Minglan's shy expression only lasted until she returned to her room. As she entered the room with her head lowered, a large hand reached out to hold hers. When she looked up, she saw Gu Tingye looking at her with concern, his eyes full of apology: "I'm sorry, I forgot about you."
Minglan wasn't particularly angry. The intense battle on the first day of their wedding had truly made her a little tired. She sighed softly, "Being your wife is truly not easy."
Gu Tingye was silent for a long moment, gently leading Minglan inside. Suddenly, Minglan smelled the aroma of food. She looked up and saw a number of treats already laid out on the small, double-happiness rosewood elytra table. There were golden snowflake sugar corn pancakes, red bean and coconut rolls with a rich, milky aroma, several plates of seasonal snacks, and even Minglan's favorite three-fresh cat ear soup. The rich broth was so fragrant that Minglan was immediately delighted and happily sat down. She turned around and smiled, "Is this for me?"
Gu Tingye was a bit upset at first, but seeing Minglan's childlike joy, he couldn't help but feel relieved. "She just came up. Your mother is very skillful." He stuffed the chopsticks into Minglan's hand and said, "Hurry up and eat something. We still have a lot to do at lunch."
Minglan hesitated: "Lunch will be served soon..."
"How can you put your chopsticks down in front of them?" Gu Tingye asked with a raised eyebrow.
Minglan immediately took the first bite with her chopsticks; seeing how happily Minglan was eating, Gu Tingye also smiled and ate some more.
"Don't be anxious, no one will snatch it from you." Gu Tingye smiled as he looked at Minglan's chubby cheeks, who were still trying hard to maintain their elegant manners. The glow of the morning light still remained on her snow-white cheeks, and the pink and tender corners of her lips were like fresh lotus roots in June. Looking at such a face, his heart felt inexplicably bright and warm.
"Just now... were you afraid?" Gu Tingye asked hesitantly. Knowing his relatives well, he was afraid that they would not let Minglan go, and he probably bullied his wife severely with words.
Minglan puffed up her cheeks and shook her head, trying hard to swallow the food: "No, I even defended you very well!" It is easy to say good things, but it is not popular these days to do good deeds without leaving a name.
Gu Tingye became interested and asked with raised eyebrows: "Did you talk back?"
When talking about her own battle record, Minglan's eyebrows immediately lit up, she put down her spoon and chopsticks, and succinctly narrated what she had just said. Not only did she imitate Mr. Lu's tone completely, but she also vividly described the expressions and actions of everyone present at that time.
Gu Tingye's eyes lit up as he listened intently, and the corners of his mouth curved like the tip of the moon.
After Minglan finished speaking, she seemed to be reluctant to leave: "...It's a good thing it's me. If it were my elder brother, tut tut... he would have sung such a long speech about loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness. I'm afraid that my fourth uncle and fifth uncle would have to go to the ancestral hall to kneel before their ancestors today!" This was no joke. Brother Changbai rarely spoke, but once he opened his mouth, every word was like a knife, drawing blood. His biological mother, Ms. Wang, had a deep understanding of this.
Gu Tingye's face, which had been gloomy for a long time, broke into a smile. He reached out to scratch Minglan's cute little nose, his eyebrows and eyes full of deep affection, and his voice was as deep as aged wine: "I thought I had thrown you into a wolf's den. I almost broke out in a cold sweat just now."
Minglan bit her chopsticks, smiled sweetly, her cheeks slightly red, and whispered, "I'm not afraid of wolves, I'm just afraid that no one will support me."
Gu Tingye's heart softened and he almost melted: "I support you! Whatever you want to do, I will support you!"
Minglan acts very cute when she is happy. She uses her skills to make the old lady happy. She lies on Gu Tingye's shoulder and is as happy as a little smiling melon. She serves porridge and picks up vegetables for Gu Tingye like a little squirrel. Even though Gu Tingye is knowledgeable and experienced, he is also half soft-hearted. He just regrets that it is now bright outside and there are many inconveniences here.
Gu Tingye coughed twice unnaturally, put a cherry meatball and steamed pork with rice flour into Minglan's bowl, and changed the subject: "You... don't want to ask about your fourth uncle and fifth uncle?" Usually, when a newly-wed sees this scene for the first time, won't she be busy asking her husband?
Minglan realized it belatedly, "Oh, that's right. Why? Didn't you say that the Madam had agreed to let us move out? Why would they treat you so badly?"
This was a good question, a condemnation from the very beginning. Gu Tingye's brows lifted, and he swept away his frustration and said with a smile, "I have been naughty since I was a child. The Madam was concerned about my status as a second wife and didn't say much. It was always my uncle or aunt who brought the case to my father. It was always like this in many cases."
