Chapter 144 Wang Ruoyu's plan to reopen the military department
Jiying Lane.

At the gate of Sheng Mansion.

The people of the Great Zhou liked to travel by horseback, and sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages were usually ridden by women, brides and the elderly.

Yang Wenyuan also wanted to go out for a horse ride, but Hua Lan pulled his sleeve and stopped him, saying that it was his first time experiencing such a scene and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Yang Wenyuan looked around.

He and his wife sat in a beautifully decorated three-horse carriage with a flag embroidered with the word "Yang" on top. They were flanked by female servants and followed by two teams of royal guards dressed in black with solemn expressions. Not far away, passers-by stopped to watch and talked in low voices.

"Whose noble family is this? Why is he coming to Jiying Lane with such a big crowd?"

"Hey, what's wrong with you? You are so uninformed that you put all your energy on the prostitute?"

"How could you...how could you insult someone's innocence for no reason?"

"I won't argue with you. Didn't you see the word 'Yang' embroidered on the flag? That's the carriage of the Yang family of Pingyang Marquis's Mansion. The young marquis of his family married the Sheng family in Jiying Lane a few days ago and married the eldest daughter of his family, who is now the eldest lady of the Marquis' Mansion. Today, he should be returning home.

Hey, hey, hey... why are you walking? That's the direction of the secret door, and it's not open during the day!"

"Forgive me, forgive me, I really can't help it. Oh, but how did you know..."

At the gate of Sheng family, Changbai was already waiting in front of the gate.

Yang Wenyuan got off the carriage first, then reached out to help Hua Lan down.

This action seemed normal to Yang Wenyuan, but in Changbai's eyes, it was a manifestation of harmonious marriage - although this was not wrong.

Changbai immediately came forward and called out cordially:
"Sister, brother-in-law!"

"Hey!" Hualan nodded, but before she could say anything, Yang Wenyuan responded first, causing Hualan and Changbai to look at her sideways.

Yang Wenyuan ignored the looks of the two people, and kept smiling. He just felt particularly comfortable after hearing the word "brother-in-law".

I have said it before, "Wenyuan" is only temporary, and "Brother-in-law" is the eternal melody!

"Brother, keep working hard!" Yang Wenyuan patted Changbai's shoulder gently and said with relief.

Changbai looked confused.

younger brother?

What he said was correct, but the tone sounded strange no matter how he listened to it.

keep it up?

Does that mean that his ranking in the provincial examination was lower than his?

Changbai nodded secretly, this should be the case.

However, no matter how hard Changbai tried, he could not have figured out that Yang Wenyuan's "keep working hard" was a form of bad taste, and was asking him to call him brother-in-law more often in the future.

Hualan also found it strange.

But she had quickly adapted to her husband's incoherent speech, so she raised her leg and urged Changbai to go into the house, leaving Yang Wenyuan alone there, laughing foolishly.

In the main hall.

Wang Ruofu sat at the top.

Sitting next to her was a person Hualan would never have expected to be there—her aunt, Wang Ruoyu, the eldest lady of the Kang family.

Wang Ruoyu had high cheekbones and no flesh on his cheeks, giving people a mean feeling.

But in Hualan's childhood memory, Wang Ruo's appearance was not like this before, or it was not as obvious as it is now.

You know, Wang Ruoyu was not only famous for being the eldest daughter of the Wang family, but also for her beautiful appearance, otherwise she would not have been welcomed into the Kang family with such joy.

Who would have thought that compared with her mother Wang Ruofu, Wang Ruofu seems even more charming.

Hualan could only sigh that times had changed.

After going through the hardships of life and time, as well as the drastic changes in his character, Wang Ruoyu has become what he is today.

My grandmother was right:

"A woman's marriage is her second life."

Looking at Wang Ruoyu who was sitting in the chair to the right of her mother, Hualan secretly speculated in her heart: her aunt must have calculated the exact day for her visit, otherwise she wouldn't have run into her by such a coincidence - Hualan had deliberately returned home much earlier today.

Wang Ruofu was sitting in the house. When she saw Hualan and Yang Wenyuan walking beside Changbai, she didn't care about etiquette and immediately stood up to greet them, which made Wang Ruoyu beside her give her a sidelong glance.

"Hua'er, son-in-law, you are here!"

Walking closer, Wang Ruofu looked at Hualan, who was covered in jewels, with emeralds and pearls surrounding her back, and her appearance was bright and elegant. She couldn't help feeling happy, and she pursed her lips, but her eyes turned red without her knowing when.

Seeing this, Hualan hurried forward and held Wang Ruofu's hand.

"Mother, my daughter is back!"

"Uh-huh!"

Wang Ruofu sobbed a few times, knowing that it would not look good to shed tears at such a festive occasion. Noticing that everyone was looking at her, she immediately looked a little embarrassed, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the corners of her eyes, and then led everyone forward.

