In "Do You Know If You Should Be Green, Fat, Red and Thin", Mo Lan's fate is embarrassing. As the concubine of the Sheng family, she should have kept to herself, but because of her ambition, she ended up miserable. As Mo Lan's biological mother, Lin Yushuang should have given her the right guidance, but instead became the driving force that pushed her to the abyss. What is the reason why Lin Yushuang is so persistent in cultivating Mo Lan as a copy of herself? What kind of behavior made Mo Lan quickly lose her husband's favor after marrying the Liang family and become an abandoned woman who no one cared about? Was Merlan's tragedy simply the result of personal choice, or was it deeply influenced by family and social circumstances?
Mo Lan was born in the Sheng family during the Great Song Dynasty, although this family was not a top magnate, but it was also a family of eunuchs. As a five-grade official, although Sheng Hong is not prominent in the imperial court, he also has some status in the local area. However, the internal structure of the Sheng family is far more complex than it seems.
Sheng Hong has a total of three wives and concubines. The Wang family of the big house is the main room, and there are Hualan and Changbai; The second room of Wei's is a concubine room, born with Minglan; The three-room Lin Yushuang is also a concubine, with Mo Lan and Rulan. This complex family structure was not uncommon in the feudal society at that time, but it laid hidden dangers for Mo Lan's growth.
Lin Yushuang came from a humble background and was originally a maid in the family. With her beauty and scheming, she successfully climbed the big tree of Shenghong and jumped from a maid to a third-room wife. This huge change in identity made Lin Yushuang have a strong desire for power and status. She knows that in this hierarchical society, only by constantly climbing up can she ensure the future of herself and her children.
It is this kind of background and experience that has shaped Lin Yushuang's character and values. She poured her ambitions and means into Mo Lan, hoping to realize her unfinished dream by cultivating Mo Lan. Lin Yushuang taught Mo Lan to know how to cling to the powerful and learn to use her beauty and intelligence to gain benefits. This kind of education has undoubtedly had a profound impact on the formation of Mo Lan's character.
As a concubine, Mo Lan has faced the dilemma of identity since she was a child. In feudal society, the status of children born by concubines is far inferior to that of children born by concubines. Although Sheng Hong also loves his children very much, in terms of his status and treatment in the family, Mo Lan still inevitably feels inferior and uneasy. This disadvantage in identity has become an important reason why Mo Lan is eager to change her fate through marriage in the future.
Mo Lan's upbringing environment was full of intrigue and deceit. In order to gain a firm foothold in the back house, Lin Yushuang had to always beware of the plots of other wives and concubines. In this atmosphere, Mo Lan has been exposed to it since she was a child, and has learned how to survive in complex interpersonal relationships. However, instead of learning the true way to deal with people, she has developed a suspicious and defensive personality.
Although the Sheng family's family education is strict, the discipline of the children of the concubine is relatively relaxed. This made Mo Lan lack the necessary restraint and guidance in the process of growing up. Coupled with Lin Yushuang's doting and misguidance, Mo Lan gradually developed a proud and complacent character. She often looks down on the people around her, and even has an arrogant attitude towards her sisters.
In such a family environment, Mo Lan's talent has been cultivated to a certain extent. She is proficient in poetry and songs, and is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. However, in Lin Yushuang's eyes, these talents are more tools used to attract the attention of high-ranking nobles, rather than means to cultivate sentiment. As a result, Mo Lan regarded these talents as a capital to cling to the powerful, rather than a real hobby.
As she grew older, Mo Lan felt more and more the limitations of being a concubine. She began to desire to change her destiny through marriage, hoping to marry into a more prominent family than the Sheng family. This idea coincided with Lin Yushuang's expectations, and the mother and daughter began to carefully plan and find a suitable marriage.
Lin Yushuang's cultivation of Mo Lan can be described as well-intentioned, but his method is quite controversial. As a woman from a humble background but successfully clinging to the powerful, Lin Yushuang knows that in this hierarchical society, if you want to get a better life, you must rely on stronger forces. Therefore, she poured her experience and methods into the hope that Mo Lan could be better than the blue.
First of all, Lin Yushuang instilled in Mo Lan the values of clinging to the powerful. She often said to Mo Lan: "In this world, there is nothing more important than marrying into a high family." Lin Yushuang believes that only through marriage can a woman's fate be truly changed. She taught Mo Lan to be good at observing the nobles around her, understanding their preferences and family backgrounds, so as to find the most suitable target.
In order to make Mo Lan stand out among many noble girls, Lin Yushuang spared no effort to cultivate Mo Lan's talent. She invited the best teachers to teach Mo Lan's poetry, songs, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Mo Lan did show extraordinary talent in these aspects, and soon became the most outstanding talent of the Sheng family. However, Lin Yushuang values these talents not out of love for culture, but as a tool to attract nobles.
