readytorunbook Chapter 684 Rumors
Chapter 684 Rumors
The eighth concubine first bowed to the Marshal and his wife Yingying, and said softly: "Marshal, Madam, I pay my respects to you two. May the Marshal recover soon and may Madam be blessed with great fortune." Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like a yellow oriole singing in a valley.
The Marshal nodded slightly and said, "Get up, get up. Now that you have entered my house, we are family. Let's live a good life from now on."
The lady also forced a fake smile and said, "Yes, from now on, if you don't understand something in the mansion, just ask the sisters."
The eighth concubine stood up and greeted each of the concubines in turn. They all smiled in response, but their smiles were more or less tinged with scrutiny.
Then, the eighth concubine came to greet the young masters and young ladies.
When it was Sha Yanxiao's turn, the eighth concubine bowed deeply and said with deep emotion: "Second Young Master, I have always wanted to thank you in person. A few years ago, I went out shopping and was abducted to a courtyard by a group of robbers. It happened that the second young master led people to raid the opium den. The group panicked and fled in all directions, and I was able to escape. I have always been concerned about my reputation as a daughter and have never come forward to thank you. I am really grateful to see you today." After that, she bowed deeply.
Sha Yanxiao was stunned for a moment, his mind quickly reminiscing about the many times he had led raids on opium dens and gambling dens, but he had no recollection of this incident. He smiled calmly and politely, saying, "Eighth Concubine, you're too polite. I've carried out this kind of official duties so many times that it's difficult to remember all the details. But Eighth Concubine, you're lucky to have been saved. Now that you've entered the mansion, we're family from now on."
At this time, Sha Lili leaned close to Gui'er's ear and whispered, "Look, this Eighth Concubine is looking at Second Brother with such tenderness in her eyes that if you didn't know better you'd think she came into the mansion to pledge herself to Second Brother."
Guier frowned slightly and gently touched Shalili, signaling her not to talk nonsense.
After greeting everyone, the eighth concubine went to her own courtyard under the guidance of the matchmaker.
In the main hall, everyone's gaze withdrew as she left, and then they went to the restaurant for the banquet. This time, because the Marshal was ill, no outsiders were invited, only family members, and the dishes were still very rich.
After finishing his meal, Sha Yanxiao took Guier's hand and went back to his yard.
Gui Er asked curiously, "Brother, do you really have no impression of the new Eighth Concubine? I feel like she seems very grateful to you, not like some casual acquaintance."
Sha Yanxiao said calmly, "I have absolutely no recollection of it. If she wants to remember me, that's her own business. But she's truly pitiful. Father, in his current state, probably can't even consummate his marriage, let alone have children. She's still so young. When will she grow old? It's truly a sin. Mr. Zheng, the cloth shop owner, is so cold-blooded and heartless. He treats his own daughter like this."
Gui'er sighed and said, "That's right. I heard that she is Boss Zheng's biological daughter."
The next day, Gui'er came to Zhenxiufang and happened to meet Song Xichen, who also came to get medicine. Gui'er quickly seized the opportunity to go over and chat with him.
Song Xichen said, "I heard the Marshal has accepted a new member. Is his health improving?"
Gui'er said, "No, it's the same as before, but his speech is a little more fluent, and his actions are still the same."
"If that's the case, why does he take a concubine?" Shopkeeper Zhang couldn't help but interrupt.
"Alas, the adults in the mansion said that the Marshal wanted to prove himself, but I don't know what he wanted to prove." Gui'er said helplessly.
"I heard that the one marrying in this time is Miss Zheng, the daughter of Mr. Zheng from the cloth shop. She is good-looking and intelligent. What a pity." Shopkeeper Liu also said.
"You don't know this, right? I heard that Miss Zheng was rescued by the second young master of the Marshal's Mansion when he raided the opium den in her early years. She had been kidnapped by thieves and happened to be locked up there. As a result, the second young master, now the young marshal, raided the opium den and destroyed the place, and she took the opportunity to escape. At that time, she caught a quick glimpse of the young marshal, and she couldn't forget him after that. She rejected all the marriage proposals from her family, so in the end, Boss Zheng thought that it would be better to give such a daughter to the Marshal's Mansion than to let him stay in his own hands. Miss Zheng also thought that if she went to the Marshal's Mansion, she might be able to see the young marshal, so she agreed." A customer who was getting medicine nearby also came over and said.
"This rumor is too outrageous. If she wanted to marry, she would definitely marry the young marshal. Why would she marry the great marshal? He's so much older than her." Gui'er said. She was wearing a homespun cheongsam today. The material was similar to the one worn by Zhang, so to outsiders, she might be Zhang's apprentice or relative. She didn't look like a wealthy lady.
"My dear girl, you don't understand this. This is called infatuation, do you understand? Even just a glance is good. That's what it says in the storybooks." The guest really didn't recognize Gui'er, and he was still talking about it with relish.
Shopkeeper Liu was afraid that if he continued to talk, he would attract other customers, so he quickly prepared the medicine he wanted, handed it to him, took the money, and sent him away.
Song Xichen glanced around and saw that there were not many customers in the store. He winked at Gui'er and walked into the inner room. Gui'er might know some intelligence about our party, so she quickly observed carefully and followed him in when no one noticed her.
"Gui'er, I heard that you helped set up an underground printing point in Nanjing. You did a good job and were even praised, right?" Song Xichen said with a smile.
Gui'er nodded a little embarrassedly and said, "When I first delivered intelligence, I was always scared, but now I'm okay. I'm used to it."
"That's good. I heard from Comrade Xu Wenjie that you are considering leaving Nanjing after graduating from junior high school. Have you thought about your next step?" Song Xichen asked with concern.
Gui'er was actually a little bewildered. She said, "Miss Shen suggested that I stay in Nanjing, saying that Nanjing has good educational resources and that the underground printing point needs me. But by the time I graduate, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a reason to go back to school. Besides, I've been living with Sha Yanyao and his wife in Nanjing. Sha Yanyao treats me well, but his wife isn't so good. And now Miss Tian has a mistress named Jinbao, and they're always fighting over it. I'm stuck in the middle, and life is really difficult."
Song Xichen sighed and said, "Actually, I heard that Sha Yanyao has changed. Now he's like the other spy chiefs, extorting money from small businesses and foreign company owners. Alas, he used to be an ambitious young man. I don't know why he's become like this now."
Gui Er suddenly understood after hearing this. No wonder Jin Bao's place was so magnificent, but he didn't do anything extravagant at the Sha Mansion. Was he guarding against Miss Tian?