Chapter 186 The "evil plan" was exposed!
The Duke's Mansion of Qi.

Inner study.

Qi Heng was writing the homework his mother asked him to do at the desk, but although he kept writing, his face showed obvious absent-mindedness, and he looked outside the house from time to time, obviously worried that his mother would severely punish Buwei.

After all, what happened today was caused by his willful behavior.

He would feel uneasy if Rang Buwei was blamed for this.

After a while, the sky gradually darkened.

Qi Heng was about to ask someone to light the lamp when there was a knock on the door and a voice:

"Son!"

“Come in, come in!”

Hearing Buwei's voice, Qi Heng hurriedly walked out from behind the desk and came to the door of the study, just as Buwei pushed the door open.

"How is it? Were you punished by your mother?" Qi Heng asked with concern.

"Thanks to you, brother, the princess only asked me a few questions and let me come back." Buwei responded repeatedly.

Then he noticed that the lights in the house were not turned on and it was a little dim. He immediately realized that his brother was worried that he was not in the mood to study and did not even notice that it was getting dark.

I am not deeply moved,

Immediately, he ran outside to fetch candles and lit them.

Under the gloomy sky, a dim candle was lit by Buwei. Under the illumination of the orange light, the two young faces of Qi Heng and Buwei were reflected.

This scene was repeated over and over again for nearly twenty years.

From a young child to a successful candidate in scientific research today.

Buwei put the lamp in his hand on the desk and pretended to light the candles on the four corner pillars in the study, but was stopped by Qi Heng.

"No need. There isn't much homework today, so just use it like this." Qi Heng ordered.

"But……"

He glanced at the candlelight that only illuminated the desk without any embarrassment and explained:
"Sir, this light is a little small. I'm afraid it will hurt your eyes."

"It's out of the way."

Qi Heng looked quietly at the pure and bright light source in front of him, paused, and continued:

"It will only take a moment."

……

Jiying Lane.

Sheng family.

The people of the Great Zhou would not easily have dinner at someone else's home unless they were staying overnight at that home.

So when the sky began to darken, Old Lady Yu immediately took Yu Yanran and said goodbye.

At the gate of Sheng Mansion.

The Yu family's carriage left with the earnest farewells of Yu Yanran, Minglan and Rulan.

The carriage quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

Upon seeing this, Hualan quickly came back to her senses from her mumbling about losing the game, and turned around to say goodbye to Wang Ruofu and her three younger sisters.

This scene has happened many times.

Therefore, no one expressed anything and just said hello. The scene was not as heartfelt as when the Yu family left just now. After all, there were still Minglan and Rulan shouting, right?
Soon, the Yang family's carriage also disappeared on the street.

Wang Ruofu immediately waved his sleeves and told everyone to disperse and return to their own courtyards.

Shou'an Hall.

Mother Fang had already lit up all the lights, making the house as bright as day.

Mrs. Sheng and Minglan, the grandmother and granddaughter, sat at each end of the Luohan chair, and the small table in the middle was placed with their evening meal.

Old Mrs. Sheng is old and doesn’t eat much at night, so most of the dinner is prepared for Minglan, and most of the dishes on the small table are Minglan’s favorites.

However, even though there was a lot of food, it couldn't stop Minglan's eager mouth.

As Minglan ate, she chattered non-stop, telling her grandmother about the interesting things that happened during the day. Old Mrs. Sheng would take a bite of food from time to time and mostly listened with a smile.

"Grandma, you may not know that my third brother sneaked out to play during the day and wanted to take Uncle Gu with him, but he was flatly rejected by Uncle Gu."

Minglan had no scruples when her grandmother spoke. She said whatever came to her mind. Her cheeks puffed up and she said, "Pointing out the world":

"And when Second Uncle Gu returned to his room, he told me that he would never go out to have fun again and would study hard from now on."

"My granddaughter finds it really strange! With Uncle Gu's personality, how could he not go out to play?"

As she spoke, Minglan tilted her head and looked at Old Madam Sheng, asking:
"Grandma, do you believe it?"

Old Madam Sheng shook her head slightly, but she did not refuse. She just said:

"I haven't seen that Erlang from the Gu family much. The incident in Yangzhou might have had some influence on your brother-in-law. I heard from Hua'er that his eldest lady was behind this in Bianjing. I have no idea at home, so how can I know what kind of person he is? You have been in the academy for so long, you must know more than me."

"and many more……"

Old Madam Sheng paused and asked:
"He spoke in front of you? He promised you? No one else?"

"I was just talking to my granddaughter. That's not a guarantee."

Minglan kept using her chopsticks and mumbled incoherently:
"Besides, Sister Yanran and I were sitting in the corridor talking at that time, and Second Uncle Gu just mentioned it when he passed by."

"Hmm? Yanran?" Old Madam Sheng's eyes narrowed.

She didn't believe that Gu Tingye would have mentioned it unintentionally.

