♂?，，

  Chapter 4

  Li Linxiao was usually a straightforward and lively person, but after hearing this question, she suddenly became evasive.

  She bit her lip and said, "Two months ago, my third uncle got married, and the wife of Duke Lu also came. She had a long conversation with my mother in private. After my third uncles wedding was over, my mother asked me if I would be willing to marry into my eldest aunts family."

  Her face turned crimson, her voice low as it could go, "Its about Fifth Brother Wu."

  Wu Taiye is referring to Wu Xianyuan, the eldest son of the first wife of the Lu Guo Gong family. Madame Lu was Wu Xianyuans paternal grandmother.

  Lin Xue suddenly became reserved and polite in front of Yongning Hous wife, wanting to leave a good impression on her future mother-in-law?

  It seems that Lin Yue is satisfied and looking forward to this marriage, otherwise whats the shyness and joy in her eyes?

  Its no wonder, Gu Yu Xian was born handsome and tall, the second son of Yong Ning Hous legitimate child, just turned 18 this year, took on the duty of attending the imperial court, although his rank is not high, his future prospects are boundless. As cousins, they are similar in age and appearance, and their personalities and temperaments are well-known to each other, ordinary people think its a match made in heaven.

  Ke Ming Xuan felt a little strange in her heart. The probability of giving birth to deformed babies is very high when cousins get married, and the educational film shown in biology class seems to be replaying, making her feel uneasy.

  Its been three years since she came here, and due to her relationship with Xiao Zhong, she has never stepped out of the Yongning Marquis mansion. She found it quite difficult to adapt to this era, and in order not to make mistakes, she only moved between An Tai Yuan and Shu Yu Ge every day, with very few opportunities to meet other sisters in the mansion. Liu Jie didnt like to socialize, Ba Mei was arrogant, Jiu Mei was deep-thinking, and Shi Mei was a bit too domineering. They seemed unwilling to get along with her, and she didnt want to get close to them either.

  It was Lin Yue who stayed at the Xiyu Pavilion for two months last year, and they got along well with each other, becoming friends.

  Ming Xuan thought for a moment and asked, "Is this marriage settled?"

  Lin Xue shook her head, "Mother was somewhat moved, originally she also wanted to go to the capital this time, but when it was about to leave, her grandmother suddenly fell ill. There are many people in our family, and my elder sister has just taken over, so with her grandmothers illness, mother is afraid that my elder sister cant handle it, so she had to wait for a while before leaving."

  She slightly lowered her eyes, "Grandma also hopes this marriage can be successful."

  Ming Xuan was racking her brains to think of a reason to remind Lin Yue, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldnt come up with a valid excuse.

  In this era, it was common for relatives to intermarry, and marriages between cousins were not uncommon. In fact, there were even more cases of people marrying within the five degrees of mourning. Yet, no one had ever heard of any family producing a deformed child. The grandparents were cousins, and their three sons and daughter were all very healthy and intelligent. If she were to say that marriages between close relatives often produce deformed babies, Lin Yue would not only disbelieve her but might even think she was intentionally cursing them.

  If this marriage is inevitable, why would she deliberately make people feel unhappy?

  Besides, its not necessarily going to be that coincidental.

  Ming Xuan wanted to say something, but she had been holding it back for a long time and swallowed it again.

  In the evening, Madame Hou had someone set up a banquet in the West Flower Hall to welcome and refresh her guests. There were three tables in total.

  Marquis Yongning Gu Changqi and the Crown Prince Gu Yuanhao invited Li Dongqian to sit at the east table, with Fifth Master Yuan Xian and Sixth Master Yuan Yi sitting next to him. Second Master Gu Changming sat next to his two sons, Second Master Yuanhao and Third Master Yuanjin. Fourth Master Gu Changan, who was born out of wedlock, brought Seventh Master Yuan You along to sit together as well.

