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  Chapter 15

  The outer door curtain rustled, accompanied by footsteps that were neither light nor heavy. A cold air current poured in through the gap, and the cold wind took advantage of the opportunity to pour in, causing a deep chill in the house.

  Jian An Bo Liang Kun lifted the pearl curtain of the inner chamber and entered, wearing a purple gold hair crown on his head, but still dressed in court attire, apparently having just come from the early morning court session.

  When he saw Madame Hou, he didnt seem surprised. First, he greeted Madame Hou and then nodded slightly to the two young aunts behind her before lowering his head to speak to Gu Mingru on the couch, "Madame, are you feeling better?"

  The tone is smooth and gentle, and it doesnt seem as unbearable as rumored.

  Ming Xuan felt a sense of unease in her heart. Although rumors were often used by malicious people, if Jianan Bo wasnt such a cruel person, why hadnt he clarified the situation all these years and let the rumor spread even more wildly? Was there really some hidden truth to it? She thought this way in her heart, but on the surface, she didnt show anything, still carefully hiding behind Madame Hou, lowering her eyelids and bowing her head, only daring to reveal half of her body.

  She didnt notice the flash of light in Mingyus eyes that had flickered by quickly.

  Ming Rus voice was as soft as a mosquitos hum. She thought to herself that she had already reached the extreme of exhaustion, "Thank you for your concern, Im much better now."

  Jian Anbo nodded and said, "Ill go down and change my clothes first, and then come back to see you later."

  He turned around and made a deep bow to Madame Hou, "Soon Aunt and Uncle will arrive, Mingru cant get out of bed, and the house is in need of someone to take charge. Since Mother-in-law is here, Ill have to trouble you to take care of things."

  Madam Hou hastily agreed and saw him out.

  Ming Ru beckoned to Ming Xuan, who sat down beside her. As she carefully examined Ming Xuan, she spoke in a gentle tone, "Although youre the child of Third Uncles family, from a young age, youve been closest to me, always liking to follow me around and play. At that time, Second Sister would often come over and take you back. Its strange to say, but at that time, I had two younger sisters, He Xiang and Qian Hua, yet you only liked..."

  "She let out a long sigh and said, Now that I think about it, these fates were all predetermined."

  Ming Xuan didnt know how to respond, those childhood things she didnt know about, couldnt continue the conversation, and she didnt want to follow Ming Rus words to talk about fate, so she could only sit upright and silent, not saying a word.

  Ming Ru gazed steadily at Ming Xuan, seeing her silent and seemingly unaware of what was about to happen, her eyes somewhat complex. She called over the maid beside her, "Go to Guiyuan, tell Qi Geer and Jin Geer to come together to see their paternal grandmother and two aunts."

  Before long, the aunts led two boys in fine clothes into the house.

  Liang Lingqi was eight years old, and Liang Lingjin was only five years old. However, these two children were precocious and obviously already knew that their mothers life was not long. The corners of their eyes were red, as if they had cried a lot.

  Ming Ru saw the children and struggled to prop herself up, embracing them in her arms. It was a long time before she could bear to let go of their hands.

  She pointed to Ming Xuan and Ming Wu, saying, "This is Seventh Aunt, this is Ninth Aunt. In the future, if Mother is not around, your aunts will be the closest relatives you have. Remember to listen to their teachings, do you understand?"

  Liang Lingjin nodded, "Got it, as long as its what Mother taught, Ill remember."

  Liang Lingqi was a bit older, he shook his head with red eyes, "As long as the child is taught by his mother, and the mother does not leave the child, it will be fine."

  As soon as he finished speaking, a servant came in to report, "The Princess of Dongping and the Second Old Lady have arrived. The young master has sent me to invite Madame Hou to help with the reception."

  Madam Hou helped Mingru tidy up her quilt and said, "Ill go then."

  She leaned down and whispered in Ming Rus ear, "Dont worry, Ill take care of everything, and wont let you leave with any regrets."

  Madam Hou said to Ming Huan, "Ill have He Xiang accompany the elder sister here, Im going to welcome Princess Tai and Old Lady Liang, then Ill be right back."

  She added two more sentences and then pulled the two brothers away.

  There were at least a dozen maids and servant girls attending to Ming Ru, and Ming Xuan felt that she was in the way standing by the bed, so she moved back a little. Just then, Ming Ru had another bout of coughing up blood, and with all the people crowded around her, Ming Xuan found herself even farther away. The young maids were constantly going in and out of the room, but somehow they managed to let in only a hint of fresh air, which made the heavy smell of blood in the room seem even stronger.

  Ming Xuans heart was heavy with thoughts as she stood in front of the beaded curtain.

  Although I just caught a glimpse of the appearance of Jianan Bo, he is indeed a magnificent man. Seeing his elegant demeanor and polite manners, I also feel that he shouldnt be a cruel man. His pace was neither fast nor slow, neither light nor heavy, very standard, as if he had been trained in the army, which suggests that he should be a person who knows how to endure and discipline himself, and shouldnt have those rumors about him.

  Maybe this man is not as bad as imagined.

  But she still didnt want to marry him, even if Jianan Bo was as good as a flower in the garden. After all, he was her sisters husband. The moral principles deeply rooted in her heart since childhood couldnt be washed away overnight, and what her mind couldnt accept was like when she had made up her mind not to marry "cousin", she also had her own persistence.

  Ming Wu said in a low voice, "Seventh sister, did you see brother-in-law just now?"

