After that, Minglan seemed to have taken a deep breath. No matter how vivid the news about Zhang Gu's defeat and death was spread outside, she just slept well and fed every day, and continued to take walks; after three or four days of appointments,
The Tu brothers came back from outside, and a pair of dusty mothers were escorted in the carriage. ~
Tu Long stood in the corridor, cupped his hands and said: "Madam, we have returned from Mr. Liu's place. According to Madam's instructions, the brothers who got the person each gave twenty taels. Now that the person has been brought, I just handed it over.
Yu Cui’s mother has it in her hands.”
Minglan stood upright in the inner hall, supporting her waist with one hand, "Thank you, Mr. Butcher."
The Tu brothers bowed their hands without looking sideways and said goodbye in unison.
Xiaotao supported Minglan and walked out slowly, followed by Luzhi and others. Everyone walked through the long corridor and passed through the hanging flower door on the side. The surroundings suddenly became silent, not a single sound of laughter or words was heard, only the rustling of insects.
Songbirds chirp.
Coming to a remote room, Minglan walked in and saw that it was bare, with only an imperial chair at the front and a few beside it, and there were no other furnishings. Cui's mother led a few stout women to stand around and looked at her with regret.
Staring at the mother standing in the room.
Minglan sat down firmly, put her arms lightly on the armrests, and said with a smile: "I wanted to say, 'I'm fine', but when I saw you today, you are more than ten years older than before. They say that Mianzhou's soil and water nourish people, you
Why is it getting worse and worse?"
Mannia slowly raised her head, her hair was messy, her face was haggard, and she was dressed in shabby clothes, her old age could not be concealed. She said in a low voice: "We are just prostitutes, no more noble than Madam, we are younger and more beautiful than before.
."
Minglan raised her eyebrows, turned her head and said to the boy beside her: "Brother Chang, do you know me?"
The boy was about □ years old, fair-looking, but with a thin frame. He held his mother's sleeves tightly with both hands, lowered his head, and quickly raised his head when he heard the words. His face was full of wariness and hatred. When he touched Minglan's gaze, he looked down.
, quickly bowed his head again.
Minglan never missed the look in his eyes, she just sighed softly and said: "Mother Cui, ask someone to send Brother Chang to the west wing to have snacks, and then ask Sister Rong to come over. They haven't seen each other for many years.
Already."
Before the boy could struggle to resist, four strong women on both sides pounced on him, two of them grabbed Manniang to prevent her from moving, and the other two picked up Chang Geer, held him tightly, and quickly walked out of the door.
Minglan smiled at Mannia and said, "Don't worry, for my own sake, I won't let my brother get into trouble in the house. I sent him out just because I want to have a good talk with you."
Mannia was unwilling to give in, but she also knew that Minglan was telling the truth, so she stopped struggling. At this time, two women in charge came in, one carrying a high chair, and the other holding a bundle of cloth.
Minglan clapped her hands three times, and the two women quickly took action. Several other strong women joined forces, either hugging their legs to wrench, or pressing their heads against their abdomens. In a moment, Mannia was firmly tied to the chair; then the women filed out.
, only three of them, Cui’s mother and Xiao Tao Luzhi, were left in the house.
Mannia's arms, back, and even legs were fixed to her body as if they were welded with iron. Her toes were three inches off the ground, and her whole body could not move. She cried: "When we came in just now, our mother had already been searched.
, I don’t have anything on me, how can I stay here, madam?”
Minglan said calmly: "It's nothing. (·~) I'm just afraid that if you master the Bronze Head and Iron Bone Kung Fu, you might turn around and kowtow, breaking my floor tiles."
Mannia knew that Minglan meant what happened back then, so she choked up and cried sadly: "...Madam, I was wrong last time. It's all my fault that I was confused. I listened to the Mrs. Tai's sweet words and dared to attack the Mrs.. Thinking about it afterwards.
, Madam was pregnant at that time, if anything goes wrong, I will be totally responsible..."
She spoke with tears streaming down her face, and when she was so emotional, she just wished she could kowtow a few times and make some bloodshot eyes appear on her forehead.
Minglan had no expression on her face and interrupted her: "I told you to save your energy. No matter how pitiful you cry, will I do this to you? You and I know what happened in the past. The mother-in-law who is guarding outside,
We are all ten steps away from this house, and there are only a few of us in the house."
