Only after the rebellion succeeded did they realize that this place was...

The hall was filled with joy. The meritorious Minglan stepped aside, still in a side seat, but no longer in a lowly position.

Yu Yanran leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Minglan, you really made a name for yourself this time."

"Yanran, stop talking."

Minglan replied softly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, "If I had a choice, I'd rather not have this limelight."

Yu Yanran looked puzzled, not understanding her best friend's thoughts.

Such a great achievement is something that others would beg for, so why is Minglan not happy about it?

……

As the noise subsided, Sheng Hong looked at Wang Ruofu beside him. Unusually, Wang Ruofu was more open-minded and did not insist on his own opinion. Instead, he asked, "Now that the letter has been found, my Sheng family has escaped a calamity."

"In your opinion, Madam, how should this matter concerning the household be handled?"

"What to do?"

Naturally, the punishment would be given to Lin Qinshuang and her two children.

Wang Ruofu snorted softly, his eyes flashing coldly as he swept his gaze across Lin Qinshuang.

If it were in Yangzhou...

She would definitely sell that little bitch off without saying a word.

But things are different now; my own son, Hua'er, is about to enter the palace.

Her title as the Assistant Manager's wife was well-known among the wives of officials in Tokyo.

If, at this critical juncture, the reputation of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sheng family for being jealous and mistreating her concubines were to spread, it would not be a good thing for either herself or Hua Lan.

Furthermore, Mo Lan and Sheng Changfeng are now adults. If they are forcibly separated and driven to desperation, they might cause some disgraceful incidents that would damage the Sheng family's reputation.

Especially these past few days.

Having learned much about handling household matters from the Dowager Duchess of England and Princess Pingning, she forcefully suppressed her pent-up desire for revenge, her tone softening as she slowly asked, "What else can I do?"

"As you said before, a small punishment is enough to teach them a lesson. These past few days, Lin Xiaoniang, Mo'er, and Changfeng have caused enough trouble and mischief. It's time for them to rest."

"However, Madam Lin, do you still remember what you said to your husband earlier?"

Wang Ruofu may not sell her, but Lin Qinshuang's idea of ​​continuing to live a peaceful life under her nose is just wishful thinking.

Lin Qinshuang's heart trembled, and she dared not hesitate for even a moment.

She quickly knelt up and said respectfully, "I remember. I am willing to donate all of my dowry and other assets in the courtyard to the manor to make up for the trouble I have caused."

"Only then can this whole mess be put to a complete end."

Wang Ruofu spoke calmly, her tone carrying an undeniable authority, "Don't blame me. Although this dowry money is what you've accumulated over the years, it ultimately belongs to the Sheng family."

The Sheng family will no longer embezzle funds.

Most of it will be reserved as dowry for Mo'er's future marriage, ensuring that the Sheng family's reputation will not be disgraced; the remainder will be used for Changfeng's future expenses when he gets married and establishes his own home.

"This money will all be used for your two children; it's my duty as the eldest daughter-in-law to take care of this household."

She paused, her gaze suddenly sharpening, and said, word by word, "If you ever dare to do anything to distort the truth or confuse right and wrong in front of your husband again, even if you have these two children, I, the eldest wife, will not let you off easily."

Once Wang Ruofu calmed down, she adopted the manners of her two elder sisters, displaying true dignity and perfectly capturing the demeanor of an official's wife.

For a moment, even the old lady Sheng, who was used to seeing storms, and Sheng Hong, who was somewhat reluctant to let it go, showed surprise.

Sheng Hong immediately made his decision and said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and thank Madam. You have caused such a huge disaster this time, and Madam has the magnanimity to forgive you this time. You should really learn from her in the future."

"Thank you, madam. Thank you, madam."

Lin Qinshuang was so frightened that she kowtowed repeatedly, her voice trembling, "I know now, I'll never dare to do it again..."

She lowered her head, but her heart was in turmoil.

Why is Wang Ruofu, standing before me, suddenly not the stupid and easily manipulated woman she used to be?

Such shrewdness and competence, and her ability to act with grace and composure, actually bear some resemblance to the old lady of the Sheng family.