Lin Yushuang also paid special attention to teaching Mo Lan's means of winning people's hearts. She told Mo Lan: "If you want to gain a foothold in the back house, you must know how to buy people's hearts." Lin Yushuang taught Mo Lan how to discern the interests of the people around her, and how to use just the right favor to make her subordinates follow her with all her heart. She even taught Mo Lan how to use different expressions and tones in different situations to achieve her own goals.
However, behind these seemingly shrewd teachings, Lin Yushuang ignored the importance of moral cultivation. She rarely taught Moran to be humble, kind, and empathetic. In Lin Yushuang's opinion, these qualities are not of much use in the back house of the deceitful people. She believes that only by knowing how to calculate and use others can she be invincible in this complex world.
Lin Yushuang's education method also includes allowing Mo Lan to participate in some of the affairs of the family. She often takes Mo Lan to deal with the trivial matters at home, allowing Mo Lan to observe how she deals with various complex interpersonal relationships. As a result, she learns how to maneuver between different interest groups and how to exploit the weaknesses of others to achieve her own ends.
In order to let Mo Lan better understand the rules of high society, Lin Yushuang often took Mo Lan to various social activities. On these occasions, Moran learns how to socialize with people of all capacities, how to find out between laughter and conversation, and how to showcase her talents when appropriate. These experiences undoubtedly increased Mo Lan's knowledge, but at the same time, they also made her more and more proud and complacent.
Lin Yushuang also emphasized the need to maintain the beauty of the appearance. She told Mo Lan: "A woman's appearance is the greatest capital. Therefore, she spared no expense to buy the best clothes and jewelry for Mo Lan, and invited the best beautician to teach Mo Lan how to maintain her appearance. Under her tutelage, Mo Lan soon became the most outstanding beauty in the Sheng family.
However, this cultivation method of Lin Yushuang has also brought some negative effects. Mo Lan gradually became utilitarian and sophisticated, and she began to look at everything around her with the eyes of profit. She is becoming more and more critical of the people around her, and often dismisses those who cannot bring benefits to her. This attitude made Mo Lan make many enemies in the family, and even her own sisters avoided her.
Lin Yushuang's teachings also made Mo Lan form a wrong value: she thought that as long as she could marry into a high family, she could solve all problems. This kind of thinking made Mo Lan ignore the most important emotional factor in her marriage, and it also put her in trouble in her later married life.
In general, although Lin Yushuang's cultivation method of Mo Lan did give Mo Lan some advantages in some aspects, it also planted the seeds of tragedy in the future. She focuses too much on external success and neglects the cultivation of inner character, and this deviation ultimately leads to Mo Lan making the wrong choice at a critical moment in her life.
Under Lin Yushuang's careful cultivation, although Mo Lan excels in talent and appearance, her character has many flaws, which eventually lead to her tragedy.
First of all, Mo Lan shows extreme arrogance and conceit. She was so proud of her beauty and talent that she often looked at no one. At the Sheng family's banquets, Mo Lan always liked to show off her poetic talent and sneered at the works of the other sisters. Once, she even openly satirized the "vulgar" poem written by her sister Rulan, which caused dissatisfaction among everyone. This arrogant attitude not only caused her to lose allies at home, but also laid a hidden danger for her future situation in her in-law's family.
Secondly, Mo Lan does not know how to respect his subordinates, so he has many enemies. She often snorted and drank at the maid, and she was furious at the slightest disappointment. Once, because a maid didn't bring tea in time, she slapped the maid in public. This behavior not only aroused resentment among the subordinates, but also made other family members doubt her character. Mo Lan did not realize that in complex family relationships, subordinates often held important information channels, and offending them could bring unexpected trouble to herself.
Mo Lan also shows the trait of being too eager for quick success, pursuing her goals regardless of the consequences. When she learned that Liang Han, the son of the Liang family, intended to marry, she immediately began a series of calculations. She did not hesitate to bribe the matchmaker, spread rumors in her favor, and even deliberately created opportunities to be alone with Liang Han at the banquet. Although these behaviors eventually helped her marry into the Liang family as she wished, they also raised questions about her character.
Another notable flaw is Morlan's lack of empathy and inability to form genuine friendships. When she was in the Sheng family, she rarely had sincere relationships with her sisters. Even with her half-sister Hua Lan, Mo Lan is often wary, believing that Hua Lan may threaten her interests. This attitude left Mo Lan isolated at home, with no one really caring about her well-being. When she is in trouble, she can't find someone to talk to.
These character flaws of Mo Lan became even more prominent after she married into the Liang family. She lacks understanding and care for her husband Liang Han, and is always self-centered. Mo Lan believes that as long as she is beautiful and talented, she will definitely be able to firmly grasp her husband's heart. As a result, she spends a lot of time grooming herself and showing off her talents, ignoring her husband's real needs.
