After Ruansan niangdeparted, Ruan Xi pretended not to see her maidservants exchanging pointed looks as she sighed emotionally with a smile.
"How could Mother asksan jieto borrow that jewellery set from me, her reputation would be terrible if that were to spread.
"Su Yu, Su Zhu, don't you think so?"
She could roughly guess what her legitimate mother Zhangshiwas conspiring. Wasn't she trying to disgust her, and put her and Ruansan niangon the path of confrontation?
Ruan Xi refused to fall for the scheme.
Presently, the anger in Su Yu's heart had yet to dissipate. When she heard her Young Lady's utterance, she pursed her lips. "Who knows whatFurenis thinking, she even tried to poison and harm the Young Lady in secret back when."
In Su Yu's heart, not only was theFurenmalicious, but she was also vicious and merciless.
Su Zhu was of the same opinion. "Exactly,nubifeels like the Third Young Lady has no reason to lie."
"Young Lady, should we divulge and spread this matter?" Su Zhu looked eager to give it a try.
Ruan Xi laughed softly in response, her gaze chilly. "Spread it, why shouldn't we spread it? If I don't make a single move, Mother will assume that I'm a soft bread roll."
Who told Zhangshito be ignorant towards Ruansan niang's original disposition of being a pig teammate? If she did not pit her back, she would be wasting the chance that had been sent her way.
Even if Zhangshilearned of her involvement, she could only swallow that mouthful of anger, since Zhangshidid not want to have the reputation of having a narrow stomach.
"Young Lady can set her mind at ease,nubiwill handle this appropriately." Su Zhu and Su Yu answered in unison. The pair was extremely happy; after enduring for so long, their Young Lady finally acted.
Ruan Xi observed the high fighting spirits that the pair possessed, her lips curling up before she stood up to go back to her room for an afternoon nap.
She trusted that Su Yu and Su Zhu would not disappoint her.
After a private discussion between Su Yu and Su Zhu, they finally informed Mama Yang of their plan. Once they received Mama Yang's affirmation, the pair executed their plan.
When they saw the most loose-mouthed Qianpoziwithin the residence walk past, the pair echoed each other as they deliberately complained about the fact that theFurenhad allowed the Third Young Lady to borrow jewellery.
婆子 (pinyin: po zi) – older woman-servant.
Qianpozi's eyes lit up upon hearing their complaint.
That would explain why she saw the Third Young Lady holding an additional jewellery case as she was walking out from Limpid Heart Garden; it turns out theFurenasked the Third Young Lady to go over to the Fourth Young Lady's place to borrow the jewellery.
Qianpozi's pupils shifted. She heard that the Third Young Lady would be attending Wenlao-furen's longevity banquet tomorrow, which meant that the Third Young Lady borrowing the jewellery was most likely to be true.
Privately, Qianpozigossiped excitably with the other older woman-servants at once and said older woman-servants proceeded to gossip with the other servants.
Once the news was propagated, the variousyiniangin the residence learnt of it too. One after another, they pushed the wave and added to the billows in secret. In just a short afternoon, the rumours reached all ends of the Earl Residence.
Zhangshibecame aware of this bad news very quickly, and she became angry and frustrated. Before she could do anything,Lao Taitaidispatched someone to call her over for a harsh lecture, admonishing her to the point where her head and face was filthy with grime, unable to vocalise her bitterness.
At the very end, she even stated that Ruansan niangwas not allowed to attend Wenlao-furen's longevity feast.
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Zhangshihated that counterfeit for her loud actions and that damnableyatou si niangto death. It was such a small matter and yet it was blown out of proportion. When she eventually squashed the rumours, she called Ruansan niangover topelther with admonishments.
劈头盖脸 (pinyin: pi tou gai lian) – lit. splitting the head and covering the face.
Ruansan niang's expression was filled with grievances. "It's not like I'm lying, it's clearly Mother who told me to go and borrow it, I remember it vividly."
Zhangshilooked up in anger. A counterfeit was a counterfeit; stupid like a pig, and she had pitted her too.
