Chapter 63 Chapter 63 He said it himself...
In the marquis's mansion far away in the capital.
The room was burning with pleasant-smelling honey cedar, which drifted in wisps in the air. Sunlight shone through the carved windows onto the couch and the table.
Old Madam Gu was leaning on the couch, with a little maidservant beside her, gently massaging her legs with her soft hands.
A sigh echoed in the room.
Hearing this sigh, the little maid quickly withdrew her hands, tremblingly half-knelt on the small table below and kowtowed, asking in a trembling voice:
"But the way I pressed the button was not to the old lady's liking."
"It's none of your business. Get up." The old lady waved her hand, telling her to stand. "Without Sheng, the mansion feels empty, like something's missing..."
The little maidservant then understood that the old lady was thinking of the Fifth Lady. Oh, no, the Fifth Lady was someone else now.
Just as she was about to say something to cheer the old lady up, there was a sound of bead curtains colliding at the door.
It was Madam Li, who was beside the old lady, who came in through the curtain to report, "Madam, the Third Lady and the Fifth Lady have come to pay their respects to you."
The old lady frowned, "Mother Li, what time is it now?"
Madam Li sensed the old lady's tone and said politely, "Madam, it's just past three quarters past noon."
"You come to pay your respects only at this time? What were you doing before?" She had a stern face and her emotions were undetectable when she spoke.
She originally thought that with Zhao Mingzhu's return, Liang would have changed a little, but she was still the same as before. She hadn't come to pay her respects for two consecutive months. If people outside knew about this, they might say that their mansion was so unruly!
Even though I know that their sudden visit at this time is probably not for any good reason, I can't turn them away.
Old Lady Gu rubbed her swollen brows and said, "Forget it, let them in."
Soon, Mother Li brought Liang and Zhao Mingzhu into the house.
"Granddaughter pays respects to grandmother."
As soon as she entered the room, Zhao Mingzhu performed the formal greetings. Compared with her demeanor when she first came to the Marquis' Mansion, her movements showed considerable improvement.
Liang followed closely behind, bowed gracefully and said, "Daughter-in-law pays her respects to mother."
Old Lady Gu picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip, moistened her throat, and then said calmly:
"Well, everyone, get up."
Zhao Mingzhu stood up, but did not sit down. Instead, she sat directly on the small couch at the old lady's feet and began to act like a good girl.
"Grandma, are you feeling well these days? Are you eating and sleeping well?"
The tone seemed full of concern.
An ordinary person might have been fooled by her.
But Old Lady Gu had lived so long, she had seen all sorts of people. How could she not tell whether someone was sincere or not? If he really cared about her, how could he not come to see her in person for over a month?
At first, she felt some pity for her granddaughter, feeling sorry for her suffering in the countryside. She sent her a large amount of jewelry and clothes, but in the end, the only thing she got was a thank you from the maidservant beside her. She herself never even showed up, let alone thanked her in person. As expected of a child of the Liang family, she was a cold and indifferent person.
She half-lowered her eyes, hiding the coldness in them, and said indifferently, "What's good or bad about it? I won't die for the time being."
"Grandma, are you angry with your granddaughter? Angry that you haven't come to see you for so many days." Zhao Mingzhu hurriedly explained after noticing the old lady's attitude.
"That's because I've been busy practicing etiquette and rules recently, so I haven't come to visit you. I hope you can understand me. You don't want me to bring shame to the Marquisate after I go out, right?"
She's been really busy lately. During the day, she's busy studying etiquette and going out with the Liang family to interact with the ladies of high society. At night, she's busy matching her newly customized dress from the Fairy Clothes Pavilion and the jewelry she bought from the Treasure Pavilion. She's been incredibly busy all day long!
She hurriedly explained a lot, but Old Lady Gu didn't take a single word to heart. After she finished, she pointed to a chair beside her and said calmly:
"Girl Zhu, this Lu'an tea is good. Sit over there and try it."
He sent her away with just one sentence.
Zhao Mingzhu agreed with a wry smile.
