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  Chapter 39

  In the third month of spring, there was still dampness in the house, but outside, the warm sunshine made everything feel cozy. The rear garden of Yongning Marquis's residence was famous for its beautiful scenery and pleasant atmosphere. It would have been perfect to take a female guest on a stroll through the garden on such a day.

  Ming Xuan had something on her mind at this moment, and she also saw that Yan Qingli had a few points of anxiety and unease. Where was the interest in doing those elegant and refined things? Because she thought about the many maidservants sweeping and waiting in the garden, she couldn't bear to order them away to let Yan Qingli speak alone with her. There were ears on the other side of the wall, it was too inconvenient. She thought for a moment and then smiled at Xue Shi, saying "I'll invite Miss Yan to sit in the Yu Ge Pavilion."

  Xue Shi had a private conversation with the wives of the two high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Revenue, regarding Gu Chang'an's future prospects. She was already anxious and tense about it, but since Li Furen's niece was present, she couldn't bring herself to say some things. Fortunately, Ming Xuan was willing to accompany her out, which made everything perfect. Who would care whether they were going for a stroll in the garden or just sitting idly in the Jade Washing Pavilion?

  She nodded hastily and smiled, "Go."

  Ming Xuan invited Yan Qingli to ride in a soft sedan chair together, while Xiao Su and the maid from the Yan family followed behind.

  The sedan chair had just started moving when Yan Qingli's beautiful eyes welled up with tears. She looked down, her face full of grievance, and said in a low voice, "Seventh Miss, actually I am..."

  Ming Xuan interrupted her, "I know."

  She quietly looked at Yan Qingli for a moment, forcing a bitter smile to appear on the corner of her mouth. "Today is the good day of my original maid's wedding, and many of the maids in my courtyard have gone to help celebrate with her, so it's very quiet in my room right now. Whatever you want to say, let's talk about it later. Coincidentally... I also have something I want to ask."

  Yan Qingli's face was slightly stunned, she hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

  When they arrived at the Yu Ge, Ming Xuan first instructed the old woman who was left in charge of the house to boil water and tea, and then asked Xiao Su to prepare some refreshments. Only after that did she invite Yan Qingli into the inner room. After the tea, water, and snacks were all arranged on the table, she thought for a moment before explaining, "The people who should be serving us are not here, so if we can't entertain you properly, please forgive us, Miss Yan."

  It wasn't that she deliberately wanted to delay the guests, but if it weren't for seeing that they all had something to say to each other, she wouldn't have had to bring people back to the Jade Washing Pavilion. It's just that whether or not this marriage can be made, these polite words still need to be said.

  Qingli hastily shook her head, "Seventh Miss is too modest, it's already an honor for Qingli to be received, how could she say those things." She raised her eyes and glanced at Xiaosu standing behind Mingxuan, lightly biting her lower lip, with a look of wanting to speak but hesitating, her eyebrows and eyes filled with sorrow and worry, as if the words hidden in her heart had already reached her throat, and she couldn't wait to spit them out.

  Ming Xuan saw the situation and hurriedly said to Xiao Su, "I'll have a few words with Miss Yan. Take this young lady out to the outer room for some tea. If I need anything, I'll call you back in."

  Xiao Su nodded in understanding and quickly led the little girl out with her nimble hands and feet.

  As soon as the door to the inner chamber closed, Yan Qingli suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud and said in a tearful voice, "Please, Seventh Miss, save my brother, save our Yan family!"

  Ming Xuan's heart skipped a beat as he hastily helped Yan Qingli up.

  Her lips trembled slightly, but her voice remained calm and composed. "As a young lady from an official's family, how can you casually kneel to someone? Quickly sit down, let's talk things over properly. What exactly happened at the Yan residence, and what about your brother? You must tell me everything clearly, so I'll know how to handle it."

  Innumerable pessimistic thoughts flashed through her mind, but in fact she was very afraid. However, she was used to coping with challenges and no matter what happened, she always thought that as long as she could calmly untangle the complexities, there might still be a chance for a turnaround.