Wang Ruofu walked over to Wang Ruoyu who was still sitting on the chair and introduced:

"You haven't met me yet, have you? This is my elder sister from my mother's family, the eldest lady of the Kang family, and your and Hualan's aunt."

"All is well, aunt." Although Yang Wenyuan knew Wang Ruoyu's temper and was displeased with her, he could only bow his head and call out to her together with Hualan when they returned to their parents' home to recognize their relatives.

"Ah."

Wang Ruoyu still maintained the airs of an elder, acting in a controlled manner. He just sat on the chair, chuckled, nodded, and responded.

At this time, the housekeeper of Shou'an Hall came into the room, bowed to everyone, and then asked Hualan:
"Young lady, our old lady heard that you and your son-in-law were here, so she sent me here to ask you about your situation. I didn't have time, so she wanted you to come over and talk."

Wang Ruofu had just seen her daughter, and she didn't expect the old lady to send someone to call Hualan away. Although she looked a little reluctant, she still said:
"Hua'er, since your grandmother misses you, go and see her first. When lunch is ready, I will send someone to call you."

Hua Lan nodded.

Yang Wenyuan quickly stood up and walked out of the room.

Looking at Hualan's departing figure, Wang Ruofu was still confused.

The old lady is not usually like this.

At least he would let me talk to Hualan for a while before sending someone to ask. Unlike now, he is in such a hurry to ask me to leave, as if he was afraid that Hualan would stay here to talk.

Wang Ruoyu watched the two of them leave, and when only he and his sister Wang Ruofu were left in the room, he said sarcastically:
"Your old lady called Hualan and your uncle away so quickly. I'm afraid it's because I'm here and it's getting in the way, right?"

Wang Ruofu waved her hands quickly and explained helplessly:

"Sister, what are you talking about? You are my biological sister, and my old lady has never seen you. How could she deliberately target you?"

Wang Ruoyu took the opportunity to fan the flames and said:

"If it's not for me, then who is it for?"

Wang Ruofu changed the subject and asked in confusion:
"For whom? The old lady is just worried about her granddaughter getting married and suffering, so she is anxious. It's not for whom."

Wang Ruoyu disagreed and retorted:
"Your old lady was born in a marquis's mansion and is well acquainted with all kinds of etiquette and rules. Moreover, I'm a stranger here today, but she called Hualan away in such a hurry in front of me. It was clearly intentional." "So..." Wang Ruofu inexplicably felt that there was some truth in it.

"There are only two of us in the room. You just said it's not because of me, so who is it for?"

Wang Ruoyu patted the table lightly, with a look of solidarity on his face:

"She obviously did it for you!"

"For me?" Wang Ruofu was stunned.

How did it get involved with me?
Wang Ruoyu knew how to PUA his sister, and immediately said:

"When your old lady came to my Wang family to propose marriage, she was forced to choose you. She always felt unhappy, so she deliberately let her distant relative Lin Qinshuang stay in the Sheng family. Later, Lin Qinshuang came to your family and acted arrogantly. Is that right or not?"

Wang Ruoyu gave Wang Ruofu a short time, but not enough time to think carefully, and immediately spoke quickly:

"After the incident, she forced you to drink Lin Qinshuang's concubine tea. Maybe she planned everything just to make herself feel good. After all, I heard that your family's previous concubines were either sent away by her or carried away horizontally. It can be seen that although she appears kind on the surface, she is actually vicious and gloomy."

After listening to Wang Ruoyu's words, Wang Ruofu felt that there was some truth in them, but it also seemed strange.

My mind is a mess at the moment and I can't make any sense of the thoughts.

Why was he so anxious to call Hualan away to chat that he became malicious?
"Then how do you explain that the old lady hasn't spoken to Lin Qinshuang for so many years? And why doesn't she allow Lin Qinshuang to go to Shou'an Hall?" Wang Ruofu suddenly cleared her mind and asked directly.

If Lin Qinshuang was really specially brought in by Old Lady Sheng, how could the two of them not see each other or speak to each other for so many years?

This is not common sense!
Anyway, if Wang Ruofu were to come, I would definitely not be able to do this.

By analogy, Wang Ruofu felt that Lin Qinshuang would definitely not be able to do it either.

Wang Ruoyu paused, he didn't expect that just because he relaxed for a moment, his simple-minded sister would actually figure out what was going on.

But she thought for a moment and immediately came up with a reason.

"This means that Lin Qinshuang was also kept in the dark! It is very likely that your old lady was behind the whole thing. She has such skills and courage. Otherwise, with Lin Qinshuang's courage and ability, with you around, how could she successfully seduce my brother-in-law?"

Wang Ruoyu said this, and he also began to believe it. This logic seemed to work even if it was crooked! ——The best way to deceive others is to deceive yourself first.

