The world of film and television begins from childhood

The old lady's face was filled with joy as she watched Zhou Chen and Hua Lan leave. Hualan was her granddaughter whom she had taken care of for more than ten years, and Zhou Chen was her nephew's grandson. She was happier than anyone else that they could become a couple.

The old lady of the first house praised: "The feng shui of Tokyo is good for people. Hua'er's husband can't be found in our small place of Youyang."

The old lady smiled and said, "In that case, you can stay with me for a few more days, elder sister."

“It’s up to the children.”

Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan came to Madam Wang’s Weiruixuan.

But what surprised Zhou Chen was that besides Madam Wang, there was also a lady sitting next to Madam Wang, who seemed to have a very close relationship with Madam Wang.

As soon as Wang Ruofu saw Hua Lan and Zhou Chen, her face was full of smiles and she stood up immediately.

"Hua'er."

"Mother."

Wang Ruofu grabbed her daughter's hand and smiled happily: "Okay, okay."

"Sanlang, did my Huaer cause you any trouble?"

Because the old lady in the family already had a relationship with Zhou Chen, and now he was her daughter and son-in-law, so she called Zhou Chen Sanlang very affectionately.

Zhou Chen bowed respectfully: "Hello, Madam. Hualan is sensible, gentle, virtuous, straightforward and lovely. My family, my father and mother all like her very much."

Wang Ruofu felt very proud and smiled even more brightly.

"That's good, that's good. This child has been polite and kind since he was young. Now that I entrust him to you, Sanlang, I, as a mother, am completely relieved."

"By the way, Sanlang, you haven't met my sister yet, have you?"

Wang Ruofu pointed at the lady sitting beside him and introduced her to Zhou Chen: "Sanlang, this is my sister from my mother's family. You can call her Aunt Kang."

Hua Lan's face was slightly stiff, but she recovered in an instant and said to Zhou Chen with a smile: "Sir, this is the Aunt Kang I mentioned to you."

Zhou Chen bowed and said, "My aunt, I wish you all the best."

He took a look at Aunt Kang. He had heard of this shameless, vicious and cruel Aunt Kang in the plot for a long time. He didn't expect to see her the first time he returned home.

Aunt Kang didn't put on too much airs as an elder, and said with a smile: "Well, okay, the third son of the Marquis Zhongjing's mansion, even I, a woman in the backyard, have heard of him a long time ago. Sister, you may not know that your eldest brother-in-law is deeply loved by the government. In the past, he was awarded an imperial sword. Everyone in Tokyo City knows him."

When Wang Ruofu heard this, her face was immediately filled with gossip.

"Is there such a thing? The government has awarded Sanlang a sword. That is really a great honor."

Zhou Chen was a little surprised as to why Aunt Kang was praising him, but when he thought about it, it didn't seem so strange.

Aunt Kang is a sophisticated egoist who collects money from people everywhere just to get something for herself and her son.

Nowadays, he is considered a popular figure in front of the emperor, a new noble in the court, and the son-in-law of his niece. He is completely different from Minglan in the plot, so a smart person like Aunt Kang will naturally not treat him the same way she treats Minglan and Gu Tingye.

"Aunt, you are too kind. What happened back then was due to my youth and inexperience. I am very lucky that the government did not blame me."

Aunt Kang suddenly told Hualan, "Hualan, in the future in the Marquis' Mansion, you must be filial to your parents and respect your husband."

"Thank you for your teachings, Auntie."

Wang Ruofu was a little depressed. This is my daughter. As a mother, shouldn’t I say these words? Sister, what are you doing?

But she was a kind person. Although she was dissatisfied, she did not show it and continued to smile happily.

"Sanlang, Huaer, go eat some fruit and snacks first. When the official leaves the yamen, we will have dinner together as a family."

"Yes, mother."

As soon as Zhou Chen and Hua Lan left, the straightforward Rulan ran over.

"Big sister, big brother-in-law..."

Inside the house, Wang Ruofu was smiling and talking to Aunt Kang with a proud look on her face.

"Sister, I only thought that my eldest brother-in-law was good at fighting, but I didn't expect that he was so valued by the government."

