Chapter 1 — Snow Lotus from the Northern Landscape

The year Bui Nghien settled down, the orphan whose life he saved moved into the Marquis Palace. She was extremely weak, after three steps she coughed, after five steps she cried. As soon as she heard that Bui Nghien was about to marry me, her eyes turned red and she asked: "Do you have a fiancee so you won't need me anymore?" Bui Nghien liked her appearance the most. In order to appease her, that same night he went to beg his brother. "It's just a matter of formality." "I'm bothering my big brother to pick up the bride and worship on my behalf." "I have to take A Dao to the hospital outside the city to recuperate first, wait for her to calm down and then return." So on the big wedding day, my brother picked up the bride and performed the ceremony on his behalf. Bui Nghien took the other orphan to the hot springs hospital. He just didn't expect that, on the night I entered the Marquis Palace, the old lady looked at me and his brother who had finished worshiping heaven and earth, and calmly said: "If you have completed the ritual, from now on you will be the chief of the main room." 1 Red candles illuminated the room filled with joy. The moment the veil was lifted, we raised our heads to see a face completely different from Bui Nghien in the painting. This man was taller, his shoulders were broader, his brow bones were deeper, and his body carried a cold aura that only people who had lived in the military could have. He is the eldest son of the Bui family, Bui Hanh. I tightened my handkerchief in my palm. "Why you?" Bui Hanh placed the joy scale on the table, his tone calm: "Bui Nghien has something to do, please ask me to do it for you." Do it for me. Or give two words instead. Ten miles of red clothes, three days, six days, turned into a chore in his mouth that could only be summed up in two words. I was about to speak when the sound of communication rang out outside, the old lady had arrived. The old lady of the Bui family walked in with a cane, and behind her was the mama in charge. The maids in the room bowed in unison. She sat down on the grand master's chair, her eyes glanced at my face, looked at Bui Hanh again, and finally gently tapped the tip of her stick on the ground twice. "If the ceremony has been completed, the three nine bows to heaven and earth and the temple have all been completed, from now on you are the head of the great room." I was stunned. Bui Hanh was also stunned. He turned to the old lady: "Mother, this marriage originally belonged to younger brother Nghien, I only performed the ceremony on his behalf." The old lady raised the tea cup and blew gently, slowly taking a sip. "The one who worships is you, the one who picks up the bride is also you. Bui family's rules, once you have performed the ceremony, it must be counted. Your younger brother can even throw his own marriage to someone else, so this wife, don't expect to ask for it back." Bui Hanh pursed his lips and did not speak. The old lady looked at me. "Wen family girl, do you have any objections?" What objections could I have? On the day of our wedding, my fiance ran away with another woman to recuperate, leaving his brother to marry me on his behalf. No matter how gentle I On Tri Y is, I know that this anger cannot be swallowed. I stood up, respectfully bowed. "Tri Y thanks you for your success." The old lady nodded with satisfaction, stood up and went out. When passing by Bui Hanh, she patted his arm. "You are no longer a child. You are not lost in this marriage." The door closed, and only Bui Hanh and I were left in the room. The red candle makes a clicking sound. He stood in front of the window, turned his back to me, and spoke for a long time before saying: "Don't worry, I won't touch you. If mother has decided on this marriage, I will accept it. But if in your heart you still miss Bui Nghien, I won't stop you. Wait until it comes back, the two of you will resolve it yourself." After saying that, he took a set of blankets, pushed open the inner door and walked in. The sound of the door closing was very soft, but my hands were shaking. That night, the red candle burned to the end, and I sat alone

