Chapter 22 My father-in-law has a successful career and a bright future! next day Early in the morning, Sheng Hualan quietly opened her eyes, and then quietly looked at her brother Hong, her husband, who was sleeping soundly with his arms around her shoulders. A hint of happiness and expectation flashed across her rosy little face. Girl, life will be a whole different world after marriage! After looking at the sky outside, Sheng Hualan stretched out her fair and tender little hand and touched Chu Hong's forehead. "My dear husband, it's almost time to pay respects to your parents-in-law." "Um" Chu Hong opened his eyes drowsily. To be honest, last night was one of the rare times he slept comfortably. According to science, it is true that moderate exercise is conducive to a good sleep. Unfortunately, last night was Sheng Hualan's first time. In order to take care of his beloved wife, he did not gallop on the horse and did not play so crazy. Well, just half an hour! Chu Hong woke up and gently touched Sheng Hualan's smooth little face. "Mrs. Xu is a sensible person. She won't mind paying respects. However, it is the first day after all. Let's pay respects later! But after today, Madam doesn't have to pay respects to Mistress Xu."
Sheng Hualan's somewhat nervous heart suddenly calmed down a lot. She was a little excited but didn't dare to express it, so she lowered her head slightly. "My dear, this is not good, right?" Sheng Hualan looked at Chu Hong tentatively, feeling somewhat nervous and excited. The new daughter-in-law does not need to pay her respects to the mistress of the household. It would be a lie to say that she is not excited. After all, the mother-in-law is the biggest enemy of a new daughter-in-law's happiness. Most new daughters-in-law have to serve their parents-in-law after they get married and follow the rules every day. If the mother-in-law is kind-hearted, she can skip the service for three to five years, but if the mother-in-law is not kind-hearted, the new daughter-in-law will have to serve her for the rest of her life. I have to get up before dawn every day and help my mother-in-law wash and dress. This happens every day, year after year. Who wouldn’t be afraid? "Mrs. Xu is my stepmother after all. She and I don't have much contact. Just pay your respects once. I will tell my father when the time comes. During this period, Madam's main task is to familiarize yourself with the courtyard, land, and shops in Bianjing. You and I won't be able to stay here for long before we have to go to the capital. It may be a bit hasty for you to slowly familiarize yourself with it in the future." "Thank you husband!" Sheng Hualan's clear eyes suddenly became sparkling, and her gaze towards Chu Hong was full of admiration and closeness. No matter what, life will definitely not be difficult with a husband protecting me. Besides, which bride can be the head of the family right after she gets married? Not only does she not have to greet her mother-in-law every morning and evening, but she can also slowly get familiar with the head of the family. The couple will go to Beijing in a while and stay away from her mother-in-law's sight! This day is so beautiful just thinking about it! "My dear husband, I will help you change your clothes." Sheng Hualan could see that Chu Hong was protecting her, and her heart felt extremely sweet. She immediately endured some strange pain and helped Chu Hong change his clothes. Chu Hong smiled elegantly and did not refuse. Cheating has its benefits. Chu Hong was deeply shocked by the powerful strength and endurance contained in this body. A strong body, a rosy wife, and a bright future, how wonderful! When the robe was almost put on, Chu Hong gently touched Sheng Hualan's thin shoulders and said softly: "Madam, another task is to take good care of your body and don't be as miserable as yesterday." After saying that, Chu Hong strode away, his every move and gesture full of elegance. Sheng Hualan's ears turned red and her white and tender hands were intertwined.
