The Story of Ming Lan Episode 46 Recap
> The Story of Ming Lan Recap
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To fight external enemies, one must first pacify internal ones. Sheng Minglan understood this principle. Life is long, so there's no need to rush. Sheng Minglan had Dan Ju go out to pass a message, moving all those who fought to the manor outside the city for service. It was useless no matter how much those "mama"s claimed they were standing up for Sheng Minglan. Mama Lai, wrapped in bandages, wailed on the bed.
Upon hearing that all those people had been sent to the manor outside the city, she was very pleased, saying that she would arrange for some new people tomorrow. Unexpectedly, Dan Ju said that Sheng Minglan wanted to send Mama Lai to the manor outside the city to recuperate from her illness; whether she left early or late, she would always have to leave. Mama Lai was dumbfounded.
Sheng Minglan gave some reward money to the remaining loyal few, asking them to manage the vacant positions. Gu Tingye combed Rong Jie'er's hair, making it look like a poodle. Sheng Minglan had to do it herself, while scolding Gu Tingye. The three of them were playing around, making Xiao Tao stare in amazement. At this moment, Lady Qin arrived. Sheng Minglan had no choice but to have Xiao Tao serve tea, and she would go over later.
Gu Tingye said he would hide first and then go to support Sheng Minglan later. Lady Qin had come to demand an explanation, puzzled as to why those few, who were decent people in the Marquis's residence, had become like this here. Sheng Minglan, however, said that they showed their fangs upon seeing her young and unable to control them. How could Lady Qin be blamed?
Lady Qin was speechless and brought up Ming Yue and Ru Yue, who hadn't participated in the fight. Knowing that Ming Yue had been changed to Chun Yue, she still wanted to upset Sheng Minglan. Sheng Minglan escorted Lady Qin out the door, a scene of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reluctant to part. Unexpectedly, Lady Qin immediately changed her expression once she got into the carriage.
She believed that Gu Tingye was accustomed to being wild in brothels and would definitely fall into Chun Yue's charms. The remaining two maids couldn't be driven away. Gu Tingye wished he could talk to them himself, but Sheng Minglan already had a plan: she wanted to ask Chun Yue to visit Mama Lai in a few days. As soon as Mama Lai saw Chun Yue, she began to pour out her grievances.
Both mother and son were waiting for Chun Yue to strive to become a concubine. Who knew that now Chun Yue and Ru Yue were weak and couldn't even meet Gu Tingye? Chun Yue was truly afraid seeing Gu Tingye's unpredictable temper, and also feared that Lady Qin would drive her away, so she went back to beg Sheng Minglan. Chun Yue told everything that Lady Qin had instructed her to do.
She wanted to take Mama Lai and her sister Ru Yue back to their hometown and asked Sheng Minglan to help her retrieve their indentures. Sheng Minglan chuckled. If she had been so clever earlier, there wouldn't have been so many troubles. At dinner, Sheng Minglan ate with great relish. With those three gone, it was finally clean. She also had the chance to tour the manors, including the imperial manor that had been bestowed.
Sheng Minglan said to wait a few more days before asking for the indentures, but Gu Tingye was already impatient to see Lady Qin's anxious and vexed look, wishing he could go immediately after finishing dinner. Whatever Sheng Minglan wanted, Gu Tingye would surely offer it to her, as he simply wanted to see Sheng Minglan as carefree as she was just now eating the pork hock.
Sheng Minglan said nothing upon hearing this, and Gu Tingye felt a bit uneasy in his heart. Someone from Shitou's family arrived, reporting that they had found Zhu Manniang and Chang Ge'er, but failed to keep an eye on her and she escaped. Sheng Minglan sighed, saying she could sleep soundly tonight. Dan Ju also sighed, remarking that with Gu Tingye protecting her so much, Old Madam Sheng could also rest assured.
Sheng Minglan, however, stated that one should not rely solely on Gu Tingye for everything; if things continued like this, he would eventually find the burden too heavy. Gu Tingye listened from outside the door, feeling a bit disheartened. Gu Tingye told Sheng Minglan about Chang Ge'er, also saying that if there was any more news, he might have to leave home to check on it. Sheng Minglan thought this was reasonable and didn't find anything unusual about it.
Gu Tingye was disheartened. What exactly should he do to make Sheng Minglan truly trust him? Gu Tingye instructed Sheng Minglan not to worry about the manor, as it didn't yield much money in a year. However, Sheng Minglan had been taught by Old Madam Sheng since childhood that manors should be checked frequently to prevent those in charge from oppressing people and causing deaths, which would be bad. The Emperor was going to inspect the military camp.
Gu Tingye had originally intended to take a few days off to deal with family matters, but now he probably wouldn't have time. Sheng Minglan came to inspect the manor. Steward Ba Laofu quickly went to greet her. Who would have thought Sheng Minglan wanted to sleep and would check the accounts early tomorrow morning? This manor was confiscated by the imperial family; the people here were unfamiliar, so handling it would definitely not be easy.
The next day, Sheng Minglan exchanged a few pleasantries with Ba Laofu, and then had Cuiwei distribute one "guan" of money to each person in the manor. People gathered in a pile outside the gate to receive the money, and Ba Laofu panicked. Sure enough, Sheng Minglan found that Black Mountain Manor had several more "mu" of land than recorded, and the tenants didn't match the records. It seemed Ba Laofu had embezzled quite a lot of money.
If she hadn't prepared this money in advance, she probably wouldn't have been able to reel in these big fish. Immediately after, Ba Laofu brought a few stewards to confess their crimes, begging Sheng Minglan for mercy. Sheng Minglan certainly wouldn't let them off easily. She told them to leave first and said she would discuss it with Gu Tingye after inspecting Guyan Manor. Guyan Manor was even more complex than Black Mountain Manor, and that method might not work.
On the way, Sheng Minglan called a few people to inquire for information among the tenants, so they could at least uncover some details. Steward Wu Guang was waiting halfway, clearly having prepared false accounts, unafraid of inspection.
