Nanny Hua had served the old madam since she was a child and had accompanied her as a servant after the old madam got married. Their relations.h.i.+p was unlike any other servant. She only spoke once everyone left.

"Old madam, don"t be worried. I think First Miss is a smart one and she will think for herself. First Miss" maid, Mo Xiu called His Excellency away while the d.u.c.h.ess was speaking with you. I think First Miss has something to say to His Excellency. I heard that the relations.h.i.+p between the two is rather good and the d.u.c.h.ess likes First Miss as well. She would occasionally get His Excellency to bring food and things to First Miss. She would not mistreat First Miss."

Nanny Hua a.s.sured the old madam.

If two daughters from the manor became concubines, how would the other Mo daughters marry in the future!

The old madam was so angry earlier because the d.u.c.h.ess had only agreed to make Mo Xuemin a concubine. And she had said outright and also implied that Mo Xuetong should also be married into the Duke"s Manor so that the two sisters can take care of each other. The Duke"s Manor already had an unclear relations.h.i.+p with the concubine"s daughter of the Mo Manor and it was still thinking of the family"s main daughter. How could the old madam not be angry? Being a daughter of the Mo family was so cheap that it was buy one get two free.

After hearing what Nanny Hua had to say, the old madam calmed down and picked up the tea Nanny Hua brewed again. She took a sip and frowned with a dark expression on her face. She asked, "How was His Excellency"s expression like when he returned?"

"His Excellency stood in the courtyard with his head lowered when he returned. I could not see his expression clearly, but he walked around the courtyard looking rather agitated. Then, he kicked the little servant by his side. Nothing else weird happened." Nanny Hua was standing in the corridor earlier. Even though she could not see Sima Lingyun"s expression clearly, she could see his actions.

This meant that Sima Lingyun was very annoyed.

"Did Min"er and Sima Lingyun really have a secret relations.h.i.+p?" The old madam"s face was lit by the flickering light and could not be seen clearly. Her eyes were dark.

"It seems so. But the d.u.c.h.ess was really weird. She is always considerate towards First Miss, but why is she like that now that First Miss is really going to marry into the family?" Nanny Hua asked carefully after she looked at the old madam"s expression and felt that she was not as mad as before.

"Humph, she is just doing that for show. She must have been interested in Tong"er long ago! That"s right. There"s a main daughter around. Does she really want her son to marry a concubine"s daughter and make her his main wife?" The old madam was not stupid. She understood then and pursed her lips, laughing coldly. The d.u.c.h.ess" love for Mo Xuemin was just to increase the contact between the two families. Her true target was the Mo family"s main daughter.

"First Miss is a smart one and her reputation has always been good. It would not be considered overreaching if she were to become His Excellency"s main wife. I heard the men saying that His Majesty"s orders will come down soon. First Miss will not just be the daughter of a Fifth-grade officer then. Her being a match for His Excellency would not be a big problem." Nanny Hua said softly while she observed the old madam"s expression.

The old madam"s expression was still considered normal. Even though her expression brightened and darkened under the light, it was more grave than usual. She replied only after a while.

"Min"er is really an intelligent one, but she uses her intelligence in the wrong place. No wonder she said something like that to me in the day. There really isn"t anything in the manor that she doesn"t know about," The old madam said coldly.

"She still has Auntie Fang in the manor! I heard that Auntie Fang got everything she wanted before you came. She was really powerful. I heard that she is the long-lost daughter of the Yu family. And if we were to think about this, it would not be difficult for her to become a main wife." Nanny Hua said with a smile.

"Humph, she has to have the fortune to do that. Alright, let"s not talk about this for now. We will decide when Huawen returns. Anyway, they are all his daughters and I cannot make the decision." The old madam said crossly. She was smart and knew what was happening after the chain of incidents.

Mo Xuemin was definitely involved in these matters.

She really could not be bothered to care about a vicious concubine"s daughter.

"Old madam, look at you, you are the most senior in this manor. Even old sir has to listen to you! However, it is indeed late and you have to rest. Don"t fall ill. It won"t be too late to discuss the matter when old sir returns. If First Miss is interested, she can make the Duke"s Manor agree." Nanny Hua smiled as she helped the old madam remove her accessories and comb her hair, preparing for bed.

"Forget it. It would be considered good as long as I don"t get cheated again. The older ones don"t matter, but this girl child is so vicious that she would even plot against her sisters."

"Miss Yan who grew up with you is gentler and more obedient. Look at her, and then look at Miss Min. Old madam, you had better worry more for your obedient granddaughter!"

"That"s right. I"m old and can"t possibly worry for all of them! Furthermore, some people would not appreciate it even if I worried for them!"

"Third Miss?" Nanny Hua asked.

"Her punishment will be to copy the scriptures. How could she not be involved in this matter!" The old madam said, irritated. Not one of Huawen"s daughters behaved appropriately. She thought they should all learn etiquette.

The incident at the Mo manor had spread throughout the capital. Such incidents were trivial anyway. As long as the Mo Manor and the Duke"s Manor both acknowledge the matter and worked together to suppress the news, it would not be considered big news. While Mo Xuemin"s reputation was a little soiled in the end, it was not considered an embarra.s.sment for her to marry Sima Lingyun.

