After getting inexplicably angry, Gu Tingye rode his horse to the century-old restaurant Deshunzhai and brought back a plump pork elbow with crystal rock sugar sauce. Minglan stared at the fragrant braised pork elbow wrapped in a green lotus leaf.
She couldn't help but look around, and seeing that there was no one around, she pounced on the braised pork elbow and took a big bite, then rolled up her sleeves and compared her arms. Minglan pursed her lips and smiled with satisfaction; then she waved to Xiaotao and asked her to take the elbow to the kitchen to cut it, half of it would be left for Ge Mama and the others to learn, and the other half would be used as a side dish for dinner.
Unexpectedly, Gu Tingye just came back from the outer study at this time, and saw Xiaotao running on the corridor with a lotus leaf pork elbow. He couldn't help but stop her, and went over to take a look. His face immediately turned green like the lotus leaf: on the shiny and slippery braised pork elbow, there were two rows of small and round teeth marks, which were very deep and very fierce.
The meaning is self-evident.
Gu Tingye looked up at the sky, feeling both angry and amused.
At dinner that night, Minglan kept ogling at the dish of pork elbow. She became happier and happier the more she ate. She even kindly asked her husband to eat as well. Gu Tingye looked at her with a slightly raised corner of his mouth. Minglan didn't pay any attention and just buried her head in eating. This century-old braised food was indeed as good as its reputation, and the taste was extremely authentic. She actually finished the whole dish.
As a result, she suffered from indigestion that night, and her stomach was bloated and uncomfortable. She lay on the head of the bed with tears in her eyes and sobbed softly. Gu Tingye had his thick black hair loose, and his snow-white silk gown was open, revealing his strong chest. After sending everyone away, he held a cup of Shenqu tea, which could help digestion, and was coaxing Minglan to drink it, but Minglan couldn't drink it at all.
Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Gu Tingye was so anxious that he almost went to find the imperial physician in the middle of the night. Minglan grabbed him by the corner of his clothes and he whimpered, "If people outside knew that I was overeating, I, I, I... I would be too embarrassed to see anyone!"
Gu Tingye paced around the room in a rage, cursing with a cold face, "Serves you right! You ate half a pork elbow in one rage! Go around the capital and ask around, which ladies are like you!"
Minglan touched her fat belly, sobbing and burping softly, like a little squirrel that had eaten too much. She covered her face and whimpered softly, feeling wronged and ashamed: "...Who told you to bite me?"
Gu Tingye became even angrier, glaring and cursing, "You're a coward! If you bite me, you'll only bite my elbow!"
Minglan lowered her head gloomily, secretly despising herself.
Because Minglan was uncomfortable lying flat, Gu Tingye had to hold her in his arms and half lean on the couch that night, rubbing her belly and cursing under his breath. Minglan was not sleeping very clearly. In a trance, she only saw the intricately carved stone dragon incense burner on the table, emitting clouds of green smoke, and the man's heavy heartbeat was in her ears.
In the haze, she suddenly felt safe and secure.
The next day, Gu Tingye had to get up before dawn to attend the morning court. When he was about to get out of bed, he suddenly felt his collar tighten. He looked down and saw a small hand as white as jade tightly pulling his collar. The transparent nails took on a light pink color due to the slight force, like the petals of a crabapple in a bud, tender and soft.
She felt uncomfortable for about half the night. At this time, Minglan was sleeping soundly, and her beautiful face with a rosy complexion was peaceful. Gu Tingye was inexplicably happy. He bent down and kissed the chubby little fist, carefully untied his belt, took off his clothes and left quietly.
After daybreak, Minglan yawned and climbed out of bed. Suddenly, she realized she was tugging at a shirt in her hand. It had a strong masculine scent. Minglan was startled. Danju glanced over, then looked at Minglan's face. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Miss, if I had to say, your husband treats you very well..."
Minglan was stunned for a moment, then smiled wistfully: "Yes."
Day by day, seeing that the courtyard and back garden were gradually taking shape, Minglan began to prepare for the banquet at the mansion. The Ningyuan Marquis Mansion also sent someone to ask if they needed any help.
Minglan was busy and overwhelmed. When she saw Xiang Mama, who was sent by the Lady Dowager, she immediately asked for manpower, the dishes from the old banquets held in the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion over the years, and also asked for tables, chairs, wine vessels, bowls, dishes, cups, etc.
She responded with a smile to her mother, and shuttled back and forth between Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion and Gu Mansion. As time went by, she started chatting with Minglan.
"...So, the eldest aunt hasn't been in the capital in the past few years?" Minglan smiled as she held a cup of cool wolfberry and plantain tea - the recipe for this tea was given by Old Madam He. Come to think of it, she had never met Gu Tingyan, the eldest daughter of the eldest house.
"That's right." Xiang Mama took a sip of tea and looked up. "The Feng family is also a family of scholars. The eldest brother-in-law is currently serving in Fujian, and the eldest aunt has also gone with him."
Minglan lowered her head to sip her tea, then suddenly raised her head and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by mother. I've been talking for a long time and I still don't know whether to call my eldest aunt 'sister' or 'sister'."
With a flash of his eyes towards his mother, he replied, "The eldest aunt is slightly older than the second master by four months."
"Then I should call you 'Big Sister.'" Minglan's heart moved, but her smile remained warm. Gu Tingyan's biological mother was a deceased concubine. Daqinshi, after all, had a backup plan.
"I wonder if Second Madam has prepared the banquet list?" Xiang Mama asked tentatively. "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask Madam Tai, so as not to neglect our relatives."
