Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Lunch, Moving, Imperial Examination

Qi Heng was an unusually lucky person. He had a noble and handsome family background, was generous and easy-going, and had a gentle temperament. He voluntarily loved learning without the need for his father to scold him. Although he had the benefits of a precious oldest brother, he was a bit more progressive and stable than them. After three lunches of him smiling and talking at Shou’an Hall, even Fang Mama, who had been a widow for twenty-eight years, began to soften towards him.

About twenty years ago, the great fortune of Duke Qi was at its peak. Both of his sons were married to the daughters of prominent nobles, who were once extremely popular. The eldest son married the eldest daughter of the Grand Marshal of War and Horse, and the second son married the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang. This made Duke Qi, who was originally at the end of his noble household, to blush and turn purple overnight. However, this good fortune came at a cost. The two daughter-in-law’s arrogance and temper naturally made their mother-in-law dizzy as she kept a close eye on her husband.

The eldest daughter-in-law took out her father’s ability to govern the army with an iron fist and swept away the numerous women in her husband’s room, pulling flowers and weeding. The couple only had one son under their knees, and he was still fragile. Although his family’s influence was not as strong as before, Duke Qi was also too old to fight for a second son. A few years later, the second daughter-in-law walked in and obediently gave birth to Qi Heng. Since giving birth to Qi Heng, Princess Pingning could no longer conceive, and unexpectedly did not allow her husband to open his courtyard to another woman. He could only have a miserable life with the princess and an older, childless concubine.

Apart from a cousin who had been recuperating in his household for many years, Qi Heng didn’t have a brother and sister. Usually, he could play with his cousin, but Princess Pingning was very strict with all girls who could possibly become her daughter-in-law that even his female relatives didn’t get along well. After entering the Sheng household to study, under the relentless indoctrination of the concept of male and female defense by Princess Pingning, Qi Heng firmly kept a distance between the two flower-like girls, Molan and Rulan. It was only Minglan that the princess didn’t say much about.

So, for Qi Heng, Minglan was the only little sister he had ever met, and she was beautiful and obedient like a chubby squirrel. Qi Heng liked her very much at first sight, but little Minglan always liked to play serious with her small bun face. After a few meals, Qi Heng couldn’t help but tease her even more. He was still a good person. The day after he ate Minglan’s fish soup and jerky, he brought her a box of recipes from his residence, including tonics, soups, healthy, and pasta. The third day he saw Minglan working on her needlework, and then brought several copies of the latest flower designs from the capital, and a large bag full of multiple colors of pearl thread.

Minglan couldn’t resist the temptation, and would often become very attentive and cute when she could take advantage of someone with short hands. She would bring Qi Heng a stool to add tea, and when she him coming from his lesson, she always greet him with things like, ‘Brother Yuanruo you’ve worked hard in studying,’ and ‘Brother Yuanruo, please rest.’ She was busy running around like a fat squirrel, and also very well-behaved and funny when talking to Qi Heng.

“Sixth Sister, you’re bullying the weak,” Qi Heng teased when he saw Minglan poking at goldfish with water plants.

“I’m not,” Minglan said innocently. “I didn’t know it was weaker than me before I started.”

“Why aren’t you playing anymore?” Qi Heng asked when he saw her throwing down the water plant.

“I listened to your words and I won’t bully the weak anymore,” Minglan said sincerely. She really felt like she was being a jerk.

Qi Heng was very happy and rubbed her head again with a heartwarming smile. His beautiful eyebrows stretched out and shone as brightly as Gu Kaizhi’s elegant paintings of the Wei and Jin dynasties. The little maidservants of Shou’an Hall were all mesmerized.

He finally didn’t come for lunch on the fourth day. Minglan took out the water plants again and calmly walked to the goldfish jar.

“…Young Miss.” Xiaotao came in from outside, holding a delicate straw basket in her hand and a confused look on her face. “Young Master Qi asked someone to bring this to you, saying that using this grass to tease fish is fun.”

Minglan stopped what she was doing, suddenly weak. Okay, maybe she was thinking too much…

Since Molan moved into Wei Rui Xuan, Madam Wang’s household grew by two. Even though the girls had the same amount of money publicly, in private Madam Wang naturally gave more to her daughter. If she made three new clothes a season, naturally her daughter would need two more. Old Madam Sheng didn’t say anything, much to Madam Wang’s happiness. Molan may have looked weak but she had sharp eyes. If Rulan got a new hairpin, she would cry for a long time. Her eyes would be red and swollen with a miserable expression, and she walked through the rooms so that everyone could see her. Madam Wang gritted her teeth in anger. She wished she could slap her.

