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  Chapter 23

  This trip was rushed, but by three oclock in the afternoon, Ming Xuan had already returned to An Tai Temple with the Guanyin golden statue.

  Madam Zhu was overjoyed when she saw the Buddha statue, and as she carefully observed the Bodhisattvas appearance, she found that it resembled her own by 70 or 80 percent. She was so delighted that she couldnt close her mouth. As she carefully felt the Guanyin statue in her hand, she lovingly stroked Mingxuans hair on his forehead, "What a good child."

  At that time, Doctor Zheng had already come to take Lin Xuans pulse and confirmed that she was indeed infected with wind chill. Someone had already moved her to the warm pavilion.

  Madam Zhu said with a warm smile, "Lingyue is ill and may have passed the worst of her illness. Grandmother wont be staying here any longer. Its about time for lunch now, so Ill ask the small kitchen to prepare several vegetarian dishes that she loves to eat and send them over to Qingshu Yuge. You must be tired from traveling by boat and carriage, and youve worked hard on behalf of Grandmother this trip. Take a rest and sleep in tomorrow morning; theres no need to come over early to pay your respects."

  Ming Xuan bid farewell to Lin Xue through the door of the warm pavilion and then retreated.

  Yans nanny hastily sent her off, and once they were out of the main house, she anxiously asked, "Just now on the mountain path, Seventh Miss really didnt get hurt? If you bumped into something or got scratched, be sure to tell Nanny."

  She still thought to herself that at the time when the wheel fell apart, she clearly heard a heavy sound, and in the flash of lightning, the car had already overturned, and under the sudden impact, it was inevitable that she would be injured. Ming Xuan didnt dare say anything, afraid that Old Lady would blame her, but whose dignity could compare to Seventh Misss safety?

  Ming Xuan turned around and grasped her hand, softly comforting her, "Dont worry, Im really fine."

  She saw that Nurse Strict was still somewhat uneasy, so she continued to say, "We suddenly decided to go up Qingliang Mountain. It shouldnt be that the pile of rocks were waiting for us on purpose. Since it was an accident and I didnt get hurt, theres no need for you to mention it to Grandma, lest she worry."

  His expression was sincere and his attitude was intimate, without the slightest hint of distinction between master and servant, but rather like a close relationship between grandfather and grandson.

  A warm feeling rose in Yans heart, she had won the trust of Old Lady Zhu, all the servants in the mansion respected and feared her, even Duke Yongning and his wife treated her with courtesy, her status and face were established, but she lacked a few points of flesh and blood affection, this meeting with Ming Xuan sincerely considering her, was particularly intimate, so she truly appreciated this Seventh Miss even more.

  She personally escorted Ming Xuan and his servants out of the An Tai Temple, then hurried back to Madam Zhus side. After thinking for a while, she still told Madam Zhu everything that had happened on the mountain without holding anything back.

  Madam Zhus face suddenly turned solemn, she thought for a moment and whispered, "Send someone to discreetly investigate who came in and out of Qingliang Mountain this morning. Xiang sister is right, if it wasnt the natural collapse of the mountain rocks, then we innocently became someone elses target."

  She hummed softly, "But in any case, its always good to know whats going on."

  By dusk, the people sent out to gather information had returned with news.

  Yans wife hastily reported to Madame Zhu, "I havent heard of any suspicious signs or appearances there. However, I did hear that the young master of the Town National Dukes mansion went up Qingliang Mountain this morning. Today is the birthday anniversary of the late Princess Yongjia, and every year on this day, the young master of the Pei family goes to Qingliang Temple to ask Master Yuanfang to recite sutras for the deceased."

  Madam Zhu nodded thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, its indeed..."

  At that time, when the King of Xiang Chu was in power, he doted on his only daughter, and every year on her birthday, it was necessary to invite the young ladies from the official families of Jingdu to come to the palace to celebrate. Lan Niang had been friends with Princess Yongjia, and she had always been a distinguished guest at the palace. Although more than twenty years have passed since then, now that I think back on it, the memories are still fresh.

  Unfortunately, Xiang Chu Wang lost that battle, and soon the princess was gone too, so those prosperous old scenes were all buried.

  She suddenly thought of something, her face changed in an instant, and she frowned at Mrs. Shen, instructing, "Send someone to inquire around the Town National Dukes mansion to see if Master Pei was injured this morning. Do it discreetly, dont let anyone discover it."

  The secrets of the inner courtyard of a wealthy family, Nurse Jing also knew quite a few. She saw Old Lady Zhu giving such instructions and guessed that it was probably the current wife of the heir of the Town National Dukes estate who wanted to deal with the head of the Pei family, but unexpectedly let Seventh Miss suffer this unprovoked disaster. If not for the experienced coachmen in their household, todays loss would have been even more unjust.

  She thought so, and couldnt help feeling indignant in her heart, and hurriedly went out to arrange the errand.

  Ming Xuan was unaware of all this, her mind was preoccupied with Yuanyus birthday. On the one hand, she thought about what gifts Zhu Jias eldest brother should give and what gifts Yuanyu should give, on the other hand, she worried about what clothes to wear that day, which could be both elegant and dignified for the birthday celebration, but not too luxurious to offend Yan Qingyan.

  She was really too satisfied with this marriage, so she was so nervous and attentive to the upcoming meeting.

  Lin Xues cold was fortunately cured in time, and by the day of Yuanyuans birthday, she had already recovered. It seemed that Old Lady Zhu had secretly instructed her beforehand, so before dawn, she came to the Shuiyu Pavilion to pull Mingxuan out of bed, saying repeatedly, "Today is a significant day, it seems I must personally take action and dress up properly, Xuan sister, hurry up and go wash up, dont dawdle and delay."

