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  Two days later, the Yan family invited the second lady of the Meng family, the wife of the Minister of War, and the wife of Li, the Minister of Civil Administration, to discuss the withdrawal of the marriage proposal. The Yan family did not mention a word about being coerced by Han Xiu, but only said that their second son had suddenly fallen ill with a serious disease and was bedridden. Perhaps it would be inauspicious for Mingxuan's lifelong happiness, so this matter should be temporarily set aside.

  This remark was made in a roundabout way, but Mrs. Zhu understood the other party's intention as soon as she heard it. She had experienced many battles and knew that it was probably another trick played by Mr. Han from the opposite door. The Yan family was a small household and couldn't bear such arbitrary threats, so they had to find an excuse. Although she felt sorry and hated Han Xiu, she didn't want to force others to do something difficult, so she could only admit defeat.

  Fortunately, this marriage has not been announced yet, but the government and several relatives know that when a noble lady from Shengjing is proposed for marriage, there are often cases where the eight characters do not match or the families have disagreements, so they cancel the engagement. As long as the wedding date has not been set, it's actually nothing to worry about.

  Madam Meng's second wife and Madam Li had just left when Old Lady Zhu immediately sent someone to invite Ming Xuan to the Jade Washing Pavilion.

  Ming Xuan had long expected that the Yan family would come to break off the engagement in these two days. At this meeting, Jiang Tao looked at her with a sympathetic expression, and Ming Xuan's heart was like a clear mirror. She didn't dare show the knowing look on her face, fearing that her grandmother would find out about her personally going to persuade Yan Xiaolong after the incident, and taking her place in being distressed. So she pretended not to know and still smiled brightly as before, entering the An Tai courtyard.

  At this time, the weather had already warmed up. Old Lady Zhu usually sat up from the kang in the main house and moved to the east wing.

  The east wing is also connected to the inner room, and all the thick warm curtains have been removed. Inside, a five-foot-wide soft couch has been set up, with a colorful embroidered screen of butterflies and flowers on one side, and a red coral tree over a foot high in a pot on the other. As it was a side wing, another window had been opened at the eastern end, just as the sun was shining brightly outside, pouring plenty of light into the room.

  Ming Xuan and Old Lady Zhu exchanged greetings before sitting down on the round stool in front of the couch.

  Madam Zhu's eyes were filled with pity and concern. She gently stroked Ming Xuan's forehead and said softly, "Xuan sister, the young master of the Yan family is ill, it seems he may not be well. Just now, they invited two ladies to come... I didn't dare delay, so this marriage will have to be put on hold for now."

  She spoke cautiously for fear that Ming Xuan would hear and be unable to bear the pain, such a good child, but always so difficult in matters of marriage.

  Ming Xuan had always been someone who could pick up and put down things easily. Since she already knew that she would never be able to become a couple with Yan Qingye, she had given up on that thought. Therefore, when she heard this definite news, although her heart felt bitter, it wasn't extremely painful. Her face slightly revealed some worried looks as she asked in a low voice, "Grandmother, what should the granddaughter do?"

  She was thinking of Madame Jian'an, whose slender body like a willow in the wind might collapse at any moment. The imperial physician had also said that she was now barely holding on with the help of thousand-year-old ginseng, and it was uncertain when she would be unable to hold on anymore. As soon as Gu Mingru's breath stopped, Xiang'er would have to get married within a hundred days. Cang'er had been recuperating at the villa for nearly half a year, and this rumor had spread out, but there was no need to rush into marriage. What should she do?

  Madam Zhu let out a long sigh. Last time, we had arranged for the Yan family to come over, so I asked my elder sister-in-law to quietly return those horoscopes of the children who were previously interested in marrying into our family. These past two days, several more invitations have been delivered, and upon taking a look, there's one from someone working at the Ministry of Justice, another from someone serving in the Imperial Guard, and even one from an official at the Ministry of War - all decent prospects, but they're all from humble origins and are martial artists.

  She hesitated for a moment and said with a pitiful tone: "Our Xiang sister is the pampered daughter of a noble family, her grandmother was afraid that martial artists wouldn't know how to cherish and appreciate delicate girls."

  In the Zhou Dynasty, there were several beacons of smoke on the border. In the past twenty years, among the newly appointed marquises and earls, eight or nine out of ten were from a military background. Military officials held relatively high positions in the court. If they were families that had been prominent for generations, they would have naturally received aristocratic education. For example, the Wu Dinghou Mansion and the Dingxianghou Mansion were both from the Wu Ke clan, but they all had an aristocratic demeanor.

  If it were a martial artist from a humble background, it would be hard to avoid leaving some evil aura. A few years ago, the Yongcheng Marquis's family married off a concubine daughter to a general, but she was tortured to death in just a few years. Therefore, when Madam Zhu saw that these people were all military officers, her heart couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. If it weren't for the fact that they had already reached this point of no return, she wouldn't even have accepted their invitation.

  Ming Xuan took the name card from Mrs. Zhu's hand, although the color and shape were different, but she recognized at a glance that the three cards had the same handwriting, even if the person who wrote the card had deliberately used different fonts, but the strokes and hooks between them could not escape the common place.

  She frowned and asked in a low voice, "Grandma, where did these posts come from?"

