Chapter 77: Yi Ren (Part 2)

  Ronghua walked to the door and turned around to take a look at Mrs. Changningbo and the young lady.

  Miss Changning was smiling and making a curtsy to the old lady, her light yellow jacket with a layer of silk outside, soft gauze reflecting her warm smile.

  Such a beautiful Miss Changning Bo, how could Madam Xue have such an expression when she saw her.

  Ronghua changed her clothes and came out, Mrs. Ta and several ladies were talking in the east warm pavilion, Ronghua went over to listen for a while, it sounded like they were chatting with several dukes about family matters, but their words and language alluded to things in the imperial court.

  The old lady pulled Sun Ma, the wife of Guangning Bo, and said: "I heard that your elder brother was released from his position as Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi." He took over the position of General Su Xiyao. This case was originally handled by Old 2 of her family, who had offended many people, but in the end, he was rebuked on the imperial court, making a laughing stock out of himself, and although the emperor gave Old 3 the position of Commander-in-Chief as compensation for the Xue family, it was far inferior to the Marquis position held by the Ma family.

  Sun Ma smiled and said: "Yes, in two days I will take office." As he spoke, he glanced around.

  Madam Ta nodded and said, "At such a young age, he has already become a high-ranking official, in the future..." It was naturally unnecessary to say more. Sun Ma often attended this kind of banquet, her husband being the eldest son, wherever they went, the ladies were willing to get close to her, now that her natal family had risen to such prominence, there were countless people who wanted to curry favor with her, and Sun Ma was naturally delighted.

  Mrs. Xue was unaware that Sun Ma had her own plans. Before coming to the Wu Mu Hou Mansion, Sun Ma had returned to her hometown to congratulate her older brother on his promotion and mentioned the possibility of forming an alliance with the Xue family through marriage. Sun Ma's sister had a daughter who had just come of age, and Sun Ma intended for this niece to marry into the Xue family. Seeing that her father did not object, Sun Ma continued, saying that the third son of the second branch of the Xue family had recently been appointed as a military officer, and his future prospects were promising.

  His father finally understood that Sun Ma was going to marry his niece to Xue San, and immediately disagreed. "I thought you were going to say your niece to Hou Ye, but how did you take a fancy to Xue Mingzhai?"

  Sun Ma thought that her father was eyeing the Xue family's title, so she casually said: "The second house of the Xue family only lacks a title, but with Xue San Ye having some ability, he will surely obtain honor and fame in the future. Moreover, Wu Mu Hou is an inflexible person with a bad reputation outside, who knows when this title will be lost? The marquis position will naturally fall to the second house." Just as she finished speaking, Sun Ma's older brother lifted the curtain and entered the room. Sun was about to greet him with a smile, but was startled by her brother's cold gaze.

  Sun Ma heard her older brother say:

  Her old father also frowned and scolded her for a while, calling her blind to good fortune. She didn't dare say anything more.

  After returning, she thought about her father and brother's words repeatedly, and finally gained some understanding. This time when she came to the Hou Mansion as a guest, she didn't dare say anything wrong, and also observed her surroundings, afraid that Master Hou would come and she would accidentally lose her manners.

  Mrs. Xue wanted to get close to Sun Ma, but after saying a few words, she saw that her heart was not there and couldn't help but think that since her family had risen to prominence, she looked down on people, unaware of the story behind Sun Ma.

  Madam You was originally looking for Madam Xue to talk, but Madam Xue had no time to spare. Occasionally, she would say a few words with a perfunctory tone. Madam You understood the situation and thought that perhaps Madam Xue didn't think highly of her family's Fourth Miss. With this in mind, a hint of cold smile appeared on her lips. The Marquis of Wu Mu was nothing but a title holder, with a poor reputation outside and not being taken seriously, yet he still put on airs with such arrogance.

