Chapter 179 Where is the lickspittle? The blame is passed around!
Shou'an Hall.

After a while, Hualan arrived.

Wang Ruofu immediately and enthusiastically asked Hualan to come over and meet Old Madam Yu.

While Hualan was speaking, Wang Ruofu quietly nudged Rulan, who had been dozing on his lap, with his right hand and whispered:

"Don't sleep, ask the maid to bring a chair over and sit next to your sister. You can keep her company and talk."

Rulan rubbed her sleepy eyes and muttered in a slightly irritable tone:
"Mother, can't you just yell? Why do you bother me to pass on messages?"

"Hey~ you kid..."

"understood!"

Seeing that her mother was about to teach her a lesson, Rulan immediately kept silent and instructed Xi Que, her personal maid behind her:
"Go move a stool over here."

"Yes!"

The women were talking.

Not long after, Yang Wenyuan and the other two arrived under the guidance of the Sheng family's maid.

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law!"

"Uncle, Madam!"

After entering the room, the three of them immediately saluted everyone.

"coming."

Wang Ruofu looked at Yang Wenyuan who was leading the group, and she was naturally very happy. She quickly introduced him:

"This is the old lady from Lord Yu's family. She is an old friend of my grandmother's from their youth. You should come and pay your respects as well."

"Madam Yu!" Yang Wenyuan was the first to greet her.

"Well, okay!" Old Mrs. Yu's face was also full of smiles at this moment.

She had heard of Yang Wenyuan's reputation before, but after Yang Wenyuan started taking the imperial examinations, his reputation had been rising. These days, she had heard from Old Lady Sheng that Yang Wenyuan was a truly rare and good son-in-law. Now that she met him in person, she was quite impressed.

After everyone had paid their respects, Sheng Hong immediately asked the maid to bring the prepared screen, and then led the three gentlemen to the other side of the hall, separating them from the female family members.

At this time, Changbai and Changfeng, who had changed their clothes, also arrived one after another. A group of scholars sat in the room, and the topic naturally shifted to their studies.

"Oh? Mr. Zhuang asked you to come after the seventh day?"

Seeing that Gu Tingye mentioned that Zhuang Xuejiu was preparing to start classes in advance, Sheng Hong could not help but nod and said:

"That's good. After all, the Spring Examination is just around the corner, and the weather has started to warm up recently. If we take the exam with more time, our chances of passing will be greater."

"As students, we naturally understand Mr. Zhuang's painstaking efforts."

Everyone was talking about their studies. Qi Heng suddenly stood out from the crowd and said to Sheng Hong sincerely:
"But uncle, I have been studying Wang Youjun's Ping An Tie recently, and there are many things I don't understand, so I would like to ask for your advice."

"Oh? There is such a thing?" Sheng Hong was as if his itch was tickled, and his face immediately showed joy.

Calligraphy is Sheng Hong's favorite.

The thing he was most proud of now, apart from his children's official careers, was that the emperor had praised his handwriting in front of important officials in the court.

This made him love calligraphy even more than before.

Among calligraphy copybooks, Wang Youjun's Ping'an Tie is Sheng Hong's favorite.

Now Qi Heng came with the peace card and asked him how to prevent Sheng Hong from being overjoyed.

"Wang Youjun's calligraphy is magnificent and natural, especially his Ping An Tie, which is really my favorite. I study it a lot every day. Is there anything that Yuan Ruo doesn't understand?"

Qi Heng immediately replied:

"Heng'er has been copying and studying the Ping An letter since he was a child, but he still can't get even one out of ten. Now it is said in the Great Zhou that your uncle's calligraphy is the best. Please forgive me for being so presumptuous. I wonder if I can get your calligraphy and take it home for comparison?"

"Of course you can!" Sheng Hong laughed immediately.

What he was most proud of was calligraphy. Now that the young master Qi Heng had asked for his calligraphy, how could Sheng Hong not be happy?
Sheng Hong and Qi Heng were chatting happily, but Yang Wenyuan was a little confused.

No, Qi Heng, you are so good at flattering, how can I, your real son-in-law, deal with it?
Where did this dog licker come from?!

But that's not right either.

Now that I have a wife, why do I still need to please my father-in-law?
Thinking of this, Yang Wenyuan felt much better.

Chang Bai on the side showed helplessness. He didn't expect that Qi Heng, a young master of noble status, would do so much for his sixth sister. He really loved her so much that he dared not speak even more.

If we hit a landmine, the scientific examination will be in trouble.

Gu Tingye's expression was somewhat amusing.

His face no longer had the casual look from before, but was filled with the seriousness of academic research!

I used to be dismissive, but now I learn frame by frame!

Just when Sheng Hong and Qi Heng were talking enthusiastically.

Molan finally found the right time and led the maid into the house with prepared tea.

"Father!"

Molan called out softly, then handed tea to Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong was also enjoying the conversation and felt a little thirsty. When he saw Molan leading the maid to serve tea, he felt a little relieved. Mo'er was indeed caring and considerate of his father.