"Couldn't you just say that you wanted to borrow it, it's not as thoughsi niangcould make it difficult for you?"
"There are altercations between me andsi mei, if I didn't bring out Mother,si meiwould never have lent me the jewellery."
Ruansan niangbecame more aggrieved because her Mother was not on her side. While she had implicated her mother's reputation, she did not do it on purpose.
Si meiwas being too petty, she even had to announce such a small thing.
Zhangshinearly stopped breathing and vomited blood when she saw the counterfeit being aggrieved.
She felt like if she continued talking to the counterfeit, she would still be the angry person, so Zhangshipromptly waved her hand and gestured for Ruansan niangto go back.
Once Ruansan niangleft, Zhangshiviolently smashed the items in the room with a gloomy complexion.
In a short while, the room was in an utter mess.
Mama Sun and Mama Gao did not dare to make a sound. When Zhangshi's anger eventually dispersed, Mama Sun called the servants in to clean up the room. By the time the room was restored into proper order, Mama Gao brewed a pot of light tea for Zhangshiand gave a cautious suggestion: "Furen, if yõu don't wish to see the counterfeit Third Young Lady, why don't yõu marry her out earlier?"
Mama Sun: "……"
Mama Gao, this idiot, what kind of rotten idea was she giving?
Zhangshilaughed out of anger. "Mama Gao, have you gone senile in your old age? Allow that counterfeit to marry off earlier? Don't even think about it, I would never give her a single marriage dowry, she doesn't deserve it."
Mama Gao's complexion went white.
"But, but the counterfeit Third Young Lady has a marriage contract with Qier gongzi, she will have to marry over sooner or later."
Mama Sun glanced at Mama Sun, speechless. She did not pity her in the slightest; she clearly knew that theFurenhated that counterfeit Ruansan niangto death, and yet she was spouting such words, she clearly deserved a scolding.
"Mama Sun, you're really going further back the longer you live. So what if she has a marriage contract, it's not like it can't be broken off, I definitely won't let that counterfeit live well!"
Zhangshi's eyes were teeming with hate.
Mama Gao finally realised what she had just said, and she had no tears even though she wanted to cry.
At this moment, Ruansan niangdid know that once she was exposed, her marriage with Qi Yue An would be broken off in the end no matter what.
She was still under the assumption that the right to decide her marriage with Qi Yue An was in her own hands.
……
Upon waking up, Ruan Xi learned from Su Yu and Su Zhu that the rumours in the residence had led to Zhangshibeing called to the Tranquil Longevity Hall byLao Taitai.
As Ruan Xi looked at Su Yu's and Su Zhu's gleeful appearance, she asked in surprise, "How did it spread so quickly?"
Su Yu and Su Zhu giggled, swiftly telling her how they deliberately exposed this matter by complaining in front of the loose-lipped Qianpozi.
Ruan Xi smiled slightly, giving them a word of praise. "Well done!" Then she gave both of them a generous reward of silver.
Qianpoziwas an older servant in the residence. Although she was loose-lipped, her daughter wasLao Taitai's trusted maidservant. Occasionally, Zhangshiwould borrow Qianpozi's mouth when she was fighting with theyiniangin the residence.
She did not expect that Su Yu and Su Zhu would also make use of Qianpozi.
Su Zhu and Su Yu were happy after receiving the reward silver, but they did not monopolise the contribution entirely and they called Mama Yang over.
It was only then that Ruan Xi became aware that it was Mama Yang's idea to make use of Qianpozi, and she sighed in her heart.
It was no wonder that noble daughters would be paired with one or two capable Mamas.
With a Mama that had ample experience guiding them, doing anything would be much easier.
She thought about how she had guarded against Mama Yang in all aspects until she had learned about Mama Yang's real family background, before she had started giving Mama Yang some of her trust.
Similarly, Ruan Xi gave Mama Yang a generous amount of reward silver as well.
"Young Lady,nubialso overheard a piece of news, though she does not know the veracity of it." Su Yu was hesitant, but she decided to vocalise it in the end.