Minglan slowly chewed on the meaning of this sentence, and softly choked in her heart. Her big eyes flashed with a smile, and she bit her pink lips and stretched out her tone slightly: "The Gu family is really good. The uncle and the sister-in-law are in harmony, the sisters-in-law are friendly, and the whole family is harmonious and harmonious. It is really a blessing for me to be able to marry into it."
Gu Tingye smiled. He particularly liked the way Minglan spoke. It was like a naughty child pretending to be silly and honest, but not quite. After chatting and laughing for a while, someone came outside to announce that dinner was ready. Gu Tingye took Minglan's hand and walked out, whispering a few things as he walked.
In reality, Minglan felt that Gu Tingye didn't need to worry about her now. After the recent incident, he probably wanted to create a harmonious atmosphere before the banquet. Yao Banxian was indeed worthy of his reputation. At the banquet, no one mentioned the unpleasantness of the previous moment.
At the men's table, Gu Tingye no longer had a cold face, and showed the respect of a junior at the right time. The two uncles were also sensible and knew that force would not work, so they went along with it and drank a few glasses of apology wine. At the women's table, Minglan was still shy and used the 'ABAB' sentence pattern to deal with most questions. When she encountered something she couldn't handle, she had to answer honestly.
Seeing Minglan's extraordinary conversation, the Fifth Old Lady couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever been to a girls' school? Which teacher taught you?" Gu Tingcan, who was sitting opposite her, had been eating quietly with her head down, but when she heard this, she suddenly raised her head, stared at Minglan and answered.
Minglan put down her chopsticks, smoothed the golden wind pendant on her sleeve, and smiled, "I never went to school, but when I was six or seven, my grandmother hired a nanny who had returned from the palace to teach us sisters for a few days."
When Gu Tingcan heard that it was a governess, he curled his lips and lowered his head. The Fifth Old Lady shook her head: "No, governesses mostly teach etiquette. Have you ever hired other teachers?"
Minglan was forced to speak, "That year, my father was promoted to the prefect of Dengzhou. Because my brothers wanted to go to school, he invited Mr. Zhuang from the capital to be their tutor. My sisters and I were still young at the time, so we followed him to study for a few days."
This time, Gu Tingcan was in high spirits. His eyes sparkled, and his lips moved, but he remained silent. The Madam smiled gently, and the large pearls inlaid on the exquisite white jade and silver hairpin at her temple swayed gently. "But is this Mr. Zhuang, the man who originally opened a private school in Shen Shoufu's Linzhuang?"
Minglan paused for a second, then said calmly, "That's right."
The Madam clapped her hands and laughed, "He's truly a fine teacher. You sisters are truly blessed to have his teachings! No wonder you speak so methodically; it turns out you came from a renowned family. From now on, you sisters should learn from you. Don't be foolish and speak without thinking. Don't blame your sister Chan today; I've spoiled her since she was little."
Ting Can finally couldn't help himself. The lapis lazuli pendant beside his ear rippled slightly, and he said to the old lady in a coquettish tone, "Mother, it's all your fault! You never found a good husband for me since I was a child, and now you're talking about us sisters!"
The lady's face changed, but she couldn't scold her in public. Madam Xuan laughed at her. "You, you! Mr. Zhuang doesn't teach young ladies, he teaches successful candidates! If you want to blame someone, blame your brothers for not knowing the basics! Oh... you can't count on them. Fortunately, Xian Ge'er and the nephews from the fifth house are doing well. I'm afraid I'll have to count on them in the future!"
These words made the Fifth Old Lady and Mrs. Zhu's faces light up, and everyone was satisfied. Minglan secretly glanced at Mrs. Xuan a few more times, and saw that although she was a little blunt and rude in her speech, her behavior was brisk and thoughtful, and she took good care of her sister-in-law, Tingying, the only daughter of the Fourth Old Lady. In comparison, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Fifth House was not very outstanding and was quite timid. On the contrary, Tingling, the illegitimate daughter of the Fifth House, was very generous and talked and laughed.
Speaking of which, Tingcan, Tingying and Tingling, these three cousins are all very beautiful. Tingcan is like a Ganoderma lucidum on a solitary cliff, pure and aloof, Tingying is more dignified and gentle, and Tingling is a flower that can speak, graceful and lovely.
The meal was finally over and the maids had almost packed up. Just as they were about to leave, the lady came to ask Minglan to go to the inner hall. Minglan's heart sank and she thought to herself: Here we go again, what is this time?
