Xie Xiangxiang said in a panic, "This can't be blamed on me..."
Madam Xu said in a low voice, "Second Miss, you'd better take care of yourself."
"Of course I'm fine. Young Master Gu will become a Duke in the future." Xie Xiangxiang firmly believed that Young Master Gu would definitely crush Grand Secretary Gu in the future.
Mrs. Xu chuckled and said disappointedly, "I'm glad you don't regret it."
In the afternoon, the entire mansion fell silent.
Old Qin moved the betrothal gifts for the two young ladies to the storeroom separately and stored them there.
The old lady summoned all the direct descendants of the eldest son's family to Wutong Garden.
First, congratulations to the two young ladies.
Then, the old lady said, "Today, both sons-in-law of the Marquis's family have requested that the two young ladies be married into the family as soon as possible, and they have agreed to hold the wedding on the same day two months from now."
Xie Xiangxiang immediately became somewhat dissatisfied: "Two months?"
It's been too long!
Xie Anfeng gave her a cold look, and Xie Xiangxiang immediately shut up in fright.
The old lady was extremely disappointed in her and was too lazy to even be angry. She only said, "Two months is a tight timeframe. The manor will prepare a dowry for you as if you were marrying off a legitimate daughter."
Then, the old woman's tone changed, becoming stern and harsh.
"Sir, they are all your wife and children. Your mother doesn't fawn over anyone or step on anyone else. A lot has happened recently, and I have to say something."
The Xie family has been united since its founding hundreds of years ago, sharing the same blood and working together for the benefit of the entire clan. Anyone who betrays their family will not be tolerated. Is that right?
Xie Anfeng nodded and said, "Mother, rest assured, no matter who it is, I will not tolerate evil."
"Alright, firstly, I want to ask Jin'er, who told you that the Xie family would all belong to your eldest brother in the future, and that you were just going to give up and become a good-for-nothing playboy?"
Xie Jin, having been reprimanded by Madam Xu, knelt down in fear and said, "That was just my nonsense, no one taught me that!"
The old lady said bluntly, "Jin'er, Grandmother is only giving you one chance. You have already spoken rudely. Grandmother does not want you to lie. Otherwise, Grandmother can love you, but she can also give you up!"
Xie Anfeng shouted fiercely, "Tell the truth!"
Xie Jin shuddered in fright, tears and snot streaming down her face, and involuntarily said, "It's Mother, Second Sister, and Third Sister."
"They said that Father only liked the older sisters and brothers, and that we, like the illegitimate children, would not be liked by Father and Grandmother. We should just eat and drink as we pleased, take whatever we could, and grab whatever we could as soon as possible..."
Madam Xu, her face flushed red, shouted, "You're talking nonsense!"
Xie Anfeng glanced at her, and Madam Xu immediately shrank into a ball, wishing she could sew Xie Jin's mouth shut.
The old lady nodded: "Good, you know what's good for you. Now, let me ask you again, who told you that Grand Secretary Gu has died outside and will never come back?"
Xie Jin already felt the pressure from her father, elder brother, and elder sister, and cried, "It's my second sister. She kept telling everyone that Grand Secretary Gu must have died in Jiangnan and would never come back."
Xie Xiangxiang knelt down with a thud and pleaded, "Grandmother, Father, Xiang'er knows she was wrong, Xiang'er was wrong, she will never talk nonsense again, please, Grandmother, Father, forgive Xiang'er."
...
The Xie family waited until nightfall before they saw the eldest son's family members emerge from the Wutong Garden.
Xu's household management was completely handed over to the old lady, with Xu, the dowry maid of Xie Anfeng's first wife, assisting in the management.
Xie Xiangxiang was slapped thirty times and confined to her own courtyard until her marriage, forbidden from leaving the courtyard.
Madam Xu went to the Xie family temple to pray for the two young ladies who were to be married. The young ladies were not allowed to return to the family home before their marriage.