  Ming Xuan was taken aback, she turned her head and saw a strange color on Ming Weis delicate face. Her heart skipped a beat, and she also replied in a low voice, "I didnt take a closer look. Did Ninth Sister see it?"

  Ming Wus face turned slightly red, she nodded and said, "Sister-in-law is really handsome, even more handsome than Fifth Brother."

  The tone is tinged with a naive and innocent air, as if it were the first blush of a young girls emotions.

  Ming Xuan didnt lift her eyes and quietly gazed at the girl in front of her, "Big brother-in-law is older, Fifth Brother is still young and vigorous."

  If what she said was indeed true, it wouldnt be a big deal if it came from Ming Jus mouth. But the one who said this was Ming Wu, so she had to carefully ponder the meaning behind her words. In Ming Xuans impression, Ming Wu was low-key and thoughtful, knowing what to say and what not to say, being cautious in her actions, and understanding how to advance and retreat, not someone who would speak recklessly without thinking.

  Ming Wu smiled lowly and said, "Although Fifth Brother is handsome, hes not as steady and resolute as Big Sisters husband."

  Ming Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then also smiled lightly, "I think Fifth Brother is more handsome."

  Ming Wu leaned down, no longer speaking in a roundabout way, and said seriously by her ear, "I know that older sister is not doing well, and mother wants seventh sister to marry over as a substitute daughter-in-law. I also know that seventh sister doesnt care about this marriage, and has always wanted to find a way to get out of it. And I also know that mother brought seventh sister over today with some plan in mind."

  "She hesitated for a moment, Seventh sister, I can help, will you trust me?"

  Ming Xuan gazed deeply at Ming Wu for a moment.

  Ming Wus intentions have been made very clear, she wants to marry Liang Kun, but her birth mother was once the head of a brothel, and women who had been in the sex trade were considered to be of the lowest status. The family of Duke Jianan would not possibly want her as their legitimate daughter-in-law, nor could she be a concubine. And what she longed for, was something that Ming Xuan strongly rejected.

  So this was an opportunity. Ming Yu wanted to use Madame Hous design, defeat Madame Hou in one move, and when the time came, she would get what she wanted, and Ming Xuan would also owe her a favor.

  Ming Xuan hadnt even had time to react when Ming Ru started coughing again. The little maid in the yellow jacket came out from inside, carrying a spittoon and rushing outside to pour it out. However, she was in such a hurry that her foot caught on the leg of a chair and she tripped.

  She cried out in a shrill voice, "Dont!" But the phlegm still fell on Ming Xuans skirt with a loud thud.

  The purpose is red, bloody smell.

  Yans nanny hastily came over and asked, "Is Seventh Miss all right?"

  Ming Xuan shook her head, "Just got her skirt dirty."

  Cai Lian, the maid who had been attending to her earlier, hurried over to apologize. "Ive seen Miss Seventh, Im Cai Lian, a maid by Madames side. This new maid doesnt understand the rules and offended you. I didnt teach her well, so Im apologizing to you. Please, Miss Seventh, considering the urgency of the situation, spare her life for now. Once Madame wakes up, Ill make sure she punishes her."

  She lifted the curtain, "Miss Qis clothes are dirty, go and change them in the ear chamber first."

  Ming Xuans heart was filled with a sense of foreboding, fearing that changing clothes would lead to some kind of trouble. But the big bloodstain on her skirt and the unpleasant smell made it impossible not to change. She turned her head to look at Yan Niangniang, just about to ask her to accompany her to change clothes.

  At this time, a little girl came over from outside and said, "Which one is Yan Niangniang of Yongning Houfu?"

  Yans aunt hastily stepped forward, "I am."

  The maid who was spreading the news said, "Dongping Old Madame heard that Mrs. Zhu of Yongning Marquiss residence is not feeling well, so she asked me to invite Shun Auntie over for a chat and also invited Shun Auntie to follow along."

  Yans mother didnt dare to be slow and glanced at Ming Xuan before leaving first.

  This matter came so coincidentally, Ming Xuans heart sounded a loud alarm, but Cai Lian had already lifted the curtain for a long time, and she couldnt hesitate here anymore. She pretended to be careless and leaned her body slightly, wiping some of the bloodstains on her body onto Ming Weis body.

  She finally stood firm, and hastily apologized to Mingwu, "Ninth sister, I didnt mean to dirty your clothes."

  Ming Wus voice was tinged with panic, but her eyes revealed a hint of a smile. She deliberately pulled a long face and said to Cai Lian, "Trouble sister to prepare another set of clothes for me, Ill go change into them with Seventh Sister in the ear room."

  Cai Lians face flashed a hint of difficulty, but it quickly disappeared. She took the clothes and led Ming Xuan and Ming Wu into the ear room, then led the two sisters to behind a screen and said respectfully, "The two young ladies can put their dirty clothes on top of the screen, Ill be here serving you, if theres anything, just call me."

  Those bloodstains were thick and hadnt penetrated deeply, so it was fine to just change the outer layer of clothing. It wasnt difficult to change, and Ming Xuan, fearing something would go wrong, quickly and nimbly changed into the clothes Cai Lian had brought, carefully checking every piece of jewelry on her body for anything that might have been missed. Only when she was certain there were no mistakes did she emerge from behind the screen.

  Ming Wu smiled and stood there, "Sister, did you think the clothes didnt fit so you delayed for so long? Dont worry, I think its quite suitable."

  Ming Xuans eyebrows slightly furrowed, looking at Ming Yus tone of speech, could it be that something really happened just now? She couldnt figure it out, so she had to calm down and follow Cai Lian back to the inner room.

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