all night long. 2The next morning, when it was not yet dawn, I pushed open the door of the inner room, and there was no longer a shadow of anyone inside. The blanket was folded neatly, there wasn't even a wrinkle on the pillow. The maid Thanh Hoa came in with water to wash her face and said in a low voice: "The young master went to the martial arts school before morning. He told his servants to come and serve the young lady to wash his face and comb his hair." I received a towel to wipe my face. "Do you usually get up this early?" Thanh Hoa nodded. "The young master has always been the same. He has been in the Bac Canh military camp all year round, and has only been back to the capital for half a month. The rules still remain the same as in the army." Bac Canh. Only then did I remember that the eldest son of the Bui family was Bui Hanh. He joined the army at the age of sixteen and lived in Bac Canh for six years. Last year, thanks to his military achievements, he was sent back to the capital. The person he was supposed to marry was Bui Nghien, so we know very little about Bui Hanh. We only heard that he has a cold personality and that no one can catch his eye from all the ladies in the capital. After washing my face and combing my hair, Thanh Hoa took me to greet the old lady. The old lady is having breakfast. Seeing me coming, she waved for me to sit next to her, and personally picked up food for me. "Did you have a good rest last night?" I lowered my eyes. "Very good." The old lady smiled and asked again: "Where is Hanh Nhi?" "Going to the school." The old lady nodded in understanding. "He is a closed-mouthed gourd, doesn't know how to say pleasant words, but is very steadfast in his work. The two of you can slowly live together." After saying goodbye, Chu ma ma was next to her. Next to the old lady, she took me to know the hospitals in the palace. The Marquis Palace had up to five courtyards, and the servants alone had more than a hundred people. When reaching the turning point in the garden, Chu ma ma suddenly stopped walking, lowered her voice and said: "Young lady, the servants in the palace have many things to say, there are a few words that people have heard and then ignore." Before I could ask what the matter was, two ladies walked opposite. When the ladies saw me, they still bowed, but the call "Eldest Young Lady" was prolonged and full of sarcasm, and the disdain in her eyes couldn't be hidden even if she wanted to hide it. Waiting for them to go far away, half a sentence of gossip came through the wind. "...The Second Young Master didn't need to feed the First Young Master..." Chu Ma Ma's face darkened and she was about to chase after her, but I stopped her. "Mom, there's no need to rush." Although I was not pampered like gold or jade in the Wen family, I was also the righteous daughter of a scholarly family. My father is the editor of Han Lam Institute. The bar is poor, but the core has never been weak. Bui Nghien doesn't need me, I accept it. But if others want to step on us, it remains to be seen whether we allow it or not. Returning to the hospital, I sent Thanh Hoa to the kitchen to get the list of this month's allowances. With just one look, I frowned. One ounce of raw tea, half a pound of refined salt, ten pounds of charcoal, two pieces of cloth. Even the third-class maids in the palace have more money than me for this reward. Thanh Hoa was impatient: "Young lady, there must be a mistake. Do you need to come find the manager or not..." "No need to look." I folded the list and put it away. "Tomorrow when I call in, I will tell my mother myself." 3 The next day when I call in, I didn't mention anything about the ceremony. The old lady asked me if I was familiar with the palace. I smiled and replied that everything was good. Thanh Hoa stood next to him so impatiently that he rubbed his hands continuously. After saying goodbye, the old lady suddenly called me back. "That's right, the management of the internal courtyard in the palace has always been represented by Chu mama. Now that you have entered the door, the things that should be taken over must still be taken over." She took out a set of keys from her sleeve and gave it to me. "From today, the books, expenses and monthly fees in the internal courtyard of the Marquis Palace are all entrusted to you to manage." As soon as these words were said, the faces of all those present changed. Chu mama bowed slightly. “Old lady

"I took the set of keys, held them in my palm, my fingertips were hot. Housekeeper's rights. The old lady had given me the housekeeper's rights. I looked at Mama Chu's just-right smile and suddenly understood everything. That poor list of rules was intentionally arranged by them. She wanted to see how I would handle it, whether to be patient and not say anything, cry and denounce, or find a way myself. As for me, I chose to wait. What the old lady needed was a leader of her own. The room was calm and calm. On the afternoon of receiving the housekeeper's authority, I immediately asked Thanh Hoa to call all the housekeepers to the lobby to recognize them. I opened the book and looked at the third page, and stopped. "The coal expenses of Dong Vien were three times higher than last year's. Who's in charge?" A fat lady stepped out, her smile was too kind. "My lady, this year's winter is colder, the hospitals are getting more coal..." "More coal." I closed the book. "I also looked at the book in the kitchen. The cost of alcohol and drinks also increased by three parts. The manager of the East Court and the kitchen are the same person." The smile on the fat woman's face stiffened. "There are doubts in the books, first stop your position. Wait for the investigation to be clear and then move on." My voice was very calm, not rising a fraction, nor lowering a fraction. The fat lady looked to both sides, saw no one spoke up to help, so she had no choice but to retreat. The remaining eleven administrators all stood up straight. The laziness from before completely disappeared. I turned a few more pages. "The cost of the firewood room is not a big problem, but the monthly delivery date is three days late. From next month, the first day of each month must be distributed on time. If it passes through someone's hands for one day, that person will put in the money to make up for it." Thanh Hoa stood next to him, his eyes shining. That afternoon, Bui Hanh returned a little earlier than usual. When passing by the lobby, he saw me still comparing the books, his steps stopped for a moment. I did not raise my head. He also did not say anything. But that night, in the room next door, there was an additional light, much brighter than the previous night. On the morning of the third day, a plate appeared on my table. Cinnamon flower cake. Thanh Hoa said that the young master sent someone to deliver it. The cake was bought at Du Phong Trai in the capital. If you want to buy it, you have to wait in line for an hour. I picked up a piece and took a bite. 4 Bui Nghien and Ha Dao returned to the capital. After half a month, I heard a noise from the front yard. "Young lady, Second young master has returned and brought Miss Ha Follow!" I adjusted the clips on the book, the movements in my hand did not stop. "I know." The first thing Bui Nghien did after returning was to go find the old lady. I was not present, but after that, Chu mama told me not a word was missing. As soon as Bui Nghien entered the door, she knelt down. "Mother, Miss Wen is the one who has decided to marry her son, how can she be the eldest brother's wife?" The old lady placed the Buddha necklace. "Do you feel bad?" "Of course it's not okay! Big brother only performed the ceremony on behalf of his son. This wedding is all about me from beginning to end." The old lady slowly stood up and walked in front of Bui Nghien. "So where are you on the big wedding day?" Bui Nghien choked for a moment. "A Dao's body is not good, I'm worried about her..." The old lady slammed her stick on the table, making the tea cup shake. "You're worried about her! So who cares about the Wen family's reputation? Who cares about the Bui family's reputation? You let your elder brother worship on your behalf, what do you consider the hundred years of honor of my Bui family?"