Could it be that his trip to the palace brought about such a dramatic change?

The matter has been resolved.

Lin Qinshuang couldn't keep kneeling before the servants forever; after all, Mo Lan and Sheng Changfeng were the masters of the Sheng family.

Grandma Sheng waved her hand, and someone arranged seats for them.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere inside Shou'an Hall became more lively again.

Grandma Sheng looked at Wang Ruofu with a hint of approval in her eyes: "Madam, you have made great progress since your trip to the palace."

Wang Ruofu suppressed her inner joy and maintained a calm demeanor, saying respectfully, "It is all thanks to my two kind elder sisters. The Duchess of Yingguo and Princess Pingning, through their guidance, have helped me realize my past mistakes."

And then there were her mother's golden words of wisdom; the daughter-in-law, in a moment of repentance, realized that her previous actions had ultimately been far too rash and foolish.

In the course of their conversation, Wang Ruofu announced another piece of good news right there in the Shou'an Hall.

She looked at Old Madam Sheng and Sheng Hong, her tone respectful yet with a hint of certainty: "Mother, and also the official. His Majesty's harem is currently lacking in palace maids, especially female officials. Only those from respectable families and relatives of officials can be appointed."

It just so happens that Hua'er and His Majesty have become engaged. Although this matter cannot be announced widely, it can still be planned gradually. At present, the inner court is preparing for the selection of concubines for His Majesty, and my Sheng family can send Hua'er to participate in the selection.

In this way, things will fall into place naturally. This will both protect Hua'er's reputation and fulfill His Majesty's great favor.

I wonder what Mother and my husband think?

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Sheng fell into deep thought. After a moment, she slowly nodded, full of approval: "That makes sense."

After all, Hua Lan and Liu Hong's relationship was already established. If she didn't enter the palace and become a concubine, probably no one in the capital city would dare to marry her.

Even the emperor's brother-in-law wouldn't dare to lay a finger on a woman he fancied.

Even arranged marriages, governed by parents and matchmakers, had no choice but to submit to imperial power.

"In that case, it can be considered that the timing, location, and people were all in harmony."

Grandma Sheng said in detail, "Hua'er should also enter the palace with you as soon as possible. With you, as a fourth-rank assistant wife, taking care of her, Hua'er will be able to live a peaceful life in the harem in the future."

Sheng Hong nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing.

This matter should be addressed sooner rather than later.

Hua Lan is now twenty-one years old and should enter the palace as soon as possible. If she can give birth to a prince soon, this marriage will be truly settled.

Just as everyone was beaming with joy and gradually finalizing the matter, Lin Qinshuang, who had barely escaped a disaster, suddenly spoke up. Her voice was soft and weak, but it carried a hint of hidden calculation: "Honglang, and also Mother and Madam."

She rose gracefully, gave a curtsy, and said slowly, "Now that Miss Hua'er has entered the palace, how many daughters of the Sheng family are still of marriageable age?"

Besides my son Mo'er, there's also my wife's son Ru'er, and my sixth daughter Ming'er, who just made a great contribution to the Sheng family and has a blessed appearance.

If the three sisters could participate in the selection together, they could be of one mind and support each other in the imperial harem.

"Wouldn't that be double happiness, double good fortune?"

Lin Qinshuang's words were full of hidden ulterior motives.

She desperately wanted Mo Lan to enter the palace as well.

If she could gain His Majesty's favor, her status in the Sheng family would rise accordingly.

However, she insisted on bringing Rulan and Minglan along as well, which made it difficult for everyone to directly rebuke or refute her. They could only frown and carefully consider the feasibility of this matter.

Before the Sheng family members, who were in charge, could even speak, the situation became clear.

Inside the Shou'an Hall, Rulan, who had also heard about the imperial concubine selection, suddenly widened her eyes. Her chubby little face, still bearing a hint of baby fat, shook vigorously like a rattle: "Marry His Majesty in the palace? No, I don't want to! His Majesty must be very difficult to serve. Mother, I don't want to enter the palace, I don't want to participate in the selection."

