♂?，，

  Ming Xuan thought of the wife of the former Zhen Guo Gong's son, who had measured her with her eyes before, and felt a little nervous in her heart.

  The wife of the heir to the title of Marquis Guo, Madame Yang, seemed to have come specifically to see her. Every gesture, expression, and word spoken by Madame Yang appeared to be scrutinizing her. Accompanying her was the wife of Yang Langzhong, a clerk in the Ministry of War's Arsenal Department, who was the younger sister-in-law of Madame Yang's natal family. The wife of the heir to the title of Duke Anxian was also present, and she was the youngest daughter of Minister Pei. Judging from this gathering, it seemed that Madame Yang had come today as a representative of the Pei family to propose a marriage for one of their sons.

  The relationship between the Bai and Gu families is like that...

  Ming Xuan's expression turned solemn, and he turned to Dan Hong, saying a few words in a low voice. He then smiled and patted her shoulder, "You're tired from today's work, take a rest first. This time, I'll let Su Wan accompany me."

  Since it's been decided to promote Su Wan to first-class, she should be given the opportunity to serve as a personal attendant.

  Dan Hong understood and hurriedly said, "Then I'll go call her."

  In the An Tai courtyard, Old Lady Zhu lay on the soft couch with her eyes closed, recuperating. Her body had not fully recovered yet, and today she had mustered up the spirit to deal with Yang's three women, which had consumed a lot of energy, leaving her somewhat fatigued. Seeing this, Granny Shen went to the purple gold incense burner and replaced it with a pillar of calming incense, and soon the entire eastern wing was filled with a refreshing fragrance.

  The pink peach lifted the bead curtain and bowed her body, saying, "Seventh Miss has arrived."

  Ming Xuan stepped into the house, walked straight to the soft couch and paid her respects, then naturally moved to Zhu Lao's side and asked with concern, "Grandmother, your complexion looks a bit tired, is it because you've been waiting for guests for too long?"

  Madam Zhu opened her eyes and sat up with the support of Nurse Jing. She leaned against the headboard, her eyes filled with affection as she gazed at Ming Xuan for a long time before finally speaking, "I'm a bit tired, I'll rest after we finish talking."

  She gave a look to Nurse Zhao, and Nurse Zhao understood, so she chased all the little maids out of the house. For a moment, the east wing was empty, leaving only these two grandmother and grandson.

  Madam Zhu held Ming Xuan's hand, gently stroking the scar on her palm. The wound had already healed and new skin had grown, but because it was cut too deep, it hadn't fully recovered yet, making it look a bit hideous. Her face showed concern and sympathy as she whispered, "The other day, the imperial physician said that the medicine you prepared is very good, if we apply it for another ten or so days, this scar should fade away."

  Despite this, she was still worried that the long wound would leave a scar and cut off Xiang's palm lines. It is said that women with broken palms are hard to live, most of them have a hard life, and some even carry rumors of being unlucky for their husbands and families. Xiang had already suffered enough, and she feared that in the future someone would spread rumors and blame all the misfortunes of the third house on Xiang's head.

  Ming Xuan saw the situation and smiled to comfort Old Lady Zhu, "Thanks to Yu Zhen Shifu's concern, she knew that the medicine cream brought back by her granddaughter was used up, so yesterday she sent someone to deliver two more jars. Now it's enough for one day to use three times."

  She paused for a moment, then continued, "The one who brought the medicine was Yuanhui Shifu, who is in front of Shitai. She took a look at my hand and said it's fine. The medicine from Shitai is very effective, and to this extent, there will definitely be no scarring. Grandma, you can rest assured."

  Yuán Huì said that during the time of the previous emperor, there was a favored concubine named Wú Guì Fēi. One time, for some unknown reason, her forehead was cut by a sharp object, and the wound was so severe that it exposed her bone. Everyone thought that she would definitely be left with a scar from this incident. It was also feared that Wú Guì Fēi would find it difficult to regain favor in the future. However, two months later, when the previous emperor encountered Wú Guì Fēi in the imperial garden, not only had her wound healed, but there was no trace of a scar left behind. On the contrary, she looked even more beautiful and charming than before. The previous emperor's affection for her grew stronger day by day, and until her death from illness, she remained the number one favored concubine in the imperial palace.

