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  Dan Hong personally escorted Xiao Su out and on his way back met Ming Ju, who bowed respectfully "Eighth Miss."

  Her raven tresses were slightly disheveled, and her delicate face was flushed with a tender pink. Her eyes sparkled with subtle allure as she gazed at Dan Hong. She raised her chin slightly, her crimson lips parting to reveal a hint of sweet fragrance wafting from her mouth. "Is that Dan Hong? Is Seventh Sister in her room? I heard some rumors outside and couldn't wait to come tell her."

  Her footsteps were light and staggering, if it weren't for the servant girl supporting her, she would have fallen long ago.

  Ming Xuan heard the noise coming from the study and saw that her brow furrowed slightly. She asked in a low voice, "Qiang Jie, have you been drinking?"

  In the imperial city, noble ladies often hold poetry and painting gatherings. Sometimes they would get excited and drink sweet wine, but as women's capacity for liquor is limited, they would stop after a small cup to avoid getting drunk and losing their dignity. However, looking at Xiang sister's unsteady steps and flushed face, it seems she has had quite a bit to drink and is somewhat intoxicated.

  Ming Lian's mood seemed to be very good, laughing non-stop. "Today, I was invited by the eldest granddaughter of the Lu family, who is also getting married, and my seventh sister knew that I had been confined in the south suburb of my mother's dowry house for some time, almost suffocating to the point of illness. This time, it was the first time in half a year that I reunited with my sisters from the past, and I got excited and drank two more cups, no harm done."

  She took two steps forward, supporting her younger sister's shoulders, and suddenly pouted, saying "Those people are really annoying, they put on a noble lady's airs, but they like to gossip behind people's backs. Seventh Sister, do you know? They said that Lady Pei's husband won't live long, he's a dying man. The Pei family is not marrying in good faith, they want to use her as a substitute for good luck."

  Ming Xuan's eyebrows jumped, and she hastily ordered the maid waiting in the house to be dismissed: "Go prepare some hot water and hangover soup."

  She didn't believe that Pei Jingchen was really a sickly husband, but the man had pretended to be so true that people who didn't know the truth were probably deceived by him. This time, the Pei family came in a hurry to ask for marriage, and it's inevitable that someone would come up with such speculation. These words were not spoken by Ming Ju. She also had some thoughts in her mind. It was just that Ming Ju still lived in her Xiyu Pavilion, and returning drunk after getting drunk was already improper. If these drunken words were spread out, they might also implicate her.

  Ming Que saw the people in the house retreat a bit, and her words became more and more unbridled. Her eyes slightly dazed, she said: "This is nothing, Pei's husband has been ill since childhood, it's not surprising that someone would spread such rumors. But they're getting more and more absurd. There are even people saying that Seventh Sister's palm lines have broken, which is a sign of killing one's husband. The Pei family's hopes for a good marriage are laughable, I'm afraid that once she marries in, she'll kill her husband!"

  She opened her mouth and laughed at Ming Xuan, "Seventh sister, rest assured, those who look down on people and speak recklessly, I will deal with them in the future! Men, take them out to be exiled to the border. Women, let them marry old soldiers guarding the city gate, humph. Look at their proud identity, how dare they be arrogant again!"

  Ming Xuan listened to her drunken words, which became more and more nonsensical, so she turned her head to the maid serving Ming Jie and said: "The young lady is drunk, quickly help her into the east wing room. When the hot water and sobering soup are ready, I'll have someone send them over. You all take care of her and get her to rest early. Don't let her talk nonsense anymore."

  That girl hastily replied and helped Qiang's sister over to the east wing.

  Ming Xuan let out a long sigh, it seemed that Qiang Jie had been bullied at the Cheng En Hou Mansion. At this time, the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children was like heaven and earth. Although Qiang Jie was spoiled and arrogant, she was after all just a concubine-born daughter. Those true-born daughters of noble families might be polite on the surface, but deep down they looked down on her. Given Qiang Jie's usual temperament, having suffered such humiliation, she should have returned home crying and laughing, making a big fuss. But this time, she only seemed to be venting her frustrations, saying harsh words...

  She lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and instructed Dan Hong: "Go and find out where Cai Jie has been these past few days, who she's met, and what Madame Hou thinks about Cai Jie's marriage. Time is of the essence, if this isn't settled soon, when Wu Jie gets married, it will be embarrassing for the main house."

  Dan Hong bowed and took his leave, then turned around and left.

  The night was getting darker, and Ming Xuan looked at the scar on her palm with a furrowed brow. Yu Zhen's medicine had worked very well, and the cut had already healed, new skin had grown, and the scar was gradually fading away. If one didn't look closely, it was almost impossible to tell that her palm had ever been injured.

  She knew that people in this era attached great importance to palm reading, believing that the ups and downs of a person's life were deeply connected to the lines on their palms. However, she had not expected that rumors about her being unlucky for her husband would spread outside as a result. Suddenly, she recalled how the wife of the eldest son of Duke Zhengguo had stared at her palm for a long time when she came over that day, and now she seemed to understand what the strange gaze in Yang's eyes meant.

