20demayo Chapter 143 The Wise Minglan
Chapter 143 The Wise Minglan
Chapter 143 The Wise Minglan
When Gu Tingye proposed marriage a couple of days ago, Grand Tutor Yu did not refuse outright, but said he would have to think about it.
Old Mrs. Yu looked down on Gu Tingye, that纨绔子弟 (spoiled brat), and had a fight with Grand Tutor Yu over it.
It was because she saw her grandparents arguing about this that Yu Yanran felt lost and went to talk to Minglan.
But yesterday, after she returned from the Sheng family, she heard her grandfather advising her grandmother.
Grand Tutor Yu said that although Gu Tingye had a bad reputation before and was somewhat of a playboy.
But how much better are those sons of officials in Bianjing than Gu Tingye?
It's not that all children of officials have bad reputations, but many of them are not allowed to misbehave outside because their families are strict with them.
There are many examples of people who had a good reputation in their early years, but later revealed their true colors after their parents were no longer able to control them.
After hearing this, Grandma Yu also fell silent.
At their age, they've seen and heard far too much, and she had to admit that the situations Grand Tutor Yu described did indeed exist.
Seeing that his wife was wavering, Grand Tutor Yu continued to persuade her.
He said that Gu Tingye's previous playboy behavior was because he was still young, and his ability to change later and study diligently was the most commendable thing.
As the saying goes, the country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.
Once a person's nature is formed, it is very difficult to change.
Why is it said that a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold?
It's not about being lenient with prodigal sons; rather, it's about the immense willpower required for a prodigal son to turn back.
When a person has the willpower to change themselves, they are less likely to relapse into the same ways in the future.
But those with good reputations are different; they are honest only because their families are strict with them, and they have restrained their nature and desires.
Prolonged restraint will only lead to an even more severe outburst in the future.
Gu Tingye, however, was different; he had experienced all of these things.
After listening, Yu Yanran also felt that her grandfather's words made sense. Thinking about it carefully, Gu Tingye had been back in the capital for several months, and there had been no news of him going to brothels as before.
Moreover, Gu Tingye is good-looking and comes from a good family, making him a good match for Gu Tingye.
After listening, Minglan remained silent for a while before saying, "Sister Yanran is right, but this is a major life event. Grand Tutor Yu and Grandmother Yu both dote on you and are willing to consider your feelings. If you are unwilling, they will not force you."
To be honest, what Grand Tutor Yu said makes a lot of sense.
Moreover, this era is inherently very tolerant of men.
Even if Gu Tingye didn't change at all, he would still be able to marry a wife of equal social standing.
Because, strictly speaking, his actions weren't anything special.
How many men in the world haven't drunk at brothels?
Gu Tingye visited brothels, but he didn't bring any of the courtesans home.
Minglan was worried that Yu Yanran only agreed because she didn't want to see Grand Tutor Yu and his wife arguing.
Based on her understanding of Yu Yanran, although Yu Yanran was somewhat gentle, she was the kind of person who didn't want to cause trouble for others.
If it weren't for Yu Yanran's marriage, Grand Tutor Yu and his wife would have returned to their hometown long ago.
After such a long delay, we've finally found a suitable candidate for Yu Yanran. But if this doesn't work out, who knows how long it will take again.
Under these circumstances, it's normal for Yu Yanran to agree.
Normally, she shouldn't be so nosy about this kind of thing, but Yu Yanran is her only friend, and she really doesn't want to see her regret it in the future.
"Minglan, don't worry, this is truly what I think."
Yu Yanran took Minglan's hand and smiled, "As for you, when are you and your cousin planning to get married?"
Minglan blushed and said, "These kinds of things are naturally decided by the elders in the family, and besides, I have two older sisters who haven't been married yet."
Between siblings, marriage is not subject to the above considerations.
In theory, Sanlan could marry before Sheng Changbai got married.
This is because it is related to the age at which men and women get married.
Men typically married around seventeen or eighteen years old, and in ancient times, it was common for men to have one wife and multiple concubines, which often resulted in siblings being very close in age.
If we must follow the order of seniority, we can't let our daughters get married at seventeen or eighteen, can we?
Therefore, siblings do not consider these things, but sisters must follow the rule of seniority.
Minglan is the youngest of the three sisters, so her marriage can be arranged first. However, before her two older sisters have confirmed their wedding dates, Minglan's wedding date cannot be set and must be set after theirs.
"Judging from your tone, it seems you're getting impatient," Yu Yanran teased with a smile.
"Let you laugh at me."
Minglan, feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed, tickled Yu Yanran, and the two quickly started playing around, laughing non-stop.
"Girl, something terrible has happened!"
