Ever since she came back from the palace on the day of the love banquet, Wang's attitude towards her changed and became cold and indifferent. She went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to Wang several times, but was stopped outside by the servants of the main courtyard.
When the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department came to make the reservation, it was Wang who accompanied Gu Jian to receive them. At that time, Wang barely said a few words, and the smile on her face was forced.
As soon as the people from the Imperial Household Department left, Wang started to sigh and whine to her, saying that they were reluctant to let her get married so early, then that flowers do not last forever, and then she mentioned the allusion of "Qi Da Fei Ou"... Her words sounded full of hidden meanings and were sarcastic.
Gu Yunyan was not stupid, of course she could understand what Wang meant, but that day was her wedding day and she was too lazy to argue with Wang.
Seeing Wang's reluctant look again, Gu Yun'er felt more and more unhappy: she was registered under Wang's name, which meant that she truly recognized her as her mother, but Wang didn't think so.
In the past, Wang recognized her as her daughter for the sake of Prince Kang. Now, Wang is avoiding her as much as possible, but it is still for the sake of Prince Kang.
Gu Yunyan's eyes were slightly cold, and she asked without warning: "Mother is so uneasy... does she look down on Prince Kang?"
Wang was drinking tea and was almost choked by Gu Yun'er's question. She looked a little embarrassed.
Gu Yunyan did not give Wang a chance to speak, and said indifferently: "No matter what, Prince Kang is still a dignified prince."
"Prince Kang hasn't fallen yet, so Madam Hou doesn't have to worry about being implicated."
When she said the first sentence, she called Wang "mother", but when she said the last sentence, she changed her words to "Madam Hou", and the sense of alienation was obvious in her words.
Thinking of how Wang had always treated her like her own daughter, Gu Yun'er felt mocked. Wang was such a hypocritical and realistic person.
Wang's face became even more stiff after being told what was on her mind, but she knew she couldn't admit it.
Wang wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said quickly, "Sister Meng, you misunderstood me. How could I look down on Prince Kang?"
Madam Gu frowned and looked at Wang with displeasure, which made Wang's heart skip a beat.
The air suddenly turned cold.
Gu Yun'er lowered her eyelashes slightly, and her long and thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow on her fair eye sockets. Her cherry lips were slightly pursed, revealing a bit of stubbornness and arrogance.
Wang met Madam Gu's sharp eyes and said with a stiff face, "Mother, I was thinking that the eldest prince might have taken a fancy to Yan Fei."
"Our marquis' mansion..." Wang frowned tightly and sighed, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
She sorted out her thoughts before continuing, "Prince Kang and the eldest prince are bound to be at loggerheads. No matter which side wins, will our mansion have a good life?"
"Moreover, during the last love-making banquet, even the Queen Mother was placed under house arrest by the Emperor. Yuan Zhe is still in prison, and even the Yu family has collapsed..."
"Jingzhao Yin Feng He was beheaded, and his brother Feng She was also detained in the palace..."
Wang recounted all these events one by one, feeling terrified and her lips dry.
Gu Yunyan was initially disgusted by Wang's shallowness, but when she heard her excitedly talking about the eldest prince and Gu Yanfei, a sneer slowly formed at the corners of her lips.
From the moment Gu Yanfei came back, he became an indelible thorn in his side.
Gu Yanfei refused to let her go, just like she refused to let Su Niang go...
Gu Yun'er's slender white fingers tightly grasped the handkerchief, her heart was filled with unspeakable grievance and sorrow, and a dull feeling of suffocation lingered in her chest.
Seeing Gu Yunyan's aggrieved and forbearing look, Madam Gu hugged her slender shoulders with concern, patted her gently, and said softly, "Don't worry, grandma is here."
"Grandmother won't let you suffer any injustice. My dear sister, just wait for your marriage with peace of mind."
Madam Gu comforted Gu Yunyan with soft words, showing kindness and gentleness.
However, when she turned to look at Wang, her expression instantly turned cold, and she said coldly: "Wang, just prepare the dowry for Miss Meng."
"Sister Meng will be the princess of a county when she gets married, and in the future..."
Madam Gu paused meaningfully, her eyes piercing like a sharp blade, "If you dare to neglect Miss Meng, then don't stay in the Gu family! Our Gu family can't afford to support a big Buddha like you!"
This was the first time that Madam Gu addressed her second daughter-in-law as Wang in such an unkind way.
These merciless words were tantamount to slapping Wang in the face.
The servants in the room all lowered their heads silently, pretending they heard nothing.
A calico cat was curled up on the table near the window and sleeping. Occasionally, it would look up and yawn lazily, then bury its head again.
