Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Whose brocade handkerchief looks at that delicate face...
In Zhao Mingzhu's view, the child marriage with the Dingguo Marquis's Mansion was finally resolved.
After leaving the Marquis' Mansion, Zhao Mingzhu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She thought to herself that she could finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
Seeing the sun high in the sky, at noon, the mother and daughter went to the finest restaurant in the capital, the Zhenxiu Restaurant. They had a delicious meal there, and only after they had eaten and drunk their fill did they return to the Marquis's residence.
As soon as he entered the gate, before he reached the second inner door, he was stopped by people around the old lady.
"The old lady ordered me to invite the Third Madam and the Sixth Lady to Anhezhai," the maidservant beside the old lady said, bowing slightly. Although her gesture was very humble, her words revealed an air of impunity.
The mother and daughter, who were originally happy, suddenly became frosty when they heard that the old lady had invited them. They looked at each other and saw a hint of worry in their eyes.
Liang, in particular, was somewhat intimidated by her mother-in-law. In the years immediately following Gu Sanlang's departure, she lived in a state of confusion, and naturally, the servants in the courtyard began to harbor other concerns. Some of the maids and servants were gambling in secret, some were hiding money, and some were having affairs with the servants in the outer courtyard...
When the old lady found out, she took drastic measures. According to the family rules, those who should have their hair sold had their hair sold, and those who should have their hair caned were caned.
Many of them were people Liang brought with her when she got married. Her plea was of no use. Several of them were still beaten to death. Even the old mother who had raised her was sold away. Most of the people in the yard were empty, and the old lady sent new people to manage it. Only then did the yard of the three rooms become much more peaceful.
From that day on, Liang finally witnessed how powerful Old Lady Gu was.
Logically speaking, it was the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, so as a mother, she couldn't find any fault with breaking off the engagement for her daughter, even if it was brought to the attention of the old lady. However, the thought of meeting the old lady filled her with fear...
Compared to Liang, Zhao Mingzhu was not so afraid of the old lady. She thought that no matter how powerful the old lady was, she could not interfere with her marriage. The girls of the eldest house were all betrothed by the eldest lady.
But she forgot that as the old lady of the family, there was nothing she couldn't take care of, only things she didn't want to take care of!
Because of what happened in the morning, Old Lady Gu was so angry that she didn't even have lunch. She sat in her room for the whole afternoon before waiting for the mother and daughter to arrive late.
"Grandma, what's the matter with you calling us here?"
Zhao Mingzhu asked in a casual tone, although she seemed to be asking a question that she already knew the answer to.
She asked, smiling as she came forward, ready to ask for a cup of tea as usual.
"Did you go to the Marquis Dingguo's Mansion to cancel the engagement today?" Although she already knew the result, Old Lady Gu still couldn't help but want to hear her say it in person.
"Well, the withdrawal went smoothly. Madam Cui and her grandson weren't unreasonable people, so they agreed quite readily..."
When Old Lady Gu heard her nonchalant words, she almost fainted from anger and could not help but smash the teacup in her hand to the ground.
With the crisp sound of the teacup shattering into pieces, the old lady shouted angrily, "Kneel down!"
Mother Li, who was beside Old Madam Gu, was also shocked. The old lady hadn't been so angry in many years, so you can imagine how serious the matter was this time.
Zhao Mingzhu was about to sit down when she heard the angry scolding before her butt even touched the cushion. She was so scared that she shuddered. When she came to her senses, her legs had already fallen to the ground out of control.
When Liang was still hesitating whether to kneel down together, the old lady gave her a look, and her legs went weak and she knelt down as well.
The mother and daughter knelt side by side in front of the hall. Old Lady Gu didn't even prepare a cushion for them, leaving them to kneel on the cold ground. However, except for Madam Li who was beside the old lady, everyone else in the room had been sent out, which was a bit of a face-saving thing for them.
"Mother Li, bring the family rules."
When Zhao Mingzhu heard that she was going to be punished according to family rules, she raised her head and looked at Old Lady Gu in disbelief.
"grandmother!"
She originally thought that she would at most be scolded, but she didn't expect that the family rules would be used. She knew the family rules of the Marquis' Mansion, and she would be in big trouble if they were used!
Mother Li came back soon with a thin rattan stick.
The moment he saw the thin vine, Zhao Mingzhu couldn't help but shiver.
Old Madam Gu looked at Zhao Mingzhu and decided to give her a chance considering that she was still young.
"Do you know your mistake?"
Zhao Mingzhu pursed her lips again and again. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't open her mouth as if it was stuck in glue. In the end, she could only say stubbornly:
"My granddaughter doesn't know."
Seeing this, Old Lady Gu turned her eyes away, no longer paying attention and only instructed Mother Li lightly:
"Then give me ten lashes first, and then think it over carefully."
Mother Li obeyed the order.
The sound of the vines breaking through the air was so deafening.
Just when the whip was about to hit Zhao Mingzhu, Liang rushed over and held Zhao Mingzhu in her arms.
Mother Li didn't have time to stop.
With a snap, Liang took the whip head-on.
Liang hugged Zhao Mingzhu tightly in her arms, ignoring the severe pain on her back. She cried, "If you want to hit me, mother, hit me. Mingzhu is still young and can't withstand these ten whips! If there is any fault, I will take it all!"
"mother......"
Zhao Mingzhu was completely shocked. She didn't expect the old lady to actually take action.
Mother Li raised the whip, but she didn't know whether to hit him or not, so she had no choice but to turn around and look at the old lady to seek her instructions.
The old lady had a sullen face and was not moved by the deep love between mother and daughter.