She pointed at Cui's mother and a few others, and said jokingly: "Even if I tell them that you are dancing naked in the house, they will still say it. So..." She smiled, "Let's spread out and talk.
Come on, you can be clean when you leave this house."
Mannia put away her tears, slowly wiped away the moisture in her eyes, and said coldly, "Okay, people in the light don't tell secrets. As soon as our mother entered the Qilin Gate in the capital, she was told to take it down; Madam is really good at it, even the servants can do it
Send as you please."
Minglan smiled slightly: "You have made two mistakes. First, those are not ordinary guards, but the garrison guarding the city; second, there is no way I can move the guards. That is what the Marquis specially ordered before leaving the house.
Instructions to Lord Liu Zhengjie."
Mannia's expression suddenly changed and she said tremblingly: "...You mean, Erlang, he asked people to arrest me...?"
"Earlier, the Marquis said that if you dared to make trouble again, you would be rude; but you refused to believe it." Minglan was disgusted by her infatuated and disbelieving look.
"But you are also capable. It took only a few days for the news to reach the front, but you got the letter, and then rushed to the capital day and night... When you were sent back to Mianzhou by the Marquis that day, you must have left a tip-off in the capital.
." While he was being escorted out crying, he was able to keep his eyes and ears in advance. Minglan really admired his ability and courage.
Mannia said coldly: "Madam, please stop praising the slave family. Madam's eyes and ears are indispensable in the countryside."
Minglan smiled and said: "You are wrong again. It is true that people often come to report your mother's situation, but it is not my order to call you, but the intention of the Marquis. The person who reported the news arrived a few days earlier than you, and then I pressed
Report the Marquis’s instructions to Mr. Liu, and then..."
"After that, there were officers and soldiers waiting for our mother at the gate of the city." Mannia sneered, and immediately said, "How do you plan to punish our mother now?"
Minglan raised her eyebrows: "It's wrong again. It's my turn to ask you why you came to Beijing?"
Mannia raised her neck and laughed until the veins on her neck popped out. After that, she said coldly: "We are still husband and wife! Erlang's life and death are uncertain in the front, but you are sitting here properly! Erlang treats you so well, you
Do you have a heart or not?"
Minglan thought carefully and said, "Then what should I do?"
Mannia said loudly: "What do I have to say? Hurry up to the officialdom to find some help and see if you can save Erlang's life; or ask if there is anyone familiar with you in the northwest; and... enter the palace to meet the saint, wearing his hair.
I beg the emperor to look at Erlang’s past achievements and forgive him for this defeat!” ~
Minglan couldn't help it anymore, she covered her mouth and laughed, laughing so hard that she couldn't straighten her waist, "You still take the teachings in the opera seriously?
It took a long time to stop, and she gasped with a smile: "Firstly, now that the army is out in force, where can there be other troops? Can't you ask Mr. Liu to take the garrison guarding the capital to the northwest? Secondly, the important town in the northwest, the military country
Not even the civil servants can inquire about important matters, let alone me, a woman. Let alone cause trouble! Thirdly, so far, the Holy Emperor has not issued any decree, and even the censor has not spoken, so what kind of favor can I ask for!
"
Mannia's face turned livid at her smile, she gritted her teeth and said sharply: "My lady has a crystal heart, she is extremely smart, but she is not as infatuated with Erlang as I am, and she is so messed up!"
"Infatuated? Don't be ridiculous. How are you going to punish you as the Marquis?"
Mannia's face suddenly changed: "He, he..."
Minglan said quietly: "The Marquis said at the beginning that if you dare to be nagging again, you will never be asked to see Brother Chang again in this life?"
Mannia screamed: "You will never leave our mother!"
"It's not me. The Marquis has no intention of letting me dirty my hands." Minglan shook her head slowly, "According to the Marquis's wishes, as soon as Mr. Liu catches you, he will immediately send Brother Chang away and choose a kind and well-off family to raise him.
.I asked Mr. Liu to send you here so that Sister Rong could see her brother again."
"...What about...me?" Mannia was stunned.
