"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."
Old Madam Huo nearly choked on Xu Junjun's words. Once she processed what was said, she shot a malevolent glare at Huo Qiming.
The little brat actually dared to have a secret affair behind closed doors with Chen Yue'er!
And she, his grandmother, was still alive and well!
He was already getting too big for his boots!
"Grandmother thinks Junjun has a point. Though Junjun's gift is a bit... peculiar, it comes with the best of intentions. Ming'er, you must thank Junjun properly."
Glancing at Chen Yue'er in the crowd, Old Madam Huo spoke up on Xu Junjun's behalf, casting a final, warning look at Huo Qiming to order him not to go too far.
Huo Qiming's face turned dark as he glared at Xu Junjun, thoroughly displeased with her for exposing the sachet. Yet, with Old Madam Huo present, he dared not hurl the jade vial back at Xu Junjun's face. He could only stow the vial inside his tunic with a sullen expression, then turned his gaze to Old Madam Huo.
"Grandmother, the hour is late. Your grandson will head to the barracks first."
Deliberately ignoring Xu Junjun, Huo Qiming gave one last look back at Chen Yue'er standing off to the side of the crowd. With a nod in her direction, he swung up onto his horse and plunged straight into the night.
The bitter wind howled, horse hooves kicked up flying snow, and a squad of soldiers broke through the chill to follow Huo Qiming, leaving a trail of messy footprints stretching out into the blowing snow.
"You must return safely."
Watching Huo Qiming on horseback, Old Madam Huo sighed and patted the back of Xu Junjun's hand, comforting her:
"Rest assured, Junjun. With me around, this rascal would never dare wrong you. Once Ming'er returns victorious this time, Grandmother will certainly make the decision and order him to share a bridal chamber with you."
Everyone in the General's Estate knew that the young master and the young madam had yet to consummate their marriage. For the old madam to announce this publicly was clearly intended to back Xu Junjun up.
For a moment, everyone's eyes gathered on Xu Junjun and Chen Yue'er, each look carrying a different meaning.
Hearing the words "bridal chamber," the fake smile on Xu Junjun's face nearly shattered, while Chen Yue'er beside her completely broke down. Breaking through the crowd, she ran weeping back into the estate.
Xu Junjun looked at her mourning-dress-like retreating back and rolled her eyes.
What was she crying for? Acting as if anyone coveted his Huo Qiming—she wouldn't even take him if he were given to her for free!
"Grandmother, your good intentions are deeply appreciated by your granddaughter-in-law. But as for sharing a room, let's forget it. Your granddaughter-in-law prefers mutual affection and has no wish to force things on anyone."
Supporting Old Madam Huo as they walked slowly back into the estate, Xu Junjun spoke with righteous conviction.
Old Madam Huo was touched beyond measure, patting her hand repeatedly in praise:
"Good child, truly a good child. It has been hard on you, marrying Ming'er. Rest assured, no matter what, Grandmother will not let him wrong you. I have already planned it out. Once Ming'er returns from the campaign, I will have him personally select a fine young talent and marry Chen Yue'er off. Once she is married, you and Ming'er can live a proper life together."
"We can talk about that when the time comes. Grandmother, today I shall accompany you to copy Buddhist scriptures..."
Xu Junjun clearly hadn't taken Old Madam Huo's words to heart, nodding vaguely to brush her off. What kind of life could she possibly live with Huo Qiming? Once she helped Old Madam Huo get through this fatal tribulation and the right moment arrived, she was going to pack up and go gallivanting across the capital with Niaoniao. Who would even remember which weed Huo Qiming was?
Meanwhile.
Chen Yue'er ran back to her courtyard in tears and threw herself onto the bed. The maid serving her saw this and hurried forward to offer comfort.
Before she could finish soothing Chen Yue'er, another of Chen Yue'er's personal maids rushed in from outside the courtyard, dropping heavily to her knees beside Chen Yue'er with a loud thud, her face filled with frantic panic.
