According to the laws of Great Qing, if one was born as a slave, as long as the family produced a scholar, the whole family could be removed from the register. It was really a case of a man ascending to the Dao, his chickens and dogs ascending to heaven. That was why Madame Mu chose this family for Fan Zhi.
The other one was the sluggard mentioned earlier. He gambled until he went bankrupt. There was also a scholar in his family, but his father gave birth to a prodigal son. His father was angered to death by him. His mother couldn't stand it and hid in her parents' home. She married a wife, but she was sold to a brothel.
Coincidentally, both "Liu Canglang" were getting married that day. The two wedding processions bumped into each other midway. Perhaps they got mixed up at that time. The one who was supposed to marry the sluggard was a widow who had cursed two husbands to death. Her parents thought that she was a good-for-nothing and lacked money for their youngest son to marry a wife, so they took fifty copper coins and married her to the sluggard.
Before leaving, her sister-in-law even splashed a basin of water to get rid of the bad luck. She even said that if she could curse the sluggard to death, it would be a good deed and better than building a seven-storied pagoda.
Moreover, after the widow got married, she and her husband lived harmoniously. She was diligent and soon got pregnant. Now, Liu Xiucai couldn't bear to part with her. Lady Mu sent someone to find a matchmaker, but the matchmaker was afraid of being involved. She simply said that she wanted to matchmake Liu Canglang, the sluggard from the south of the city, and that Lady Mu had misheard.
Moreover, the two names "Liu Canglang" were exactly the same. The betrothal gifts were sent on the same day, and the wedding procession was on the same day. What was even stranger was that Liu Xiucai's name was indeed the widow's name, and the sluggard's name was indeed Foliage's name.
The officials couldn't interfere anymore. They stammered and said that Lady Mu might have made a mistake.
Hearing this, those who could not tell that there was a problem were really stupid. In the end, it was the flesh that fell from the body. Seeing her daughter's appearance, Old Madam Yun's heart softened. Her tone also softened, "My daughter is pitiful. However, you are not allowed to interfere in Yaohua's marriage!"
Lady Mu knelt down with tears in her eyes. "I'll leave Yaohua in your care, Mother."
Old Lady Yun's eyes were filled with sorrow. "Since I've married into the Lin family, I should plan for the inheritance of the Lim Clan. Pingping, stay in my courtyard for the next few days!"
Lady Mu hadn't heard her mother call her by her pet name for a long time. For a moment, she was both happy and sad. All sorts of feelings welled up in her heart. "Mother, Ping Shi was not sensible in the past and disobeyed mother. Ping Shi is unfilial."
Old Lady Yun's eyes were filled with tears. "Back then, when your father received the fruit bestowed by the late Emperor, he was so happy that he gave you the word 'Ping Shi'. I've always disagreed and said that the word 'Ping' wasn't good. However, your father said that my hair was long and my knowledge was short. Now, look at you. Look at you now!"
After chatting for a long time and deciding on how to deal with the matter of Foliage, it was noon. Lady Mu's emotions had also stabilized. The three of them had lunch together. Mu Guiyi accompanied her mother to take an afternoon nap in the side room.
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, she carefully left and closed the door. Bai Suyan was waiting at the door. When she saw Mu Guiyi coming out, she asked, "Young Miss, are you tired? The room next door has been prepared. Do you need to take a nap? "
Mu Guiyi shook her head. "Where's Grandmother?"
Bai Suyan said, "Old Madam returned to her room. She still couldn't calm down and couldn't sleep well."
Mu Guiyi said, "Then let's go and see Grandmother!"
Bai Suyan accompanied Mu Guiyi. Although Old Lady Yun's hair was loose and she was half lying on the couch with a tired face, her eyes were full of energy. When she saw her granddaughter coming, she smiled gently. "Why did you come over? Did you not sleep well?"
Mu Guiyi smiled and sat by the couch. "Grandmother, do you find it annoying that your granddaughter comes too often?"
Old Matriarch Yun pulled her granddaughter's hands and said: "How could I find you annoying? Grandmother hopes that you can continue to stay in this courtyard until you get married. Even if you return home, grandmother will keep a room for you!"
Mu Guiyi lowered her head and pretended to be shy. She said softly, "Grandmother."
"Alright, alright, alright. But when it comes to marriage, you can't ignore the matters of the inner residence. You have to know how to manage it and how to deal with it." Old Lady Yun stopped smiling. "Yaohua, tell me about today's matter."
Mu Guiyi pursed her lips. "Father doesn't know much about the matters of the inner residence." Mu Jiahua must have been involved in this matter, whether it was directly or indirectly.
Old Lady Yun sneered. "Your father suffered because he wanted to save face. Your mother was blinded by lard. It's pitiful that you have such parents."
Mu Guiyi didn't say anything. She snuggled into Old Lady Yun's arms. "Since I grew up here, I will be the Lin family's daughter for the rest of my life. No matter where I am, my soul will return here after I die."
Old Lady Yun's eyes were filled with tears. She stroked her granddaughter's hair. "Good, good, good. Grandmother's old bones have to hold on for my good granddaughter. However, don't say such inauspicious words in the future."
Mu Guiyi accompanied Old Lady Yun and chatted for a while. She deliberately picked some relaxing and interesting things to ease the old lady's mood.
Unknowingly, it was already afternoon. The kitchen delivered the new snacks on time. Bai Suyan also helped at the side. She set up the table on the couch and placed the snacks one by one.
Old Lady Yun sat up and personally picked up a piece of sparkling and translucent soft cake. She handed it directly to Mu Guiyi's lips. Mu Guiyi took a small bite and tasted it. She frowned and said, "Why does it taste astringent?"
