Chapter 2 Chapter 2 "I am willing to marry you, my uncle, and establish a good relationship between our two families"...
The carriage drove all the way to the side gate of the marquis' mansion.
Nan Xu crouched down with two maids, avoiding the servants in the mansion, and went to her own Xiefangyuan.
After entering the courtyard and walking across the covered bridge, Nan Xu felt something was a little strange the further he went inside.
"When has our yard ever been so quiet?"
Hearing her say this, the two maids hurriedly looked around, and sure enough, even the parrot in the cage outside the warm room was not as lively as before.
The string in her head was buzzing. Nan Xu turned around and walked out without stopping. Before she took two steps, a dignified and noble woman came out from the main room, surrounded by maids and old women. In the light, she saw that it was Nan Xu's mother, the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an.
Nan Xu didn't dare to look up. She twisted her fingers and called softly, "Mother."
Tonight, while her mother had invited some friends to play mahjong, she quietly slipped out of the house to meet Li Zhan, but she was still discovered by her mother.
The Marquis's wife raised her eyebrows, but did not scold Nan Xu in front of everyone. She looked at her for a while, then turned and went into the house.
Nan Xu followed in guiltily, and signaled to Yu Ming and Yu Xiang not to follow him in.
The servants were all in the yard, and only Nan Xu and her daughter, and Mama Lu who was beside the Marquis were left in the room.
“Kneel down!”
Nan Xu was about to kneel down when Mother Lu took a cushion and placed it on the ground. Nan Xu pursed her lips, moved the cushion aside stubbornly, and knelt down straight.
"girl…"
"Don't worry about her, let her kneel!"
The Marquis's wife was very disappointed with her, and she became even more furious when she saw her being so stubborn.
Nan Xu straightened her back, with her palm-sized face facing upwards. Two faint tear marks on her rosy cheeks were particularly conspicuous.
She was born beautifully, with skin as white as cream and beautiful eyebrows. If she looked at me so stubbornly, even the hardest heart would soften a little.
The Marquis's wife turned away, unable to bear to watch. Thinking of the worry in her heart, she had to put on a stern face, "Little Ancestor, you still remember to call me mother? What did I tell you before?"
When they came out of the palace that day, the Marquis's wife had already seen Nan Xu's reluctance and grievance, but that was the royal family, and the princess wanted Li Zhan to be her husband, so how could the Li family refuse?
Therefore, in the eyes of the Marquis' wife, Li Zhan's attitude is no longer important.
He tried to persuade Nan Xu with all his might, but to his surprise, he still couldn't change his daughter's desire to meet Li Zhan.
Nan Xu knew this truth, but...
"Mother, I understand, but we can't let go of a relationship of more than ten years without explanation. You know your daughter's temper. She must get to the bottom of everything. If you don't listen to Li Zhan's own words, he will always be a thorn in her heart. Kyoto is so small, we will meet again in the future. I don't want to hide from him. Seeing him and Princess Jingyi makes me heartbroken."
After the conversation on the Fengyu Bridge, talking about Li Zhan now doesn’t seem as unbearable as before.
Although I still feel upset, I can still talk about this person calmly.
The Marquis's wife was a little unconvinced and looked at her suspiciously.
Seeing her clear eyes, completely different from her previous appearance of having no appetite, I intuitively felt that perhaps this meeting was not a bad thing.
Seeing her mother's expression soften, Nan Xu continued, "I also want to return the old things so that I can let go of the past and start over."
This is not a lie.
Li Zhan treated her very well. Whenever he got something good, he would give it to her like a treasure. From childhood to adulthood, the things Li Zhan gave her filled several boxes.
In addition to the jade pendants of love that were exchanged tonight, Nan Xu also packed these things and returned them.
The Marquis's wife looked around and found that all the things Li Zhan had given her were gone.
Only then did his expression relax and his anger gradually subside.
Madam Lu observed the situation and echoed, "Madam, the young lady has always been sensible. She didn't even use our carriage tonight. Besides, Fengyu Bridge is a very secluded place. Yuming and Yuxiang are also with her, so the young lady won't suffer any harm, and no outsiders will see her. Although summer is almost here, the ground is very cold. The young lady is delicate, and it's not good for her to kneel for too long. How about letting her get up first?"
How could one not love one's own daughter? The Marquis' wife just wanted Nan Xu to learn a lesson, but Nan Xu's words made her calm down.
She had wanted to help Nan Xu get up for a long time, and now that Mother Lu handed her the ladder, she went down.
"Get up. I don't know who you got this personality from. You won't tolerate any loss."
The Marquis' wife pulled Nan Xu to sit down and tapped her forehead in a reproachful manner.
Nan Xu didn't hesitate and smiled sweetly, holding the Marquis's arm. "Mother, you don't blame me anymore?"
The Marquis's wife wanted to laugh, but she held her face in a serious tone and said, "It would be best if you could figure it out. However, if you, a girl, were to meet a man outside your family at night, it would be bad for your reputation if it got out. I can tolerate other things, but not this one."
Why is there still a penalty?
Nan Xu blinked, leaning against the Marquis's wife and acting coquettishly, "Mother, please forgive me this time. Besides, I'm not just doing this for personal reasons. Last time, my father said that the Li family might know something about my second brother's imprisonment, so I asked Li Zhan tonight."
