"Thank you for the princess’s grace. This old servant guarantees to instruct the young lady well!" Sister Qi kowtowed on the ground.
"Rise," Yang Mengchen lifted her hand, "Later, the princess will send a maid skilled in martial arts and knowledgeable in medicine to serve Mingzhu. You and she need just to take good care of Mingzhu. If anyone from the Hao family tries to harm her, block them and say it’s the princess’s order. Understand?"
Sister Qi respectfully assented, feeling relieved. With Princess Chen’s protection, she believed that the Hao family would dare not slight the young lady. What a stroke of luck for the young lady. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
After waving Sister Qi away, Yang Mengchen shook her head to the grateful Lady Nangong, then turned to Sister Duan, her tone calm yet imbued with an innate authority: "Sister Duan, do you know what Sister Lingyao was just about to ask for?"
"To respond to the princess," Sister Duan’s face turned pale as she knelt on the ground, not daring to hide anything, "The Second Young Lady (Nangong Lingyao’s husband is the legitimate second son of the Hao family) was probably hoping the princess could secure a good official appointment for the Second Young Master. This old servant has already advised the Second Young Lady; she had given up on the idea. I did not expect... I have failed in my duties, please punish me, princess!"
Lady Nangong abruptly stood up, her gaze filled with shock and disbelief as she looked at Sister Duan: "What did you say?"
Sister Duan repeated the cause and effects of the matter. She regretted not telling Lady Nangong earlier, knowing that the Second Young Lady had not abandoned the thought.
"How dare she, Lingyao..." Lady Nangong’s face turned ashen, and she swayed as if she might fall.
Yang Mengchen stepped forward, helping Lady Nangong to sit down: "Aunty Nangong, rest assured, only our own are present, nothing will be leaked."
Lady Nangong looked at Yang Mengchen, her face a mix of anger and guilt: "I’m sorry, Jiujiu!"
Women were forbidden from interfering in politics; had Jiujiu not intervened in time to prevent Lingyao from making her request public, one could only imagine the trouble it would have caused for Jiujiu. Jiujiu had protected Lingyao and her granddaughter so strenuously, and yet Lingyao showed no gratitude and made unreasonable demands. Did she lack a heart?
Patting Lady Nangong’s hand soothingly, Yang Mengchen smiled and shook her head to indicate it was nothing. She had brought up this matter to serve as a warning to the Nangong family, to prevent future chaos caused by Nangong Lingyao: "Does the Second Young Master also think this way?"
"To answer the princess, this is Lady Hao’s idea. The Second Young Master strongly disagrees, stating he wants to earn his future on his own abilities," Sister Duan answered.
Yang Mengchen nodded inwardly: "Mo Mei, please ask the Prince, Uncle Nangong, and Brother Ling Fei to come here."
Mo Mei left at once.
Before long, Long Xuanmo and the other two arrived. Seeing the situation in the hall, they all paused, surprised. Long Xuanmo approached his wife, seeking with his eyes to know what had happened. Yang Mengchen subtly blinked in response, while Nangong Lingfei asked with concern, "Mother, what’s wrong?"
Choking back tears, Lady Nangong repeated the story, prompting Nangong Yelin to exclaim angrily, "That unfilial daughter!"
Nangong Lingfei also looked disturbed and instinctively glanced at Long Xuanmo. Noting his calm demeanor, he somewhat relaxed.
Lady Nangong was filled with remorse. Lady Hao had been her close friend, gentle and modest. She knew her daughter’s nature and had thought that marrying into the Hao family would be better for her. She had not expected Lady Hao to be deceitful. It was too late now that her granddaughter was already involved. Luckily, her son-in-law was decent, or she would have been at a loss.
"Prince, Jiujiu, my daughter is foolish and ignorant, please forgive us!" Nangong Yelin apologized earnestly.
Yang Mengchen waved her hand to say it was okay and then glanced at Long Xuanmo, who nodded slightly.
"Hao Yutong is diligent, upright, and modest, with a good reputation," Long Xuanmo remarked calmly, "Coincidentally, there is a vacant Fifth Rank administrative position in Hejian Prefecture (Hao Yutong was originally an Inspector General of the Sixth Rank). I will let them know to appoint him there, along with his family."
"Thank you, Prince, for your great kindness!" The three members of the Nangong family deeply understood that the Prince intervened for Jiujiu’s sake. With their son-in-law (brother-in-law) being posted elsewhere, he would escape the control of the Hao family, and their daughter (sister) would no longer be influenced by others. Naturally, they were very grateful.
Sister Duan secretly sighed with relief. Once they joined the young master on his new post, without the Hao family’s meddling, not only the Second Young Lady and her daughter but also they as servants would certainly have an easier time.
After the Nangong family left, Yang Mengchen looked at Long Xuanmo, her face apologetic: "I’m sorry, Wende, for troubling you."
"Kiss me once, and I’ll let it pass," Long Xuanmo originally said in jest, seeing his wife’s guilt, but to his surprise, Yang Mengchen genuinely kissed him, not a fleeting peck but a deep, amorous one.
Hai Tang and the others discreetly left the room.
Long Xuanmo thoroughly enjoyed his wife’s initiative, yet, like all men prone to wanting more, he was not content with just that. Turning from passive to aggressive, he swept Yang Mengchen off her feet and with a husky voice said, "Ah Jiu, I want you!"
After days of bandit extermination and extensive travel without the time or energy for marital intimacies, Wende, in the prime of his youth and not a monk, could hardly restrain himself. Seeing Yang Mengchen’s compassionate nature, she offered no resistance.
Overjoyed, Long Xuanmo carried his wife quickly to their bedroom on the second floor, and soon, harmonic melodies could be heard coming from the room.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, everyone got up and busied themselves. The entire Yang Mansion was festooned with lights and decorations, with joy and laughter all around.
As the appointed time neared, Yang Chenghong led the wedding procession to the Yongchang Hotel (Yang Chenghong had arranged for the Lu family and the bridal escort to stay at the hotel) to receive the bride.
Yang Mengchen accompanied the womenfolk of the family in welcoming the female guests, while Long Xuanmo, as the son-in-law, joined the men of the Yang family in receiving the male guests.
The guests attending the wedding, especially those officials from Qinghe Prefecture and neighboring counties who had rushed to hear the news, were taken aback to see Long Xuanmo greeting guests in person. Some opportunistic officials rooted themselves at the entrance, but a swift glance from Long Xuanmo’s dark eyes had them proceeding inside the house.
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