Mingwei felt that she was being too eager.
"Yuelin, go tell the old lady that I'm going to my mother's room and can't copy the Buddhist scriptures for her anymore." 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 nitpick, she had to admit that, given her current status, Liu Jun was her best choice. 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.
So many strange things happened today!
But at this point, she only had suspicions and no evidence. If the Second Madam was plotting against her, she couldn't afford to give anyone cause for gossip! So, after hesitating for a moment, Mingwei followed Hongyu away.
Tang Li and Yue Lin, both feeling bewildered, followed Ming Wei into the large garden.
After walking down the covered walkway, Mingwei stepped onto a narrow path paved with various cobblestones. Her eyes lit up when she saw the thriving scene in the courtyard.
It was late spring, and the large garden was naturally a scene of vibrant blooms. A gentle spring breeze blew by, its slight coolness not making one feel cold, but rather quite comfortable. The air was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers, earth, and grass, creating a truly refreshing and invigorating atmosphere.
Mingwei's tense nerves relaxed considerably.
Could it be that she's really overthinking things?
The second wife really had no reason to scheme against her, and how exactly she could get rid of her was still up for debate.
As she pondered, Mingwei's mind drifted away.
"Ouch—" Hongyu, who had been walking steadily ahead, suddenly slipped and fell to the ground.
The path was only wide enough for one person to pass at a time. Hongyu led the way, followed by Mingwei. Because Mingwei was closest to her and had been lost in thought, she didn't even have time to react when Hongyu slipped. She let out a muffled groan and tripped, falling to the ground as well.
Tang Li and Yue Lin had been reminding Ming Wei to watch her step, but Ming Wei hadn't been paying attention. However, they were extremely careful, which is why they escaped unharmed.
Hongyu got up from the ground on her own, and Mingwei was also helped up by Tangli and Yuelin. "Miss, are you alright?" The two looked Mingwei up and down, asking anxiously.
Mingwei shook her head; it was just a minor scrape on her palm, nothing serious.
"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!" Hongyu hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy. But Mingwei coldly observed her expression, and in her panic, there was even a hint of smugness at having achieved her goal?
Did she see it wrong?
"The road was too slippery, it's not your fault." Mingwei lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Get up."
Hongyu got up nimbly, her movements so agile that it was hard to believe she had accidentally fallen so hard. If she had fallen intentionally, it wouldn't have hurt so much, right? This thought suddenly flooded Mingwei's mind; her intuition told her that Hongyu's behavior was suspicious.
"Miss, your clothes are all dirty!" Hongyu said somewhat anxiously, "But your aunt is waiting to see you, it might not be appropriate to go like this—"
Before she could finish speaking, Tang Li disregarded everything else and snapped, "What are you saying? It was you who insisted that our young lady take this path, which is why she slipped and fell. Now that our young lady is kind enough not to blame you, you're becoming even more demanding!"
Hongyu blushed. She stammered, "I...I was just following the Second Madam's orders...I was only doing it for your own good, Miss!"
"What do you think I should do?" Mingwei was unusually calm at this moment. She stopped Tangli, who was about to argue with Hongyu, and asked calmly, "Your dress is dirty. It's really too impolite to see your aunt like this!"
Hongyu hadn't expected Mingwei to be so understanding. Her stammering voice couldn't hide her excitement: "That's easy! You can have Sister Tangli and Sister Yuelin go back and get you some clean clothes! I'll wait with you at Huimingxuan ahead. It won't delay things here!"
Yue Lin and Tang Li both looked disapproving. Just as they were about to say something, Ming Wei stopped them.