Chapter 217: Several Solutions to the Housing Problem Concerning Concubines and the Illegitimate Daughter (3)

Translator: Iris

Minglan didn’t spit a word, but Cuiwei was clear of what had happened. Then she stepped forward and said respectfully in a loud voice, “Miss Qiu, forgive me for saying this. Master and Madam are both in the room. How dare you speak so casually?” The expression on Cuiwei’s face seemed kind, but she was actually thinking indignantly, ‘What a bitch! You have just claimed yourself to be a maid! Have you seen any maid speaking so randomly in front of their master and madam?’

Qiuniang, shivering in terror, looked to Gu Tingye helplessly. However, the man was only staring at his new wife now. Qiuniang, as grieved as she was, could only apologize, “It’s all my fault. I haven’t seen Master for years. Please forgive my inappropriate behavior.”

“Master, you just said that it was inappropriate. What did you mean by that?” Minglan tried her best to hold her drowsiness back and asked with an elegant smile.

Gu Tingye glanced at the women who were standing in front of him. Actually, after Qiuniang had uttered those words, he was more certain of his decision. So he said in a flat tone, “I have thought about this thoroughly. It’s better to install the three of them in the House of Cardamon Fragrance.”

His words make a big splash in the room. The two women and the girl who were standing there were all stunned. Hongxiao’s face turned deadly pale and wanted to argue right away. Gu Tingye raised his arms lightly with cold expression in his eyes. Without saying anything, he already held everyone in awe.

Then, he said in a heavy voice, “You three don’t need to say anything. I’ve already made up my mind. Anyone who’s unwilling to do so could go back to ask if Old Madam would agree.” Although he said those words to the three of them, he only looked at Gong Hongxiao, with a vaguely scornful look in his eyes.

Hongxiao’s body went stiff all of a sudden. As she recalled the past memories, she lowered her head and stood still, not daring to argue anything.

Qiuniang stood there tremblingly like the fallen leaf in the wind. She, tears swelled up in her eyes, murmured in a quaking voice, “How could I… live in another yard? How am I able to serve Master and Madam, fetch the water, do the needlework, serve the two of you at night…”

Hearing the last phrase, Minglan was speechless right away– Miss Qiu, you really were straight to the point!

When Gu Tingye turned his head to Qiuniang, the look in his eyes turned gentler, “You are considerate and good at taking care of others…” He glanced at Rong and continued, “I’ll be more relieved if you can look after Rong there.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After he had said that, Hongxiao shivered again with her head lowered. In the meantime, Qiuniang’s pale face flushed red. She looked at Gu Tingye shyly, eyes filled with affection, and accepted Gu Tingye’s arrangement quietly.

Minglan couldn’t help glancing at Gu Tingye, thinking, ‘I never knew that he is so good at speech. Now Qiuniang have to accept the arrangement. It’s not like she could say that she could only serve man but not the children.’

Then the problem of their residence was settled. Cuiwei lowered her head, trying to hide her happiness. Then she started to get busy about arranging for the luggage. After Gu Tingye watched them leave, he turned around and said that he would go talk to Sir Gongsun before Minglan could say anything.

Minglan decided to hold all her doubts back first and went back to wash herself. After that, she got onto the bed at once. She had been on the go from early in the morning when she had to get up to the afternoon. She really was tired out, physically and mentally. Therefore, she fell into asleep in no time. When she woke up, it was almost at the end of the Wei Hour (3 p.m.). She was startled that she had slept for three hours.

Danju came over to help Minglan get dressed and do up Minglan’s hair cheerfully while saying, “Sister Cuiwei has just reported that our new comers were settled down in the House of Cardamon Fragrance. Their cases and packages were also put in the right place. Sister Cuiwei have ordered some servants to serve them to rest. She also said that you didn’t need to be worried. Everything’s fine there.”

Minglan dabbed at Danju’s forehead and said, “My stupid girl, you should call Cuiwei ‘He Youchang’s wife’. Why can’t you remember that!”

Danju was in a good mood now, so she wasn’t intended to retort back and only giggled. Minglan sighed secretly, knowing that Danju had been laden with anxiety these days. Danju was worried that Gu Tingye’s concubines might be a huge trouble and Minglan might be wronged. But now, at least the two women wouldn’t show up before Minglan very often.