Her voice was soft and loose, which made people feel pity for her for no reason.
Madam Hou paused, turned to look at her, and asked in a trembling voice, "What did Li Zhan say?"
Li's father was the Right Censor-in-Chief, and now Li Zhan wanted to marry another princess, so the entire Li family became the emperor's trusted ministers.
Not long after the Lord Shang issued the decree, my second brother Nan Yiling was arrested and thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Who would believe that the Li family knew nothing about it?
The relationship must end, but the matter must also be questioned.
As proud as Nan Xu was, she still asked about her second brother when she parted with Li Zhan.
Nan Xu held the Marquis's hand and said what Li Zhan said.
"He didn't say much, just that the situation with my second brother wasn't that serious, and it all depended on whether Wei Yangbo was willing to see my father. As long as he saw Wei Yangbo, everything would be fine."
Before she finished her words, the Marquis' wife suddenly stood up and almost slipped down with Nan Xu.
Nan Xu was puzzled and supported the agitated Madam Hou, "Mother?"
The Marquis's eyes were slightly red, and she said several good words in succession.
He turned around and told Nan Xu to rest early, then led his men out of Xiefangyuan.
It was not until the Marquis's wife had been gone for a long time that Nan Xu came to her senses.
The servants of Xiefangyuan had already extinguished the candles in the outer room, and Yuming and Yuxiang came in to help her wash and rest.
She asked Yuxiang, "Did A'niang tell you to fine you your monthly salary when she left?"
Yuxiang looked bewildered. "No, when Madam left, she didn't even look at me or Yuming."
Nan Xu was puzzled.
Given A-niang's temper, even if she doesn't use family rules, she will still have to be punished severely.
Yu Ming thought for a moment and hesitated, "I heard from the old maids in the corridor that at night, the Marquis was harnessed to a carriage in the front yard. Could it be..."
Before she finished speaking, Nan Xu already knew what she meant.
Is Wei Yangbo willing to see his father?
Her slightly tired face was reflected in the dressing mirror. Nan Xu tidied her hair and suddenly remembered the carriage she met on the way back.
In a trance, she seemed to see the word "Duan" on the signboard hanging outside the car.
*
Duan Wenpei didn't expect that the place where Yong'an Hou asked him to meet was Tianxiang Tower, which he often went to.
Although the name sounds unremarkable, it is actually a Shu restaurant hidden in the city.
Before he even entered the wing room, the Marquis of Yong'an came out to greet him with a big laugh.
"Nephew Wen Pei!"
Duan Wenpei sneered inwardly and avoided the approaching hands of Yong'an Hou.
In terms of status, age, he is inferior to the Marquis of Yong'an.
However, times have changed and people have been forced to bow their heads.
He nodded slightly and said indifferently: "Wen Pei, greetings to the Marquis of Yong'an."
Marquis Yong'an had no choice but to withdraw his hand stiffly and awkwardly led him into the side room.
Although they served in the same court and were both noble families with high ranks, the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion and the Weiyang Earl's Mansion had little dealings with each other.
We can't talk about friendship, we can only talk about the most important things at the moment.
Marquis Yong'an brought the topic back to the point in a few words.
"I wonder how the trial of Yi Ling's case is going, nephew?"
Duan Wenpei was looking at the braised pork on his left. Hearing this, he slowly said, "It's almost done."
What kind of answer is that?
Marquis Yong'an looked at his expressionless face, his mind in turmoil.
He rubbed his hands and then asked, "Yi Ling, when can he be released?"
Duan Wenpei picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, eating elegantly and calmly.
"What do you think, sir?"
What does he think?
Who is the Minister of Justice?
Just say what you want to say, why hide it?
Marquis Yong'an was a little annoyed. If the Yong'an Marquisate had not lost power, why would he have to compromise like this?
Duan Wenpei took in all the changes in Marquis Yong'an's expression and leaned back slightly in the armchair.
He was wearing a smoky black robe today, and the wide sleeves of the robe highlighted his tall and straight figure. He did not look as sharp as he did in the court, but rather had a bit of the coldness of a hermit in seclusion.
He raised his eyebrows, a hint of amusement flashed across his eyes, and then he tapped the table with his fingers.
One, two, three...
"My dear nephew!" Marquis Yong'an called out hurriedly.
Duan Wenpei didn't move.
There was anxiety in the eyes of Marquis Yong'an, and his hand had already reached into his arms.
"Your Majesty...are you really going to destroy the future of the Yong'an Marquisate?!"
Duan Wenpei paused, looking at the item that Yong'an Marquis had taken out, and said calmly, "My Lord, this is serious. Without the iron certificate, the Yong'an Marquisate is still the Yong'an Marquisate."
This was the longest sentence he had said tonight, but Marquis Yong'an felt that it was more bitter than eating Coptis chinensis.
The Marquis's Mansion without the Iron Certificate of Immunity from Death is like a tiger without teeth.
He had neither the emperor's favor nor his royal patronage, and all the kindness that Emperor Gaozu had shown to the ancestors of the Nan family was completely lost by his generation.
He was unwilling to give up! A voice in his heart told him that he must grab something!
Marquis Yong'an handed over the iron certificate and a few words at the same time.
"I heard that the Lord has not yet married. I have a daughter, Nanxu, who is beautiful and kind-hearted. I am willing to marry you, Lord, and bring our two families together."
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