  Madam Zhu sat at the head of the western table, and had Linxue and Mingxuan sit down beside her, with Minghe, Minglian, Mingwu, and Mingxiang accompanying them. The wife of the Crown Prince, Madame Cai, attended to their needs by their side.

  Madam Hou sat at the same table as Second Madam Jian, Fourth Madam Xue, Second Mistress Zhang and Third Mistress Fang, along with a few younger masters and misses from the house.

  They were all close relatives, and Li Dongqi was also a frequent visitor, so there was no need to use a screen to separate the male and female guests.

  Ming Jus face was somewhat haggard, and since the incident a few days ago, Old Lady and Madame Hou had been cold towards her. Ming Wei, who lived in the same courtyard, hadnt even exchanged pleasantries with her. She finally realized that although this carefully planned scheme had avoided the crisis of marrying the Marquis of Jianan, the price she paid was far greater than she had imagined.

  Before she was married, all the sisters-in-law at home gave in to her, and every servant and maid catered to her. Even when going out to visit others homes, no one ever looked down on her.

  But in just a few days, everything changed. Her sisters-in-law kept their distance from her, and the maidservants became arrogant, bringing lukewarm water when hot water was requested, delivering charcoal instead of silver frost charcoal, and even charging money for an extra egg custard from the kitchen. Those who had previously exchanged intimate handkerchiefs and invited her family to play now seemed to have sent their messages into a void.

  Ming Huang finally understood that without the favor of Madame Hou, she was like a person stripped of their luxurious fur coat. She had lost her wealth and status, her future prospects were gone, and even the respect from others was gone. She was just a concubine-born daughter after all, where did she have the right to be arrogant with favor? But now that she understood this principle, it was already too late.

  During the day, she had a mind to go to Yiantang to apologize, but unexpectedly heard Ruis nursemaid speaking next to Madame Hou. Recently, King Lin Nan wanted to marry a second wife for some reason, and many officials in the court were secretly thinking about it. Even Master Hou was moved. That Rui nursemaid finally said sarcastically, "The eighth young lady looked down on the Marquis of Jianan, now shes being sent a princess as a gift."

  Ming Qisu often followed Madame Hou out, knowing that Lin Nan Wang was a vassal king guarding the southern border, with wealth and financial resources in one place, controlling military affairs in another, having both money and power in his hands, he was someone that many families wanted to curry favor with.

  But he is an old man over fifty!

  The place in southern Xinjiang is also desolate and remote, I heard that there are many snakes, insects, rats and ants. She was used to the luxurious life in Shengjing, its impossible for her to be willing to marry an old man from a distant and desolate land, even if he is a prince! He is even older than her own father!

  Ming suddenly felt very regretful.

  Although Jianan Bo had a reputation for being lustful, the rumors of his cruel treatment of servants and concubines were also terrifying. However, he was renowned for his handsome appearance. At a family banquet in the past, she had seen him several times, and he had even smiled warmly at her. Now that she thought about it calmly, someone who spoke and acted with such gentleness shouldnt be a cruel and violent person.

  It shouldnt be like this.Maybe it was just a misunderstanding.But now everything is too late.

  Ming Huang had never been so distressed. She didnt want to marry Lin Nan Wang, who was half-buried in the ground, so she must think of a way to do something about it!

  She secretly glanced at the east table, her expression suddenly changing from clear to cloudy and unclear.

  Ming Xuan happened to be sitting opposite Ming Que, and she saw Ming Que looking at the east table with a strange expression, so she followed her line of sight and looked over.

  Over there, the lively discussion and laughter accompanied by the clinking of cups and plates created a very festive atmosphere. Eldest Uncle seemed to be in high spirits, constantly asking people to refill his wine and serve more dishes. The two younger uncles had also drunk quite a bit, and all the brothers faces were flushed red. Among them, Li Sanbos condition was the worst. Originally pale-faced, he now had a reddish glow from the wine that spread from his forehead all the way to the base of his neck. Looking at his dazed eyes, it seemed like he was about 70 or 80 percent drunk.

