Chapter 66: Ominous Signs (Part 1)

  The maid in the courtyard of the Tao mansion had just taken away the copper basin when Chen Mama hastily entered the room and whispered a few words into Madame's ear.

  The originally calm and composed madam's face suddenly changed, "Where is Shu Hua? How is Shu Hua?"

  Mrs. Chen said: "The young lady is not very well."

  The lady said: "Tell them downstairs to prepare the carriage immediately, I want to go to the Hou Mansion."

  Madam Chen worriedly said: "It's the young lady secretly sending someone to say, will the old madam rushing over early in the morning make the Hou estate think..."

  The lady's face immediately fell, "Do I have to pick a time to go see my own daughter?"

  Two people were talking, and Yohua entered the house.

  The lady saw Yao Hua and only complained once, "Aren't you uncomfortable? Hurry back to bed!" Then she frowned and ordered Chen Mama, "Quickly arrange." She also let Chunyao come over behind the screen to change her clothes, while changing clothes, she instructed Chunyao, "Take that pair of green powder-colored wrapped branch flower patterned pouches, and those things that were cleaned up last time, be sure to bring the 'Shou Shan Tang' solid foundation nourishing cream that was bought by someone."

  The elder lady was busy entrusting matters to Chunyao and didn't notice that she had neglected her second daughter.

  Yao Hua stood in the house, while the maids were busy with the tasks assigned by the eldest lady. A young maid hastily brought a cup of tea to the second miss, but when Chū Xiǎo opened it, she saw that it wasn't the flower tea that the second miss usually liked.

  At first glance, I saw that little maid looking unfamiliar, and I knew she was temporarily caught up to serve.

  As soon as the young lady had something on her mind, she couldn't care about others. The mistress was like this, and the maids in the house followed suit, with Chao Xiao glancing at Second Miss.

  The second young lady still looked as usual, and there was no unusual expression on her face.

  Everything was ready, and Madame took Yaohua's hand again, patting it gently. "Go back and rest now!"

  In her gentle and elegant eyes, worry was accumulating, "Mother, is there something wrong with elder sister?"

  The old lady hesitated slightly and still didn't tell the truth. "Nothing, your sister's body has been poor for a long time, I'll go take a look now."

  Yao Hua looked at her mother's hesitant expression and asked, "I'll go with Mother, okay?"

  The lady hesitated for a moment, Shu Hua on the other side still didn't know what was going on... Something like this happened, she should have been prepared, her previous thoughts resurfaced again, and she smiled at Yao Hua, "Your health is important."

  Yao Hua said: "Mother went alone, and there was no one by her side..."

  "However, it's just going to take a look, and no one is needed," she said here again. "I'll take you and your eighth sister together, and you can rest assured in the mansion waiting for news."

  Yao Hua wanted to say something, but Chen Mama had already said: "The car is ready."

  The lady naturally let go of Yao Hua's hand and said to Chun Yao beside her, "Go call Eighth Miss over, have her come directly to the Weeping Flower Gate."

  Chun Yao immediately ran off quickly.

  The big wife and Chen's mother walked and talked, followed by those maids carrying things.

  The whole family left the yard, Yao Hua stood under the corridor for a while, suddenly smiled faintly, and slowly left with Chu Xiao.

  Rong Hua hastily arrived at the Weeping Flower Gate with Mu Jin.

  A horse carriage was stuck at the gate.

  The madam lifted the curtain and let Ronghua get on the car, then said to Chunyao and Mugui below: "There's no one else, you two also get on the car!"

  Four people got on the carriage and it started moving forward.

  Ronghua took a glance at Madame, who was frowning and seemed lost in thought.

  "Mother, what's wrong?" Rong Hua asked cautiously.

  The old lady half-closed her eyes, like the mud figurine in the temple, her voice flat, "Your elder sister's personal maid, Autumn Lotus, was found dead in the well this morning."

  Jong Hua couldn't help but be surprised.

  "The body just floated up this morning, it must have died a few days ago. I'm not worried about anything else, I'm just worried about your sister's health." As she said this, the old lady suddenly looked up and glanced at Rong Hua.

  Those piercing eyes, full of deep meaning, made Ronghua's beautiful eyes shrink instantly, pretending to be timid, but her heart was extremely calm. I hope Ronghua's body is fine, in case something bad happens... I'm afraid the old lady will have another idea, thinking about it again, what if Ronghua's body has a big problem, what will the old lady do? Will she still marry off a concubine daughter to be a secondary wife? In the future...

  Just then, they heard several shouts from outside, the carriage slowed down, and then there was a jolt. Ronghua was caught off guard, her elbow hit the inner wall of the carriage, and Mrs. Lian was also startled. Chunyao loudly asked the outside, "What's going on?"

  "Reporting to the mistress, it's the axle of the horse carriage that cracked, causing the wheel to lose its direction and fall into the roadside drainage ditch."

  The lady's face turned red with anger as soon as she heard it, "Why didn't you check when you came out?"

  Ma San Chong, the coachman of the Tao family, was a household slave who had always driven for the old master. The old master trusted him greatly and he usually only served the old master. Because several coachmen helped send off relatives yesterday, it was his turn to be on duty this morning. This morning, the old mistress assigned him a task, which made him very unhappy. Chen Mama urged him hastily, so he lazily drove out without checking the carriage. The carriage had been used by the old master for a long journey outside the capital and hadn't been maintained in time, so it broke down as soon as it was used today.