Just then, a maid rushed in and said urgently, "A woman claiming to be the mistress of the second young master of the Gu family just came in and said she wanted to come to serve tea to the young lady."
When the master found out, he ordered his servants to send her away, but she kept making a scene outside. Fearing that others might overhear, the master had no choice but to have her taken to the main hall for questioning.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yanran's face paled. She realized that Gu Tingye was a good match for her, yet he was keeping a mistress outside the marriage.
Now people are coming to our door.
The thought of her grandparents being disgraced by the news made her feel ashamed to live any longer.
"Sister Yanran, are you alright?" Minglan asked worriedly.
"Minglan, what should we do now?"
Yu Yanran said, her voice trembling with tears.
"Sister Yanran, don't worry."
Minglan comforted her, "Grand Tutor Yu hasn't agreed to this marriage. If that's the case, we can just refuse."
Moreover, the specific situation is still unclear, so you must not panic.
"Didn't they say the person was taken to the main hall? I'll go with you to see."
She actually had some doubts about this matter.
Although Wang You and Gu Tingye's relationship wasn't as good as Sheng Changbai and Gu Tingye's, she didn't know the reason behind it and only assumed that the two weren't that close.
However, she understood Sheng Changbai's personality. Since Sheng Changbai could be so close to Gu Tingye, it meant that Gu Tingye's character was not a problem.
She suspected that the woman might have had a past relationship with Gu Tingye. Now that Gu Tingye had reformed, she learned that he had proposed marriage to the Yu family, so she thought of causing a scene at the Yu family to demand some money.
If she is Gu Tingye's mistress whom he has kept outside all these years, there is no reason for her to cause trouble at the Yu family. If she wants to cause trouble, she should go to the Gu family.
"Yes, let's go take a look." Yu Yanran said, and started to walk out.
"Sister Yanran, your clothes are a bit messy, please straighten them first." Minglan quickly pulled Yu Yanran along.
The two had been playfully fighting and their clothes were a little disheveled, so they called a maid to help them tidy up before heading out to the main hall.
"master!"
As the two entered the main hall through the side door, they heard Old Mrs. Yu's anxious calls.
The maids in the hall were also in a state of chaos.
The two rushed forward and found that Grand Tutor Yu had fainted from anger.
"grandfather!"
Yu Yanran exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to check.
Manniang, who was being held down by two rough old women, knew Yu Yanran's identity as soon as she heard her address.
"elder sister!"
Yu Yanran said pitifully, "I just wanted to offer you some tea, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"Shut up!"
Minglan raised an eyebrow, turned around and coldly said, "My sister's grandfather is the Grand Tutor of the court. If anything were to happen to him, you wouldn't have enough lives to pay for it."
Upon hearing this, Man Niang looked aggrieved, and a few tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't dare to say anything more.
She only wanted to ruin the marriage, but she didn't expect to anger Grand Tutor Yu to death.
"Master is still breathing, quickly go and fetch a doctor!" Old Madam Yu said anxiously.
"Madam, we've already sent someone to fetch a doctor," said the old nanny beside her.
"Grandma Yu, please have someone escort the Grand Tutor back to his room first. You can go and take care of him. Sister Yanran can handle things here."
Minglan said.
"But Yanran, she—"
Grandma Yu was somewhat worried.
"I will help Sister Yanran," Minglan said.
Hearing this, Old Madam Yu felt a little relieved and had her men carry Grand Tutor Yu away.
After Grand Tutor Yu and the others left, Man Niang said with a sorrowful expression, "I didn't expect it to turn out like this, sister, please punish me!"
"What are you yelling about?"
Minglan retorted, "My sister is the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor. What kind of status do you have that you dare to call her 'sister'?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of resentment flashed in Man Niang's eyes. In her opinion, she was no worse than others; she was just not born into a better family.
Although she thought this in her heart, she still looked weak and pitiful at Minglan and said, "My husband and I have two children, and we just want to ask your sister to give us a way out."
"What way out?"
Minglan frowned when she heard that the two even had a child.
In most families, if they encounter such a situation, they would choose to keep the child and discard the mother.
This is not heartlessness.
Instead, people think that in this situation, there is usually a certain level of affection involved, plus there are children involved.
Even if the legal wife enters the family and gains a formal status, there's nothing the husband can do if he's biased.
This is also why the wife would send away her husband's original maidservants after she entered the household.
A maidservant who serves in a concubine's room may have been by your side since childhood. If she has any ulterior motives, it could cause a lot of trouble.
To maintain their position, they definitely had to be sent away.
Therefore, when Minglan heard that the two even had a child, she knew that the marriage was doomed.
It's impossible that Grand Tutor Yu knew this situation and still married Yu Yanran to Gu Tingye.
However, she wanted to see what Man Niang was up to.
