Chapter Eighty-Five: Proposing Marriage (Part One)

  The house of Mrs. Ts'ang-ning was also brightly lit.

  Xue's second wife suddenly visited, especially after letting the fourth young lady write a poem riddle. After seeing the fourth young lady's handwriting, her face showed that subtle expression again...

  Just thinking about it, the madam couldn't sit still anymore and ordered her maid, Feng Mama, to call over Qing Yun, Fourth Miss's personal maid.

  Who knows that the green-faced man was actually from Old Lady's side, and he wasn't afraid of Feng Mama at all. No matter how she asked him, he refused to say anything.

  The lady heard this result and immediately became furious. She asked Mrs. Feng to call Qingqiang into the house, and she personally interrogated him.

  Qing Gong initially still had some courage and heard Madame ask, "In the Marquis's residence, is there anything that I am being kept in the dark about?"

  The blue sky immediately said in a straightforward and plain tone: "What can be hidden from the lady? Moreover, it's in someone else's house. The young lady is just following the lady around, what can she do?"

  When these words reached the ears of the madam, they seemed to carry a hint of disrespect. The madam couldn't help but flare up in anger, slapping her palm on the table. "I treated you with kindness because you came from the side of the old mistress, elevating your status in every matter. But instead of being grateful, you've become arrogant and insolent. Don't you remember your own position? You're nothing more than a maid! If I were to have you taken away by the housekeeper right now, would the old mistress still protect you?"

  Upon hearing this, Qing Gong's knees softened and he knelt down, "Madam, madam, I didn't mean anything else, nor did I dare to deceive you, I was just telling the truth."

  The madam sneered, "The Xue family has come to our doorstep, and you still won't speak." She turned her head and called for Feng's mother, "Tomorrow morning, have the matchmaker come. We can't use a maid like this in our household."

  Qinghong hastily knocked her head on the ground, "Please spare me, milady, I..."

  The madam looked at Qing Gong's appearance, if it wasn't for the current situation, she wouldn't have spoken so frankly, so she stopped listening to her and stood up.

  The young master saw Madame getting up and wanting to leave, so he became more anxious, hastily taking a few steps forward.

  The madam didn't even give her a glance. Qingqiong feared that she would really be sold out of the mansion, so she hastily said: "Miss only stayed to leave a poem out of curiosity."

  The madam's face changed instantly upon hearing the poem. She lifted her foot and kicked Qingqiang on the shoulder, "What's going on, tell me in detail."

  That blue sky was kicked into a somersault, but didn't dare to cry out in pain. He crawled back and said: "Miss just happened to pass by Master Hou's study, saw half a poem on the table, and picked up her brush to continue the rest."

  It turned out to be this way, no wonder Mrs. Xue would have such a move, it was for the sake of the handwriting. The old lady thought about this and trembled all over, taking a long time to calm down, instructing Mother Feng, "Go to Fourth Miss's room."

  Qingqiong also got up and followed him with a thud.

  Fourth Miss was combing her long hair, saw her mother coming, stood up and smiled to welcome her, saw her mother's gloomy face, looked at Qingteng who was shrinking his neck beside her, immediately understood a little in her heart, and asked carelessly, "Mother, what's wrong?"

  The daughter is well-versed in books and etiquette, and also skilled in writing. She was originally someone who was extremely fond of her, but unexpectedly did something like this. The madam suppressed the anger in her heart and didn't dare to speak loudly, letting Mrs. Feng go out to dismiss the maids before questioning her daughter about the truth of those words.

  Fourth Miss heard this and raised her eyebrows, "In this situation, I still don't strive for it, can't let others take the lead?"

  The madam scolded her, "Do you know that if this gets out, your reputation will be ruined? Who would still want to marry you?"

  Fourth Miss was taken aback, "I don't need anyone to marry me, as long as I marry into the Xue family, who will still mention this matter? Besides, I didn't write anything, it's not a love poem, what can be done about it? When we were in the Jin Hua Fu, weren't we often filling poems for fun?"

  Old Madam said: "How can they be the same, those are all brothers and sisters in the clan." The daughter was spoiled by Old Madam, and had developed such a temperament.

  Fourth Miss heard these words, the triumphant look from earlier was gone, "Even if I'm wrong. Didn't the Xue family already send someone to confirm today? It must be that the Duke asked about it, and when the time comes..."

  The madam was angry that she didn't fight back, and coldly laughed, "Don't think that you can just marry the marquis, marrying into the Xue family doesn't necessarily mean it's to the marquis."

  Fourth Miss's face finally stiffened, "What does Mother mean by this?"

  Madam said, "If it's the young master who wants to confirm, why not let Madam Xue come? Why did you have to send Second Madam Xue on this trip? Do you know that this concerns the reputation of both families and can't be entrusted to others? In the future, if you marry the young master, would the first wife allow the second wife to know about such things? Besides, how do you know that's the young master's study?"

  Fourth Miss said, "It was the Hou Mansion servant who said that. The two study rooms are for Master Hou and Third Master Xue. Of course, Master Hou's is the larger one. Moreover, the furnishings inside are much better than the other one. And the font of the poems on the wall is the same as those in the Spring Chanting Pavilion."

  The old lady was so angry that her hands were shaking, "Must the large study be the young master's? Old Lady Xue likes that font, and no one else in the Xue family would practice it to please her? How can you be so muddled?"

  Fourth Miss's entire demeanor softened, "What if we're wrong?"

