Condition 007 is not met, go astray

  After all, she was an outsider, and it wasn't as if she could just meet with Gu Yunxi. It was only in the past two days that news of Gu Yunxi's upcoming marriage had spread throughout the manor, and at first everyone thought that the second young miss was going to turn her fortunes around. But later, from the mouths of those who came out of Zhen Niang's quarters, they learned that the person Gu Yunxi was marrying was a notorious old lecher, and the servants were shocked - not being favored was still better than not being favored!

  Xia Ru finally returned, and on her way back to the mansion, she heard from the servants who had gone to greet her that a terrible thing had happened to her son and niece. She was so shocked that she fainted on the spot. By the time she arrived at the mansion, the bodies of Jiang Sheng and Jin Se were already cold. She wept bitterly over their mutilated corpses, and from then on, she fell ill.

  Xia Ruping, who was usually majestic and powerful, was ultimately an old man in his later years. Suddenly, he heard the shocking news that his master had ordered the death of his closest relative, and he couldn't argue against it. He was so grief-stricken that he fell ill and collapsed onto his bed, unable to get up. His body turned towards Madame Liu, asking for permission to take his son's ashes back to their hometown.

  The Liu family still read the old feelings, gave a lot of silver, and arranged several attendants to escort them all the way before they stopped. From this, the housekeeper who had been respected and honored in front of the Prime Minister's wife ended her decades-long operation in the Prime Minister's mansion, taking the souls of two young people on the road back to their hometown.

  So, the opportunity has come.

  Xia Ru left, and Xu Dainiang truly became the first person in the inner courtyard. She took over the power that Xia Ru had previously controlled with a loud thunder, replacing several of Xia Ru's former confidants under different names, leaving several positions vacant in the inner courtyard.

  Inside the mansion, it's not like an ordinary household where you can just find a few people at random. Moreover, as the year-end approaches, they need to find some good hands. After careful consideration, Xu Danni went to consult with Zhen Niangniang. Since Zhen Niangniang's family was in business, there were many capable and reliable people in her household. As soon as Xu Danni stated her intention, Zhen Niangniang mentioned her cousin.

  "Don't worry, Auntie Xu. My cousin's family has plenty of people and it seems like they're going to be relatives soon. I'll send someone to deliver a message to him right away, and he'll definitely send over some capable and clever people tomorrow."

  Mrs. Xu's face was obedient, "Thank you so much, auntie. It's almost the end of the year, why don't you take this opportunity to invite your relatives and family members to gather at the Xiangfu? At that time, I will arrange everything for you properly, it can also be considered as a thank you."

  Madam Zhen raised an eyebrow, she was originally the least favored daughter in her family, it's already not bad that she could enter the Prime Minister's mansion as a concubine, and with her own belly being useful, having given birth to a young master, her status had risen even more, so why not take this opportunity to invite her relatives from her hometown over for a gathering, it would also make herself look better.

  "The old lady is really considerate, since that's the case I'll go tell Madame aside, later on it will still be troublesome for the old lady to run around front and back, making sure my relatives from humble origins open their eyes wide."

  Madam Zhen's words were somewhat exaggerated, but Madam Xu understood the meaning and nodded in agreement as soon as she heard them.

  Three days later, Zhen's family sent a carriage early in the morning to pick up his relatives from the south of the city at the Zhuangzi and brought them back to the Prime Minister's mansion. Just after noon, two or three horse-drawn carriages stopped steadily at the side gate of the Prime Minister's mansion.

  A group of dozens of people, old and young, all relatives of Zhen's family, heard that the Zhen family would be hosting a banquet at the Prime Minister's residence the other day, and they couldn't help but feel extremely excited. They thought that although their own family was considered wealthy, compared to the Prime Minister's residence, it was still like clouds and mud.

  Mrs. Xü had made elaborate arrangements for today's family banquet, and the afternoon was a time for the family to chat and drink tea together in an informal gathering. After the gathering, Zhen Shi accompanied them on a tour of the mansion, but the formal banquet didn't start until the afternoon. Although Zhen Shi started the banquet with a showy attitude, she soon became tired of fending off these people's flattery and sycophancy, not to mention some aunts' and uncles' ambiguous remarks that made her feel depressed and irritable. After a short while, she ordered Mrs. Xü to take the guests on a stroll around the mansion, and she herself returned to her courtyard to rest.

  Mrs. Xu readily agreed and led a group of people strolling in the outer courtyard garden, among more than ten people, there was a middle-aged man with a magnificent dress and fat ears, who was Zhen Lian, the cousin of Mrs. Zhen. Mrs. Xu beckoned to let her attendants entertain others, while she walked towards Zhen Lian herself.

  "This time I really have to thank Old Master Zhen, those few servants you sent over are truly clever and capable."

  Zhen Lian's eyes were sunken, and at a glance, it was clear that she had indulged in excessive desires. At this moment, a pair of small eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled and said, "Madam, why be so polite? The birth date of the second young lady of the manor has already been sent to my husband's residence, and the marriage is about to take place. This is what I should do."

