The Story of Ming Lan Episode 4 Recap
> The Story of Ming Lan Recap
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
Sheng Minglan turned and ran into Sheng Old Madam's arms, then boarded the boat together, leaving their hometown. The night on the river was exceptionally hazy, making everyone feel even more desolate. Sheng Minglan sat alone on the side, sobbing uncontrollably. Sheng Old Madam felt heartbroken watching her, and quickly hugged the little girl to comfort her. She told Sheng Minglan to remember that as long as she was there, Sheng Minglan would never be bullied!
Lin Qinshuang played a song "Phoenix Seeks Its Mate" that night, only wishing Sheng Hong would come to her room for a look. Wang Ruofu heard it and scoffed incessantly. Sheng Rulan was reciting poetry beside Wang Ruofu, talking about Sheng Minglan's recent situation. She sat in her room all day, neither crying nor making a fuss, almost becoming a fool from illness. Wang Ruofu, however, had no interest in Sheng Minglan.
Because Sheng Hong had been in her room for half a month, she thought he had grown tired of Lin Qinshuang. She even planned to sell Lin Qinshuang once they arrived in Bianjing, so she would never see her again. The nanny by Wang Ruofu's side, however, saw through it clearly: Lin Qinshuang had been favored for years after all, so it was impossible for her to fall from grace so suddenly. As they were talking, the zither music stopped.
Wang Ruofu immediately sent someone with pastries to Sheng Hong's place. Sure enough, Lin Qinshuang was outside Sheng Hong's room, pleading bitterly, but Sheng Hong turned a deaf ear. Wang Ruofu was bound to go up and mock her first. Lin Qinshuang's eyes were full of tears. She loudly declared she would jump off the boat, claiming she would rather die a pure ghost. As the two continued their ruckus outside, Sheng Hong finally couldn't stand it anymore.
Lin Qinshuang knelt on the ground, recounting in detail all the kindness she had shown Madam Wei over the past few months. Her death, she argued, could not be blamed on her under any circumstances! Wang Ruofu naturally couldn't stand it and wanted to pick flaws, but Lin Qinshuang was silver-tongued. She merely said that those unruly servants didn't see her as a steward, thereby cleverly shunning the blame. Wang Ruofu, enraged, cursed a few times.
Lin Qinshuang, however, used a self-inflicted injury ploy, claiming she was guilty for being too soft-hearted and unable to command the servants at a crucial moment. Her methods were truly clever, especially since Wang Ruofu's fiery temper caused her to lash out with insults, which only deepened Sheng Hong's affection for her. Lin Qinshuang even kowtowed to Wang Ruofu, begging her to let her stay.
This "white lotus" act truly infuriated Wang Ruofu, yet she couldn't find a way to argue against her. In the end, Lin Qinshuang even fainted at Wang Ruofu's feet. Watching Sheng Hong carry Lin Qinshuang away, Wang Ruofu wished she could just skin that demon alive. This act by Lin Qinshuang reminded Sheng Hong of his own childhood. As a concubine's son, he and his mother survived in a precarious situation.
Therefore, as long as Sheng Hong was alive, he would never let Lin Qinshuang and her children suffer. After the boat docked, everyone disembarked and left the pier. Gu Tingye told Sheng Changbo to find him once he settled down, and then Gu Tingye was picked up and taken home by his younger brother, Gu Tingwei. Madam Xiao Qin was waiting for Gu Tingye at the pier.
She also mentioned that he had left a letter and gone to Yangzhou this time, and his father, Gu Yan'kai, had been angry for several months. Gu Tingye simply decided not to go back for now and planned to find a place to stay in Bianjing for a few days. On the first day of court, the Emperor asked about the locust plague in the Jiangzhe region.
Sheng Hong naturally had a few words to say, but several ministers stopped him, requesting the Emperor to adopt a child from the imperial clan. The Emperor had just lost his son and was so enraged by this "forced succession" scene that he almost vomited blood. He was about to adjourn court, disregarding the ministers' requests. However, one minister, willing to be beaten, pulled on the Emperor's sleeve, still pleading for the adoption.
Yet, the Emperor remained silently immersed in the pain of losing his son. The Sheng family had just settled down in Bianjing. In a few days, Master Zhuang would arrive in Bianjing. Wang Ruofu heard that the young master from Duke Qi's Residence was coming to their estate to study and was very happy for Sheng Changbo. Gu Tingye had also said he would come earlier, but later went to Bailudong Academy.
