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  Chapter 16

  Madam Hous personal maid, Mo Gen, was waiting outside the wing room. Seeing Ming Xuan and Ming Wu come out of the ear house, she immediately went up to them and said, "The old princess is asking the two young ladies to go to the main hall for a talk. Madam Hou has sent me to invite you, Seventh Miss, Ninth Miss, please follow me quickly, dont keep the old princess waiting."

  She lifted the thick warm curtain and made a welcoming gesture. Mingwu and her maid servant went out of Yunchun Hall first.

  Ming Xuans feet paused slightly, and she turned her head to see through the shadowy beaded curtain that Madame Gu Mingru of Jianan had already lain down. The bedding covering her body had all been changed to new ones. The bloodstains on the floor, which had been accidentally spilled by the little maid earlier, had been wiped clean. Even the incense in the purple gold tripod had been replaced with a thicker scent, masking the bloody smell in the room.

  She slightly furrowed her brow, this house was airtight and had such a strong scent, even someone as healthy as her felt stifled in the chest when staying inside, let alone a sick person...

  Xue Su saw her hesitate and quickly stepped forward to hold onto her arm, "Miss, the old princess is waiting."

  Ming Xuan nodded slightly and quickened her pace, following Ming Wu into the soft sedan.

  The road was slippery with frost and ice, and it wasnt easy to walk on. Even sitting in the sedan chair, she couldnt avoid being jolted around a bit. Mingwus face was full of smiles, looking like she was in a good mood. She lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw Mogens and Cailian leading the way ahead, while Xuesu and her personal maid Bihua followed closely on either side.

  She leaned in close to Ming Xuan and said in a low voice, "Later when we get to the main hall, no matter what happens, sister should pretend to know nothing and not say a word, okay?"

  Ming Xuans eyes were filled with even more doubt, and she asked in a low voice, "Just now in the ear room, what happened?"

  Ming Wus face showed a few hints of mockery, "With a mouth full of benevolence and morality, who would have thought that your actions are so sinister and ruthless? Carrying the nobility of being born into a public officials family, yet what you do is not as upright as those from humble origins. Seventh sister, Madame Hou wants to scheme!"

  She untied the silk pouch from her waist and pulled out a piece of silk handkerchief, "Sister, look at this thing?"

  A piece of high-quality white silk, with four large characters "Death and Life are Contracted" written in bold black ink. The strokes are strong and handsome, each one revealing a sharp edge, this is definitely not the handwriting of a woman.

  Ming Xuan was shocked and lost his color, "I have never had such a thing in my pocket!"

  Till death do us part, with you I will grow old. If this were a vow between husband and wife, it would be a beautiful story, but if found on an unmarried woman, it would be ironclad evidence of secretly exchanging vows and privately determining ones lifelong partner.

  She suddenly sneered, Madam Hou had such an idea in mind!

  The great uncle refused to give up this marriage with Jianan Bo, not wanting to lose Liang Kun as a trusted son-in-law of the current emperor, for the sake of Guifeis future and the long-term wealth and prosperity of Yongning Houfu.

  Ming Ruo was originally the best candidate to marry Liang Jun, she is the daughter of the first wife, although she is a concubines child, she has always been raised in front of Madame Hou like a legitimate daughter, and there is no difference between her and the legitimate daughter. Madame Hou thought that Ming Ruo would definitely agree to this marriage, which not only can help her parents worry less, but also win over the Duke of Jianan, and take care of the two children left by Ming Ru in a proper manner. Who would have expected that Ming Ruo, being spoiled, staged a dramatic scene, forcing Madame Hou to give up on this idea.

  Ming Xuan thought to herself, on the night of December 17th, Ming Ju must have done something else, otherwise it would not be possible for her to be sent to Hou Furens dowry estate overnight, without even showing up during the New Year. Ming Ju was an excellent candidate, but unfortunately she had some shortcomings, so Hou Furen set her sights on herself instead.

  She was very angry, her aunt took advantage of her and still guarded against her scheming!

  The words on this white silk are probably written by Jianan Bo. If in the main hall, Hou Furen finds an excuse to look for her handbag, but also finds this silk handkerchief inside, the two old ladies of the Liang family and Dongping Taifei will think that she has had a secret relationship with Jianan Bo. It is known that Jianan Bo personally named her, which confirms her crime of private dealings with Jianan Bo.

  Although this marriage is bound to happen and wont be made public, if the mistress of the house doesnt behave properly, how can she stand firm in the mansion in the future?

  Lao Jiananbo and Ningjing Dachang Gongzhu both passed away early, Liang Kun was raised by his second uncle and aunt. Although they have separated from the mansion now, the authority of the two old ladies of the Liang family still exists. The design of the Marquiss wife will inevitably make the two old ladies of the Liang family dislike Mingxuan. Without the love and care of her elders, even with Jiananbos protection, it will be much more difficult for her to act in the future.

  Madam Hou wants to use her to maintain the relationship with Duke Jianan, but also wants to prevent her from being favored in the future and affecting the prospects of Qi Geer and Jin Geer, so she deliberately wants to tarnish her reputation in front of Duke Jianans aunt and uncle.

  Ming Xuan clenched the silk handkerchief tightly in her hand, furrowed her brow and said, "If it werent for Ninth Sister reminding me, Im afraid I would have suffered a loss this time. This handkerchief cant be kept, we need to think of a way to get rid of it."