Minglan said coldly: "Can't you see it? If Mr. Hou had the intention, how could your mother be away from Mianzhou? But Mr. Hou only asked people to look after Brother Gu Chang, and he never stopped you in the slightest. Why is this? Hou
I don’t care what you do at all! When Brother Chang is sent away, you can die wherever you like!” Eh? Is this considered fishing and law enforcement?
Mannia shook her head desperately, howled loudly, and said repeatedly: "Erlang will not treat me like this! No! No way..." It was only then that she became afraid, and cried for a long time, then suddenly raised her head and stared straight at
She looked at Minglan and begged in a low voice, "Madam, it's just me who is stupid and ignorant. Please bring Brother Chang into the house! Madam treats Sister Rong so well, so she can educate him well!"
"There's no need for me to teach him. Didn't you say that you would die without a baby? But now you are willing to do so." Minglan looked at her lightly, with a hint of ridicule at the corner of his mouth, "It seems that in the past few years, you have taught me
Brother Dechang is very good."
Teach him hatred, teach him revenge, teach him to always mention his biological mother to Gu Tingye, teach him how to 'get along' with his biological brothers.
Mannia's eyes shrank for a moment, and soon she looked sad again: "Without my mother, I have to be in front of my father at least! He is an honest boy, and he will be filial to his wife in the future...".
"Brother Chang will definitely not be able to enter the mansion and return to the clan." Minglan said, "These are the Marquis's original words."
Mannia's eyes were full of hatred and she roared in a low voice: "You're a vicious person, it's all nonsense! You must have been the instigator, how could Erlang be so cruel to our mother!"
Minglan looked at her for a while and said slowly: "Why do you think the Marquis wanted to bring Brother Chang into the house? Because in that fashion, no one knew who the Marquis was going to marry. Brother Chang was young, so I thought you were not as good as my son.
What. When the child comes into the house and is educated slowly, he may still be saved - but I asked you to deny it. Later, Mr. Marquis told me that with a mother like you to teach me, it would be fine, and I don’t think you will do any harm.
My biological son, but I can never rest assured that Brother Chang will be with the child I gave birth to. The so-called inability to guard against it is that only those who have been thieves for thousands of years can't guard against thieves for thousands of years."
Mannia felt as if she had been stabbed hard in the heart, her face was as pale as before, and she murmured, 'I don't believe it, I don't believe it, you are the one who made me angry, Erlang must still miss our mother' and so on.
Minglan didn't laugh. She saw Mannia deceiving herself. After a while, she said in a low voice: "Today, I have too many things to do, so I asked you to choose a path for Brother Chang again." She sighed, "As long as you agree, I will be the best in this life."
If I don’t leave Mianzhou, and if I don’t waste my time with him, I will beg the Marquis to send Brother Chang to the Chang family for upbringing."
Mannia raised her head blankly: "...Mother Chang?"
Minglan nodded: "A few days ago, I told Aunt Chang. She said that instead of asking strangers to raise Brother Chang, it would be better for her to raise Brother Chang. After all, Sister Yan is already married, and Brother Nian
My son is busy studying day and night, so wouldn't it be nice for her to have some free time all the time?"
What a kind old man, he couldn't bear the child to suffer, Minglan sighed in her heart, and then said: "You also know the way Grandma Chang is, no matter how righteous it is; let's see how motivated the grandson she raised is, Brother Chang
My son will definitely be successful in the future."
Mannia said after a while: "What if I break my promise?"
Minglan blinked and smiled: "As God testifies, as long as you agree, I will not ask you to break your promise."
Mannia's heart tightened. Looking at Minglan's gentle smile, she felt a chill for no reason - she knew the meaning of these words. Once she agreed, she would be immediately escorted back to Mianzhou. With the power of Ningyuan Hou Mansion,
As long as he spoke a few words to the local officials, he would be in jail, unable to leave the ravine for eternity.
Minglan saw that Mannia's face was uncertain, and she seemed to be at war in her heart. She smiled and said, "How about it? I've thought about it."
Mannia spat disdainfully and snorted coldly: "You have a lotus tongue, but I don't believe you! I want to see Erlang, and he will definitely not betray our mother!"
Minglan was slightly disappointed and sighed: "Brother Chang... well, that's all, he was born to you just because of the wishes of the Marquis."