  Ming Xuan looked at Ming Ju with some curiosity for a few moments until Ling Yue called her and she came back to herself.

  As tomorrow is the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, after finishing dinner, Old Lady Zhu ordered everyone to disperse.

  The letter from Longxi had already mentioned the idea of the two families becoming related by marriage, and she was naturally delighted to have her granddaughter stay with her for a long time. At noon, she had already called Madame Hou over and planned to settle the matter after the birthday banquet. There would be plenty of time to get together later, so the old lady readily let Linxue follow Mingxuan back without keeping her to continue talking.

  Lingyue had a tiring day, feeling somewhat exhausted. After hearing that there would be many female guests the next day and she might need to help with the reception, she went to bed early after washing up.

  But Ming Xuan was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

  At dinner time, Ming Jus expression on her face was too incomprehensible. Obviously, she had made up her mind about something, but what exactly? Hadnt she already used the silk fan to force Madame Hou not to mention the marriage proposal with Jianan Bo again? So, what else did she want to do? Several sisters in the family had reached the age of marriage, and considering Ming Jus calculations from the previous night, she felt a little uneasy.

  I hope nothing goes wrong again!

  Ming Xuan quietly opened the window lattice, a gust of cold wind poured in, she couldnt help but let out a sneeze, startling Xue Su who was keeping watch outside.

  Xue Su put on a jacket and slipped in quietly, seeing that the room was cool, she felt a bit anxious, "Why is the window open?"

  Ming Xuan gazed at the southeast corner of Yu Jin Ges lanterns until they went out, only then did she close the window. "I dont know why, but I feel a little anxious in my heart."

  She forced a smile, "Maybe Im just overthinking. These past few days, I seem to have been too cautious."

  Xue Su helped Ming Huan lie down and tucked her in, "Miss, you should get some rest early. Tomorrow is the first time youve received guests in three years. If you dont get enough rest, how will you manage? I heard the women in the kitchen say that there are over 20 tables of female guests at the birthday banquet!"

  Ming Xuans heart skipped a beat at the mention of this.

  Although she usually made an effort to remember the names, origins and temperaments of various young ladies from the noble families in Shengjing, after all, she had never seen them in person. She could only rely on what she had heard - "thin face", "phoenix eyes", "fair skin" - these indistinguishable words, it was fundamentally impossible to really match people up.

  What if she got it wrong?

  A persons nature may change due to a major upheaval, but there will always be past traces that cannot be completely erased.

  Her grandmother was so fond of her that she never mentioned past events to her. If it werent for this, she would have been worn out by now and would have burst at any moment; She lived a simple life, had little contact with people, and rarely talked about the past. Occasionally, when her sisters mentioned something from their childhood, she either avoided the topic or just smiled and said nothing. Thats how she managed to get through all these years safely.

  The real Gu Mingxuan was a straightforward and passionate person, with many sisters among the noble ladies in the imperial court. Almost all of them had dealings with her. If they asked her something or mentioned something, she would have to answer the next day in that kind of gathering. What if someone discovered that she wasnt quite right? What if the excuse about losing some memories couldnt fool anyone?

  Ming Xuan was worrying, when suddenly she heard Xue Sus "heh heh" laugh. "Look at Miss Biao, sleeping so soundly with a smile on her face, must have had a wonderful dream. Hey, her eyebrows are even moving! Tomorrow morning, youll definitely have to ask her what kind of beautiful dream made her so happy."

  She turned her head and looked over, under the soft candlelight, Li Linxiao smiled so sweetly.

  The corners of Ming Xuans mouth curved up involuntarily.

  On the seventeenth night of the twelfth lunar month, the moonlight was like water, and all things were quiet and silent. The Qiongyu Pavilion was peaceful and serene. However, in the Ma Chun Garden of Yongning Marquiss residence, the most ugly and sinister plot of a beauty was being staged.

  Complete works txt download, full text free, e-book, remember 77 reading books