Chapter 74: A Battle of Wits (Part 2)

  "Who has come?" asked Rong Hua.

  Chun Yao said: "She is Xue's wife's sister, Wu Mu Hou Ye's second aunt."

  Rong Hua remembered what Jin Xiu had heard from Liu Li, that the grandmother of Wu Mu Hou and Shuo Gong Zhu liked not the eldest grandson Wu Mu Hou Ye, but rather the son of the second house.

  It's now Wu Mu Hou's second aunt who has come to run this errand, and it seems that the matter of forming a marriage alliance with the Tao family is something that Lady Xue already knows about.

  Chun Yao finished speaking and went back to report, Rong Hua let Mu Jin take that apricot yellow dark patterned plum blossom collar with the same color as the sleeves, still wearing pearl earrings, the whole person only looked very gentle, then went to Lao Tai Tai's Qian Xi residence.

  Ronghua entered the house, looked up and saw an old lady sitting next to a woman wearing a crimson jacket with gold embroidery, a hairpin on her head adorned with jade and precious stones, and a delicate golden butterfly-shaped hairpin inserted on the right side of her hair. At first glance, she exuded elegance and wealth. Xue's second wife was dressed more luxuriously than Madame Xue, the wife of Duke Anguo who had inherited his title.

  Rong Hua looked at Mrs. Tao and the old lady again, both of whom were also meticulously dressed, their faces not losing to that lady's, it seemed they had already received news from the Hou Mansion about the arrival of guests.

  The madam's gaze was always looking outward, and when she saw her, there was a hint of disappointment, but she still smiled, "This is Miss Ba's Ronghua."

  The hostess they were waiting for hadn't arrived yet, so Ronghua smiled slightly and called Yuhua over alone. It was too obvious, so she had Chunyao call her instead. After all, it was to make Yuhua a foil. She also obediently wore inconspicuous clothes, and the hostess would definitely be satisfied.

  Ronghua stepped forward and paid her respects to Madame Xue.

  Madam Xue helped Ronghua up and looked at her face with a smile, saying: "No wonder, the young lady of the Tao family is so beautiful."

  It's hard to say where this is coming from. Listening to it, there seems to be a special meaning in these words. This Mrs. Xue didn't just come to deliver the invitation, but also to test the waters.

  Xue's wife smiled and said: "I heard from Big Sister that the young ladies of the Tao family are all knowledgeable and courteous, indeed they come from a family of poetry and books."

  It sounds good, but the two words "big sister" are particularly heavy. It seems that someone must be unhappy with this marriage, otherwise Mrs. Xue would not have said such words to praise her sisters.

  That person who didn't quite agree was probably Old Lady Xue.

  The lady said with a smile: "I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself in front of you, madam."

  Mrs. Xue said, "How can you say that? Are you treating your sister like an outsider?" The more she spoke, the more affectionate she became, especially with the fine lines of laughter at the corners of her eyes, which seemed to be genuinely kind to people without any pretence.

  Everyone was laughing as Yao Hua walked into the house.

  The host has arrived, and Mrs. Xue's eyes shone a few points brighter.

  Yao Hua wore a crimson jacket with a pink embroidered edge, outside was a pink satin jacket with gold trim, on her head was a pink flowered headdress, and she had one or two silk-filled hairpins with red gemstones.

  Yao Hua curtsied, and Mrs. Xue also helped her up and examined her carefully. Her hand touched Yao Hua's fingers and she couldn't help but say: "Miss's hands are so cold." As she spoke, she handed over the hand warmer in her own hand: "Warm up quickly."

  The lady's complexion changed slightly, but she smiled and said: "After all, madam will be heartbroken."

  Rong Hua just smiled and pursed her lips beside him.

  After chatting for a while, Mrs. Xue said: "I've delivered the notice, and I'll have someone come to pick it up tomorrow." She glanced at the old lady and continued, "I'm here to invite you, Old Lady."

  Mrs. Tao hastily laughed and shook her head, "I'm in no shape to go, I'm afraid I'll only be a trouble to you all. I'm deeply grateful for Mrs. Xue's kind intentions, please trouble yourself to thank her on my behalf when you return."

  Xue's wife smiled and said: "Old lady, what are you talking about? We're all family, no need to be polite."

  The second time brought such a relationship closer. The first time was polite, and the second time was to take a stand.

  Mrs. Xue stood up, "It's getting late, I should go back too," and she also bowed to the old lady.

  Everyone then sent Mrs. Xue out.

  Xue Er's wife and Da Tai Tai walked side by side, saying: "I heard from Big Sister that she met the Madame of Yi Cheng Hou in the mansion."

  The lady smiled and said: "It was also a coincidence that Mrs. Cai happened to be visiting our mansion on that day."

  Madam Xue said again: "Madam must also know that Imperial Consort Hua has been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort."

  The lady laughed with her eyes narrowed, "Yesterday Mrs. Cai came over and mentioned it."