Besides, the eldest sister and His Majesty are a match made in heaven, having pledged their love to each other. How could the younger sister be expected to compete for the emperor's favor with the lover that the eldest sister has been waiting for?

This is so unfair to the older sister.

Rulan had clearly become the main force against the talent show, while Minglan behind her acted like a little assistant, tugging at Rulan's sleeve and whispering in agreement: "Yes, Mother, Father, and Grandmother, this...this is not good."

Even though the Sheng family's situation is different now than before, Minglan's status within the Sheng family has not changed substantially.

She remained as cautious and prudent as ever, afraid that a single wrong word might bring about unforeseen disaster.

If Rulan hadn't spoken, it would have been fine, but since she had, and in such a childish way, Sheng Hong couldn't help but frown and blurt out, "How can the Emperor be compared to an ordinary young man?"

"Though there are few beauties in the harem now, there will surely be many in the future. Even if you and your elder sister are mutually attracted, how could there only be one? What Madam Lin said just now was all for the sake of the Sheng family, and also for the good of your elder sister."

"Then... isn't that emperor far too fickle? Marrying the eldest sister wasn't enough, he also wants to marry us younger sisters? Is he really going to make a fool of himself like Ehuang and Nüying?"

Rulan lowered her head and muttered softly, her tone full of resentment.

This time, without Sheng Hong's scolding, Madam Wang Ruofu glared at her fiercely, her voice suddenly rising: "What nonsense are you spouting? Criticizing the Emperor, you brat, do you even know what kind of crime that is?"

If word gets out, His Majesty will be furious, and they'll be dragged out and beaten to death.

She paused, recalling the scene in the palace, and added with lingering fear, "Do you really think that His Majesty is still as benevolent and righteous as before?"

This is the young emperor who will establish a new dynasty. In this city of Tokyo, haven't the storytellers in the taverns and the opera troupes, with their performances and tales, served as a sufficient warning to you these past few days?"

"The uprising began during the Yangzhou period."

"He was only a young boy, yet he was already a formidable force on the battlefield. Later, he traveled to several other provinces, leading the elite troops of the new Han dynasty in successive campaigns. In the end, he recruited many capable generals, and with the support of the gentry from various provinces, he gradually retired to the Golden Palace and sat in the Emperor's Hall."

"Let's not talk about those distant things, but only about those closer to home."

"On your very first day in the imperial city of Tokyo, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, before all the court officials, even the Grand Commander who commanded the entire army, His Majesty ordered the imperial guards to carry out the caning punishment. If you don't believe me, ask your father. He saw it with his own eyes. You brat, who gave you such audacity?"

"Or do you really want me, a white-haired mother, to bury my black-haired child?"

The saying goes, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," and only the ignorant are fearless.

During her time serving as the Assistant Lady in the palace, Wang Ruofu was guided by the Dowager Lady of the Duke of Ying and the Princess of Pingning, and was surrounded by generals from the Imperial Guards, the Golden Guard, the Imperial City Guard, the Palace Guard Command, and various regional commanders.

Almost every day, female officials in the palace were found to have illicit intentions, and those with questionable backgrounds or engaging in illicit affairs were exposed. What became of them...?

Wang Ruofu only saw it once from afar, but he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

That's why she reacted so strongly.

"Then...then Mother, since His Majesty is so powerful, I must not go to the palace."

Rulan shrank back, moved closer to Wang Ruofu, lowered her head and looked guilty, her tone softening as she whispered her thoughts, "As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. His Majesty is an extremely ferocious tiger. I only have a little bit of flesh on me, it certainly won't be enough for His Majesty to 'eat'."

Hua Lan found it difficult to speak about this matter.

Privately, she was unwilling for her younger sister to enter the palace and share a husband with her; but for the entire Sheng family, her personal thoughts seemed insignificant.

Moreover, even without his own sister, in the future, emperors would inevitably have to take in many concubines in the palace in order to appease the surrounding areas.

Fortunately, Hua Lan did not object to this.

After all, even his father, Sheng Hong, had three wives and four concubines, let alone the emperor.

She had already prepared herself mentally for this.