Aunt Kang felt extremely unbalanced. She thought her sister was extremely stupid. Why did she marry into the Marquis of Zhongjing's Mansion, and moreover, married Zhou Chen, the legitimate son of the Marquisate who had a bright future? If it were her, she would be almost the same.

Especially when she saw her stupid sister's smug look, she felt even more disgusted. She thought Wang Ruofu did it on purpose.

Originally, her parents were planning to marry her to Sheng Hong, but she disliked the idea of ​​Sheng Hong being sent to a cold and remote place to be an official, so she was unwilling and insisted on marrying into the Kang family.

Her parents loved her so much that they let her marry into the Kang family and let her sister Wang Ruofu marry into the Sheng family. However, the Kang family is becoming increasingly impoverished, and the official is a useless person who only knows how to take in concubines one after another and has never made any achievements in his official career.

On the contrary, Sheng Hong has climbed up all the way from the bitter and cold land and has now been transferred to Tokyo.

Now, they have even formed an alliance with the prestigious Marquis Zhongjing Mansion and obtained the second son of the Marquis Zhongjing Mansion as their son-in-law. Moreover, this son-in-law is also a promising person. He has already reached the fourth rank at a young age. Now he is the head of the three yamen in Tokyo, a real powerful figure, and is favored by the emperor.

"Hualan married into the Marquis's mansion, and my sister also benefited from it. By the way, sister, is that young lady still the housekeeper in the mansion?"

Wang Ruofu's smile suddenly stopped and her face became stiff. She felt that her sister was too ignorant.

"Sister, why are you mentioning that little bitch? I gave her the housekeeper's power these days for Hua'er's marriage. I will take it back in two days."

Aunt Kang agreed: "Sister is still too weak. If it were me, I would have beaten that little bitch to death long ago. How could she have gotten the chance to ride on my head?"

Wang Ruofu became even more restless: "Yes, yes, sister is right. Today is a happy day, so let's not mention that bitch. It's unlucky, too unlucky."

After saying that, she didn't want to talk any more on this topic, so she quickly got up and walked out.

Aunt Kang had a meaningful smile on her face. Her silly sister got such a good in-law but didn't know how to make good use of it. As an elder sister, I will not be polite.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1118: The Old Lady's Cleverness, Thick-Faced Aunt Kang

Hualan was talking to her mother and sister, while Zhou Chen was sitting and talking with brothers Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changsong.

"Brother-in-law, what is the Northwest Frontier like? Are the Xixia people all foreign barbarians?"

Sheng Changwu was very interested in border affairs. When he had the opportunity to talk to Zhou Chen, who had pacified the border and recovered lost territory, he immediately couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Sheng Changsong and Sheng Changbai were also very interested, but one of them was older and the other was calmer, so they were not as direct as Sheng Changwu and would not ask directly.

Sheng Changbai had stayed in Lingzhou on the frontier with his parents, but he was just a child at that time and had long lost his memory of it.

Zhou Chen smiled and said: "Not all of them are foreigners, but they are definitely dominated by foreigners. Over there......"

It could be seen that Sheng Changbai and the others were interested, so he explained patiently.

Hua Lan talked to her mother for a while, then left Wei Rui Xuan and went to Shou An Hall. She saw Zhou Chen talking to Chang Bai and the others, so she didn't disturb them and went there alone.

Back at Shou'an Hall, in addition to the two old ladies, there were a few more people, namely Minglan, and the two daughters of the eldest wife, Sheng Shulan and Sheng Pinlan.

Sheng Shulan is about the same age as Hualan, while Sheng Pinlan is about the same age as Rulan. Sheng Shulan looks very elegant and quiet, standing beside her grandmother and serving her. Sheng Pinlan, on the other hand, sits with Minglan, and the two of them chat and laugh in whispers.

Hualan walked in and everyone's topic immediately shifted to her.

The old lady asked Hualan how she was doing in the Marquis' Mansion these days. Hualan answered truthfully, but did not mention the matter of the housekeeper's power. She just said that she was doing well in the Marquis' Mansion, and that the masters and her parents-in-law were all very kind to her, especially her mother-in-law, who treated her like her own daughter and loved her very much.

