Fire Captain

When Sheng Changbai's wedding day came, Qi Heng wanted to fly to Sheng Mansion immediately, but Princess Pingning also had her own ideas, so when the two of them met, they came to Sheng Mansion early.

After congratulating Sheng Hong at the gate, Princess Pingning was taken by Wang Ruofu to the backyard to talk with the women. Wang Ruofu talked about some daily things along the way, but she didn't expect Princess Pingning to say anything. She didn't smile much, and looked arrogant. After meeting Old Madam Sheng, she felt a little better. I think it was because of Old Madam Sheng's status. No matter how high Princess Pingning put on airs, she was still a younger generation, so she finally smiled a little.

In the hall, Old Lady Sheng entertained Princess Pingning. Madam Wang, Sheng Molan, Sheng Rulan and Sheng Minglan sat at the bottom. As they chatted, Princess Pingning unconsciously turned the topic to the three girls sitting there. "In terms of hard work, my boy is the best, but he is just a clumsy worker. Unlike your family, you not only have two sons, but also these girls, all of whom are beautiful. I heard that the eldest girl who married into the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion is pregnant."

"Yes!" When Sheng Hualan was mentioned, Madam Wang said excitedly, "So I didn't ask her to come. It's better for her to stay at home and take care of the baby. As for the Earl's Mansion..."

"What a blessing for the whole family!" Princess Pingning suddenly interrupted Madam Wang. It was obvious that she mentioned Sheng Hualan just as a topic of conversation and she didn't really want to know about her situation.

Madam Wang also understood a little, and her face suddenly became awkward and ugly.

Old Madam Sheng saw it all clearly from the side, and on such a happy day she didn't want to embarrass Madam Wang, so she continued, "Although having many sons means more blessings, we are not one of those farmers who have to rely on men to work or fight for water. As the saying goes, you don't need many sons. With a young master as ambitious as yours, one is enough. If he isn't, the more sons you have, the more headaches you will have!" Old Madam Sheng knew that for Princess Pingning, praising Qi Heng would be more effective than flattering her directly.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Princess Pingning smiled and said, "The old lady really hit the nail on the head. Our Heng'er is a little stupid, but he is really worry-free. If he was a disobedient and unfilial guy like Erlang of the Gu family, who insisted on bringing some unworthy women into the family, I would be so angry that I would die..."

Old Madam Sheng expressed her agreement with a smile, and although Madam Wang didn't quite understand what she heard, she always felt that there was something else behind Princess Pingning's words. She didn't know if she was talking about her daughter, and her face suddenly became worse.

Princess Pingning asked the people around her to call Qi Heng over and ask him to thank the old lady for her praise.

When Qi Heng, who was outside, heard Princess Pingning calling him in, he thought they were talking about his and Minglan's marriage, and he ran into the hall in excitement, which was a rare unsteady behavior.

After greeting everyone, Old Lady Sheng asked him to sit down. Qi Heng chose a seat at the bottom, facing Minglan. He was overjoyed when he saw her. Minglan, who was sitting opposite him, was confused by Qi Heng's laughter. She really didn't know what was so funny. Instead, she thought that the young master had just been stimulated by something outside. Otherwise, why would he laugh as soon as he sat down?

Princess Pingning saw it clearly from the upper seat, and turned around and said to Old Madam Sheng with a smile, "Look, I think it's boring to have a son, and he can only laugh foolishly when he comes here. No one will look at me when I pick rouge and powder on weekdays. I ask him for his opinion, but he knows nothing. I hate that I didn't give birth to a daughter. Madam, I see that you have more than one daughter, and there are also the fourth and sixth daughters, who are all lovable. Heng'er... Usually you complain about other people having sisters, but you don't. Today, why don't you treat the sisters of the Sheng family as your own sisters?"

"Legitimate sister?" Qi Heng felt his head buzzing as he heard the word. He couldn't believe what he heard. His smiling face gradually stiffened. "What do you mean by legitimate sister?"

Others did not understand what Princess Pingning meant, but Old Lady Sheng understood it as soon as she heard it. She had seen that the young master had been interested in Minglan for a long time, but looking at the young master's expression now, she thought that he could not prevail against the princess.

Madam Wang had long dreamed of having her youngest daughter marry Young Master Qi, but if she really became his "real" sister today, she would probably have no chance at all. She immediately said, "The Madam must be drunk. How can we, a few straw mat girls, be the real sisters of the Young Master!"

Sheng Molan was still waiting to become the wife of a young master. She was very proud of herself. She thought that she looked down on others, so how could anyone look down on her? She then said, "I am not blessed enough to marry someone so high."

Qi Heng stood up and said, trying to suppress his emotions: "Mother, you must be really drunk. I will take you to the side room to rest first!"

Princess Pingning acted as if she didn't see it and continued to smile happily, "I haven't drunk yet, why should I get drunk? I have brought the gifts..." As she spoke, the person next to her brought a chicken wing wood carved box to Qi Heng.

