Seeing that the servant was still hesitant, Mingyu sighed slightly in her heart, motioned to Lixiang behind her to take out a piece of silver from her purse, handed it to the servant, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, brother, just go and report. If you can't see the madam, tell Madam Wei or Madam Tan in front of the madam, they know who I am. If the madam doesn't want to see me, I will definitely take my maid away and will never cause any trouble."
However, to Mingyu's surprise, the servant just smiled kindly, pushed the silver back, and said politely, "Miss, you misunderstood. It is true that Madam has not seen outsiders in these years. Since you know Madam Tan and Madam Wei who are with Madam, they must not be outsiders. It is my duty to report to you. I dare not accept money from you."
After saying that, the servant asked Mingyu to wait for a moment and quietly closed the door.
Mingyu took Lixiang two steps back. The doorman and servants at the Miao Mansion were so polite. It seemed that Old Master Miao had a discipline in running the household. He was worthy of being praised as "clear stream" by the peddlers on the street.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the red lacquered door of the Miao Mansion creaked open again. The doorman opened the door a crack and said to Mingyu politely with a smile, "Miss, please come in."
Mingyu smiled gratefully at the servant and was about to go in. At this time, the servant moved aside and the person standing behind the servant appeared in front of Mingyu.
From the moment she saw Mingyu, her eyes were red. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and burst into tears, choking with sobs: "Second Madam, it's really you! I thought that I would never see you again in my life... When I first heard that you were here, I thought I was dreaming..."
Li Xiang exclaimed, "Sister Bixi, you are here too?"
Bixi was dressed in plain white, with a white flower tied in her hair. She had no makeup on her face, and her eyes were red and swollen. Her once beautiful and gentle face looked haggard and thin. Seeing Mingyu choking with sobs and unable to speak, she wanted to go forward and pull Mingyu's sleeve, but hesitated and did not dare.
Thinking of her master Sima Xi who was no longer in this world, Bixi's spiritual sustenance was gone. Mingyu saw that she was haggard and looked as if her soul was gone. She felt very sorry for her and took Bixi's hand and comforted her: "Sister, don't cry. Be careful not to hurt yourself."
As soon as she touched it, Mingyu was surprised to find that Bixi's hands had become skinny and bony.
When Bixi covered her handkerchief and was about to cry, the doorman had already cleverly closed the door. Bixi held Mingyu's hand and cried for a long time before she stopped crying. She smiled with tears in her eyes and said, "I am happy. The madam and her family came to the capital at the end of last year and said that you, Second Madam... I thought I would never see you again." As she spoke, tears were about to fall again, but Bixi held them back and led them all the way forward.
The Miao family was a wealthy family with carved railings and painted buildings, pavilions and attics lined up in rows. From time to time, you could see exquisite rockeries and flowing water. The construction was very elegant and beautiful. It was spring, and the courtyard was full of flowers and trees. However, Mingyu had no intention of appreciating it. Thinking of the person she was going to face, she was a little nervous.
The three of them talked as they walked.
Bixi carefully looked at Mingyu's expression and sighed, "Is the Second Madam still blaming Madam? I dare to advise that it is not Madam's fault. Madam was unconscious when Second Madam was about to get off the car. Madam was a little sober until she arrived in Shanxi. However, when she was about to arrive in Beijing, she heard that the master... was gone... She was in a daze, as if she had lost her soul, and she didn't respond to anything anyone said. Later, when they arrived in Beijing, Old Master Miao went out to pick up Madam in person. When Madam saw the old master, she burst into tears and cried repeatedly, saying that her father, Aqing and Yang Ge'er were all gone! Madam used to be such a strong and competitive person, but now... Alas!"
Mingyu shook her head, thinking of that thrilling experience that made her feel scared every time she thought about it, and smiled, "No, it's not anyone else's fault."
Seeing Mingyu's expression and tone were calm, Bixi smiled and nodded with relief, saying softly, "I know that Second Madam is a kind-hearted and reasonable person. In this entire mansion, apart from the master, there is no one else who values friendship as much as Second Madam."
Speaking of the late Sima Xi, tears began to flow from Bixi's red and swollen eyes again. Her thin body trembled, as if a gust of wind could blow her down.
Mingyu and Lixiang each held one of her hands, wanting to persuade her but didn't know how to start. To Bixi, Sima Xi was her heaven. No matter how much she had been bullied and abused in the Anxi Marquis' Mansion in Tianshui before, she firmly believed that Sima Xi was there and would always come to save her from the dire situation. But now her heaven had collapsed, her faith was dead, and she was completely ruined.
"Sister, please don't cry. If you cry yourself sick, my uncle will be worried about you if he knows about it." Lixiang advised helplessly.
Bixi took a few deep breaths to stop the sadness that was welling up in her. She continued to walk forward in silence with Mingyu and Lixiang until they arrived at a secluded courtyard. From a distance, Mingyu could smell the scent of sandalwood wafting from the courtyard, which was exactly the same smell as the ancestral hall of the marquis's mansion in her memory.
