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Mingyu listened with a smile on her face. She didn't say much, but she listened with a proper smile most of the time. Whenever someone came to her to chat, she would say a few words. Once it came to official affairs, Mingyu would make excuses and pretend to be dumb, saying, "This, the general didn't tell me." "That, how can I, a woman, understand?"
After a few rounds, most of the wives of officials who wanted to get more information were disappointed. This young wife of the marquis's mansion, who seemed naive and ignorant, was actually a stubborn person.
What Mingyu didn't expect was that Madam Lu and Lu Xuer came with gifts. Before Mingyu could say anything, Madam Lu smiled and said, "The commander-in-chief can't leave, so I and Xuer came on his behalf to congratulate the marquis and his wife on their new home."
Lu Xuer stood obediently behind Madam Lu, bowed to Mingyu, and called out, "Sister-in-law."
Everyone who came was a guest, and there were so many eyes watching her from all sides. Even though Mingyu felt a little unhappy, she couldn't chase Madam Lu and Lu Xuer out in front of so many people.
"Madam, you are so polite." Mingyu smiled and called Sister Liu over to take Madam Lu and Lu Xuer to the table. Sister Liu was not stupid, of course she could guess Mingyu's attitude towards Lu Xuer, and immediately led her to the table farthest from the male guests. Anyway, Madam Lu was a concubine, if she was really taken to the main seat and sat with Mingyu, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the real Madam Lu in the capital? Even Mingyu's value would drop.
While Mingyu was talking to the ladies, a woman in her forties with a bun came over and a bright red pomegranate flower on her hair.
Mingyu looked at her temples, feeling a little surprised. It was already autumn and the pomegranate flowers had already withered.
When she squeezed in front of Mingyu, Mingyu noticed that the pomegranate flower on her head was carved from red jade. The color was gorgeous, just like the real thing. Such a fine jewelry with good color and exquisite carving was worth a lot of money.
"Hello, Madam." The woman bowed respectfully to Mingyu, smiling broadly, and introduced herself, "My husband is Xu Si, a subordinate of the Marquis."
It turned out to be Xu Si's wife. Mingyu suddenly realized what was going on and nodded and smiled, "You are here too."
"The madam is not very old, but she is very good at her job. Such a big scene is kept stable and the servants are all well-behaved. It's all because of the madam's ability. The Marquis is really blessed." Madam Xu praised.
Mingyu smiled and shook her head, "How could I know so much? It's all thanks to the Marquis and his men. I'm just a reaper of the fruits of their labor. I was worried that there would be chaos today, but luckily everyone who came was an acquaintance and helped to hold up the scene. I know that this is a special period and everything needs to be rebuilt. We don't have the ability to hold a good banquet for the time being. I'm sorry to have troubled everyone." These wives of officials from other places were all accustomed to luxurious banquets. They must have taken this kind of crude open-air banquet in the countryside lightly. This was too obvious flattery.
Mrs. Xu's smile remained on her plump white face. "Madam, you are so modest and polite." As she said that, she bowed and sat down at the table next to Mingyu.
When almost everyone arrived, the maids began to serve the dishes to the tables, and Sima Hong called a few firemen from the army to help the chef. Across the road, Mingyu looked up and saw Sima Hong on the opposite side. Compared with the female guests who were talking and chatting, the male guests were much more lively, with several young people urging people to drink and laughing.
Sima Hong sat there, his posture upright even when he was sitting, in a moon-white brocade robe, his black hair neatly tied on his head, his sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, a straight nose, and a smile on his lips. In the sunlight, he was so handsome that people dared not look directly at him. However, he was different from the shameless and playful him when he was alone with Mingyu. In front of his subordinates, Sima Hong was more steady and serious. His nonchalant yet confident smile added some aura of a superior to him.
Noticing the gazes coming from this side, Sima Hong turned around and smiled at Mingyu, a smile that contained a doting and concern that he himself was not aware of.
Several women who had been keeping an eye on Mingyu saw the young couple looking at each other lovingly across the road. Both of them had sweet smiles on their faces and were whispering to each other, saying that the Marquis and his wife were so loving and loving that they were envied to death.
A woman from the capital couldn't help but say, "You don't know, the Marquis and his wife got married a few years ago, and they even divorced once in between... Oh, the interesting stories of this young couple can't be told in a day. The whole capital knows that the Marquis is obsessed with his wife, and no matter how good other daughters are, they are not worthy of his attention!"
Lu Xuer sat beside her mother with her head bowed, her hands on her lap, her knuckles white from clenching her handkerchief. All she could hear from all directions were flattering compliments to Mingyu and Sima Hong. The most common thing she heard was how beautiful and gentle the wife of the Marquis was, and how handsome and steady the Marquis was, and how he had made great achievements at a young age. The two of them were a perfect match, a perfect match made in heaven.
This place is not as chaotic as the Xi'an Prefecture a few months ago. Those who come here are all legitimate wives of officials, and many of them come to the Yuancheng. After learning the identities of the mother and daughter, they realized that they were just Lu Yang's mistresses outside. Apart from superficial courtesy, not many people come to curry favor with them.