  Mrs. Xue hastily said: "This is a great joyous event."

  The elder lady glanced at Mrs. Xue, "It's not possible. Old Lady Cai entered the palace today to celebrate the thousandth birthday of the imperial noble consort."

  Mrs. Xue kept mentioning the Cai family, and everyone understood what she meant.

  Madam Xue smiled and gradually walked closer to the first wife, lowering her voice as she spoke. Ronghua could only catch a few words: "In recent years... such banquets are not many... The young master is not one who loves noise... yet tomorrow he agreed to..."

  Mrs. Dai was overjoyed upon hearing these words, and she escorted Mrs. Xue out of the second gate, holding her back and chatting with her for a long time before watching her leave.

  The big wife took Yao Hua and Rong Hua back to the old lady's house again.

  Mrs. Dai smiled and said, "Madam Xue is a kind-hearted person."

  Mrs. Tao picked up her teacup and drank silently. Who isn't kind-hearted, not only taking care of their own family but also lending a hand to others, isn't Madame Cai, the wife of Yuancheng Hou, an example?

  This Mrs. Xue Er is not an ordinary person, otherwise, as a second wife who did not inherit the title, how could she be better than the first wife? The first wife, Xue Chongli, inherited the title of duke, while the second wife, Xue Chongyi, got a real job relying on the family's face. Now that Xue Mingrui has inherited his father Xue Chongli's title, rumors outside say that Wu Mu Hou Xue Mingrui is just like his father, not understanding flexibility, and the ones who truly benefit are still the second wife. Isn't it just now that there was news that the third master of the second house, Xue Mingbiao, assisted in putting down the rebellion and was rewarded with a special grant of a military post?

  But following the commander-in-chief of the great army, he went through the motions and got such a real job. This favor is like a heavenly gift. On the other hand, what did Wu Mu Hou get? A troublesome task that was not worth the effort, and he also bore the blame.

  Everyone says "losing with a second house", but in her opinion, this second house of the Xue family is not losing at all.

  The old lady Tao smiled and called out to Rui Qing, "Quickly go get those candied fruits from my room and give them to the young ladies to eat. Let them not be so reserved in front of me."

  Rui Qing brought the candied fruit, and Yao Hua and Rong Hua sat down at a small table. Rong Hua said: "Second sister, why don't we play a game of chess?" Yao Hua was not one to talk much, so she naturally agreed.

  The old lady and the big wife can talk conveniently now.

  The elder lady said: "The second lady just mentioned that she had also invited Miss Changningbo's family, which is also a reminder to us."

  It's probably not a reminder, right? The Tao family can't compare to the noble birth of the Changning Bo Mansion. Moreover, the relationship between the Changning Bo Mansion and the Yicheng Hou Mansion is also there. Getting along with the Changning Bo Mansion is equivalent to getting along with the Yicheng Hou Mansion, no difference. "Don't the several princes and sons-in-law of the Changning Bo have a good relationship?"

  The old lady was taken aback by these words, and didn't expect the old lady to know even this. She smiled apologetically: "I've heard rumors, but we don't really know what's going on. Eldest Uncle is a kind person, and many people have good relationships with him."

  Mrs. Tao asked: "Has Xue Er's younger son, Xue Jia San Ye, gotten married?"

  She had paid special attention to the Xue family's affairs, and some things were naturally clear. The old lady said: "He hasn't married his formal wife yet. The men of the Xue family have always been late in getting married."

  The old lady Tao smiled, the daughter of Lord Changning, such a good marriage, the second lady must have taken a liking to her herself. Once Marquis Hou marries the Tao family's daughter, the second lady on Lord Changning's side will also have an opportunity. Although they are both marrying down, the Xue family's second branch can barely claim a connection through their ancestors' names, not to mention having the princess as the grandmother to support her grandson. Lady Xue's calculations were precise, but this matter was not so easily accomplished.

  The old lady Tao looked at Yao Hua and Rong Hua, "Who are you planning to take over?"

  The lady smiled and said: "I just want to take Yaohua with me." Anyway, the meaning is already so clear, there's no need to bring more people.

  The old lady Tao looked at Yao Hua and Rong Hua who were talking beside her again.

  Ronghua and Yaohua were playing chess on the side, Ronghua was talking to Yaohua while making moves, Yaohua seemed to be listening absent-mindedly, her face had no smile at all.

  Old Lady Tao frowned. It was impossible that Yao Hua hadn't heard anything, and since she had, why did she have such an unwilling expression?

  It's settled then. The old lady smiled and brought up the matter of Ma Dao's wife, "Mother, there's one more thing I need to ask you before we can make a decision."

  Old Mrs. Tao took a sip of tea, "What's up?"

  The old lady said: "Ma Dao, who often comes to our house to ask for peace...". Mrs. Tao's face did not show any disgust, and the old lady continued to say, "She told me that building a temple in the house would keep the family safe," and she leaned closer to the old lady, repeating what Ma Dao had said.

