Chapter 177 Double Sedan
Mengxi came to the second gate, but didn't find her sedan chair. Finally, her eyes fell on the second master.
But there was no expression on his cold face. He glanced at her, then rhythmically clapped his left hand with a folding fan in his right hand, bent over and stepped onto the sedan chair, but did not lower the curtain. He just sat there looking at her.
Mengxi then saw clearly that a double sedan chair was prepared today. She remembered that she had sat in it when she entered the mansion. The last time seemed to be when she went to receive the oral order of Concubine Jing. She felt it was too uncomfortable to sit in the same sedan chair with him, so she ordered people to change it to two small sedan chairs when she came back. From then on, the two of them went to pay their respects one after the other.
Apart from her, no one in the courtyard dared to change the sedan chair on her own initiative. It must be the Second Master. Thinking of how he forced her to serve him yesterday, she was a little confused. The Second Master seemed to have changed this time when he came back. Why was he targeting her everywhere?
The Second Master always followed the rules, leaving her no room to refuse. All the unwritten rules she had developed in the past seemed to have become invalid overnight. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes. What was he going to do?
Just as she was thinking, Zhiqiu gently pushed her from behind and whispered:
"Second Madam, hurry up, Second Master is watching you."
After hearing Zhiqiu's words, Mengxi raised her eyes and glanced at the Second Master. She felt as if there was a provocative look in the Second Master's eyes when he looked at her, and a surge of anger rose in her heart.
Damn, who is afraid of who? She grew up among boys in her previous life and rode in the same sedan chair with him. Is she still afraid that he will eat her?
Thinking of this, he straightened his body, supported Zhiqiu, walked over slowly, and got into the sedan chair as if nothing had happened.
Seeing her unyielding attitude, Erye's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. He imagined the colorful life in the future. He was really looking forward to it!
Seeing Mengxi sitting upright beside him, the Second Master waved his hand and ordered someone to lower the curtain of the sedan chair, and shouted:
"Lift the sedan!"
The group slowly left Xiaoxiangyuan.
The two of them came to Shouxi Hall, got off the sedan chair, entered the hall, and turned around the screen to see that the old lady, the eldest master, and the eldest wife had all arrived. When the eldest wife saw the two of them coming in together, she was secretly surprised. Why did Jun'er come with her?
It seems that it's not Mengxi who is not used to it, but the people in the Xiao Mansion are not used to her and the Second Master going in and out together.
The two men came forward to greet the old lady and the others, and both sat down. When the old lady saw them sitting down, she asked:
"Did Jun'er sleep well last night?"
"I feel at ease sleeping at home. I was really tired last night. Xier massaged my feet and I slept well all night."
After hearing what the second master said, the eldest wife glanced at Mengxi and sat there without saying a word.
When the old lady heard this, she said happily:
"Xi'er's hands are so skillful that most people can't learn how to do it. I taught the servants step by step, but none of them could massage my shoulders as comfortably as she did. Ever since Xi'er massaged my shoulders, my old shoulder pain has not occurred for some time. It must be a blessing for Jun'er to marry such a good wife in his previous life..."
As the old lady was speaking, she suddenly remembered Mengxi's background as a concubine. Her heart ached and she swallowed the rest of her words.
After hearing what the old lady said, Mengxi felt guilty. It wasn't that she couldn't teach them, it was that she had never taught them sincerely. How could she dare to tell those girls about acupoints and other things? Of course she couldn't teach them. She was distracted and didn't notice the old lady's momentary abnormality.
The eldest wife heard what the old lady said, and a trace of displeasure flashed in her eyes. When she saw that the old lady had stopped talking, she said:
"Young people don't know how to praise, and the old lady shouldn't spoil her. She has learned some tricks and forgotten the important things. Look, Xi'er has been married for two years, but her belly is still flat. It is said that filial piety comes first in everything, and having no offspring is the greatest thing. If it continues like this, in my opinion..."
Shit, isn't this just asking a grown girl for a child - asking too much.
Although she had the title of young lady, she was still a virgin. After hearing what the eldest wife said, Mengxi had already cursed this wicked mother-in-law in her heart. This cunning old woman, knowing that her son would be away for a year and a half before coming back, actually said such embarrassing words in public. The second master was back, could it be that she wanted to accuse her of being childless and let the second master divorce her?
She was also waiting for the divorce letter from the Second Master. She was furious in her heart, but her face remained calm. Mengxi sat there steadily, watching coldly how the First Wife forced her to divorce.
After hearing what the eldest wife said, the old lady felt that it was a bit too much, but she was thinking about the fact that Mengxi was a concubine's daughter, so she didn't respond.
After hearing this, the Second Master was stunned for a moment. His mother's words were too far-fetched and too unfair to Xier. But she was his mother after all, and no matter how dissatisfied she was, she dared not defend her daughter-in-law in front of his parents.
I stole a glance at Mengxi, and saw that she was still calm, as if her mother was not talking about her, and she could defend herself. Why was she pretending to be dumb? Where did her eloquence go? Didn't she understand what her mother said?