"I am willing to share a husband with your sister, and after she marries into the family, I will certainly obey her with utmost respect."
"shut up!"
Minglan shouted, "What do you mean by 'passing through the gate' and 'sharing a husband'? Without a matchmaker or betrothal, what does my sister have to do with the Gu family?"
"You uttered foul language, defaming my sister's reputation and even causing her grandfather to faint. If it weren't for the fact that you're a woman, I would have sent you to the authorities!"
"I just wanted to find a way to survive, are you trying to force me into a dead end?"
Seeing this, Man Niang stopped pretending and said with a somewhat ferocious expression, "Fine, then I'll die here today!"
After saying that, he slammed his head against the wall.
"Stop her quickly!" Minglan said hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, the rough-looking old woman standing nearby quickly restrained Manniang.
Man Niang didn't want to die; she was just making a show of it.
"My sister has nothing to do with the Gu family and can't make decisions for them. Go beg the Gu family yourself, or you'll die in their place," Minglan said.
"Waaah—"
Manniang wept bitterly and said, "The Gu family dislikes my low social status and cannot accept me. I had no choice but to come to the Yu family."
Erlang and I have two children. Three lives have been lost! My two children are still so young. Please, Miss Yu, give them a way to live.
"Snapped!"
Minglan swept the teacup off the table and sneered, "Don't say my sister has no connection with the Gu family. Even if she did, you know the Gu family wouldn't accept you, yet you still came to pressure my sister."
She's not even married yet, and she's already been accused of disobeying her elders. What a cunning scheme!
Man Niang felt embarrassed when her secret was exposed, and struggled to say, "Since you won't give me a way out, then let me die."
But she was held down by two rough old women and couldn't break free.
Minglan calmly got up, took two steps forward, looked down at Manniang, and said, "You could have married into an ordinary family and lived a peaceful life."
But you insist on becoming a concubine to marry into a wealthy family. Since you became a mistress, it was of your own free will. Now, who are you trying to impress with your suicide attempt?
She grew up watching Lin Xiaoniang and Wang Daniangzi fight each other.
With her limited skills, Man Niang is far inferior to Lin Xiao Niang.
"You're spouting nonsense!"
Man Niang cursed, "What kind of upright family is the Yu family? If they don't give me a way out, I'll die in the Yu family, and you can all just wait to be despised by the whole world!"
"If you want to die, you can do whatever you want, as long as you don't die in the Yu family."
Minglan sneered, "Throw her out. If she wants to kill herself by crashing into the doorway, don't stop her. Let's see if she dares to die!"
"yes!"
The maids should have asked Yu Yanran for her opinion, but Minglan's aura was too strong, and they unconsciously obeyed Minglan's words, immediately dragging the cursing Manniang out.
"Minglan, won't this cause any trouble?" Yu Yanran asked with some concern.
"Don't worry, Sister Yanran."
Minglan smiled and comforted her, "If she just wanted a title to enter the family, it would be normal for her to act pitiful and threaten suicide. But look at her ferocious appearance when I exposed her."
Even if he had to agree to let her in because of his pride, how could he possibly tolerate her?
She just wants to ruin this marriage; she can't possibly be dead.
Minglan's tone was very firm.
Even if Man Niang gets in using such methods, she won't have a good ending.
You could say she was stupid for doing this, but she should have played the victim from beginning to end.
Man Niang has just revealed her true colors, which has frightened Yu Yanran.
If Yu Yanran might have initially taken her in out of pity, she would never have agreed after being terrified by Man Niang's true colors.
Even if Man Niang is stupid, she must have thought of this.
Moreover, while Man Niang could use the children as leverage, there was absolutely no need for her to mention having two children.
Taking all these factors into account, Minglan concludes that Manniang's goal is not a formal marriage, but rather to sabotage the engagement.
Thinking of this, Minglan sneered inwardly.
She has no brains at all, yet she still dreams of marrying into a wealthy family.
She was certain that the Gu family was unaware of Man Niang's existence.
After this incident, Man Niang's existence could no longer be kept secret.
No matter who Gu Tingye marries in the future, the woman will definitely ask to leave the mother and keep the child.
If her existence hadn't been exposed, she might have had a chance to enter the family in the future.
Minglan also understood why Gu Tingye suddenly went to the Yu family to propose marriage.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yanran said gratefully, "Minglan, if it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."
"Why are you being so polite with me?" Minglan said with a smile.
Just then, the old woman returned.
"How is she? Is she alright?" Yu Yanran asked hurriedly.
"Reporting to the eldest young lady, that woman tried to cause trouble after she left, but I did not intervene as instructed by the sixth young lady of the Sheng family. When she saw that no one was stopping her, she did not dare to actually cause trouble. She cursed a few times and then slunk away."
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