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The 122nd time

  Do you know? Do you know? Should be green fat red thin. Do you know? Should be green fat red thin Episode 122

  She suddenly flew into a rage, Gu Ting Ye galloped around De Shun Zhai, an old shop that had been around for a hundred years, and brought back a plump crystal sugar-glazed pork knuckle wrapped in green lotus leaves. The aroma of the braised meat wafted out, making Ming Lan's eyes widen in surprise.

  She couldn't help but glance around, seeing that no one was looking, she pounced on the braised pork shoulder and took a big bite. Then she rolled up her sleeves and compared her arms, Minglan smiled with satisfaction, pursing the corner of her mouth; afterwards, she waved her hand to call Xiao Tao, letting her take the pork shoulder to the kitchen to slice it, one half as usual was left for Ge Mama and the others to learn from, and the other half was added to the dinner menu.

  Who would have thought that at this moment, Gu Tingyan happened to return from the outer study room and saw Xiaotao running on the corridor with a lotus leaf wrapped around her elbow. He couldn't help but stop her, went over to take a look, and suddenly his face turned green like the lotus leaf: On the oily and smooth braised pork knuckle, there were two rows of small, round, and deep tooth marks, very vicious.

  The meaning is self-evident.

  Gu Tingyan looked up at the sky, feeling both angry and amused.

  That night at dinner, Minglan kept going back to the braised pork belly dish, getting happier and more enthusiastic with each bite. She even urged her husband to try some. Gu Tingye couldn't help but glance over at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. But Minglan didn't notice, too busy devouring the dish. The flavor of this hundred-year-old braising liquid was truly renowned for its richness and depth, and she ended up finishing off the whole plate by herself.

  As a result, she started to feel unwell that night, her stomach was bloated and uncomfortable, and she lay on the bed with tears in her eyes, sobbing softly. Gu Ting Ye had his black hair scattered, wearing a loose snow-white robe, revealing his robust chest, after dismissing everyone else, he himself held a cup of digestive tea, coaxing Ming Lan to drink, but Ming Lan couldn't bring herself to drink it.

  Gu Tingyan saw that she was in distress, and in her anxiety, she almost went to find the imperial physician in the middle of the night. She was held back by Minglan, who grasped her sleeve and sobbed: "If outsiders find out I've eaten too much, I...I...I'll be so humiliated!"

  Gu Tingyan paced back and forth in the house, her face cold with anger, scolding: "You're so greedy! You actually ate half a ham in one breath! Go ask around the whole city, which lady or young mistress is as gluttonous as you!"

  Minglan stroked her plump belly, sobbing and hiccuping softly, looking like a little squirrel that had eaten too much. She covered her face and whimpered in a low voice, feeling both wronged and ashamed: "…Who told you to bite me?"

  Gu Tingyan became even angrier, glaring with his eyes and scolding: "You're a coward who takes advantage of the weak and fears the strong! You don't dare to bite me, you only dare to bite my thigh!"

  Minglan hung her small head low, secretly scolding herself.

  Because Minglan was uncomfortable lying flat, Gu Tingye had no choice but to hold her half-reclining on the couch, one hand massaging her belly while muttering curses under his breath. Minglan slept fitfully, and in a daze, she only saw the intricately carved stone incense burner on the table, surrounded by swirling clouds of green smoke, with the sound of the man's steady heartbeat beside her ear.

  In the daze, she suddenly felt very at ease and reliable.

  The next day, before dawn, Gu Tingyan was about to get up for his early morning court session. Just as he was about to get out of bed, he suddenly felt a tightness at the opening of his robe. He looked down and saw a small white jade-like hand tightly grasping his robe's hem. The transparent fingernails had turned a faint pinkish color due to the slight exertion, resembling the delicate petals of a begonia flower.

  It was almost midnight, and Minglan was sleeping soundly. Her pale face with a hint of redness had a peaceful expression. Gu Tingye felt an inexplicable joy, he leaned down to gently kiss the small white fist, carefully untied her sash, and quietly left after removing his clothes.

