“I have to thank you for the things today, for that you were troubled for my marriage. I will give you a treat at Zuixian Tower which is located in the east of the capital tonight. Let’s all get drunk before we leave and that will be my sincere gratitude for you.” Li Youmo arched his eyebrows and guaranteed. Then he came to hold You Yuecheng’s shoulders like a hooligan and seemed to have a close relationship with him. “On my wedding ceremony, I shall kneel down before you who is our matchmaker. I’ll be grateful for you for my entire life.”
A matchmaker? He was the matchmaker between Li Youmo and Mo Xuemin! You Yuecheng opened his mouth and got completely speechless!
He quietly evaded Li Youmo’s hand and felt extremely regretful that he had a private date with Mo Xuemin that night!
If this news got out, Mingguo Manor would be quite disgraced!
The news that there would be a marriage between the Mo’s and the Li’s was all over the capital the other day because Li Youmo was so famous. It’s really shocking that someone dared to marry his daughter to such a hooligan. And almost everyone was wondering who was the brave girl.
Hearing that it was the beautiful gentle first miss from Mo Manor, everyone felt the pity. Such a beautiful, talented, gentle girl would be married to Li Youmo, which was a waste indeed.
Of course, there were also people who heard it and laughed that first miss in Mo Manor was a perfect match for the first sir in Li Manor!
She had so many different tidbits that her reputation was getting worse and worse!
When hearing such rumors, Mo Xuemin’s Fuqing Garden changed all porcelains that night!
Mo Xuemin stayed alone at the room that night!
There was no candlelit in the room or a maid by her side.
“Miss, miss!” Mo Xiu called her lightly by the door and listened. But the room was so quiet that there seemed to be no one in it. However, Mo Xiu knew miss was inside all the time.
“Come in.” Mo Xuemin took a long breath and sat up. Then she coldly answered towards the door.
“Yes!” Mo Xiu gently pushed the door open with a candleholder in her hand. The candleholder was so bright with three big bright candles in it and brought brightness into the room instantly. She carefully put the candleholder on to the desk beside her bed.
“Is there any reply from His Excellency of Duke’s manor?” In the light, Mo Xuemin’s face revealed no sign of happiness or anger, but the inflammation on her face made her pretty face seem fierce! She didn’t look as gentle as in other days. Her heart was filled with envy and hatred towards Mo Xuetong, and her eyes looked extremely scary in the light.
“Someone in Duke’s manor came and said that His Excellency would leave for the south of Yangtze River and move the tombs of his cousin’s parents back to capital. So he is not here at the moment. I have taken your letter back.” Mo Xiu didn’t dare to say anything more and took a carefully-wrapped letter out from her arms. Then she respectfully presented it to Mo Xuemin.
He was not here? Moving tombs for his cousin? He was truly a useless one who was still obedient to his weak cousin. Then it was understandable that when she got to Duke’s manor that day, his cousin followed him! She looked so seductive and was perfect to be a concubine!
Mo Xuemin was so furious that she thought Yun Yiqiu was an evil woman to have a connection with Sima Lingyun. But she forgot her improper connection with Sima Lingyun.
“Tell the man from Duke’s manor that our forth miss don’t want to be a concubine!” Mo Xuemin said coldly! Although Sima Lingyun didn’t want to marry Mo Xueqiong, he didn’t dare to offend Mo Manor. Duke’s manor had no power now and could do nothing if Mo Xueqiong was determined not to marry him. But if that happened, it would be Duke’s manor that got disgraced. She didn’t believe Sima Lingyun wouldn’t worry about this!
“Okay, I’ll go right now.” Mo Xiu didn’t dare to go against her order and stepped out feeling frightened.
The thing between the Li’s and the Mo’s was getting more and more concerns.
At first, the Li’s went to Mo Manor to seek a marriage alliance and got kicked out. Then duke’s son of Mingguo went with first sir of Li’s to seek marriage and was kicked out again. At last, the betrothal gift from the Li’s was placed in front of Mo Manor. However, Mo Manor didn’t open the gate for the entire day, which made the passengers look at the betrothal gift all day.
Then Minister Li came by himself and talked with Official Mo in the study. When the door was opened again, they sat there peacefully without any anger. The official even accompanied Minister Li to the gate, talking and smiling.
Some people said they had reached an agreement and the daughter from Mo Manor would definitely be married into Li Manor. However, nothing ever happened in Li Manor since then, and no one saw Sir Li again. Someone said he was studying and looked very hard-working.
Maybe they wanted Li Youmo to take an imperial examination? No one in the capital would believe in this possibility and wanted to know more about it. However, nothing else ever happened! Li Youmo didn’t come to Mo Manor anymore, and Mo Manor regained its usual atmosphere. It’s almost the New year, and everyone was busy with New Year’s trifles. And no one ever mentioned the marriage.
In everyone’s doubtful eyes, a beauty entered Mo Manor. It was Old Madam’s niece who entered Mo Manor with the saying of taking care of Old Madam. Just after her arrival, Sima Lingyun got back to capital hurriedly and left Yun Yiqiu behind.
Sima Lingyun rushed his horse into the capital and went directly to the manor. When he got to the gate, he got down from his horse and handed the rein to the servant who had been waiting there and led the horse aside to feed it.