If it was real, her Young Lady would probably be very happy.
"What's the news?" Ruan Xi asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"There has been hearsay thatLao Taitaidisallowed the Third Young Lady from attending Wenlao-furen's longevity feast."
Surprise spread across Ruan Xi's visage.
"Butnubithinks it is unlikely. If it was real, the Third Young Lady should be coming over to return the jewellery."
"That is hard to say." Ruan Xi's intuition told her that Ruansan niangwould definitely appear tomorrow morning.
Su Yu and Su Zhu heaved a sigh simultaneously.
That's true, the Third Young Lady was the legitimate young lady of the Earl Residence after all, why wouldn't theFurenbring her to the Junzhu Residence?
Ruan Xi peered at them in amusement.
Because she was going to greet Wenlao-furentomorrow, Ruan Xi continued to preserve and nurture her own spirit by reading books, admiring paintings, flowers, and the scenery. All in all, she was in a relaxed and pleasurable mood.
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In contrast, Earl Chengyi's mood was the absolute worst.
While the rumours about Zhangshiallowing her daughter to borrow jewellery from a concubine-born daughter had been suppressed, a young male servant had reported this matter to him upon his return, and Earl Chengyi's face had darkened instantaneously.
"Zhangshihas become increasingly outrageous these days."
He went to the Main Courtyard with a sunken expression. It was unknown what he had said, but he had left expressionlessly before he turned towards Limpid Heart Garden.
When Ruan Xi saw her Earl Father coming over, she was not surprised in her heart at all. She believed that her Earl Father was not coming here to specifically criticise her for blowing a small matter out of proportion.
But Ruan Xi was not stupid to the point of blatantly admitting that she had incited the rumour spreading.
Earl Chengyi was a person who placed profit first. Hence, he did not feel likesi niangwas wrong. Every person was bound to have a slight temper, and while the jewellery that his mother sentsi niangwas not as precious as Wenfuren's gift, it still wasn't a reason for Zhang shi, a dignified legitimate mother, to lower herself and tellsan niangto go up to her door to borrow the jewellery set.
The Earl Residence's position was placed there; so what if the complementing accessories were a grade higher?
Ifsi niangremained silent like a soft bread, Earl Chengyi would have felt disappointed instead.
Now seeing thatsi niangwas extremely stable and capable, and how could not he perceive if she was genuine or fake, Earl Chengyi felt very satisfied withsi niang's performance.
"No, Father has no intention of criticising you. On the contrary, Father is very happy."
Si niangwas going to marry into the Wen Family in the future, her personality could not be soft, or else even her servants would dare to step on her head then.
This was quite good.
Earl Chengyi stroked his short beard, admiration apparent on his face.
Ruan Xi: "……"
She was starting to realise that she could not keep pace with her Earl Father's train of thought.
"Si niang, Zhangshiis your Mother still. Regardless of whether you were responsible for the dissemination of those rumours, you should never admit to it, you can only say that your maidservants couldn't stand it and they complained about it, which was then overheard and propagated." Earl Chengyi told her as he adjusted his expression.
Ruan Xi blinked, full of confusion. She said: "Father, the matter was indeed as what yõu have said. However, I've already punished those maidservants for speaking indiscriminately before yõu arrived by taking away their monthly allowance for three months."
Who knew if her Earl Father was trying to inveigle her or not?
After all, when the original owner tried to borrow some jewellery from Ruansan niangin the past – and common jewellery at that too – she was rejected without the slightest scruples. Now that Ruansan niangwas using Zhangshito suppress her to borrow the most valuable jewellery set thatLao Taitaigave her, her two maidservants being overtly angry and complaining for their master could not be more normal.
Earl Chengyi laughed out loud.
Even he could not tell ifsi niangwas being real or fake; whether the matter was similar to whatsi nianghad said or ifsi nianghad quietly incited it, he was more inclined towards the latter.
Under Mama Lin's guidance,si niangwas becoming increasingly remarkable. In contrast,san niangwas becoming more rebellious, and stupid.
