"

"It would be a waste of Mr. Zhuang's talents to ask him to teach Quan Ge'er. It would also make Mr. Zhuang feel that we are not respecting him."

To this, Madam Wang smiled and said, "My lord, there's no need for that!"

"Brother Quan, you've already received your enlightenment!"

"Ok?"

Sheng Hong was greatly surprised: "What happened?"

"He's only so young, yet he's already started learning?"

There was inevitably some disbelief in his words.

"hehe!"

Madam Wang said with a hint of pride, "My lord, you don't know this, but Quan-ge'er has been exceptionally intelligent since he was a child!"

“From the time she was one year old, she saw me doing the accounting every day and followed me around, watching and listening. Over time, she actually learned these skills on her own.”

"When he saw how exhausted I was from doing all this, he felt sorry for me and insisted on coming over to help me!"

"Then I thought, how could he possibly understand these things? He's just doing this because he feels sorry for me, his mother!"

Having subtly praised her own merits, Madam Wang glanced at Sheng Hong without revealing her true feelings, hoping to glean something from his expression. Unfortunately, Sheng Hong showed no reaction.

"I couldn't bear to refuse Quan-ge'er's kind offer, so I gave him a test. Who would have thought that he could recognize every single word in the ledger!"

"Moreover, they don't even need an abacus; they can calculate all their daily expenses and income perfectly in their minds!"

At this moment, Sheng Hong was finally somewhat moved.

Madam Wang continued, "So, I asked Bai'er to give Quan'er the things he used to practice writing when he was learning to write, so that his older brother could give him some pointers and help him with his early education."

Three years ago, Changbai had already passed the provincial examination and become a first-class student. For a scholar like him, it would be easy to enlighten a child.

Moreover, it's even simpler when it's for the early education of a gifted child!

1920……

I really can't catch up! Every time I write something and look back, I realize I'm behind again... (The feeling of owing something is awful!)
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(End of this chapter)