Before he had time to get dressed, Sima Lingyun rushed to the duchess’s yard. Seeing Sima Lingyun come over, the maid hurried to tell her master. And two nannies waited for Sima Lingyun to come along and took his red robe off. The maid lifted the veil, and said obediently to a thin weak lady who seemed around 40 years old inside, “Madam, His Excellency is back!”
The duchess was dressed in a dark red luxuriant robe and a blue skirt. There was a golden hair clasp with a phoenix on it. She looked at the door with joy. When she saw her tall handsome boy coming in, she got very happy and satisfied with her eyes narrowed into a line. She was most satisfied with her son and thought that she could be proud of him when she died and was faced with all the ancestors of Duke’s manor.
By the other side of her seated a young girl dressed in light yellow clothes and looked pretty, especially her long eyes, which looked even more attractive with the eyelines. This was Sima Lingyun’s younger sister, who was called Sima Heyan.
After Sima Lingyun came in and greeted to the duchess, Sima Heyan stood up from the bed and played a spoiled child in front of Sima Lingyun. “Big brother, you came back. Did you bring me anything?”
“Yes, of course. But I was in a hurry, and so all the stuff is in your cousin’s carriage. She’ll be back in a few days, and bring all the stuff to you, which will definitely make you happy! I bought the silk from the south of Yangtze River and some other accessories that you like most. I prepared for both you and our mom,” Sima Lingyun smiled and said. He really cared about this younger sister and always brought her something wherever he went and no matter whether he had time or not.
“It was all with my cousin again! Big brother, you have to buy for me alone the next time. I don’t want my things mixed up with hers. Things belong to me is mine, and I don’t want them given to cousin. Besides, I don’t want her to cry over my stuff to you.” Hearing all the stuff was in Yun Yiqiu’s hand, Sima Heyan arched her mouth and said unhappily.
She didn’t like this delicate cousin who always cried at all and acted like everyone owed her a lot, so she really didn’t like her. What’s more, every time she cried, big brother would come up with some methods to make her happy. Sometimes he used her stuff to make her happy, therefore, Sima Heyan disliked her a lot.
“She is such a low and mean cousin who would cry when she couldn’t get the good things brother brought for me. When that happens, my stuff would have to be shared with her.” Thinking her stuff would be taken away by Yun Yiqiu, Sima Lingyun was quite annoyed and shook her brother’s hand.
“Okay, okay, I’ll put your stuff privately the next time and ask someone to send it back to Yan’er first.” Sima Lingyun patted her head with love smilingly.
“Okay, you’re too old to ask for presents and you never feel ashamed. Go away to play for a while. I have something to talk about with your big brother, and you should keep quiet.” Seeing her son and daughter getting along so nicely, the duchess was happy inside, but she pretended to be angry and drove her away.
“I know mom has something serious to talk with big brother and I’ll leave! Mom doesn’t care for me, but you only care for big brother!” Sima Heyan pretended to be sad and pouted. Then she made a face to Sima Lingyun and went out with her maids.
“This girl is even more ignorant…” The duchess smiled and showed no complaint on her face. Instead, there was only a kind smile on her face. Then she waved her hand at the maids, and all the maids and nannies went out. Only a nanny was left to serve.
“Mom, you asked me to rush back so hurriedly for what?” Seeing everyone step out, Sima Lingyun sat on a chair and took the tea offered by the nanny. Then he cleared the leaves floating on the surface, drank a little, and asked seriously. He was really confused.
When he left, he told his mother that he would come back after the New year because he had to deal with all the things related to the Yun Yiqiu’s parents. It had been a long time, so the things couldn’t be easily solved, which his mother also knew. Therefore, he was quite confused when his mother called him back as he hadn’t finished his cousin’s things. He hurried back and left all the things behind. And Yun Yiqiu followed him back because she was concerned about him.
Sima Lingyun couldn’t think out what made his mother so worried that she asked him back!
“Yun’er, someone from Mo Manor came and said Mo Xueqiong wouldn’t be your concubine.” Seeing her son so worried, the duchess just told him the whole thing. The message was sent by someone from Mo Manor, which didn’t arouse her concern at first. After Mo Xueqiong’s incident, she thought the girl would feel lucky to be her son’s concubine. Besides, Sima Lingyun did that to help her. Even if others knew, they would think he was kind. It didn’t matter whether there was another concubine or not in Duke’s manor.
However, Mo Xueqiong was Mo Huawen’s daughter and was different from other concubines. She would at least be an honored concubine, which would show their respect to Mo Huawen. Although Duke’s manor couldn’t give a concubine’s child the position of the main wife, they couldn’t treat her poorly.
The duchess and Sima Lingyun both knew that Duke’s manor only had good fame now, and would have to depend on Mo Huawen’s help for the sake of his daughter. Therefore, although Mo Xueqiong would only be a concubine, everyone in the capital knew about the marriage. Besides, they prepared plenty of betrothal gifts. Mo Xueqiong had already got everything the main wife could have except for the title. Sima Lingyun had seen Mo Huawen privately and promised to marry Mo Xueqiong as an honored concubine at first. After he married a main wife, she would have the same status.
This would bring Mo Huawen’s reputation back, for which Mo Huawen invited him to stay and have a meal. And they talked happily!
Why did they change their minds?
Sima Lingyun’s face darkened!