Once, Liang Han was depressed due to his busy official duties, and instead of comforting her husband thoughtfully, Mo Lan complained that Liang Han had no time to accompany her to enjoy the flowers. This selfish behavior disappointed Liang Han and began to alienate Mo Lan. Instead of reflecting on her mistakes, Mo Lan blamed her husband for not knowing how to appreciate herself, which further exacerbated the deterioration of the relationship between the husband and wife.
Mo Lan also made a fatal mistake in the Liang family, that is, despising her mother-in-law. She thinks that as long as she is favored by her husband, she doesn't have to care too much about her mother-in-law's feelings. Mo Lan often reveals disrespect for her mother-in-law in her words, and sometimes even deliberately ignores her mother-in-law's instructions. This behavior not only angered her mother-in-law, but also made the other family members disgusted with Mo Lan.
In addition, Mo Lan also made a mistake that should not be made in feudal society: she failed to give birth to an heir in time. In ancient societies that valued succession, if a woman could not bear a son for her husband's family, her position would become very dangerous. Mo Lan didn't realize the seriousness of this, but spent a lot of energy on dressing up and socializing. When the other concubines of the Liang family gave birth to heirs one after another, Mo Lan's position began to be in jeopardy.
In the end, Mo Lan's series of mistakes caused her situation in the Liang family to get worse and worse. Her arrogance and selfishness not only alienated her husband, but also offended her mother-in-law and other family members. By the time she realized that her situation was not good, it was already too late. Mo Lan began to become hysterical, scolding her subordinates at every turn, and even making a big fuss at her husband. Far from improving her situation, these actions accelerated her tragedy.
After Mo Lan married into the Liang family, her situation gradually changed from prosperity to decline, and finally fell into an irreparable predicament. At first, with her outstanding appearance and talent, Mo Lan did win a certain status in the Liang family and the favor of her husband Liang Han. However, as time passed, her various shortcomings and mistakes were gradually exposed, making her situation in the Liang family deteriorate.
When she first started, Mo Lan could also shine at the Liang family banquet with her talent. Once, the Liang family held a grand banquet to celebrate Liang Han's promotion, and Mo Lan improvised poems during the banquet, which not only won the admiration of the guests present, but also made Liang Han feel bright. However, Mo Lan did not stop in moderation, but instead intensified her efforts to show off her talents on various occasions, which gradually aroused the dissatisfaction of other family members.
Mo Lan's relationship with her mother-in-law was not very good from the beginning. The mother-in-law thinks that Mo Lan is too proud and complacent, and does not know the truth of respecting the old and loving the young. Once, her mother-in-law instructed Mo Lan to decoct medicine for her personally, but Mo Lan excused herself and asked the maid to do it for her. This behavior caused great dissatisfaction among her mother-in-law, and her attitude towards Mo Lan became even colder from then on. Instead of realizing her mistake, Mo Lan thought that her mother-in-law was deliberately making things difficult for her, and the relationship between the two deteriorated further.
As time went on, Mo Lan found that she was never able to get pregnant, which became an important reason for her status in the Liang family to waver. In ancient societies, childbearing was a woman's most important responsibility. Mo Lan's infertility not only disappointed her husband Liang Han, but also gave other concubines an opportunity. The second aunt of the Liang family soon gave birth to a boy, and the birth of this child immediately shook Mo Lan's status.
In order to save the situation, Mo Lan began to pray to the gods and worship the Buddha, looking for secret recipes everywhere, hoping to get pregnant as soon as possible. She even spared no expense to buy the so-called "holy medicine" from Jianghu Langzhong, but not only did she not get pregnant, but her body deteriorated because of the side effects of the drug. Mo Lan's behavior seemed ridiculous and pathetic in the eyes of the Liang family, further reducing her prestige in the family.
As Liang Han's career continued to improve, he began to frequently go in and out of the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles. Mo Lan was supposed to play the role of a virtuous helper at this time, helping her husband to consolidate his political position. However, because of her arrogance and ignorance of human feelings, she lost her temper on many important occasions. Once, at an important official gathering, Mo Lan felt that she had been left out, so she lost her temper in public, which made Liang Han lose face. This incident became a turning point in the complete deterioration of relations between Liang Han and Mo Lan.
After that, Liang Han began to alienate Mo Lan, and even did not set foot in Mo Lan's courtyard for many days. Mo Lan was unwilling to accept her situation and began to take some extreme measures to save her husband's heart. She deliberately spread rumors and slandered the reputation of other concubines, hoping to regain Liang Han's favor. However, these behaviors not only failed to achieve the expected results, but made her completely lose her foothold in the Liang family.