There must be something wrong when something is abnormal. If Gu Tingye didn't want to go with Chang Feng, then he didn't go. Why did he mention it in front of Ming Yatou and Yanran?
However, Old Madam Sheng didn't know much, so she just kept her thoughts to herself.

As she was talking, Minglan started talking about the game of pitching pots in the afternoon.

"Grandma, you don't know, Uncle Gu is really good at pitching pots."

Although Minglan was talking about this, her tone did not sound annoyed or resentful, but rather contained a hint of admiration.

"Second Uncle Gu won all the games this time. He was able to hit the target easily, such as the ear-piercing and the lever-supporting. I think I am already very good at throwing pots, but I am still not as good as Second Uncle Gu."

Obviously, Gu Tingye's last move, the "Dragon Head", caused Minglan to misjudge and mistakenly think that it would be easy for Gu Tingye to throw the pole.

Having said this, Minglan didn't dare to continue.

Because what follows is the story of the young master Qi Heng.

If she continued, Minglan was afraid that her grandmother would hear something. After all, Qi Heng's behavior at that time was very much like a "hero saving a beauty", and Minglan had something to hide, so she didn't dare to say more.

Therefore, Minglan never dared to say much about Qi Heng in front of her grandmother, and would avoid mentioning it if possible.

"Grandma, why aren't you talking?" Minglan waited for a while, but saw that her grandmother didn't speak for a long time. Instead, she looked thoughtful, so she asked uneasily.

"No way? Grandma, you think this is weird?"

"You mean you didn't want to play pot tossing, but were 'inspired' by Gu Tingye?"

"Yes!"

At this point, Minglan patted her chest, her face showing a bit of relief:

"Fortunately, when I was about to go on stage in Yangzhou, my brother-in-law stopped me in advance. Otherwise, if I really went on stage, I'm afraid it would make my family even more embarrassed."

"Yangzhou?"

At this time, Mrs. Sheng didn't know what she was thinking of. She murmured something, and then suddenly a meaningful smile appeared on her face. However, since things had come to this point, it was a happy result for everyone, and Mrs. Sheng didn't think about it anymore.

However, the original guess in her mind became clearer and clearer.

Things cluster together.

Gu Tingye was able to pass the imperial examination so quickly, and maintain a close relationship with Yang Wenyuan, who was a man with a plan. I guess he must have had a plan in mind, right?
So would such a person say this to a little girl he doesn't know well?

Do you still want to "motivate" her to play pitch pot?

At this moment, Mrs. Sheng suddenly thought of what happened last winter.

Whenever Minglan encountered something interesting during her playtime, she would go back to Shou'an Hall and tell it to Old Madam Sheng to entertain the old lady.

At this moment, Old Lady Sheng recalled the time last winter when Minglan and her friends went to the Yang family to play ice skating.

At that time, Hua'er called several girls in the family to go to Pingyang Marquis' Mansion for fun. It seemed that the eldest lady of the Yu family and the two girls in the family were also specially invited?
Old Mrs. Sheng found it strange at that time.

After all, the relationship with the Yu family lies in the old ladies of the two families. If only Yu Yanran was allowed to go, it would be fine, but why is there also Madam Yu, whom he has never met, and another girl?
Now it seems that it has fallen here!
"When your sister Hua asked you to go ice skating, did Erlang from the Gu family go too?" Mrs. Sheng confirmed.

"Um……"

Minglan thought about it carefully in her little head, and finally nodded affirmatively and said:
"Yes! I remember Second Uncle Gu complained in the academy that he didn't get anything from his visit to my brother-in-law's house. Instead, he was severely punished by his father when he got home. He often asked my brother-in-law to compensate him."

"Yes!" Old Mrs. Sheng nodded slowly and affirmatively, and the doubts in her heart were already 90% confirmed.

This Gu Tingye came prepared!
Combined with the fact that Gu Tingye is about to take the imperial examination and what he said in front of Minglan and Yu Yanran, Old Lady Sheng is already certain that Gu Tingye is secretly looking for girls!

The family had planned to find a good marriage for Bai'er if he passed the imperial examination. Unexpectedly, Gu Tingye didn't need his family to worry about it, but he helped himself!
Thinking of this, Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Why does this scene feel familiar?
Old Madam Sheng became more determined in her mind: Gu Tingye must have developed feelings for Yu Yanran!
Although Minglan appeared every time, Old Lady Sheng never worried about Minglan at all.

After all, Minglan is still young, and it will take more than a year for her to reach the age of marriage. It will never be her turn. Even if her family can afford to wait, I am afraid Gu Tingye cannot.

On the other hand, Yu Yanran is very suitable.

She is already of age, not only has a pretty appearance, but also has a virtuous and gentle personality. If Gu Tingye reforms himself from now on and no longer goes to brothels, Yu Yanran will probably not care about his past bad deeds in the future.

Moreover, Yu Yanran is the eldest daughter who was raised by Lord Yu since childhood. If Gu Tingye passes the imperial examination, then marrying Yu Yanran will be an even greater boost to his career as a civil servant.

