♂?，，

  The sound was shrill and loud, startling many of the nobles who had come to attend the banquet. In an instant, dozens of ambiguous gazes were cast upon Ming Xuan's body.

  Ming Xuan's eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly as she turned around to see a young woman descending from the carriage behind, her face delicate and pretty, but with a hint of melancholy between her brows. It was unmistakably Ming Xia, the tenth daughter of Yongning Houfu, who had recently been betrothed to the third son of Anguo Gong. But since Ming Xia wasn't particularly close to her, and was known for putting on airs as a noble lady, why would she call out to her in such an impolite manner in public?

  She took a step forward, walked up to Ming Huan, grasped her hand and smiled, saying "Tenth Sister".

  Ming Ru seemed to have realized her own loss of composure, her face turned red, and she lowered her head and said in a low voice, "Seventh sister, I have something to say to you..."

  Ming Xuan smiled and said, "I haven't seen my sister for many days, and I have a lot to say to her. However, this isn't a good place to talk about our feelings. Let's go in and pay our respects to the madam and the elders, then let Yuanshu arrange a quiet place for us to chat."

  She looked back and saw that the carriage with the Yongning Marquis's family crest had not seen anyone else get out, her brow furrowed, and she asked again, "Why haven't I seen Second Aunt and several sisters-in-law?"

  Ming Ru hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself, and after a while, she finally replied, "Grandmother is getting older, the imperial physician said that crabs are cold in nature, not suitable for consumption, so she hasn't come. Eldest Uncle's wife seems unwell, all the sisters-in-law from the main house have gone to the villa to take care of her. My mother...

  Her eyes turned red, and she slightly turned her face away. "My mother happened to have something urgent today and couldn't get away from it, and the two aunts were busy too, so they only let me follow Fourth Aunt here. Fourth Aunt's carriage is right behind us, she ran into one of her mother's relatives and seems to be greeting them."

  The Beile's mansion of Yongning was very large, but only two female relatives came.

  Ming Xuan saw this and knew that something had happened to Gu's family. His expression became somewhat solemn.

  It is said that a married-out daughter is like spilled water. If something really happened in the Yongning Houfu, it would not affect her. Moreover, she had suffered grievances in that house for many years, and as long as it did not involve her grandmother and the third branch of the family, she could have ignored those things.

  Just two days ago, she had sent Granny Liu to visit her grandmother. Although her grandmother's body was not in good health, her spirit was still good. Her brother, Yuan Jing, was currently on a mission to Lin Nan to carry out the emperor's secret order. No matter what happened at Yongning Hou Mansion, she could stay clean and avoid it altogether.

  But as a person in the government, many things are beyond one's control. It is precisely because Madame Zhu has not yet passed away and Gu Yuanjing is not in Shengjing that these matters need to be worried about.

  Fortunately, today's grand banquet has many guests with intricate relationships, and those who are familiar with the Zhongshun Mansion's gate are not in the minority. Mingyu quickly wiped away her tears and followed closely behind Mingshu, moving quietly to avoid drawing attention to herself again. The two sisters, reunited after a long time apart, made their way through the crowd in the front courtyard, passing through the Meng family's exquisite garden, and arrived at the flower hall where the female guests were being entertained.

  Yuan Jie was busy and had no time to spare, she took a short break to chat with Ming Xuan for a few sentences, but was urged by the maid below to go out and arrange some matters. She could only face her helplessness and guilt, saying "It's not yet time for lunch. I'll let Dong Xue take you sisters to Chun Lan Pavilion in the back garden, where the scenery is the most beautiful and quiet. After I've dealt with these trivial matters, I'll immediately go over and meet up with you."

  Her gaze suddenly fell, with a hint of pain and fondness. "I still have many questions to ask."

  Since Ming Xuan got married, there have been rumors circulating in the neighborhood. Yuan Jie is worried about her close friend, but she herself is also a new bride and has to behave differently from when she was a maiden in the Fu Guo Gong mansion. Hearing so many unsubstantiated rumors makes her anxious for Ming Xuan too. Unfortunately, the Meng and Pei families are not related, so they don't attend the same banquets and she can't see Ming Xuan in person or understand the true situation, leaving her with nothing but anxiety.

  She wouldn't miss this opportunity to meet him today no matter what.

  Ming Xuan is now at the Pei Mansion as the mistress of Qing Yi Yuan. She knew that the steward, He Qi, was unexpectedly busy and today's grand banquet was also very lively. Although her sister-in-law, Huan, was only a secondary daughter-in-law who helped with some chores for her elder sister-in-law, she thought there would be many trivial matters to attend to, so she hastily invited her out. "You go ahead and take care of things, I'll be busy until after lunch before returning home, no need to rush."

  The new daughter-in-law has not been in the door for half a year, but she has the opportunity to take on important tasks at the banquet, which shows that the sister is doing very well in the Zhongshunhou Mansion. At least she has won the favor and trust of her mother-in-law and elder sister-in-law, otherwise her mother-in-law would not entrust her with heavy responsibilities, and her elder sister-in-law might not like to let her younger sister-in-law interfere with family affairs.

  In the Zhou Dynasty, once a woman got married, her mother-in-law's favor was the key to determining her status in her husband's family. Her husband's affection was fundamental, and the trust of her sisters-in-law was the icing on the cake. Meng's family, where Yuanyuan got married, was a typical feudal family, which was naturally different from Pei's family. She had just gotten married and could do so, making Mingxuan very happy for her.

