"Greetings, Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings and peace." Upon seeing Mingwei's sedan chair in the distance, the people who were busy getting on and off immediately stopped, bowed respectfully, and greeted her with smiles on their faces.
Mingwei was in a good mood today, and even Hu Rui's wife from the Prince Cheng's Mansion seemed much more agreeable to her.
"Mother Hu has worked hard these past few days. Today has been the busiest day of all. Once today is over, I, the Princess Consort, will reward you handsomely." Mingwei adjusted the red-gold hair ornament in her hair. The teardrop-shaped ruby pendant was bright and lustrous, swaying gently with Mingwei's movements, adding a touch of charming elegance.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!" Hu Rui's wife said, bowing with unrestrained joy. "It is all what this servant should do. Your Highness's kindness is too much for this servant to bear."
Upon hearing this, Mingwei raised an eyebrow, her smile becoming even gentler: "Mother Hu is certainly worthy of such an honor. I will express my sincere gratitude to Third Imperial Aunt when she arrives later."
Before she finished speaking, Hu Ruijia's expression immediately stiffened. She gave a dry laugh and dared not say anything more, simply standing to the side with her hands at her sides.
Mingwei turned around briefly, then got back into the sedan chair and went elsewhere. At the very last moment before the curtain fell, Mingwei clearly saw fine beads of sweat on Hu Rui's face. Didn't she know? Always thinking of secretly sending messages outside the mansion—wasn't she being far too eager?
Just as Mingwei was about to wander off somewhere else, she saw Laibao rush over, panting, and report: "Your Highness, Your Highness, the Dowager Lady of Chengping Marquis, the First Madam, and all the young ladies have arrived!"
"Go back quickly!" Having already circled the Prince's mansion, and hearing that the old lady and her entourage had arrived, Mingwei had no heart to look any further.
"Yes, Your Highness. The Prince is also on his way there and will be there soon." Lai Bao said cheerfully, "The Prince asked me to inform you and tell you not to worry, he has already gone to meet you."
Now that the prince has assigned him to the princess, and the prince and princess have such a good relationship, it is exactly what he had hoped to see.
Mingwei paused in her action of lowering the sedan curtain, a warm feeling washing over her. Rong Zhen was always so attentive to her feelings and considerate of her in every way. (Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.)
Chapter 101
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Tang Li and Yue Lin were too cautious and attentive, which caused them to take a little longer than expected.
Sitting gracefully before the dressing table, letting the two men comb her hair, Mingwei looked up at herself in the mirror. The ornate hairpins added a touch of elegance, and the light makeup on her face only accentuated her youthful beauty.
Mingwei was in a state of utter confusion.
Suddenly, her gaze fixed on a spot in the mirror. The curtain to the inner room was half-drawn to make it easier for the maids to come and go. The figure of the maid who had come to deliver a message from the Second Madam's courtyard was also reflected in the mirror.
She was supposed to be waiting outside, but instead she kept anxiously peering inside.
She seemed a little nervous and uneasy?
Mingwei immediately sensed something was off. Why was she in such a hurry?
"Seventh Miss." The little maid finally couldn't contain herself any longer and called out loudly, disregarding all decorum, "Second Madam and Aunt are waiting for you. Please come with me quickly!"
Such words would be considered extremely rude in front of the master. She may have just arrived in the Second Madam's courtyard, but she certainly knew the most basic etiquette! Tang Li and Yue Lin both frowned, but because Hong Yu was from the Second Madam's courtyard, they refrained from speaking up.
Mingwei felt that she was being too eager.
"Yuelin, go tell the old lady that I'm going to my mother's room and won't be able to copy the Buddhist scriptures for her." Mingwei winked at Yuelin, deliberately ordering her out. "Go and tell her first, I'll wait for you to come back before I go."
Yue Lin understood Ming Wei's implication. Although she was puzzled, she obediently replied, "Yes, Miss." Then she made a move to leave.
Hongyu panicked and rashly reached out to stop Yuelin.
"Aunt, Miss—" Hongyu also felt that her behavior was not quite appropriate. She stammered, "I'm afraid it's not good to keep Second Madam and Aunt waiting! Aunt is a guest and also your elder. You should go there as soon as possible. Even if the old lady finds out, she will praise you for being sensible!"
Before she could finish speaking, even Tang Li felt something was amiss.
Hongyu spoke so fluently, it was clear someone had instructed her beforehand. However, the person who instructed her was obviously not very skilled; for a mere maid to say such things was a bit much.
The more unusual this was, the more suspicious Mingwei became. She pretended to accept Hongyu's suggestion, nodded, and didn't let Yuelin go over again.
"Let's go." Mingwei wore a light pink silk jacket and a lotus-root-colored outer garment. Although not extravagant, it exuded a delicate and elegant charm. This was the result of Yue Lin and Tang Li's careful selection. The second wife of the Duke's mansion had been widowed for more than ten years and came from a scholarly family. She probably didn't want a vulgar daughter-in-law.
Seeing that Mingwei was willing to go out with her, Hongyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Miss, unfortunately, the Second Madam’s carriage is in a strait today. You’ll have to go through the trouble of walking with me!” After leaving the west courtyard, Hongyu seemed to suddenly remember something and told Mingwei that she could only walk there.
Mingwei originally didn't mind, as the two places weren't far apart, and she rarely used a car when going there. However, Hongyu's special mention of it made people think more about it.
As if afraid that Mingwei would have to call another car, Hongyu quickly took two steps ahead to lead the way. "Miss, please!" She was afraid that Mingwei would be unwilling, so she added, "Second Madam instructed me to take you there as soon as possible."
Why was the second wife so eager to let him meet her sister-in-law from her maternal family?
To be fair, even if Mingwei wanted to be picky, she had to admit that, given her current status, Liu Jun was the best choice for her. If it were a more open-minded and magnanimous matriarch, Mingwei would have thought it was normal. But it was the usually petty and narrow-minded second wife who made this decision, which made it impossible not to be suspicious.
However, none of this was out in the open, and Mingwei couldn't bring herself to expose it. Besides, by this point, Mingwei had already guessed that the old lady probably tacitly approved.
Perhaps in the old lady's eyes, marrying Liu Jun was the best option for her! If the old lady also supports the second wife's decision, then how can she get rid of this marriage?
Thinking of this, Mingwei nodded silently and walked towards Rongze Hall while pondering.
"Miss, please follow me this way!" Hongyu walked ahead solicitously, leading the way for Mingwei at the crossroads, saying, "This shortcut will be faster!"
Mingwei stopped in her tracks.
There was indeed more than one way to get from Rongshan Hall to the Second Madam's Rongze Hall. One was a small path that went through the large garden of the Chengping Marquis's mansion, and the other was a main road that followed the narrow lanes. But Hongyu pointed to a small path.
If one were to pass through the grand garden, one couldn't simply walk along the covered walkways; one would have to traverse several narrow paths, cross two artificial lakes, and meander through a bamboo grove before reaching the Second Madam's Rongze Hall. Mingwei glanced down at her brand-new clothes and clean embroidered shoes, and gently frowned.
After walking like this, my clothes will probably get dirty.
Even if the second wife didn't intend to marry Mingwei off to Liu Jun, and now she was going to see Liu Jun's mother, or even just ordinary relatives, that wasn't the right way to go.
Was this at the behest of the second wife or Hongyu's own idea?
Seeing that Mingwei hesitated and refused to leave, Hongyu, being younger, became even more anxious and even urged Mingwei to hurry up.