The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 224 Lang Jiu dares to say anything!
Lang Jiuchuan appeared at the family banquet on the Lantern Festival as scheduled. She sat at the table with the younger generation and, seeing everyone staring at her, gave a wicked and slightly sinister smile.

Heh.

Someone let out a burp, not from being full, but from being flustered.

Oh my god, he's usually elusive, but now that he's finally showing up, he's acting like a ghost. Who is he trying to scare?
Jiang Che squatted on her shoulder and said, "Have some decency. They're just ignorant kids. They may be a bit gossipy, but they haven't really done anything to you. Why scare them?"

Lang Jiuchuan said, "Descendants of military merit, with such a small amount of courage, how can you learn to compete for glory in both literature and martial arts like your ancestors?"

"Should they thank you instead?"

Lang Jiuchuan scoffed: "People should be self-reliant. How long can one rely solely on the blessings of one's ancestors?"

If a family is large but its members are not talented, how can it become strong and not be bullied?
Just like the Marquis of Kaiping's mansion, which has been without talent for so long and has been dormant for many years, if this generation does not strive to improve, it will sooner or later be reduced to a state of disgrace and ruin.

She had already discussed this with Lang Zhengping, and now he had brought it up at the banquet.

"Since you are observing mourning at home and cannot go out, you can take this opportunity to train your bodies and learn martial arts from Master Wu. Today is the Lantern Festival, so let you relax for another day. Master Wu will come to the mansion tomorrow, and you will start learning martial arts from him after the seventeenth." Lang Zhengping said with a smile to the young men in the mansion, "He is not an ordinary teacher in the mansion, but a real Master Wu."

This was a bodyguard he hired from a security escort agency. He had been fired for offending the agency's heir, and he had taken him on as a martial arts instructor.

Master Wu's surname was indeed Wu. He was as strong as an ox, physically imposing, and skilled in martial arts, especially with spears and scimitars, which he wielded with great flair. Unfortunately, he was too inflexible and did not know how to adapt, which offended his employer, leading to his dismissal.

The men of the Lang family all wailed. Lang Caizhao, relying on being the youngest and most precious child of the eldest branch and a little tyrant, said, "Father, why didn't you tell us such terrible news? Why did you have to pierce our hearts on this Lantern Festival?"

Lang Zheng, with a flat face, said, "It is precisely because of your attitude that I have been quietly working on this important matter." He looked at the group of men at the table and said, "My ancestors in the Lang family earned their merits on horseback. You all have Lang family blood in your veins, so you should also uphold the aspirations of your ancestors, learn both literature and martial arts, and serve the emperor."

Lang Caizhao's face fell.

"Eldest brother, fourth brother, and sixth brother, even if you can't go to the academy for the time being, you can't be lazy in your studies. You must follow Master Wu to train your bodies and set a good example for your younger brothers." Lang Zhengping looked at Lang Caimeng and said, "The imperial examination is a long one, lasting nine days. Without a good body, how can you even write an essay? Being both literate and martial is a good reputation."

Lang Caimeng and Lang Caicheng quickly stood up, cupped their hands, and said, "We will obey Father's command."

Lang Zhengping nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the several young ladies in the mansion who were of marriageable age. His gaze first fell on Lang Jiuchuan, who looked lazy and said to Lang Caiyao and the others, “You sisters should also learn etiquette and needlework from your nanny.”

Lang Caiyao understood the implication and blushed instantly.

Lang Cailing looked at Lang Jiuchuan bluntly and said meaningfully, "Father, what if someone leaves the manor?"

A silence fell over the room.

The younger boys all looked over, as if they were watching a good show.

Lang Zhengping coughed and said, "If there is a reason for leaving the manor, it is not impossible. Just inform your elders." "Does Ling'er want to leave the manor?" Madam Fan looked at Aunt Chen and said, "After the mourning period, you should start discussing marriage. You can't let people look down on you during the mourning period."