  After the sky was completely bright, Minglan finally got up from bed with a yawn and suddenly found that she was holding a shirt in her hand, which had a strong smell of man on it. Minglan was stunned for a moment, Danju looked over at her, then looked at Minglan's face again, and couldn't help but laugh: "Miss, if you say Master treats you...it's really extremely good."

  Minglan was taken aback and smiled wistfully: "Yes."

  Day by day, the courtyard and backyard gradually took shape. Minglan began to prepare for the opening banquet of the mansion, and Ningyuan Houfu also sent someone over to ask if they needed any help.

  Minglan was busy and flustered, but as soon as she saw the servant sent by Old Madame, she immediately became straightforward and asked for the list of dishes, the old rules for holding banquets in Ningyuan Marquis's residence, and also asked for tables, chairs, wine vessels, bowls, plates, cups, etc.

  Smiling in response to her mother, she went back and forth between the Ningyuan Marquis's residence and the Gu residence, chatting with Minglan along the way.

  "...So, Madame Eldest isn't in the capital these past few years?" Minglan smiled as she held a cup of refreshing chrysanthemum tea infused with wolfberry - the recipe was given by Old Madame He, and come to think of it, she had never met Gu Tingyan, the eldest illegitimate daughter of the main branch.

  "It's true." Turning to her mother, she took a sip of tea and said: "The Feng family is also a scholarly family. My eldest sister's husband is currently serving in Fujian, and my eldest sister has gone with him."

  Minglan lowered her head to drink tea, suddenly lightly raised her head and smiled: "Don't be afraid of mother laughing at me, after saying it for half a day, I still don't know whether to call Big Aunt 'sister' or 'younger sister'."

  She glanced at her mother and replied: "Big Auntie is four months older than Second Master."

  "Then I should call out 'Big Sister'." Minglan's heart skipped a beat, her face still smiling warmly - Gu Tingyan's birth mother was a deceased concubine. Da Qinshi had indeed left a hidden card.

  "Does the second lady have a draft of the banquet guest list?" she asked her mother tentatively, "If there's anything unclear, just ask Lady Tai, so as to avoid delaying relatives at that time."

  Minglan put down her teacup, gently placing her hands on her knees, with a beautiful posture. She smiled and said: "Mother said so, I'm also afraid of being too lavish. I've already asked Big Sister to ask the housekeeper to send over a list of our family's usual relatives... However, the Duke said that since there are many things going on in the imperial court these days, it's better for us to be more frugal and not make too much of a show. Just inviting a few close relatives will do."

  She flashed a glance at her mother and smiled, "What the second master said is naturally reasonable," she paused for a moment, then smiled again, "I don't know if the people sent by the second mistress are still used to it? Whether it's the eldest lady or the fourth or fifth old lady, they all send trusted people from their side."

  "It's all right, it's all right." She made a gesture to Danju, who immediately brought over a book and handed it to Minglan. Minglan flipped through several pages before handing them to Mama Yu, whose face changed color as soon as she saw them.

  "It's nothing, really. An orange tree grown in the south of Huai River is an orange, while one grown in the north of Huai River is a trifoliate orange. I suppose it's because my master's virtue isn't great enough to awe them."

  ……

  "Did she really say that?" In the quiet inner chamber, Madame Qin held a string of Buddhist beads and sat upright in front of the Buddha altar.

  She whispered to her mother, "Those few useless ones, in just a few days, they've already gotten hold of so many handles. They're gambling, embezzling the maid's monthly wages, secretly passing things out of the house... everything is written clearly, with their own signatures and fingerprints below, and there are even witness statements recorded on the side. I'm looking at it with a racing heart."

  The room was next to a flower garden, and a fragrance wafted through the window. The old lady frowned and said, "You've been going to that mansion frequently these past few days, what do you think of it?"

  "It seems there are some rules." She said in a low voice, fiddling with the incense burner's ashes with her jade hairpin, "I secretly asked around and found that although the second mistress appears kind and easy-going, she is actually very strict. Just take her main courtyard as an example, all the maids have been assigned tasks, every day at every hour in every place there is a schedule of who is on duty, written clearly in black ink on white paper, during which time they are not allowed to play or joke around. Especially those few rooms in the main house and inner chambers, ordinary people can't enter casually, someone is always guarding them, no one can approach within ten steps outside the room, even if it's a maid from the same courtyard, they can't just wander around."