  Xue Er Tai Tai saw that Chang Ning Bo Fu Ren was alone, so she immediately went around Sun Ma Shi to talk to Chang Ning Bo Fu Ren. She said a few words of greeting: "The fourth young lady at home, I haven't seen her yet."

  Madam Changning laughed and said: "Our Fourth Miss is always in front of Old Madam, and Old Madam likes her so much that she won't let us take her back to the capital."

  "Mrs. Xue said in surprise: 'No wonder he has such good character, it turns out that he was taught by his elders.'"

  Hearing the praise, Madame Ningbo's gloom was lifted.

  Madam Xue invited Madame Changningbo to admire the plum blossoms in the courtyard.

  The old lady nodded after hearing this and said, "You all go and play among yourselves."

  Having obtained Mrs. Tao's consent, Mrs. Xue was overjoyed and followed Madame Ning out with a warm smile.

  The lady accompanied Mrs. Cai to drink tea, although the lady did not know why Mrs. Cai was unwilling to marry off her daughter to the young master of the Changning family, but seeing how well Mrs. Cai took care of her and Yaohua and Ronghua, Mrs. Cai also willingly chatted with her in a familiar manner, it seemed that this marriage would likely take place.

  The sixth lady of the Xue manor wanted to play cards, so she pulled in a few sisters. Yaohua liked quietness and didn't want to join their noise, so she just said she didn't know how to play. The fourth lady of the Changning Bo manor looked at Yaohua, "Sister, you must know how to play chess? Why don't we go play chess instead?"

  It's easier for two people to get along, Yao Hua nodded and went to play chess with Chang Ning Bo Si.

  Ronghua naturally joined the fun with the other young ladies, and Miss Shi of the Xue manor enthusiastically took out a set of pai gow tiles. Ronghua didn't know how to play, but she watched from the side, chatting and laughing, and they all had a great time together.

  Miss Xue Jiu and Miss Xue Shi came over to take a look. The two of them exchanged a glance, and the former spoke up first, "My sixth sister is the best at this game, I'm afraid none of my sisters can surpass her."

  Miss Xue Liu smiled disdainfully upon hearing this, "I am not as good as Ninth Sister or Tenth Sister. A talented scholar and a beautiful woman is indeed a perfect match."

  Miss Xue Jiu and Miss Xue Shi's faces both changed color, and Miss Xue Shi was about to speak when she was pulled back by her sister.

  Xue Liu smiled complacently, "How great, I actually got to touch Zhang Xin's heart. If you guys don't lose to me this time, I won't let it go."

  Miss Xue Jiu and Miss Xue Shi walked out and looked towards the house.

  Miss Xue said: "Just because she protected the eldest son's maid, Jing, and quarreled with us sisters," and then whispered some words in her sister's ear.

  Miss Xue raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

  Miss Xue said: "I also eavesdropped on Father and Mother's conversation." She raised an eyebrow, "Let's see how long she can keep being so pleased with herself."

  The two of them exchanged a smile and then left.

  The charcoal fire in the house was burning strongly, making people feel dizzy. Ronghua looked at it for a while and then went out to find a quiet place to get some fresh air. She walked into the corridor and stood there for a moment. Jinxiu was just about to speak when they suddenly heard footsteps and whispers. It would be awkward if they were discovered, and they might also be suspected of eavesdropping. Ronghua quickly pulled Jinxiu to hide in a nearby place.

  Who would have thought that two people walking over here actually stopped in their tracks and started talking in hushed tones.

  First heard a male voice say: "This probably won't work, this marriage was chosen for Second Brother, what if Second Brother..."

  "I just don't get it, why are you brothers so afraid of him? He's just got a title, what can he do? Besides, your mother-in-law is more pleased with the Tao family, after all they're closer to her natal family."

  Ronghua recognized this as Mrs. Xue's voice, so the male voice must be Old Man San of the Xue family.

  Xue San Ye heard his mother's words and still had doubts. "It's always not good, it would be better to wait until Second Brother's marriage is settled."

