NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89 - How will You Live Your Life after This?
When the family got into the carriage, Zuo Yunwen started laughing out loud, “The madame is obviously treating our family differently. This is a good thing.”
Zuo Shaoqing took a piece of cake from the paper bag and handed it to Zuo Yunwen, “Father, try it.” Seeing that Zuo Yunwen didn't want it, he asked his second uncle and brother a symbolic question.
Zuo Shaoyan shook his head. Zuo Yunyang wanted to try it out, but when he thought about how the madame gave the cake to his daughter-in-law, he felt embarrassed.
Zuo Shaoqing did not stand on ceremony. With a turn of his wrist, he stuffed the pastry into his mouth and laughed as he ate it.
Zuo Shaoyan glanced at his third brother, who was eating happily, and said to Zuo Yunwen, “Father, look at what the madame meant... I'm afraid you don't have any plans to get married with Zuo Family.”
Zuo Yunwen's smile froze and he comforted himself, “That might not be the case. Didn't she praise your sister? As long as Master Lu remains unmarried, your sister will still have the chance. We'll ask about everything after your mother returns home.”
Zuo Shaoqing ate as if it was none of his business. Zuo Yunyang looked out of the window with a smile on his face. Neither of them was involved in this topic.
Zuo Shuhui held onto Mrs. Xue and walked behind the group into the Duke Zhen Manor's theater. Duke Zhen Manor was very big, and not only was there a separate theater, there was also a stable's yard, and there was even a garden that was three times bigger than Zuo Family.
Along the way, Zuo Shuhui only felt a surge of passion in her chest, and her desire to marry into the family became even more fervent.
There were definitely more than one or two people who had the same thoughts as her.
When they arrived at the theatre, the maidservants led the madams and ladies to their seats. Whether intentionally or not, Mrs. Xue and her mother were seated right behind the madame. This was not the most important position, but the closest one to the madame.
Thus, everyone's thoughts started to move, and some of them even thought of last year's Master Lu, who stayed at Zuo's Mansion for a few days. They thought to themselves: Could it be that the relationship between the two families is really that good?
“This old woman likes watching martial arts scenes. If you want to watch something, you can have it.” The madame asked Maid Zhong to pass down the list of actors and asked the ladies of high rank to order the scenes.
The first and second wife, who sat to her right, didn't even glance at it. She waved her hand and said, “Just pick the right one, that's all. I've long heard that the Prince's Palace's troupe was the most famous Cloud Life Class in the capital. Today, I want to have a good look.”
Everyone echoed her words. The old mistress proudly let the show begin.
The actors on the stage were very diligent in their performance, but the ladies below the stage were not in the mood to watch a show. One by one, they tried to guess what kind of daughter-in-law the old lady would like.
When the two performances were over, the old mistress gave her rewards while smiling. “These are the only scenes that exist all day long. I'm sick of watching them. Why don't we watch something new?”
Everyone sat upright, knowing that the main show was about to begin. The first wife laughed and scolded, “You have the most tricks up your sleeves. What suggestions do you have?”
“Haha... There are so many talented girls sitting here, why don't we just let them play around?”
Everyone knew in their hearts that the madame was about to take the exam for her talent. Many of the ladies were already rubbing their hands together, waiting to be ‘humiliated'.
These famous people rarely had the chance to leave their homes. Even if they had studied for more than ten years, they still might not be known by outsiders. This made them feel like their treasures were covered in dust.
Even if they weren't chosen by the madame, it would be good if they could show their faces in front of so many madams. Most of the noble madams in the city were gathered here, and one of them could very well be their future mother-in-law.
The first wife clapped. “That's a good idea. So many beauties have come today. I'd like to open my eyes wide so that I can pick a granddaughter-in-law to go back.”
All the girls who were still in the pavilion were full of enthusiasm. Although the young master of the auxiliary family was of no rank, he could still fight for this position.
There were many ladies who wanted to pick a daughter-in-law. If he could find a good wife for his daughter and a beautiful daughter-in-law for the brat at home, then this trip would be perfect.
Looking at the enthusiastic ladies, the madame smiled proudly and ordered the servants to fetch the instruments.
Madame Lu leisurely held a cup of tea and drank it while listening to the melodious zither music. From time to time, she would beat the beat of the zither, as if she was enjoying the show.
She thought regretfully: Once Zheng'er marries a man, the entertainment at home will probably end. How will we live in the future?