Sheng Hong, however, did not want Sheng Minglan to study, saying she was still young and her mind was currently unsettled. Sheng Old Madam's attitude was very firm; she insisted that Sheng Minglan must go to study. The several young ladies and young masters of the Sheng family all went to the school, and gradually grew up amidst Master Zhuang's sonorous recitation of poetry. Young Master Qi Heng of Duke Qi's Residence loved calligraphy and conversed eloquently with Sheng Hong.
The several young ladies of the Sheng family were all serving by Sheng Old Madam's side, while Sheng Minglan hid to the side, playing with Xiaotao. Qi Heng couldn't help but chuckle when he saw this. Sheng Changfeng heard that Gu Tingye had passed the imperial examination at Bailudong Academy and would be returning to the school here in a few days. He was very happy.
Sheng Changbo couldn't help but lecture him a few times, and Sheng Changfeng quickly left under the pretext of a poetry gathering. Qi Heng heard that Old Master Yu was also coming soon and wanted to stay for dinner, but his nearby servant boy revealed his true intentions: he simply wanted to stay and see Sheng Minglan more.
Just as Qi Heng was about to bid farewell, he discovered that his sweat towel was missing, so he had no choice but to go back and look for it. Sheng Minglan and Yu Yanran sat together eating some snacks. Yu Yanran was Master Yu's child, and she shared similar experiences with Sheng Minglan; the two were also good friends. Qi Heng's eyes were fixed on Sheng Minglan.
When he saw Sheng Minglan get up, he quickly wanted to follow her. Meanwhile, Sheng Molan in the corner also cast amorous glances at Qi Heng. Sheng Minglan and Yu Yanran were also talking about this matter. Yu Yanran didn't understand why the usually low-key Qi Heng was making such a big display.
Sheng Minglan, however, saw through it clearly: after all, a sweat towel was a personal item; if it were lost and not publicized under some pretext, it might be difficult to explain in the future. As the two walked along the road, they heard the cry for help from Suqin, the maid by Sheng Molan's side. It turned out the sweat towel was on Suqin.
But Sheng Minglan saw the clue; she feared that the person who stole the towel had secretly put it on Suqin. Sheng Minglan couldn't stand by and was determined to vindicate Suqin, but telling Wang Ruofu like this would surely not be believed, and telling Qi Heng wasn't quite appropriate. So, the two discussed going to Sheng Changbo. To their surprise, as soon as they turned around, they met Qi Heng. He had already heard everything they said just now.
Qi Heng stated that he would definitely protect the wronged person. At the school, after dismissal, Sheng Minglan was kept behind by Master Zhuang again. Sheng Minglan's calligraphy was truly unpresentable, so Master Zhuang asked her to write the character "æ°¸" (yÇ’ng). Sheng Minglan, citing the fact that she had practiced hard for many days without improvement, pleaded to copy books instead.
Master Zhuang then told her to copy the "Discourses on Salt and Iron" once and submit it three days later. Sheng Minglan's face fell upon hearing this. She offered some well-cooked dishes to persuade the master to give her one more day. On her way back to her room, Sheng Minglan was troubled by the book copying task. Qi Heng found an opportunity to call out to her, always wanting to get closer to her.
After losing her mother, Sheng Minglan was left alone and learned to hide her sharp edge and intelligence. She also dared not aspire to Qi Heng's status, always deliberately keeping her distance from him, and she refused Qi Heng's offer to help her copy the book. Qi Heng then gave some fruits to Sheng Minglan, but Sheng Minglan and Xiaotao always recoiled.
Qi Heng had no choice but to tuck the fruits and a fine brush into Sheng Minglan's arms and quickly leave. Sheng Rulan, from a distance, saw this, and her dislike for Sheng Minglan grew even more. Whenever Sheng Molan and Sheng Rulan met, they always inevitably exchanged a few barbs; one inherited Wang Ruofu's straightforwardness, while the other inherited Lin Qinshuang's subtle femininity. Sheng Minglan walked towards them. Sheng Rulan snatched the book box from Xiaotao's hand and pulled out the brush that Qi Heng had just given Sheng Minglan.