Seeing Mengxi didn't argue, the second master's forehead was actually covered with a thin layer of sweat, and he looked at the old lady pleadingly. The maids in the hall also held their breath, and the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, seeing that the old lady was just frowning and thinking without saying a word, Xiao Jun hardened his heart, coughed, and was about to speak, but he saw the master looking at him and said:
"Your mother is right. Jun'er is not a child anymore. You should think more about the things you should think about. Your grandmother is thinking about having a great-grandson every day. At the beginning, your grandmother asked you to bring a wife or concubine with you so that you could have someone to take care of you. But you left without saying a word, and it has been a year and a half since you were gone. Not only did you delay your offspring, but you don't even have anyone to take care of you. Don't do this again next time. This time you come back, just rest at home for a few more days and think about your offspring by the way."
Although the master's words were vague, Xiao Jun still looked at his father gratefully and said:
"My father taught me that it was Jun'er who was unfilial and caused his parents and grandmother to worry."
After saying this, she looked at Mengxi meaningfully, and saw a slight blush on her cheeks. She was suddenly filled with thoughts. She looked up and saw a flash of dissatisfaction in her mother's eyes. She seemed to want to say something. She was startled and thought to herself, "Mother, please don't say anything that will embarrass Xi'er again." She quickly said,
"Why hasn't my third brother come yet? I didn't see him yesterday. Maybe he went out. Why didn't I hear father mention him in the letter?"
When the master heard this, his face darkened and he said in a rough voice:
"Don't mention that beast!"
The second master was startled and thought to himself: What happened to my third brother that made father so angry? Seeing that his father was angry, he did not dare to ask any more questions. He looked at the old lady in confusion, and then at the first wife. When the first wife saw her son looking at her, she sighed and said:
"Jun'er is busy with business in the south. The old lady was afraid that you would get angry after hearing about the family affairs, so she didn't let anyone tell you. Jun'er didn't know that since the third master failed the imperial examination last year, he said he would never take the imperial examination again. The eldest master was helpless and gave up on letting him pursue a career in politics. The eldest master was too busy with the business in the north, so he asked him to take care of the family business. But the third master was not interested in the family business, but was interested in Yichuntang, which has only become prosperous in the past two years."
"Yichuntang! I heard that Yichuntang never associates with the rich and powerful. Could it be that my third brother has met the owner of Yichuntang?"
"If he had really met the master of Yichun Hall, your father wouldn't be so angry. The Third Master just envied the Medicine God's freedom and was determined to go out and travel around the world. Don't you think this is childish? The Third Master is supposed to be eighteen years old this year and should have established himself, but he is still so disappointing. The eldest master was furious and locked him in the room and confined him to his feet. But the next day, the maid reported that the Third Master had left a letter and ran away from home, saying that he was going out to gain experience for two years and find some Medicine God to be his master. He just glanced at his two concubines and left without saying a word. Aunt Zhang was so upset that she cried every day and asked the eldest master to send someone to look for him, fearing that something bad would happen to the Third Master out there. You say, how could the eldest master not be angry?"
Mengxi was also shocked when she heard this. She had heard from the old lady about the Third Master leaving a letter and running away, but she only said that he was going out to gain experience and did not say that he was looking for the God of Medicine. After hearing this today, she realized what was really going on. It turned out that she was the culprit behind the Third Master's running away. Her heart skipped a beat. The God of Medicine was sitting there in their house, where was he going to find him!
Xiao Jun was also stunned when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he looked up and said to the master:
"Father, don't be angry. Third brother is young after all, so it's good for him to go out and gain some experience. I will send more people tomorrow to look for him. If they find him, I will have them protect him secretly. Let him train outside for two years. However, this God of Medicine has a close relationship with the prince, so it's better to keep it a secret for the time being that Third brother wants to take God of Medicine as his master."
After hearing what Xiao Jun said, the master's expression eased a little, and he said solemnly:
"Jun'er, don't worry about him. I'll just pretend I don't have this son."
When the eldest wife heard this, a smile flashed across her face, but she did not try to persuade her any further.
The old lady glanced at the master and said:
"Let's do as Jun'er wants. As for Yun'er's decision to become his disciple, firstly, the Medicine God may not accept him as his disciple. Secondly, it's because of the Crown Prince. Although we have protected the Crown Prince, this matter is not easy to publicize. I have never mentioned it in the mansion. Everyone just listen to it."
As she spoke, she glanced at the maids and servants around her, and everyone responded quickly.
"It's getting late, please serve the food."
…
Xiao Jun and Meng Xi were both sitting in a sedan chair, and four servants were carrying the sedan chair slowly towards Xiaoxiang Courtyard. Xiao Jun glanced at Meng Xi beside him, and saw that she was sitting there dignifiedly with her hands clasped in front of her, not looking sideways, and she really had the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. He sighed secretly that she was still so distant to him, and coughed lightly and asked:
"Xi'er, why don't you defend yourself against what your mother said today?"
Hearing the second master asking her, Mengxi's body stiffened for a moment, she glanced at him, and said calmly:
"Mother, what you said is true, and I have no way to argue."
Listening to Mengxi's nonchalant words, Xiao Jun found them particularly harsh, especially when she called herself a maid or concubine. He remembered asking her to change her words before leaving, but she couldn't change it. She seemed to be more assertive.
Looking at her thoughtfully, Mengxi also looked at him calmly. The air was silent for a moment. The sedan chair arrived at Xiaoxiang Courtyard and stopped. A maid had already opened the curtain of the sedan chair outside. Xiao Jun stood up and walked down. Mengxi was about to stand up, but she saw that the Second Master had already stepped on the ground, but his body stopped, and he said with his back to her:
“What my mother said is not true”
