Chapter 152 Family Affairs

The sun was shining brightly, and the spring was deep as the sea. The ladies all changed into thin, bright spring clothes and walked in the garden like butterflies. Ming Huashang wore a white long skirt, a light blue half-jacket, and a goose-yellow shawl on her arm, and walked through the corridors with her maid.

The maids sweeping the floor on both sides saw her and saluted: "Second Madam."

Ming Huashang nodded slightly and asked, "Has grandma woken up?"

"The old lady got up at 11:00 a.m. and is having dinner with the second and third wives."

Ming Huashang thanked her and walked into the room. Ruyi hurried forward to open the curtain for her. As Ming Huashang took a step forward, she could vaguely hear the little girls behind her murmuring, trying to suppress their voices but unable to hold back.

Ming Huachang didn't hear it clearly, but the content was not difficult to guess. It was nothing more than the dragon and phoenix fetus swapping incident that had been making a lot of noise recently.

After the Flower Festival, the empress awarded rewards based on merit. Some were dismissed for negligence, while others rose to great heights. Ming Huashang became one of the lucky ones envied by the whole capital because she figured out the murderer's trick and arrived in time for the Flower Festival, saving many royal relatives.

Half a month ago, two imperial edicts were sent to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion at the same time. It is said that the imperial edict was drafted by Shangguan Wan'er, and was sent to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion along with the palace's rewards and gifts. The East Palace, Prince Xiang, Princess Taiping and others also added gifts. Ming Huashang knelt in the main hall of the mansion, which was only used for weddings and funerals and grand ceremonies, and received the rewards and the edict in front of all the masters and servants in the mansion.

The Ming family members knelt on the ground, with different expressions. Duke Zhenguo sighed and could not hide his sadness, the second and third wives were jealous, and the old lady Ming had a mixed feeling on her face.

It's not like the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had not made contributions before, but this was the only time that the emperor wrote a special edict to commend them, and what's more, the protagonist was a daughter.

Not the man of the house, not the eldest son or grandson, not even the daughter-in-law, but a daughter who is notorious for being a waste.

Before the Ming family could finish their subtlety, something more important happened. The second imperial edict was for Ming Huazhang, but it was not the promotion that everyone in the Ming family had expected. Instead, it simply asked Ming Huazhang to change his surname to Li, move out of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion on a chosen day, and temporarily live in the old residence of Princess Chengyang.

Ming Huazhang informed Duke Zhenguo immediately after returning from the palace, so Duke Zhenguo was not surprised to hear the news, but the rest of the Ming family was furious. Before they could figure out what was going on, they heard news from the palace that the empress had named Li Huazhang the Prince of Yong and ordered people to reopen the former residence of Crown Prince Zhanghuai Li Xian before he moved into the East Palace, and after it was renovated, it would be converted into the Prince of Yong's Mansion.

A person of a different surname, no matter how great his achievements, could not be crowned a king. Moreover, Yongzhou was the location of Chang'an, located at the strategic point of the capital, rich and noble, and had great political and symbolic significance. The empress gave this fief to Minghuazhang, asked him to change his surname, and also gave him the old palace of Prince Zhanghuai. Although she did not say anything, the implication was very clear.

Ming Huazhang was not actually the son of the Duke of Zhenguo, but the son of the Crown Prince Zhang Huai, the grandson of the Empress. As for why the son of the Crown Prince Zhang Huai was raised in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the imperial edict did not mention it, and no one in Chang'an had the foresight to ask, so this matter became an unspoken secret of the royal family.

But things were not peaceful in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Madam Ming's biggest hope in recent years was Ming Huazhang, but the most promising grandson was not of her own blood. So were the twins of the eldest son's family real or fake? If they were real, what about the other child?

At this point, the Duke of Zhenguo no longer pretended and told the whole story. After hearing the whole story of the child exchange, Old Lady Ming almost fell ill with anger.

The grandson belongs to someone else's family. Wang Yulan only gave birth to two daughters, one of whom was raised in the countryside and even refused to go home.

What kind of thing is this? This matter that concerns the survival of the entire family was kept secret by Old Madam Ming for seventeen years!

Needless to say, Madam Ming was furious, and after a brief shock, the second and third wives began to think.

Look, early this morning, the second and third rooms gathered in Yanshou Hall, and it was very lively. When Ming Huashang entered the room, the laughter in the room quieted down, and then the women of each family held their handkerchiefs and greeted each other.

"Second sister."

"Second Mother."

Ming Huashang greeted her aunt and cousins ​​one by one according to their generation, and then sat down next to Ming Yu. Old Madam Ming glanced at Ming Huashang and couldn't help frowning.

Madam Ming asked, "Why are you wearing so plain clothes when you are going out today?"

Ming Huashang had already made preparations and said, "Today I am going to offer long-lasting lamps to Zhaocai. I am afraid that if I dress too fancy, the Buddha will think that I am not sincere."