  Madam Wang said: "Now that things have come to this, we can only make the best of a bad situation and protect your reputation. Mrs. Xue has expressed her intention to arrange for you to marry Mr. Xue San."

  Fourth Miss's face changed greatly as she said: "I won't marry, I want to return to the Jin Hua Fu."

  "The madam said: 'Since you dared to do such a thing, you should have thought of the possible consequences.'"

  The fourth young lady sat on a small stool as if she had lost all her strength.

  ……

  Jinxiu went to the second young lady's room early in the morning to find Feicui, and asked Feicui for that piece of clothing, as well as the Confucian jacket that matched it.

  Handing the clothes to Rong Hua, Jinxiu smiled and said: "Feicui was unwilling at first, but later it was the second miss who spoke up, and only then did Feicui reluctantly bring out the clothes. The second miss also said that she would let Feicui come over to help in a while."

  Yao Hua has always been kind and will try her best to satisfy others' requests, otherwise where would the good reputation come from? Besides, it's just a set of clothes.

  This dress is exquisite, I don't know how much effort was put into it, the taste of the jade heart can be imagined, after a while, I will definitely find an opportunity to vent.

  Ronghua tried on the clothes and found that the sleeves of the Confucian robe were slightly short. Jinxiu asked, "Is this okay?"

  Ronghua smiled and nodded, this is better.

  After dressing up, Ronghua took Jinxiu ahead and instructed Mugen, "In a while, Feicui will come..."

  Mugwort nodded, "I understand."

  Arrived at Mrs. Dai's house to pay respects, Mrs. Dai indeed asked Ronghua to stay behind, "Last time the old lady praised your good calligraphy, now I've granted my wish, you also help me copy a few copies."

  Rong Hua wants to take it away.

  "Let's copy it right here!" said the lady with a smile.

  Ronghua nodded and sat down, while Jinxiu also hurried over to grind the ink.

  Just as Ronghua had copied a few pages, someone outside said, "A Mrs. Zhang has arrived." After a while, the mistress indeed led someone into the house. Ronghua sat in the side room and didn't come out. Jinxiu quietly lifted the curtain to take a look, and saw a woman around 40 years old wearing a camel-colored jacket with a smiling face full of eagerness entering the house. Behind her followed a man wearing a blue long gown. After the man entered the house, he looked around, his pointed chin slightly raised, looking quite arrogant. When she saw the man glance over, Jinxiu quickly dropped the curtain.

  Rong Hua's **also relaxed a bit.

  The lady of the house then told a servant to take Mr. Guo outside for a walk after hearing just a few words that didn't matter.

  Ronghua finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  In case Mrs. Wang lets her meet with Mr. Gu directly, today's arrangements will be even more troublesome.

  Ronghua put down her pen and was probably calling her out.

  Just as she put down her pen, Mrs. Chen came in and said: "Miss Eighth, the mistress wants you to go outside."

  Ronghua smiled slightly and nodded at Chen's mother, "I'll be right there." She stood up and walked out with a gentle swaying of her hips.

  Jinxiu followed behind, discovering that her palms were already sweating.

  Gu Ying originally wanted to go to the pavilion not far away to sit for a while, but as soon as he came out of the house, he walked not far and heard that there were maids talking nonsense. He usually liked to eavesdrop on these things, and today he finally entered the inner courtyard of the Tao Mansion, so he didn't want to miss it. He made an excuse to send the servant away to pour tea for him, and then quietly went over to listen.

  Only two maidservants were talking about the young lady in the mansion.

  One of them said: "Miss Ba's clothes are so beautiful today, I don't know who made them. They even surpass your needlework."

  Another cold voice said, "It's your shortsightedness. That is my needlework, originally made for the second young lady, but today she just happened to wear it." The tone of the words was somewhat disdainful towards Eighth Young Lady.

  "That's why," she laughed, "I thought something was wrong. Eighth Miss is wearing much better clothes than usual."

  Another way: "That's natural, where else can you find someone like me who is good at needlework?"

  Gu Ying felt a suffocating sensation in her chest after hearing these words. Tao's family had clearly said that although the eighth young lady was raised outside, she was not inferior to those inside the manor.

  Recently, it has become fashionable to raise concubines outside the mansion. Besides, according to Tao's family, other young ladies have already been engaged, and he only reluctantly agreed.

  Now I didn't expect to hear this. This eighth miss is actually such a thing. What's the use of coming with such things, Gu Ying thought, and simply borrowed the anger in her chest to walk back into the house with big strides.

  Ronghua was sitting in the chair and talking to the woman, but she felt that the woman's gaze fell on her body with a kind of impertinence, especially when she looked back and forth at her face and waist several times, her mouth open in a smile with an unspeakable vulgarity, wondering if she was the matchmaker brought by Mr. Gu from the market.

  The woman was about to speak when she suddenly saw someone bursting in.

  The lady was startled and immediately stood up, seeing that it was Gu Ying, she could only suppress her anger, "Young Master Gu has returned so quickly." She still blamed him for being impolite.

  After entering the house, Gu Ying glanced at Miss Tao's face and then fell on her clothes. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed true that the clothes Eight Miss wore were not fitting, especially the sleeves which were actually a bit short. What did the Tao family mean by this? After just a moment of thought, he immediately understood - the Tao family had done this to deceive him, coating this clay Bodhisattva with a layer of fake gold.

  Proposing marriage series...

  Who does Gu Ying want to marry? Huh?