In early November, the emperor ordered the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose an auspicious day. He personally went to Yanyun Tower in the western suburbs, assembled his generals, swore an oath of blood to offer sacrifice to heaven, and then sent troops in three directions to Longxi.
The Emperor deliberately separated the Duke of Ying and the Marquis of Weiyuan, perhaps fearing their close relationship would lead to excessive military control, or perhaps fearing a conflict that would lead to significant losses. In short, Gu Tingye ultimately followed the Duke of Ying north, while Shen Congxing led the Duan brothers west, with Bo Tianzhou and General Gan taking the central command.
According to the report from the Tu brothers who escorted Old Man Gongsun, hundreds of thousands of troops have gathered at the western suburbs camp, with flags covering the sky, swords and armor standing in rows, and murderous aura reaching far into the sky.
Minglan only regretted that she had no chance to witness this ancient grand spectacle. In addition, without him by her side, she felt empty and uncomfortable. She sat on the kang with a sullen face, scaring the old women and maids standing below so much that they dared not utter a word.
"Miss Fengxian, please say something." Luzhi pointed at the master and servant standing below and shouted, "Why don't you be a good person and do something sneaky?"
Fengxian stood there with her head bowed, saying nothing. Tear marks still lingered on her delicate and beautiful face. The maidservant beside her was the first to get angry and muttered, "Didn't our girl just meet her family? What's the big deal? Why are you shouting and clamoring for war..."
Minglan glanced at her calmly, and the little maidservant immediately shut up.
"I laid down the rules long ago. If you want to see someone from outside, you have to let me know." Minglan fiddled with her fingers slowly. "How could you just be so quiet, using silver to have the maid open the second door, and then sneaking through the corner door to meet someone? How could that be possible?"
Fengxian remained silent, but the maidservant, on the other hand, looked shrewd and smiled widely. "Madam is kindhearted, we all know that. Since Madam has to worry about everything in this mansion, our young lady is afraid of letting Madam off, so..."
"Otherwise, you can just tell Liao Yong's family. Have you told them?" Minglan said lightly.
The maid was at a loss for words for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Sister Liao... isn't she busy too..."
Minglan was too lazy to talk nonsense with her and said to Liao Yong's wife, "Just send that old woman away. Don't keep her in the mansion anymore. I'll break her open for ten taels of silver. She's useless."
Liao Yongjia bowed and replied, "That's the old man from the old mansion. He used to be the guard at the second gate. I didn't expect him to be so ignorant."
Minglan nodded. "Now that the Marquis is away, the gatekeepers at home should be more strict. Recommend a few people to come up and not only guard the gate at night, but also during the day."
Every time she spoke, Liao Yong's family responded.
Minglan glanced at the maid. "Since you've broken the house rules, you should be punished. I'm young and don't have the rules. But I can't bear to punish Miss Fengxian too severely. Since you have a deep bond between master and servant, you should take the punishment for your master."
The maid was stunned and begged for mercy in panic. Liao Yong's wife ordered two maids to grab her and said coldly, "Don't try to manipulate the Madam with your cleverness. The rules of the mansion can't be changed just by your will!"
The maidservant was still crying, "...We...we were sent here by General Gan!"
Liao Yongjia sneered: "Where is that girl called "Fenxian" who was sent here with you to serve Miss Fengxian now? I've advised you a long time ago not to take yourself too seriously. You might as well die without knowing how!"
As he said this, he looked at Fengxian with a look of ridicule and warning in his eyes.
After the maid was dragged out, Fengxian finally gave up. She looked up at Minglan and forced herself to remain calm: "Madam, what are you going to do with me?"
"The Marquis told me that when General Gan sent you here, he said, 'This is the daughter of a guilty minister. She still has some beauty and a good disposition. She can be used by the governor to clean and entertain her.'" Minglan casually turned sideways, letting Xiaotao massage her aching calf. "Young lady, you have been educated. What do you mean by 'cleaning and entertaining'?"
The maids in the room all laughed softly and sneered. Liao Yong's wife said first, "We servants haven't been well-educated, but we know this. Sweeping is a serious job, and entertainment... hehe... it's just a toy! What a pity, the mistress didn't ask the young lady to fetch a broom, and she didn't use the young lady for entertainment. She even provided her with good food and drink, and new silk clothes every year."
The gazes from all around were like piercing needles, and Fengxian's face flushed red, then suddenly turned pale.
Minglan looked at her for a moment, then waved the servants away, leaving only Xiaotao and Luzhi in the room. Then she said, "You asked me what I was going to do with you. But first I'd like to ask, what are your plans?"
Fengxian suddenly looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and said mournfully, "...Although the Gan family redeemed me from the Music Bureau, I'm still registered as a government slave. How can I live a normal life outside? I only hope that Madam will have mercy on me and give me something to eat. I will serve you and the Marquis faithfully..."
Before she could finish, Minglan shook her hand and said, "Don't say such nonsense again."