Everything made her feel like she was on fire, which was burning more and more fiercely. She hated Xu Mingyu in every possible way. What was so good about Xu Mingyu? Apart from being prettier, how could she compare to her? Why didn't Sima Hong, such a good man, like her? It was said that when the Anxi Marquis's Mansion was in decline, Xu Mingyu divorced Sima Hong. Now that she saw Sima Hong had a future, she was courting him again? She was really shameless to the extreme.
"Put away all the thoughts on your face!" Mrs. Lu glanced at her daughter and said lightly, "As if you're afraid that others won't know."
After being scolded, Lu Xuer was full of dissatisfaction and muttered, "I'm not afraid of others knowing!" It would be best if everyone knew it. She wanted to see what Xu Mingyu would do!
Madam Lu snorted coldly, "Everyone knows about this, and he won't agree to marry you. Do you plan to cut your hair and become a nun, or stay at home as an old aunt for the rest of your life?"
Lu Xuer was choked, her eyes immediately turned red, she gritted her teeth and whispered: "I just don't accept it. What's so good about her? She's just prettier. How can I be inferior to her..." Why should such a good man like Sima Hong belong to her alone
Mrs. Lu held Lu Xuer's hand and sighed, "There's no rush for this. They've only been married for less than a year. We'll have a chance when Xu gets pregnant." Now the two of them are so close, like one person. There's no chance for Lu Xuer to get involved. Only when Xu gets pregnant and can't serve her husband, she'll naturally have to take a concubine for her husband to show her kindness and generosity.
Lu Xuer nodded, her heart full of resentment and grievance. She resented Sima Hong for being ruthless to her, and she also resented God for being blind and not letting her brother see her good side.
Many of the wives of officials who came to this banquet met each other for the first time. Halfway through the banquet, they left in groups of three or four to introduce themselves and toast to each other.
Mingyu was pregnant, so she couldn't drink. She smiled and declined when someone offered her a toast, drinking tea instead. Fortunately, she was the eldest, so no one dared to object when she said she didn't want to drink.
At this time, Xu Si's wife saw the lady sitting next to Mingyu get up and leave, so she quickly took the wine glass and sat next to Mingyu, smiling and saying, "Madam, I'll toast you a glass.
Mingyu picked up the teacup, smiled and clinked glasses with Mrs. Xu, and said apologetically, "I'm not feeling well and can't drink. I'm sorry."
Mrs. Xu didn't dare to persuade Mingyu to drink. She just smiled and said, "Madam, your health is the most important thing." She moved closer to Mingyu and smiled, "I didn't know until I came to Tianshui that there is a shortage of everything here. Things are more expensive than in the capital. The cost of building a house here is 30% higher than in the capital!"
Mingyu smiled and said, "This is just the beginning. After a year or so, all the shops in the city will open, there will be more people and more businesses, and the prices will naturally come down."
Madam Xu agreed, "I hope so." She looked around and smiled, "Building such a large house must have put a lot of thought into the construction of the Marquis and his wife. It will cost a lot to build it all." Even with the emperor's reward, the Marquis of Anxi and his wife had just started a family, so they would probably have a hard time coming up with the money.
This was a bit over the line, Mingyu felt a little unhappy. She was not familiar with Madam Xu, but she was concerned about how much money it cost to build a house. With Sima Hong's salary and the stingy emperor's reward, it would take more than a hundred years to save up enough to rebuild the Anxi Marquisate. Could she be hinting at Sima Hong's looting of the Tartars to make money during the war
Mingyu's expression became serious when he thought of this. If that was the case, Xu Si would disappear without a trace in Tianshui City before Sima Hong could deal with him. The soldiers under Sima Hong who were so good at saving money would probably not let him off easily.
Madam Xu observed Mingyu's expression and thought to herself that something was wrong - she was too anxious. She smiled and said, "Madam, please don't misunderstand me. I am considerate of you. I think you are as beautiful as a fairy and I am afraid that you will be embarrassed by adultery. Now that the world is peaceful, have you ever thought about... doing some business?"
Mingyu was stunned for a moment and looked at Madam Xu.
Mrs. Xu saw that there was a way, and smiled attentively, "I do have a way here. I think we can make money together. With money in hand, we can supplement the family expenses or save it for the children, and we will feel more confident. If you don't agree, just consider it as impolite for not telling you."
"What business?" Mingyu asked.
Madam Xu lowered her voice and said with a smile, "In a few days, businessmen from all over the country will arrive in Tianshui. Many merchants are waiting to come to Tianshui to do big business. The biggest fear of those doing business is not having enough capital... Nowadays, the interest rate for borrowing money is 5%. As long as you lend it out, you can get the money back in full."
Five cents interest... Mingyu was startled for a moment, then curled her lips. Isn't this usury? It turns out that Mrs. Xu is planning to lend money at high interest.