Chapter 1507: Mu Qinglian’s Side Story (Part 2)
After Mu Qinglian learned of this matter, she showed no expression outwardly, but privately she supplemented Ning Shaowen with a considerable amount of money, and her attitude towards Madam Cui became increasingly poor.
When Madam Cui paid her respects to Mu Qinglian that day, she noticed Mu Qinglian was in an exceptionally good mood and did not make things difficult for her, which filled her with surprise. After serving Lady Mu, she returned to her own courtyard and sent someone to find out what had happened to make Mu Qinglian so happy.
Nanny Chen quickly relayed the news she had gathered to Madam Cui: "Yesterday, many people witnessed the fourth son of Earl of Pingyang’s Mansion and a girl from the Wu family sleeping in the same bed. The story has now spread widely outside."
Madam Cui asked, "Which Wu family is this?"
Nanny Chen replied, "It’s the family of the Fourth Young Lady of the Earl of Pingyang’s Mansion. This Wu family girl is the cousin of the Fourth Young Lady, the seventh in line, born out of wedlock, but she is quite alluring. However, I reckon that the fourth son of the An family must have been bewitched by her. For all the qualities of the An family’s fourth son, if he truly wanted to take a concubine, what kind of person couldn’t he find without needing to seduce his wife’s cousin?"
Madam Cui laughed and said, "I wonder how the An family will handle this?" Even if they knew it was a setup, since their fourth son slept with the girl and ruined her reputation, they must take responsibility.
Nanny Chen whispered, "He will definitely have to marry her." The An family’s fourth son is a man on an official career path, and to avoid criticism, he must accept her.
Meanwhile, Mu Qinglian felt it unfortunate that An Yang was the one ensnared. If An Fei had been caught, it would truly have dampened the An family’s arrogance.
The Pingyang Earl had four sons, and the most promising among them was An Fei. During the palace examination, An Fei’s answers greatly pleased the Emperor, leading him to appoint An Fei as Hanlin Academician. An Academician is someone who assists the Emperor in drafting imperial edicts. Drafting edicts is not a simple task; it is a position that truly tests one’s abilities. An Fei served by the Emperor’s side for three years and was greatly favored by him. However, after three years, An Fei was still sent to a provincial post, serving there for six years, before being recalled to the Capital City last year to serve as the Left Deputy Minister of Personnel. At the age of thirty-one, being of the third rank was quite rare in the Great Yuan Dynasty. But An Fei’s starting point was so high that even if others were envious, they could only sigh. When An Fei was transferred back to the Capital City, An Zhichen retired, passing the title to An Sheng. An Zhichen did this to avoid getting in his son’s way. After all, if he still held significant military power, even if the Emperor said nothing, the court officials would surely have grievances.
Less than three days later, Mu Qinglian received news that the Wu family girl had been carried into the An family in a small pink sedan chair. Mu Qinglian chuckled and said, "It has always been said that the An family has a good household tradition. But now, the An family must be extremely lively." Mu Qinglian didn’t believe that all the men of the An family were so virtuous; they were merely under strict control.
As Mu Qinglian had anticipated, once the Wu family girl entered the An family, it lost its peace, and it even upset the Li family, causing her to have a prenatal scare.
Mu Qinglian’s glee didn’t last long before she could no longer laugh. Nothing else, Ning Shaowen had taken a liking to a prostitute in Peony Pavilion. If it were just a fleeting affair, he’d only spend some money, but Ning Shaowen wanted to take this prostitute as a concubine. Not only was Lady Min opposed, but Mu Qinglian was also unwilling. Unfortunately, this was not something Mu Qinglian’s wishes could decide. With Mu Qinglian and Lady Min opposed, Ning Shaowen redeemed the girl and settled her outside.
Ning Shaowen’s attempt at secrecy was inadequate, and just three days after redeeming the prostitute, the people of Duke Mansion knew. When Mu Qinglian found out, she fainted in fury. But for her son’s future, in the end, she had no choice but to suppress Lady Min and bring the prostitute back to the mansion.
Mu Qinglian did it out of necessity. If this matter were exposed and the Imperial Censor impeached him, Ning Shaowen’s official position would be at risk.
Once the girl was brought back, Mu Qinglian naturally wanted to see her. Looking at the woman kneeling on the ground, Mu Qinglian said coldly, "Raise your head."
The woman shivered and then looked up.
The woman was not as peerlessly beautiful as Mu Qinglian had imagined. Although she was quite attractive, she was no more so than Ning Shaowen’s two concubines. However, her pitiful little white flower demeanor seemed to easily evoke a man’s affection!
Mu Qinglian was inclined to kill the woman on the spot, but just as this thought arose, she heard the maid outside exclaiming, "Second Master."
Seeing the woman he loved kneeling there unharmed, Ning Shaowen let out a breath of relief, immediately kneeling to say, "Mother, Lianlian is a pitiful soul. Mother, please let Lianlian stay in the mansion? If Lianlian stays, she can also keep Mother company and chat with you in the future."
Upon hearing this, Mu Qinglian almost spat out blood. She already had a daughter-in-law and grandchildren; when would a prostitute be needed to keep her company? Throughout her life, Mu Qinglian had experienced many hardships, but her pride never diminished. On the contrary, she valued these things even more because of all the indignities she’d endured. However, being a wise woman, she knew that if she did not agree to Ning Shaowen’s request, her son would surely cause a scene.
Mu Qinglian agreed to let Lianlian stay, but she was not to elevate Lianlian to the status of a concubine; instead, she gave her the status of a maid.
Knowing Mu Qinglian’s expression, Ning Shaowen realized that saying any more might result in Lianlian not being allowed to stay at all.
This Lianlian came from a brothel, a place specially designed to teach women how to captivate men. However, Lady Min was a gentlewoman, and how could she tolerate Lianlian’s demeanor? The day after Lianlian entered the mansion, Lady Min found a fault and had her punished with a caning.
In response, Ning Shaowen was angered by Lady Min’s actions, although he did not physically confront her. As a scholar, how could he do such a thing? Instead, he chastised Lady Min, calling her a vicious woman.
Lady Min trembled with rage, and upon seeing Ning Shaowen gently support Lianlian as they left, she could no longer withstand it and fainted.
Upon receiving the news, Mu Qinglian ordered Ning Shaowen to kneel before the ancestral tablets and then went to console Lady Min. Initially, Lady Min admired Ning Shaowen greatly, but Ning Shaowen did not favor her, always treating her with indifference. No matter her talents, he always preferred those beautiful concubines. Gradually, Lady Min’s feelings for Ning Shaowen faded, focusing solely on raising her son. But this time, Ning Shaowen had touched Lady Min’s last nerve. The Min family was a respected family, and the thought of being identified as sisters with a prostitute was abhorrent to her. While Ning Shaowen’s preference for beautiful women didn’t trouble her, him insulting her as a vicious woman over a prostitute did. From that point on, Lady Min gave up on Ning Shaowen completely.
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