The three unmarried Lans all looked at Hualan with envy. The thing a woman fears most when she gets married is meeting a powerful mother-in-law. It is a great blessing if the mother-in-law is not bad or targeting her. It is estimated that there are not many mothers-in-law like this who can treat their daughters-in-law as their own daughters in the whole Tokyo.

With the care of her mother-in-law, the daughter-in-law will naturally not suffer any grievances in her husband's home.

The old lady was not worried about her granddaughter. After all, Hualan's mother-in-law was her niece. She had met Hualan before and liked her very much, so she naturally would not make things difficult for her.

Before, the only thing she was worried about was Marquis Zhongjing, but Marquis Zhongjing didn't care about the backyard after all, and it was impossible for him to make things difficult for his daughter-in-law.

But now, hearing with my own ears my granddaughter say that she is living very well in the Marquis' Mansion, I am still very happy.

"Since your parents-in-law treat you well, you should be more filial to them and serve your husband well."

"I know, Grandma."

Hua Lan responded obediently, and then quietly winked at her grandmother.

When the old lady saw Hualan's expression, she knew that she had something to say to her, and it was inconvenient not to say it here.

So she laughed and said to the old lady in the main room, "Old sister, I'll take Hua'er into the house first. I have something for her. You sit here."

"Okay, sister, take Huaer with you."

Hualan immediately stepped forward to help the old lady, left the main hall, and came to the bedroom at the back.

The old lady pulled Hualan to sit down at the table in the bedroom and asked with concern.

"Is there anything you can't say? Did you run into any trouble in the Marquis' Mansion?"

Hua Lan replied: "I did encounter some troubles, but to be precise, it was a good thing. But because it was so good, I am still very nervous."

"Good thing?"

The old lady was puzzled. Hualan was taught by her personally. Although she was young, she was still very smart and intelligent. She had the grace of an older lady and most things were not difficult for her.

"Then tell me what good thing happened to you that made you so depressed and why you came here to ask me, an old woman."

"Grandma is not old. She is the most powerful."

Hualan first complimented him in a coquettish manner, and then told him the truth.

"Grandma, when I went to offer tea to my parents-in-law that day, my mother-in-law directly gave me the key to the Marquis's Mansion and told me to be the housekeeper."

"what?"

Even someone as smart as Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious at this moment.

"You were given the power to manage the household? What happened? Tell me in detail. I remember Hui Niang said that the current Zhongjing Marquis's mansion is managed by her eldest son's wife. How come it was suddenly handed over to you as soon as you entered the house? How could her eldest son's wife agree? Also, hasn't Zhongjing Marquis always favored the eldest son? How could she agree?"

Hua Lan said: "I didn't dare to accept it at that time, but my mother insisted that I accept it. Later, my father-in-law also told me to accept it, and my husband also told me to accept it. Finally, I had no choice but to accept it."

The old lady looked puzzled: "That's really strange. I know a little about Marquis Zhongjing's character. Why did he suddenly change his attitude? Did Brother Chen say anything to you?"

"The master said that his elder brother was ill, and his sister-in-law had to take care of him, so she had no time to manage the household. I didn't ask much at the time, but later Mother Feng talked to the housekeepers in the mansion and heard some rumors that the master's elder brother was seriously ill. Maybe, maybe..."

Hua Lan did not dare to continue speaking, but the expression on her face made the old lady understand what she meant, and she immediately fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she suddenly realized: "No wonder, no wonder."

"Grandma, what did you say?"

The old lady pondered and said, "Marquis Zhongjing attaches great importance to the inheritance of the clan. As long as the eldest son is still alive, he will never allow other sons to get involved in the title. This is why he favored the eldest son before. But now he agrees to let you be the housekeeper, which can only mean that his eldest son's illness is really serious. He has begun to favor Chen Ge'er. After all, he only has two legitimate sons, the eldest son and Chen Ge'er."

Hua Lan's face was heavy: "Grandmother means that the official may inherit in the future..."

"You are so smart and you are still in the Marquis' Mansion. You must have thought of this possibility. You just think it is too incredible, so you want to come back and ask me, right?"