  This Zhen Lianben was originally of the same generation as Gu Zhongzheng, and now he wants to marry Gu Yunxi without any embarrassment. Xu Dama's eyes moved slightly, "Although it is said that way, I still want to thank Master Zhen for a gift, I'm sure Master Zhen will like it very much."

  Zhen Lian was a greedy person, and at this moment, upon hearing these words, he couldn't help but have some thoughts, "Oh? This..."

  "Please also ask Master Zhen to come with me."

  At this time, the other people in the Zhen Mansion had already gone far away. Zhen Lian followed Xu Danni in another direction without thinking, passing through a corridor and then over a small bridge with a wasp waist. From a distance, you can see a low and humble courtyard. At this moment, the cold wind is blowing gently, and there is no one around, it is indeed a quiet and secluded place.

  "Pointing to that side, Mrs. Xu said, 'Starting from the left, the first room, Master Zhen can go himself, and he will definitely not be disappointed.'"

  Zhen Lao Ye was half-believing and half-doubting, but the woman in front of him was the manager of this inner courtyard, and also his cousin's entrusted person, so he didn't think much and smiled "heh heh" as he walked towards the house that Xu Da Niang pointed to.

  Xu Danni watched Zhen Lian's back figure, her eyes slightly dimmed, and let out a deep sigh before turning around to walk in the direction she came from.

  When Zhen Lian walked in with his mouth shut, he saw a figure in green clothes, Gu Yunxi, standing beside a knife rack with her back to him. The knife rack seemed to be quite old and was now empty. Zhen Lian looked at Gu Yunxi's back and his eyes lit up slightly. He rubbed his hands together and walked in, slamming the low door shut behind him. "Miss is——"

  Gu Yunxi turned around, her raven hair tied up with a single silver pin, a few strands of hair falling down to cover half of her face. Her slender figure was dressed in a plain white long shirt, looking extremely thin. She slightly lowered her eyes and bowed to Zhen Lianxing, "Zhen Laoye, I am Gu Yunxi."

  Gu Yun Xi!!!

  Zhen Lian glanced at the name on the wedding invitation as he was leaving, and the three characters were not unfamiliar to him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes for a moment, and he looked up and down at Gu Yunxi for a moment before a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "So it's Second Miss..."

  "I have come to see Master Zhen today because I have a gift for Master Zhen."

  Zhen Lian's eyes flickered slightly, and Gu Yunxi continued, "Rumor has it that Old Master Zhen's family married several wives and concubines but none of them were able to bear you an heir?"

  Zhen Lian's smile at the corner of his mouth stagnated, and Gu Yunxi took out a letter from her sleeve. "Master Zhen is over fifty years old and has no children, I suppose he must be anxious. I have a good prescription here, if Master Zhen can take the medicine according to this prescription, within a year, it will definitely come true."

  Zhen Lian furrowed her brow slightly, "Hasn't anyone heard that Second Miss is a doctor?"

  Gu Yunxi's mouth sank, "If Master Zhen doesn't believe me, then I have no way to prove it. However, I didn't give you this prescription for nothing, Master Zhen - there are conditions..."

  Zhen Lian's eyes gleamed with a hint of coldness, "Let's hear what Second Miss has to say."

  "Hope Old Master Zhen can agree to this marriage!"

  Zhen Lian's expression changed in an instant, and her eyes gleamed with a sinister light as she listened to Gu Yunxi for a moment. After a brief pause, she let out a strange "heh heh" laugh, "So it turns out that Second Miss was thinking of this all along. It seems that what my sister said is true - Second Miss really doesn't want to marry me after all..."

  Gu Yunxi only felt that Zhen Lian's laughter was extremely piercing, and at this moment, her eyes lowered with a hint of coldness. "Doesn't Master Zhen truly consider Gu Yunxi's conditions?"

  "Zhen Lian's voice turned, laced with disdain. 'I still advise Second Miss to calm down and wait for her marriage. Your sister said that although you have the title of miss in the Xiang Mansion, you're nothing but a lowly servant. Now that I've allowed you into my Zhen Mansion, it's already your good fortune. Why bother with these crooked thoughts about wanting to annul the engagement? Although my Zhen Mansion can't compare to the Xiang Mansion, we won't tolerate such laziness from our misses either!'"

  Zhen Lian didn't even take Gu Yun Xue seriously, she was just an ordinary-looking illegitimate daughter of a noble family. If it weren't for the fact that she carried the name of the Xiao family, he wouldn't have given her a second glance.

  Gu Yunxi lowered her head and didn't speak, a few strands of hair falling from her long neck and slender shoulders. Zhen Lian's eyes moved slightly, his voice softened somewhat, and a smile floated on his face as he stepped closer to Gu Yunxi. "Miss, rest assured, as long as you behave well before marriage, next month you can marry into the Zhen family and serve me properly, I won't treat you unfairly..."

  Before he had even finished speaking, Zhen Lian's large hand had already landed on Gu Yunxi's shoulder. "Second Miss's physique is really slender, looking at her she seems like an immature child..."

  "As soon as the word 'child' came out, Gu Yunxi, who had been stiffening her body and not moving, slowly raised her head. A bloodthirsty smile hung on the corner of her lips, and her cherry lips moved slightly to spit out two words, "Is it?""

  ——

  Digression

  Background scheduled release