Gu Tingye's face was a little gloomy. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised his head and looked directly at Minglan and said, "I will go with you later. You should be quiet and I will handle it."
Minglan nodded.
In the wing on the west side of the main courtyard, the lady was sitting at the head of the table, with only Madam Shao and Mrs. Zhu sitting on either side. The three of them were talking when they heard the maid at the door come in and greeted them with a smile, only to see Gu Tingye coming as well, and they were quite surprised.
The old lady's expression remained the same. Zhu hurriedly stood up and asked the maid to serve tea, then sat down next to Madam Shao. Gu Tingye bowed to the old lady and Madam Shao, and Minglan also bowed. Then Gu Tingye sat down in the chair at the top right. Minglan was confused again, should she sit on her daughter-in-law's side or on Gu Tingye's side.
Gu Tingye coughed twice and gave Minglan a look. Minglan immediately ran over and sat down. Seeing the two of them behaving like this, Mrs. Shao and Mrs. Zhu looked at each other, each with deep meaning.
"Why are you here too?" The old lady put down her teacup and said kindly, "It's all right if your wife knows about this." Without waiting for Gu Tingye to answer, she sighed softly, "Indeed, it's good that you came along. Your wife hasn't even been married for a day, and she already has so many things to deal with. It's inevitable that she will be overwhelmed. I'm afraid you also know why I called you here, right?"
Gu Tingye straightened his back and said quietly, "It's about Sister Rong."
Minglan's heart moved. So this is what it was. She knew this.
The Madam smiled and nodded, then turned to Mama. She turned and left, then said, "Since you've thought of it all, I won't harp on any more. Alas... I had been thinking of telling Minglan in detail after a few days, once she's settled, but now that you're leaving, I have to tell her now."
Gu Tingye stood up and bowed deeply to Madam Tai and Madam Shao. He said in a deep voice, "I was young and immoral, and did absurd things. Over the past two years, it was thanks to my sister-in-law that she supported me and helped take care of Rong Jie'er. Tingye is deeply grateful."
Mrs. Shao quickly stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "We're all family, so why be so formal? Rong Jie'er is also a good child, and she and Xian Jie'er are very close. To be honest, I didn't help much. Rong Jie was always taken care of by Hong Xiao."
Gu Tingye's face darkened again. After he sat down, before he could speak, the curtain was lifted and two women dressed as women came in, leading his mother in, with the little girl in the middle.
The two women bowed to the crowd, then stood at the bottom with their heads lowered and their hands hanging down.
Minglan looked carefully and saw that the woman on the left was wearing a long coat with an apricot-colored ruyi-edged collar and a slanting collar. She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a pretty oval face, almond eyes and rosy cheeks; the woman on the right was wearing a homely ivory-yellow double-breasted coat with a rose-colored ruyi-edged collar. She was older, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a long face that was quite beautiful; the little girl in the middle was about seven or eight years old, wearing a light red feather gauze coat with a dark red wide edge. She was thin and had a timid face, but her eyebrows and eyes had some of the beauty of Man Niang in the past.
The Madam said gently to Minglan, "Sister Rong, why don't you come and greet your parents?"
The little girl glanced at Madam Shao, and when she saw her nod slightly, she stepped forward tremblingly, knelt down respectfully, and called out, "...Dad."
Gu Tingye looked at her with a complicated expression and nodded.
"And your mother?" the lady reminded with a smile.
Rong Jie'er was timid, stealing glances at Minglan, biting her lip and refusing to utter a word. Minglan wanted to express her opinion, so she looked at Gu Tingye, who waved his hand gently and said to Rong Jie'er, "You should just call me Madam."
Everyone present had a different expression. Madam Shao couldn't help but say, "Just call her mother, Rong Jie'er, hurry up and call her mother!"
But Rong Jie'er just couldn't call out. The woman on the right opened her mouth several times, looked at the woman on the left, and finally said nothing. Gu Tingye ignored everyone and just looked straight at Rong Jie'er and said, "If you don't want to call me mother, call me Madam."
Rong Jie'er looked stubborn and blurted out: "Madam!"
Mrs. Shao had a look of regret on her face and stopped talking. Mrs. Zhu lowered her head and drank her tea. The lady looked at Minglan deeply for a few times. Minglan felt very wronged because she had not said anything from beginning to end.
A maid came over and took Rong Jie'er to a small stool nearby, offering her some tea and fruit. Then, the Lady Dowager pointed at the two women and said to Minglan, "These two are Ye'er's householders. This one is Concubine Gong. Rong Jie has been very grateful to her for the past two years. This is Qiu Niang, Ye'er's maid since childhood, who later became his concubine."