Facing the old lady's gaze, Hualan nodded without hesitation. How could she not guess that the stewards in the Marquis' Mansion were so respectful and polite to her, it couldn't be just because she was the wife of the second son.

"Judging from the supportive attitudes of Marquis Zhongjing, Hui Niang, and Chen Ge'er, I think it's correct. Alas, Dalang from Hui Niang's family is only a few years older than Chen Ge'er. He is so young and has a bright future. How come he suddenly..."

Although she had never met Zhou Tong, he was Hui Niang's son and her nephew and grandson after all. She was sad to hear that Zhou Tong had health problems.

The older people are, the more they cannot see through life and death. The old lady also cannot bear to see the separation of life and death.

"I'm afraid Dalang's illness is not something he has just contracted recently. I have always wondered why Marquis Zhongjing would oppose Chen Ge'er's title. Although there is only a slight possibility, it is still possible after all. But when he did that, it completely cut off hope.

"After all, it is the honor of having two titles in one family. Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, we will try our best to fight for it. But Marquis Zhongjing refused. I am afraid that from that time on, his eldest son's health will not be very good. If Chen Ge'er is really conferred the title, he will no longer be able to inherit the title of Marquis Zhongjing. If something happens to Dalang again, the title of Marquis Zhongjing can only fall on his illegitimate son. This is a result that Marquis Zhongjing cannot accept. So he cut off the possibility of Chen Ge'er being conferred the title from the beginning. He would rather not have two titles in one family and let his legitimate son inherit the title of marquis."

"This Marquis Zhongjing, no wonder he made the Marquis Zhongjing Mansion a well-known wealthy family in Tokyo City, he is decisive enough."

The old lady praised him, saying that she had lived a long life and had seen a lot of things, but she also had to admit that there was nothing wrong with Zhou Yexiong's decision.

If it were her, she would never gamble whether Chen Ge'er would be granted a title. She would definitely refuse the title. After all, even if he was granted a title, he would be an earl at most, and it would not be a hereditary earl, but a lifelong title.

If a bastard inherits the title of marquis while the legitimate son is still alive, that would be a real big trouble. It's not that a bastard's ability is necessarily inferior, but in today's era, if the legitimate son is still alive and a bastard inherits the title, it is likely to bring great turmoil to the marquis's mansion.

Just like the Sheng family, if she had a legitimate son, it would never be the turn of the illegitimate son Sheng Hong to inherit everything in the Sheng family.

"Hua'er, if everything is true, then the situation of the Marquis' Mansion is very clear. You are a good housekeeper. Chen Ge'er is capable and talented. He is very likely to inherit the Marquis' Mansion in the future, so you must exercise your abilities."

"Once Brother Chen inherits the title, you will be the wife of the Marquis. You will represent the Marquis's mansion and will meet the Empress and the concubines in the harem. You will also come into contact with the wives of other noble and wealthy families. If you don't have the ability, you will be laughed at."

Old Madam Sheng has always trained Hualan to be the mistress, but she never expected that Hualan would have the opportunity to become the mistress of a marquis. If she becomes the mistress of a marquis, what she has learned before will be far from enough.

The queen, the concubines in the harem, and even the ladies of other wealthy families, who is not a shrewd person? If you are not shrewd enough, you will definitely be bullied and excluded.

It is said that the situation in the previous dynasty was as tense as fire and water, but few people knew that the backyard of the women was also full of swords and blood, and people were eaten without leaving any bones.

Hua Lan looked nervous: "Grandma, I am just nervous. I am afraid that I will not do well and bring shame to you, and fail my parents-in-law's trust."

The old lady smiled and comforted him: "Don't be afraid, Hua'er, don't be afraid. Even your parents-in-law trust you, and your husband supports you. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, but you must do it. You must establish your own prestige. Remember what grandma said, use both kindness and severity."

"Be kind and powerful at the same time."

Hua Lan murmured to herself, and soon nodded vigorously: "Grandma, I understand, I will do it well."

"Good boy."

The old lady hugged her happily and distressedly: "Your great-grandmother is right. Whether we women are lucky or not depends on whether she marries well. If she marries well, she will have a worry-free life. If she marries poorly, she may have no worries. Your life has been miserable, but grandma thinks you are lucky, Hua'er."