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  Chapter 37

  Ming Xuan was shocked in her heart, and it turned out that her father had actually died by hanging himself, which made her feel a bit unbelievable.

  Gu Changping was the champion of the imperial examination during the reign of Emperor Hongqi, with great talent and ambition. However, as a member of the noble Hou family and related to several prominent families in Shengjing City through marriage, he had to deliberately hide his abilities to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion. For many years, he was relegated to a lower position despite being full of talent. He could see that Han Xiu's refusal of the Ningguo General position was a move to protect himself and seek the position of Left Vice Censor-in-Chief through retreat. As someone with broad vision, he should have seen through the frame-up and wouldn't have sought death because of it.

  A false accusation can easily bring someone down, but it's also easy to clear up. However, if everyone is dead, then nothing can be said clearly anymore.

  A hint of sharpness flashed in her eyes as she asked in a low voice, "Father... did he really commit suicide?"

  Madam Zhu's eyes welled up with tears, "He tore the clothes on his body into strips to hang himself from a beam. The blood-stained letter was written on his undergarment in his own handwriting. Eldest Uncle secretly sent a trusted servant to verify it and indeed it was self-inflicted. Although the Emperor returned his body and did not condemn him, he also didn't issue an edict to clear his name. In the end, he still suffered injustice and was buried with a tarnished reputation."

  She paused, "Sister Ming Rong was also implicated in this matter. Although she is the empress of the current emperor, she can only give up the position of empress to others. The current emperor has appointed the eldest daughter of Prince Pei Xiaoan as the new empress, but he only conferred the title of Pin on Sister Rong and ordered her to reside in Yonghe Palace, which is located at a remote corner, just one wall away from Yong Lane. He also issued an edict banning her from leaving the palace, although she was not demoted to a cold palace, it was actually no different from being in a cold palace."

  Her sister looked gentle and weak, but inside she had a strong and proud personality. She was also clever since childhood, how could she not see the reason for the changes in her family? In pain and anger, she made up her mind to die. After going to Yonghe Palace, she didn't drink water or eat food, and finally tortured herself to death.

  These past events are really too shocking and heart-wrenching. Even after three years, when Madam Zhu mentioned them again, she still couldn't stop the pain and trembling in her heart.

  Her eyes drooped, but her heart was like a stormy sea.

  Gu Mingrong... The elder sister who shares the closest blood ties with this body, how did she die of starvation in such a desperate situation? She remembered that in her previous life, once because she got lost and was trapped in an undeveloped scenic area, where there were deep mountains and poor signals, she had no stored food on her, but just suffered from hunger for one night, which made her feel so miserable that she almost died. Gu Mingrong starved to death, the pain she experienced before dying, she could taste it without even thinking about it.

  Her lips trembled slightly, and her voice was shaking a little, "Grandma, what happened next?"

  Madam Zhu held Ming Xuan and sighed, then wiped away her tears and said, "The Emperor posthumously conferred the title of Yuan Fei on Cui Er, with the rites of a Guifei, and even cried bitterly in front of her coffin. But people are already dead, what's the use of doing all this? If he truly had some lingering affection for their youthful marriage, he shouldn't have treated her so shabbily."

  She let out a long sigh, looking at Ming Huan with an increasingly pitiful gaze. "Last time you asked me about the Imperial Concubine, I'll make it clear this time so that you won't hear rumors from elsewhere and suspect your uncle. Three years ago when we got married, my fourth sister, Huajie, had already been married off, and my fifth sister, Fangjie, died young, so there's no need to mention her. Hejie delayed her marriage because the wife of the Qingping Duke passed away, but Chuijie was actually the third daughter in our family. The reason she stayed at home and didn't get married was that it had been decided early on to send her into the palace."