As they approached, Mingyu saw clearly the two maids guarding the door. They were the maids Tan and Wei whom she had not seen for more than a year. When the two saw Mingyu, they could not help crying. Maid Tan was even more excited. She stepped forward and grabbed Mingyu and Lixiang's hands. She cried and said, "Second Madam, Lixiang... You are finally back safely. I have been living in insecurity for the past few years. If something happened to you... I would die with my eyes wide open!"
Mingyu smiled, patted Nanny Tan's hand, and said lightly: "Don't cry, Nanny. You are old. Take care of yourself. I'm fine." She had never resented the people in the Marquis' Mansion for abandoning her and Lixiang. At the critical moment of life and death, every minute and every second was precious. There was no need to waste time and chance of escape for a dying person. But from then on, if Mingyu had some affection for them before, it would have been completely consumed in that escape.
Listening to Mingyu's words, she no longer spoke with the same sincerity as before. It was just like an ordinary stranger giving advice on the street. A chill ran down Tan Ma's heart. She loosened her hand holding Mingyu in a daze and looked up at Mingyu. After not seeing her for more than a year, Mingyu had grown a lot taller and her little face had grown up. She became more and more beautiful. She stood there, radiant and brilliant. She was no longer the little girl who had to think twice before taking every step.
Mingyu took a step back and smiled at the two maids, "Is the Madam in the room? I'll come and see her."
Nanny Tan wanted to ask Mingyu how she had been living these years and how she had escaped from Tianshui, but when the words came to her lips she didn't know how to start.
It was Madam Wei who reacted quickly. She wiped her eyes and said with a smile, "Yes! When the Madam heard it was you, she quickly asked Bixi to take you into the mansion."
As soon as Mingyu stepped into Miao's yard, she felt a sense of desolation. The yard where Miao lived faced north and was not very large. Compared with the Miao Mansion, which was full of flowers and splendours, the wife's yard was much more plain. It was spring, and the only two trees in the yard had not yet sprouted. They stood there bare, which was indescribably desolate.
The closer they got to the room, the stronger the smell of sandalwood became. Nanny Tan whispered to Mingyu, "Ever since the death of the Marquis and the eldest master, the Madam couldn't bear the blow and her personality changed. When she first arrived in the capital, she was like a lost soul. She didn't respond when the old master called her. Occasionally when she was awake, she would cry sadly, or talk to the tablets of the old master and the eldest master by herself. Now that more than a year has passed, she is finally better. When she heard that you were here, the Madam was so happy. We servants haven't seen the Madam smile for a long time..."
When they arrived at the door of Miao's room, Nanny Tan lifted the curtain of the house, and Mingyu and Lixiang walked in, followed closely by Nanny Tan and Nanny Wei.
Miao was facing away from the door, burning incense on the tablets in the room. The room was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and it was quiet and solemn. Light shone into the room through the window lattice, and the smoke rising from the room was clearly visible. Through the green smoke, Mingyu saw that one tablet was written with the name of her late husband Sima Qing, and the other was written with the name of her beloved son Sima Xi.
Miao was wearing a plain white dress and no jewelry on her head. After burning incense, she turned around and looked at Mingyu intently, gazing her up and down.
Mingyu opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. After not seeing each other for more than a year, Miao had lost a lot of weight. The plain white dress seemed to be loose on her, and her face without makeup also showed her old age. However, she looked mentally well, with clear eyes, unlike the lost look she had when they separated outside Tianshui City.
Compared to the previous wife of the Marquis, who was arrogant, had sharp eyes, and dressed in gorgeous and wealthy clothes, Miao, who had experienced the pain of losing her husband and son, had lost the pride and sharpness in her eyes, and was replaced by a sadness and peace.
Before Mingyu could salute, Miao seemed relieved. She nodded with a smile and said, "You're here! I haven't heard from you for more than a year. Now I'm finally relieved. Otherwise, how can I explain to Bao Ge'er?"
Mingyu led Lixiang to pay respect to Miao. Miao stretched out her hand to stop the two from kneeling and shook her head, saying, "There's no need to go through all this formality."
After getting up, under the guidance of Nanny Wei, Mingyu lit a stick of incense in front of the tablets of the Marquis and Sima Xi respectively. Looking at the black lacquered tablets, Mingyu couldn't help but sigh that life is unpredictable. Who could have thought that one was a gentle and generous Marquis who ruled a region, and the other was a talented and promising young man, but in the blink of an eye, the father and son became dead souls under the knife.
Miao was holding a string of Buddhist beads in her hand and chanting something silently. She stood at the door and watched Mingyu burn incense for the two tablets with a smile.
After burning incense, Mingyu walked up to Miao. Miao was so calm and quiet now that she didn't know how to start. After thinking for a while, Mingyu asked, "Madam, is the Second Master here?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe and give rewards on Qidian Mobile Network (). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
It is made by].
div>
BAIDU_CLB_LT_ID = "519311";