Chapter 170: First Meeting with Jun Xin
When the Second Master heard Xiao Xia say that the Xiao family had kept silent about Mengxi's concubine's background, he was shocked but also a little uneasy, and felt like he was being controlled like a chess piece.
He asked to himself, who in the Xiao family has such courage?
I only heard Xiao Xia say:
"This is a serious matter. Xiao Heng repeatedly inquired about the appearance of the person who sealed his mouth, trying to determine who he was. Those people only said that the person who sealed his mouth was holding the unique jade pendant of the Xiao Mansion and was under the banner of the Xiao Mansion. They refused to say anything else."
When Xiao Xia said this, he glanced at the Second Master and saw him lowering his head in deep thought. Then he continued:
"I dare to guess that there are only three people in the Xiao Mansion who dare to do this: the old lady, the first wife, and the first master. These three people love the Second Master very much and will never do anything to harm the Second Master. Therefore, I can't figure it out. Why didn't that person reveal it earlier when he knew about it, but kept it secret? Was it really just for the dignity of the Xiao Mansion? But this matter is against the ancestral precepts after all. If it is really concealed, and the Second Master takes over as the head of the family one day, it will be a great sin to deceive the ancestors. The ancestors are watching us in heaven!"
After hearing Xiao Xia's last words, the Second Master's body trembled violently. He pondered for a while and said to Xiao Xia:
"Send someone to silence them overnight and tell Xiao Yuan not to mention this matter again, especially the old lady, the eldest master and the first wife. They must not be allowed to know that I already know the identity of the second grandmother."
"I know this is a serious matter. As soon as I heard about it, I immediately asked Xiao Heng to keep it quiet. Xiao Heng said that the Li family was intimidated by the power of the Xiao Mansion and did not dare to publicize it. Meng Fei exchanged the engagement letter with the Qian family as a concubine. Meng Fei made a big fuss in the Li Mansion because of this matter, saying that she was obviously a legitimate daughter, but she married as a concubine. She would definitely be bullied by her husband's family in the future. She wanted to come to the Xiao Mansion to clarify and correct her status as a legitimate daughter. Master Li was so angry that he used family rules and punished even Madam Li. Then he stopped making trouble."
Xiao Xia said this, coughed, and continued:
"I have always been puzzled. It has been almost half a year since the Second Madam came to the mansion, but no one from her parents' home came to pick her up. The Second Madam never mentioned going back to her parents' home. Now I think that the Li family is worried about the Second Madam's return, and the servants who are surrounding her are all servants from the Xiao Mansion. The servants of the two families have been in contact with each other more, and it is inevitable that the truth will be revealed."
After Xiao Xia finished speaking, she saw that the Second Master was sitting there like a wooden sculpture, silent. She felt sad for him, but she had to say something. After weighing it for a moment, she said carefully:
"Second Madam's origin is against our ancestors' teachings. You can't hide it forever. When the time comes, with the old lady and the eldest master around, I'm afraid you won't be able to make the decision. Second Master, you should make plans early."
"I never thought that Xi'er had such a hard time at her mother's house. No wonder she has been following the rules and being careful in everything since she married into the Xiao Mansion. I have failed her in the past few months."
As if he hadn't heard what Xia had just said, the Second Master spoke to himself. After a long while, he saw Xiao Xia still standing aside and said to him:
"Go find Xiao Quan and Xiao Gui. I'll be waiting for them in the study. Then go to the accounting office and get the indentures of their families. Then tell them that I want them. By the way, if the accounting office asks, just tell them that I want these servants and they will work for me from now on ."
"Second Master, have you forgotten that Xiao Gui and Xiao Quan were sent out of the mansion to manage the business a few days ago? They are not in the mansion. It's so late now, and the second gate was locked in the morning. If you have anything to say, you might as well tell me. I will send someone to tell them tomorrow morning."
"Take my jade pendant and call them into the study at night."
"Second Master, this is a serious matter. You must think twice before you act. You must not act recklessly. Your hands are still bleeding. Your servant..."
Xiao Jun waved his hands impatiently.
Looking at the second master's bleeding hand, Xiao Xia sighed, turned around and walked out.
If the physical pain could replace the pain in his heart that felt like being devoured by ants, he would rather hurt himself. At this moment, Xiao Jun had an urge to bang his head against the wall.
Oh my God! Xi'er had been abused before she got married, and was forced to marry for good fortune, all because he was blinded by rumors in the market. What had he done to her in the past six months? But it was not these that made him desperate. Xi'er's status as a concubine meant she could not become his wife!
He originally thought that he could hold her hand and grow old together, but when he decided on her, someone told him that she was a concubine and was destined not to be his wife. How embarrassed he was!
It was late at night. After finishing his business, Xiao Jun walked out of the study. The cold courtyard was empty, with only the gentle night breeze blowing. The Second Master jumped onto the roof of the east wing, walked through the roof, and went straight to the backyard of the east wing.