  Gu Mingfu was born beautiful, originally the Marquis of Yongning had intended to send her into the palace, but at that time the world was not yet at peace, so she was kept in the manor under the pretext of recuperating from illness. The Gu family were hereditary dukes and marquises, whenever a new emperor ascended the throne they would always send their daughters to serve as imperial consorts, at that time the five princes were fiercely competing for the throne, the second prince born to Empress Min and the fifth prince born to the previous empress were the most likely to ascend to the throne, the ninth prince's consort was a Gu daughter but the ninth prince himself had no hope of ascending to the throne.

  "Then the Ninth Prince ascended to the throne, and Eldest Uncle was about to arrange a marriage for Sister Hua. Since our family had already produced an empress, there was no need for another girl from our family to enter the palace as a favored concubine. Eldest Uncle had set his sights on the Fifth Master of the Dingguo Duke's household, but just as they were about to discuss the engagement, that incident occurred at home and naturally caused things to be delayed. Later, when the current emperor issued an imperial decree appointing Sister Hua as the Shu Consort, the matter with the Dingguo Duke's household was called off. The Dingguo Duke Yu Keqin is notorious for being extremely stingy, thinking that our family had two daughters promised in marriage, and so he bore a grudge against the Marquis's household, to this day refusing to have any dealings with them."

  She said seriously, "The palm is flesh, and the back of the hand is also flesh. Xuan sister, among the three sons born to grandmother, the one she loves most is father, and the one she pities most is eldest uncle. As the head of the family, he has paid far more than imagined. Although he never fought for father's reputation, since he was willing to offer the iron certificate passed down through generations, it is enough to show his fraternal feelings towards father.

  The Imperial Concubine had just entered the palace and obtained a high position, although it was not entirely due to the Emperor's compensation for Rong Jie'er. However, if she hadn't learned the ways of the imperial harem since childhood, how could she have survived peacefully within the palace walls? Her current status can also be attributed to her own abilities. Xuan Jie'er asked me this question that day, showing that she had doubts in her mind. Now that Grandmother has told you all about it, you should no longer harbor any suspicions.

  Both parents are gone, Yuan Jing's whereabouts are unknown, and the Lu family is being cold towards him for some reason. In the future, he can only rely on his uncle. The marriage with the Yan family is considered a lowly match, but without the backing of his own family, how would the Yan family look up to him?

  Ming Xuan looked at Old Lady Zhu with a sincere gaze and nodded involuntarily, "I understand, Grandma."

  Those words that came from the heart, although they seemed to be warning her not to suspect her husband's family, were actually still afraid that she would have no one to rely on in the future. She knew that her grandmother was always fair and wouldn't deceive people with words, let alone these things weren't secrets, and when she got married and had more contact with outsiders, she would eventually find out the truth. If this was indeed the case, then her resentment towards her uncle during this period of time would be unjust.

  Madam Zhu said with a sigh, her spirit already somewhat injured. She gently stroked her brow and spoke in a low voice, "Don't worry about the Yan family's affairs for now. Grandmother has asked Empress Dowager Dongping to enter the palace and request an imperial decree for a marriage from His Majesty. Given past favors and debts of gratitude, I'm sure His Majesty will agree. Madame Han is the beloved daughter of Duke Cheng'en, and the Emperor has always doted on this cousin of his. I wouldn't believe that someone with the surname Han could use any pretext to block the Emperor's decree for a marriage."

  At their last gathering, the old lady of Dongping had told her that on the day of Yuanfei's sacrifice, the Emperor stayed in Yonghe Palace. The quiet and desolate night, Yonghe Palace was remote and deserted, if it wasn't for the Emperor still having a guilty conscience towards Yuanfei, he wouldn't have done so. Three years have passed, and there is another noble consort in the palace, Gu Consort, but even to win over the Gu family, it wasn't necessary to do this, it can be seen that the Emperor's conscience has not been extinguished. If the old lady were to go and ask for it, the imperial decree for the marriage would probably not be too difficult to obtain.

  She finished speaking and weakly waved her hand, "Xuan sister, it's getting late, grandma is a bit tired, go back and rest too."