She stood up slowly, helped Xiaotao leave, and never wanted to look at this selfish and cold woman again.
Returning to the room, I saw Tuan Geer with his fleshy little fat legs crossed, struggling to pull on a pair of nine-ring rings made of polished brass. When he saw his mother coming back, he immediately dropped the nine-ring rings and stood up from the kang unsteadily.
, and opened her arms with a milky voice - "...Mother..."
This time I called him right. Minglan's heart was full of softness and warmth. She held her son in her arms for a long time. Seeing that the little fat boy was showing signs of climbing up with his mother, Cui's mother hurried over and hugged him away.
Minglan was lying on the kang, smiling as she watched the little fat girl rolling around on the soft cushions. She was so naughty and tired that she spread out her limbs and fell asleep with her belly stretched out.
Minglan looked at her sweet sleeping face and felt inexplicably sad - in fact, it might be safer to send Brother Chang to an unknown place to be raised by a reliable family; besides, raising a child is so labor-intensive, it's really
She couldn't bear to ask Aunt Chang to clean up this mess for the Gu family. Alas, why bother herself and cause trouble for herself.
It's just...not all women in this world are qualified to be mothers.
After taking a break, Luzhi hurried in and reported in a low voice: "Madam, Brother Chang... and his mother have been handed over to Mr. Liu." Cui's mother listened and sighed: "Mr. Liu is really troublesome.
, it’s just... it’s just a family scandal that has been made public.”
Minglan couldn't help but snort, secretly thinking about doing Liu Zhengjie's job. He didn't know the private affairs of any of the civil and military officials.
"Where's Sister Rong?"
Lu Zhi couldn't hide her excitement. Because she was afraid that Minglan would talk about her, she had to try her best to act calmly: "Brother Chang has long since recognized Miss Rong, and our eldest daughter couldn't coax her for a long time. The two siblings sat in silence.
, then...the woman came...the mother and daughter closed the door and talked, but then they started to quarrel, and Miss Rong ran back to the house crying. I heard that she is still crying now."
Minglan was silent.
Luzhi could only continue talking to himself, "According to the order of the Marquis, Brother Chang was sent away all the way, and the woman was driven out of the capital the other way. The soldier sent by Mr. Liu was having a drink with Manager Hao, and he felt a little enlightened.
A few words, saying that if I see that woman again, I will immediately send her to serve in the desert."
Minglan continued to be silent. Gu Tingye once said that in the past, the few brothers who knew about it were mostly generous, but Liu Zhengjie often ridiculed his wife's benevolence. He should continue to do so, and he will be troubled in the future. Others may still show mercy to Mannia, but
But Liu Zhengjie was definitely not polite - he just entrusted him with it.
Just as she was feeling unhappy, someone suddenly reported to Tu Long asking to see her. Minglan was slightly startled and said hurriedly: "Please go outside to talk." Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps, Tu Long stood outside and whispered: "I'm disturbing Madam's rest.
Okay, I have something to report."
Minglan waved gently, Cui's mother carefully picked up Xiaopang and entered the inner room. Luzhi stood by the door and said crisply through the curtain: "Master Butcher, please speak, madam is listening."
Tu Long said: "I feel something is wrong while I'm investigating in the market this time. There are no clear reports on military and state affairs ahead, so why are they spreading? The guy who reported the news to Mianzhou is not necessarily well-informed, so why?
…So fast…?"
He said it very tactfully, but Minglan understood it immediately. As soon as he thought about it, his heart was shocked, and he screamed, "What Mr. Tu said makes sense! I am in this mountain, and I never thought of this place!"
She had also wondered about the source of the news of the defeat, but she had never thought about it in the opposite direction.
We must know that ancient society had little information, and was especially afraid of spreading false rumors and arousing instability in people's hearts. Like this time of using troops, even if the front line really suffered a huge defeat, it had to be covered up. But this time, why did the rumor spread so much?
"What does Mr. Tu mean...?" Minglan said hesitantly.
Tu Long said: "I can't tell. However, there seems to be instability in the capital recently. Master Liu also said this morning that there are many people fleeing the famine, most of whom are unidentified. I thought that the safety of the wife is always the most important, so it is better to transfer some people from the village.
A strong man who knows kung fu comes to visit the home and care for the home..."