The two women hurried forward to salute Minglan. Minglan was depressed. She didn't bring her purse this time, so she had to fumble in her sleeves for a long time, took off two gold bracelets, and gave one to each of them.
When they looked up to express their gratitude, they both couldn't help but glance at Gu Tingye. Aunt Gong had a resentful look in her eyes, as if she was crying, but Qiu Niang had an excited and happy look on her face, almost with tears in her eyes; but Gu Tingye was frowning and looking at Sister Rong over there.
After the introductions, the Lady Dowager said to Minglan, "Since you are going to live in a separate residence, they must follow you."
Minglan nodded, but before she could say anything, Gu Tingye spoke first: "Of course I'll go, but I'm afraid things are still a bit chaotic over there these days. I'll send someone to pick you up in a few days, once everything is sorted out."
The Madam's eyes flickered, and there was a moment of silence. However, Madam Gong knelt down in front of Minglan and said, "I am willing to go over now. Although I am not very smart, I can still help Madam with household chores by running errands and passing messages."
Gu Tingye said calmly, "Aren't you supposed to take care of Sister Rong?"
Aunt Gong's face turned pale. Qiu Niang next to her wanted to speak immediately, but Gu Tingye glanced at her, softened his tone, and said, "You stay, I'll come to pick you up later." Qiu Niang stopped talking immediately, but her eyes were full of excitement.
Minglan touched the bracelets on her wrist in her sleeve and thought to herself: Why only two? At least he should give away all the bracelets on both of her wrists to live up to Mr. Gu's reputation outside.
After thinking about it, Minglan understood that when Mr. Gu ran away from home, it was like being kicked out of the house. Those concubines saw that there was no future for them, so they might have looked for other ways out. Of course, they might have been sent away by their masters.
Why feed so many mouths for a prodigal son who's been kicked out and has little chance of returning? So, what about the two who stayed? Well, it's a deep water.
The lady wanted to pull Minglan aside to talk a few more words, but seeing Gu Tingye's presence, the female relatives were a little scared and quickly dispersed. Qiuniang and Hongxiao seemed to want to follow, but Gu Tingye walked very fast, and Minglan had to jog to keep up with him.
After walking out of the east courtyard and entering a side path, Gu Tingye slowed down his pace and supported Minglan to breathe slowly. After she had caught her breath, the two of them walked slowly along the tree-lined path.
"Do you... have anything to say?" Gu Tingye said after walking for a while.
Minglan had been holding it in for a long time and immediately asked, "Qiu Niang looks much older and more stable than Concubine Gong, so why hasn't she been promoted to Concubine yet? Is it because her status is not high enough that she can't raise Sister Rong?"
Gu Tingye didn't expect Minglan to ask this first. His expression seemed to relax, and he whispered, "Hongxiao is the Yu family's maid, and was personally raised as a concubine by Yanhong; Qiuniang...it was not easy for her to stay."
Two sentences, two people, two attitudes, Minglan secretly took note of them.
The two walked for a while. Gu Tingye waited for a long time and couldn't help asking, "You, don't you have anything else to say?"
Minglan was thinking with her head down. She raised her head woodenly and asked curiously, "What...?"
Gu Tingye stopped and looked at Minglan steadily, saying, "You are unhappy."
"Why should I be unhappy?" Minglan looked puzzled.
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan carefully, his eyes dark and deep, and said slowly: "You are unhappy because of Qiuniang and Hongxiao."
Minglan laughed and said, "How could that be? You must have seen it wrong..." She was interrupted before she could finish her words.
"You don't like them, do you?" Gu Tingye asked directly.
Minglan shook her hands and said with a smile: "I'm not that intolerant. I think..." She was interrupted again.
"Are you jealous?" Gu Tingye frowned deeply.
"No! Listen to me, it is said in "The Book of Women's Commandments..." Minglan tried to explain, but was interrupted again.
"Shut up!" Gu Tingye suddenly growled, scaring Minglan.
Gu Tingye took a deep breath, his expression gloomy, his eyes dark and unfathomable, and a natural aura of power burst out from his body. His tall figure pressed down like a mountain. Minglan was so scared that she dared not speak. He said slowly: "I told you, I have heard enough lies in my life. I want you to tell me the truth!"
Minglan thought to herself, but she couldn’t tell the whole truth, otherwise she would be burned as a monster!
