The servant sent by the second branch of the general's mansion saw that Wen Tingbai was not obedient. He almost talked his tongue out but Wen Tingbai did not budge. Now he really had no choice but to run back to the general's mansion to report the news.
As soon as the servant left, Wen Tingbai's biological mother, Mrs. Wang, called Wen Tingbai over to talk to her.
Ever since Wen Tingbai's incident, Mrs. Wang has focused all her attention on Wen Tingbai's stepson, Wen Xu. Wen Xu, despite not liking to study, is very good at pleasing his elders. Mrs. Wang likes him, but she has become a little estranged from Wen Tingbai.
Although Wen Tingbai was not very ambitious, he was still her biological son. Madam Wang looked at her handsome son with a secret pity in her heart. She said to Wen Tingbai, "Brother Bo, I have asked all the officials in the capital, and none of the civil and military officials are willing to marry their legitimate daughters to me. Seeing that the Lan Courtyard has been empty without a mistress, it is not a good idea. I will find a marriage for you now. I am afraid that the family background may be poor, but I will definitely find you a concubine's daughter from a good family."
Wen Tingbai was stunned when he heard this, looking at Madam Wang with a look of disbelief. "Mother, I am your biological son, the legitimate son of the Marquis of Zhongping. My son is handsome, virtuous, and talented, and is well-known in the capital. And now he can only marry the concubine's daughter of a minor official? Even though my son was divorced once, he has ended up in this situation. If this gets out, won't everyone laugh at him?"
Mrs. Wang looked at Wen Tingbai, who still had some anger, and sighed helplessly, saying, "Mother, you know this too well. But Song Wanning is divorced, not to mention that she has completely disregarded the love we once had for each other and has even ruined your reputation. You're not feeling well now, and the news has spread all over the capital. The wives of officials have all backed away. There's really no other way. It doesn't matter which daughter I marry."
When Wen Tingbai heard this, he remembered the bellyband in his study and immediately became interested. He looked at Madam Wang and said, "Mother, what do you think of Song Wanshi from the second house of the General's Mansion?"
Madam Wang frowned and thought for a moment before responding in a deep voice, "That child may not be very good-looking, but he is a complete child, and his status is not bad. However, the Second House may not be willing to marry their daughter to you now."
Wen Tingbai was now confident. "Mother, I have a way to make the legitimate daughter of the general's second wife marry me willingly. Even though Song Wanshi is not very pretty and her behavior is a bit foolish, she is still a legitimate daughter of an official family. It is not a disgrace for her to marry me. She is much better than some concubine's daughter of an official's family."
Mrs. Wang was stunned when she heard this, thinking Wen Tingbai was just joking. "The second daughter of the general's mansion, although her status is a little lower, is much better than others. But how can you get the second daughter to marry into your family?"
"What a wonderful marriage that has been delivered to our door." Wen Tingbai finally smiled and said to Madam Wang, "Mother, just wait for good news from your son."
Mrs. Wang was half-believing and half-doubting as she saw Wen Tingbai's confident look, but now she had no other choice.
General's Mansion.
The servant who delivered the letter quickly returned to the general's mansion and found Nan Hongqiu.
The servant stood before Nan Hongqiu, his waist bent very low. "Madam, Mr. Bai has actually noticed something is wrong and discovered that the clothes belong to Miss Shi. He even said that he would not return them until you personally talk to her. Madam, please think about what to do about this matter now."
Nan Hongqiu sat in a daze on the chair, muttering softly, "How did such a good thing turn out like this... Then how did Second Master Wen find out about this? What exactly is going on?"
"I really don't know." The servant stood aside and shook his head.
Mother Zuo, who was standing nearby, sighed immediately, realizing that something was amiss. She looked at Nan Hongqiu and said, "I'm afraid Second Master Wen isn't stupid either. He sent someone to follow us, and when he saw this little rascal enter the General's Mansion, he must have figured out most of what happened."
Nan Hongqiu was annoyed. She raised her hand and slammed it on the table. She looked at the servant who came back to report the news and said coldly, "You are so heartless. You didn't even try to cover up when you came back. You were exposed like this."
Seeing this, the servant hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Nan Hongqiu, "Madam, I know I was wrong. I will be very careful next time."
"What's the point of saying this now?" Nan Hongqiu, who usually looked like a gentle and graceful mistress, was now anxious. "Take him away and lock him up in the stable to await his fate."
The servant boy was dragged away crying and making a fuss by the mothers outside. Mother Xu and Nan Hongqiu were running around in the yard in a panic.
Madam Xu looked at Nan Hongqiu and asked anxiously, "Madam, the situation is urgent now. What should we do about this matter? You must seize the opportunity. Otherwise, if that heartless person in the Marquis' Mansion kills her, I'm afraid Sister Shi will have no future in this life."
"I know that too," Nan Hongqiu said unwillingly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Now that things have come to this, I'll send a letter to the Zhongping Marquis's residence, saying I'm visiting their elders and stopping by to see Second Master Wen. Now I have no choice but to face the public for Sister Shi."
"I understand, ma'am." Mother Xu responded and went out to do some work, leaving Nan Hongqiu alone in the yard wiping her tears secretly.
Nan Hongqiu could never have imagined how a well-planned plan would turn out like this. How did Song Wanning's bellyband become Song Wanshi's without anyone noticing? But Nan Hongqiu couldn't think about these things now. This huge matter forced her to visit the Zhongping Marquis's mansion.
Because the old lady of the Marquis Zhongping's mansion was ill, Nan Hongqiu had to pretend to visit Wen Tingbo's mother, Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang usually eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist scriptures while holding beads in her hand. She looks kind and benevolent. She is usually indifferent to everyone she meets. But who would have thought that she would be more warm and friendly when meeting Nan Hongqiu.
Madam Wang looked at Nan Hongqiu and smiled faintly, "Madam Nan actually has time to come and sit with me? You are a rare guest, a truly rare guest."
"I think the General's Mansion and the Zhongping Marquis' Mansion have some old ties. Although there were some unpleasant things later, the matter is now over."
Nan Hongqiu was feeling rather uneasy now, watching Madam Wang constantly trying to make excuses for herself. "Now that our two families are both officials in the capital, we should definitely interact with each other. It's not a good thing if things remain so awkward all the time."
Although Mrs. Wang was a little surprised, she remembered what Wen Tingbai had said about marrying Shi Jie'er from the General's Mansion. She immediately asked curiously, "I heard that Madam has an unmarried daughter?"
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