  Yang sought to marry Pei Jingchen to the eldest daughter of the Hou family to "ward off evil" in order to gain a reputation for being virtuous, kind and compassionate. If Pei's husband were to die prematurely, whether due to illness or foul play, Yang would be able to shift the blame onto Gu Mingxuan.

  In any case, it is the Yang family who gains the upper hand.

  Ming Xuan's mouth was slightly raised with a cold smile, she was very certain that after the master of the Pei family got married, his body would get better day by day. The changed lines on her palm could be interpreted as "prosperous husband". Yang Shi was likely to become a gentle and kind stepmother.

  On the second day morning, Ming woke up from her drunkenness and heard the maid say that she had been holding onto Seventh Miss's clothes and talking nonsense all night. Her face suddenly changed drastically, and she hastily grabbed the little maid's arm and anxiously asked "What else did I say?"

  That little girl was in pain, but she didn't dare struggle, so she had to let her pinch hard and say, "I only said what the young ladies of Cheng'en Hou's mansion said, that Seventh Miss is a widow, and that the Pei family married Seventh Miss to ward off evil, nothing else."

  Ming Ju finally breathed a sigh of relief, but in her heart, she still had some unease.

  After washing up, she went to the main hall of the Yu Ge Pavilion and saw Ming Xuan and Dan Hong Su counting the new brocade fabrics sent by Madame Hou. She smiled dryly and said, "These silks are so beautiful, did Mother add them to Seventh Sister's dowry?"

  Ming Xuan's face showed no joy or anger, but her eyes hid a few doubts about Ming Ji. She calmly nodded and said, "It was sent over by the eldest aunt just now. I heard it's made of Jiangnan-produced yucan silk, which is more expensive than ordinary satin."

  She blinked slightly and said on purpose, "I suppose Elder Auntie also left some for Eighth Sister."

  Her face showed a few moments of embarrassment, but after a brief moment, her expression disappeared and she forced out a smile, saying with a hint of probing, "I heard that I drank too much last night and got drunk and scolded my sister. It was all my fault. I hope Seventh Sister will forgive me because of my youth and ignorance, and don't tell Mother about this..."

  Her eyes held a hint of pleading "If mother were to find out, she would surely punish me."

  Ming Xuan glanced at her and smiled, saying, "Eighth sister, you're joking. What did I say last night that I need to go tell Aunt about? At the sisters' hair-pinning ceremony, we were all excited and had a bit too much to drink, but nothing embarrassing happened. If we really think about it, last night was when she said she'd severely punish those who gossiped about me. Being protected like this makes Seventh Sister feel very grateful."

  She paused for a moment, then suddenly covered her face and laughed. "Let Seventh Sister wait for the day when our family's Qiang sister becomes rich and glorious, and I'll let her vent my anger."

  Ming Ji's face changed slightly, and she forcibly concealed the panic in her heart, squeezing out a smile on her face "See what sister said..."

  She hastily changed the subject "I went to Ya'An Hall with my mother to pay respects."

  Ming Xuan gazed at her hastily retreating back, her face sinking. She pursed her lips and called out to Ou Si, who was on duty in the study, "Has Eighth Miss been coming to the study to copy books these past few days when I wasn't around?"

  Lotus nodded respectfully, "Miss Hua's words, the eighth young lady copied them all from the notes of the second young lady. She sometimes even imitated the second young lady's paintings. Moreover, I heard that Aunt Qiu said that the other day, the eighth young lady asked about what color clothes and what style of hairpin the second young lady liked to wear when she was at home."

  Ji Po had previously worked at Ming Xiang's Li Xiang Institute, although not as a personal attendant, but often came and went, so she was more familiar with Ming Xiang's dressing than others.

  Ming Xuan nodded slightly, and after a while, she raised her head and asked, "I heard that you were sold to the Marquis's household since childhood? Do you still remember things from when you were young?"

  Lotus's eyes showed some confusion, she shook her head and said "Childhood things, others don't remember, only remember that the flood broke out, and the family was scattered, later was kidnapped by kidnappers, after several twists and turns arrived at Houfu, then had this good fortune to serve Seventh Young Lady."

  The little maidservants bought from outside the Hou Mansion had a lower status than those born in the house, and they were all doing the most bitter and heaviest chores. If she hadn't met the Seventh Young Mistress who was so kind and generous, she would have ended up like the other maidservants who came at the same time, working in the laundry room, and wouldn't have gotten a job as easy as sweeping and dusting the study.

  Ming Xuan's eyes showed a hint of surprise "Can you still recognize characters?"

  Xue Su is cautious in doing things, the chores in the study are easy, and sweeping and dusting are also simple. However, it's difficult to categorize and organize those books, and the prerequisite for doing this task is to be able to read.

  Lotus silk scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, "This servant also doesn't know what's going on, seeing those words seems like recognizing them in general, those book titles, although not recognized, but roughly similar. Snow Su sister said that Master Xun's father was also a scholar, and as a child, she had learned a few characters by osmosis."

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was a bit melancholic. "I'd rather have it this way, at least there's something to think about."

  Ming Xuan gazed deeply at Ou Si for a moment, "I understand."

  She opened her mouth, just about to say something else, when she suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door. Dan Hong rushed in with a flustered expression and said "Miss, it's not good!"

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