From any perspective, it is impossible for Gu Tingye to choose his own girl Ming.

"Grandma, what are you laughing at?" Minglan's pretty face was full of confusion, and the uneasiness in her heart eased a little.

If my grandmother had really discovered that she was wrong, she would definitely not laugh so happily.

So what is the reason for laughing?
Could it be because of the way she ate? Minglan pursed her lips and silently stopped her dancing cheeks.

Old Madam Sheng shook her head gently and said with a smile:

"Nothing, grandma just thought of something happy."

Old Madam Sheng didn't want to talk to Minglan.

Firstly, this is just my own speculation based on clues, so I can't make any irresponsible remarks.

The second reason is because Minglan and Yu Yanran have such a close relationship.

If I really tell Ming girl about this, I'm afraid it will reach Yu Yanran's ears tomorrow. The same goes for vice versa. Since Minglan doesn't know it yet, it means Gu Tingye has not expressed his intentions yet.

If I tell this to others and Gu Tingye denies it, wouldn't that mean I, as the elder, spread rumors about the younger one?

Third, the blame lies with Huaer and Yang Wenyuan.

Old Madam Sheng guessed that her granddaughter and grandson-in-law might also know about this and might be fanning the flames.

Since they have the intention, Mrs. Sheng still believes in Hualan and Yang Wenyuan's judgment.

If Gu Tingye was really a failure, they would not help Gu Tingye because of their relationship with Old Lady Yu.

"If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me..." Mrs. Sheng's perfunctory attitude was not concealed at all, and Minglan could see it at a glance.

Thinking about how she always shared interesting stories with her grandmother, but her grandmother always kept them secret from her, Minglan felt unhappy and immediately turned her head away, looking unhappy.

Minglan originally wanted to ask Old Lady Sheng to coax her so that she could then ask her grandmother to tell the truth. However, who knew that even after she had tried so many poses, her grandmother remained unmoved and continued to eat peacefully.

And looking at my grandmother's expression and movements while eating, she was obviously a lot happier!
Are you treating me as a joke? Minglan was furious.

Grandma, you are disrespecting me like this. Minglan, I am really angry!

"Oh, Grandma, please tell me~"

When one plan fails, Minglan comes up with another. She decides to use her ultimate weapon against her grandmother - acting like a spoiled brat!
Minglan didn't even want to eat, and she kept acting coquettishly while pulling on Old Madam Sheng's hand.

"Grandma, just tell me. If there is really something I can't say, I will keep my mouth shut tomorrow!" Minglan's pretty face tightened and she promised solemnly.

"Okay, okay, you little monkey, you don't want to eat yourself, and you don't want me to eat."

Old Madam Sheng was so annoyed that she finally said:

"Are you sure you don't want to tell anyone else?"

"I promise!" Minglan immediately sat up straight and promised.

"That's fine, grandma will talk to you."

Old Lady Sheng also loved Minglan to the extreme. She had just said in her heart that this matter should not be told to anyone, but now that Minglan acted coquettishly, she could not resist the power of the sugar-coated bullet.

"Uh-huh!"

Minglan nodded continuously, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with infinite curiosity.

Mrs. Sheng was helpless when she saw this, and immediately said slowly:

"I'm afraid that Gu's second son has developed feelings for your sister Yanran."

"what?!"

As soon as Mrs. Sheng opened her mouth, Minglan's eyes were filled with shock, and she said in disbelief:
"Grandma, are you saying that Second Uncle Gu has a crush on Sister Yanran?"

"Ok!"

Old Madam Sheng nodded, and then slowly explained her guess and basis.

At first, Minglan subconsciously wanted to refute, but as she listened to her grandmother's slow statement, the balance in her heart began to slowly tilt.

Soon, Mrs. Sheng finished her speech.

"Ming'er, remember, this is just grandma's guess after all, and it's still untrue. You can't tell anyone about it, not even your sister Yanran!"

Old Madam Sheng said with a serious expression:

"If you tell this to your sister Yanran, it will only cause trouble in your life and will be bad for both of you. What do you think?"

"What if Second Uncle Gu doesn't change?" Minglan argued.

"Then do you trust your eldest sister and brother-in-law?"

"Yes!" Minglan nodded affirmatively.

"That's it. If this is true, then they also helped. Since they all think that Gu Tingye can change for the better, why don't you believe it? Do you think you know Gu Erlang better than they do?"

Minglan shook her head decisively.

She didn't see Uncle Gu very often, so naturally she wasn't as good as her sister and brother-in-law.

"Then what do you think about this marriage if Gu Erlang changes his ways?" Old Lady Sheng continued to ask.

Minglan frowned and thought for a moment, muttering:
“If Second Uncle Gu changes his mind, then this marriage will be okay for Sister Yanran?
Uncle Gu is a well-off man, and he is a righteous man. Sister Yanran is often bullied at home, and she always told me that she hopes her future husband will be a loving and family-oriented person, and nothing else matters. So..."

(End of this chapter)