Madam Ming and the Second Madam both believed in Buddhism, so these words successfully shut them up. Madam Ming glanced at Ming Huashang, still thinking that a maid died and it was not right for the master to let the maid wear plain clothes. But Ming Huazhang had said so before, and now the empress had given a reward, so if Madam Ming said anything more, it would seem like she was provoking trouble, so she could only ignore it, and out of sight, out of mind.

Of course, now we should call him His Royal Highness Prince Yong.

The Second Madam continued the previous topic and said, "Mother, Chunhua Courtyard is almost ready, but we can't find good wood in such a short time. Do you think we should use inferior pearwood to make do, or use the set of mahogany furniture in the warehouse?"

After the Second Madam said this, Ming Huashang immediately felt that many eyes were secretly looking at her. Ming Huashang smiled and said as a matter of course: "Of course, we have to give Sister Yuji the best. If there are not enough in the warehouse, you can move a few from my courtyard. Anyway, I don't need them urgently, so I'll focus on Chunhua Courtyard first."

The Third Lady waved her round fan and smiled slowly, "Second Lady is really kind. That set of mahogany furniture was specially collected for you as a dowry. It has been prepared since you were born. If it is unpacked, it will be difficult to put it away for a while."

Ming Huashang also smiled and said, "If there hadn't been an accident, I should have packed a dowry for Sister Yuji. After all, we are sisters, so we don't have to calculate dowry like those small families. We will naturally focus on the people who are in urgent need. Third Aunt, don't you agree?"

The Third Lady was choked. Ming Huashang's words seemed to mock her narrow-mindedness. However, Ming Huashang's eyes were clear and innocent. How could she have any bad intentions? The Third Lady felt aggrieved but could not express it. She could only smile and said, "Of course it makes sense."

Ming Huashang stopped talking and continued to listen to the elders talking, looking very obedient. She sighed in her heart. When she learned that Su Yuji was her biological sister, she thought about how to repair the family relationship and how to deal with the estrangement between the Duke of Zhen and Su Yuji. Unfortunately, other people in the mansion were not concerned about these things.

Ming Huachang seemed to be obedient on the surface, but in fact her thoughts had already gone back to half a month ago.

The story of Su Yuji has to start from the Flower Festival.

That day, after Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang met Liao Yushan, they left the prison and hurried to find Su Yuji. As expected, Su Yuji did not go to find Su Xingzhi, and judging from the route, he did not plan to return to the Duke of Zhen's Mansion.

Ming Huashang could understand Su Yuji's embarrassment if she were in his place. Su Yuji was not a member of the Su family, so it was strange for her to continue to stay with Su Xingzhi, but she couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart if she returned to the Duke of Zhen's Mansion like this.

When Su Yuji was in trouble, Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang arrived.

Ming Huashang sincerely invited Su Yuji to return home, but Su Yuji refused. It was the Duke of Zhen who sent her away and left her outside without paying any attention to her for seventeen years. Now that she took the initiative to come and recognize her relatives, it was too much of a rush.

Ming Huachang said, "I have a compromise. We will rent another yard in Dongcheng for Su Yuji to live alone. You don't have to worry about other things. You can stay as long as you want. It's up to you to decide whether to return to the Su family or the Ming family, or just live on your own."

This is indeed a good idea. Su Yuji has lived in the Su family since she was a child. Although Nanny Su has done her best for her, she will never forget the feeling of living under someone else's roof. If she returns to the Duke's Mansion now, she will actually be living under someone else's roof.

She would rather live in a worse place, at least she wouldn't have to worry about other people's faces.

Ming Huazhang saw that Su Yuji was interested, so he took the initiative to say, "If you want, I can help you find a suitable house. However, I will not help you hide your whereabouts from the Duke of Zhenguo and Su Xingzhi. I can't do that, so I'm telling you the truth in advance. If they ask me about your new address, I will tell them the truth."

Su Yuji frowned, a little unhappy: "This is my own business, I don't need them to interfere."

"This is not meddling, but being responsible for the people around you," Ming Huazhang said. "No matter what your final decision is, you should let the elders know your whereabouts, so that they know where to find you in case of emergency."

Ming Huashang stood up for Ming Huazhang on this point and said tactfully, "Yes, we were all worried to death during those days when you had no news, especially Brother Su. They were also afraid that you would be in danger."

Su Yuji was rarely annoyed after being scolded, so she tacitly agreed. Ming Huazhang took Su Yuji to the east of the city to look at houses. Ming Huachang and Su Yuji both liked a house with two courtyards. Ming Huazhang had no objection and paid a year's rent in advance on the spot.

Su Yuji felt uncomfortable when she saw Ming Huazhang paying the bill. When Ming Huazhang found out, he said calmly and honestly, "This is what I should compensate you for. Compared with the misfortunes you have suffered over the years, this is nothing but a drop in the bucket."

Ming Huashang also smiled and said, "Yes, Sister Yuji, don't save money for him."

Su Yuji fell silent. She looked around the place slowly and found that it was only one street away from the Duke of Zhen's Mansion. The distance was neither too close nor too far, and she could take care of him at any time while leaving Su Yuji with enough space and respect.