Seeing Fengxian's eyes filled with despair and tears streaming down her face, Minglan said bluntly, "You've been in the mansion for four or five years now. I wasn't even here before you. If the Marquis wanted to take you in, why wait until today? You're the descendant of a traitor, and you were sent by the Gan family. The Marquis won't want you. If he wants a good concubine, he can find one anywhere. Why does he have to take you in?"
Fengxian knelt on the ground. She knew that the daughters of criminals were usually imprisoned in the Music Bureau and humiliated. If they were lucky, they would be redeemed by merchants and become concubines. If they were unlucky, they would even be sold to brothels.
Most prominent families would not take a woman from the Jiaofangsi as a concubine. The Gan family had only sent her as a plaything, not to mention the mutual fear between the Gu and Gan families. But at first, she had thought that if she could win Gu Tingye's favor and favor, she could become a concubine first, and after giving birth to a child, with the prestige of Marquis Gu's achievements, he would slowly raise her up. Who knew...
She couldn't help but burst into tears. She was already over twenty years old. Ever since her father was convicted and her family was raided, she felt like a floating duckweed, with nowhere to settle down. "...Madam... is my life over like this?"
Minglan sighed, "Madame Chang said you still have a sense of shame. I've watched you coldly over the years and you've been quite honest. Now you have three options."
Fengxian quickly looked up, looking at it with hope in her heart.
Minglan said, "First, if you still have reliable relatives, I'll let you go and seek them out. In the future, you can go far away and marry into a farming family. It'll all be considered as my maid's marriage. Second, Mrs. Che is in our house now. I'll ask her for help. Either marry into an honest, humble family, or become a concubine to a wealthy family. The closer to Vietnam, the better. It's far away, and no one will mention your origins in the future."
Fengxian was extremely nervous after hearing this, and her expression kept changing.
Minglan continued, "Also, if you don't want to leave, I'll go to the farm and find you a good servant—that's the third way. You should make a decision quickly. When you get older, nothing will be easy."
After talking so much in one breath, Minglan felt a little tired. She asked Luzhi to take Fengxian out, then leaned softly on the pillow, placed her fingers on her belly and tapped it gently, looking up at the top beam carved with fiery red pomegranate vines, lost in thought.
Before leaving, Gu Tingye told her that she could start dealing with Fengxian. Does this mean that General Gan will soon... ?
The emperor's personnel arrangements this time were quite interesting. With General Gan's seniority, even the Duke of England would have called him "Brother," let alone Chen Guduan. But when it came to Marshal Bo, he was helpless, relegated to second-in-command. To paraphrase classmate Li Yunlong, "When I was squad leader, you were still working as a fireman, carrying an iron pot!"
What's more, this time the target was a guerrilla force, and the Central Army, under the guise of the main force and carrying such a flamboyant flag, was clearly just a cover. They had come and gone in vain, and would inevitably be charged with returning empty-handed and wasting money and food.
If the emperor was happy, he would be very pleased: My dear ministers, you are innocent, you have made great contributions to the other two armies, and we will all be rewarded together; if the emperor was unhappy, he would turn his back on you: You two are veterans, and I didn’t expect you to disappoint me so much.
Minglan guessed that, uh, the emperor would most likely be very unhappy in front of others, but very happy behind their backs.
It seems that Marshal Bo has invested a lot of money this time. He would rather sacrifice half his life's reputation to please the emperor for his descendants. Awesome, really awesome... However, if he can see through such a plan, how could the Gan family not see through it?
Minglan shook her head, trying not to think about it. Gu Tingye was doing quite well this time, though. The Duke of England was always reliable, the kind of man who was both steady and wouldn't restrict the hands of his generals. The good thing about him was that he wouldn't suffer a big loss, but the bad thing was that he couldn't show off his great achievements.
But it doesn’t matter, as long as you come back safely, let the king’s uncle show off the limelight.
The more she thought about it, the happier she became. She rolled around on the kang, holding her belly, smiling like a little mouse that had successfully stolen oil, as if her husband would be able to return home safely tomorrow.
…
After this day, Minglan originally thought that Fengxian, a weak beauty who would be easily defeated by the wind, would be troubled for two months when faced with such a difficult decision. However, she didn't expect that when it came to the important matter of her life, she was not indecisive at all.
Two days later, she tactfully asked Cuiwei to convey to Minglan that she was willing to marry a wealthy man as a concubine. However, she was requested to find a good family, one with good financial resources, a kind mistress, and a young man - she would not be able to have children if she was too old.
...very specific requirements.
Minglan was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and went to ask Che Sanniang for help.
Che Sanniang knew the whole story and laughed, clapping her thigh and saying, "That's not that difficult."
She was used to managing affairs outside and was very decisive and aggressive. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Originally, my boss knows a lot of salt merchants, and it would be best to make a move, but these merchants tend to deal with officials. To avoid going to the Marquis' Mansion again in the future, I might as well find a stable local rich man and go along the inland river to the inner territory. The mountains are high and the roads are long, and there is no one around."
Minglan smiled and said, "Thank you so much, sister. It's all thanks to you, otherwise I really don't know what to do."
Che Sanniang said with a smirk, "You're really kindhearted. You're still bothering to think about her future for such a thing."