  That Wu Guifei actually accidentally got the favor of Yu Zhen Shitai, and only then got this kind of skin-rejuvenating ointment. It's just that Shitai, due to her identity being too noble, was unwilling to get involved in the inner palace struggles, so she didn't spread the word, and this matter became a secret within the palace, with very few people knowing about it.

  So Ming Xuan wasn't afraid of having terrible scars on her hands, but in fact she did have some and didn't feel too good about it.

  In her opinion, the real Ming Huan had long since perished, and the situation in the third house was so bleak. Therefore, the lines on her palm were unlikely to be a sign of great wealth and nobility. On the contrary, this unexpected turn of events might be able to cut off the past misfortunes, die and then come back to life, and perhaps there would be new prospects in the future.

  Madam Zhu sighed slightly, raised her head to look at Ming Xuan's clear and elegant face, and said in a low voice, "Xuan Jie, you have always been a clever child, with stable and sensible behavior. So I'll be straightforward with you. Today, the wife of the eldest son of the Town National Duke's mansion came, actually wanting to propose a marriage for her family's eldest son."

  She paused slightly, "The eldest son of the Pei family is called Jing Chen. His birth mother was the only daughter of the former King of Xiangchu, Princess Yongjia. Because he was born prematurely, his body has always been weak and he often falls ill, spending nine out of ten days in bed. Therefore, when the wife of the Crown Prince of Town wanted to arrange a few marriages for him, none were successful. The Pei family didn't bother with this order of seniority anymore, so the second and third masters got married first."

  Ming Xuan's bright eyes stared blankly at Old Lady Zhu, she didn't think she had actually guessed correctly, the wife of the son of the Town National Duke really came to propose a marriage for her on behalf of the young master of the Pei family, and even more unexpected was that the person was actually Pei Jing Chen...

  If she wasn't mistaken, the person who made her heart flutter at the medicine hut behind Qingliang Temple on Mother's birthday was him; and the mastermind behind the commotion at the post station street entrance on Pei Xiang's birthday, the man wearing a purple brocade robe with a delicate face like a painting on the yellow flower pear wood carriage, was also him.

  Bai Jingchen was such an unfathomable person, but her grandmother told her that he was very likely to be her newly minted future husband candidate.

  Madam Zhu saw that Ming Xuan's expression was slightly strained, and thought she was still bothered by the old grudges between the Pei and Gu families. She hurriedly patted her hand and said, "Grandmother knows that when you heard that child's surname is Pei, your heart will feel uncomfortable, but being in a turbulent world, many things are not just about seeing deeply, but also about knowing when to let go. Your father's affairs, Rong sister's affairs, Grandmother's heart also resents, and in those years, she often cursed Pei Xiang in front of the Buddha."

  Her eyebrows furrowed, her tone becoming even more despondent. "But thinking carefully now, given Commander Pei's nature of cutting the grass to eliminate the roots, if he had intended to harm Father, how could the Gu family have remained unscathed? The crime of plotting rebellion is enough to warrant the destruction of an entire clan! Yet Commander Pei spared the Yongning Marquis Manor, so naturally he would also spare a weak and bookish scholar like Father."

  Besides, Emperor Xian has abandoned Rong'er for power, but they were once husband and wife who went through thick and thin together. How could he be so heartless? Just look at how he didn't directly send Rong'er to the Cold Palace, it's clear that he still has feelings for her."

  If it was the emperor's intention to abandon Consort Mingrong and send her to Yongxiang, then he truly wanted to discard her. However, now that he has promoted her to be a pin, granted her residence in Yonghe Palace, although Yonghe Palace is remote, it is adjacent to Changchun Palace where the emperor grew up since childhood. The emperor cannot forget Changchun Palace and naturally will not forget his wife from his youth either.