  Ming Wu couldnt help but laugh, she took off the pouch from her waist and handed it over, "I wanted to ask sister to take a look when I came, this pouch was made using the technique that sister taught me, although its not embroidered very well, I still wear it on my body."

  A crimson silk pouch in the shape of a Ruyi, embroidered with magpies perched on branches using the "dotting" technique. Although the magpies eyes appear slightly strange, they have already grasped the essence, and their spirit and form are similar.

  Ming Xuans expression changed unpredictably on her face, she raised her head and looked at Ming Wei, "What does Ninth Sister want to do?"

  The purse she wore on her body today happened to be the same pattern as magpies perched on branches, except that she had embroidered a sprig of cattail at the bottom, and it was surprisingly similar to the one Mingwu handed over, with about 70 or 80 percent similarity.

  Ming Wu took the handkerchief with the written words from her, carefully folded it and put it back into her own bag, then tied the bag to Ming Xuans waist. After adjusting it neatly, she smiled and said, "I helped my sister, now my sister should also help me once."

  She opened her bright and beautiful eyes, looked at Ming Huan with a serious expression, and said in a low voice, "What is poisonous to others may be honey to me. Sister doesnt want to marry the Marquis of Jianan, but I do! Ming Yu is an illegitimate daughter, and her birth mother has such a background. Madame Hou appears kind and fair on the surface, but actually hates us mother and daughter to death. In the city of Shengjing, families with some dignity will not want me as their legitimate wife, and Madame Hou will not truly want to arrange a good marriage for me."

  Ming Xuan was silent for a moment, and what Ming Wei said was indeed true.

  Even if Xiuniang had the means, she couldnt enter the Hou Mansions gate, and everything would be in vain. Mingwu didnt enter the mansion until she was twelve years old, and everyone knew she was raised outside. The status of a daughter born to a concubine is the lowest, and no reputable family in Shengjing City would ask for her hand in marriage as their legitimate wife. As for the sons of high-ranking officials, they would also scrutinize her mothers humble origins. It seems that her future path would either be marrying a minor official outside the capital or becoming a noble concubine to someone with high status and power.

  Ming Wu let out a soft sigh, "I dont want to be married off to a distant land, nor do I want to become someones concubine, only for my children to suffer the same humiliation as me and not be able to hold their heads up in the future. Therefore, Seventh Sister, this time I must seize the opportunity, making it so that Madame Hou cannot help but replace me, marrying me off to Duke Jianan as his secondary wife."

  Her eyes sparkled with a deep luster, "Seventh sister, will you help me, wont you?"

  Even if she was misunderstood and restricted by others, as long as she became the wife of the Duke of Jianan, others would not dare to openly disrespect her. The children she would give birth to in the future would be legitimate sons, and even if they could not inherit the title, they would inevitably rely on their fathers influence to obtain a good career, which was enough for her, and that was all she asked for.

  Ming Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly, "What do you plan to do?"

  Helping Ming Wu is equivalent to helping herself, she wont refuse.

  Ming Wus mouth corners slightly raised, she leaned over, and whispered softly in Ming Xuans ear.

  Inside the main hall, Madame Hou was talking to Old Lady Dongping about Mingrus illness. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she was holding back tears. "The imperial physician said it would be just these few days, and as her mother, I feel so distressed that I can do nothing for her. But Ru sister is even stronger than me, dragging such a heavy body, forcing herself to talk about arranging the aftermath."

  She wiped her eyes and continued, "She just cant put her mind at ease about the two kids."

  Mrs. Liang, sitting at the head of the table on the right, nodded and said, "Your father has mentioned it to me before, wanting to take another daughter-in-law from our family as a concubine for the sake of Qi Ge and Jin Ge. Having a maternal aunt to look after them is better than an outsider, I agree with that too. I dont know which girl your mother plans to marry off? I heard she brought two girls over today, but which one?"

  She paused, "Dont blame me for being presumptuous, Auntie. Its just that with such a large estate like this, there must be someone in charge of managing the household. Qiuniangs parents passed away early and he doesnt have any siblings to help out. As his aunt, I shouldnt take on too much responsibility, but Ill have to step in for now."

  Madam Hou was waiting for these words and hastily nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, someone has already been sent to call that child over to talk."

  She turned around and rushed towards Empress Dowager Dongping with a smile, "The empress dowager also likes that child!"

  Dongping Old Lady was as calm as water, her face didnt reveal anything. She held the tea and took a light sip, not responding to Madame Hous words. However, in her heart, she secretly felt some regret. Her cousin had put so much effort into Xiangs marriage, but in the end, it was ruined by the eldest branch of the family. A few days ago, when they met at the Auxiliary National Dukes residence, she had already secretly cried with herself once. Although she wanted to help, she couldnt do anything about it.

  She knew in her heart that Kun Ge was not as frightening as the rumors, with his own protection, Xuan Jie would not suffer much. However, for a noble lady like herself to become someones concubine was not something to be happy about. Not to mention that there were two sons from the previous marriages, and if Xuan Jie had children in the future, they would always be ranked lower than them. Moreover, Kun Ge was also ten years older than Xuan Jie, making this marriage not quite suitable.

  At this time, the outer door curtain moved slightly, and Mo Gen went in to report, "Miss Seven and Miss Nine have arrived!"

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