Although she felt that the reason was a bit far-fetched, Wang Ruofu still agreed with what Wang Ruoyu said, that Lin Qinshuang was not as capable as herself, and nodded immediately:

"That's right. Lin Qinshuang is definitely not as good as me. When you compare Hua'er with Molan, you can tell who is better!"

What Wang Ruoyu wanted was Wang Ruofu's recognition, and without letting Wang Ruofu think about it, he continued:
"This may not be entirely true. After all, I am only analyzing it in detail. But one thing is certain. It is definitely true that your old lady does not like you. Maybe she just likes to contradict you."

Wang Ruoyu's dagger will be revealed when the plan is finally completed.

She said so many things just to alienate the relationship between Wang Ruofu and Old Madam Sheng.

Wang Ruoyu never dared to look down on old ladies like Mrs. Sheng who came from the backyard of a deep mansion.

During this period of time, I got some money from Wang Ruofu, and it seemed that the old lady in Shou'an Hall found out.

Every time I come here, I can see one or two old women looking over here, as if they are on guard against me.

How is this possible?!

I have to hold on to this sister and not let go!

Therefore, in order to prevent his sister from being "bewitched", Wang Ruoyu had to constantly alienate her relationship with Old Madam Sheng.

Wang Ruofu listened to Wang Ruo and herself denying that unreasonable guess, and nodded secretly in her heart.

At the same time, he agreed with what Wang Ruoyu said, that his old lady was displeased with his behavior.

After all, the concubine tea that he was forced to drink, and Old Lady Sheng's indifference to Sheng Hong's preference for his concubine over his wife for many years, all of these really happened and are still vivid in his memory.

All these made Wang Ruofu feel very dissatisfied.

Wang Ruoyu was secretly satisfied when he saw this.

After what she said today, and if she continues to instigate him in the future, even if Old Madam Sheng says something bad about her because of what she did, Wang Ruofu probably won't believe it.

Out of consideration for family ties, I have to say a few words to support myself.

At this moment, Wang Ruoyu looked at Wang Ruofu who was thoughtful, and suddenly felt a little pleasure of cultivation in his heart - success will only be real if it is achieved through real talent and knowledge, and success achieved simply by luck will not last long!

After gossiping, Wang Ruoyu didn't want to let Wang Ruofu think about it, so he turned around and said:

"I heard that your uncle's nephew was arranged by your uncle to work in the Five Cities Army?"

This is certainly not hearsay.

The so-called knowing oneself and the enemy will never end in a hundred battles.

Now that Hualan has become the eldest lady of the Marquis's Mansion, Wang Ruoyu cares more about the various news about Wang Ruofu and the Sheng family than Wang Ruofu herself.

When Wang Ruofu mentioned this, she immediately showed a happy expression, and was obviously very happy to be able to help her uncle's family. She replied:

"Sister is right. Didn't Wenyuan's uncle, Yang Duzhishi, originally work for the East City Military Department? The current Duzhishi of the East City Military Department was his former deputy, so he helped arrange for Ye'er to work there and find a job as an official, working under a commander of the Yang family's side branch, the Limu."

"A police officer?"

Wang Ruoyu's expression lightened when he heard this, and he smiled:

"I thought he was going to be assigned a clerk position, but it turns out he's just an errand boy. I don't think your son-in-law is that devoted to helping you. Is it because Hualan didn't have a say in the matter?"

The reason why Wang Ruoyu came to Sheng's house today was because Wang Ye received the favor of the Yang family and joined the Five Cities Military Department.

In Wang Ruoyu's opinion, her own aunt, the eldest lady of the marquis's mansion, didn't get any benefits first, but was overtaken by a poor relative from a merchant family. How could this be possible?

But now that I heard it, I felt much better.

It turns out he's just a small errand boy, that's all right.

It seems that Yang Wenyuan doesn't really want to help.

He only agreed to it out of consideration for his mother-in-law Wang Ruofu, and finally found a place to stuff Wang Ye in.

But Wang Ruofu knew how much help Yang Wenyuan had given in this matter. Now seeing her sister looking down on her, she became anxious, but she also remembered Yang Wenyuan's reminder at the beginning, so an expression of wanting to say something but stopping appeared on her face.

Wang Ruoyu knows his sister thoroughly.

Seeing Wang Ruofu's awkward look, it was clear that there was something else going on.

His expression was startled immediately, and he asked hurriedly:
"What do you mean, is there another way?"

Wang Ruofu seemed to be waiting for Wang Ruoyu to say this.

His expression relaxed, and he said hesitantly:
"This is a serious matter. If I tell you, sister, you can't tell anyone else."

Wang Ruoyu naturally nodded in agreement.

"Uh-huh."

Wang Ruofu glanced outside cautiously, then leaned close to Wang Ruoyu's ear and whispered:
"The imperial court will reopen the military examination next year!"

(End of this chapter)