Chapter 14: Marriage (Part 2)

  Looking for pink tickets~

  Yan Hua lifted her head, unable to tell whether she was excited or shocked, but the next words made her heart skip a beat and almost faint.

  "Madam said that she wants to make you a concubine of the Minister of Justice, I was originally reluctant to part with you, but now it seems that with your intelligence and talent, entering the Minister's mansion may also lead to a good outcome." The old lady couldn't help but smile sarcastically on her face, "As they say, 'a girl who is too big cannot be kept at home, keeping her will only lead to trouble'."

  Xuanhua Zhang opened her big mouth, and it took her a long time to react. She knelt down to the foot of the old lady, "Mother... mother..."

  The old lady didn't even glance at her, "You've read 'Nu Jie' and 'Nei Xun', you should know that marriage is the command of parents and the words of matchmakers. The Hou Ye's wife has already spoken, now I have no way out." As she spoke, she closed her eyes, as if she had fallen asleep, letting Yan Hua cry pitifully at her feet.

  Yan Hua's carefully combed hair was now disheveled, the makeup on her face was smudged all over, and her voice was hoarse from crying. Yet she didn't dare say a word about not wanting to get married. She felt as if everything had turned bleak, and she had fallen from the clouds into an abyss.

  Who would have thought that after all the fuss, I'd end up as a concubine in the Ministry of Justice's residence... Previously, when my father's colleague's wife came to our house, she mentioned something about the Minister of Justice. Apparently, his concubines change frequently, and no matter what kind of woman they are, they can't stay in favor for more than a few days. Moreover, the Minister's main wife is from a noble family and has a lot of influence. In all these years, apart from the main wife giving birth to two sons and one daughter, none of the other concubines have given birth to even one son or half a child.

  Yan Hua trembles with fear at the mere thought of it, and if she goes there, her life will be over. She is willing to go as a concubine for her sister's husband because she has set her sights on the hereditary title of the Hou Mansion, even if she cannot become the official wife, her children will still have the opportunity to become nobles, and their descendants will forever be wealthy and noble.

  However, in the Ministry of Revenue, she might not even be able to secure a future for her descendants.

  Thinking of this, Yanhua's heart was filled with a sense of helplessness and fear, which overwhelmed her completely. She couldn't care about anything else anymore, and threw herself into the arms of the old lady, crying bitterly. "Mother, mother, it was all because I was momentarily blinded by foolish thoughts that I did such a thing. I really didn't think there would be such consequences. I just wanted to leave a good impression on Madame Hou, if I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have dared, I wouldn't have dared at all!"

  "Yan Hua knew his mother loved him dearly, Mother..."

  "Alas, if only you had understood this principle earlier, you wouldn't have done such a thing behind my back. Even the Hou family's lady was caught off guard by this proposal, and in such circumstances, I too am at a disadvantage. You think it's easy for me to maneuver in between? The mistress's eyes reddened as she spoke, her voice filled with sorrow. "Tell me, when have I not put you in my heart and cherished you like one of my own? What's the difference between you and your elder sisters? I've always been wholeheartedly devoted to you, never expecting you to harbor such wicked thoughts."

  Yan Hua heard the big wife's words and saw room for maneuver, hastily wiping away tears, swearing solemnly, "From now on, Yan Hua will never dare to be reckless again. Whatever mother says, Yan Hua will do it, absolutely not daring to be self-righteous again. It's just this once, mother must help me."

  The old lady sighed, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and helped up Yanhua in her arms. Her eyes were again filled with loving gaze, "I was angry that you didn't struggle, originally I wanted to find a good family for you, but you caused trouble at this time. If I could bear to part with you, I would have agreed to Madame Hou's proposal earlier. Your older sisters are examples."

  "I've been hesitating all along, it's because I really like you in my heart."

  Yan Hua's tears flowed uncontrollably, and at this moment her heart was filled with regret.

  "I can only try to see if I can tactfully decline this marriage proposal, if it's really impossible..."

  Yan Hua shivered again and hastily raised her head to look at Mrs. Dai with an entreating expression.

  The elder lady gently smoothed out the disheveled hair at the side of Rong Hua's forehead, "If it really doesn't work out, I can only look for someone in the manor who can replace you... Fortunately, there is not just one young lady in this manor who has reached marriageable age."

  Yan Hua really didn't expect the lady to say such words to maintain her, she only felt that her whole heart was suddenly filled with a strange emotion, her gaze was firm, "Mother, you treat Yan Hua like this, Yan Hua will never forget for life, if I have a second thought, let me be destroyed and not die in peace."

  The old lady hugged Ronghua tightly in her arms again, "You child, as a mother, I don't need you to make such an oath of poison, as long as you are well in the future, I will be at peace."

  Xiang Qiao and Chen Mama were sitting outside, initially it was fine, just chatting idly. Later, they vaguely heard a few words from inside, mixed with Sixth Miss's crying voice. Xiang Qiao's heart suddenly skipped a beat, she couldn't sit still anymore. Chen Mama seemed to be unaffected, sat on the side slowly sipping tea. After a while, Xiang Qiao had already broken out in a cold sweat. Chen Mama coughed nonchalantly, and Xiang Qiao's whole body shook violently.

  Miss Liu's crying gradually subsided, and Chen Mama said with a hint of intention: "Xiang Qiao, you also came out from the main wife's room, although not as good as Chun, Xia, Qiu, Dong, but Madam still mentioned you as a second-class maid."

  Xiang Qiao didn't know what to say, and simply responded with a "yes".

