Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

The next morning, Madam Zong summoned Madam Liu and conveyed Zong Xian's message to her.

Liu was in a very difficult position.

After all, Madam Shen was only focused on securing the title of the principal wife of the imperial family for her eldest daughter. If Shen Mingzhu were to become a concubine, given Madam Shen's pride, she would certainly not agree.

Liu knew perfectly well why the old lady had summoned her; wasn't she just trying to dump this troublesome matter on her?

But how could she possibly ask Madam Shen for that? If it were anyone else who wanted to take her daughter as a concubine, she would be furious.

Madam Liu hesitated and said, "Shen Mingzhu is, after all, the legitimate daughter. To make her a concubine would be an insult. I'm afraid Madam Shen would not agree."

Madam Zong said calmly, "Shen Mingzhu is not her biological daughter, but just a stepdaughter. She will know which is more important: exchanging her stepdaughter for the future of the whole family."

"Besides, even if she becomes the Second Master's concubine, his daughter won't be mistreated. You should talk to her first; if she doesn't agree, then forget it."

After leaving the old lady's place, Liu felt a surge of anger.

She knew that the old lady calling her over was never for anything good.

Madam Liu sighed and instructed her servants, "Take my invitation and deliver it to the Shen family. The old lady has said so, so we have to go."

-

As soon as Zong Xian returned, the Zong family received many visiting cards, mostly from officials in the court.

The salt tax case involves a wide range of issues. In the few days since Zong Xian returned, three households in the capital have had their homes confiscated and have been imprisoned. All of them are officials who hold important positions in the court.

Therefore, everyone in the court was in danger, fearing that the sword hanging over their heads might fall on their heads one day.

Officials involved in the case, in particular, tried every means to plead with Zong Xian, and some even wanted to send their daughters, even as concubines.

Zong Xian rarely receives guests. He has been busy ever since he returned, and the Zong residence has not held any banquets, remaining as quiet as ever.

Mingyi didn't care about what was happening outside; whether Zongxian returned or not didn't change anything in her life.

She usually stayed in her little garden when she had nothing to do, only occasionally hearing news from Yuegui about the outside world.

Yuegui naturally couldn't find out about what was happening in the court. She only heard that Zongxian was about to get married, so she excitedly came to tell Mingyi that day.

Upon hearing this, Mingyi suddenly realized, "So that day was for arranging a marriage for him. No wonder all the servants in the manor went to join in the fun. I wonder what that Miss Shen looks like?"

I wonder if the girl she saw at the waterside pavilion that day was Miss Shen?

"This servant doesn't know, but the person the Second Master has taken a liking to must be quite good-looking. But she certainly won't be as beautiful as you, Miss!"

Mingyi glared at her, "Why are you comparing me to her? Stop being so cheeky."

Yuegui wasn't just being sarcastic; she was telling the truth.

Although she was just a lowly maid and had little experience of the world, Mingyi was truly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

Even though they had been together for several years, Yuegui would often find herself staring at her face, lost in thought. She wondered to herself, how could someone be so beautiful? Nuwa was truly biased.

"What are you daydreaming about? Come here and help me grind the ink. I need to write a letter to Brother Huaiyu."

Yuegui snapped out of her daze and immediately replied, "This servant will come right away."

Xie Huaiyu now works in the Ministry of Works and has secured a sixth-rank official position. Three months ago, he was assigned to supervise road construction in another region.

If everything goes smoothly, I might be able to reach an even higher level after I return.

During this period, the two maintained correspondence.

In truth, they should have gotten married long ago, but unfortunately, Master Xie passed away, and as the eldest son, Xie Huaiyu had to observe mourning, so the marriage was put on hold.

Although Mingyi always regarded Xie Huaiyu as her protector, she also had some goodwill towards him.

After all these years, they had been together day and night, and he had never neglected himself and his brother, always doing his best to give her the best.

Xie Huaiyu was also quite handsome; he could be described as a gentleman of unparalleled beauty.

The important thing is that she knows Xie Huaiyu very well, so marrying him might be a good choice.

Therefore, if she were to leave the Zong family mansion, she would consider taking him with her. Unless he was unwilling.

However, she hadn't mentioned this to him yet. Firstly, it was difficult to find a reason, and secondly, purchasing a new residence outside would require a considerable amount of money.

There's no rush.

...

After a busy day, Liu finally got to rest. Qinghe was helping her back to her room when she suddenly caught sight of a sneaky figure not far away.

Qinghe immediately shouted at the man, "Who's there!"

A moment later, a timid figure emerged from the shadows and knelt down on the ground without saying a word!

"This humble servant, Fugui, greets Madam! I have important matters to report to Madam, and I hope Madam will forgive me!"

Liu pressed her temples wearily, saying nothing, but her expression was already very impatient.

She had enough troubles already; how could she possibly have the energy to deal with a servant's affairs?

Qinghe, observing the situation, rebuked, "Which room's servant are you from? Who gave you permission to come here? Don't you know what time it is? Even if it's something extremely important, you can't disturb the mistress's rest. Guards, drag him out!"

The two old women on duty immediately stepped forward, grabbed the servant boy from both sides, and tried to drag him away.

The servant, alarmed, hurriedly cried out, "Madam, what I'm about to say concerns the Second Master! He mistook someone for someone else the other day!"

Liu paused, looking at him: "Wait, let him finish speaking."

The old woman did as she was told, releasing her grip and stepping aside.

Fu Gui quickly replied, "The day Second Master returned, I was dozing near the lotus pond by Ting Shui Xuan when I heard someone shouting. It seemed to be Miss Shen..."

Fu Gui recounted everything he had seen that day to Madam Liu.

He told Liu that Shen Mingzhu had already left in a huff before Zong Xian arrived, and the two hadn't even met.

The person Zong Xian saw in the waterside pavilion was Ji Mingyi!

Shocked, Madam Liu sternly questioned Fugui, "Is this true? Do you know the price of lying to me?"

Fu Gui hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "This humble servant would never dare to lie to Madam. If I utter even the slightest falsehood, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Madam Liu angrily retorted, "Seven days have passed, why are you only bringing this up now?!"

Lady Liu was furious.

Two days ago, she had already mentioned to Madam Shen the matter of having Shen Mingzhu become Zong Xian's concubine. As expected, Madam Shen's face darkened on the spot, saying that there was no precedent for the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family to become someone else's concubine!

Naturally, the talks fell through.

When Madam Zong asked about it yesterday, she was quite unhappy, feeling that she was incompetent for not being able to handle such a small matter, and that Aunt Yu even took the opportunity to mock her.

Lady Liu was very annoyed. If Fugui had told her earlier that Zongxian had taken a liking to Ji Mingyi, she wouldn't have had to suffer this injustice.