The cold moonlight set off the tall, thin and upright figure, making him look even more lonely and unruly. The night breeze was filled with bursts of light fragrance. Xier really liked to create fragrance, but it was a pity that the fragrance she created was not for him.
He only found out today that she would rather die than marry him!
Xi'er didn't love him, which made Xiao Jun feel a little relieved in the midst of the heartache. If two people were destined not to be together, there would be no pain if they didn't love each other. If there was pain, he should bear it alone, because he owed it to her.
All the half-hearted servants in the courtyard were cleared out by him with high pressure. The newly bought servants were a blank slate, and she would train them well. He could leave with peace of mind.
The scene of Mengxi wearing a wedding dress and marrying another man with a smile on her face flashed before his eyes, and Xiao Jun felt a kind of numbness in his heart, just like the numbness after being drunk, which he would feel after sobering up.
Tomorrow, there will be endless pain.
This night was destined to be a sleepless night. Mengxi didn't know that the night before he went to the south, he had spent the whole night guarding outside her window.
The next day, Mengxi got up early. After Zhiqiu and Zhichun helped her to wash and dress, she hurried to the main room. As soon as she arrived at the door of the hall, she saw the three concubines and Hongyu already waiting there. When they saw the second wife coming, they came forward one by one to greet her.
The eldest aunt came forward and supported the second wife, and they went into the main hall together. After turning the screen, the second master was not there . Hongzhu was leading the maid to clean up the house. When she saw the second wife come in, she hurried forward to greet her. Mengxi walked forward slowly and sat down. Hongxing had already brought tea.
"Why, Second Master has to go out today, why haven't you gotten up yet at this time?"
"Replying to Second Auntie, Second Master left home before dawn."
"What? Why are you leaving so early? Didn't you say you were going to take a concubine with you?"
When Aunt Cui heard this, she forgot that the Second Mistress was present and screamed. The Second Master originally said to bring a "wife or concubine", so she automatically omitted the word "wife".
Hearing that the Second Master was going to take a concubine out, the Second Mistress recommended her and Hongyu, but Cuiping thought that since Hongyu moved to Yuyuan, the Second Master had never set foot in there, so the person to be taken must be her. Although the Second Mistress did not make any arrangements, she also secretly made preparations to go out. She got up before dawn and dressed up carefully, thinking about living together with the Second Master under the envious eyes of everyone. That word could only be used to describe her: "beautiful".
Unfortunately, she didn't sleep well and woke up too early. The Second Master left without saying goodbye and took no one with him. She couldn't accept it for a while and was extremely upset.
Aunt Cui called out, but when no one answered, she remembered that the Second Madam was still sitting there, so she quickly shrank back and covered her mouth.
Aunt Zhang saw that the Second Master did not bring Cuiping or Hongyu with him, and a trace of joy appeared on her face. The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads secretly, not understanding why the Second Master did not need them to send him off, but at least he should say goodbye to the old lady.
Finally, several pairs of eyes turned to the Second Mistress. Mengxi was sitting there, looking at Aunt Cui. Seeing that she stopped talking and stood there properly, he said:
"The ladies got up early today and have worked hard. Now that the Second Master has left, let's all go."
After Second Grandma finished speaking, she remembered something and continued:
"Second Master will be away for at least a year this time. When he is not at home, we are all sisters and there are no strict rules. From now on, if there is nothing important, you don't have to come to pay respects every day. You can only come on the first and fifth day of each month."
"I don't understand what the first and fifth days mean."
The eldest aunt asked. The other aunts also looked at the second grandma in confusion.
"The meaning of "逢一" and "逢五" is that the days are followed by one and five, for example, the first, fifth, eleventh and fifteenth day of every month."
The concubines finally understood what the Second Mistress meant, and thought to themselves that this Mistress was truly a genius, who could even come up with such an idea? Even when paying respects, she brought something like this?
But no matter what, not having to come on time every day to set rules was of course what they wanted. They happily agreed, said goodbye to Second Grandma one by one, and filed out.
After the concubines left, Hongzhu came out with a box, presented it to Second Madam with both hands, and said:
"Second Madam, this is what the Second Master asked me to give to you before he left."
"what?"
"I don't know, they just told me to hand it to you personally."
Mengxi listened and nodded, Zhiqiu had already stepped forward to take it. Back to the east wing, he asked Zhiqiu to open the box sent by the second master, which contained two small jewelry boxes, some documents and a scroll painting.
Zhiqiu reached out and took out a jewelry box, opened it and presented it to the Second Madam. When they saw it, the master and servants were all shocked. Inside was the Liuyun Baifu jade pendant.
Zhichun screamed excitedly, reached out to take out another jewelry box and opened it. As expected, it was the pair of topaz bracelets.
