character
[Did I hear correctly? Matchmaker? ]
"Grandma, what are you saying..." Although Madam Mu was talking to Mu An Ning, it was Mu Wan'er who spoke first with a look of surprise on her face.
"Wan'er." Madam Mu interrupted her and then smiled without questioning, "Go back to your room first. Grandmother has something to say to your sister."
【Ah, it seems that the old lady wants to arrange a marriage for my daughter.】
[Could it be... Tan Wenhuai? Is the progress so fast? ]
"Grandma, I..."
Mu Wan'er wanted to fight for herself, but she was frightened by Madam Mu's stern look and could only nod awkwardly: "Okay, Grandma, then Wan'er will leave first."
[Forget it, let’s go first, and find my daughter later to find out what’s going on.]
[It would be bad if the old lady punished me with house arrest again. ]
When she turned around, Mu Wan'er quietly clenched her fists towards Mu An Ning, bent her arms and made a gesture that she couldn't understand.
Mu An Ning frowned slightly, and could vaguely see Mu Wan'er mouthing to her: Come on.
Mu An Ning nodded in response, but after watching Mu Wan'er leave, he tightened his fingers unconsciously.
Mu Wan'er's guess was exactly what she guessed in her heart: the matchmaker Zhang in front of her must be here to propose marriage for her.
A complex emotion immediately surged into her heart. Mu An Ning lowered her eyes slightly, but she could still feel the woman's inquiring gaze moving back and forth over her body.
After a period of silence, the matchmaker exclaimed: "Madam, the eldest daughter has really grown up beautifully."
She could tell at a glance that the girl who had just left was the second daughter of the Mu family and the future Crown Princess of the Chu State.
But the girl in front of me, who looked like a porcelain doll, was even prettier than the other one.
Madam Mu nodded slightly, glanced at her obedient granddaughter, and wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes: "Matchmaker Zhang is praising me, but it is true that my granddaughter has been praised since she was a child."
Although Mu An Ning's gorgeous appearance had caused people to discuss her background, there was no lady who disliked her after seeing her.
Although she was an adopted daughter, she had brought a lot of honor to the Marquisate over the years, and nothing she said or did could be faulted.
Matchmaker Zhang smiled and flatteredly replied, "In that case, the old lady will give me Miss Mu's birth date and horoscope, and I will then pass it on to the Tan family."
Hearing the word "Tan Mansion", Mu An Ning's eyes, which had been calm at first, finally showed a slight change.
This matchmaker really came to arrange a marriage between her and Tan Wenhuai.
But why was it so sudden? Her grandmother didn't even tell her that the matchmaker would come to the house today.
Madam Mu seemed to be prepared. She raised her hand slightly and a maid came to her side carrying a tray.
Mu An Ning looked at it calmly and saw a piece of paper lying on it, which should be her birth date.
Mu An Ning opened her mouth, but she saw Madam Mu smiling and handing the note to Matchmaker Zhang: "Then we'll have to trouble Matchmaker Zhang to make another trip for us."
Matchmaker Zhang took it with a smile, and the mole on the corner of her mouth trembled slightly as she smiled: "What are you talking about, old lady? It is a blessing for me to be able to act as a bridge for the Marquis' Mansion."
Thanks to her connections in the Su Mansion, she was able to be summoned to the Marquis' Mansion by Madam Su to propose a marriage for her nephew.
After this marriage, it is estimated that she can rely on this money to live for a long time.
Hearing the two people exchanging pleasantries, Mu An Ning felt a sudden pang in his heart, and past memories flooded into his mind.
Not only this time, but also the previous marriage with Gu Huaizhi came so suddenly.
No one has ever cared too much about her feelings. She can only silently obey all arrangements of the Marquis' Mansion and let fate take its course.
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang in Mu An Ning's ears, as clear as an echo in a valley -
"Mu Anning, who is more important to you, Tan Wenhuai or Gu Huaizhi?"