Senior Servant Yue smiled and said, "Replying to Eldest Young Miss, this is a ginseng cake. It has Korean ginseng, red dates, angelica, and other herbs that nourish qi and promote blood circulation. It's the most nourishing."
Mu Guiyi took another bite. "No wonder. However, speaking of which, a muddle-headed girl actually broke an oleander and put it in a vase this morning. She thought it was a peach blossom. She really doesn't have good eyesight."
Old Lady Yun's face immediately darkened. "Oleander? Where did she break it? "
Mu Guiyi was stunned. "She said … it was at the ancestral hall."
Old Lady Yun turned to Senior Servant Yue and said, "Investigate, go investigate! How did such a dirty thing enter our residence! "
"Yes." Senior Servant Yue accepted the order and went to arrange people.
Old Lady Yun turned to ask Bai Suyan, "Who brought the flower to Young Miss's room?"
Bai Suyan bent her knees and was about to reply when she saw Mu Guiyi shake her head slightly at her. She changed the topic a few times. "Replying to Old Madam, this servant didn't look carefully and thought it was a specially cultivated peach blossom, so this servant picked it up and brought it back."
The flowers that were put in vases every day in Mu Province were all cut by a special gardener. After the seasonal flowers were trimmed, they were sent to the inner courtyard. The maidservants of each room came over to pick the flowers and put them in the vase.
"Do you really think I'm old and muddle-headed? The gardener in the residence doesn't want his life anymore and dares to send oleander up? "
Bai Suyan couldn't think of a reply for a moment and could only remain silent. Although she didn't know why Mu Guiyi wanted to keep Zhaozhao, her intuition told her that she had her reasons.
Mu Guiyi also stood to the side and lowered her eyes without saying a word. Old Lady Yun narrowed her eyes. "What? You've only been in the residence for a few days, but you already know how to obey in public but oppose in private?"
Just as they were in a deadlock, Senior Servant Yue came back flustered and exasperated. "Old Madam, the Old Slave went to the front yard to give orders just now, but the old maidservants didn't know any of the stewards. After asking, we found out that they were all relatives promoted by Mu Jiahua, that impoverished family!"
"Rebellion!" Old Lady Yun couldn't hold it in anymore and overturned the small table to the ground. The dessert bowls and plates shattered all over the floor.
Seeing that Old Lady Yun was about to faint from anger, Mu Guiyi hurriedly went forward to support her. She took the cool mint oil from Senior Servant Yue and applied it to Old Lady Yun's temples and philtrum.
Old Lady Yun finally caught her breath. Her chest was still heaving up and down. It was obvious that she was quite angry. "How could I give birth to such an idiot?"
Bai Suyan pinched her palm hard to calm herself down. The influence of Đại Việt in Mu Province was more powerful than she had imagined.
The chaos in the room also woke Lady Mu up. She thought that something had happened and didn't have time to dress up. She put on a coat and shoes and hurriedly ran over. "What happened?"
"Get lost! Get lost! Get lost and kneel in front of your old man! " Old Lady Yun's anger rose again. The Lin residence now truly belonged to the Mu family. The Lin family's century-old business was going to be ruined by her!
At the thought of this, Old Lady Yun threw her head back on the pillow. A stream of hot tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes. She clenched her fists and punched the bed board under her.
Mu Guiyi hugged Old Lady Yun's fist with both hands. Tears streamed down her face. "Maternal Grandmother, Maternal Grandmother, it's granddaughter's fault. It's granddaughter's fault. Maternal Grandmother, it's my fault. It's all my fault!"
After hearing Mu Guiyi's tearful complaints, Old Lady Yun's heart ached for her granddaughter. She slowly loosened her fist and held Mu Guiyi's hand instead. She raised her other hand to wipe away the tears on her delicate face. She felt comforted in her heart. For the sake of her only bloodline, she had to arrange a way out for her even if she had to use her last breath.
"Yaohua, it's Empress Dowager Jin Yue's death anniversary in a few months. Why don't you follow Maternal Grandmother back to the Yun residence and stay for a few days?"
Mu Guiyi forced a smile. "I'll listen to Maternal Grandmother."
After chatting with Old Lady Yun for a while, Mu Guiyi brought Bai Suyan to the side room to see her mother. As soon as they entered, Lady Mu sat on the couch with her back hunched. Her eyes were filled with despair.
Mu Guiyi carefully sat beside Lady Mu and asked, "Mother, are you alright?"
Lady Mu turned her head and pursed her lips. "Yaohua, am I a failure? I was once the daughter of the Lim Clan, one of the six aristocratic families. I was also a proud daughter of the heavens. But now, I have to admit that I made an error in judgment. I was the one who let the Lim Clan reach where it is today. "
Mu Guiyi was about to say something to comfort her, but Lady Mu waved her hand. "Yaohua, help Mother change her clothes and then accompany Mother to the ancestral hall."
With Bai Suyan's help, Mu Guiyi helped Lady Mu change her clothes. He also combed her hair into a simple bun and only fastened it with a jade hairpin.
Lady Mu looked at herself in the mirror. After this incident, the beauty of the person in the mirror decreased sharply. The traces at the corners of her eyes could no longer be hidden. There were also a few strands of gray hair by her temples. She didn't look like a noblewoman in her early thirties.
"Mother?" Mu Guiyi covered the bronze mirror with her hand. Her eyes were full of worry.
Lady Mu smiled and put down the mirror. She comforted her instead. "Silly child, it's always like this when you're old. Don't worry. The people in the ancestral hall are all old people. Only this place, no matter what he said, I didn't let him touch it. I only allowed him to open another place in the residence for his ancestors. Now it seems that he left himself a quiet place."
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