01.
Talking about the rift between Mo Lan and his personal envoy Qiu Jiang, it can't help but make people sigh. Normally, a female envoy is as close as a shadow to the main mother. Even a ruthless woman like Aunt Kang has a loyal Mother Qi behind her. However, Mo Lan ended up betraying her even the closest female envoy.
When Qiu Jiang was revealed to be having an affair with Liang Han, Mo Lan was furious. She loudly reprimanded Qiu Jiang for being ungrateful, and even wanted to do it. But Qiu Jiang retorted: "How have you ever been kind to me? The maidens of other families have a good monthly rate, and I have only received a few taels of silver; Other people's families can get married on time or stay in the main family, but I am delayed by you. These words are not only an indictment of Mo Lan's royal family, but also a portrayal of her bitter life in the Liang family.
Why did Mo Lan withhold the monthly rites of the female envoys? Because she is financially constrained. Why does she beat and scold the people around her at every turn? Because she was depressed and had nowhere to vent. Why is she reluctant to let go of the envoy to marry? Because of the lack of suitable replacements. These all show that although Mo Lan is in a high position, she is actually quite desolate in the Liang family.
If Mo Lan has struggled so hard in the Liang family, then he should cherish the two personal envoys who came from the Sheng family with him even more. Especially a person as smart and capable as Qiu Jiang can still give reminders and advice at critical moments. However, Mo Lan treated each other with exploitation and indifference.
What was it that made her so confident that she could both oppress them and expect them to be loyal? If we look closely, we will find that the root of the problem lies in Mo Lan's ruthless and selfish nature.
Minglan is in stark contrast to Mo Lan. The old lady once taught Minglan that "even the next person must have a heart-to-heart." Minglan is well aware of this, and treats Xiao Tao and Dan Tang with great care in her daily life.
Compared with other deeds, Minglan has meticulous care for the two female envoys in her life - whether it is secretly feeding small peach fish meat, bringing back snacks to share, or leaving Gu Tingye to give milk cakes to taste together. Minglan didn't have any shelves, and established a sincere affection between the master and the servant.
The old lady once said: "Don't say that you are an official in your life, even if you are a subordinate, you have to be heart-to-heart." Minglan not only understands this truth, but also internalizes it in her heart and puts it into action. She treats Xiao Tao and Dan Tang as gentle and considerate as sisters, and reveals her deep care and respect for her subordinates in the subtleties.
Mo Lan's return to Sheng's house and being accepted by Minglan was not forgiveness or forgiveness in the true sense. It is more a pragmatic choice based on the family's honor and overall interests. "The girl is the mother's family", this sentence not only expresses the importance of blood and kinship, but also reflects the reality that the fate of the individual in the extended family is often subordinated to the interests of the whole.
In fact, in that era and environment, whether or not a true sense of trust and dependence could be established between master and servant was not achieved by the efforts of the master and the mother. It requires fate, time, and the formation of a deep relationship after both parties have experienced the storm together. And Merlan is clearly unaware of this—or rather, there is no room for it in her self-centered worldview.
Eventually, when Mo Lan returns to the Sheng family, we see the image of a woman who was once proud and arrogant, but now she is in decline. Minglan gave her face and opportunity, not out of personal emotional forgiveness, but based on the consideration of the family's reputation and stability. Behind this choice is a deep-seated social rule: even if there are many grievances, they need to be temporarily put aside in the face of family glory.