bayedsolid Chapter 323 Chu Rong is here!
Chapter 323 Chu Rong is here!
The Mu family was bustling with excitement because of two pieces of good news.
Within an hour, representatives from various mansions came to offer their congratulations. Of course, the Chu family was among them.
When Mu Xin Nuan heard that the Chu family had also sent congratulatory gifts, her eyes flickered slightly. She wondered if Chu Rong had completely given up on her now. If they met again in the future, she wondered if his gaze towards her would be different.
Mu Qingxuan looked at her sister, lost in thought.
That day at the manor outside the city, he could tell that his sister wasn't without feelings for the Prince of Chang Le. He had initially thought his sister shouldn't fall for a prince, but now it seemed the Prince of Chang Le valued her quite a bit, having actually obtained a decree to grant her his favor.
Because it was an imperial decree of marriage, Mu Xin Nuan naturally could no longer stay in the front courtyard and returned to her own Yue Xuan early on. She was unaware of the congratulations from Jin Shi and the others.
However, it's probably easy to guess.
"Miss, something seems amiss in the west courtyard," said Granny Yu as she entered the room.
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy because you learned that the Emperor has decreed a marriage for you?"
"No, that's not it. When I came over, I saw the Second Madam talking to the Madam in front. It's quite lively outside right now, with people coming and going to give gifts, forming a long line."
Mu Xin Nuan chuckled, "Granny, you're exaggerating again, aren't you? You still haven't told me what happened to Second Uncle."
"Miss, the Third Miss seems to be working exceptionally hard lately. She's also become wiser and no longer makes a ruckus in her room. However, there seems to be something amiss with that Aunt Yang."
"What do you mean?"
"I heard that Consort Yang's diet has been very irregular lately. Moreover, I heard that she has already sent people out to prepare a midwife for herself."
"Oh?" Mu Xin Nuan smiled lightly. "She is indeed shrewd! However, this time, she probably did something foolish. Given my second aunt's temper, how could she allow her to find a midwife outside? I'm afraid that on the day of delivery, my second aunt will have her courtyard sealed off."
“What you say is true, Miss. However, I heard that the Second Madam seems to already know about this matter and has even tacitly approved of it.”
"Acquiesced?"
Mu Xin Nuan's expression darkened slightly. "My second aunt is always more cunning than my mother in this regard. Hehe, she even went to my mother for help with this matter?"
Granny Yu was taken aback and asked in surprise, "How did Miss know?"
"Just guessing. Given Second Aunt's jealous nature, how could she possibly tolerate that Concubine Yang? Having Mu Xinyi is already enough to make Second Aunt feel resentful, how could she possibly allow Concubine Yang to give birth to another illegitimate son for her?"
Rongyue nodded. "Besides, it seems that the Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master are both a bit disappointing these days. I heard that the Second Master gave the two brothers a severe scolding a couple of days ago because of their poor academic performance."
"Second Uncle is eager for his sons to succeed, and he's a bit impatient. Besides, he only has two legitimate sons, so naturally he hopes they can uphold the family name of the second branch in the future. If these two legitimate sons are not good enough, Second Uncle is afraid he can only rely on Concubine Yang to give him a son born out of wedlock, and then raise him properly."
"Really? There are two legitimate sons here. How could the Second Master possibly favor a son born out of wedlock?"
"What's impossible? Compared to the glory of a family and clan, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is not so important in some people's eyes."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled nonchalantly, "However, Second Aunt is now experiencing an unprecedented sense of crisis! She knows that Yang Shi is not someone to be trifled with, and I suspect she must have heard some rumors, otherwise she wouldn't be acting this way."
Granny Yu was taken aback. "Miss, do you mean that the Second Master intends to promote Concubine Yang?"
"It's not impossible. It just depends on whether the Yang family has the good fortune to have it."
"The Second Master is an official, after all. How could he do something so undignified? If Consort Yang had a good background, it would be one thing. But the problem is that she is just an orphan with no connections. If the Second Master is so kind to her, isn't he afraid of damaging his reputation?"
"Second Uncle is an easily influenced person. If he really cared about these things, how could he have allowed Second Aunt to covet our family's things when we returned to the manor? To put it bluntly, he is a short-sighted person, far inferior to Father!"
As Mu Xin Nuan finished speaking, she realized that her second uncle was more than just that!
The thought that they weren't born of the same mother made Mu Xin Nuan feel a bit uncomfortable. However, they were all her grandfather's bloodline after all, and Mu Xin Nuan didn't want to push her second uncle too hard. So she simply lost interest in the affairs of the second branch of the family and had no intention of interfering.
If it weren't for her grandfather's sake, how could Mu Xin Nuan have tolerated the second branch of the family continuing to cause trouble in the mansion?
Mu Xin Nuan's expression relaxed a bit. She thought about how Yang Shi's body was getting heavier and heavier, and that she would give birth in a few months. She was afraid that when that happened, her second aunt would settle accounts with her.
Mu Xin Nuan couldn't help but think of her mother. If Yang Shi begged her mother for help, would her mother protect her or not?
Mu Xin Nuan's sudden idea immediately perked her up.
Madam Yang was a shrewd woman. She had naturally anticipated that her childbirth would be extremely dangerous, otherwise she wouldn't have thought of finding a midwife outside!
Mu Xin Nuan's bright eyes darted around quickly. Yang Shi would definitely ask her mother for help. However, if her mother didn't agree, Yang Shi would definitely not give up. But if her mother did agree, it would be a family matter of the second branch of the family. Why would her mother need to get involved?
Ultimately, it will be the mother who will be in a difficult position.
After pondering for a while, Mu Xin Nuan called over Granny Yu and whispered a few instructions, which were nothing more than to find a way to stop Yang Shi from going to Jin Yuan. In addition, she also sent a message to her second aunt, saying that Yang Shi was trying to ask the eldest son's family for protection, and that she should find a way to deal with it herself.
Rongyue was a little confused. "Miss, weren't you quite protective of Aunt Yang before? Why are you on the same side as the Second Madam now?"
"In the inner quarters of this grand mansion, where can cooperation remain unchanged? Besides, it was Yang herself who broke our agreement first. So why should I protect her? She's just a concubine, yet her ambitions are sky-high. It's only a matter of time before she gets dealt with by Second Aunt."
“Miss, Young Master Chu has arrived and insists on seeing you. What do you think?” Mu Qing asked hesitantly.