"Mingxiu?" Chu Tianze, who was waiting for him to beg, waited for a long time but didn't hear a word. "Lu Mingxiu!"
Only then did Lu Mingxiu come to his senses, a smile still lingering in his eyes.
Chu Tianze's heart softened immediately.
"You've brought the bride home, but the matchmaker has already been thrown away!" Chu Tianze joked. "Did you send the gifts? Did you win the girl's heart?"
He was still very curious about what Lu Mingxiu had given him.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Mingxiu nodded in a very good mood.
Since losing his parents ten years ago, Chu Tianze had never seen him show such obvious joy.
Chu Tianze decided to be magnanimous and let him off the hook, since he was the elder.
Lu Mingxiu will be leaving the capital tomorrow. Chu Tianze and Lu Mingxiu have arranged to meet the emperor in the palace in the afternoon. Lu Mingxiu then took Qin Feng and Ke Lin back to the Marquis's residence first.
"Qin Feng, you will stay at home this time," Lu Mingxiu said in an unquestionable tone. "While I am away from the capital, you are in charge of handling matters in the mansion."
Before Lu Mingxiu could finish speaking, Qin Feng's face fell.
He would rather risk his life alongside the Marquis than stay in the Marquis's mansion dealing with those people and affairs.
“The two old friends should arrive in the next couple of days.” Lu Mingxiu’s words left him speechless. “Keep an eye on the estates around the capital these days, and make sure you bring them to safety.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng's expression became solemn. He said, "Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your trust, Lord Marquis!"
"Shall we temporarily settle them at the country estate?" Qin Feng thought for a moment and said, "It's more secluded there. We should wait until the truth comes out before we can show ourselves in public."
Lu Mingxiu nodded slightly.
"You should consider how to proceed."
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said, "I have already told Jiu Niang that if she needs anything while I am not in the capital, she can come to you. You stay in the capital, and if she asks you to do anything, just do it. You don't need to ask me again."
Ninth Sister?
Before the two could even feel happy about the closer relationship between their lord and his future wife, Colin was fine, but Qin Feng was already stunned.
So, his other important task in staying in the capital was to serve his future wife?
"Qin Feng is reliable and meticulous in his work; staying on is the perfect fit." Now is the time to kick him while he's down. Colin laughed heartlessly, "The capable should do more. With the Marquis away, you'll have to worry more!"
Seeing Colin's gloating expression, Qin Feng was furious. It wasn't that he was unwilling to do things for his future wife, it was just that Colin was too infuriating.
"Alright, Colin, if you think it's good, then stay with Qin Feng," Lord Lu said calmly.
Colin immediately shut his mouth tightly.
After dismissing the two men, Lu Mingxiu looked thoughtful.
It seems that none of the sisters in Jiu Niang's family are well-behaved. An Liu Niang is not stupid. From her decisive departure at the end, one can tell that she has some shrewdness.
Perhaps we should give Jiu Niang a heads-up!
Lu Mingxiu spread out the letter paper and picked up his pen to consider his words.
******
When the heavy camphor wood chest was carried into the room, Cuiping, Jinping, and the others were very curious.
This time, Marquis Pingyuan brought many gifts, but this box was carried directly into the young lady's room, and outsiders had no idea what was inside.
An Ran had the box carried directly to her bedroom.
Taozhi and Taoye knew they couldn't compare to Jinping and Cuiping, who were head maids serving the young lady personally, nor could they compare to Qingmei and Qingxing, who had a close relationship with the young lady at Prince Yi's mansion. Therefore, the two wisely refrained from stepping forward.
An Ran no longer avoided these four people; someone had to help her with her tasks, and she couldn't always keep things hidden.
When the box was opened, the four of them saw the account books and other items inside. Their reactions were almost identical to An Ran's; they were all taken aback.
“Miss, this is…” After receiving An Ran’s permission, Jinping stepped forward and picked up an account book. It was none other than the account book of a very famous silk shop on Zhuque Street, which even Jinping, who rarely had the opportunity to go out, knew about.
The four of them were all intelligent, and when they looked further down at the register recording the various items in the storeroom, they were certain that Marquis Pingyuan had brought all his wealth to his daughter.
No wonder they had to carry him on their backs, directly to the girl's room!
"Miss, this is wonderful!" Even the more composed Jinping and Cuiping showed excitement on their faces. Such wealth and honor might be attainable even if they married into another family. But the trust shown by Lord Lu, the entrustment of his entire fortune, was something they would never receive again.
Since the young lady returned to the manor, she first experienced the despair of going to Prince Yi's manor, then the disappointment of being rejected by the Marquis of Dingbei's manor, and was plagued by rumors. They even worried that the young lady's life would be ruined! But finally, things took a turn for the better when an imperial decree bestowed a marriage upon the Marquis of Pingyuan! The Marquis's wife, whom the young ladies of the Nan'an Marquis's manor had dreamed of all their lives, finally fell to their own young lady.
How could they not be overjoyed?
Compared to the four people's beaming joy, An Ran was much calmer.
She had Cuiping find a piece of red string and strung the key and the black jade token together, keeping them close to her body. She couldn't betray Lu Mingxiu's trust; since Lu Mingxiu trusted her, she had to manage the relationship well and fulfill her responsibilities.
It's really amazing.
When Lu Mingxiu handed these two items to her, she immediately felt an indescribable sense of belonging.
It's about the feeling of jointly managing a home.
Even though she had willingly married Chen Qian in her previous life, she didn't feel this way.
When she married into the Chen family, she discovered that Chen Qian already had a large number of concubines. Coupled with the torment of her mother-in-law, she could hardly recall any happy days.
Chen Qian liked her like he liked a precious and exquisite piece of porcelain or a clever and lovable cat; once he got tired of her, he would simply forget about her.