flstandardbreds Chapter 165 Chang'an Refuses!
Chapter 165 Chang'an Refuses!
The old lady felt a little embarrassed after hearing this, "Why didn't you ask first before doing this?"
"Grandmother, my eldest sister has been simmering this soup for almost two hours, while Grandfather was resting. Moreover, she added some medicinal herbs to both soups, making them medicinal dishes. She didn't trust anyone else to do it, so she's been overseeing the preparation herself."
Mu Chang'an nodded upon hearing this, "Anuan is very thoughtful."
“Father, my elder sister said that both of these medicinal dishes are suitable for you. In the future, no matter which one Grandfather chooses, the remaining one will be yours. My elder sister said that you can’t choose anymore.” Mu Qingyuan smiled at his father.
Upon hearing this, Mu Chang'an chuckled a few times, and a series of clear laughter also came from inside the room.
While the group was still in a daze, Tingting lifted the curtain and came out. "Grandfather said that he only drinks pork rib, bitter melon, and soybean soup. Grandfather also said that my eldest uncle has never liked mung beans."
Mu Qingyuan paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and covered his mouth to chuckle.
After dinner, Mu Chang'an went to the outer study to attend to his work. When he returned to Jin Courtyard, a maidservant came over and whispered, "Master, the old lady is in the room. She's been waiting for you all night."
Mu Chang'an frowned. Without even thinking, he knew it must be about his second brother.
Sure enough, as soon as Mu Chang'an sat down, the old lady started to cry again.
"Chang'an, I only had three sons in total. The third one is gone, and I only have you and Changping left. How can you bear to let your second brother suffer and not care?"
"Mother, your son didn't say he wouldn't take responsibility."
“You didn’t say you wouldn’t care, but you didn’t say you would care either! Ten thousand taels of silver! That’s no joke. Where are you going to get that much silver at this time?”
Li lowered her eyelids, thinking to herself, "Now he's in a hurry? What was he thinking when he embezzled that 100,000 taels of silver? Besides, all he has to do is return what he embezzled, why can't he come up with the rest?" Although Li was not an official, she knew very well that this younger brother-in-law was not an honest official at all. It wouldn't be a bad thing to teach him a lesson and put him on his toes!
While the Jin Yuan courtyard was bustling with activity, Mu Xin Nuan's Yue Xuan was unusually quiet.
"Miss, are you still waiting for news from Jinyuan?" Rongyue asked with some concern. "It's getting late, you should rest early. Otherwise, you won't be able to get up tomorrow."
"Okay, you go to sleep now. Let Mu Qing stay and keep me company."
Rongyue was about to say something more when she saw Muhua shake her head at her, and then she pulled her out together.
"Miss, is there something you're worried about?" Mu Qing asked.
Mu Xin Nuan sighed softly and stood up from the table. Perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, her back was a little sore. After moving around a bit, she looked at the few words she had just written, shook her head, and realized she couldn't calm down. Her handwriting was indeed not very good.
Mu Xin Nuan crumpled up the papers on the table and threw them directly into the wastebasket next to her.
"Now I finally understand what the old lady was planning. It turns out that the old lady had already received news that Second Uncle was going to return to the capital. Second Uncle only has two sons and no daughters. The old lady was planning to have Mu Xinyao adopted into Second Uncle's family."
Mu Qing was stunned, her eyes widening. "No way? Has the old lady gone mad? The master only has two daughters, and she and the second master are brothers. Why would she transfer her to the second master's name?"
"What do you know? Is it more promising to be the illegitimate daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, or the legitimate daughter of a fourth-rank official in the Mu family?"
After Mu Xin Nuan finished speaking, she sneered, went to the window and looked at the cold crescent moon outside, and said in a low voice, "What a pity. She didn't expect that Second Uncle would have such a thing happen before returning to the capital. However, as long as Second Uncle can pay back the money from before, it shouldn't have too much of an impact. But this will only make Grandmother more determined to adopt Mu Xin Yao into Second Uncle's family."
Mu Qing tilted her head and thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. "Miss, I don't understand."
"My second uncle's two sons are still young. They had a legitimate daughter before, but unfortunately she died young before she grew up. If that younger sister were still alive, she would probably be only one year younger than Mu Xinyao."
"The old lady has always been biased, and now that she knows that Second Uncle is in trouble, she is even more anxious. If Mu Xinyao is adopted by Second Uncle, it will be beneficial to both Mu Xinyao and Second Uncle."
Mu Qing blinked, seemingly understanding something. "Miss, do you mean that the old lady wants the second master to take the second young lady into his name and then immediately arrange a good marriage for her, using the guise of a political alliance to benefit her own future?"
"That's right! Mu Xinyao is determined to marry into a high-ranking family. If she becomes Second Uncle's legitimate daughter, her chances will be much better! If she can't become the legitimate daughter, then the person she will marry in the future will either be a wife from a lower social class or a concubine from a higher social class. Which one do you think Mu Xinyao will choose?"
"This servant understands. If the Second Miss becomes the legitimate daughter of the Second Master's family, her status will be elevated, which will be beneficial to her marriage. For the Second Master, she will be nothing less than a very useful pawn."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled slightly, her face gentle and calm, but the coldness in her eyes met the bright crescent moon in the night sky!
"Mu Xinyao, you want to become the legitimate daughter? Heh! How could that be? Since I was able to snatch the two shops from you, I naturally have ways to take everything from you."
After Mu Xin Nuan finished speaking, she glanced at the hourglass again, "Go and see how things are at Jin Yuan?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The candlelight on the table flickered slightly. The wind seemed rather strong tonight; even though the lampshade protected the flame, it swayed remarkably violently. Mu Xin Nuan gently closed the window, and the candlelight immediately stopped flickering so badly. It seems that things in this world are not beyond our control; it's just a matter of whether you can find a way to control them.
"Mu Xinyao, what about the flower viewing party in a few days? I heard that heartless man will be there too. Haven't you always wanted to raise your own value? Fine, I'll give you that opportunity, but I wonder if you can seize it?"
Soon, Mu Qing returned and said that after the old lady made a fuss, the master ultimately refused to take out the money, citing that he could not go against the old master's wishes.
Upon hearing this, Mu Xin Nuan's smile finally became more genuine. It seemed that her father had indeed understood some of the issues involved. If her father had helped her second uncle this time, it would have truly harmed him! It was just a pity that the usually shrewd old lady had become so muddled on such a matter of life and death!