"Sister, you've seen it too. She's not content with poverty, and she has some background. I'm always worried about her staying at home," Minglan sighed. "But if they really want to sell her off somewhere, I can't bear it. Alas, it's just a matter of convenience, but I'll have to trouble you to ask around."
Che Sanniang said with a smile, "Why bother? She's not bad looking, she's respectable, and she's still a virgin. It wouldn't be hard for her to find someone willing to take her in as a concubine. Besides, if someone who eats our rice bowl doesn't know everyone and has a wide network of contacts, how can it be successful?"
Minglan was touched and said sincerely, "Brother Shi has gone to deliver food to the army. I'm sorry that I have to stay in the mansion for a while. If there is anything I can't do, please don't be polite to me."
Che Sanniang threw her head back and laughed, her molars showing. "Madam, what a joke! I grew up in a fishing village, where we slept on straw. Even though I've enjoyed a few days of comfort now, I've never lived in a house as nice as this."
Minglan smiled in relief. She had initially worried that Che Sanniang wouldn't be used to the fussy rules of the Marquis's residence and would be a constraint, but she hadn't expected her to be eloquent, full of anecdotes and jokes, and a natural at making friends. Within a few days, Shao had become incredibly familiar with her, and even the self-proclaimed aloof Ruomei was happy to talk to her, which had alleviated some of the annoyance that had plagued Old Gongsun's journey.
The two chatted and laughed for a while. Che Sanniang hesitated and finally said, "Madam, there's something I saw, but I'm not sure whether I should tell you. This... I can't really say for sure..."
Minglan was surprised and said, "Sister, just keep talking."
Che Sanniang frowned and said, "I think Miss Ruomei's belly is really too big. Maybe she's pregnant with two." Then she smiled bitterly and said, "I was pregnant with two girls back then, but it's a pity that I could only keep one."
Minglan was shocked and quickly sent a message to ask Doctor Cheng, who was recommended by Doctor Lin, to come and see her. She went behind the screen to take a look and saw that Ruomei was five months pregnant, but her belly was as big as six or seven months. She couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
Doctor Cheng took the pulse for a long time, came out and shook his head and said, "There is really only one." He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He often came to the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion to ask for the patient's pulse. If he couldn't even tell this, it would be terrible.
After further careful questioning, he finally confirmed, "In my opinion, they are definitely not twins." To avoid any surprises, he added, "It would be better to ask another doctor to take a look, just to be on the safe side."
Minglan was indeed worried, so she invited several famous obstetricians one after another. However, they all said that Rumei was not pregnant with twins, but was just taking too many supplements, which caused the fetuses to grow faster.
After working hard for several days, she came to this conclusion. Minglan was furious. She opened the account books and warehouse expenditures of Gongsun Courtyard and discovered that the precious ingredients that Ruomei had taken in the past few months were almost enough for her to give birth to two children!
He immediately asked Mother Cui to tell Ruomei that many pregnant women suffered difficult labor and stillbirths because the fetus was too large.
Ruomei Su knew that Mother Cui was honest and would never tell lies, so she turned pale with fright. Cuiwei saw that she was no longer frightened, so she tried to persuade her with kind words and comforted her for a long time before she finally came back to her senses.
Minglan was still furious, so she called over the maids who served Ruomei and scolded them: "You maids are ignorant! You've all served her for ages, and you don't know this?! Don't play dumb and try to trick your mistress into giving you more nourishment so you can make some money. Now listen carefully, if anything happens to Concubine Mei and the child, none of you can escape, you'll all be sold!"
The maidservants were so frightened that they kept kowtowing and begging for mercy. Minglan was upset that such a thing had happened right under her nose. If she hadn't been afraid of scaring Ruomei, she would have wanted to punish these bastards immediately! But Ruomei was also confused.
Minglan also wanted Gongsun Da Niang to come to Beijing as soon as possible and hand over this hot potato. Then she could give away the indentures of these bitches together, and it would be up to Gongsun Da Niang to decide how to discipline and discipline them!
Che Sanniang consoled him, "It was all my random guessing that made me laugh."
Minglan hurriedly said, "Sister, please don't say that." Then she added bitterly, "If sister hadn't reminded me in time, who knows how long that silly girl Ruomei would have had to make up for it!!"
In the following days, Minglan ordered Ruomei to strictly follow the imperial physician's instructions, adjust her diet, walk more, and try to relax; Mother Cui was only worried about Minglan's health. Fortunately, the imperial physician repeatedly assured her that your wife is really healthy; besides, occasionally getting angry, yelling, and venting some pent-up anger is not a bad thing for a pregnant woman, and it is better than being blocked by lovesickness and separation.
Mother Cui remained silent and did not tell Minglan the second half of the sentence.
Such twists and turns, surprises on this side and shocks on that side, actually slightly alleviated the sadness of Gu Tingye's departure.
In late November, Zhang sent someone to say that the old lady of the Shen family had recovered from her cold and was in perfect health. She was absolutely safe and asked Minglan to arrange a blind date and tea party.
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