When Qi Heng saw Princess Pingning's expression and the current scene, he knew that there was no way he could refuse this matter. For a moment, he fell into the chair in despair.

Princess Pingning went on to say, "This kind of South Pearl is Heng'er's favorite. I think it would be perfect to give it to my sisters as a gift today. Heng'er, you can take it and give it to your sisters yourself." Princess Pingning wanted Qi Heng to personally cut off any possibility between him and that concubine's daughter.

Old Madam Sheng understood what Princess Pingning meant, but she was also indignant at this moment. This young master was a treasure in the eyes of the princess, but her sixth daughter had never thought of clinging to him. It was the young master who was coveting him behind her. Who was the princess doing this for? Did she really think that her sixth daughter would never get married? Thinking of this, Old Madam Sheng smiled and said, "This sixth daughter is the only one raised by me. She is the only one in the family who has no biological brother. If she can have the young master as her brother, she will be blessed."

Receiving Madam Sheng's gaze, Minglan stood up with a smile and said gracefully: "Thank you, Her Majesty and Young Master, for your kindness. Minglan, a humble girl, is so honored..." Then she walked in front of Qi Heng and saluted: "My dear brother, please accept my little sister's greeting!" After that, she stretched out her hands to accept the greeting prepared by the princess.

Qi Heng looked at Minglan in disbelief. Didn't she know that if she accepted this gift, there would be no possibility between them? He didn't want to believe that Minglan had no feelings for him at all? Under the gaze of Princess Pingning, Qi Heng grabbed a string of South China pearls from the box and placed them in Minglan's palm with red eyes. During this time, Minglan had been smiling and waiting there without any expression.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door, and a group of figures walked in.

"Oh, what a perceptive girl!"

The visitor was personally led in by Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai. Old Madam Sheng had met Princess Zhao before, so she stood up and said as soon as she saw her: "It is truly an honor for the Sheng family to have Princess Zhao come to visit us!"

Madam Wang had never met Princess Zhao, so when she heard what Old Madam Sheng said, she immediately stepped forward and said, "Princess Zhao is coming, why didn't you send someone to announce it so that I could go out to greet her in person?"

Princess Zhao smiled and said, "It was me who didn't allow it to be reported. It's just a few steps away, why bother the lady again?"

After Sheng Hong brought Princess Zhao in and handed her over to Madam Wang, he returned to the front yard to welcome the guests. The back yard was always for the female members of the family, and it was not convenient for men to stay there for long.

Bai Ziyang held onto Princess Zhao's arm and scanned the entire hall. Seeing Qi Heng still inside, he stayed. Everyone in the room stood up, fearing that they would be impolite in front of the princess. Princess Zhao, however, waved her hand nonchalantly and said, "Sit down, I heard everyone chatting happily outside just now. Don't be restrained because of me... What were you talking about just now?"

As he walked to Minglan, he took Minglan's hand and said with a smile, "This girl is so lovely." Bai Ziyang stood on the right side of Princess Zhao, supporting her, while Minglan stood on the left side of Princess Zhao, holding her hand. She looked flattered and cute, and they looked like a perfect match like the golden boy and jade girl following the Queen Mother.

After greeting each other, everyone sat down again. Princess Zhao sat opposite Old Lady Sheng, and she never let go of Minglan's hand.

Princess Pingning said that Qi Heng had just recognized Minglan as his sister. Princess Zhao said jokingly, "Did Ziyang ever complain about not having a sister? Why don't you learn from the young master?"

Bai Ziyang said directly with a look of indifference: "Mother, I didn't say I wanted a younger sister, so forget it!"

Princess Zhao rolled her eyes at him and said, "I knew you would say that. Even if you want to recognize me, I won't agree. I can't let such a good girl be led astray by you!"

Minglan was completely confused the whole time and could only smile and act shy.

Princess Zhao only mentioned it as a joke and let it go. Later, when she spoke to Old Lady Sheng, she praised Minglan again and again. Old Lady Sheng had no idea what Princess Zhao was up to, so she could only humbly decline a few words. Others didn't know why Princess Zhao favored Minglan, and in the end they could only attribute it to Minglan's good luck. It seemed that no one would dare to look down on Minglan, at least for a short period of time.

Princess Zhao watched coldly. The jealous looks in Sheng Molan and Sheng Rulan's eyes almost turned into sharp arrows and shot towards Minglan. They were heartless and their dissatisfaction and unhappiness were directly reflected on their faces. Although they restrained themselves a lot after being reminded by Madam Wang, anyone with a discerning eye could still see it at a glance.

Minglan, on the other hand, was neither proud nor feigned modesty in response to the compliments from Princess Zhao. She was neither arrogant nor impatient, and remained steady throughout the entire process. She was trained by Old Madam Sheng to be a great lady, but she restrained herself inside, secretly hiding her incompetence, and only showed about 70% of her abilities...

Princess Zhao nodded secretly, and finally looked at Minglan with a smile. What a smart girl!