Without thinking too much, he signaled Molan with his eyes to offer it to Qi Heng and others as well.

Molan was secretly proud of herself.

After giving it to Yang Wenyuan and others first, she walked gracefully to Qi Heng, tilted her head slightly and bowed, trying her best to show her feminine and soft side to Qi Heng, and personally served Qi Heng a cup of tea.

Unfortunately, Qi Heng was ignorant of the situation and was so focused on talking to Sheng Hong that he forgot that there was a beautiful woman beside him.

Chang Feng thought he had one, too, and was about to take it himself, but when he reached out and looked, he found that the teacup on the tray was empty. It was obvious that everyone had their own owner.

Molan glanced at her brother Changfeng inexplicably:
"You and your second brother didn't come earlier, so I only prepared portions for father and the other brothers. Time was tight, so I split up your portion, but there was none for you."

Chang Feng was immediately embarrassed.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were turned to him, he just pretended to be calm and coughed lightly, then said:

"Who is Wang Youjun? I don't dare to practice his calligraphy. It will make me lose my temper."

Sheng Hong immediately glared at Chang Feng unhappily:
"You're not afraid of being discouraged, you're just being lazy!"

Chang Feng chuckled and did not refute.

Sister Molan went to the women's side, and father's attention was turned to Qi Heng and brother Changbai. Changfeng immediately winked at Gu Tingye opposite him.

Gu Tingye was quick-witted and understood immediately. He turned his head slightly to gesture outside the house, and Chang Feng nodded hurriedly.

The two of them went out into the corridor.

Just then, he met the eyes of Minglan and Yu Yanran who were sitting in the corridor not far away.

Chang Feng didn't care.

After all, one is the unfavored sixth sister, and the other is the other sixth sister from Lord Yu’s family.

Chang Feng was about to leave, but Gu Tingye stopped.

Gu Tingye wants to discuss marriage with the daughter of Lord Yu.

Gu Tingye also found out about the Yu family's marriageable-age girls. There are only two of them, Yu Yanran and Yu Yanhong.

The eldest daughter, Yu Yanran, had lost her mother early in life, and was raised by Lord Yu and Old Madam Yu. She was a girl of gentle character. Although I didn’t see her clearly at the polo match before, now that I see her, I realize that she is a beauty.

The second girl, Yu Yanhong, did not have a very good reputation. It seemed that because she was favored by her mother and father, she had a somewhat overbearing temper and was often unfriendly to her elder sister, Yu Yanran.

So Gu Tingye's mind has begun to shift towards Yu Yanran.

Besides, there is Minglan, a beacon of light. Minglan has also been studying in the academy for a long time. Gu Tingye has more or less understood Minglan's personality from his daily reading and from Changbai and Yang Wenyuan.

Since he can play with Minglan, he is definitely not a person with a bad temper.

Seeing that his future "wife" was right in front of him, Gu Tingye naturally wanted to say hello and leave a good impression.

So Gu Tingye, with a little gratitude towards Chang Feng in his heart, forced Chang Feng to walk in front of Minglan and Yu Yanran.

"Hello, Sixth Sister!"

"Second Uncle Gu!" Minglan replied hesitantly, and at the same time, she and Yu Yanran stood up hand in hand. Both girls were quite reserved.

Gu Tingye nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Yu Yanran and asked, pretending not to know:

"This girl... is she the eldest daughter of Lord Yu?"

Yu Yanran looked a little embarrassed at the moment. After all, she had heard Minglan mention that although the second uncle of the Gu family was not as bad as the rumors outside, his temper was a bit unruly. So she replied a little embarrassedly:

"Well, Brother Gu Er is fine!"

Gu Tingye looked at the two people in front of him who seemed a little uncomfortable, and felt depressed.

what happened?

I just came over to chat and make some acquaintances, why are you guys acting like a little white rabbit seeing a big bad wolf?
Am I so terrible?

Chang Feng didn't care about anything else. After seeing the three people finished greeting each other, he just nodded slightly to Minglan and Yu Yanran, and pulled Gu Tingye aside.

"What? What's the hurry?" Gu Tingye's expression was still a little depressed at this time, and he was secretly wondering what went wrong.

Yang Wenyuan used to have the same bad reputation as himself. How come they both took the imperial examinations and passed the Spring Examination together? Why didn't his reputation improve much, while Yang Wenyuan's reputation suddenly turned white and became a model of a prodigal son?

Xiao Qinshi: I have read it, don’t cue me!

"Is it because I'm not married yet?" Gu Tingye glanced at Yu Yanran secretly, but he didn't expect that his eyes met hers, causing the girl opposite to blush immediately. She lowered her head quickly and shrank under Minglan's cover like a frightened rabbit.

"A poetry gathering!"

Seeing Gu Tingye's absent-minded look, Chang Feng suddenly became anxious and said quickly:

"Have you forgotten that we are going out to attend Rong Ge'er's poetry reading today? And Liang Liulang!"