This is both a warning and a reminder: if you make a bad reputation during the mourning period, how will you discuss your marriage?
Lang Zhengping nodded: "Your mother is right."

Lang Cailing's face turned pale, and she lowered her head, her voice trembling as she said, "Father, Mother, your daughter will definitely stay in the manor to observe mourning."

Lang Jiuchuan didn't care about Lang Cailing's little schemes at all. He only looked at Madam Pan beside him, glancing at her face and belly, and said, "Fourth Sister-in-law, you're six months pregnant, aren't you?"

Madam Pan was quietly eating when she heard this, so she quickly put down her chopsticks, touched her belly and said, "In another half month, I will be seven months pregnant."

"You look much thinner than before, and the fetus is growing slowly. Have you been eating vegetarian food all this time? Or is the fetus being fussy?" Lang Jiuchuan frowned as he looked at her face. She had lost a lot of weight since they first met. Back then, her face was as round as a silver plate, but now she had a pointed chin. The fetus was almost seven months old, but she looked like she was five months pregnant.

Madam Pan touched her face, feeling somewhat moved, and said softly, "Some people also use ginseng soup."

Now that she is in mourning and is only a concubine's daughter-in-law, she dares not violate the rules and openly eat meat, only using some vegetarian soup.

Lang Jiuchuan pulled her hand over and placed two fingers on it. The cold fingertips made Pan Shi tremble and almost pull back, but she restrained herself when she realized his good intentions.

"Let's use some meat broth," Lang Jiuchuan said, looking at Lang Zhengping and Madam Fan. "Mourning is one thing, but it's not right to neglect the living just because of it. Fourth Sister-in-law is pregnant with the Lang family's child and has been a vegetarian, which is not good for either the mother or the fetus. Eating meat to protect the pregnancy should be fine, and I don't think Grandfather will blame us in heaven. Let her copy a copy of the Classic of Filial Piety and present it to Grandfather when she has time."

Seeing that Madam Pan had indeed lost a lot of weight, Lang Zhengping quickly said to Madam Fan, "That makes sense. Have the kitchen prepare a separate portion for her."

"It was my oversight," Madam Fan said, somewhat embarrassed.

Madam Pan quickly stood up and said, "Mother, you are too kind to your daughter-in-law. You have always cared for me. The family physician checks my pulse every three days. It was because I wanted to observe a few more days of mourning for my grandfather that I followed suit and became a vegetarian."

"Just as the Buddha resides in one's heart, filial piety is not shown by staying indoors all the time, nor by abstaining from meat. It is filial piety without foolishness, respect without obedience. It is about ensuring that the deceased have someone to rely on in their old age, someone to be by their side, someone to bring them joy, and someone to care for them." Lang Jiuchuan said, "It's not just you; the same applies to the sick and weak in the family. Those who are frail and ill should eat meat to nourish themselves. Don't exhaust your body for the sake of filial piety. That's not filial piety towards the deceased; it makes their souls restless. No deceased person wants to see their descendants harm their health for their sake. We can remember them, but we must not wallow in grief."

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The younger generation stared at Lang Jiuchuan in disbelief. She dared to say anything! How was this any different from overthrowing the old system? Although they also wanted to have some fun, they only dared to think about it in their hearts.

Cui's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

Lang Jiuchuan looked at Madam Pan again and said, "Your pulse is weak and hesitant, your qi and blood are out of balance, and your fetus is not being nourished. I imagine the physician prescribed you some medicine to stabilize the pregnancy, but that medicine cannot provide any nourishment. If you continue to eat vegetarian food, you will not be able to keep the baby!"

Pan's face turned pale, and her body swayed slightly.

Lang Jiuchuan helped her up and said to Lang Zhengping, "Let's ask another expert from the Imperial Academy to take her pulse."

Fan's face turned pale. How could this be?
Lang Zhengping's heart skipped a beat, and his lips twitched. He thought to himself, "My dear niece, have you forgotten that your mouth has been blessed?"