After Minglan finished dressing up, she drank a cup of green tea. While she was recollecting the pleasant flavor of the tea, she got very joyful but then felt that she really had a difficult day. Then she threw away the account book and told Danju to bring her paper and writing brush, planning to make a new painting.

Danju glanced at the sewing box, inside of which were a few white satin nightclothes for Gu Tingye. Then she couldn’t help saying, “Madam, you should sew up those robes first. You have delayed that for days.”

Minglan tapped Danju’s nose with her brush and then said with a smile, “Silly girl, you don’t understand.” Minglan had suddenly been in the mood of painting just now.

“Madam, stop teasing me!” Danju shouted that while stamping her feet angrily. Then she covered her nose and went to wash her face.

When Gu Tingye entered the room, he saw Minglan bending over the table very attentively. Then he muted his steps on purpose while approaching her and saw a fine brushwork of two rural dogs fighting for a bone which looked quite meaty.

“What does this mean?”

Minglan nearly jumped out from her seat out of terror. As she turned around and saw the man raising his eyebrows, she covered the paper with her hand with guilty and said awkwardly, “I just did it for fun. There’s no meaning in that.”

Gu Tingye stared at the look on Minglan’s face, getting suspicious right away. He raised his hand to fetch the painting and observed carefully with a somewhat meaningful look in his eyes which gradually turned to anger when he turned to look at Minglan.

Beneath his angry gaze, Minglan only felt her blood freezing. Having giggled for a while to cover her embarrassment, she came close to him fawningly. Gu Tingye refused to sit down, so Minglan had to stand on her tiptoe to help him take off his suit and hat. Gu Tingye goggled at her while leaning on the bedside and squinted at Minglan, “You can continue your drawing now.”

Under no circumstances did Minglan have the guts to draw anything again. Having sat by the desk consciously, she picked up the account book and started to check the expenses of yesterday’s feast. Gu Tingye looked at her and asked all of a sudden, “Is everything all right… in Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion?”

Minglan knew what he was trying to say. She smiled, “It was the first time I went there, how could everything not be all right? But… I ate the breakfast there.” Speaking of that, she put on a worried look and asked, “There’s no problem with that, right?”

Gu Tingye became dazed first, then scolded her smilingly, “Only until now were you worried, it’s already too late even if you were poisoned!”

Seeing him being in a better mood, Minglan held the account book in her arms and approached him while chuckling before asking with great care, “Rong and the other two women already rested in the House of Cardamon Fragrance. Cuiwei would take good care of them. I want to send Mama Hua to be in charge at that place. What do you say?” According to Minglan’s observation of Mama Hua, Minglan found the latter quite efficient. More importantly, Mama Hua had been sent to their mansion by Old Madam Qin.

“It’s up to you.” Gu Tingye answered her with an indifferent look.

Minglan knew that she shouldn’t ask too much. However, she was nearly driven crazy by her curiosity. At last, she couldn’t help but say, “You…” That was the only word she uttered, because she didn’t even know how to ask.

As she was in a dilemma, Gu Tingye spoke ahead of her. He stared at the sandal wood top of the bed carved with pomegranate, seeming to be talking to himself, “Rong is a stubborn girl. She smashed a water vat with a stone. And she was only four or five years old at that time.”

Minglan was totally shocked, thinking, ‘Like Sima Guang did?’ (T/N: Sima Guang is a historical figure who smashed a water vat with a stone to save a little kid.)

“If she sees our future kids, she will feel worse.” Gu Tingye said that with a meaningful expression in his eyes, “Because I’ll definitely favor our kids more than her. That’s unavoidable. What’s the bother pretending?”

Minglan looked at Gu Tingye in astonishment, impressed by his honesty.

“In the future… we’ll find her a good husband.” Gu Tingye sighed softly, “You can teach her to read and handle family affairs if you want. If you don’t want to do that, it’s fine. As long as she can learn the needlework and doing accounts from Qiuniang, she’ll be fine in her husband’s family.”

Minglan sat on the bed, eyes widely open, and stared at the man’s handsome face for a long while.