  Yan Qingli's tears fell down, "Next month is the middle of this year's imperial examination, my second brother studied hard and had a high IQ, all the teachers and students in Taixue Academy thought he could get the top score. The exam is approaching, these few months are originally the time to make a desperate effort, but since last month, my second brother often came home late, his face getting worse day by day. He was thin and pale every day, our family thought he was studying hard, so at first we didn't pay attention to it. If he hadn't suddenly fainted those days ago, we wouldn't have known that he had suffered such hardships."

  She raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and a hint of resentment and discontent in her eyes. "There are whip marks all over his body, some deep, some shallow, some new, some old. My elder brother has a friend who used to work at the Ducha Yuan, he recognized that this is the method used by the hidden guards under the Ducha Yuan to coerce people. My poor second brother's body was originally weak, and after encountering such a thing and suffering such serious injuries, he still didn't dare to tell anyone in the family..."

  Ming Xuan was shocked at first, and then couldn't help but sigh bitterly.

  The original function of the Ducha Yuan was to oversee the imperial court, impeach officials and advise on policies. The Du Cha Shi was a civil servant responsible for investigating and rectifying injustices in various government departments, serving as the emperor's eyes and ears. However, five years ago, when Han Xiu became the Left Supervisor-in-Chief, things began to change. The Imperial Guards were established by Han Xiu under the previous emperor's orders, initially tasked with gathering intelligence and information. As Han Xiu gained more favor with the previous emperor, he was granted more power, and the Imperial Guards were equipped with weapons, gradually gaining the right to make arrests. After the current emperor ascended to the throne, although Han Xiu entered the Zhongshu Province, the Imperial Guards nominally changed hands, but in reality, they still only listened to him.

  Ming Xuan and Han Xi's past was known to everyone in the Zhou Dynasty. Now that Yan Qingye is injured and has been identified as related to the Hidden Guard, the Yan family would naturally suspect her first. It's no wonder that Yan Qingly looked at her with such eyes just now. This kind of unprovoked disaster, if it were her, she would also harbor resentment.

  She didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a long time, she asked, "Did Second Brother ever say who did it?"

  Yan Qingli shook her head with a hint of sadness, "He won't say."

  She hastily continued, "But the fact is clear, do we still need him to speak up to know who did it? Our Yan family has always been at peace with others, and Father's reputation as an official is good. We have always lived a stable life, but since the people from the Auxiliary National Duke's mansion came to discuss the marriage arrangement with my second brother, our household has not had a peaceful day. Recently, when we calculated the eight characters of the date, they all indicated bloody disasters and inauspicious omens, if it weren't for my second brother insisting on it, this marriage would have been called off long ago. Father originally said it was fine, but didn't expect that just a few days later...".

  Someone wants to obstruct this marriage, and he is from a weak family with no power to resist.

  Yan Qingli carefully observed Ming Xuan's expression, seeing that although she was preoccupied with worries, she didn't appear to be angry, and so suspected that she had long known it would bring disadvantage to the Yan family, her anger growing even more in her chest.

  She thought of her mother's words before she came, and couldn't help but harden her heart to say harsh words. "To be honest, if it weren't for the repeated efforts of the Auxiliary National Duke's mansion and the English King's mansion, even my father's superior, the Marquis of Yongcheng's son, who guaranteed the marriage, my father wouldn't have dared to refuse. This marriage shouldn't have been made in the first place. You are a noble lady from a prestigious marquis' family, while we are just a humble official's family. My grandfather even used to sell grass shoes. We're not of equal social status, and my mother is worried that our humble background would be beneath you."

  Ming Xuan's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she looked up to carefully examine this seemingly slender and weak woman. In the Autumn Flower Garden, she had been so timid and fearful, even until just now when she was still sobbing. Who would have thought that when she started talking, her words would be so sharp and decisive, every sentence pressing herself to take the initiative to call off this marriage that was causing trouble for the Yan family?