Xie Jin was temporarily cared for by Madam Xie.
After watching Xie Xiangxiang get slapped so hard her face turned into a pig's head, Madam Xu handed over the keys and tokens, went to the ancestral temple, and spat lightly, "Retribution!"
The next morning, Gu Shaoyu sent Xie Zhaozhao an invitation to visit the island in the middle of Moon Lake.
He and Xie Zhaozhao were already engaged, so meeting them was not against the rules.
Xie Zhaozhao first went to Wutong Garden to report to her grandmother, saying that Grand Secretary Gu had invited her to visit the island in the middle of the lake for the first time to meet her future husband, and asked her grandmother to give her some pointers.
The old lady was very satisfied and delighted with her granddaughter's composure.
“You have always been very well-behaved since childhood, so keep it up. However, you are still young, so don’t be so old-fashioned. Grand Secretary Gu is older than you and is an important official in the court, so he is naturally mature and prudent. You should be more lively.”
The old lady meant that Grand Secretary Gu was already exhausted from court life, and no one wanted to face a block of wood when he returned home.
Fundamentally, men all like enchantresses.
She asked Yuan Yuan to change into a pale yellow spring outfit, making her look like a delicate forsythia.
The veil must still be worn, and the standard of the carriage for travel must still be maintained.
Moon Lake is the most beautiful spot in the entire capital city. The lake is shaped like a moon, and a large east-west stone arch bridge in the middle divides the lake into north and south halves.
Prince Qi's palace was located on the southern half of Moon Lake.
The northern half is completely enclosed by a white fence that is about one meter high. Standing on the wide road outside the fence, you can see the lake surrounded by green trees and red flowers, covering a very large area.
The island in the center of the lake is located in the northern half of Moon Lake. From a distance, you can see tall and lush trees on the island, like a high wall, with elegant and delicate eaves above, which gives you an idea of the magnificence of the buildings inside.
Normally, the gate to this island in the middle of the lake is tightly closed and there is no sign of human habitation. Today, not only is the outer fence open, but the gate to the island itself is also open.
Passersby curiously peered inside, and through the moon gate opened on the island in the middle of the lake, they could vaguely see the stone-paved passageway and winding corridors, which were quite exquisite and unique.
"Whose garden is this anyway?"
"The door is usually closed, why is it open today?"
Everyone looked around curiously, wondering if this was the Crown Prince's residence.
Before long, the rhythmic sound of hooves rang out, and a two-wheeled carriage arrived, flanked by four imposing guards.
The people hurriedly hid on both sides of the road, but none of them went far, watching the carriage with curiosity.
Someone recognized it; it was Miss Xie's carriage.
But the people in the carriage did not get off.
Nanxing had been guarding the gate. Upon seeing Xie Zhaozhao's carriage, he immediately went to greet it and directed it to enter the gate and head towards a courtyard surrounded by green trees.
The courtyard is very similar to those detached courtyards in the capital, with a vermilion gate and feng shui stone drums.
The carriage stopped, and Yuanyuan got off first, reaching out to help Xie Zhaozhao.
Gu Shaoyu had already arrived and nodded to her, while Yuanyuan hid to the side.
Gu Shaoyu stood in front of the carriage, extending his large hand to receive Xie Zhaozhao.
Xie Zhaozhao stood up and saw the large hand behind the carriage curtain, and was stunned for a moment.
His large, long, and well-defined fingers, with thin calluses on the palm and clear lines, were clean and neat, and were steadily extended in front of the carriage curtain.
She paused slightly, but did not retract her hand; she waited there quietly.
She hesitated for only a moment before confidently placing her hand in his palm.
She had no time to compare how much smaller her hand was than his. The warmth emanating from his hand felt like an irresistible fire dragon, instantly making her shiver.
Gu Shaoyu gently grasped Xie Zhaozhao's hand, and she stepped out of the carriage at a leisurely pace, using the step stool to gracefully alight from the carriage.
However, her ears turned completely red.
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