"So it was Second Master who bought it back, Second Madam. Second Master has feelings for you."
Zhiqiu, who had the deepest prejudice against the Second Master, did not retort Zhichun's words for the first time. Seeing Second Madam take the jade pendant from her hand, Zhiqiu reached out and took out the document from the box and began to read it. As she read, she said in a trembling :
"Second Master, Second Master really bought that jade shop and used Second Madam's name. Second Madam, you are a woman! This, this..."
After hearing what Zhiqiu said, Zhichun was also shocked. He put down the box in his hand, came to Zhiqiu and looked at it, and said in surprise:
"You really used Second Grandma's name! Second Master, this is too unorthodox. How can you use Second Grandma's name? Second Grandma is a woman!"
After hearing what the two maids said, Mengxi asked in confusion:
"Does the Great Qi law stipulate that women cannot own property? Why don't I see it?"
After hearing this, the two maids opened their eyes wide and looked at the Second Mistress. After a long while, Zhiqiu stammered, "
"The Great Qi Law does not stipulate this, but..."
As the master and servant were talking, Zhixia came in and replied:
"Second Madam, Hongzhu brought two people to ask to see you. They said that the Second Master asked her to introduce them to you before he left. Look..."
After hearing this, Mengxi, his master and his servant looked at each other in confusion. Seeing the document in Zhiqiu's hand, Mengxi suddenly realized something and said, "Let them come in and wait in the hall."
Mengxi helped Zhiqiu to the east wing hall, only to see Hongzhu standing on one side, with two servants around 30 years old standing behind her. Seeing the second grandma sitting down, Hongzhu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed gently, saying:
"Second Madam, this is Li Quan, and this is Li Gui. Before the Second Master left, he asked me to introduce them to you, saying that he had something to report to you."
After Hongzhu finished her introduction, Li Quan and Li Gui both knelt down, kowtowed to Mengxi and said:
"The servant Li Quan pays respect to the Second Madam"
"The servant Li Gui pays respect to the Second Madam"
"Everyone, get up!"
After hearing this, Li Gui and Li Quan thanked the Second Madam and stood up and stood aside. Meng Xi saw them standing up and asked:
"Second Master asked you to come here, what's the matter?"
After hearing what Second Mistress said, the two hesitated for a moment, looked around the room, and said nothing. Seeing this, Hongzhu said,
"Second Madam, I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now."
Mengxi nodded in response. Seeing Hongzhu go out, Mengxi said to the two of them:
"Tell me what's going on. These are my personal servants."
Li Gui stepped forward and said:
"Second Madam, I and Li Quan were originally servants of the Xiao Mansion, named Xiao Gui and Xiao Quan. Two days ago, Second Master sent me to the Xiangrui Jade Shop to manage the business. Second Master called me last night and transferred the indentures of our family to Second Madam's name. He also changed our names to Li Gui and Li Quan. From now on, we will only obey Second Madam's orders. Second Madam, just tell me what you want me to do, and I will do it for you."
"Auspicious Jade Shop?"
"Replying to Second Madam, the Xiangrui Jade Shop is near the Jingyun Temple. Second Master sent me to take over the shop in your name a few days ago. Second Master also wants me to tell you that the old lady and the eldest master don't know about this. The jade shop and I have nothing to do with the Xiao family. It belongs to Second Madam alone. Second Madam, you can just use me without worry. Not to mention that the indentures of my whole family are in your hands. Yesterday, Second Master also asked me to swear an oath to be loyal to you alone..."
After sending Li Gui and Li Quan away, Mengxi was still sitting there in a daze. She was overwhelmed by everything arranged by the Second Master. For the first time, she had an impulse to grab the Second Master and ask him for explanation. She stood up suddenly, then she remembered that the Second Master had already left Pingyang.
He gently opened the scroll in the box, and found the painting of a lady. His fingers gently stroked the four words "My Wife Mengxi".
She thought, she really understood the look in the Second Master's eyes at that time, and why he wrote down these four words without hesitation. The emotion that she couldn't understand that often appeared in the Second Master's eyes in these days flashed before her eyes. Mengxi's body trembled like an electric shock, and she suddenly retracted her fingers and said to Zhiqiu:
"Seal these up and put them away."
"Second Madam, this is your favorite painting, and it is also the work of Second Master, so just hang it in the room. I think Second Master is a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he has you in his heart!"
Zhichun listened to the Second Madam's instructions and said in a gentle voice. Zhiqiu didn't object but just looked at the Second Madam.
"Put it away!"
"Second Madam, that jade pendant!"
Mengxi waved her hands weakly, turned her back to Zhiqiu and Zhichun, came to the window, and stared through the window at the bridal chamber that she and Erye once lived in. She didn't want them to see the paleness on her face!
The Second Master's affection was not something a concubine like her could accept! She had no choice but to freeze him.