  She had heard about Yan Qingye's situation, and actually guessed at the time that it was definitely Han Xiu's handwriting. He has a family, and his wife is still a new noble in the imperial court, even if he wants to grasp himself tightly, but after all, he can't make things too obvious, so he will use these sinister means to bully Yan Qingye, a weak scholar, intentionally finding fault with him and taking him away for interrogation, wanting to make him know fear, and voluntarily withdraw from the marriage.

  Who would have thought that Yan Qingyan was such a tough and unyielding man...

  Ming Xuan felt a pang of guilt in her heart, and for a moment she didn't know whether to continue being selfish and stubborn or to give up on the engagement with Han Xiuzhi. At worst, she could just shave her head and become a nun, which would be better than living in constant anxiety. But what Yan Qingli had said earlier still stung her, making her feel like some kind of dirty thing that nobody wanted to touch. The Yan family was only accepting her out of desperation, which made her feel somewhat resentful.

  No matter what, she is still a talented and beautiful noble lady, how can she be despised by others like this?

  If Yan's family really didn't want to make this marriage, why did they agree to it in the first place? Even if they were willing before, after Yan Qingyan got hurt, they wouldn't be willing anymore. The engagement hadn't been formally announced yet, and apart from their own family, no outsiders knew about it. It would be better to quietly call it off now, rather than making a big deal out of it. Although it's a disappointing matter for her, it doesn't affect the reputation of either family. Why did Yan Qingli insist on taking the risk of being gossiped about and come see him?

  She thought for a moment and said, "Matters of marriage are merely the orders of one's parents and the words of matchmakers. My parents have passed away, my older brother is not at home, so naturally I must listen to my elders. Miss Yan, I am still unmarried, it's not quite right to discuss these things..."

  This is just a euphemistic way of saying that Ming Xuan has no autonomy in marriage, whether it's getting married or breaking off an engagement, she can't make her own decisions.

  Who would have thought that Yan Qingli listened and said with a face full of grievances, "If it weren't for being forced to do so, why would I have come to say these words to Seventh Miss? My Yan family may be a humble door, but we are also a family that values poetry and etiquette. We're not people who don't know the rules of propriety. If there were any other way, how could I resort to such a lowly strategy?"

  Her nose turned sour, and tears flowed again. "My elder brother had just been promoted to the seventh rank of Tongzhengsi, but was suddenly dismissed from office yesterday. My father is an honest official, but he was falsely accused by someone saying that our family's reputation is not good. Isn't all this forcing us to break off the engagement? The Yan family has no power or influence, how can we compete with those who have power and authority?"

  "Our family doesn't seek wealth and nobility, just peace. It's really beyond our reach to marry into a noble family, but my second brother is deeply grateful for the kindness shown to him when he was young, and even if it means death, he won't give up on repaying that debt of gratitude. Now his body still bears wounds, and if things continue like this, not to mention the imperial examination, even his life may be in danger."

  She wiped away her tears, ignoring Ming Xuan's attempts to stop her, and knelt down again. "I've come back this time to beg of you, Seventh Miss, to help me think of a way to make my second brother give up on this idea. My mother has entrusted me with this task. If anyone asks, it will be our family's fault, and it won't affect you in the least."

  It's come to this, and no matter what Ming Xuan says, it's useless. She let out a long sigh, and after a while, she said faintly, "Alright, I agree."

  Highly Recommended

  Good buddy, great book "Rural Joy", book number 2463009. There is a direct link on the homepage, and also, all the way down to the bottom where the author strongly recommends it, there is also a direct link, just click!

  Here is the translation:

  Brief introduction: Born into a farming family, my adoptive parents treated me like their own. Our daily life was simple and poor but warm. However, we had a bunch of extreme relatives, and there were many disputes in our family. And to make matters worse, my biological mother was also extreme, causing trouble for my father's family before marriage! Ugh! We will live our own lives, don't be jealous if we become rich! What's the point of cutting ties with relatives? A good husband is one who is nurtured by me! Farm girl must be happy and happy!

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