  Mrs. Xue said: "This marriage has been coveted by countless people, with your second brother in the way, other families wouldn't dare to mention it, once the news gets out, where will you have a chance?"

  Xue San Ye said after a long while: "If Second Brother has taken a liking to her, what can I do?"

  Xue Er said, "What's the point of him taking a liking to her? There's also Old Lady. Old Lady has taken a fancy to Chang Ning Bo's family, and Fourth Miss is older than the others and has been educated."

  Ronghua thought of the fourth Miss Changning, whose eyebrows had a heroic spirit similar to that of her elder sister Shuhua. What was the difference between them? Perhaps it wasn't as good as her elder sister's straightforwardness.

  "Xue's wife continued: 'You don't need to say anything, just have a number in your heart. Later when you go in, be more affectionate with people, and everyone will naturally compare you and your second brother.'"

  Xue San Ye then said: "If Second Brother blames me..."

  "Also, what about Old Lady Xue?"

  Xue San Ye then replied, "However, there is one thing - the mother of Man Er in my house has agreed to be a concubine."

  Mrs. Xue said: "Why don't you learn from your second brother? You're always with these maids... How many times is this?"

  Xue San Ye said: "This time is true, mother must agree with me."

  "Let's talk about it after your legitimate wife arrives," said Mrs. Xue.

  The mother and son finally reached a consensus and slowly parted ways.

  Hearing Mrs. Xue and her son walk away, Rong Hua let out a sigh of relief.

  Xue Er's wife was really good at planning, under the name of Chang Fang, she made arrangements for her own son, and did it so smoothly, it seemed that over the years, she had become accustomed to doing such things.

  Jinxiu said in a low voice: "Miss, listening to Mrs. Xue say this, Wu Mouhou's character is still not bad."

  Ronghua's face suddenly turned red, and she glanced at Jinxiu, "You just heard that sentence."

  Jinxiu smiled slightly and blushed, "I'm still thinking for Miss, Miss mentioned me."

  The master and servant finished speaking and returned to the flower hall.

  The ladies who played cards together earlier were all sitting in the flower hall, and Rong Hua looked up to see Xue San Ye. Xue San Ye was wearing a dark blue jacket, with thick black eyebrows, big and spirited eyes, and on his face, the only thing that resembled Wu Mu Hou was those thin lips, but because he was always smiling, it lost its majesty.

  Rong Hua entered the house, and Mrs. Xue had to introduce them again. Rong Hua bowed to Mr. Xue, who smiled warmly and looked at him with a gentle gaze, speaking in a polite manner.

  Xue San Ye's affable behavior has indeed won over many people.

  Ronghua looked at Changning Fourth Miss, and towards Xue San's performance, Fourth Miss seemed to be unimpressed.

  Someone outside said, "The young master has returned."

  Fourth Miss Changning's face suddenly turned red, and Ronghua's gaze had not left Fourth Miss Changning's face, instantly seeing her expression clearly.

  Miss Changning tightly grasped her handkerchief and hastily stood up with the other young ladies, but she couldn't help taking a step forward, hoping that Marquis Wu Mu would come in and catch sight of her. On their way back to the capital this time, she had seen Marquis Wu Mu once, and she had never seen such a man before - his slender eyes narrowed slightly, as if they could see through everything, and he was unsmiling, majestic and awe-inspiring, with an air of nobility that seemed innate in every move he made. After returning home, she heard that her family would be going to the Marquis's residence to propose a marriage for her, and her heart was filled with complicated emotions - both excitement and apprehension. She was excited at the prospect of realizing her long-held desire, but anxious that this proposed union might not come to pass.

  Who does Marquis Hou like?

  To be honest, I'm not good at writing about trashy male leads. Don't expect the male lead to be too complicated.

  I've gone to eat. Made so many delicious dishes...

  Seeking pink~