The scales in Earl Chengyi's heart were nearly falling towards Ruan Xi's side.
"Si niang, you will be greeting Wenlao-furentomorrow, how are your preparations for the longevity feast?"
ZhangshiandLao Taitaiwere originally responsible for this matter, but it involved Wenlao-furen,and Earl Chengyi could not help but be somewhat worried.
Wenlao-furenwas a Junzhu from the imperial family, she would undoubtedly receive countless precious stones and antique calligraphy. As for the gifts celebrating her longevity from the younger generation, Wenlao-furenlaid more importance on their sincerity.
Ruan Xi was helpless, her Earl Father had already asked about this numerous times, and her celebratory gift had been appropriately prepared two days ago.
"Father, only my hand at calligraphy is comparatively remarkable, hence I have burned incense and prayed while transcribing a copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra for Wenlao-furen."
"The gift conforms with the norms, cannot be considered as remarkable, and wins in terms of safety and reliability, but you're only fourteen, hence it's enough if your heartfelt intentions are in the right place." Earl Chengyi smiled and nodded.
Ruan Xi chuckled in her heart. What she wanted was precisely safety, not stand out during Wenlao-furen's longevity feast.
The young men of suitable ages in the Wen Family were mostly married or engaged. During Wenlao-furen's longevity feast this time around, the fiancées of the Wen menfolk were definitely going to use an all-out effort to measure their strengths and compete socially.
As the fiancée of Rites Minister Wen's legitimate eldest son, and with an identity and family status that was a grade lower, it was inevitable that she would be treated as a stepping stone. For the sake of avoiding challenges and stirring trouble, playing safe was the best plan.
The infighting between women was very cruel and very realistic.
She would not be voicing those thoughts to her Earl Father
When Earl Chengyi eventually left, Ruan Xi called for Su Yu, Su Zhu, and Mama Yang to discuss this matter.
……
During the early morn of the next day, the first glimmers of dawn peeked through.
Ruan Xi wore a brand-newdark redluoqun, complementing it with gold jewellery with gem embeds that Wenfurensent, while stringing a decent quality jade pendant at her waist. When she moved, her accompanying accessories tinkled, pleasant sounding to the ear, elegant-looking while fully accentuating the vivacious and bright beauty that a young lady in her prime possessed.
Image of the red luoqun
"Young Lady has shed her mortal body and exchanged her bones under Mama Lin's guidance, none of her gestures lack grace.Nubiis going to forget how the Young Lady used to look soon." Su Yu said with a sigh as she looked at her meticulously made-up Young Lady.
Ruan Xi smiled faintly. "Enough. Let's head to the Main Courtyard with due haste, we should not keep Father and Mother waiting long."
After saying that, Ruan Xi turned around and stepped out of her room door to go to the Main Courtyard, with Su Yu, Su Zhu, Mama Lin, and Mama Yang following behind her.
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Inside the large hall of the Main Courtyard, everyone was gathered together.
Earl Chengyi and Zhangshiwere already dressed anew and sitting at the frontmost seats drinking tea early on.
Ruan Yu Wen was also standing at the side.
Upon seeing the splendidly dressed Ruan Xi enter, Earl Chengyi revealed an approving smile, while Zhangshi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Alright, everyone is here. Let's set off."
Earl Chengyi promptly put down his teacup and stood up. Zhangshidesired to speak but stopped herself, and she could not resist eyeing the large doors.
Ruan Xi felt slightly strange. It appears that the news Su Yu overhead was true,Lao Taitaihad disallowed Ruansan niangfrom attend Wenlao-furen's longevity feast.
However, there was a vague premonition at the bottom of Ruan Xi's heart. Ruansan niangwould definitely appear.
As their group went out of the Main Courtyard's large doors, Ruan Yu Wen smiled and walked beside Ruan Xi to talk to her.
When they reached the official residence's gates, Ruan Xi's premonition came true. Ruansan niangwas wearing gorgeous clothes, complemented by that exquisite set of jewellery, and was standing beside a horse carriage in a slender and elegant fashion.