If she were to go and taste tea, she would not be able to lie by the old lady's legs and act coquettishly. In the past, she often saw Zhao Mingsheng lying by the old lady's legs like this, making her smile happily.
Zhao Mingzhu clenched the handkerchief in her hand. The comparison between the two made her furious. Why could Zhao Mingsheng do it, but she couldn't? The old lady was too partial. She was obviously the real daughter of the Marquis' Mansion!
Lu'an tea can clear the lungs, relieve summer heat, and dissipate heat. It also has certain effects in calming the mind and promoting sleep. However, it has one drawback, which is that it is bitter, many times more bitter than Kuding tea.
Zhao Mingzhu was furious. When she saw the teacup at hand, she picked it up and drank half of it in one breath.
Only when the tea entered her mouth did she feel the strong bitterness. She couldn't help but spit out the whole mouthful of tea.
“Why is it so bitter!?”
"Mingzhu! Are you okay?" Liang asked with concern.
The maid beside her quickly took out a clean handkerchief to wipe her.
"I'm fine, mother."
As soon as she spat out the tea, she regretted it. All the graceful demeanor she had created was ruined.
Sure enough, the old lady Gu, who always valued rules, was very dissatisfied with this. She said coldly:
"Didn't you say you were learning etiquette? Why are you making such a noise just drinking tea? And you're shouting and yelling in front of your elders, which is unbecoming. It seems that Miss Zhu still hasn't learned the etiquette well." She paused, called Madam Li to her and instructed, "Go tell the palace and ask that Madam Rong be borrowed to stay in the mansion."
Mother Li agreed and turned to leave.
Zhao Mingzhu was left standing there shaking uncontrollably. She had heard of Rong Mama's name in her previous life. She was the strictest of all the maids teaching in the palace. She had taught countless young ladies, and although they had learned good manners and rules, they had all suffered a lot.
But now, Old Madam Gu has already spoken, whether she wants to or not, she has to accept the teachings obediently. Although she is resentful in her heart, she still has to thank her with a smile on her face.
"Grandson thanks grandma for her cultivation."
The room fell silent for a moment. Zhao Mingzhu thought of the purpose of their visit and quickly winked at Liang.
Liang understood and spoke carefully.
"There will be a banquet at the Duke's Mansion in a couple of days, and I plan to take Mingzhu to attend."
"Well, go ahead." Just go, why tell her? Old Lady Gu was a little puzzled, her intuition told her that this matter was not that simple.
Sure enough, Liang added, "Mingzhu doesn't have any expensive jewelry, and the jewelry I have is outdated and unsuitable for a young girl. She's afraid that if she goes to the banquet empty-handed, people will laugh at our mansion."
Old Madam Gu understood, it turned out that he was waiting for her here!
But she didn't respond, instead she praised the pastries on the table.
"This taro paste pastry is good, very soft and sticky, even my old teeth can chew it, you guys try it."
"And these plums are good too, they're sour and sweet and very appetizing."
After all, let’s not talk about jewelry.
Zhao Mingzhu couldn't help but cough lightly. Liang received the signal and had to speak with gritted teeth.
"Isn't there a set of ruby head ornaments in the storeroom?" She glanced at the old lady in a low voice and pleaded with her sharp eyes, "Why not give that set to Mingzhu? That way she can go out and bring honor to the Marquis' Mansion!"
Old Madam Gu's expression turned completely cold. "The reputation of the Marquis' Mansion doesn't need to be earned by relying on the young ladies in the mansion!"
"Besides, do you know where that set of ruby headpieces came from?" Old Lady Gu swept her sharp eyes straight towards Liang.
Mrs. Gu's words left Zhao Mingzhu somewhat bewildered. Wasn't it just a set of ruby head ornaments? What else could it have been made of?
Liang's knees softened under the stare, and she hesitantly said, "I know. This was one of the betrothal gifts given by the Dingguo Marquis's Mansion when they arranged their child marriage with the Fifth Lady..."