"Mingzhu is still young, what about you?" Old Lady Gu asked. "You've lived for so many years, are you still clear-headed?"
Liang didn't know why the topic suddenly came back to her. She didn't react for a moment and thought the old lady was talking about something in the past. She quickly replied, "I was confused about what happened in the past. Now Mingzhu is back, I will definitely take good care of her in the future..."
The old lady interrupted her, and said with some regret: "I see that you are living in confusion now!"
"Mingzhu is still young. She doesn't want to get married, so you can just let her do whatever she wants?"
Old Madam Gu slammed the table so hard that her entire palm was numb, but she felt nothing.
"Although the Second Young Master Cui has made no achievements, he still has a title to inherit. If Mingzhu marries him, she will be blessed with great power. Furthermore, the Second Young Master Cui frequently appears before the Saint. Have you ever considered that if he deliberately tries to bring that up before the Saint, what good marriage prospects will Mingzhu have in the future?"
At the end of her speech, Old Lady Gu sighed deeply: "Parents who love their children will make long-term plans for them."
"But...what have you planned for Mingzhu?"
Liang was stunned.
Yes, what had she planned? Not only did she not plan anything, but because of her blind indulgence, she also ruined the originally good marriage. In fact, this marriage was already very good in her eyes. If her daughter hadn't insisted, she would not agree to cancel the engagement.
Liang began to be unsure whether what she had done today was good for her daughter or harmful to her?
She said in a panic, "My wife is wrong. What do you think we should do now, mother?"
Old Madam Gu pondered for a moment and said, "Forget it. I'll risk my pride and go ask the old lady of the Cui family for help. Perhaps, for my sake, she'll pretend that what happened today never happened, and the two families will continue to be close friends."
Before Liang could nod, she heard her daughter shriek, "No! I won't agree!"
She had finally gotten rid of her relationship with the Dingguo Marquis Mansion, so why would she want to rejoin the Tiger School! She didn't want to have anything to do with the Cui family anymore!
"Why don't you agree?" the old lady asked with a frown.
“I…I…”
She couldn't say that she was reborn and knew that the second young master Cui in her previous life was dying, so she wanted to cancel the engagement!
If she really said that, she would be the first one to be treated as an alien.
Zhao Mingzhu gritted her teeth and pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom. With a flick of her fingertips, the handkerchief peeled back, revealing a cloud pattern, a pattern that would never appear on a woman's embroidered handkerchief.
A man's handkerchief appears on a woman's body. What does this mean?!
Old Madam Gu didn't want to think about it too much, nor did she dare to think about it too much. Suddenly, she noticed with her sharp eyes that there was a small word "Jing" embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief!
“This…where did this come from?!”
"It was given to me by His Royal Highness Prince Jin."
She spoke softer and softer, but it was like a bolt of thunder in Old Lady Gu's ears.
Old Lady Gu was furious: "What did you say!"
After saying this, everything went dark.
Mother Li, who was standing by, saw that something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to support the staggering old lady.
Even Liang was shocked. Before this, she had never known when her daughter had any relationship with Prince Jin.
"Mingzhu...you mean, Prince Jin is in love with you?!" Liang widened her eyes in disbelief.
Zhao Mingzhu didn't dare to look her in the eye and lowered her eyes humbly.
That's not what she said.
Although she had a pleasant conversation with Prince Jin at the last banquet, the handkerchief was actually dropped by Prince Jin accidentally and she happened to pick it up. She wanted to return it, but finally chose to hide it secretly.
Now she was forced into a corner and had to take out her handkerchief to block it.
Old Madam Gu naturally believed it. This matter really made her feel like a thorn in her throat. The Marquis of Pingyuan had a legitimate daughter who broke off her engagement. If it got out, it would be enough to make others laugh at her. If the news of her secretly getting married to a man outside the family got out, how would the other female members of the Marquis's Mansion, her sisters, cope with the future?
Old Lady Gu felt very uncomfortable holding her breath. After a long while, she said in a deep voice, "First, lock this evil creature up in the ancestral hall."
Zhao Mingzhu did not struggle. As long as she was not allowed to rekindle her relationship with the Cui family, she would go anywhere!
The voice faded away.
Old Madam Gu rubbed her swollen forehead and sighed heavily. This matter was of great importance and she needed to think carefully before making a decision.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and the scorching heat caused the ground in Qingshan Village to begin to crack. Zhao Mingsheng did not wait for the long-awaited rainy season, but instead waited for another guest.
The young lady from the Huang family had made an appointment to come over to play today, and Zhao Mingsheng had been looking forward to it since breakfast.
The sound of wheels rutting across the mud approached from afar. Zhao Mingsheng opened the door and looked out. A carriage was just approaching his door. The curtain was lifted by a pair of delicate hands, revealing a bright face. It was none other than the young lady from the Huang family.
When Huang Yuexin saw Zhao Mingsheng, the smile on her face became even brighter and she waved the handkerchief in her hand vigorously.
"Am I late? Are you getting impatient?" she said as she prepared to jump off the carriage before it stopped.
This action scared the driver, who kept calling his ancestors.
"Little ancestor, please slow down!"
"careful!"
Just at this moment, the carriage shook, and Huang Yuexin's body shook as well. Her legs and feet trembled, and she was about to fall down.
The driver's heart was in his throat when he saw this scene, but he was unable to spare any time and could only watch his young lady dive to the ground, her delicate face about to come into close contact with the earth.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young woman at the door scurry forward, seemingly trying to catch the falling figure. But the young woman looked so delicate and petite, how could she possibly withstand such a force? Wouldn't she be reduced to a pulp?
The driver couldn't bear to watch the ending...
But what happened the next moment made him open his eyes wide.
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