The madame waved at Maid Zhong and waited for her to bend down before whispering something in her ear.
Maid Zhong tried her best to hide her shock and slightly shook her head. “Please don't... It would not be good if this grandpa knew.”
“What's wrong with that? It's impossible for this old woman to communicate with her future wife?”
“This...”
The madame waved her hand. “Don't do anything here, do it quickly. Make an appointment tomorrow morning at the side door for him to wait at.”
Maid Zhong was upset. She went to the steward to pass on the madame's order. At the same time, she felt sorry for her future mistress.
On the stage, the Minister of Revenue's second daughter had already finished playing a song and was praised by everyone. She immediately crawled behind the Minister's wife, blushing.
The madame clapped. “You are indeed a flower of our capital. In the past, even the Zither Saint Lady Meng was only worth so much.”
Madam Shang laughed so hard that her eyes almost fell off. “Don't say it like that, the madame. She's only practiced the zither for a few years?” Who would dare to compete with Qin Sheng?”
Everyone knew in their hearts that with the madame's words, the value of this young miss of the Shang Shu Manor would be doubled.
“Good is good. This old woman won't casually praise someone.” The madame responded with a smile, thinking to herself, “What's the use of playing the zither well?” Wasn't he narrow-minded and unbalanced on the surface?
All these years, the madame had searched every single one of the renowned daughters of the capital during her free time. She had always thought that in the future, she would be able to choose a suitable wife for her son. Even if his son disliked women, it would still be good for him to be a respectful couple.
Who knew that with this investigation, she would be able to find quite a few things.
As Princess Nanning's daughter, she had grown up in a war in the backyard. She had seen quite a few private matters. Even so, some news still left her in shock.
For example, the man who had just stepped down from the stage had an empty face, but in reality, he had the heart of a snake. Many of the maids and madams had died in her hands.
The silk bamboo rustled elegantly. The madame entertained herself as she looked at the girls who were trying their best to express themselves on the stage.
When the young miss of the Zuo Family came up on stage, the old lady inevitably thought of the Zuo Family bastard who was about to become his own daughter-in-law.
She had thought that the man Lu Zheng had taken a fancy to was a genius, not a son born of a small family, like Zuo Shaoqing.
At first glance, she felt that this youth was far too ordinary. He didn't have a devastatingly beautiful appearance, nor did he have a temperament that could look down on all other outstanding individuals.
But after looking at him a few more times, she felt that this youth was far from being as ordinary as he seemed.
At first glance, her clear eyes seemed very beautiful, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that not only was she beautiful. Her eyes that were as black as thick ink were even more like a deep pool, making her unable to see the bottom.
Even in a moment of carelessness, those eyes would reveal the vicissitudes of life after being exposed to the cold of the world, as well as the feeling of obsession to put everything on the line.
She really couldn't believe that this was the gaze of a fourteen year old youth. The madame believed that there must be some unknown story behind this youth.
She had also seen Zuo Shaoqing's information and there was nothing outstanding about him. He was a bastard son of an old family, and his father didn't care about him, his mother didn't love him, and his mother had died early on. He had never had any good points other than being well-behaved since he was young.
How could such an ordinary youth enter her son's eyes?
The madame saw Zuo Shaoqing out of curiosity and confusion. At first glance, she still didn't have an answer. However, when she realized that Zuo Shaoqing was different from what she had read, she was truly surprised.
She definitely believed that the intelligence gathered by the Wu Steel Manor was true, which only meant one thing, and that was that Zuo Shaoqing was too good at hiding it. When everyone around him thought that he was an obedient and despicable child, the information they received naturally became distorted.
But could a person really pretend to be him every day for over ten years?
How terrifying was this scheming? The old mistress wavered for a moment. She wasn't afraid of Zuo Shaoqing's scheming mind, she was just worried that he had ill intentions.
Ever since Lu Zheng came in, the two of them did not exchange a single word. Miraculously, the youth that she could not see through instantly returned to the human world, emitting a gentle temperament. The corners of his mouth, which he tried so hard to suppress, were raised, looking extremely charming.
Her son, who had always been cold, actually had something that could be called gentleness in his eyes.
She believed that this kind of temperament couldn't be faked, and their tacit understanding couldn't be faked either. At that moment, she decided to accept this young man who dared to have feelings for his son but didn't flaunt them. At the very least, his quality wouldn't be too bad.
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