“Madam, don’t take it to heart,” Mrs. Liu Kun advised. “She’ll go cry to Master. So what? The three girls each have their own support, which Master knows. Young Miss has you, Fourth Miss has Concubine Lin, and Sixth Miss has Old Madam. Each of them has their own principles. What if we take back Concubine Lin’s property and move Sixth Miss from Shou’an Hall to Wei Rui Xuan for you to truly educate these girls. This way, how can Master say you’re favoring one girl over the other?”

“How can I not know what’s going on here?” Madam Wang said angrily. “I’m not afraid to say it to Master, but that damn girl comes in and out with a sad face all day long. I don’t know what people are saying about me outside.”

“The child thinks she can control you in this way,” Mrs. Liu Kun said with a smile. “You may as well go to Master first and say that you haven’t beat her, scolded her, and you’ve given her good food and drink but Fourth Miss still cried all day. Say you are afraid you can’t take care of her well so it’s better for Fourth Miss to go back to her mother. You haven’t touched her, what can she say? If she really dares to claim that you’re favoring one over another, then you have something to say.”

Madam Wang hesitated. “…What if she doesn’t say anything and just continues to cry here?”

“Madam, you can say that you have wholeheartedly taken care of her,” Mrs. Liu Kun said with a shake of her head. “But she cried and cried all day, half dead, and is acting like her stepmother is bullying her. You can’t bear this bad reputation and are asking Master what you should do.”

Although she felt it was a bit stiff, she followed Mrs. Liu Kun’s instructions. Sheng Hong listened and was indeed unhappy and went to go talk to Molan. He made Molan kneel down as soon as he entered the door and began to lecture her. The maids outside could only hear Molan crying uncontrollably while Sheng Hong angrily cursed, ‘…Learn the tricks of crying and throwing a tantrum,’ ‘…Learn the style of a young lady from a wealthy family,’ and ‘…Take back property.’ Then he left without any hesitation.

This was the first time that Molan had been scolded by her father and cried all night. The next day, she honestly went to greet Madam Wang, offering her tea and acting like her daughter. She listened to whatever Madam Wang said, even if she was being scolded, and obediently lowered her head to listen. Seeing her aggrieved appearance, Madam Wang couldn’t bring herself to put on airs and acted like a legitimate mother.

It took a few days after acting like a legitimate mother that Madam Wang suddenly figured it out. “Master is really calculating,” she said with a long, drawn-out sigh. “He really has a father’s kind heart!”

Mrs. Liu Kun was sitting at the kang’s table, reconciling the household records with Madam Wang. After hearing that, she quickly asked what Madam Wang was talking about.

“Master has always had a heart and mind to remember those two girls in my name,” Madam Wang laughed bitterly. “But he didn’t remember Minglan. Since Old Madam began to raise her, if she grows up, she probably won’t have to worry much about me. Look at how she acted when Young Master Qi arrived for the first time. I knew that she was an honest person and not shameless like that other one. She knows her identity and won’t argue with her legitimate sister. I am okay with her being recorded in my name. If it comes down to it, I’ll add a bit of dowry for her later.

“But Master knows my feud with Concubine Lin has been going on for years, and my children have nothing to do with hers. It wasn’t easy to force me to accept that fourth girl, so he came up with an idea that cannot be reversed. He first brought her over and asked me to teach her etiquette and household management. When Molan reaches marriageable age, Master will ask me to remember that she is under my name and I can’t ignore it.”

Mrs. Liu Kun smiled when she heard this, thinking to herself that her Madam had grown up. “What Madam says is reasonable,” she said. “I also think this way. But Madam doesn’t have to worry. It’s common for concubine-born daughters in wealthy families to be registered under the legitimate wife. This type of thing is recorded in the genealogy but it’s just a matter of deceiving ancestors and future generations. Who in the world doesn’t know what background she has! Is it difficult for outsiders to talk about marriage? If they really think that Molan was born as a legitimate daughter, that means she can find a good marriage by looking more respectable. But, even if she is seen as more respectable, how can she be more than Madam’s legitimate daughter?!”

Madam Wang sighed. “I know what you’re saying, I’m just not happy about it.” Remembering the way Concubine Lin used to be favored, Madam Wang was filled with frustration and always wondered how she could make that slut’s daughter have a tragic marriage. But she couldn’t act recklessly. It wasn’t worth the loss if she accidentally harmed her own daughter.

Mrs. Liu Kun saw Madam Wang’s expression and could tell she was thinking about getting into trouble again. “Madam,” she said, “please let this go. In the future, when the girl gets married, she will point to her family’s dignity. As long as Bai’er is successful, she can still show her face. Don’t be angry with the girl’s mother. It’s important to keep an eye on Bai’er’s studies. The Imperial Examination is about to begin. We can only hope that Young Master can pass on his first try, then your dignity will be there for the rest of your life!”