Mu An Ning's heart trembled, and he subconsciously glanced at the two people in front of him who did not notice anything unusual.
The question sounded simple yet extremely strange, and she was unable to answer it for a moment.
If it were in the past, she would naturally choose Gu Huaizhi without a doubt.
But now everything has changed and all the past emotions have been washed away by the torrent of time and become blurred.
And Tan Wenhuai...
No, why should she answer such a strange question?
Realizing that he was bewitched by the voice again, Mu An Ning came to his senses immediately and was unwilling to get involved in any more unnecessary entanglements.
However, just as this thought flashed through his mind, the ethereal voice in his ear suddenly became louder: "Mu Anning, you like Gu Huaizhi."
The sound came in waves, repeating again and again, each time louder and more piercing than the last, trying to penetrate deep into her heart.
There was a constant buzzing in his head, and Mu An Ning couldn't help but frown. He felt as if his head was shrouded by an invisible force, and his consciousness gradually became blurred.
After a while, the girl slowly raised her head, and her cloudy almond eyes looked steadily at Madam Mu: "Grandma, I won't marry."
She likes Gu Huaizhi.
Hearing these loud words, Madam Mu frowned in astonishment. She never expected that her usually obedient granddaughter would disobey her again.
"An Ning, don't talk nonsense." Old Madam Mu narrowed her eyes, with a hint of warning in her eyes.
After saying that, she turned to look at Matchmaker Zhang and laughed, "Matchmaker Zhang, don't take this girl's nonsense seriously."
There was no way she could tolerate that something that had been hard to agree on was ruined by Mu An Ning's words.
Matchmaker Zhang was quite perceptive. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled tactfully and said, "It's normal for a girl to be shy. Madam, please talk to Miss Mu. I will go to the Tan Mansion first."
Mu An Ning bit her lip unconsciously, causing the existing wound to bleed further.
After sending Matchmaker Zhang away, Mrs. Mu asked sharply, "An Ning, what did you mean just now?"
The Marquis's Mansion arranged a marriage for her with good intentions, but instead of appreciating the kindness, she even offended the Mansion in public.
If this disgraceful matter were to get out, the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion would be in jeopardy.
Mu An Ning opened her mouth, and when the words "I will not marry anyone other than Gu Huaizhi" were about to come out of her mouth, the voice beside her ear suddenly disappeared.
The confusion in his mind was instantly cleared. Mu An Ning was stunned for a moment, then he closed his mouth with a lingering fear.
Just now, she was manipulated by that voice again.
But why on earth did it ask her to say such strange things?
Seeing that her granddaughter remained silent, Madam Mu pondered for a while and slowly sighed, "Grandmother knows that you are uneasy, but marriage is a hurdle that all women in this world have to go through."
"Although he is not as good as Prince Gu, the young master of the Tan family is the husband that your grandmother carefully selected for you." After Madam Mu gave some kind words of advice, she asked sharply, "What else are you dissatisfied with?"
As an adopted daughter and a woman who had divorced once, it was extremely difficult for Mu An Ning to find a husband who could be beneficial to the Marquis's mansion.
Mu An Ning met Madam Mu's eyes that seemed to be able to see through people, and her eyelashes trembled unconsciously.
Grandma was right. She really shouldn't be dissatisfied. She should even be thankful.
*
"Ah Huai is here." Seeing the person coming, Madam Su put the birth date in her sleeve and said with a smile, "Aunt has good news today. Do you want to hear it?"
After Tan Wenhuai paid his respects, he sat down next to Madam Su and asked in confusion, "Aunt, what's the good news?"
Today is his day off, and several colleagues originally invited him to a small gathering, but his aunt sent someone to the Tan residence saying that she had important matters to discuss.
Mrs. Su smiled gently and slowly said four words: "Your marriage."
Tan Wenhuai, who was drinking tea, was immediately choked. The tea tasted slightly bitter. After a violent cough, he finally spoke uncertainly: "Aunt, my marriage?"
