An ugly girl starts off, then becomes a beauty

Cheng Mu learned about this from Fang Mu.

Madam Zhaoyu had long known whether the couple had performed the Zhougong rites.

It's just that talking about this kind of thing is somewhat taboo, and Sang Ling avoided this topic time and time again, so Cheng Ai had never said this before. She only hinted at it several times when the Marquis was about to rest.

Unexpectedly, the other party just ignored it and turned a deaf ear to it.

She said earnestly, "Experienced people can see things like this between women. Not to mention that you acted normally, even when you went to pay your respects to the Marquis, you still looked unfamiliar. How could you have been intimate with him?"

"Can this be seen?" Sang Ling was quite surprised.

"You can tell just by watching how you get along with the Marquis." For the first time, Cheng Lao's words showed a hint of disdain. Sang Ling's eyes turned away immediately, and he was stunned for a long time.

She really didn't pay attention to this problem. Neither she nor Yuan Sangling had ever experienced such a thing, so even if they wanted to disguise themselves, they didn't know where to start.

Do I have to pretend that I have difficulty walking?

That's too contrived.

Besides, not every girl would show this kind of thing in her steps.

Then there was her relationship with Nie Ce. Actually, thinking back carefully, the two of them did not behave very close in front of their elders. Even if they could say a few words to each other, they were polite and distant. Even she could feel it, not to mention those shrewd elders.

She had nothing more to say. After entering the Wuyuan Garden, she turned around and looked at Cheng again, "According to you, the eldest lady is dissatisfied with me because of the unconsummated marriage?"

Cheng Ai nodded, "But the Madam promised the Marquis that she would not interfere in the affairs of Wuyuan, so she never mentioned these to you."

Or it was under pressure from Nie Ce.

"Then..." She frowned, "Why doesn't she think about whether it's Nie Ce?"

Regarding the consummation of the marriage, Sang Ling's attitude has actually been noncommittal. She just didn't want to take the initiative to invite Nie Ce. But if he wanted, she would not resist. Why didn't Madam Zhaoyu think that it was her son who was unhappy?

"Madam is still young after all." Aunt Cheng was angry and amused, and she felt helpless. "The son is the real one, which mother would blame the son?"

After saying this, Sang Ling suddenly realized his mistake and couldn't help laughing at himself. Yes, this was in ancient times, the husband was the head of the wife, and she was Nie Ce's biological mother, so why would she think badly of her own son?

At this moment, she suddenly thought of her family. Even though they had each formed a new family, they were still real flesh and blood. Looking back on that era now, it seemed to have become very far away since some time. Even when she closed her eyes, she could hardly remember the faces of her relatives clearly.

I could only look up and breathe out, "It's not a big deal."

That night, Nie Ce returned to Wuyuan to rest. As usual, Ying Bushi and several of his servants helped him change his clothes, and then he sat on a mat in the side room. He was still talking to Sang Ling about the Cai family's affairs, "I went to Muxiang Garden in the afternoon to talk to Ah Xuan. Guess what happened?"

Sang Ling came back to his senses from his thoughts and asked, "How?"

"A maidservant told him that you laughed at him in private. Later, I found out that the maidservant was sent here from the West Palace a while ago."

It seems to be Shen. She looked back and saw that the voices of the two people talking were not quiet even though there was a wooden step between them.

"How did you get in touch with Ah-Yu?"

Sang Ling had never heard that ten-year-old idiot who needed someone to take care of him when eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. He remained silent even when he ran over to throw stones that time. She almost thought he was a mute.

"You don't know yet?" Nie Ce said with a smile, "I am the person he admires most in this mansion. If I tell him to go east, he will never go west."

No wonder he said yesterday that he would investigate it himself. It turns out that this matter is so easy to get a result. Sang Ling looked over and saw the young man on the other side with his legs crossed and the quilt slightly draped. "I have to go to the palace tomorrow and I will not be free. I will go to the West Mansion to ask Second Aunt the day after tomorrow. There must be a result."

"Don't go." She stopped him.

Nie Ce understood the concerns here, and said, "This matter will not be brought to Grandfather. I will only tell Second Aunt and clear up the misunderstandings now to avoid any more trouble in the future."

"What misunderstanding? Is that the reason why I rejected her last time?" She said helplessly, "If she still has a grudge, she would still be dissatisfied even if I was too sick to get out of bed."

The root cause was the matter of Shen Huajun marrying Nie Ce. To them, Sang Ling was an opposing existence, and no matter what they did, they would inevitably be embarrassed.

This is simply a false proposition.

Nie Ce shook his head, "Shen Huajun is sixteen this year. I will stay at home the day after tomorrow and explain everything to Second Aunt. It's a good opportunity to ask mother to look after her family. This matter ends here."

After the conversation, there was silence for a long time. Sang Ling was also stunned for a long time. She always felt that Nie Ce seemed different this time, not only in appearance, but also in the way he handled the affairs of the inner house. She always remembered that he said that the situation in the mansion was complicated, and told her sternly: Be low-key. Later, Madam Zhaoyu said the same thing.

So she has been cautious.

But now that he suddenly came back, he seemed like a different person. Looking back at last year when he talked about Shen and Shen Huajun, his tone was still full of helplessness.

What exactly caused this change?

She didn't know when it started, but she could hear the sound of drizzle outside and a cool breeze came in from the window, blowing away the heat of the summer night. She was in a daze for a while, reciting what Cheng Mu said in the afternoon. She turned stiffly on the couch and scratched the back of her head. "Um, you--" She paused after saying that, not knowing how to continue.

Nie Ce was just moving the low table away when he raised his head and looked over again, saying "hmm" in confusion.

She finally gritted her teeth and said, "Would you like to sleep on the couch tonight?"

After saying this, there was no response for a long while. Fortunately, the sound of rain outside gradually became louder, hitting the roof, and dripping down the eaves to the stone floor, perfectly covering up the silence.

She didn't know how long she had been waiting, maybe not long at all, or maybe it was a really long time, so she could only pull up the corners of her mouth and said stiffly, "I'm worried that you won't be comfortable sleeping on the mat all the time. This couch is quite wide--"

"I'm used to sleeping in the camp." Nie Ce finally spoke.

Without thinking, she said, "Oh, okay." Then she lay down and hid her hands under the quilt. She had never felt so strange before.

After about a while, Nie Ce did not turn off the light. Just as he was about to turn around to look, he heard his voice.

"We can also divorce."