She deliberately vaguely said it was the Fifth Lady, but was ruthlessly exposed by Old Madam Gu: "That was arranged between the Marquis Dingguo and the old Marquis when he was still alive. He said in person at the time that he wanted to marry Sheng girl to his boy Cui Cen!"
Zhao Mingzhu's eyes widened after hearing this. Childhood marriage! And it was a marriage to the Dingguo Marquis's family! How could she have forgotten this!?
However, she soon felt relieved because she knew that soon the Dingguo Marquis's Mansion would announce the accidental death of Dingguo's legitimate son Cui Cen.
In the previous life, Zhao Mingsheng, who was engaged to him as a child, almost got labeled as a husband-killer. Fortunately, she was protected by Old Madam Gu, so she escaped the disaster and finally got married into a good family.
When Zhao Mingzhu thought of this, she was so jealous that her teeth were about to break.
"Although the Marquis of Dingguo said that he had married Sheng girl, the document he exchanged with the old marquis said it was the Fifth Lady! And the Fifth Lady now is Mingzhu!" Liang raised her head and suddenly became tough.
"You, you want Zhu girl to take your place?" Old Madam Gu was so angry that she couldn't speak clearly.
Liang continued stubbornly, "How can it be a replacement? This should have been Mingzhu's marriage!"
Seeing her mother arguing so forcefully for her marriage, Zhao Mingzhu's face paled. She didn't want a child marriage! She was still hoping to shine at the banquet the day after tomorrow and catch that man's attention... She didn't want to be known as a jinx!
She thought that since the old lady liked Zhao Mingsheng so much, she would definitely not agree with Liang's idea.
Unexpectedly, I heard a helpless sigh, "Okay."
Zhao Mingzhu widened her eyes in horror. How could the old lady agree to this?
In fact, the old lady's idea was very simple. Zhao Mingsheng had already left the Marquis' Mansion and returned to her biological parents. Given her status, this marriage was not a good thing for her.
Even if she thought Sheng was a good child who could be the mistress of a high-ranking family, Old Lady Cui of the Dingguo Marquisate would definitely not agree. Rather than upsetting both families, it would be better to just make the best of it and treat it as a marriage arranged for Zhao Mingzhu.
Thinking of this, she agreed.
"That set of ruby headpieces is in the storeroom. When Madam Li comes back, I'll have her take them out and send them to you." Old Lady Gu waved her hand wearily. "You guys go back. I'm tired and need to rest for a while."
In the evening, Mother Li not only brought the ruby headpiece, but also brought Madam Rong.
Zhao Mingzhu successfully got the jewelry she had longed for, but she was not happy at all. Her original plans were disrupted!
She stroked the smooth surface of the ruby and made a secret decision in her heart that no matter what, she must find a way to cancel this marriage as soon as possible. Once Cui Cen's death was announced, she would be branded as a jinx without the old lady's support!
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Zhao Mingsheng changed into a long-sleeved dress, and the thick fabric wrapped around her delicate arms and slender neck.
Without the spring scene before his eyes, Cui Cen finally got rid of his blushing face.
He took off the veil on his head and put it on Zhao Mingsheng's head with his backhand.
A large veil fell down, and Zhao Mingsheng suddenly felt a weight on his head.
Zhao Mingsheng really wanted to say that she had the jade pendant to protect her, so even if she didn't wear long clothes or long sleeves, she wouldn't be stung by a wasp. She didn't need a veil, which was so thick and heavy that it almost suffocated her.
"You should wear it..." Zhao Mingsheng wanted to return the veil hat to Cui Ergou. If the hornets were forced into a corner and the sachet was useless, he could still use this to block it.
Cui Cen firmly grasped the veil, preventing her from taking it off, and patted the top of the hat.
"Wear it well! If you get stung, Brother Zhao will come back and fight me to the death."
Zhao Mingsheng: "...Okay then."
The two of them were wrapped in thick clothes and walked stealthily on the road. Fortunately, it was nap time and there were no villagers on the road.
If other people saw this, they would definitely call me a weirdo!
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