Minglan is reborn, this time with no regrets!

Empress Shen pretended to be surprised and said with a smile, "Little rascal, it's rare for you to behave so well. It seems that you have really met someone who can punish you!"

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Only Wang Ruofu's smile looked slightly bitter.

Empress Shen looked at the old lady and said, "I was just joking just now. Actually, this kid knows his limits the best. I heard your majesty mention that this kid was ranked among the top three at the beginning, but he was trapped in family affairs and lost his reputation. He was also asked not to take the exam again before he was fifty years old. This kid wanted to learn martial arts because he was not good at literature, and the late emperor threw him to our Yuzhou. You know, Yuzhou is not a strategic location. Even if there is a war, no one would want to attack that place. Throwing Zhong Huai to Yuzhou means that he can't even establish military merit. But this kid is tough and has no complaints. When he went to Yuzhou, he concentrated on being a soldier, guarding and protecting diligently. That day, the King Ni sent assassins to assassinate your majesty because of a private edict from the late emperor. If Zhong Huai hadn't discovered it in advance, I... our family would have died a long time ago..."

As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

Gu Tingye clasped his fists and comforted him: "Your Majesty and the Queen are respectful to the wise and respectful to the soldiers, and they love the soldiers like their own children. They know that the Gu family was abandoned by the previous emperor, but they never treated me badly. On the contrary, they treated me with great courtesy. I will never be able to repay such kindness even if I die!"

Wang Ruofu also hurried to comfort them: "That's right! Your Majesty and the Queen are both destined by heaven, and they are blessed by the gods! Gu Erlang is the heavenly soldier and general sent by heaven!"

The expressions on Changbai and Old Lady Sheng's faces froze.

Sheng Hong closed his eyes in shame.

Hai Chaoyun pursed his lips and thought about all the sad things in his life.

Empress Shen was still preparing her emotions, but her mind went blank when she heard her words "heavenly soldiers and generals". After a while, she suddenly burst out laughing: "Madam is really a wonderful person!"

The icy atmosphere finally loosened.

The whole family laughed awkwardly. Sheng Hong laughed while gritting his teeth and making the "shut up" gesture to Wang Ruofu.

Wang Ruofu, however, was very pleased with herself for having successfully made the Queen laugh, and scoffed at Sheng Hong's suggestion.

Empress Shen continued, "On the day of the rescue, the late emperor cleared Zhong Huai's name in front of your majesty and his son, but the boy did not take credit for it and only said that he was serving the country. Later, when your majesty talked about this matter again, he still sighed that Zhong Huai had suffered so much, but he still had such a character. He is really a good boy who can distinguish right from wrong."

Old Lady Sheng looked at Gu Tingye with a smile: "Your Majesty is right. Not everyone can face difficulties and persevere to the end in adversity."

Empress Shen: "So, when His Majesty asked me to be a matchmaker for this boy, I agreed without hesitation. Ming'er is well-educated, gentle and charming, and Zhonghuai is both wise and brave, and values ​​friendship and loyalty. It is a very pleasant job to be a matchmaker for the two of them. I hope Aunt and Madam Sheng will rest assured!"

In the later period of her life in Youyang, she always called the old lady "Auntie". At this time, the room was full of Sheng family members, and no one would say anything if she called her that, and the old lady was happy to hear it.

Normally, the old lady should have nodded in agreement to the Queen's words at this time, but she was really worried that Minglan would be bullied by the Gu family if she married into the family, so she said carefully: "With the late emperor granting the marriage and Your Majesty acting as a matchmaker, it is an infinite honor for our Sheng family, and I am naturally relieved. However, I still have some questions that I want to ask General Gu in person, and I hope Your Majesty will allow me."

Queen Shen nodded and waved to Gu Tingye, "Zhong Huai, come forward and give a proper reply."

Gu Tingye clasped his fists and walked respectfully to the main seat.

The Old Lady: "Although General Gu said that it was my family who allowed you to study in the private school, you had actually passed the imperial examination at that time, and coming to my house was just icing on the cake. Later, when the government was in turmoil, you secretly sent people to protect my family. My family has never thanked you in person for all this. After all, my family has not done you much good, but you have taken care of us a lot. You say that you are grateful to my family, but in fact, I feel guilty." Sheng Hong and Chang Bai thought that her words were only referring to the four people that Chang Dong was currently with, but Gu Tingye and Minglan knew that she was also referring to Shi Tou and others from Youyang.

Gu Tingye clasped his fists and shook his head to show his modesty, but did not interrupt the old lady.

