Chapter 57: Breaking Mrs. Hou's favorite tableware
Guihua thought of the nanny who had come to make things difficult for her in the morning, and couldn't help worrying that her master would be bullied.
"The hermit has his own clever plan. It won't be easy for Madam to embarrass me."
Liu Mingyue changed her clothes quickly. Compared to the worries of Guihua and the others, she felt very relaxed.
Liu Mingyue really didn't hesitate. The old maid who delivered the message had just finished replying to Madam Hou when Liu Mingyue arrived: "Your daughter-in-law greets Madam. I heard that Madam sent me to serve you."
"As a daughter-in-law, I should serve my parents-in-law. You have been married into the family for so long, but I have never asked you to come to their house to show your filial piety. It should not be too difficult for me to just serve them at meals." Seeing Liu Mingyue coming, the Marquise immediately put on airs.
"Madam is right. As a daughter-in-law, it is my duty to serve my mother-in-law. I will help you serve the dishes right away." Liu Mingyue happily took a seat, picked up the chopsticks and helped the Marquise to pick up the dishes.
She smiled slightly, not showing any dissatisfaction at all. It was not as if the Marquise had asked her to come, but as if she was willing to come. The Marquise did not know what she was up to and was a little stunned.
She soon found out.
Liu Mingyue picked up a piece of eggplant for her. When she was about to put it into Madam Hou's bowl, her hand shook and the eggplant just happened to fall onto her sleeve. Madam Hou immediately exclaimed, "What are you doing!"
The marquis's wife hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe off the food that had fallen on her sleeves, but her sleeves were still stained with oil.
Before Madam Hou could start to reprimand her, Liu Mingyue began to confess her guilt: "Oh! Mother-in-law! I'm so sorry. I'm clumsy and can't even do such a small thing. I deserve to die."
When she said this, the words that the Marquis' wife was about to say were blocked in her mouth, and she could only swallow them back in silence.
"Forget it, bring me a bowl of soup." The Marquise rolled her eyes secretly, cursing him for being so useless.
Liu Mingyue respectfully stood up to help the Marquise serve the soup. When she was about to bring the soup to the Marquise, her knees slipped and she lost control of the bowl, which fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
Not only that, Liu Mingyue did not kneel steadily and knocked a set of tableware off the corner of the table and onto the ground.
Dishes, soup, and ceramic fragments were scattered all over the floor. These tableware were the dowry given by the marquis' wife when she got married, and each one was made by a famous craftsman.
Before she got married, the marquis's mother felt sorry for her daughter and knew that she liked the craftsmanship of the craftsman, so she spent a lot of money to have several sets of bowls, chopsticks and tea sets made for her. Nowadays, they are hard to buy even with money, and are priceless treasures.
Seeing several of her favorite things being broken, the Marquis's eyes went dark and she asked anxiously, "What are you doing?"
Mother Duan was also frightened and quickly moved the small dining table away, fearing that Liu Mingyue would accidentally drop something again.
"I... the cushion here is so soft and slippery, I couldn't sit still and dropped your favorite thing. Please punish me!"
Liu Mingyue lowered her head tremblingly, looking terrified, but she didn't know that she was too happy and was trying hard to hold back her laughter.
"You! Idiot!" Madam Hou cursed in dismay, thinking that this daughter-in-law was really stupid, no wonder she was not favored in the Zhou family. Madam Hou even thought that the people in the Zhou family were generous, and it would be strange if she didn't get angry to death with such a clumsy person in front of her.
However, Liu Mingyue's repeated mistakes gave her a legitimate reason to punish her. Madam Hou straightened her clothes in disdain and had no appetite for dinner. She waved her hand and asked Madam Duan to remove the table.
"As a new bride, it's ok that you don't know other things, but you can't do such a small thing as serving meals. How can you be so disgraceful?"
The Marquis's lady's lecture was not intended to be difficult, but it was because she felt helpless from the bottom of her heart. How could someone be so stupid?
"Mother-in-law is scolding me for being incompetent. I can't even serve you properly. It's my fault for making you unhappy."
Liu Mingyue bowed her head and admitted her mistake, but it was her attitude that made the Marquis's wife dissatisfied. She might as well be more domineering.
If Liu Mingyue dared to be rude to her, the Marquis's wife would use her rudeness as an excuse to make her behave, but she was very polite.
"As a daughter-in-law, your incompetence is your fault. Go back and copy the female precepts ten times. You must copy them carefully and not just do it casually."
The punishment of copying the female precepts was reasonable and decent, and it did not make the mother-in-law seem mean. After saying this, the Marquis' wife waved her hand and asked Liu Mingyue to leave.
"Yes, my daughter-in-law will definitely copy it carefully." Liu Mingyue took the order and stood up. She left the Marquis's residence with a frown and a heavy heart.
As soon as she came out of the Marquis's courtyard, Liu Mingyue changed her expression. She went back to her room and took out the men's clothes she had prepared in the morning and put them on: "I have to go out for a while. There shouldn't be anyone in the mansion to cause trouble for the time being. You stay and look after the house."
Today was the day that Chi Hongyuan had agreed to take his mother's pulse, so he couldn't delay. Liu Mingyue went to Zuixianlou to meet Bai Ziyu, and they hired a carriage to go to Zuixianglou as usual.
"You're really punctual, but aren't you afraid that His Majesty the Ninth Prince will find out about your relationship with the Zhou family?" Inside the carriage, Bai Ziyu shook the wine jug in his hand, his eyes seemingly vague but actually clear.
Liu Mingyue had thought about this question before. Chi Hongyuan was very capable, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to investigate her background.
However, human nature always has weaknesses. It is easy to be blinded by many things and cannot see the answers to problems directly.
"I don't think so in the short term. After all, who could have thought that the adopted daughter of the Zhou family, who has been cautious and stupid all her life, would be Liu Suifeng?" When saying this, Liu Mingyue's expression even showed a hint of pride.
Bai Ziyu: "..."
Her idea was not wrong. If Bai Ziyu had not seen the change in this man with her own eyes, she would not have dared to believe it.
In the eyes of the madam of Zui Xiang Lou, the two were already regular customers. When she saw them coming, she greeted them with a tactful look.
"My two young masters, our master has instructed that next time you come, you should wait in the first private room on the second floor. I will take you there right away." The madam came up to them with a smile on her face and led the two of them to the second floor.
"I wonder what kind of girls you two gentlemen want to serve you? Still the same as always?" The madam glanced at the two of them teasingly.
As she went upstairs, looking at the steps below, Liu Mingyue did not forget her purpose. She unfolded the folding fan in her hand and smiled heartily: "No, Miss Hong, please help me find a girl who can write well to serve in the wing room today."
The customers who come to Zui Xiang Lou, whether they are literati or playboys, have varied tastes, and the madam is not surprised by all of this.
After leading the person into the side room, the madam went downstairs to make arrangements. After a short while, the wine and food were served, and the girl also arrived.
As expected of the person chosen by Miss Hong, the women in Zui Xiang Lou are not only beautiful, but also versatile. The woman in front of him was wearing a lotus pink dress and a loose bun. She looked like a willow in the wind, which was eye-catching.
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