Minglan lowered her head and said nothing. Gu Tingye waited quietly, using only the pressure of silence to force her to speak. Finally, Minglan couldn't bear it anymore and sighed softly. She found another way and said subtly: "The Emperor Taizu of our dynasty loved to bestow beauties on his subjects. But whenever he did, he always avoided those handsome generals and ministers who married princesses. Why? They all conquered the world, were both made marquises and ministers, and had both made outstanding contributions. Why did he give them to one and not the other?!"
Gu Tingye's pupils shrank slightly, his eyes flickering. Minglan looked at him with a smile and said quietly, "Even a bold and unrestrained hero like the Emperor Gao knows this. In fact, you men know it very well. Why bother asking?"
The emperor should feel sorry for his own daughter, but if his wife is really happy to see her husband taking a concubine, why doesn't he prioritize the princess?
The history of emperors bestowing beauties on their subjects has a long history. At the beginning, Fang Xuanling's wife was forced to drink rice vinegar that was suspected to be poison, which set a precedent for fierce women to resist the beauties bestowed by the emperor.
Taizu was an ugly and romantic man who judged others by his own standards, so he loved to bestow upon beautiful women. It is said that the wife of the Duke of Yingguo was standing in front of the door with two kitchen knives, threatening that if the beauties dared to enter, she would kill them on the spot, and then pay with her life. The Duke of Yingguo was so frightened that he lay on the steps of the Golden Palace and begged for three days before the Emperor Gao rescinded his order.
Emperor Taizong Wu also occasionally rewarded beautiful women. The wife of the Duke of Han was even more fierce. She brought her young son and daughter with her, covered them with firewood and kerosene, and said that if the beauty came in, they would die. The Duke of Han was so scared that his soul flew away. He hugged Emperor Wu's thighs and cried and begged for half a day before he calmed down.
Of course, there are many more men who happily accept beautiful women and are proud of it. In fact, the problem lies with the men.
This remark was very novel. Gu Tingye nodded quietly and looked straight at Minglan: "But I already have a concubine."
"Yes." Minglan's eyebrows curved and she smiled. "So I will take care of Rong Jie'er, get along well with Qiu Niang and Hong Xiao, and I will be very virtuous! Really!"
Men and women in ancient and modern times have not evolved much. The wives of men on the Forbes rich list can swallow their anger, but the wives of men selling things on the street, even if they don't divorce, will at least pick up a kitchen knife and make a scene. The reason is simple: power and wealth rise and fall. Now she is the concubine's daughter of a fourth-rank official, and he is a prominent noble of the second rank. His fist is bigger than hers, so she can only be "virtuous."
It's that simple.
Minglan's words were sincere, and Gu Tingye could believe that her words were reliable, but his expression became even uglier, his brows were furrowed, his eyes became inexplicably fierce, and he stared at Minglan hatefully, as if he wanted to eat her in one bite.
Minglan was very alert. When she saw that something was not right, she quickly made assurances again, almost patting her chest and swearing: "I will never do anything bad! You have to believe me, I will treat them well! Just wait and see if you don't believe me!" She had such a miserable life. If she had been so sincere when applying to join the party, she would have succeeded long ago!
Gu Tingye's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, his eyes were filled with dark clouds, his expression was gloomy, and his heavy breathing sprayed on Minglan's face. The two stood facing each other in depression for a while. Minglan was uneasy, wondering whether she should make a solemn oath to express her sincere feelings.
After a long while, Gu Tingye let out a long sigh, took her hand, lowered his head and continued to walk forward in silence; Minglan was stunned, and looked at his profile cautiously. She felt that what she said was subtle enough and expressed her firm determination. Why was he angry?
Men and women are indeed from different planets.
【Author has something to say】
About the name.
First, in "Dream of the Red Chamber", the brothers Jia Zheng and Jia She did not separate, but their sons were indeed arranged separately, Jia Lian was called Lian Erye, and Baoyu was called Bao Erye; but their daughters were arranged together, Yingchun was the second sister, Tanchun was the third sister, and Xichun was the fourth sister. I don’t quite understand the reason.
Second, the grandfather is called Lao Taigong, and Lao Taigong’s younger brother is called Shugong; the father is called Lao Taiye, and Lao Taiye’s younger brother is called Shuye; given that Pan Jinlian calls Wu Song uncle, the correct name for the younger generation to call uncle should be fourth uncle or fourth uncle.
Third, the infant mortality rate was very high in ancient times, so boys and girls were first called "X brother" and "X sister". Boys were given full names when they were old enough to go to school, while girls were given full names at different times, and some girls were even given full names when they reached the age of 15.
Fourth, the ways of addressing relatives in some places may not be very strict. In order to make it easier for readers to understand, I try to use more clear and understandable terms.
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