  Her serious appearance made Ming Xuan want to cry and laugh at the same time, but she couldnt bear to reject Lin Yues good intentions, so she went along with her wishes. After washing up, she put on a light pink jacket with a fox fur trim, and a deep purple skirt made of high-quality brocade, with sprigs of lilac embroidered on the hem, looking both elegant and refined.

  Ling Yue gazed at Ming Huan, who had changed into a new outfit, nodding repeatedly. "I heard that Mr. Yan is a scholar, so his taste should be similar to my second brothers. Today, lets style our hair in the Chao Yun Jin Xiang Ji fashion, and we dont need to wear any expensive hairpins; the Ling Long Zhen Zhu Ba Bao hairpin will do."

  She directed Dan Hong to get dressed while clapping her hands and laughing, "This outfit looks really good on you, it wont steal the spotlight from Huan sister, and its elegant and impressive, making a lasting impression."

  She was indeed quite like a virtuous wife and a good mother.

  Ming Xuan knew that Li Shao Heng, the second son of Ping Chang Hou, had also passed the imperial examination and was considered a top scholar. She assumed that Yan Qing Yes preferences wouldnt be too different from hers, so she let Lin Yue do her thing, thinking it was better than aimlessly trying on clothes herself. She understood the importance of first impressions and hoped Yan Qing Ye would be satisfied with her, and come to propose soon.

  When everything was ready, the soft sedan sent by Old Lady Zhu had already stopped in front of the gate of Shuoyu Pavilion.

  Yans mother surprisingly came over to greet her, after exchanging pleasantries, she smiled and said, "The old lady has sent a servant to accompany you to the Auxiliary Kings mansion, Seventh Miss, please get in the sedan chair quickly, Tenth Miss is already waiting at the second gate."

  Although it was to set up Ming Xuan and Yan Qing Ye, this matter would not be too obvious, so Yu Jie sent invitations not only to Ming Xuan and Lin Yue, but also to Ming He, Ming Qi and Ming Wu in the mansion. However, since Ming He and Ming Wu were both busy with their upcoming weddings, only Ming Qi went along.

  Ming Xuans eyebrows furrowed slightly, and since her grandmothers birthday, she had a feeling of being somewhat hostile to herself. Not only was she cold and sarcastic at the New Years family banquet, but also when she went to the Auxiliary National Palace as a guest last time, she was quite disrespectful in her conversation.

  Ming Xuan deliberately targeted herself, something she originally didnt care about and didnt put her heart into, but today was different. If sisters were competing with each other and were seen by Yan Gongzi, no matter who was right or wrong, the impression would be bad.

  She thought for a moment and then said in a low voice to Nurse Shen, "The tenth girl is still young and naive, please take care of her more."

  Madam Zhu ordered Nanny Qian to follow along, not only wanting her to take a look at the character of that young master Yan, but also having the intention of helping Ming Xuan deal with things. Nanny Qian listened to this and solemnly said, "Seventh Miss, rest assured, Nanny understands."

  Ming Xuan felt slightly relieved after hearing this.

  As soon as they got on the carriage, Mingyus face didnt look too good. She complained loudly, "Seventh sister made us wait, and Yanzhi sister clearly said in the post that we should arrive early, but now shes going to be late than the other sisters!"

  Ming Xuan smiled faintly and said, "What Shi Mei said is right, I was a bit late."

  She did not refute, but acknowledged frankly and readily. Ming Huan couldnt say anything more at the moment, so she could only hum a soft sound, turn her body away, and stop talking.

  They walked in silence and soon arrived at the Auxiliary Kings mansion, where they changed into a soft sedan chair and slowly entered Ning Xiang Garden, where Huan sister lived.

  Yuans sister indeed waited for Ming Xuan for a while, and when she saw her, she hurriedly welcomed her out. With a hint of petulance, she punched Ming Xuan lightly and asked with a pout, "What took you so long?"

  Ming Xuan was about to respond when Ming Xia jumped in and said, "Seventh Sister has always been slow to act, its just that she left early to pay her respects to Grandmother."

  This is to say that Ming Xuan would not get up early without any benefits, because currying favor with Mrs. Zhu could gain her favor, but coming to congratulate Yuanyuan on her birthday was of no benefit, so she didnt take it seriously and came late.

  Ming Xuan was reluctant, but didnt want to stir up trouble on Huan Jies good day, so she could only nod and say, "Yes, it was my fault for dragging things out."

  If the one who had passed away was someone else, Ming Yu would have said that even if she didnt want to believe it, she couldnt help but feel a little annoyed in her heart. But now standing in front of her was Yan Jie.

  Yuanyang and Mingxuan had a deep and genuine friendship since childhood, even though they were apart for two years. On that day in the warm pavilion, Yuanyang had already opened up to Mingxuan about her inner feelings, and at this moment, she was most trusting and protective of Mingxuan. But Mingxuans sharp words made her feel somewhat angry.

  She was a straightforward and forthright person, and upon hearing this, she couldnt help but raise an eyebrow and snort coldly. "Cousin, since theres no one else around, Ill let your careless words slide. Xianger is a magnanimous person who doesnt like to nitpick, and Im following her lead. But there are other sisters in my household, if you continue to speak without thinking, and lose the face of our noble familys young lady, dont blame me for not warning you."

  Ming Xuan had never been scolded like that before, her face changed instantly, and she was about to retort something.

  But then she saw her sister-in-law lean in close to her side, and whisper in her ear, "The one thing that the wife of Duke An dislikes the most is a woman who doesnt understand etiquette, doesnt know how to behave properly, and doesnt show respect to her elders. You must remember this well, as Miss Fang is currently in my room!"

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