Mrs. Su looked helplessly at her nephew, whose face was red from coughing, and nodded slightly: "I have sent someone to get the girl's birth date."
Tan Wenhuai couldn't help coughing a few times when he heard this, but his voice was weak and firm: "Aunt, my nephew actually has someone he likes."
After hesitating for a moment, he stood up without caring about his aunt's reaction, and said with a folded hand: "Aunt, please return the eight characters."
Parents’ orders and matchmaker’s words.
But after his parents passed away, the only elder he respected was his aunt.
Before he met An Ning, he had thought about marriage and left it to his aunt to decide.
Mrs. Su looked at her nephew whose face was getting redder and redder, and couldn't help but teasing him, "Ah Huai, you haven't even asked who the girl is from, but you're so anxious to refuse?"
While Tan Wenhuai was stunned, Madam Su smiled even more: "If Aunt returns this fortune, don't regret it."
Her nephew had been extremely indecisive since childhood, but she didn't expect that he would be so courageous when it came to love.
Tan Wenhuai seemed to realize something, and his resistance gradually subsided.
Seeing that his aunt only smiled and said nothing, and did not mention the identity of the girl, he finally could not help asking: "Aunt, which girl is this?"
Mrs. Su raised her eyebrows, took a sip of tea calmly, but still did not speak.
Tan Wenhuai's fingers hanging at his side trembled unconsciously. He could not help but speak out his guess: "But Miss Mu, Mu?"
There was obvious anticipation in his eyes, and the corners of his eyes were a little red, not sure if it was because he had been choked before, or because of some other reason.
Madam Su finally nodded and smiled: "Ah Huai, do you think your aunt is forcing you to look for a woman you don't even know?"
She had long seen through her nephew's feelings for the girl, and Su Nianci had told her about it several times.
Originally, she wanted to wait until the two children had been together for some time before discussing it, but she never thought that the Mu family also had this idea.
A few days ago, Old Madam Mu and Madam Mu even made a special visit, which shows how much they are happy about this marriage.
*
Gu Huaizhi suddenly slapped the table and raised his eyes unhappily: "Gu Ji, if you mess around again, forget about your salary next month."
During the few hours since he returned home from the palace, Gu Ji had been constantly flashing before his eyes.
I don't know when Gu Ji started to become so indecisive.
Gu Ji sighed. He didn't know how many times the young master had used this trick, but he had never seen the young master really deduct his monthly salary.
Gu Ji cleared his throat and said what he was thinking: "Sir, I actually think it's not a good idea for you to pretend to be Miss Mu's savior."
Gu Huaizhi's expression froze, and then he said disapprovingly, "What's wrong with that?"
At that time, Jiang Li chased from Wutong City to Shangjing, and it was obvious that he had other intentions towards Aning.
It is not surprising that Shi Jiangli, a man with ulterior motives, used the title of savior to force Aning to marry him.
Gu Ji pondered for a while, and decided to persuade his son to tell the truth as soon as possible, and not let him make the same mistake again: "Sir, if Miss Mu finds out..."
However, he was interrupted by the servant's announcement outside the door before he was halfway through his words.
"Sir, there is a girl looking for you."
girl?
Gu Huaizhi's lips immediately curved up, but his tone was casual: "I understand."
Apart from Mu An Ning, he really couldn't think of anyone else who would come to the mansion to look for him.
Gu Huaizhi raised his eyebrows confidently towards his subordinates: "Okay, Gu Ji, your young master knows his limits, so don't worry about it."
Earlier in the inn, she had not been so resistant to him.
Perhaps with this opportunity, the two of them can go one step further and return to the past.
The smile in the boy's eyes seemed to be about to overflow, and he strode out after saying that.
Gu Ji stood where he was, only to hear the hurried footsteps approaching the door. Then he suddenly slowed down a lot out of guilt, as if he was trying hard to hide something.