  Dongxue is a maid who followed her mistress from her parents' home as part of her dowry.

  She naturally recognized Ming Xuan, and she took Ming Xuan and Ming Ju to avoid the crowd, went around from the back hall, introduced the scenery of the backyard along the way, and led them into Chunlan Pavilion. The maid had already laid out the cushions, and hot tea and pastries were also served on the stone table, as if they had been prepared in advance.

  Dongxue bowed and said with a smile, "Madam Pei, Miss Gu, I'll go to the outer room to relay our second madam's words. If you two have any instructions, just call these maids, don't be polite, our madam will come soon."

  Ming Xuan followed her gesture and looked over, only to see four little maids standing neatly in front of the pavilion, at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, very symmetrical. She couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration, and quickly smiled and said, "Go ahead and get busy."

  Yuanyang is from a noble family, and when she's with me, her personality is lively and playful, but in front of others, she's always polite and courteous, never giving anyone reason to criticize her. After getting married, she quickly wins over her husband's family with her charm, and she has a way with the servants, teaching them well, showing off her abilities. With such a temperament and intelligence, no matter who she marries, Yuanyang will never be at a disadvantage.

  Ming Ru saw Dong Xue leave and said in a low voice, "Seventh sister, something has happened at home..."

  Her eyelashes trembled, and her eyes were filled with tears again, as if they would fall at any moment. "Eighth sister entered the palace and gained power, it is said that this child she is carrying is a genuine male heir, so under the pretext of missing her family, she repeatedly invited her ailing elder aunt into the palace, but somehow, her elder aunt's body became even more unwell, and now it is said that she can only hold on to life with ginseng over 100 years old."

  Ming Xuan's eyes moved slightly, but in fact, she was not surprised at all inside.

  Gu Shu Fei entered the palace in June, and by the second month, she was already pregnant. Now, it's been five months since then. It's usually possible to determine the sex of the baby through pulse diagnosis at this stage. Given the previous false alarm with Guifei, both Shu Fei and the Emperor must have been extremely cautious. If they say it's a boy, it must be true.

  It is said that Yu Huifei was pregnant with a daughter.

  The Empress had always been favored, and in comparison with the two of them, the Emperor's heart had long since become biased beyond reason.

  Nowadays in the palace, although there is an empress and a noble concubine, everyone knows that it is Shu Fei, who is pregnant with the emperor's eldest son, who is the emperor's heart's desire and the most precious woman in the entire palace. When she has a craving for the strawberries from the mountains of Longxi, there will be a long ride of 800 miles to rush and fetch them for her. When she wants to see her family frequently, it is also possible to make an exception and allow Yongning Hou's wife to enter the palace three or five times.

  In fact, Princess Yongning had been very kind to Shu Fei, having raised her as her own daughter. She had also made plans for Shu Fei's future with a sincere heart. However, after Shu Fei started secretly meeting with the Emperor, Princess Yongning chose to turn a blind eye. If it were Mingyu who did such things instead, she wouldn't even have the chance to do so, and her life would probably be in danger.

  If it weren't for Consort Shu being provoked by a few words and doing something foolish, this mother-daughter pair wouldn't have ended up like this.

  But there are some people in this world whose hearts can never be warmed up.

  Shu Fei had always aspired to climb the dragon and attach herself to the phoenix, wanting to enter the palace. At first, it was indeed for her own glory, wealth, and future prospects. Perhaps she also couldn't help but think about competing with Gui Fei in terms of status. This was also a way of showing off against Lady Luo. Now that she's in the palace, she's unmatched in prestige. Not only does the Emperor sleep in her chambers, but she's also given birth to a son, so naturally, she wants to show off properly.

  Although Luo had moved to the villa earlier, saying she was recuperating, in fact her body wasn't necessarily that bad, but being angered by Empress Shu like this several times, this fake illness would become a real one, wouldn't it?

  Ming Xuan saw Ming Hua and didn't say a word. She bit her teeth, somewhat hesitantly saying, "And then it was our turn..."

  Although those words were hard to say, she came this time seeking help, gritted her teeth and said nothing about it, but made up her mind to speak out. "Actually, my mother had some trouble, she originally followed my aunt to make a living, and put in some...印子 money, many years have passed, everything has been fine."

  "I don't know how it happened, but last month the government suddenly investigated the matter of issuing paper money and just like that, all the money was confiscated by the Ministry of Revenue. All of that silver was for my mother's old age, how could she bear to let it go? She ran around trying to negotiate, but not a single penny could be spared."

  Ming Xuan asked strangely, "Isn't Second Uncle working in the Ministry of Revenue? How come we didn't hear any rumors beforehand?"

  It's not a good thing to embezzle money, and the imperial court also conducts inspections from time to time. However, the stolen silver was handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, and my second uncle worked in the Ministry of Revenue but didn't know about it. After the incident, he tried to cover it up, but there was no room for negotiation. This matter is quite strange.

  Ming Ru heard this and tears rolled down, "Father was implicated in Mother's affairs and had been given a long vacation by the Minister of Household earlier. Although the words were spoken euphemistically, saying that Father should rest at home for a while, in fact, anyone with discerning eyes knew that after such an incident, Father's dismissal was only a matter of time!"

  She became more and more wronged, "People say that when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. My great-grandfather just had a minor stroke and hasn't passed on the title to anyone else yet. These knives have already endured no longer and slaughtered upwards. If something were to happen to him..."

  In short, he was accusing Fuchun Hou's son of playing tricks on him.

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