Su Yuji was hostile to Ming Huazhang at first. After all, if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have been abandoned by her family at birth. However, in the lighthouse, he was both wise and brave, but he took the lead in everything. It can be said that if it weren't for his leadership, it's hard to say whether they could come out alive. After leaving the danger, he showed great sympathy and sense of proportion, solving the problem quietly without any meaning of favor.

With a person like this, even if Su Yuji deliberately picked fault with him, she wouldn't be able to find anything that would make her feel at ease disliking him.

After returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Ming Huazhang went to see the Duke of Zhenguo first. Ming Huachang didn't know what they talked about in secret, but later the Duke of Zhenguo went to see Su Yuji. As expected, Su Yuji refused to come back. After returning to the mansion, the Duke of Zhenguo was lost for a few days and asked people to repair Chunhuayuan.

Chunhua Qiushi was the main courtyard of the east and west roads of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and was reserved for the eldest son and daughter. However, Ming Huashang lived in the corner for the convenience of sneaking out, and Ming Huazhang lived next to her, so the two courtyards of Chunhua Qiushi were always idle.

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had people clean up Chunhua Courtyard, and all kinds of furnishings were moved in like water, with the intention of suppressing Ming Huashang. In the past few days, people kept gossiping in Ming Huashang's ear, but Ming Huashang always pushed them back.

She understood that her father wanted to compensate Su Yuji, and she didn't think that her father gave his long-lost sister more jewelry because he didn't love Ming Huashang. Unfortunately, someone kept bringing up something she didn't care about.

It's ridiculous.

Ming Shuo relied on her young age to act innocent and naive, which made Old Lady Ming laugh. The Second Lady glanced at the mother and daughter of the Third House, and knew exactly what they were thinking.

The second wife knew that she was not very smart and her family background was not high-class. Many people looked down on her for being petty, but she was good at knowing herself.

The second wife was a concubine. Although the old lady usually relied on them, she would never side with them when it came to her own interests. The second wife was very calm. She just wanted to get the property that the second wife deserved when the family was divided. If she could get the name of the Duke of Zhen's Mansion before the division, and find a good marriage for Mingyu, it would be even better.

Therefore, she never coveted the title of the Duke's mansion. Even when it was suddenly revealed that Ming Huazhang was not the son of the Duke of Zhenguo and that the eldest branch of the family had no heir, the Second Lady was not disturbed at all.

Because it had nothing to do with her, the Second Lady was just watching the show, so she saw it very clearly. Old Lady Ming seemed to value the eldest house the most, and always put the eldest house first, but in fact, she cared the most about her youngest son. Look at how she praised the Third Lady to the skies. Even if the eldest house had no son and might need an adopted son, the Duke of Zhenguo was still alive. Now she regarded the Duke's property as her own, and felt that the dowries of the two sisters of Ming Huashang were spent on their family's money, which was really contemptible.

Instead of wasting time on scheming, you might as well think about how to please King Yong.

The Third Lady didn't get any advantage, so she could only chat with Old Lady Ming about things that had nothing to do with her pain. After a while, the Duke of Zhenguo sent a servant over and said, "Old Lady, ladies, the Duke said the carriage is ready and we can set off."

Madam Ming said, "Let's go then."

The maids immediately came to support Madam Ming. Ming Yu and Ming Shuo followed Madam Ming on both sides and slowly walked out the door. Ming Huashang quietly arrived last. Ruyi asked, "Madam, did you forget anything?"

Ming Huashang shook her head, smiled again, and said energetically, "It's okay, let's go quickly, we still have to pick up Sister Yuji."

Today, the whole family of the Duke of Zhenguo went out to burn incense. In the words of Old Madam Ming, too many things have happened in the Duke's Mansion recently, and it is time to pray to the Buddha. Naturally, other people in the mansion did not dare to have any opinions, and they all agreed in unison. After Ming Huashang heard this, she was moved.

This was a great opportunity to repair their relationship, so she immediately went to inform the Duke of Zhenguo and Su Yuji. The Duke of Zhenguo always responded to his daughter's requests, so he accompanied Ming Huashang without saying a word. Although Su Yuji was reluctant to return to the Duke's Mansion, she couldn't bear to offer incense to Zhaocai, so she agreed to go with him.

Well, it was natural for the Duke of Zhenguo to pick up Su Yuji along the way and go to the Jokhang Temple to burn incense together.

When the Duke of Zhenguo learned that Su Yuji was also leaving, he was overjoyed. He had been checking the itinerary back and forth these days, and he was almost going to feed the horses himself. The carriage had already stopped at the second gate, and Madam Ming slowly got on the carriage, while Ming Huashang waited obediently behind.

She was a little absent-minded, and at this moment a breeze blew by, and the dead leaves left on the branches fell on Ming Huachang's head. She casually reached out to pat them, but she touched a pair of slightly cool hands.

Someone got there before her and carefully untied the fallen leaves from her hair. Ming Huashang instinctively turned around, and was stunned for a moment when she saw the person coming. She blurted out, "Why are you here?"

He carefully picked out the pieces of hair from her hair, and said in a clear voice, "My sisters are going out, and as their elder brother, I should accompany them."