"..." Wang bit her teeth and felt her cheeks burning. Her face turned red to blue, blue to purple, purple to white, and the colors changed wonderfully.
She almost walked away in anger, but she finally held back, took a deep breath, and nodded to Madam Gu with difficulty, "Yes, mother."
Wang said this, and on the outside she looked submissive, but in her heart she was even more unconvinced.
But she knew that in this marquisate, Madam Gu was the old lord who had the final say. Even Marquis Dingyuan Gu Jian did not dare to disobey Madam Gu, let alone Wang, the daughter-in-law.
Wang was angry but dared not speak out. She could only listen obediently to Madam Gu's lecture. After an incense stick of time, she came out of Cihe Hall and complained to the wet nurse with a face full of anger: "I am also considering the future of the Marquis's Mansion. The future of Prince Kang is uncertain. This marriage should be considered in the long run!"
"I'm not asking Sister Meng to cancel the engagement. I just want to persuade mother-in-law not to be anxious, so as to avoid getting the Marquis's Mansion into trouble."
"I was only thinking about the Marquis's Mansion, but my mother-in-law embarrassed me in front of the younger generation and servants..."
“…”
Wang was not stupid. She complained to her wet nurse in private, away from others. From the corner of her eye, she saw a calico cat swaggering out of Cihetang with its tail raised. Its elegant back looked extremely proud.
Not only did Wang see the cat, but the servants of Cihetang also saw the cat, and they all watched it leave reluctantly.
The cat blatantly left Cihetang, ran all the way to the northeast, and returned to Yuhengyuan by climbing over the eaves and walls.
"Meow!"
The cat didn't go through the front door. Instead, it nimbly climbed up a tree, leisurely circled between the treetops, and then sneaked into Gu Yanfei's small study through a window in the backyard.
Gu Yanfei sat at the desk by the window, holding a white towel in his hand and carefully wiping an old copper coin.
There were four old copper coins on the desk in front of her, wiped clean and spotless.
After wiping the copper coin in his hand clean, Gu Yanfei put it together with the other four on the table, rearranged them, and smiled with satisfaction.
The talisman coins of the five heavenly emperors of the east, south, west, north and centre are all here.
Gu Yanfei spent several days searching antique shops in Beijing to collect these Five Emperors' Coins.
Gu Yanfei strung the five copper coins together with a red thread and made a big red tassel to hang at the bottom.
"Meow!"
When Qingguang saw the bright red tassels, he was delighted and determined that these were the tassels that his owner had braided for him.
It leaped lightly from the window sill to the table, stretched out its claws and scratched the string of Five Emperors' coins. The meaning of that action was, mine! The cat moved quickly, but Gu Yanfei's movements were even faster. With a raised hand, he grabbed the string of Five Emperors' coins in his palm and prevented the cat from scratching it.
"It's not for you." Gu Yanfei stretched out his hand and smoothed the string of Five Emperors' coins and the bright red tassels, and then adjusted them. "This is for Anle."
The Five Emperors' Coins can ward off evil, prevent villains, avoid evil spirits and bring wealth. Stringing them together with a red thread like this is perfect for girls to carry with them. They can be worn on the side of the waist or hidden in a purse or sleeve pocket.
The cat felt aggrieved, and meowed several times, rubbing against Gu Yanfei's sleeve again and again, acting coquettishly.
"Okay, I'll weave one for you next time." Gu Yanfei patted the cat's head soothingly.
The cat was finally satisfied, and rubbed her with its furry cheeks again, its white beard trembling. Gu Yanfei scratched the cat's chin twice and took out a talisman from the bib around the cat's neck.
Several twisted and complex runes were drawn with bright red cinnabar on the light yellow talisman paper.
Gu Yanfei moved his lips slightly and threw the talisman into the air. A corner of the talisman began to burn. At the same time, three familiar figures appeared on the talisman paper. They were Madam Gu, Gu Yunyan and Wang...
It’s a pity that the image on the talisman paper is not very clear and intermittent.
“Meow meow meow…”
The cat also saw it, and waved its paws at the three people who appeared on the talisman paper, gesturing back and forth, and meowing non-stop.
Gu Yanfei still didn't understand what the cat was saying, but he could guess what had just happened in Cihetang from the silent picture on the talisman paper.
This is a talisman she drew, but unfortunately it is only a half-finished product.
After a while, the talisman paper was completely burned to ashes.
The shadowy image disappeared.
When the wind blew, the ashes in the air were instantly blown away, leaving no dust behind.
(End of this chapter)
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