"Mistress, this is terrible! Just now, this servant heard the Old Madam say that once the Young Master returns victorious from this campaign, she is going to make the Young Master personally marry you off!"
"What?!"
Chen Yue'er bolted upright, forgetting even to cry. She grabbed the maid by the collar and demanded in a harsh voice:
"Where did you hear this? When the Old Madam said these words, were there others around?"
"Right at the estate gates! Just after Mistress left, the Young Madam was supporting the Old Madam as they walked inside. This servant was following behind and heard it with my own ears. There were quite a few other servants right behind the Old Madam at the time, and they heard it too."
"They all heard it? Doesn't that mean the entire General's Estate now knows how much the Old Madam detests me?"
Chen Yue'er's grip loosened, her gaze turning hollow. A moment later, a vicious glare erupted in the depths of her eyes, and she shrieked:
"That old hag! Every single time, it's her blocking me from being with Brother Ming! Why won't she just die?! Why is she still alive?!"
Chen Yue'er's hysterics and curses made her look like an avenging ghost, bearing not a shred of the gentle, innocent demeanor she showed before Huo Qiming.
The two maids were frightened by her distorted face. One of them, quick-witted, hurried over to shut the courtyard gate, then ran back to Chen Yue'er's side to urge her in a panicked whisper:
"Mistress, do not panic yet. The Young Master has only just left; there is still room to turn this around."
"What room is there? You didn't see how resolute the Old Madam looked. With her around, how could the Young Master ever marry Mistress?"
The maid who had brought the news was burning with anxiety. Having served Chen Yue'er since childhood, their bond as mistress and servants was profoundly deep, and naturally, they put Chen Yue'er first in everything. Seeing their mistress's years-planned wish about to slip away, the two of them were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
"That's right, Brother Ming is the most filial of men. With that old hag around, he will never marry me."
Chen Yue'er lowered her head, muttering in a daze. A suffocating sense of terror seized her entire heart, throwing her into chaos and leaving her unable to think.
Was she truly going to resign herself to fate, obey the old hag's arrangements, and marry some sixth-rank official in the capital with a modest background?
No, she was not reconciled!
Back when she first arrived at the Huo Estate, she had gone to endless trouble to lure the servants away and engineered Huo Qiming's fall into the water. Only after saving him with her own body did she win his protection. Every step of the way had been fraught with hardship before Huo Qiming had finally been willing to marry her.
Now, just as she was a hair's breadth away from the finish line, how could she be willing to let go?
No, she couldn't!
She couldn't let a few words from the old hag shatter years of her hard work. She had to find a way.
Yet the foundations of the Huo Estate were as lush as a forest and as solid as rock. What ability did she, an orphan girl, have to contend with them, and how could she ever change the old madam's mind?
"Ah, if only the Old Madam were unable to move..."
"If she couldn't move or speak, she wouldn't be able to stop the Young Master and Mistress from marrying."
Suddenly, an unintentional remark from the maid struck Chen Yue'er's mind like a ten-thousand-pound hammer, jarring her whole body with a tremor. The spark of hope in the depths of her eyes roared back to life.
"Unable to move... unable to move!"
Those four words grew wildly in Chen Yue'er's heart like spring grass, burying the last remnants of her conscience.
"Yes! As long as the old hag is dead, no one will stop Brother Ming and me from marrying! As long as she dies, Brother Ming will be free!"
A startling brilliance burst within Chen Yue'er's eyes. In the span of a mere moment, she had experienced the most agonizing peaks and valleys of her life, as if cutting through the fog in a single flash.
With her backbone restored, Chen Yue'er returned to her usual quiet and gentle appearance. She wiped away her tear tracks and looked at her two fiercely loyal maids.
"Xiaocui, Xiaohong, I need you both to do something for me. Aside from the two of you, no fourth person must know of this."
Chen Yue'er's voice grew lower and lower. The two maids, Xiaocui and Xiaohong, went from shock to numbness, then to hesitation, and finally to a resigned, death-defying firmness.