  The lady asked, and Ma San Chong defended himself nonchalantly, "Today the mistress was in a hurry, so I didn't check the carriage. Who knew that the axle would crack?"

  This rascal, normally he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant, but now he's becoming more and more unscrupulous. Now that we're on the main street, it's not like we can do anything to him. The old lady suppressed her anger, "What should we do now? Can we still leave?"

  Ma San rushed out: "I'll go take another look." Then he went down and was gone without a sound.

  ……

  Marquis Wu Mu Xue Mingrui sat in the carriage, his slender fingers took over the letter handed by the man beside him, and the man with a clear face held his breath to see Xue Mingrui's expression.

  Xue Mingrui's thin lips were slightly pursed, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

  The man hastily said: "The evidence is already there. If you don't investigate, then don't investigate. Those people are not moving below, and they will eventually be a hidden danger."

  Xue Mingrui said: "The emperor's magnanimity has not been for one or two years. Su Xiyao fell, and it will be stable for a while. In the future, we will look for opportunities to come slowly."

  The man said: "Your Majesty still has concerns and does not know when he can trust the Marquis."

  Xue Mingrui said: "Not to mention relatives, how many noble sons and younger brothers are there? The emperor will not easily select people from among them."

  The man nodded and said, "It seems that the Empress's side will make a move in the next two days. If the Prince is really appointed, our chances of winning will increase greatly, and we might even be appointed as the Crown Prince."

  Xue Mingrui glanced at him faintly, "The prince is still far from the imperial heir. The emperor's illness sounds ominous, but it's not that serious yet." As he spoke, he seemed to hear a familiar voice and lifted the curtain of the carriage window to take a look outside, instructing the coachman, "Stop for a moment."

  The coachman hastily came up to take orders.

  Xue Mingrui pointed at the horse cart by the roadside, and the carter immediately understood.

  The horse driver who drove the carriage had met him before, he was a servant of Tao Zheng'an's family, the Langzhong of the Zhejiang Department of the Ministry of Revenue.

  The big wife was anxious in the car, Ma San Chong looked at the car for a long time and came back to say: "This car is probably not going anywhere."

  The big wife looked at Ronghua, her face even more unsightly.

  She was an unmarried lady and couldn't just stand on the street like this. Zong Hua said, "We can only have someone go back to the manor and call for a carriage."

  The old lady was both angry and anxious, "How much time will be wasted going back and forth like this."

  Ronghua's heart sank, it seemed that Shuhua's illness was not light, otherwise the old lady would not be so anxious.

  The Hou Mansion is just ahead, and we can't let the Yi Cheng Hou Mansion send a carriage to pick us up. Just as I was thinking about this, I heard someone talking outside, and soon the old woman came in and said: "Wu Mu Hou sent someone to ask."

  "Marquis Wu Mu?" exclaimed the lady in surprise.

  The old woman replied: "The carriage of Duke Wu Mu is just ahead."

  The lady immediately lifted the curtain to look and indeed saw a horse-drawn carriage stopped not far away, then saw Wu Mu Hou get off the carriage.

  Ronghua also peeked over and saw only a corner of the marquis's green robe, before Madame quickly lowered the curtain again.

  Xue Mingrui stepped forward and bowed, "Madam."

  The lady in the carriage was inconvenient and could only bow her head to return the courtesy, thinking of her current situation, she smiled awkwardly, "What a coincidence, running into you here, Your Excellency."

  Xue Mingrui said: "I just heard someone say that the horse carriage in the mansion is broken, I came over to see if I can help."

  The lady laughed so hard her eyes were about to squint shut, "Why bother His Excellency."

  Rong Hua listened carefully, and Wu Mu Hou did not say any more polite words. "I happen to be nearby, where is the madam going? I'll have someone from the mansion send her over."

  The lady did not expect Wu Mu Hou to help out in this way, she was eager to pull her relationship with Wu Mu Hou closer, how could she insist on declining, so she just politely said two sentences and agreed.

  The groom of the Wu Mu Marquis's estate pulled the carriage over, and the madam got in first. Rong Hua had just gotten out of the carriage when he glanced quickly at the Wu Mu Marquis standing beside it. However, he didn't expect to meet his gaze head-on, and without sufficient mental preparation, Rong Hua was taken aback, his face suddenly flushing red.

  As the delicate Luo skirt disappeared behind the curtain, Wu Mu Hou Xue Mingrui shifted his gaze. Although he had only seen the elegant fingers exposed from her sleeve while talking to the madam earlier, he had already guessed it was her. Those fingers naturally unfolded before him without a hint of tension or fear.

  It was also his first time encountering such a woman.

  The lady ordered the servant to return to the mansion and get someone to help push the broken carriage back, then arrange for another carriage to come to Yicheng Hou's residence to pick them up, before ordering the coachman to drive on.

  The lady looked at the spacious carriage of the Hou Mansion and her expression slightly improved.

  The Yicheng Marquis's estate arrived soon, Chunyao sent a servant to inform them and then helped the Eldest Madam down from the carriage.

  The madam has arrived, the maids and old women of the Hou Mansion hurriedly helped to unload things from the carriage. As soon as everyone entered the garden, Second Madam Liu hastily supported Mrs. Cai in welcoming them.

  Mrs. Cai saw the old lady and wasn't surprised, still as warm as before, smiling: "We were just talking about you, Auntie, and here you are."

  Call Pinky Tickets.

  Hehe.