Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Linxi Pavilion

Lin Xiaoniang stood in front of the desk, holding a pen, painting the plum blossoms in the courtyard.

Because of Wei Xiaoniang's death, Sheng Hong not only punished her, but still treats her coldly to this day.

However, she was not bothered by Sheng Hong's neglect during this period; on the contrary, she seemed quite relaxed.

She had anticipated Sheng Hong's coldness when she was plotting to harm Wei Xiaoniang.

In fact, her plot to harm Wei Xiaoniang was also closely related to Sheng Hong's promotion.

Lin Xiaoniang knew very well that Bianjing was different from other places. Sheng Hong was serving in a local position, so he had fewer scruples and was able to let a concubine like her manage the household affairs.

But once she arrived in Bianjing, even though Sheng Hong doted on her, it was limited to his private quarters; he never gave her a high status.

A wife is a wife, and a concubine is a concubine.

The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty provided many guarantees for the status of wives.

For example, it was forbidden to elevate a concubine to the status of a wife. If a wife died, a remarriage was only permitted, and a concubine was not allowed to become a wife.

If Sheng Hong dared to act the same way he did in the provinces, the censors and remonstrance officials would surely impeach him if they found out.

Some might say, "Are censors really that bored that they impeach people for their private affairs?"

In fact, some officials are just that bored.

Moreover, scholars have always emphasized self-cultivation, family management, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. If an official cannot even manage his family, how can he govern the local area well and be fair in handling official business?

Lin Xiaoniang understands Sheng Hong. Once they arrive in Bianjing, Sheng Hong might still dote on her, but he will definitely be much more restrained than when they are in the countryside.

After Wei Xiaoniang became pregnant, Sheng Hong visited her more often.

Wei Xiaoniang usually appears to be unassuming and unambitious, but once she gives birth to a boy and seems to have "fallen out of favor," will she have other thoughts?

Wei Xiaoniang was bought by Madam Wang to deal with her, and she was no less beautiful or talented than her.

After being taken in by Sheng Hong, Wei Xiaoniang was initially very fond of him.

Only Wei Xiaoniang's inability to cater to Sheng Hong gradually caused him to lose interest.

But she couldn't let that happen again, otherwise, once they got to Bianjing, it would be difficult for her to make a move.

Although Sheng Hong was furious about Wei Xiaoniang's death, he had been very cold towards her during this period.

But Lin Xiaoniang didn't care. She believed that with Wang Da Niangzi's stupidity, she would push Sheng Hong to her.

After a long while, Lin Xiaoniang carefully examined the brush and wrote a poem below.

"Hiro will definitely like it."

Lin Xiaoniang looked at her masterpiece and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Little girl!"

Xue Niang entered and bowed, saying, "Wei Rui Xuan sent a letter of invitation, saying that the Duke of Qi's mansion wants their young master to study at the Sheng family's residence."

"Studying at a different school?"

Lin Xiaoniang was taken aback, then her eyes lit up: "The son of the Duke of Qi, he doesn't seem to be much older than Mo'er, does he?"

Ever since Hualan's marriage to the Yuan family was arranged, Madam Wang has been extremely proud.

The grandeur of Hua Lan's wedding deeply affected Lin Xiaoniang.

She also wanted her daughter to marry into a noble family, preferably one that could outrank the Yuan family.

Then we'll see how smug Madam Wang will be in front of her.

Therefore, while in Yangzhou, she had people inquire about the sons of nobles in Bianjing.

Although Yangzhou is far from Bianjing, it is also located in the Grand Canal basin, so merchants traveling there would naturally bring back news from Bianjing.

Therefore, it was not difficult to find out about the sons of nobles in Bianjing in Yangzhou.

If it weren't for the significant age gap between Gu Tingye and Mo Lan, she would have already set her sights on Gu Tingye.

Although she knew that Qi Heng was of noble status and Mo Lan's chances were slim, what if there was a chance?

"That's right, Young Master Qi was born late in the month, and he was just over twelve years old after the New Year," Xue Niang said.

