Chapter 165: The Drunken Man’s Intent
On this day, Wen Mingqian received a letter from Gong Changan.
“Young Master is so clever to have sent the letter to the Feng Family,” Sang Er said happily. “He must have guessed that we would likely no longer be in the Gong Family by the time this letter arrived.”
“They arrived at the academy on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, so they must be familiar with each other by now,” Wen Mingqian said as she read the letter. “Changan also said that Zhang Ma was very popular there, and everyone loved the food she made.”
“That goes without saying. Granny Zhang’s cooking is probably no less than that of an Imperial Chef,” Sang Er remarked. “It’s truly excellent.”
“Alas, I truly miss them,” Wen Mingqian sighed. “If I don’t think about it, I can bear it, but once I do, I can’t let it go.”
“Mother, please relax. As long as we are all well, that’s all that matters. Since there’s nothing to do now, why don’t I get some paper and brush, and you can write a reply to them!” Sang Er suggested.
“That would be good,” Wen Mingqian replied. “I’ve already written two letters, so they should have received them by now.”
Wen Mingqian spread out the paper and was about to pick up her brush to write a reply when Ao Shuang entered and said, “I came from the front and saw many people surrounding Reverend Mother Hui Xin. One of them was dressed like a Madam from some family. Could she be here to cause trouble?”
“Reverend Mother Jing Xu has been in meditation and not receiving guests these past few days. Reverend Mother Jing An is busy, and Reverend Mother Jing He is ill. We should go to the front and take a look!” Wen Mingqian said, feeling uneasy.
With that, she led Sang Er and Ao Shuang to the front. Indeed, they saw quite a few people surrounding Hui Xin. Although there was no argument, Hui Xin was clearly a bit flustered.
She wanted to escape but couldn’t.
Wen Mingqian then stepped forward and said, “Reverend Mother Hui Xin, Reverend Mother Jing An just asked me to tell you to come over!”
Hui Xin was overjoyed by this. She quickly said, “These benefactors are all from the Marquis Fengxian Mansion and have come to the temple to offer incense. I have only recently become a nun and am not very familiar with these matters. Please ask a Reverend Mother or a senior sister to attend to them!”
With that, she extricated herself and went to the back.
Wen Mingqian also realized that the person leading the group was not a Madam, but merely a respectable stewardess from their Marquis Mansion. She seemed to have met her before at the Jiangxia Marquis Mansion, and her surname appeared to be Tang.
Granny Tang saw Wen Mingqian and approached with a smile to pay her respects, saying, “I didn’t expect to see Madam Wen here. It is truly impolite of me.”
Wen Mingqian knew she was lying. Wasn’t Cui Baozhu’s decision to become a nun because of their family’s Second Young Master?
Given Leng Shi’s personality, she probably would have sold herself by now. Otherwise, why would they come to such a desolate place to offer incense?
Clearly, their intentions were not just for incense.
However, since the other party was being polite, she decided to play along. She also smiled and said, “Yes, what a coincidence. Since Granny Tang is here to offer incense, I won’t delay your business.”
“No rush, no rush. In fact, we are here on Madam’s orders to comfort Miss Cui,” Granny Tang said. “It’s a pity she gave up worldly attachments at such a young age. I always feel it’s a shame.”
Granny Tang was still pretending to be a good person at this point.
Wen Mingqian didn’t expose her. Instead, she echoed her sentiment, saying, “Yes, everyone knows that your household is the most compassionate towards the poor and weak.”
Granny Tang smiled and nodded a few times, then turned her face to Sang Er beside her and asked, “This young lady looks unfamiliar. I haven’t seen her before.”
“She is my maid. She is young and playful, and I haven’t taken her out much before,” Wen Mingqian said. “I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me.”
With that, she turned to leave, while Granny Tang continued to stare intently at Sang Er, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
Sang Er felt very uncomfortable under her gaze and couldn’t help but frown.
“Why is that old woman looking at people like she’s trying to stick her eyeballs onto them?” Sang Er said unhappily on the way back. “It’s a good thing she’s a woman. If she were a man, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from scolding her.”
“Who told you to be so beautiful, Sister?” Ao Shuang said, covering her mouth with a laugh. “No matter their gender or age, once they see you, they can’t look away.”
Ao Shuang wasn’t exaggerating. In fact, when she first arrived, she couldn’t help but stare at Sang Er, finding her beautiful in every way, more so than any painting.
“You little rascal, you’re making fun of me now,” Sang Er gritted her teeth and pretended to reach out and grab Ao Shuang.
Ao Shuang naturally didn’t want to be caught, so she ran away laughing. She ran ahead, and Sang Er chased after her. The two of them playfully chased each other, and soon they had forgotten about the incident.
They all thought the people from the Marquis Fengxian Mansion had come for Hui Xin. None of them realized that Granny Tang’s eyes had been fixed on Sang Er.
Meanwhile, Granny Tang and the others left after finishing their incense offering.
Upon returning to the mansion, they reported to the Marquis and Madam: “This old servant saw that maid today. She is indeed a person of exceptional beauty.”
“Oh, is that so?” The Marquis smiled upon hearing this.
Madam Lu was a little displeased. “What, you’re so happy? After seeing her in person, you probably won’t want to send her away, will you?”
“What are you saying? Nothing has even been decided yet! Besides, it was already agreed that she would be given to Prince Chu.” Marquis Fengxian said with some helplessness. His wife was nearing fifty, yet she was still like a jealous shrew.
“I wonder who with a twisted mind gave you this idea. If you send a beauty to Prince Chu, what will the Princess Consort say?” Madam Lu asked.
“Can’t we just find a way to keep her from knowing? Setting up a separate residence is as easy as flipping your hand! Moreover, as long as the Prince is satisfied, I don’t believe anyone would dare to boldly report to the Princess Consort, unless they were tired of living.” Marquis Fengxian was fearless. “Besides, the Prince has more than one external residence. Do you think the Princess Consort doesn’t know? She’s just turning a blind eye. Who would investigate deeply?”
“Hmph, all crows are black in the world. All you men are the same,” Madam Lu scoffed. “If it weren’t for my son’s future, I wouldn’t bother with your sordid affairs!”
“Do you think I want to? It’s not like I have something to ask for.” Marquis Fengxian said. “Speaking of which, it would be better for you to handle this. Talk to the one surnamed Wen and ask her to sell this maid to us. She can name the price, as long as it’s not too excessive.”
“It’s fine for me to talk to her,” Madam Lu said. “But if they don’t agree, I won’t be responsible for the rest.”
“Just go and talk to her. If she’s reasonable, we won’t bother her about the Cui Family’s affairs,” Marquis Fengxian said. “But if she refuses, I’ll have to settle old and new scores with her.
Anyway, she has already divorced the Gong Family. A woman without the protection of her husband’s family, and with her maternal home not nearby, I don’t believe she can cause any trouble.”
Marquis Fengxian never took Wen Mingqian seriously from the start, thinking that as a divorced woman, what capabilities could she possibly have?
If she was unreasonable despite polite words, she would have to be made to suffer.
