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  (Walked by, everyone left a recommendation ticket, no recommendation ticket, leave a review also, Yu Yu tears eyes begging for patronage!)

  Chapter 5

  Mao Chun Garden is located at the east end of the inner courtyard, separated from Xi Flower Hall by a wall. Although the signboard mentions the word "garden", there are actually no artificial landscapes or rockeries, just a small yard with three rooms. In the mansion, banquets were often held, and this place was used for the ladies to change clothes and touch up their makeup. On ordinary days, there was hardly anyone around, only an old woman who came every day to sweep and keep watch.

  With a scream, the usually quiet courtyard was like boiling water, instantly bubbling up.

  The Yongning Hous wife had a deep and bottomless haze in her eyes.

  Because Yuan Xian and Lin Yues marriage had received a response from Shao Qi, the Duke was overjoyed and led the family members to drink more. When people encounter happy events, they get drunk and forget their worries. The Duke had been worried about the Imperial Concubine recently and hadnt indulged like this for a long time. Even though tomorrow was the day of Old Madames birthday banquet, she couldnt bear to persuade them to stop. As a result, not only did all the children get drunk, but even the Duke, who could hold his liquor, showed signs of intoxication.

  She had just waited for the young master to fall asleep, and the maid Douluan who was in charge of Mingyu came back to report that the eighth miss was not feeling well, and she had shaken off her servant girl and run out alone. When she arrived at Maosheng Garden and pushed open the tightly closed door, who would have expected that what entered her eyes would be such an unbearable scene.

  Large robes and cloaks were scattered everywhere, mens and womens clothing and accessories were strewn all over the floor. There was no charcoal fire lit in the house, but from the inner room came the sound of tender moans and whispers that made her face feel as if it was burning with shame.

  Madam Hou was furious, and with one glance, she understood the situation clearly. Having grown up in the Dukes mansion since childhood and marrying a marquis, she had been in charge of household affairs for over ten years, thinking that everything was under her control. Who would have thought that such a mistake could occur?

  Gu Mingxiangs means were not clever, but in the end she got her way, which made Madame Hou even more furious.

  She personally sent people to send Li Dongqi and Gu Yuanyan back to Jinsongyuan, those people would not abandon Li Dongqi halfway and bring him to Maochun Garden. Li Dongqi was so drunk that he couldnt have walked here from Jinsongyuan by himself, even if he really came on his own. What about Gu Mingju? Yuejin Pavilion is far away, a young lady from the inner chambers suddenly appearing here, its impossible to say she was brought here by Li Dongqi!

  Anger surged up, Lady Hou hated that she couldnt just kick the door open and catch this good-for-nothing person, then send them far away to the manor in the south, never wanting to see them again in this lifetime.

  "Stopping Madame Hou, If this matter is made public, wouldnt it be exactly what Eighth Miss wants? But if Eighth Miss gets her way, the one who will end up losing face is the Hou estate. The Imperial Consort has a sister like this who doesnt follow the rules and has no shame, Im afraid shell suffer even more. Moreover, its not easy to explain to Eldest Sister either!"

  Gu Lan Niang was willing to marry her daughter to Yuan Xian, who couldnt inherit the title, because Yuan Xians appearance, talent and character were all top-notch. In the future, when serving in front of the emperor, there would be many opportunities for advancement, and maybe even another chance at wealth and glory for Lin Yue. But she absolutely wouldnt agree to her own legitimate son marrying a concubine daughter with poor virtue as his wife.

  But how can a daughter of Yongning Marquis, even if she is born out of wedlock, become someones concubine?

  If this matter is not handled properly, even the closest of relatives may become enemies. When the time comes for Master Hou to blame and Old Madam to grieve, Yuan Xiangs marriage will also be affected, and in the end, it will all be her fault.

  Madam Hous eyes slightly sank, and she nodded, "Right, it cant be made public."

  She turned to the several robust women behind her and said, "Go in and separate them. Regardless of whether Young Master Shao is clear-headed or not, help him put on his clothes quietly and send him back to Jing Song Yuan. Dont make a scene. If Eighth Miss wants to cry or make a fuss, stuff her mouth and tie her up."

  These several old women were all trusted followers of Madame Hou, and they did things quickly and quietly, without making a single sound.

  After everything was in order, Madame Hou finally composed herself and pushed open the door.

  Gu Ming was extremely frightened.

  The room was cold, and she only wore her undergarments. Originally, she could still snuggle up in the quilt to keep warm, but now she was tied to the bed by the servant girl, without a brocade quilt to cover her. It was the coldest day of the year, and her whole body was shivering with cold. Freezing for a while would only get her a cold, and after resting for a few days, she would be fine again.

  What was frightening was that Madame Hous gaze at her was not angry, nor did it have any flames, but rather seemed like a deep lake, with no ripples to be seen.

  Gu Ming Ju was really scared, she had been raised in front of Madame Hou, and as her stepmother, she somewhat understood her temperament.

  If the stepmothers anger erupts, it means her plan has succeeded again. In any case, Li Dongqi is a handsome and elegant man, and even if he is relied on, it wont be a loss for him. Although he may not accept it at first, they have shared a bed before and are relatives after all, so he will definitely not refuse. As long as she is more considerate and gentle in the future, he will eventually accept her. As for Auntie, she has always liked herself, and among the sisters, only the gift given to herself was the most valuable. Dongqi is not a young master who must be matched with a noble-born daughter, so its likely that Auntie wont oppose this marriage.

  Mrs. Ke was so calm at this moment...

  She suddenly thought of Bai Niangzi, who had been beheaded for adultery with a young servant, and how calm she was at the time.

  "Madam Hou gazed calmly at Gu Mingju who was shivering with fear, and asked faintly, Sister Ju, tell me, whats going on here?"