The old lady said: "You are both talented in literature and martial arts, and you are grateful. I am very satisfied to marry Ming'er to a good man like you. However, I heard that the relationships in your Gu Mansion are complicated and there are many conflicts. I have brought Ming'er with me since she was a kitten. Although she is well-educated and well-mannered, she has never seen the world. I am really worried that she will cause trouble for you when she goes to the Gu Mansion!"

She said it very tactfully. To put it bluntly, the uncles and aunts in the Gu family were like wolves and tigers, and the old lady was afraid that Minglan could not fight against that big family.

Gu Tingye bowed deeply, "The old lady's kindness is pure and sincere, which touched me deeply. Please rest assured, my father had already separated from several uncles and aunts last year. Now there are only father and brother and sister-in-law in my family. My father will deal with those uncles and aunts, and Minglan will not be affected by the dirty things. In addition, His Majesty has been so kind that he has granted me a new house, which is behind the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion, separated by a courtyard wall on both sides. If Minglan is willing, she can live in the new house and live a simple life behind closed doors."

These words made Wang Ruofu and Hai Chaoyun, the two daughters-in-law of the Sheng family, open their eyes wide - living alone at home without having to serve a large family, this sounds like a heavenly life!

But the old lady knew that things couldn't be that simple.

Gu Tingye now commands a large army, and he has to go out to fight or train troops in the barracks half of the year. Minglan has to take care of all the household chores alone. How could she really push everything to her father-in-law?

She turned to look at Minglan and asked, "What do you think, Ming'er?"

Minglan stood up and whispered, "It's all up to the elders."

In the Sheng family, the old lady, Sheng Hong and his wife, and Changbai and his wife are her elders. If she marries into the Gu family, then Gu Yankai and Gu Tingyu and his wife are her elders. She has to rely on her elders to make decisions, and she cannot make decisions for herself.

But there is no solution to this problem.

Unless both parties are orphans and were born from cracks in rocks, everyone has elders in this world. In secular etiquette, elders are the ones who can make the decisions. The only difference is whether the elders you meet can distinguish right from wrong. This is purely a matter of fate.

Empress Shen: "I've also heard about his uncles and aunts. They are indeed not sensible people. However, the old Marquis Gu is still open-minded. He took on everything and separated the family from his two younger brothers. Otherwise, the Gu family would have been a real mess. Now Erlang's family is relatively simple, and they will definitely not make things difficult for Ming'er."

However, she didn't say anything else, that is, although the two branches have been separated, they still have the surname "Gu". The people in the Gu family who have received favors from their ancestors will not care about any quarrels and disputes in the Gu family, but only care about whether the younger generations with the surname "Gu" are well taken care of. It is actually unrealistic to separate them completely.

The reason why Concubine Rong lured two women from the fourth and fifth rooms of the Gu family into the palace when she was plotting rebellion was precisely because of this consideration.

Gu Tingye turned around and looked at Minglan, and said firmly: "I know you are worried. There are indeed some things in my family that have not been properly dealt with. I dare not say that you can sit back and relax from now on if you marry me, but I just want to say one thing - from now on, I will never let you feel wronged and depressed again!"

Minglan lowered her head: "I...I...I have been living a life of luxury since I was a child, so I have never felt wronged or depressed..."

Sheng Hong raised his eyes and looked at Gu Tingye.

Gu Tingye stared at Minglan and said seriously, "You have been depressed all the time. You have been wronged since you were born. You don't like the etiquette of the legitimate and illegitimate children, but you have to obey; you are obviously excellent in everything, but you have to humble yourself everywhere. You are smart and insightful, and you can see everything clearly, so you dare not cross the line, be careful everywhere, and force yourself to be an impeccable lady. I feel distressed and sad when I see you, and I don't want to see you live a life of grievance like this."

When these words were spoken, all the women in the room were stunned.

Apart from those words about the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, the rest of what was said is not just about Minglan's suffering.

As a woman in such an era, you are burdened by the word "reputation". You have to be careless in your words and actions. If you speak loudly, you are afraid of being called domineering, and if you say a few more words to an ordinary man, you will be considered frivolous. Being too beautiful is a disaster, and being too ugly will make you ridiculed. Even if you have outstanding talents, you can only display them behind the curtains. Once your talents and fame are exposed, you will soon be accused of being a hen crowing at dawn. There are so many ways for men to succeed in the world, but the only right way left for women is to get married and have children.

How frustrating it is to be a woman?