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  Chapter 19

  Inside Yian Hall, Madame Hou was furious.

  The original design was flawless, deliberately making Ming Xuans clothes dirty, taking advantage of her changing clothes to secretly put the silk handkerchief into her bag. When the time comes, she will think of a way to let Liangs two old ladies and Dongping Taifei see this handkerchief. She is sure that these two will not make a sound, and has also thought of how to use the silk handkerchief as an excuse to take it back without letting Ming Xuan know the inside story.

  If its handled well, even Jian Anbo wont be alarmed by this matter.

  No matter how hard you try to calculate, you still cant account for Ming Yun!

  Madam Hous eyes were filled with gloom, her heart both indignant and furious, accompanied by a million kinds of unwillingness. She gazed at the personal attendants kneeling all over the floor, her voice cold as ice: "How did Ninth Miss find out about our plan?"

  She wanted to play a trick on Ming Xuans purse, and only these few close friends knew about it. But seeing that Ming Wei wore a purse almost identical to Ming Xuans, and came up with a countermove in such a short time, this meant that Ming Wei had already anticipated their design long ago.

  Douzhus body moved slightly, her face suddenly turned pale, she half-lifted her head and replied cautiously, "In response to the mistress words, last night, Jinli came over once to ask me for an embroidery pattern, I saw that she was originally from this house, so I let her in."

  She paused for a moment, her voice trembling slightly, "Im afraid she overheard something."

  Madam Hou furrowed her brow, "Jin Li... but isnt she the daughter of Xia Shi Qis family who serves as a maid in the Second Gate?"

  Douzhu nodded hastily, "Thats right. Jinli was originally a third-class maid at Yian Hall, two years ago Ninth Miss just arrived, you transferred her to Yuejin Pavilion and promoted her to second-class, last year the first-class maid serving by Ninth Miss side, Yao Huang passed away, only then did Jinli fill in. Her father Xia Shisi is the manager of the second gate."

  It was precisely because Jinliu was a born daughter and a member of the Yiantang household that Madame Hou felt at ease assigning her to Mingwu.

  Madam Hous face turned icy cold, and after a long while, she burst out laughing coldly. "Indeed, a lowly person gives birth to a lowly kind! I said it, that prostitute is cunning and treacherous, using every trick in the book, how could she have given birth to a daughter who seems so honest? These past two years, not making any waves, being honest and obedient, quietly keeping her head down, turns out she was just waiting for me!"

  She lowered her eyes and said in a deep voice, "Cui Jie has grown up in front of me since childhood. Although she is a bit hot-tempered, she doesnt have many thoughts. If no one instigates her, she wont do those shameless things. She made a scene once, and I scolded all the people around her. Those who could be replaced were replaced. She was alone and couldnt easily go to Maosheng Garden to make a fool of herself. If its Xia Shi Sans doing, then that makes sense."

  Madam Hous heart was filled with indignation, her breathing grew louder, "This little wretch must have been secretly plotting for today for a long time. She actually managed to subdue the Xia family of fourteen, what a wonderful strategy!"

  The old lady hurried forward to help her pat her back and relieve her gas, "Madam, dont be in a hurry to get angry, if youre angry and hurt your body, wouldnt that just grant someones wish? Since things are already like this, why not think of a countermeasure?"

  Madam Hou nodded and picked up her tea cup, taking a light sip. "Mother Rui, tell me, what should we do now?"

  The matter of marrying Ming Wu to the Marquis of Jianans estate was already set in stone, and making her a legitimate daughter under her own name would inevitably be done. However, just like that, sending her off smoothly, Madame Hou really had an unresigned heart.

  Madam Wang smiled and said, "The lady must be furious. In fact, marrying the ninth young lady as a concubine would be much better than marrying the seventh young lady."

  Madam Hou trusted Ruis words, and upon hearing them, she furrowed her brow in deep contemplation. After a moment of thought, she suddenly burst out laughing, "Ah, yes! I was indeed being foolish. Although I dont like that little girl, she is still the daughter of my husbands first wife, and no matter what, she must address me as mother. The children she bears will also have to call me grandmother. Her birth mother may be of lowly status, but whether openly or secretly, she can only regard the Duke of Lus household as her maternal relatives. Even if she becomes the wife of a third-rank official, she will still have to rely on her natal family for everything, and thus she cannot escape my grasp."

  If it were Ming Xuan, then it would be different.

  After all, she was separated by a house, and in the end, she was just her aunt. Is there any mother who can control her daughter? Where is the aunt who can control her niece? Moreover, although the Lu family of Wudinghou Mansion was slightly cold, they were still a powerful military family that dominated one side. If things really got out of hand, she would be unable to control her.

  Madam Hou thought so and felt a little better.

  The old lady smiled and said, "Theres more benefits than that."

  Her face showed a look of interest, and she said in a low voice, "Seventh Miss is already seventeen, and its time for her to get married and have children. Ninth Miss is only fourteen, and her body is thin and weak, Im afraid she wont be able to get pregnant in the next few years."

  Even if youre lucky enough to get pregnant, its not necessarily a smooth ride. If the first pregnancy is lost, it may be difficult to conceive again afterwards.

  Madam Hous eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, her mouth corners slightly raised, and she nodded lightly, "In a few years, Qi Geer and Jin Geer will both be grown up, and then they wont be afraid of anything."

  Her mood improved, and the corners of her eyes and eyebrows had a smile, "The ninth ladys escort affairs, then please ask Sister Rui to take care of it. From the maid who accompanied the dowry to sending out how much dowry, from the manager of the villa to the accompanying room, Sister Rui, you must carefully consider it for our ninth lady."

