After the lunch banquet, the young ladies all left their seats and made appointments to have fun together to aid digestion.
Watching the last young lady leave the flower hall, Chen Mingzhu pulled on Su Nansheng and said, "Come on, let's go to my courtyard. It's quiet there."
Actually, she used to mostly skip the banquets held at home. They were boring and uncomfortable. If it weren't for Su Nansheng being here today, she would have already made an appointment with Princess Huici to go out and play.
Seeing her carefree look, Su Nansheng sighed silently and said, "Since Aunt is already arranging a marriage for you, don't you want to know who the prospective grooms are and what kind of people they are?"
"Anyway, it's not up to me to decide who I'll marry. What's the use of knowing?" Chen Mingzhu looked completely indifferent.
Su Nansheng was taken aback. She had a point, but...
She glanced at Bitao, who had returned at some point, and said, "I wonder how Aunt is doing. Let's go and take a look."
"Ah, why?" Chen Mingzhu didn't understand. Why all of a sudden they had to go and see her mother.
Su Nansheng just smiled without saying a word.
It was, of course, to decide who she shouldn't marry.
...
After seeing off several ladies together, Chang Yi and Chen Wanrong returned to the main hall to chat.
"So big brother means he wants to form an alliance by marriage with Minister Zhou?"
The Minister of Revenue. It was indeed a well - matched family.
Chang Yi nodded. "The Zhou family is interested, so they sent someone in advance to convey a message to your big brother to test his attitude. Actually, Prince Huai also wants to form an alliance by marriage, but your big brother doesn't want to. Royal relatives naturally have many rules, and Mingzhu has such a straightforward personality. He's afraid she'll be wronged."
"Prince Huai? Isn't Mingzhu good friends with Princess Huici? If they become sisters - in - law, wouldn't it be even better? Princess Huici could also stand up for Mingzhu."
In Chen Wanrong's opinion, it would be the best if there was a familiar person in the husband's family.
"The princess will get married in the future. Besides, if those two get together all day long, who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause."
Chang Yi smiled helplessly and indulgently.
Those two little demons should not be together.
Just as she was thinking, one of the little demons came. "Mother, Aunt."
"Mother, Aunt." Su Nansheng curtsied.
Chang Yi waved for them to sit down, then looked at Chen Mingzhu. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you for a long time."
Chen Mingzhu just smiled but didn't say a word.
Seeing this, Chang Yi didn't ask anymore and continued, "You've come just in time. Mrs. Zhou should be back from changing her clothes soon. Let's have a chat."
Hearing this, Su Nansheng's heart skipped a beat.
On the way here, Bitao had quietly told her that the two people who were talking before were Mrs. Zhou, the Minister of Revenue's wife, and her maid.
Knowing who they were, Su Nansheng also understood why the marriage arrangement was so sudden.
In her previous life, Zhou Mingxuan, the eldest son of the Zhou family, was engaged around this time. But at that time, the girl he was engaged to was Zhao Qingyi.
Now that Zhao Bing had been demoted, the Zhou family naturally looked down on her. So they set their sights on Chen Mingzhu.
Su Nansheng lowered her eyes, thinking about how to talk to Chang Yi.
Regardless of other things, just based on what Mrs. Zhou had said before, this marriage could not be arranged.
Just as she was thinking, she heard some movement at the door.
"Mrs. Chen, the scenery in your garden is so beautiful. It made my eyes dazzled. I almost got lost."
Su Nansheng looked up. It was this voice. It was really her.
Chang Yi smiled on the surface. "I've been to your place before. It's no worse than mine. Don't tease me."
Mrs. Zhou looked at Chen Mingzhu with a smile. "It's been a while since I last saw you. Miss Mingzhu has grown even more beautiful."
Her voice was gentle, nothing like the harsh voice in front of the rockery. But it made Su Nansheng's scalp tingle.
A honey - tongued and venom - hearted person, that's exactly what she was.
Chen Mingzhu stood up and returned a smile, then looked at Su Nansheng for help. Let's escape quickly.
But Su Nansheng just shook her head slightly.
She couldn't leave because the problem with the Zhou family was not just that Mrs. Zhou was honey - tongued and venom - hearted.
Her gaze gradually moved to the maid beside Mrs. Zhou. In her previous life, the affair between Zhou Mingxuan and the maid in his mother's courtyard had been a laughingstock for a long time.
Su Nansheng looked up at Chen Wanrong and saw her looking at Chen Mingzhu with a gentle smile.
At this time, Mrs. Zhou took off a jade bracelet from her wrist, grabbed one of Chen Mingzhu's hands and said, "I like Miss Mingzhu at first sight. This jade bracelet is just a meeting gift."
Su Nansheng's heart tightened. Without hesitation, she stood up and said, "You like her at first sight, so you want to marry her into your family and keep her under strict control every day. Grinding her day by day, and then she'll surely become well - behaved."
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhou stiffened all over, then glared at Su Nansheng with a gloomy face. "Don't you know what 'calamity awaits the careless tongue' means? How can you talk such nonsense? What do you mean?"
Chang Yi and Chen Wanrong also immediately sat up straight and looked at Su Nansheng.
Su Nansheng met Mrs. Zhou's knife - like gaze and said coldly, "You know what I mean, Mrs. Zhou. Do you want me to make it even clearer?"
Saying that, she separated Mrs. Zhou's hand and stood in front of Chen Mingzhu. "We can't accept this jade bracelet. You'd better take it back."
Mrs. Zhou gave Su Nansheng a fierce look, then looked at Chang Yi. "Letting an unknown person talk nonsense here. Is this how Mrs. Chen treats her guests? Why don't you kick her out!"
She had never seen Su Nansheng in the Chen Mansion before, so she naturally regarded her as a meddling person.
Chang Yi stood up and instinctively wanted to say something, but was stopped by Chen Wanrong. "Mrs. Zhou, you came late and missed it. This is my daughter - in - law, Su Nansheng, that is, Mingzhu's cousin - sister - in - law."
Mrs. Zhou's face changed again. In a split - second, she made a decision and said coldly, "Since you don't want to accept this bracelet, then the matter we discussed before is off. Mrs. Chen, I take my leave."
After saying that, she turned around and left quickly.
Chang Yi quickly ordered someone to see Mrs. Zhou off, then looked at Su Nansheng. "Nansheng, what did you mean by your words just now? What on earth is going on?"
Chen Wanrong also looked curious. Su Nansheng had been gentle - spoken since she married into the family. It was the first time they saw her being so aggressive.
But she believed that Su Nansheng wouldn't cause trouble for no reason. That was why she stopped Chang Yi just now.
Since Chang Yi had asked, Su Nansheng repeated what she had heard before word for word. At the end, she said, "Bitao heard it too at that time."
Bitao immediately nodded. "This servant can testify for Madam."
Chen Wanrong, who had been looking cold - faced, couldn't help but smile. "There's no need for someone to testify. I naturally believe you."
"I believe you're doing this for my good!" Chen Mingzhu blinked her eyes.
So they all looked at Chang Yi. They saw her suddenly slap the table hard. "Good! I was just wondering why she ran away so fast. It turns out she was guilty. She's lucky she ran fast. Otherwise, I would have torn off her false mask."
Su Nansheng was taken aback. Was this still her dignified and virtuous aunt?
Chen Mingzhu just winked at her. Now you know who she got her personality from, right?