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  A pair of earrings with white jade inlaid with blue sapphire, Ming Xuan had never seen before, but she also felt that Dan Hong's hand holding the thing was a bit familiar. After thinking for a moment, she exclaimed in surprise, "Last year when grandmother celebrated her birthday, I seemed to see my sister-in-law wearing a hairpin of similar style, also with high-quality white jade as the base, and generally decorated with blue sapphires of this size."

  As soon as she finished speaking, Dan Hong hastily nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I was just about to say that I saw the young master's wife wear it before."

  The wife of Yongning Marquis's son, Guo Yuanhao, was Cai Shi, the daughter of Dongjun Taishou Cai Zixi. Her father had no title, and her grandfather was only a third-class earl, so in terms of family status, she wasn't quite a match. However, her mother was the Huian County Princess, conferred by the previous emperor, and also a member of the Zhou imperial family.

  Cai's family had a good reputation, and she was very steady and capable, so the old lady of Yongning Hou, Zhu Shi, decided to make her the mistress of the Gu family. She has been married for nine years, and has given birth to two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Shi Qin, is seven years old this year, the second daughter, He Jia, is five years old, and the youngest son, Shi Jian, is only three years old. Now she is still pregnant with another child in her belly.

  Four years ago, the third madam Lu died of a broken heart due to overexertion. At that time, Cai was pregnant with Gu Shiyan, so how could she be involved in this matter? She is the mistress of the Gu family and the future wife of Yongning Hou. Since marrying into the family, she has been destined to become the hostess. Ming Xuan couldn't understand why she would have any reason to harm Madam Lu.

  She thought for a while, but couldn't figure it out. After thinking about it some more, she asked, "In all the years you've been at the Gu's house, have you ever heard anything about the young master's wife's family?"

  Dan Hong shook her head, "I only know that the mother of the prince's wife is the county master of Huai'an, although it is a side branch of the royal family, but also can be considered as a relative of the imperial family. If the county master of Huai'an is more favored or if the governor of Dongjun has some achievements during his tenure, the prince's wife can also be granted the title of princess."

  She racked her brains, "Others, just heard that the Cai family and the Lu Guo Gong Luo family are old friends, this can be connected to this marriage, there is nothing else."

  Ming Xuan furrowed her brow, spreading out the lone earring on her palm. She gazed at it for a while before saying, "First, put this away for me. Don't spread the word about this matter for now. Let's think of a way to investigate the owner of this earring first. We've waited four years; what's the harm in waiting a bit longer?"

  She hadn't expected that after so long, the first person to be implicated in the case of the three-room Lu's wife would actually be Cai Shi, the wife of the young master of the Gu family from Yongning Hou Fu. Her relationship with this elder sister-in-law wasn't particularly close, but despite only meeting a few times, her impression was still quite good.

  Cai's demeanor was elegant and generous, she was kind and gentle in her interactions with others, but when handling matters, she was extremely cautious and astute. Compared to her elder sister-in-law, Luo, she had a more refined and dignified air of a noble lady, and she took care of every detail meticulously.

  She treated Madame Luo with great respect and humility, always standing behind her and never speaking out of turn. When asked a question, she would respond briefly and to the point. With Ming Xuan and Ming Juan, who were separated from her by only a thin wall, she was considerate but not overly familiar. In short, she had a keen sense of propriety in all her interactions. As for her husband, Guo Yuanhao, it goes without saying that he held a special place in her heart; although the young master of Yongning House had two concubines, only his legitimate wife, Cai Shi, had borne him two sons and one daughter.

  Such a person would not easily shed blood unless there was an unavoidable reason.

  Ming Xuan was deep in thought, unable to come up with a solution. At this moment, she felt extremely tired and weak, so she had no choice but to put the problem aside for now. She gently massaged her temples while shaking her head slightly, "We should have returned to the Town National Duke's mansion yesterday, delayed by one day, I don't know how much trouble will arise again. It seems that it can't be delayed any longer, but Xiao Suman has just left... Forget it, after a while, take some more silver and leave it for Xiaosu, let her siblings handle their mother's funeral in a more dignified manner."

  Dan Hong hastily agreed, with a hint of regret and melancholy in his tone. "Just now, Xiaosu's spirit was gone, so I gave Uncle Luo ten taels of silver to help with the arrangements. Later, when we leave, I'll add another tael of silver to the account, saying it's from you for Xiaosu's younger brother as a keepsake. What do you think?"

  The life of a slave is like a blade of grass, and there are also various strict rules at the funeral. Xiaosu's body was placed in the mourning hall, except for the people from the Zhuangzi, no other relatives or friends could go to mourn, even if they followed the highest etiquette to hold the funeral, it would only cost a few taels of silver, and holding an overly grand funeral would be inappropriate.

  Ming Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, let's just see how things go."

  She raised her head and looked at the sky, a fish belly white color appeared on the eastern horizon, "It must be around 5 am, I should go in and take a look at Master."