"Father, Mother, you finally came out, I've been waiting for all of you for a long time."
Ruansan nianggreeted them in a cheerful and light-hearted tone.
Earl Chengyi's complexion sank, whereas Zhangshireleased an inaudible exhale. When she thought about the counterfeit's threat of not restraining her mouth, Zhangshiabsolutely loathed the fact that she had told her about the infertility medicine back then, and she quickly settled the arrangements before the Earl could erupt.
Earl Chengyi scowled at Zhangshiwith a dark and sunken expression for a brief moment, before he flicked his sleeves and stepped on the horse carriage.
Ruan Yu Wen looked at his Mother in worry, going over to comfort her with a few lines while the burgeoning hate for his counterfeit younger sister churned in his heart. Zhangshismiled and patted her son's shoulder.
"Don't worry, your father's anger will be appeased very soon."
After saying that, Zhangshistepped onto the horse carriage with Mama Sun's support. Ruan Yu Wen spoke to his two younger sisters briefly before he flipped onto his steed at the side.
Ruan Xi, who was still standing there, raised her eyebrows. Zhangshiand Ruansan niangwere truly intriguing. When she saw the jewellery on Ruansan niang's person, an unfathomable smile pulling at her lips.
Truth to be told, the gold jewellery with gem embeds that she was wearing, and the set of jewellery given byLao Taitaiwere rather similar, it was just that one was high-end and stylish, skilfully wrested with divine craft, and the inlaid precious stones were large, pure, and limpid. In contrast, the other jewellery set could be considered as rather precious, but it seemed forcibly shaped into a lower-quality product.
With such a strong contrast, anyone wearing the latter set would appear awkward.
Honestly speaking, that was also one of the reasons why she was willing to lend it to Ruansan niang.
When Ruansan niang's gaze landed on Ruan Xi's person, she realised this cruel truth as well.
Her pretty face darkened in an instant, and she was so angry her entire body was trembling.
Ruan Xi shot her clear and bright smile. Before Ruansan niangcould even think about rushing over, she turned around efficiently and stepped into her horse carriage.
Su Yu and Su Zhu were exceedingly pacified.
Whereas Ruansan niangwas stewing with a stomach full of anger.
The horse carriages travelled for the bigger part of a double-hour before it finally reached the Junzhu Residence.
The horse carriages that could be seen this time around was several times greater than the time she came here to attend the flower banquet. The standards were different, the signs on the horse carriages were extremely eye-catching, and it nearly occupied the entire residential district.
There were more than ten stewards responsible for welcoming and fetching the guests.
Although the Earl Chengyi Residence had a sign, its status and standing within the capital was only considered below average among the influential officials, and its power and nobility was not apparent.
The steward who came forward to greet them arranged a spot for them to stop at before he instructed someone to bring them into the residence.
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The Junzhu Residence was bustling with activity, and guests flowed in like clouds.
The male guests entered the main hall through the main entrance, while the womenfolk entered through the side doors.
Zhangshibrought Ruansan niangand Ruan Xi towards the main hall under the lead of the steward and Mama.
Ruansan nianglooked rather calm, if you ignored the excitement at the bottom of her eyes.
Upon reaching the spacious, glittering, and jubilant main hall, the male guests were seated on the left, while all the womenfolk were seated on the right.
In the centre position was the seat for the elderly whose birthday was being celebrated. Since it was not the auspicious time yet, Wenlao-furenhad yet to appear.
Not long after Ruan Xi's group appeared, it attracted most of the gazes in the room.
Wen Ting Zhou was greeting the guests at male guest section, and once he noticed that Ruan Xi had arrived, the corners of his lips curled up involuntarily.
Perhaps their hearts were linked as one, because when Ruan Xi settled in her seat and raised her head, she met the smiling eyes of the distant Wen Ting Zhou.
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T/N: It's been a trying few weeks for personal reasons, and I apologise for the lack of updates, hence why Chapters 45 to 49 will be made available on today (July 25). The advanced chapters should go up promptly tonight.
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