  Ming Xuan nodded and obediently retreated.

  On the second day, Mrs. Jian indeed ordered her personal maid to deliver 40,000 taels of silver tickets over.

  Ming Xuan was delighted in her heart, so she took the opportunity of Xue Su's marriage to reward everyone from top to bottom in the Fu Yu Ge. The crowd didn't know what was going on and all praised Seventh Miss for being kind, compassionate, and generous. The lower-ranking maids saw that Xue Su had left a vacancy after her departure, so they all exerted themselves to perform well, each wanting to fill Xue Su's position.

  According to the rules, Xue Su and He Gui's wedding date cannot conflict with Ming He's, and the only auspicious day for marriage in the near future is the eighth day of the first month. Fortunately, when Ming Xuan was preparing her dowry early on, she also prepared some for the two maidservants. Now that she has money at hand, apart from some clothes and jewelry, she also gave Xue Su an additional 500 taels of silver as a nest egg.

  Xue Su refused, "Miss was born in wealth and nobility, unaware of the outside world. The mansions of the imperial court are naturally made of white jade and gold, but for a small household, having 50 taels of silver is enough to live comfortably for a whole year. You gave me so much silver, aren't you afraid that I will become complacent with money in hand and no longer serve you wholeheartedly?"

  She knew that money didn't come easily, especially since this time she had received 40,000 taels of silver from the second mistress. If it weren't for that, Seventh Miss would have less than 2,000 taels left. Although they now had money, Han Xiu's behavior at Qingliang Temple still made people feel uneasy. The young miss had exchanged the betrothal gift he gave her for cash, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease in her heart.

  Ming Xuan stuffed the silver ticket into Xue Su's bosom, "A woman's dowry is her capital in her husband's family. Although there's no mother-in-law, if she has a stash of silver money, she can stand up straighter in front of He Gui. I know you feel uneasy taking this silver, but as I said before, it's my property and I'll do with it as I please."

  She paused, a bitter smile spreading across her face. "If he wanted to live in peace and quiet, he wouldn't care that I sold those betrothal gifts. If he wants me to be restless, then even if I didn't take those things to exchange for money, it would still be the same. Now that I have a comfortable life, don't refuse me like this, or else it will make me uneasy."

  Xue Su was unable to, and had no choice but to accept it.

  By the eighth of March, He Gui entered the Shu Yu Pavilion early and gave Ming Xuan a few loud bows before leading Xue Su out. Since He Gui and Xue Su's contracts were both in Ming Xuan's hands, they were now slaves of the third house, so they set up their wedding room in the row of low houses outside the second door of the original three houses. The wedding ceremony was also held there. The two each invited some familiar maidservants and young servants to make a lively scene, and then they became husband and wife.

  Ming Xuan was the mistress, so she didn't go herself. Instead, she had Dan Hong lead the maids from the Shu Yu Pavilion to offer their congratulations, leaving only three low-ranking maids to wait outside the door.

  The house had always been lively, when was it ever so quiet? She was bored for a moment, and then took out all the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, thinking of painting a picture of rich and noble flowers in bloom, to be framed and sent to Xue Su to decorate the house. She carefully outlined it in her mind, just about to start drawing, when suddenly she heard the front door of the Shu Yu Pavilion creak open.

  Highly Recommended

  Recommended: Starlight Flickers by the Side, Author: Fo Luo Yi De, Book Number: 2488529

  Introduction:

  Ordinary version: A single-parent girl is reborn back to the time before her high school entrance exam failure, holding a magical cutting system to change her fate. She only wanted to rely on herself to move forward step by step, protecting her family and mother. I won't offend anyone if no one offends me, but unfortunately, there are weirdos every year, and this year is especially full of them. Alright, let's see how things go then.

  Never think that we can escape, every step of ours determines the final outcome, our feet are walking towards the end point we have chosen for ourselves.

  The female lead has a dark belly, Nan bamboo - I won't tell you...

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