  Dan Hong suddenly thought of what the yellow-clad girl had just said, opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated for a moment, seeing Ming Xuan's figure gradually walking further away, she could only swallow back the words she wanted to say.

  Ming Xuan returned to the inner room, Pei Jingchen had already gotten up, he was leaning against the bed frame, his hands were grasping the bedside trying to prop himself up, as if attempting to start walking again.

  When he saw Ming Xuan come in, he opened his eyes and asked, "I heard that there was crying and noise outside, what happened?"

  Ming Xuan sighed softly, "Xiao Su's mother just passed away."

  Someone died, it's not a pleasant topic anyway, she didn't continue talking about it.

  Pei Jingchen naturally wouldn't ask, he glanced at Ming Xuan, and a bright smile suddenly bloomed on his handsome face. "I tried it just now, although my legs are still weak, but with some effort, they can move! Come, watch me walk."

  He fumbled his way closer to Ming Xuan, placing both hands on her shoulders and tightly wrapping them around her neck. He then buried his head in the crook of her shoulder, lowering his voice as he said, "Take two steps back, don't take too big of a stride, I'll try to follow your footsteps."

  Ming Xuan's expression was serious and tense, her hands involuntarily clenched tightly around his body, then lightly moved her steps, with a nervous and hopeful heart, she tentatively tried to move backwards, watching him intently as he first stepped out with his right foot, paused, and then brought out his left foot, finally taking the first step with great difficulty, yet with an unshakeable stability.

  If it weren't for Pei Jingchen's body still leaning on her with some strength, she would have burst into tears of joy and had a good cry. For these few months, although she had never said a word against Pei Jingchen's leg, the pressure she carried in her heart was very heavy.

  She wouldn't mind having a disabled husband, but she's afraid that her legless husband would become self-abandoned because of this, even though he appears to be so optimistic. However, deep down in her heart, she is always secretly afraid that his optimism is just a facade, and that he has been hiding all the grievances, distress, pain, and resentment inside him, not wanting to worry her.

  At this moment, all the worries and thoughts she had been carrying on her back for months seemed to have been put down at once. She wanted to cry, but realizing that her husband was still struggling, she forcibly held back the strong acid hot intention in the corner of her eyes, nose, throat, and chest, and firmly supported Pei Jingxuan's waist with an unyielding determination, slowly retreating backwards in a more suitable rhythm for him.

  A brief ten steps, yet seemingly as long-lasting as a lifetime.

  Pei Jingchen had already pinned Ming Xuan against the white wall, he lifted his head, his excited eyes filled with intense emotions. "Xuan, this isn't an illusion, I can really move now, finally, I can move again. If I practice every day, in a few more days, I'll be able to be like before again, right?"

  He hugged Ming Xuan's neck, like a happy child, and kissed and bit her earlobe and cheek, "Ah Xuan, I'm so delighted, I'm so delighted!"

  Ming Xuan let out a long sigh of relief, and her soft white hands climbed up his back to gently pat him, "En, I'm also very happy."

  She paused, her tone suddenly becoming stern again. She pushed his head away from her neck and looked at him seriously with a solemn expression, "But the master said to rest for a few days before starting to practice slowly. The remaining poison was only cleared yesterday morning, and it's only been one day. If you rush, you won't achieve your goal. What if something goes wrong?"

  Pei Jing Xuan stared at Ming Xuan, who was blowing up, for a long time, and suddenly burst out laughing. His lips were printed on her forehead and the corner of her eye. "Ah Xuan, I'm too happy. From now on, I'll listen to everything you say. If you tell me to lie down, I'll lie down. If you want me to practice, I'll practice."

  His gaze was like water, becoming increasingly gentle, making Ming Xuan feel as if she were melting.

  Under the ambiguous atmosphere, Ming Xuan's face suddenly turned red. She avoided that scorching gaze and said in a low voice, "I've asked Dan Hong and Chang Geng to prepare the horse carriage. The things here can be left behind for now. If we don't feel comfortable staying at the manor after the New Year, we can move back here."

  She paused, "However, we are going back to the Town National Public House for the New Year. My brother brought that yellow-robed girl, but how should she be arranged? If I leave her alone here, I'm a bit worried. Whether it's her causing trouble or someone bothering her, it's not something that can be explained in a few words... and I don't want my brother to worry..."

  It's the New Year, and the mansions of the nobles in Shengjing City are always the busiest. Gu Yuanchao is now a favorite of the Emperor, and it seems that he will soon replace Han Xiu as the most powerful minister. Not only is he busy with court affairs, but also with the constant banquets between officials. And then there's the matter of the Yongning Marquis' household, where would he have time to care about Huang Yiniang?

  Even if he has a mind to, but now he is the emperor's close minister. Those who want to climb up his high branch have sharpened their heads and are eager to get close to him. No matter where he goes, there will be a large group of people with ulterior motives paying attention to his movements, making it not an easy task to extricate himself.

  Pei Jingchen's eyes sank slightly, and after a while, he raised his head. "If the yellow-robed girl is willing, it would be possible to invite her to Zhen Guo Gong Fu for a visit."

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