  Neither blaming nor criticizing, but asking about the weather and food in a casual tone.

  Gu Mingxiang, however, felt that the voice was extremely cold and eerie, like the sharpest icicle piercing through her bones and shattering every inch of her skin. She suddenly rushed to Madame Hous side, tears gushing out like a fountain and unable to stop.

  The old lady took out the handkerchief from her mouth, and immediately begged, "Mother, its not what you think, Mother, its my brother-in-law... Mother, please take charge for me, cover up this matter for me, Mother, Ill listen to you in everything from now on!"

  Gu Ming was so frightened and anxious that he spoke whatever came into his mind, and some of his words were incoherent.

  Madam Hou suddenly smiled and said, "Good, Qiang sister will listen to her mothers words, that would be the best."

  She ordered the servant beside her, "Go and prepare a horse carriage. Cais sister has contracted a contagious disease, so send her to my dowry estate in Xiguan tonight. To prevent others from getting infected, have someone ask Wus servants to leave the Moyu Pavilion. Its late tonight, and theres no time to clean up the new house, so let her stay in my west wing for one night. Tomorrow morning, she can move to Tongcui Pavilion. Theres no rush to move things, but people should go first. The Moyu Pavilion will be sealed off first, and after Old Madames birthday banquet is over, it will be dismantled and cleaned. As for the servants who usually serve Cais sister..."

  If it werent for those slaves and maids helping, how could Gu Mingxiu, a lady from a prestigious family, have done such a shameful thing? How did Dong Qi get into Maosheng Garden, didnt the slave at the corner gate stop him, where was the old lady who guarded the door, after the old ladys birthday banquet, she would investigate thoroughly, these people are so bold, if they dont catch and severely punish them, there will be someone in this marquis residence who will stir up trouble again.

  "Madam Hou snorted coldly, What use are you servants who cant even take care of your master? Send them all away and sell them as far away as possible. Go and arrange it immediately. If anyone makes a fuss or disturbs others, Ill be the one to ask."

  This is simply a means of murder and silencing!

  Gu Ming was stunned, and by the time he reacted, his mouth had been stuffed with a solid knot by his mother-in-law.

  She kept comforting herself in her heart, Mrs. Hou wouldnt dare to, wouldnt dare to, but the more she thought about it, the more desperate she became. When several maidservants finally pushed her into the carriage and they got farther and farther away from the Yongning Marquiss residence, she couldnt control the fear and despair in her heart, her body went limp, and she fainted.

  Ming Xuan had always been a light sleeper and was awakened in the middle of the night by a faint noise from outside.

  Xue Su came in and replied, "Seasonal Mother-in-law went to ask around and said that Eighth Miss had gotten dysentery and was afraid of infecting others, so she moved to the Hous dowry estate. The Moon Brocade Pavilion is not suitable for living, and Ninth Misss people have also moved out."

  "She softly comforted, Its just a slight movement, its nothing serious, miss, dont worry, go back to sleep."

  Ming Xuan nodded, tomorrows game is going to be tough, she must conserve her energy to cope. As for Ming Ju, even if something happens, since it cant be helped, why bother worrying about it?

  On the second day morning, Ming Xuan went to An Tai Yuan to pay respects. Coincidentally, Madame Hou was talking about last nights events: "Cai Jies wet nurse brought some unclean food from outside, perhaps it was eaten and Cai Jie had been having some stomach trouble for several days, feeling uncomfortable. Originally thought that after a few days of rest she would recover, but unexpectedly last night she suddenly developed a fever. Dou Lü came to report, and my daughter-in-law happened to still be awake, so we called in the doctor. Who knew he would say it was dysentery, which is contagious."

  Madam Hou sighed, "I was thinking that today is Mothers big day and there are at least forty tables of guests coming to celebrate her birthday. If people find out about the strange illness in our household, it would be a disturbance to the guests, so I took it upon myself to have someone send Cui sister to the villa where my daughter-in-law was married. Since Cui sister is not here, Wu sister will be serving guests tomorrow and Im afraid she wont be suitable either, so I had her rest in the west wing of my place first and this morning had someone clean out the Tingcui Pavilion for her to stay in."

  Madam Zhu sighed after hearing this, "How could such a thing happen at this critical moment? The wet nurse of Qiangs sister is to blame. Our family most abhors smuggling, what cant be made in the house that Qiangs sister wants to eat? She has to buy it from outside. Eldest daughter-in-law, just handle this matter well, no need to report to me again."

  She finished speaking, beckoned to Ming Xuan with a wave of her hand, and smiled as she said, "Look, our Xuan sister is the most punctual. Every day at this time, she comes after having breakfast. And what about Yue sister? Hasnt she gotten up yet?"

  Ming Quei bowed to the elderly lady and Madame Hou, answering respectfully, "Last night when I went to bed, my cousin told me to call her this morning to come with me to pay respects to Grandmother. But I saw that she was sleeping soundly, and thinking of the hardships she had endured on her long journey, I couldnt bear to wake her up."

  She slightly curved her mouth, "Breakfast hasnt been served yet. Let the granddaughter wait for Grandmother to ask for peace, then return to the Jade Washing Pavilion with her cousin."

  Madam Zhu nodded in satisfaction, "Our Xiang sister is indeed thoughtful. Alright, this mornings greetings have been exchanged, and Grandmother wont keep you, hurry back to wake up Yue sister, wash up and have breakfast, then dress up nicely and come over to Grandmothers house to keep her company. Those few families with close ties to our household must arrive earlier than others, the two sisters must accompany Grandmother in receiving guests."

  Ming Xuan got up and left with elegant demeanor.

  Madam Hou gazed at her departing back, silent for a long time, but with sparkling lights dancing in her eyes.

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