"Young Master Qi is twelve years old, and Mo Lan is eight; that's a good match."

Lin Xiaoniang muttered to herself, lost in thought.

Even if Mo Lan and Qi Heng are not a couple, it's not impossible for her to get to know some noble sons through Qi Heng.

Even though Qi Heng came to the Sheng family to study, it wasn't easy for Mo Lan to get close to him.

After a moment's thought, Lin Xiaoniang said, "Have someone keep an eye on the front yard. When the master returns, immediately go and fetch him!"

"Yes!" Xue Niang replied and hurried away.

…………

Qi Heng had no idea that his act of studying at a secondary school had caused such a stir in the Sheng family.

In the morning, I went to the dock with Sheng Changbai to see Gu Tingye off. After returning to the city, we went home separately.

During lunch, he learned from his mother that she had sent a visiting card, inviting Qi Heng to accompany her to visit the Sheng family the next morning.

The following morning, the mother and son traveled by carriage, followed by maids and attendants carrying gifts, to the Sheng family residence.

"Mother, Old Madam He has returned to her hometown. Could it be that the eldest aunt has recovered?" Qi Heng asked.

"The eldest aunt was fine to begin with, and after being cared for by Old Madam He, she is now completely recovered."

Princess Pingning said, "However, it is inconvenient for imperial physicians to treat nobles within the palace. The Empress Dowager highly approves of Old Madam He's medical skills and has given her a position in the Imperial Hospital, where she can treat nobles full-time. Old Madam He is in a hurry to go back and take care of some matters at home, so she has moved to Bianjing."

"I see."

Qi Heng pondered to himself, "Since Empress Cao has allowed Old Madam He to reside in Bianjing for an extended period, it seems to be of use."

Hopefully, the emperor will have an heir; otherwise, he will have to make other plans.

Perhaps we could learn from Gu Tingye and wait until the crucial moment, then use the excuse of pursuing our studies to leave Bianjing, this place of trouble.

However, this is a last resort. If the emperor still has no son and leaves Bianjing, it is highly likely that the Prince of Yong will succeed him.

The reason why the Prince of Yan was able to seize control of the palace was largely because Princess Jiacheng and Rong Feiyan fell in love with Qi Heng at first sight, and the two of them often competed for his affections.

Princess Yong sent people to kidnap Rong Feiyan, which led the Rong family to side with Prince Yan.

Otherwise, the Prince of Yan would never have been able to control the palace and might not have had the courage to rebel.

Given the relationship between Princess Pingning and Empress Cao, whoever succeeds to the throne will inevitably clash with her, and it is still possible that the Qi family will be implicated.

We can only wait and see how things develop before making any plans.

The carriage stopped in front of the Sheng family's house. Qi Heng got out of the carriage first and saw a woman in her thirties leading several people, all smiling as they waited at the door.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

When Princess Pingning got out of the carriage, Madam Wang greeted her with a warm smile.

"You're too kind, Madam Wang."

Princess Pingning smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I've come uninvited; I hope Madam Wang doesn't find me bothering you."

"Your Highness is too kind. Your presence at the Sheng family is an honor, and we would never dare to disturb you."

Madam Wang looked at Qi Heng and smiled, "This must be Young Master Qi, right? He's quite the handsome young man."

"Greetings, Madam Wang!" Qi Heng bowed respectfully.

According to the etiquette of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when a man meets a woman of the same generation, he greets her with "Zhuang An," a woman of the older generation with "Yi An," and a woman of even older generation with "Ci An."

Princess Pingning and Madam Wang were of similar age, so Qi Heng naturally greeted them as a junior.

"The Princess has taught the young master very well."

Madam Wang smiled and praised, then called Sheng Changbai and Rulan, who were behind her, to come forward and pay their respects.

After Qi Heng and the other two exchanged greetings, Qi Heng smiled and nodded to Sheng Changbai as a greeting, and then subtly glanced at Ru Lan.