Liu Yi, being observant, immediately sensed something was amiss. The young woman's moans ceased, and she hurriedly and alertly began to put on her clothes.
"Who's there? Who's there?!" Liu Yi shouted angrily. "How dare you eavesdrop on my business! Get out here right now!"
Mingwei was truly panicked at this point.
Liu Yi hastily threw on his clothes and staggered towards his hiding place. Mingwei was so panicked that her teeth were chattering; she was on the verge of tears, knowing she was about to be exposed to Liu Yi—Mingwei's mind went completely blank.
what to do!
Mingwei screamed silently in her heart.
What should she do to escape this predicament?
"Seventh Sister, are you still feeling unwell?" Minglian asked with concern, looking at Mingwei, whose face was still pale. "If you really can't hold on, just ask Mother for leave. I don't think Grandmother will mind."
Mingwei shook her head gently, forced a smile, and said in a relaxed manner, "Sixth Sister, don't worry, I'm fine! I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm feeling a bit tired right now."
She was always somewhat timid in front of others, and Minglian knew Mingwei's personality, so she didn't ask any further questions.
Mingwei forced a smile, but her eyes betrayed a hint of lingering fear.
In the large garden, she almost thought she had been discovered, but a little maidservant emerged trembling from the other side of the artificial hill, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy.
After Liu Yi uttered a few curses, his servant came looking for him. He left cursing, and Cui-guniang had already run away from the back of the garden, covering her face. The little maid was so frightened that she trembled like a leaf, wiping away tears as she left the garden.
A dramatic incident of catching someone cheating vanished without a trace.
But when did that little maid appear?
Mingwei was still somewhat puzzled. She looked at the artificial hill again and then had an explanation. The artificial hill wasn't small; two people standing on opposite sides wouldn't be able to see each other. Moreover, it was quite rugged, so even from the front, it wouldn't be obvious that two people were hiding there. Mingwei was only focused on finding the hairpin at the time, and if the person coming from the other end of the garden was walking lightly, it's possible that she didn't notice them at first.
Only when the garden was empty again did Mingwei slowly walk out. The little maid who had run out earlier looked like one of the old lady's gardeners from afar; it was unclear whether Liu Yi recognized her.
Fortunately, his servant came to distract her, otherwise she would have been exposed sooner or later!
While Mingwei was still lost in thought, Mingluo, the illegitimate daughter of the third branch of the family, came to talk to her and Minglian.
"Sixth sister, seventh sister!" Mingluo walked over with a smile on her face. She looked innocent and naive, with two dimples on her fair cheeks, which made her very endearing.
"Eighth Sister," Minglian responded first, and Mingwei followed suit.
"What birthday gift did Seventh Sister prepare for Grandmother?" Mingluo asked with a charming smile. "Let me guess, it must be a masterpiece embroidered by Sister herself."
Mingwei was taken aback, somewhat confused by Mingluo's meaning.
“We still remember the headband that my sister gave to Grandmother last time!” Mingling, the tenth daughter of the third branch of the family, also came over, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and laughing maliciously.
Hearing this, Mingwei understood perfectly. So these two sisters had come here just to mock her for no reason? Was it true that you always pick on the weak?
Retorting would be too rude, and Mingwei was just thinking of giving a gentle but firm retort when she heard another commotion ahead. Mingwei was puzzled, but then she noticed that even the old lady had come out to greet them personally.
The person who came must have an extraordinary background.
"It must be Lady Huan'an!" There was no one at this banquet who didn't know this, she murmured, half telling Mingwei. "Today we have so many female guests to attend to, the only ones missing is Lady Huan'an!"
Mingwei was somewhat puzzled. This Lady Huan'an was someone of considerable importance; she had never heard of her before. Perhaps she was a newly risen noblewoman in the capital over the past thirty-six years! The aristocratic families she used to know had all suffered heavy losses…
Seeing Mingwei's bewildered expression, Minglian smiled helplessly. Before Minglian could speak, Mingling blurted out, "Seventh Sister, did your fever last time damage your brain? Have you even forgotten about the Marquis of Huan'an's residence?"
Even if we forget the Marquis of Huan'an's mansion, we must not forget Brother Qingyuan—
As Mingling's words became increasingly outrageous, Minglian intervened to stop her. "Tenth Sister, what kind of nonsense can you spout? Your Seventh Sister has never even met or spoken a word to Young Master Su!"
Mingwei was completely confused.
"She'd be willing, but would anyone even want her? She's just a lowly concubine's daughter, dreaming of rising to power?" Mingling scoffed. "She can only dream!"
Mingling forgot that although the concubine's daughters of the third branch were in a better situation than those of the concubine's daughters of the second branch, they were still concubine's daughters.
Could it be that the original owner liked the Qingyuan brother that Mingling mentioned? Mingwei secretly guessed that Mingling probably also had her eye on him, otherwise why would she be so sharp and sarcastic?
"Is it possible that Third Aunt didn't register my sister under her name?" Mingwei ignored Mingling's sarcasm and instead said softly, "You can't just eat whatever you want, and you can't just say whatever you want."
"You!" Mingling's eyes widened as she was stepped on, and she was about to utter a vicious word when Mingluo pulled her back.
Mingluo, acting as peacemaker, said, "Seventh Sister, Tenth Sister is just straightforward like that. Don't take it to heart!" Then she scolded Mingling, "Hurry up and apologize to Seventh Sister!"
Mingluo and Mingling were both born to Aunt Lu, so they were naturally close. Mingluo appeared kind and generous, but she was actually quite shrewd. Although she pulled Mingling aside to apologize, her words implied agreement with Mingling's stance.
"How could she possibly dare to covet someone as noble and refined as Brother Qingyuan!" Mingling said angrily, "She—"
Mingwei was somewhat agitated and didn't want to get entangled with them anymore. "Tenth Sister is right, we are all the same kind of people. What I shouldn't have done, I suppose you shouldn't overstep your bounds either!"
Clearly, the Mingluo sisters did not expect Mingwei to retaliate.
Mingling wanted to argue further, but then she saw Mingying, the eldest daughter of the third branch of the family, beckoning to them. She stamped her foot and followed Mingluo.
"Don't take her words too seriously," Minglian comforted her. "Twelfth Sister is gentle and kind, while Tenth Sister is so flamboyant that she's overshadowed Twelfth Sister."
The twelfth sister mentioned by Minglian is Mingying, the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the family.
Mingwei nodded, indicating that she wouldn't take the quarrel with the little girl to heart. Then Minglian added, "If it were the Su family thirty years ago, they would be quite ordinary. But in the last twenty or thirty years, they have gradually become prominent and are even more successful than many established families."
“Grandfather always said that Lord Su was a prodigy. And it was because of his military achievements that he was granted the title of marquis.” Minglian’s eyes flashed with envy as she spoke. “What’s even more remarkable is Lord Su’s deep affection for his wife. Madam Su was formerly the daughter of the disgraced official Cheng Nan, and was also implicated in the Tang Grand Secretary’s affair back then—”
Before she could finish speaking, Mingwei's expression changed slightly.
Could this Lady Huan'an, be—