Minglan put down her teacup, resting her hands gently on her knees in an elegant posture. She smiled and said, "Mother is right. I'm afraid I've failed to do enough. I've asked my eldest sister-in-law to have the housekeeper send a list of our relatives... However, the governor said that with so much going on at court these days, we'd better be frugal and not be too ostentatious. We can just invite a few close friends and relatives."
She glanced at Mama and smiled, "What the Second Master said certainly makes sense." She paused, then smiled again, "I wonder if the Second Madam is used to the people sent here? Regardless of whether they are the Grand Madam, the Fourth Madam, or the Fifth Madam, they all sent people they can trust."
Minglan chuckled and said, "It's okay, it's okay." She gestured to Danju, and Danju immediately brought a booklet. Minglan flipped out a few pages and handed it to Xiang Mama. After seeing it, Xiang Mama's face changed drastically.
Minglan said calmly, "It's nothing. Oranges grown south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are tangerines. Perhaps my master's virtue is not enough to scare them."
…
"Did she really say that?" In the quiet inner room, Madam Qin was sitting in front of the Buddhist shrine, holding a string of Buddhist beads in her hand.
He whispered to his mother, "Those good-for-nothings, in just a few days, she's already got so many things on them: gambling, withholding the maids' monthly wages, sending things out of the house without permission... Every single thing is clearly written down, with their own signatures and fingerprints at the bottom, and witnesses' records beside. It's terrifying to see."
The room was adjacent to a flower garden, and a delicate fragrance wafted through the window. The Madam frowned and asked, "You've been going to that mansion quite often these past few days. How do you feel about it?"
"I'm afraid there are some tricks." Xiang Mama used a jade clip to move the ashes in the incense burner and whispered, "I've made careful inquiries privately. The Second Madam seems kind and casual, but she's extremely strict about rules. Just take her main courtyard, for example. The maids are all assigned shifts. There's a table clearly written down who's on duty at each hour of the day and in each place. During their shifts, they're not allowed to joke or play around. Especially her main rooms and inner rooms. Normally, no one can enter. There's always someone guarding them. No one can enter more than ten steps outside the room. Even maids from the same courtyard are not allowed to wander around."
"The Diao family also told me," Xiang Mama recalled, "that Chunyue from her family, oh, that's the old Mingyue, she was punished twice in the past few days. Once for entering the main room without permission, and once for wandering outside for a long time. Chunyue has now been punished and expelled from the main courtyard."
The lady suddenly opened her eyes and a smile appeared on her lips: "She is quite clever. After all, she was raised by the daughter of the Marquis's Mansion."
He shook his head and said to his mother, "She knows how to reward and punish. She's a stickler for her word. She rewards generously and punishes severely. She always explains the reasons for each punishment. If someone denies or quibbles, the punishment is increased. If someone blames others, the punishment is even more severe. If there are extenuating circumstances, she can also give a lighter punishment. These days, everyone in the mansion, from the steward to the servants, has become respectful to her. They've made the mansion like an iron fence, with only people entering but not leaving. Even asking for information is difficult. Sigh... I'm afraid it will be difficult to get information in the future. Oh my, I never thought that someone so young, and a concubine's daughter, would have such power and influence!"
The lady's expression grew increasingly serious as she sneered, "I thought they'd brought in a leading sheep, but I didn't expect... Hmph, how are they getting along?"
"It's hard to say." Xiang Mama hesitated. "When things are going well, they're inseparable, but they also argue often. The Second Master's cursing voice can be heard outside the room. Yesterday, he even vented his anger at the maidservant next to the Second Madam. I can't find out the details... But the Second Master is willing to talk to the Second Madam about everything, and she can come into the study as she pleases."
The lady frowned, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the Buddhist beads. "Is she pregnant?"
"Of course not." Xiang Mama smiled bitterly. "Before Chunyue was kicked out, she had just changed clothes...but during those days, the Second Master also stayed in her room."
After saying this, the old lady stopped asking questions and just closed her eyes to rest. Xiang Mama stood quietly by her side. After a long while, the old lady suddenly opened her eyes and chuckled, "Now I admire someone."
"Who are you talking about?"
"My father-in-law, Master Sheng Hong." The lady patted her knees and smiled. "At first, I couldn't understand why there was such a big order. Why did they insist on marrying the legitimate daughter to the Wen family and using the concubine's daughter to make up the number? Now it seems that my father-in-law is very clear-headed."
"So what should we do now?" Xiang Mama asked anxiously, "Ever since the Second Master found out what happened, he's been holding his breath!"
"What should we do?" The lady smiled calmly. "There's nothing to do. It wasn't me who killed Bai, so he doesn't need to take his anger out on me! The ones who are more anxious now are probably the fourth and fifth sons. After all, I have the status, so as long as I don't make any mistakes, no one can do anything to me. Let's not worry, just watch the fourth and fifth sons make a fuss."
"Then why do you keep giving her a hard time?" Xiang's mother asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't it be better to just coax her and make her trust you, respect you, and revere you?"
The Madam slowly picked up the Buddhist beads and said, "She is a concubine's daughter, how could she have the courage to disobey her husband? And Tingye has been wary of me. The more I show my kindness, the more suspicious he will become. So I simply follow their speculation and give them a few hindrances, which actually makes them feel at ease."
"Then...what about the future?" Xiang asked his mother hesitantly.
The old lady carefully placed her Buddhist beads on the table and smiled slowly at the Guanyin statue in the shrine. "A mother-in-law needs to choose the right time to embarrass her daughter-in-law. There's no need to rush now. She's only relying on her youth and beauty to gain some favor. After this period of time, we can slowly make plans."
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