  "Madam gave you to Sixth Miss because she dotes on Sixth Miss and wants you to follow her in the past life as well, so that you can enjoy blessings together."

  "Mother Chen smiled and said, 'You're not young anymore, you should understand things.'"

  The profound meaning in Chen Mama's words was like a basin of cold water, pouring down on Xiang Qiao from head to toe, making her shiver all over. What Chen Mama said was right, the mistress now doted on Sixth Miss, but...

  The sobbing sound came from inside the house again.

  Change is just an instant thing.

  The old lady and Sixth Miss had not yet emerged when they heard Chen Mama's loud voice from outside: "Second Master has arrived."

  The big wife patted Ruan Hua's shoulder and said, "Wipe your face here with me, don't let your brother see it."

  Yan Hua nodded, and Mrs. Zhang smiled as she went out to greet her. Xiang Qiao busied herself in the green silk room serving Yan Hua.

  When the lady came out, the curtain was lifted, and Hong Ge saw that there were still people in the house. He couldn't help but take a look inside. The lady smiled and said: "It's your sixth sister, I don't know what happened earlier, she got her face dirty and is cleaning up inside."

  Hong Ge suddenly shouted, "Sixth Sister."

  Yanhua was startled just now, and upon hearing this sound, her body shook, and without warning, she stared into Hongge's eyes. In this gaze, Yenhua suddenly remembered that her face was a mess at the moment, and she quickly turned away, fortunately, it seemed like Hongge hadn't noticed anything. Yanhua adjusted her breathing and said in a low voice, "Younger brother is well."

  Hong Ge wanted to speak again, but Mrs. Tai had already come over and grabbed his hand, smiling and asking him, "What's on your mind again?"

  Hong said: "Nothing, just thinking of going to Zuozong Xue tomorrow, specially came to ask mother if there's anything else to entrust."

  "Tomorrow is your first day at Zuozong Academy, and it should be your father who takes you there. However, he has an urgent matter to attend to outside the capital today. There should be an elder in the family to accompany you, but unfortunately, both of your uncles are not in the capital. I've thought about it and decided to send a message to your older sister, asking her husband to take you there early tomorrow morning."

  "Zuo Zongxue is a nobleman's younger brother, you should be careful in everything, if something happens, just report your sister-in-law's name, those people will naturally give you some face."

  Hong Ge nodded again.

  The lady thought for a moment and still didn't feel at ease, "Also, making friends should be done with caution. Even if you find someone with similar temperaments, you must inform your family before making any plans."

  "Brother Hong said: 'Don't worry, Mother!'"

  "And don't stir up trouble inside."

  "Son doesn't dare."

  The lady smiled with satisfaction, reached out to tidy up Hong's clothes, "Although it's good to study outside, it's not as comfortable as at home. You're not young anymore, you should temper yourself." As she spoke, the lady carefully examined the accessories on Hong's waist, especially the sachet embroidered with green bamboo. She held it in her hand and stroked it before putting it back.

  After talking for a while, Hong Ge left. Yan Hua also cleaned up and let Xiang Qiao accompany her to leave.

  The house returned to its quiet state, and Chen's mother hastily served tea to the mistress.

  The old lady stroked her tea bowl for a long time before sighing, "If Yao Hua were in good health, I wouldn't have to worry so much."

  "Miss Two's body will recover, you can rest assured, besides..." Chen Mama said hastily. She didn't dare to continue speaking after saying half a sentence, as Miss Two was not to be mentioned again.

  "After going through this experience, I hope Renhua will learn a lesson."

  Madam Chen smiled, "That's natural, didn't you see Sixth Miss's expression of gratitude towards the madam?" She paused for a moment, "But what about the side of the Marquis' wife?" In the manor, among the eligible young ladies, apart from Sixth Miss, there was only Eighth Miss. Was the eldest lady preparing to...

  "I said it's no rush."

  "Yes."

  The old lady thought of something again, "Who recommended the maid beside Miss Eighth?"

  Madam Chen hadn't spoken yet, when Dong Rui, who had come in to attend to her, said: "You're talking about that wooden pole? I took a look and it seems like it belongs to the Chui family. Just now on the road, the Chui family's servant was still pulling it along while scolding it."

  The lady picked up her teacup and took a sip, her eyes lightly closed, with no other expression on her face. It wasn't until after a while that she glanced at Chen Mama, "She's one of my people, but she's different from you. Over the years, she hasn't been idle in the manor either."

  Cui's wife and daughter-in-law were also brought by the eldest lady from her natal family. In recent years, as her husband served as an official in the mansion, she became increasingly bold. As long as the maids and servant women in the mansion sent her money, she would take it without exception. When the third and fourth misses got married, she made a fortune. The eldest lady knew about it but didn't expose her. It seemed that the lady was no longer willing to indulge her. At this time, Chen's mother had to clear herself as soon as possible. "It's not like I haven't said anything behind her back."

  The lady gently stroked the embossed pattern on her teacup, "There's no need to make a fuss over some small matters with her, just remind her not to lose sight of the bigger picture because of minor issues. If something big happens, don't blame me for not considering our years of friendship and letting her end up in an embarrassing situation."

  Mrs. Chen hastily said: "Yes."

  "What's wrong with that girl Mu Ge?"

  "Let her stay by Miss Eighth's side since she still seems obedient!"

  "Yes."

  Sorry everyone, I clearly updated yesterday but somehow...

  The computer is also crashing...

  I'm really sorry...