  "Xiang's family also told me," Mother recalled, "their Chunyue, oh, the original Mingyue, she was punished twice in a row these days. Once for entering the main house without permission, and once for wandering outside the house for half a day. Chunyue has been expelled from the main courtyard now."

  The old lady suddenly opened her eyes and a faint smile appeared on her lips: "She's clever after all, she was indeed raised by the young lady of the Marquis' manor."

  She shook her head and said, "This woman is quite good at rewarding and punishing, saying one thing and doing another. She rewards heavily and punishes severely; every time she metes out punishment, she explains the reason why, and if someone tries to deny or quibble, they are punished even more severely. If there's a valid excuse, she can be lenient. In these past few days, everyone in the mansion, from the managers to the lowest servants, has been obedient and respectful, turning the whole place into an iron fortress, where nothing gets out and it's hard to get any news; alas... I'm afraid it will be even harder to get information in the future. Alas, I never thought that at such a young age, and as a concubine-born child, she would have such power and endurance!"

  The old lady's expression gradually became serious and cold, and she sneered: "I thought I had brought in the first sheep, but unexpectedly... humph, how did they get along as a couple?"

  "It's hard to say." He hesitated, turning to his mother, "When things are good, they're inseparable, but they also often quarrel. The second master sometimes yells at people so loudly that it can be heard outside the house. Yesterday, he even scolded a maid standing next to the second mistress. I couldn't find out what it was about... However, the second master is willing to discuss everything with the second mistress, and she is also allowed to enter both the inner and outer study rooms."

  The old lady frowned, her knuckles white as she grasped her rosary: "Is she with child?"

  "It was just then that she hadn't yet." He forced a bitter smile towards his mother, "Before Chunyue was driven out, she had just washed and changed... but it was also during those few days that Second Master stayed in her room."

  After finishing the sentence, Mrs. Ta didn't ask any more questions, she just closed her eyes and quietly meditated, standing still beside her mother. After a long while, Mrs. Ta suddenly opened her eyes and smiled lightly: "Now I have come to admire someone."

  "Who did you say?"

  "Father-in-law, Old Master Sheng." The old lady patted her knee and smiled, "At first, I didn't understand why such a big dowry was given to marry the eldest daughter to the Wen family, but instead took the concubine's daughter as a substitute. Now it seems that Father-in-law is a very understanding person."

  "What can we do now?" she asked her mother anxiously, "Ever since the second master found out about what happened back then, he's been holding a grudge!"

  "What's to be done?" The old lady smiled calmly, "Nothing needs to be done. Bai Shi isn't someone I killed, and even if he has grievances, it shouldn't be directed at me! Right now, the ones who should be anxious are Eldest Fourth and Eldest Fifth. After all, I hold a nominal position, as long as I don't make any mistakes, no one can do anything to me. Let's not worry, just watch how Eldest Fourth and Eldest Fifth will make a fuss."

  "Why are you still making things difficult for her?" asked towards mom in confusion, "Isn't it better to coax her well and make her believe in you, respect you, and cherish you?"

  The old lady slowly picked up the Buddhist beads: "She is a concubine, where does she have the courage to disobey her husband? Ting Ye has already been wary of me. The more I show kindness, the more he will suspect. So I might as well follow their speculation and trip them up a bit, which would make them feel at ease instead."

  "What... then?" she hesitated to ask her mother.

  The old lady carefully placed the Buddhist beads on the table in front of her, and smiled slowly at the Guanyin statue in the Buddhist shrine: "As a mother-in-law, it's necessary to make things difficult for the daughter-in-law, but do you need to choose this time? There is no hurry. Now she just relies on her youth and beauty, and has gained some favor, after this period of time, we will slowly plan again."

  I finally submitted the materials this morning and felt a sense of relief, but I don't know what the result will be.

  A week without visiting, and there's actually an extra yellow warning card. What's going on?! Don't brush up scores, don't use the same book review!

  Finally, I'd like to mention that from now on, I won't announce when updates will be made (to avoid being caught), but I can guarantee that as soon as I have time, I'll update. You all don't need to check during the day, it's definitely going to be updated at night.

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