  Whether it was a feud with the noble family of Gu or leaving a grudge and heartache in Emperor Xian's mind, neither was something that the powerful minister Pei would do. He had no reason and no need to put Gu Longping to death.

  Although Ming Xuan had never personally experienced what happened three years ago, according to her understanding, she also felt the same way.

  Pai Xiang, a powerful minister for three dynasties, must have thoughts and ideas that are far more profound and long-term than others. Otherwise, in the turbulent officialdom, he wouldn't know when he would fall from his high position to the ground, and at that time, it wouldn't be just him who would be affected, but possibly the entire family. When the moon is full, it will wane; when things reach their peak, they will decline - she understands this principle, and Pai Xiang must also know it. Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger; the emperor's mind is the most difficult to measure. If he didn't have some strategic thinking, Pai Xiang wouldn't be able to survive for three dynasties without declining.

  So although Ming Xuan still felt that Gu Changping's cause of death was a mystery, she had never considered the Pei family to be her true enemies.

  She thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "Mm."

  Madam Zhu continued, "Eldest Uncle often said that the Pei family would fall within three to five years, but Grandmother felt it was not good to say such things. Matters in the imperial court are unpredictable and ever-changing; today I may be ahead of you by a few inches, tomorrow you may surpass me by a foot or more. Nothing can be absolutely certain."

  She paused, "There's something grandmother should know, actually the marriage between the Pei family and our family was sought by his stepmother Yang before, but it was I and the old princess who strongly promoted it."

  On that day, Yan's family was forced by Han Xiuxiu and had no choice but to cancel the engagement with Ming Xuan. Old Lady Zhu then had such an idea.

  Han Xiyou has a wife, the eldest daughter of the Hou Mansion is dead and cannot be a concubine, it can be said that Madame Han is gone. Han Xiyou is now properly proposing to marry Xiang sister as his second wife through three matchmakers and six betrothals, but the Hou Mansion will never agree. That cold-blooded and ruthless person from back then humiliated Xiang sister so much, and now he's coming back to do such a shameless thing. If they just go along with it, what would Xiang sister be? What would the Yongning Hou Mansion be? It would become a laughing stock if word gets out.

  There might be a family like the Han's, but if they were to marry into another family of similar status again, it would only end up like the Yan family did. A humble official's family can't last for long. However, those families that could stand on equal footing with the Han's and not be intimidated by their power are not easily accessible either. Xiang's sister is already in an awkward position, and she's getting older. With Wu's sister about to leave within a hundred days, they're rushing into this marriage hastily, and originally, there weren't many prominent families willing to get involved with them anyway.

  Madam Zhu racked her brains and finally thought of Pei Jingchen.

  Pei Jingchen is the eldest son of Pei Xiao'an, the heir to the title of Duke of Town, although he has never been favored by his father. His stepmother, Yang, wants to eliminate him for the sake of her own son's status as the legitimate heir. However, Pei Jingchen is the only blood relative left by Xiang Chu Wang and the daughter of Yongjia County. As long as this identity exists, Han Xiuxiu cannot easily harm him, even if he is ill and dying. If the marriage is successful, it will also eliminate Han's thoughts and prevent any unpleasant rumors from spreading in the future.

  As for Mr. Pei's illness...

  Madam Zhu's eyes were slightly deep, and before she didn't know about it. But since Princess Dongping told her, the relationship between Master Pei and Yu Zhen Shitai, with Yu Zhen Shitai's means, Master Pei would never be a helpless patient at anyone's mercy. She also recalled what she saw in the Qingliang Temple Zen room a few days ago, and that thought became even more solidified in her mind.

  She squeezed Ming Xuan's hand a bit harder, her tone also more serious, "Xuan sister, the mother asked, is the marriage with the Pei family still willing?"

  Complete works txt download, full text free, e-book, remember 77 reading books