"Oh!"

Gu Tingye suddenly realized.

I thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this kind of thing.

This poetry meeting was started by Rong Xian.

His money was previously controlled by his family, so he didn't have much spare money to interact with the leaders of the group. But this New Year is different, because there is New Year's money!

As a result, Rong Xian had already contacted all his former friends before the New Year, just waiting to get the New Year reward money so that he could go out and do charity for the leaders of the gang.

But Rong Xian still has some memory.

He still remembered the promise he had made to Yang Wenyuan that he would no longer go to Guangyuntai or other brothels.

Therefore, he changed the location of this operation to a restaurant, and the name became more high-end and elegant: Poetry Meeting!
If I don't go to the leader of the group, the leader will go to me!
Don’t ask, the answer is personal charm!

And Chang Feng naturally cannot be absent from such matters.

Chang Feng still missed Gu Tingye, his elder brother from Yangzhou, and also wrote to Gu Tingye.

At that time, Qi Heng had not yet talked to Gu Tingye about coming to Sheng's house on the second day of the Chinese New Year. Gu Tingye thought it was nothing and agreed.

Later, when he learned that Yu Yanran was also coming to the Sheng family, Gu Tingye was busy planning how to win the girl's heart and naturally forgot about this matter.

Now that Changfeng reminded him, he finally reacted.

"No!" Gu Tingye said firmly.

I, Gu Tingye, am a tall and handsome man, a decent gentleman. How could I possibly go to your poetry gathering when I see that the participants are not serious?
"what?"

What year is this eve?
Chang Feng was startled, suspecting that he had heard wrongly, and confirmed again:

"Second Brother Gu, what did you say?"

Gu Tingye looked serious and said righteously:

"Brother Feng, don't call me for poetry gatherings in the future. I'm tired of this kind of place."

"Ok?"

Chang Feng: Could it be that I misjudged the person when I met Chief Wei a few days ago?

"I advise you not to go!"

Gu Tingye vaguely saw that Yu Yanran and Minglan seemed to be looking here as well, so he patted Changfeng on the shoulder, put on a serious expression, and persuaded:

"Brother Feng, you don't have to go either. It's better for you to study hard at home."

Chang Feng didn't expect that Gu Tingye didn't go himself and even wanted to obstruct his path to happiness. Naturally, he was unhappy.

His mind turned a little, and he said:
"Since you are not going, Brother Gu, please tell my brother later that I am going out to attend a poetry meeting and will not eat at home today, so that I don't have to go back and listen to his nagging."

Seeing that Chang Feng was determined to leave, Gu Tingye did not try to stop him and nodded in agreement.

Chang Feng also showed joy on his face and immediately turned around and walked out.

Seeing this, Gu Tingye stopped for a moment before turning around and going back.

When passing by Minglan and Yu Yanran, he shook his head and sighed, which perfectly interpreted the helplessness in his heart.

"Second Uncle Gu, is Third Brother out?" Minglan's attention shifted to Gu Tingye and Chang Feng after being interrupted by Gu Tingye just now. Now seeing Chang Feng suddenly turn around and leave happily, Gu Tingye looked as if he had tried to persuade him in vain, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Good Sixth Sister, this is a great assist!" Gu Tingye cheered for Minglan in his heart, but his face remained calm.

"Oh, your third brother went out to attend a poetry gathering. I originally agreed, but I didn't know that we would be coming to the Sheng family today. And I just heard from your third brother that there were a few more people going, so I didn't plan to go."

"what?"

Minglan couldn't help but ask:

"So many people came to my house today..."

Minglan felt that her words were damaging to her brother's reputation, so she shut up immediately. However, Gu Tingye continued:

"That's good too. It's not a good idea to leave early today since we're here as guests. Liang Liulang and several young masters from the Duke of Lingguo's mansion are also attending the poetry gathering..."

Gu Tingye shook his head and sighed:

"I have been studying peacefully at home these days, so I will naturally not go to such poetry gatherings."

Gu Tingye: Chang Feng, Liang Han, for my happiness, I have to make you suffer!

Gu Tingye's words immediately made the two girls look at him sideways.

Although Minglan's opinion changed a little because of Gu Tingye's words, after thinking about it carefully, she felt that something was wrong.

But when I thought about it carefully, I couldn't find the source, so I had to keep this weirdness to myself.

But Minglan didn't dare let Gu Tingye say anything more.

After all, Sister Yanran is still here. Although I know that Sister Yanran will not tell anyone about it, it is still detrimental to my brother's reputation.

"Second Uncle Gu, please go in quickly. I think I saw my second brother coming out to look for you just now."

In fact, Gu Tingye still felt a little unsatisfied.

But seeing the expressions of the two people, I realized that my perception should have improved a lot.

The goal had been achieved, and Gu Tingye immediately stepped into the house.

(End of this chapter)