However, the two families had not come to an agreement yet. The Mo Manor wanted the Duke"s Manor to make Mo Xuemin His Excellency"s main wife while the Duke"s Manor only agreed to make her a concubine. As such no one suppressed the rumors. The Mo Manor did not have anyone in charge and really could not do anything. The Duke"s Manor remained silent and those curious about the matter discussed about it fervently.

Because the rumors had not been suppressed, they circulated and grew more and more outrageous. It became more and more unfavorable to the Mo Manor. After all, the Great Qin had always been stricter towards women than men.

Luo Mingzhu went to the Mo Manor early in the morning, but the person at the door had only informed her coldly that Third Miss was ill and wanted to make her leave. Luo Mingzhu thought of what Mo Xuemin had said yesterday and pulled out the General"s Manor name before barging into the Mo Manor with her maids and servants.

When she arrived at Mo Xuetong"s Qingwei Garden, she discovered that Mo Xuetong had been made to copy scriptures all night as punishment. She had not slept at all. When she saw Luo Mingzhu enter, she fainted before she could say much.

Luo Mingzhu grew angry then. She sent someone to inform her grandmother while helping Mo Xuetong settle into bed. Then, she called for a physician. This made the already chaotic Mo Manor even more chaotic. The old madam had been called into Qingwei Garden early in the morning in a rush and before she could even sit, Old Madam Xu arrived, furious.

Old Madam Xu was t.i.tled while the old madam did not. She could not sit if Old Madam Xu did not allow her to. Nanny Hua stood with her, placating her with niceties.

Nanny Hua explained that everything started yesterday when Third Miss left the ancestral hall without permission. Then, the incident had happened. Old madam was so angry that she ordered Mo Xuetong to copy scriptures right there and then.

Then, because of what happened between First Miss and the d.u.c.h.ess, she had been in a bad mood. She was old and had forgotten that Third Miss was still copying scriptures. Of course, even if she had thought of Third Miss, she would not let her stop either. She did not expect Third Miss to be so weak that she would faint again after copying scriptures for an entire night.

Now that something like that had happened, causing the General"s Manor to come to find out what exactly happened, the old madam felt embarra.s.sed and angry for she had been ignored despite her old age. She almost fainted. Fortunately, Mo Xuetong regained consciousness then and told the old madam to sit. She comforted the Old Madam in gentle tones, saying that she was fine and took the blame for the entire matter obediently which was why the Old Madam had not gotten angry right there and then.

However, even so, Old Madam Xu did not make things easy for old madam Mo. She complained that Mo Xuetong was a child no one loved and in the end, she chatted with old madam Mo with a sour expression. Her intentions were clear. If the Mo Manor bullied the motherless child again, the Luo Manor did not mind raising the child for them.

This was something old madam Mo could not accept. If outsiders found out that the Mo Manor could not even afford to raise their main daughter, it would be an embarra.s.sment to the entire Mo Manor. Mo Xuetong going over to the Luo Manor to stay earlier could be explained by the fact that Old Madam Xu had missed her granddaughter whom she had not seen in a long time. If Mo Xuetong went to stay for another few weeks, the Mo Manor would be too embarra.s.sed to a.s.sociate with the other families.

She guaranteed then and there that something like this would never happen again. After her many a.s.surances, Old Madam Xu finally brought Luo Mingzhu with her and left the manor, satisfied.

Mo Huawen returned to the manor in the afternoon. He visited the old madam in the back courtyard, but before they could speak much, the imperial edict came. Mo Huawen immediately went to the front to receive it.

The imperial edict was calm and peaceful. It stated that Mo Huawen loved his country and had contributed to it very much over the years. He was a capable man that His Majesty trusted. As such, he was to be promoted three ranks from a Fifth-grade officer to a Third-grade officer. He would also be named the capital"s governor.

Being promoted three ranks at one go and being named governor at the same time was an honor no one had ever received before. Mo Huawen was not just a third-grade officer. In the Qin Empire, there were many first and second grade officers, being a third-grade officer was not a high post. However, being promoted three ranks in a row and granted a post with true power meant a lot.

Mo Huawen used to be a fifth-grade officer and was not considered anyone powerful in the capital. However, he was a subject trusted by the Emperor. It was said that Mo Huawen was a man of Emperor Zongwen even before he had taken the throne. He had always been trusted and thought highly of by Emperor Zongwen. Even as a fifth-grade officer, he was different from other fifth-grade officers.

Emperor Zongwen would always call on him if there was anything.

He had even been given the special honor of being promoted three ranks at one go now. The smarter ones had gone to the Mo Manor to congratulate Mo Huawen immediately after the imperial edict was released. Mo Huawen was very busy. He set up a huge banquet for it. The Mo family and servants had never experienced such a bustle and everyone was busy with this matter.

The rumors were suppressed unintentionally, but the matter boiled and bubbled beneath the surface!

Qingwei Garden

Mo Xuetong sat up in her bed. She squinted as she looked out of the window. The weather was good for it was sunny even on this winter day. She touched her head. She still felt slightly dizzy. Even though she had recuperated for some time in the General"s Manor for some time, she was still weak and could not even hold on after one night of punishment.

"Miss, you are awake. Does your head still hurt? Should we get a physician?" Mo Yu lifted the curtains and entered. She was holding onto a basin of warm water. She hurriedly put it down when she saw Mo Xuetong sitting up with her head in her hands. She approached and touched Mo Xuetong"s head.

"Don"t get the physician. I am just a little tired. It"s no big deal." Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. Her complexion was a little pale.