Just as the atmosphere in Shou'an Hall was becoming somewhat oppressive, Old Madam Sheng spoke slowly, her voice steady, each word striking a chord in everyone's hearts: "The world is treacherous. In today's Tokyo, with the changing of the old and the new, everything has changed. Apart from a few nobles who have retained their titles, the rest have probably all been reduced to nothing."

My Sheng family has been fortunate enough to survive this great wave; if we don't advance, we will retreat.

"And with this retreat, I fear that many of your father's enemies from his past in officialdom will come knocking on your door, demanding repayment with interest. Do you, his children, still remember where your father was falsely accused and imprisoned back then?"

If not for divine justice, he would likely have died unjustly in prison that day. By then, the Sheng family would probably have been destroyed, and there would be no trace of their former nobility or social standing.

"As for the young men and women in this mansion, they will either be executed in the autumn or sent to the brothel, becoming official prostitutes of lowly status. How could they be here arguing and bickering like this, turning it all into a joke?"

"It's so kind of Mother to remember this..."

As Sheng Hong recalled the past, a touch of sadness appeared in his eyes.

A career in government is never a smooth one.

Even someone as cautious as him had experienced a near-death experience in prison.

It was also because of that time he was imprisoned.

He was fortunate enough to meet Zhuang Xuejiu's mother, which led to the later development of Zhuang Xuejiu opening a school and lecturing at the Sheng family.

Otherwise, Sheng Hong at that time was not some high-ranking nobleman. Why would the famous scholar Zhuang have settled in the small Sheng family?

As for how formidable Zhuang Xuejiu is, just look at the fact that Qi Heng, the young master of the Qi State Duke's Mansion, and Gu Tingye of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion are both coming. In the future, we will be able to see the depth of his learning.

Everything has a cause and effect.

"You are my son, how could a mother forget?"

Grandma Sheng sighed softly, her eyes filled with the vicissitudes of life.

"Your son... has failed his mother."

Sheng Hong lowered his head, his face full of remorse.

"You little ones, don't be afraid."

Grandma Sheng changed the subject, her gaze sweeping over her granddaughters below the hall, and slowly said, "If His Majesty were truly so lacking in discernment of people and in the ability to reward and punish fairly, how could there be the new Han dynasty we have today?"

If he hadn't been strict in disciplining his troops and used iron-fisted methods, he would probably be long gone, and how could he have the empire he enjoys today?

"Furthermore, if he were truly such a heartless and ungrateful person, why would he have written that letter of agreement to your eldest sister and still be so attached to it now?"

It seems that new faces have already replaced the old ones.

Among all men in the world, those who can remain true to their original aspirations are already extremely rare, few among the few.

"So, according to Grandmother, His Majesty... His Majesty is still a good man?"

Mo Lan mustered her courage and asked, a hint of barely perceptible hope hidden in her eyes.

Grandma Sheng glanced at her and nodded slightly: "At the tender age of twenty-five, there are still no concubines or empresses in the harem."

This reveals Your Majesty's ambition: to govern the world beyond ordinary romantic feelings, and not to be swayed by those who crave pleasure. If such a person cannot be called a good man, then perhaps there are no good men left in the world.

At last.

Under everyone's gaze, Old Madam Sheng made a decisive statement, cutting off all hesitation: "My daughters, Hua'er, Mo'er, Ru'er, and Ming'er, will all participate in the imperial concubine selection. If they are selected, that's a good thing; if they are not, that's also within reason. Madam, this matter will be handled entirely by you!"

"Yes, Mother."

Wang Ruofu quickly agreed, not daring to refuse in the slightest.

Hua Lan lowered her eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and finally softly replied, "Daughter... obeys Grandmother's command."

Mo Lan's eyes lit up. She clenched her handkerchief, a determined glint in her eyes. She looked at Hua Lan, thinking to herself, "Big sister, I won't lose to you."

"No! Mother, I really don't want to!"

Rulan was so anxious that she stomped her feet, and tears were about to fall.

Only Minglan remained standing quietly in the corner with her head down, as if the matter had nothing to do with her, but a very faint ripple flashed deep in her eyes.

"So, I'm about to enter the palace?!"