My husband, indeed. However, it's a good thing that my husband is good in that aspect. Three days passed in a trance This day was the third day since Sheng Hualan married into the Chu family. It was also the Homecoming Day, when a married daughter and her son-in-law return to her parents' home together. The couple go in pairs to pay respects to the girl's parents, thus completing the ceremony of becoming a son-in-law that began with the personal welcoming ceremony. On this day, the main door of Sheng Mansion was opened wide, and Chu Hong and Sheng Hualan entered the Mansion, greeted by Sheng Changbai, Sheng Changfeng, Sheng Rulan and other younger generations, all chatting and laughing. As soon as they stepped into the inner hall, Madam Wang came up to them immediately, holding Sheng Hualan's hands and asking about her well-being with some excitement. Chu Hong smiled gently and bowed to Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu. Just as Chu Hong was about to step forward to talk to Sheng Hong, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a woman in a pink shirt holding a purple round fan. Chu Hong was startled and immediately looked at his wife beside him, only to see that Sheng Hualan's face looked extremely bad, almost visibly turning red, and she was obviously a little angry. Before the anger continued, her face quickly turned pale. The two looked at each other, and Sheng Hualan's eyes were full of worry and avoidance. Sheng Hualan was so angry and so panicked that she never expected that Lin Qinshuang, her favorite concubine, was also here. Concubine, how can you be here at this time today? My mother's family has always been a noble family, and the mistress and grandmother are both from top families, so there aren't many troubles. The only trouble is that my father favors his concubine over his wife. But the fact that she favored her concubine and neglected her wife could not be exposed to anyone other than the Sheng family, including her husband. After all, favoring concubines and neglecting wives is definitely a manifestation of a bad family tradition. If you don't distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children and concubines, who would be willing to believe that your family tradition is good? Your family tradition is not even right, how can you expect a good daughter to grow up with you? Sheng Hualan looked at her father quietly, her expression full of questions. The eldest daughter returned home, and the concubine also came to greet her? Chu Hong couldn't help but marvel at it. With the eldest daughter returning home, even the favored concubine would consciously become much quieter. Especially in a family where the concubine is favored over the wife, the concubine would have to keep a low profile. Once you lose face in front of your son-in-law, you will lose the face of the whole family. Favoring concubines over wives and being unjust to legitimate wives are not things that a good family should have. This can be seen from the fact that officials who favored concubines over wives were impeached and then lost their positions and titles. Favoring concubines over wives is tantamount to violating feudal etiquette and is despised by the mainstream. But Sheng Hong actually asked his concubine to go to the inner hall to welcome his eldest daughter back home. He was truly blinded by beauty! Chu Hong sighed silently in his heart. His father-in-law was quite amazing in all aspects. He had been studying late into the night since he was a child and started as a ninth-rank official. He was a man who had truly experienced hardships. He was honest in his official duties, good at cultivating reputation, cautious, and good at conversation. He was a real old fox in the officialdom. Unfortunately, his "first love" was a concubine with evil intentions, so he became a man who favored his concubine over his wife. Chu Hong never looked down on illegitimate children and concubines. Everyone wants to live a better life. There is no need to mock or look down on those who are ambitious. Children born out of wedlock can also have a very good future. Even his teacher Han Zhang was born out of wedlock. He carefully served as an official step by step and rose to the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. But this is the ancient world after all, and the distinction between legitimate wife, illegitimate child and concubine is the rule of this era. Bastards' sons and daughters are the next generation and have blood ties with them. It is normal for them to welcome their elder sister back home, but what is the meaning of a concubine welcoming someone back? It is extremely disrespectful for a concubine to welcome guests, and it even seems like she is looking down on others. In this situation, if I don't express my attitude appropriately, others might think I'm a soft persimmon with no temper. Isn't this forcing yourself to express your dissatisfaction? Chu Hong looked at his wife who was full of panic and worry, gently held her hand, and said nothing more. Everyone had different looks, but the woman greeted them. "This must be Brother Hong, right? I've heard the Lord talk about you a long time ago. You are really elegant and extraordinary!" A strand of the woman's hair was tilted, adding a touch of worldly temptation to her. While speaking, she looked at Sheng Hong with seductive eyes. Chu Hong looked into the distance silently, as if there was some unparalleled beauty there, and said nothing. Sheng Hong's expression changed slightly. As a seasoned official like him, he would naturally not make any mistakes in etiquette.