  Ruis mother respectfully bowed and said, "Yes."

  She got up and suddenly asked, "What about Miss Qi?"

  Its so obvious what happened today, Seventh Miss is such a transparent person, its impossible for her not to have noticed anything. Maybe she was even in cahoots with Ninth Miss, now that things are settled, there must be some explanation from Seventh Miss side after all.

  "Madam Hous face was slightly tense, The old madam treats Xiang as if she were her own eyeball. If it werent for this time when the Duke of Jianan specifically asked for her, I wouldnt have resorted to such a lowly move. Xiang is an intelligent person and knows that theres no one in the third house, the old madam doesnt care about things, she wont make trouble... but Ive always been clear about rewards and punishments, this time I really did wrong her...

  She hesitated for a moment, "A few days ago, the noble consorts newly acquired satin fabrics, pick out two pieces, and this years newly made hairpins, choose a few of the best colors to put in a box. Also, withdraw one hundred taels of silver from my account and take it over to the Xiyu Pavilion. Theres no need to say anything, Xianger will naturally understand."

  "Any mother would go all out for her childrens sake. Seventh Miss will surely understand you."

  She thought for a moment and then said, "Sixth Miss is a March child, Ninth Miss will probably be in March or April too. What about Seventh Miss and Eighth Misss marriage, shouldnt it be arranged soon?"

  Noble families, if it werent for the reasons that everyone believes in, childrens marriages are usually arranged according to their birth order, otherwise it wouldnt sound good when mentioned.

  "Tomorrow, send over those name cards that were withheld the other day for Old Madam to take a look. Since she has been planning for Xiangs marriage for some time, she probably already has someone in mind. This time, we wont interfere. As for Ju..."

  She let out a long sigh, "Originally I was angry with her, but now that I know she was designed by Mingwu, my heart is somewhat pitiful for her... For now, lets just say shes ill and have her stay at our estate to recover. Once she comes around, we can bring her back. Fortunately, the matter didnt blow up, so theres still room for maneuver."

  Several Douzhu ink roots directly called out, "Madams kind and compassionate heart is good."

  Madam Hou smiled bitterly and shook her head. Who isnt born cruel? If she hadnt been forced into a desperate situation, would she have wanted to stain her own hands with blood?

  Inside the Jade Pavilion, Dan Hong stared blankly at the table full of gifts and asked in a daze, "How did Madame Hou know that we didnt have any money to spend, so she specially bestowed these silvers and coins upon us?"

  She stayed behind to look after the house yesterday and didnt follow them to Jianan Bos mansion. After Mingxuan and Xuesu returned, they also didnt mention those dirty things, so she couldnt guess that these valuables were originally sent by Madame Hou as a gift of apology.

  The snow was slightly sarcastic at the corner of her mouth, but she couldnt refuse the gift from her elders. She still carefully counted and stored away the fabrics, accessories, silver, and money in the warehouse. On her way back to the house, she couldnt help but ask Ming Xuan, "Miss, what do you think Madame Hou meant by this?"

  Ming Xuan smiled lightly, "We just take care of our own lives, whats the point of guessing Madame Hous thoughts?"

  Although she said so, she had a strange feeling in her heart, and the feeling of being calculated was very bad. Before today, she did have some resentment towards her aunt, but when she received these gifts, she suddenly felt that her aunt, although ruthless and merciless when it came to interests, was still a respectable elder as long as they didnt have conflicting interests.

  She lowered her head in thought, and outside the door came Lin Xuans silvery laughter.

  Li Linxiao walked in from outside wearing a camel-colored cloak, holding a soft and fluffy white puppy in her arms. Before she even arrived, her voice was heard, "Xuan sister, come quickly to see this little dog! Ive never seen a dog with fur as long as this before, its so soft and white, like cotton, its really fun!"

  Ming Xuan raised her eyes and looked over, also feeling delighted. She took the little dog from Lin Xues arms and smiled, asking, "Where did you get this little dog?"

  Obviously, the one in her arms was a Pekingese, but after she came here, she had only gone out once, so she didnt know whether it was popular to raise this kind of pet dog outside. However, in Yongning Houfu, it was indeed the first time she saw one.

  Lin Xue smiled and replied, "I dont know where it came from, I heard that it was standing at our gate early this morning, no matter how hard we tried to shoo it away, it wouldnt leave. Later, when Fifth Brother returned from court, he said that since the dog had taken a liking to our house, we might as well take care of it for now and return it to its owner when they come looking for it."

  She gently stroked the soft fur of the little dog with her hand, "Wu said that this kind of lion dog is rarely seen in Shengjing City. It must be a noble familys loss, and it will definitely come back to look for it in a few days. I think its novel, so while its still here, Ill hurry up and bring it over to let Xuan sister take a look."

  Ming Xuan raised an eyebrow and said with some interest, "Just now it was your mansion, but now its our mansion all of a sudden. This change is quite fast indeed."

  Ling Xues face suddenly turned red, and she pouted, punching her small fist over, "Teasing me!"

  Two people were quarreling, when suddenly a woman from the outer courtyard of the mansion came to ask for an audience, followed by a strange-looking maid. The woman made her greetings and said respectfully, "This little lion dog was actually the one that had been lost from the Han Mansion across the street."

  Highly Recommended

  Beautiful "Wild Goose Return", Author: Huajunzi, Book Number: 2259855

  Having gone through the baptism of modern civilization, I was reborn back to a wrong starting point, just to find my original self.

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