  The old lady's face was overcast with a mixture of sunshine and cloudiness. "How can there still be such things? Our family spends quite a bit of incense money every year."

  The old lady continued: "I didn't believe it at first either, but what Ma Dao Po said made sense."

  The old lady thought for a moment, "This is indeed the case. If she's an outsider, how can she know what happened in our family so clearly?"

  Mrs. Dai saw that Old Mrs. Tao had agreed, so she smiled and said, "That's the idea. Besides, Big Sister's illness hasn't improved, I think it's worth a try, maybe there will be some improvement."

  Mrs. Tao sighed, "I can't make it clear either, building a Buddhist hall is harmless, several of your aunt's families have one."

  The old lady smiled and said: "There is one more thing, that is, our Tao family's descendants must often go to worship in order for it to be useful."

  Old Lady Tao raised an eyebrow, "Where did this come from again?"

  The lady said: "This is a word that can only be used to eliminate family troubles, and it's reasonable to make a fuss about this."

  Old Lady Tao hesitated, thinking to herself, "There's no one at home who can do this, but it's not easy to manage. Otherwise, I'll just bring a maid over and have her pretend to be the one from the mansion. The Buddha won't blame me."

  The old lady smiled, her voice neither loud nor soft, just right for everyone in the house to hear. "That won't do either, it must be compatible with our family's eight characters. As it happens, our eighth young lady's eight characters are extremely good."

  Hearing this, Rong Hua put down the chess piece and glanced at Yao Hua, who also looked puzzled. The two of them stood up together and sat beside Mrs. Zhuang.

  Since Lady Tai had already spoken up, she couldn't pretend not to have heard it. Anyway, she couldn't avoid it no matter what, so she might as well face it head-on. Rong Hua raised her head, and a soft light flickered in her eyes. "If Madam Ma says so, there must be some reason to it, and since Big Sister is also saying the same thing, I'd like to help out too, but I don't know how," she said with a faint smile, her beautiful eyes misty. "I'm willing to serve the Buddha as well, as long as it can ensure the peace of the Quan Manor..."

  The old lady was overjoyed when she heard this, and it would be even better if Ronghua were willing. She had seen Shuhua getting more and more like her mother every day, which was truly heartbreaking, so that's why she hurried to tell the old lady today.

  Old Lady Tao also kept sizing up Rong Hua, the child's appearance was pitiful to behold, every time she saw her, she was always so gentle and obedient, now that she made such a request, she actually agreed just like that.

  The old lady looked at Rong Hua and said, "It's rare for you to have this kind of heart. If your older sister were better, in the future..." Just as she was saying this, they heard someone outside calling, "Second Master, Second Master, what are you doing? The old lady and mistress are both here."

  The big wife shifted her piercing gaze outside, and Rong Hua finally felt at ease. Brother Hong had arrived.

  Everyone in the house looked outside, especially when Old Lady Tao ordered Rui Qing to lift the curtain, "Quickly go and take a look, is it Hong Ge who has arrived."

  The old lady also wondered: "Didn't this child go to school? How come he's back so early?"

  Rui Qing just lifted the curtain, and first saw Hong Ge lifting his robe to walk in. Closely following him were Hong Ge's attendants Mo Yu and Shi Yan, with two of them carrying a nun inside.

  Everyone looked and it was indeed Ma Dao's wife.

  "Second Master, Second Master, what's going on?" Seeing the old lady and the big wife, "Old Lady, Big Wife, quickly let Second Master release me."

  Mo Yu and Shi Yan, two book boys, had previously received Hong Ge's order, and they insisted on waiting until they were in the house before using their combined strength to push Ma Dao Po to the ground.

  Ma Dao Po suddenly cried out "Ah!" and fell to the ground.

  The lady saw Hongge's anger and Ma Dao's pleading, she frowned at Hongge, "What's going on?"

  "Brother Hong took something out of his sleeve and threw it on the ground. 'Grandma, mom, look at what these bastards have done.'"

  After seeing what was on the ground, Ma Dao's face suddenly changed and she exclaimed loudly, "Injustice! Injustice! Second Master, you can't speak nonsense!"

  The big wife took a closer look at the things on the ground.

  On the ground were a few paper men and some messy symbols.

  "What's all this?" said Madame

  "Big Brother Hong took a step forward and said: 'It's all because of this woman who gave me these harmful things.'"

  Ma Dao's wife suddenly burst into loud wailing, "How can this be? How can this be?"

  Going back to Beijing tomorrow. Hehe, going to collect things.

  The ten classmates who got the signed book last month, send me your address and phone number, add me to the iron powder group or fly a message to me.

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  Classmates who got the signed book (temporarily 7 people): Quiet Night Color, Little Tai Shi, I Love Chinese Clothes, queenlucy, Wind and Ice Elegy, dyybryyy, Azure Color