“That’s right,” Madam Wang said, remembering her oldest son. “That slut praises Feng’er for his knowledge all day long. He had to take the prefectural exam twice before passing and Master dotes on him. It’s ridiculous that he failed the Imperial Examination this time. Let’s see if she can still brag in the future! It’s so fortunate my mother brought you to me!”
[There are three entry-level examinations people had to take to become an official. They were available to educated individuals from their early teenage years. They are: xianshi (county examination), fushi (prefectural examination), and yuanshi (academy examination). From there, there is the provincial examination, metropolitan examination (held every three years in the capital), and then the palace examination (held every three years in the Imperial Palace. It’s usually supervised by the Emperor himself! So, no pressure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_examination%5D

After studying for a year, Scholar Zhuang gradually began to approach the provincial examination. He was busy lecturing and writing, and set Changdong, who was still going through ‘Analects,’ as a half-day lesson, leaving only the three older boys for intensive study. Although Changfeng was not yet a student, he was considered a half-candidate and was pulled into a pre-examination tutoring class with them. Madam Wang’s daily dose of fish soup, chicken soup, and pig brain soup made Sheng Hong scratch his head, as if he wanted to ask a few questions. He pretended to be calm and took a sample of the ‘Book of Dao.’

Minglan was a little court clerk who had no political awareness. She and her grandmother were sitting on the kang bed next to the window, eating freshly steamed red beans, yams, and rice cakes. This was a southern snack that Minglan had just come up with, and it tasted like a snack shared by grandparents and grandchildren. “This is really delicious,” Minglan said. “There’s also a basket for Grandmother to have a night snack so you can warm your stomach.”

Old Madam Sheng wiped her hands with a damp cloth. “Give some to Bai’er to eat,” she said. “It isn’t easy to study. This will shine a bright light on the Sheng family and you will also benefit from it later.” After thinking about it, she added, “I think the schoolbag you made for Dong’er last time was very good. This time your brother will be taking the exam and you can put aside other tasks to make something useful for him. Your brother will remember your kindness.”

Minglan nodded. When she saw the little boy serving little Changdong was not strong enough to carry many things by himself when he went to school, she made him a backpack with three compartments and shoulder straps with embroidered white clouds, blue skies, and green grass. She used the loose thread from the prayer beads Old Madam Sheng didn’t use to tie elastic bands at the mouth of the bag. It was both lightweight and good-looking, and little Changdong liked it very much.

Minglan became encouraged after receiving recognition of her craftsmanship. After Changbai had sent over a pair of goldfish, she made a stone blue pine, bamboo, and plum fan cover and sent it over. Changbai was pleased with it and, in return, sent a flower woven bamboo basket brush holder from Tongcheng.

Minglan felt very wise with her decision in learning needlework at the beginning. Girls could also choose their own goal, while boys have only one goal to strive for ­– the Imperial Examination.

There were many benefits to taking the Imperial Examination. Those who do well could become officials, while those who do not do well can still become lower officials. Those who didn’t do well also could become private school teachers in smaller villages. The important thing was that once they had an official position, they were exempt from taxes. Even a scholar who met with the country magistrate didn’t have to kneel down. The Imperial Examination not only has significance in changing the fate of ordinary men, but for the children of officials like Sheng Changbai. In ancient times, official positions were not hereditary. Father Sheng was an official, but his sons had to rely on their own abilities to pass the Imperial Examination to obtain official positions. Otherwise, the prosperity of the Sheng family would only be limited to the next generation or two.

That was all what Old Madam Sheng said, and when she spoke, her tone naturally exuded a sense of solemnity. Minglan peeked at her. She realized long ago that her grandmother was very unique. Although she came from a powerful position from the Marquis’s Mansion, she disdained the type of arrogant young masters who relied on their families to take the Imperial Examination and had an inexplicable liking for those who relied on their own abilities to take the test. It was estimated back then, she had a big crush on the elegant and casual third-rank official, Sheng Hong’s father.

Minglan, while reasoning about her previous situation, unconsciously reached out to grab another bun but felt that the plate was empty. She looked at Old Madam Sheng to see that had asked Fang Mama to put the food in a warm box and sent it away. Old Madam Sheng looked back at Minglan’s fat white hand hanging in the air and frowned. “Little Ming’er, listen to your grandmother’s words. You’re getting older now and you cannot eat like you used to when you were a child. Look at you, you’ve put on too much weight. Even your clothes don’t look good anymore.”

Minglan took back her hand in a casual manner. All she was doing was hiding her beauty and pretending to be low-key!

…

Happy Halloween!! Stay safe and spooooooky out there!

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