  Madam Zhu thought for a moment that her uncle had been recommended by his colleagues in the past few days, and the matter of marrying off the young master of the Yan family had not been made public yet. Her uncle was in a difficult position to refuse, so he had Madam Zhu send it over. She was still thinking of waiting a few more days before returning it privately. Now, she would first send someone to inquire about the Yan family's background and character, and if they were decent and reliable, she could consider it further.

  She sighed and said, "I originally wanted to let the illness pass, and then we could slowly choose again after Wusao gets married. But now, even if someone were to spread rumors, they would think that our family is undisciplined and has no rules, and would also suspect Wusao's character."

  Wu Jie designed the marriage between Qian Jie and Xuan Jie, which was a fact that everyone in the household understood but couldn't spread outside. Wu Jie's behavior wasn't good and would tarnish the reputation of the Gu family, affecting not only her younger siblings who were yet to be married but also other daughters in the Gu clan. Even Empress Gu, who heard those rumors, wouldn't look good on the surface.

  Ming Xuan suddenly knelt down with a thud and said, "Grandma, you have promised that your granddaughter can shave her head and become a nun."

  Madam Zhu's face changed greatly and she sternly shouted: "Xiang sister, what nonsense are you talking about?"

  Ming Xuan hugged the old lady's thigh, tears gushing out like a spring. Her grandmother's body was worn out from her parents' hardships. If they weren't at their wit's end, how could their daughter say such unfilial words to anger and sadden you? But this is really helpless!

  She trembled slightly as she spread out the three name cards. Look at these cards, this character "戌", this character "祖", and this character "年". Although they use different fonts, the strokes are all the same. My daughter is sure that these were written by the same person. These cards came suspiciously, my daughter suspected in her heart... This might be another trick of that person next door. Don't believe me? Have someone go and investigate to see if these people have a close relationship with that person.

  Madam Zhu was greatly startled and immediately summoned Nurse Jing to go to the study of Master Hou to ask on my behalf which high-ranking officials had recommended the marriage between me and Xiang's sister over the past two days, and to hurry back quickly.

  Soon after, Yan Niang returned to report that the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was recommended by the Grand Councilor, had nominated Minister Min of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Right Vice-Director of the Capital Garrison, Luo, who was recommended by the General Who Guards the Nation, had nominated Minister Huang of the Ministry of War.

  Madam Zhu's face turned stern. Although she was a woman of the inner chambers, she was by no means dull and ignorant.

  The Zhongshu Province's participant in the government affairs, who is under Han Xiufu, has a surname of Han and used to work at the Ducha Yuan. He was friends with the late General Wei Guo and often came and went from the Han residence. As expected by Xiang sister, there must be some hidden agenda among these candidates for marriage.

  A surge of anger rose from her heart and she sternly asked him what he wanted to do.

  Ming Xuan bitterly smiled, what else could she do?

  She is already seventeen years old and the Hou Mansion cannot keep her forever. Han Xiu was very clear that her marriage would not be delayed for too long.

  If in the future she were to marry someone from a family like the Yan's, he would naturally have countless ways to break off the engagement. But if the other party was someone he couldn't easily sway, such as the likes of Jian Anbo, then he could only come up with another plan. Now thinking back, with Han Xiu's obsession with himself, if at that time Wu Jie didn't take action, she would also be unable to marry Liang Jun. On that day in Jinglian Hall, his threatening words still linger in her ears. He had said that his wife couldn't marry another person.

  These words were just continuing to force her anyway

  Those people are all under Han Xiuzhong's command. If he really marries her, who would dare to touch her? She is just a Buddha statue, placed far away for worship. He thinks that since she can't stay in the Yongning Hou Mansion, he'll move her to another place and let her continue waiting. Is this his so-called deep affection, treating her like a plaything and manipulating her at will, disregarding her own desires?

  It's not just that it's not allowed

  If he just wanted to do it that way, why bother asking someone who can guess the truth at a glance to deliver the wedding invitation? And why ask the same person to write those wedding invitations with loopholes and flaws? He deliberately left behind flaws and flaws, actually still showing his determination to get her, hoping she would cooperate and avoid the marriage.

  Her eyes drooped slightly, and her beautiful face like jade was covered with shadows. Her eyelashes trembled, and her words were filled with unspeakable shock and hatred. She whispered softly, as if crying, "That person must be crazy..."

  Mrs. Zhu had also figured out the inside story and she slapped her palm heavily on the armrest of the bed, splinters piercing into her palm but she didn't feel any pain at all. Her indignation towards Han Xiu was so intense that it made her release all the energy she had been holding back. She used to be a noble lady of the second rank, in charge of the major affairs of the Gu family's aristocratic clan, and she had also experienced desperate struggles for survival.

  She lowered her eyes and said to Ming Xuan, "Sister Xuan, don't be afraid. As long as Grandma is still here, she won't let anyone bully you. What does that surnamed Han think he is? How dare he have such a dirty mind towards the daughter of the Gu family and use such despicable means?"

  Ming Xuan's eyes suddenly lit up with a few points of light in the dimly lit room, and she hopefully asked: "Grandma, is there still a way?"

  Madam Zhu hesitated to speak, then after a long while, she said in a low voice: "On one side are jackals and wolves, on the other side are tigers and leopards. Neither is a good place to go. Let me think again, let Grandmother think again..."

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