The reason why he asked his concubine to welcome the guests as well was mainly because his concubine had really shown a lot of her skills last night, and he was temporarily softened in both words and actions. Moreover, the concubine also said that she just wanted to secretly see the extraordinary demeanor of the number one scholar, and let the illegitimate sons and daughters get close to the number one scholar's son-in-law, so that they would have more options in the future. Sheng Hong thought that he was also a illegitimate son, so he naturally cared more for illegitimate sons and daughters, so he agreed to let the concubine hide in a remote place and watch, and keep quiet and not talk nonsense. This time, he originally planned to play the role of a father-in-law who was serious yet gentle and approachable. He would wait for his wife Wang to greet his daughter and son-in-law first, and then he would step forward to play the role of a strict father, asking his daughter to take good care of her son-in-law, and finally take his son-in-law to chat. In this way, the serious image is reflected in the lecture of his daughter, and then he is gentle and close to his son-in-law. It not only reflects the strictness of the family management of the upright family, but also expresses his importance to his son-in-law. The majestic and respectful image of the father-in-law is naturally established. Unexpectedly, the concubine's words seemed to steal the show. The wife didn't say anything, but the concubine went straight on stage. The strictness of managing the household was not expressed, but the act of favoring concubines and ignoring wives was shown to be justified. Hey! Ahem, that's insulting. Sheng Hong reacted very quickly. He quietly signaled his concubine to go back, then hurriedly stepped forward with a smile to prepare to talk to his son-in-law. He couldn't express how strict he was in running the household, but he could express how close he was to his son-in-law and how much he valued him! Everyone present was smart, and etiquette between people was not a difficult thing. Naturally, everyone understood that it was not good for a concubine to speak first, and the lively scene suddenly became cold. Sheng Hualan gently pulled Chu Hong's sleeve, her clear and gentle eyes were a little moist, and faintly evasive, "Husband, shall I take you to see your grandmother?" Chu Hong raised his eyebrows and then nodded. Although he did not do anything, his silence just now had already appropriately expressed his attitude and was enough to warn Sheng Hong. "Yes, yes, yes. Hua'er has returned home now, so he has to pay his respects to the old lady! It just so happens that he hasn't paid his respects to the old lady today. Why don't we go see her together? Then invite her to the inner hall and we can talk as a family." Wang Ruofu looked at Lin Qinshuang with an expression that was a little unnatural, but the happiness in her heart did not diminish too much. To her, children were the most important. The appearance of this concubine only made her feel a little unlucky. Of course, this is actually related to the fact that she has been suppressed by the concubine for a long time and gradually got used to it. Just when Sheng Hong, Sheng Changbai and others breathed a sigh of relief and were about to go to Shou'an Hall where the old lady lived, the concubine Lin Qinshuang had just taken less than ten steps when she suddenly gave her children another word of instruction. "Mo'er, Feng'er, Brother Hong is the top scholar of the dynasty and a world-famous figure. You finally get to meet him today, so you must learn from him." "Yes, girl!" Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan were both still young and not very sensible. They both looked very excited and looked at Chu Hong. As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere that had finally warmed up suddenly became cold again. For a moment, no one dared to say anything. Sheng Hong quickly signaled the woman to leave while quietly observing Chu Hong's expression. "My father-in-law has the old lady's protection. He started as a ninth-rank official in a remote place and worked his way up to the sixth-rank official position with real power. His career has been smooth and he has a bright future!" Chu Hong still had a smile on his face, but suddenly said something inexplicable, which made Sheng Hong sweat profusely and his face turned red visibly. "A good son-in-law." "Zifeng." "Madam, please take me to see the old lady!" Chu Hong didn't wait for Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai to explain, he smiled and took his wife's hand and walked forward. Sheng Hong's face showed a trace of regret, and he followed slowly. (End of this chapter)