As Melan's situation deteriorated, she began to become hysterical. She often insulted her subordinates for no reason, and even spoke ill of the children of other concubines. Once, in a fit of rage, she actually smashed her mother-in-law's beloved antique vase, which completely angered the Liang family. Under the pressure of his family, Liang Han had to think about how to deal with Mo Lan.
In the end, Liang Han decided to confine Mo Lan to a remote courtyard in the backyard. Since then, Mo Lan has lost all rights to participate in family affairs, and even the freedom to leave the house has been denied. She can only rely on the care of a few old servants every day, and the once talented woman is now reduced to a poor person in captivity.
Mo Lan's tragic experience in the Liang family was soon reported back to the Sheng family. After Lin Yushuang learned of her daughter's situation, she sent people to visit her many times, but the Liang family turned her away for various reasons. Sheng Hong also tried to mediate, but Liang Han excused himself on the grounds that he was busy with official business. In this way, Mo Lan spent a lonely and desolate old age in the Liang family, and her talent and beauty gradually faded with the passage of time, and finally became a forgotten corner.
Mo Lan's situation in the Liang family deteriorated, and finally ushered in a tragic end. During the days she was confined to her backyard, her health deteriorated dramatically. Long-term anxiety and depression, coupled with the lack of professional care, made Mo Lan's originally delicate face quickly haggard. It is said that in the last months of her life, she was unable to take care of even the most basic grooming herself, and could only barely survive on a few old servants.
Mo Lan's tragic ending caused quite a stir at the time. Although little is known about what happened to her in the Liang family, there are still various versions of rumors circulating in the community. Some people say that she was persecuted because she offended the powerful of the Liang family, and others say that she was left out in the cold to death because she was unable to have children. Although these rumors are difficult to distinguish between true and false, they all reflect the concern and sympathy of the society at that time for the fate of women.
After the news of Mo Lan's death was transmitted back to the Sheng family, it caused great grief and shock. Lin Yushuang fainted after hearing the news, and after waking up, she cried day and night, and her body deteriorated. Although Sheng Hong remained calm on the surface, he also felt deeply guilty and distressed in private. He had sent people to the Liang family many times to negotiate, asking for the funeral treatment that Mo Lan deserved, but the Liang family prevaricated for various reasons.
Merlan's sisters were also shocked and saddened by what happened to her. Although Hua Lan and Mo Lan have always had a bad relationship, they still shed tears of sympathy after hearing about her sister's tragic ending. Rulan was even more grief-stricken, she recalled the scene of playing with Mo Lan when she was a child, and couldn't help but sigh at the impermanence of personnel.
The tragedy of Mo Lan had a profound impact on the Sheng family. First of all, it dealt a serious blow to Lin Yushuang's prestige. As Mo Lan's biological mother and main educator, Lin Yushuang has always been proud of raising such an outstanding daughter. However, Mo Lan's tragic end has led people to question Lin's approach to education. Some people believe that it was Lin Yushuang's over-doting and conniving that created Mo Lan's proud and complacent character and ignorance of human feelings, which eventually led to the tragedy.
Secondly, what happened to Mo Lan also affected the marriages of the other daughters of the Sheng family. Some of the eunuch families who originally intended to marry the Sheng family retreated one after another after learning what happened to Mo Lan. They were worried that the Sheng family's daughters had similar character flaws and were reluctant to take the risk of marrying them back home. This made it more difficult for Sheng Hong to arrange marriages for his other daughters.
The tragedy of Mo Lan also changed the family style of the Sheng family to some extent. Sheng Hong realized that there was a problem with placing too much emphasis on talent and neglecting moral education. He began to advocate the educational concept of "having both ability and political integrity" at home, requiring his children not only to be talented, but also to know how to deal with others. This change is most evident in the Sheng family's youngest daughter, Ronglan. Although Rong Lan is not as talented as Mo Lan, she is humble and empathetic, and finally has a happy life after marriage.
Mo Lan's story soon became the talk of the capital after dinner. Some literati and writers even compiled it into operas, which were widely circulated among the people. Most of these dramas end in tragedy, aiming to warn the world to cherish the people in front of them and not to be fooled by false fame. There is a play called "Tears of a Talented Woman", which specifically describes the whole process of Mo Lan from pride to frustration, and became one of the most popular plays at that time.
In folklore, the story of Mo Lan has also derived many legends. Some people say that on the night of the full moon, you can hear Mo Lan's mournful poetry recitation in the backyard of the Liang family. Some people also said that they had seen Mo Lan's soul in the ancestral hall of the Sheng family, and it seemed that he was telling his parents about his grievances. Although these legends lack authenticity, they reflect the sympathy of ordinary people for what happened to Mo Lan and a certain questioning of feudal etiquette.
As time passed, Mo Lan's story faded into obscurity, but the social problems it reflected persisted. For a long time, Mo Lan's fate was seen as a microcosm of the fate of talented women, and became a case often cited in discussions about the status of women and the institution of marriage.