CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65: VISITING AS A GUEST (3)

Therefore, she must fight for it; their only way out is the marriage alliance with Count Wujin.

Xiqiu couldn’t help but wonder what she would do if she were Madam Wang... In the estate, eliminate the strongest competitors, and outside, find someone who could speak for her in Wujin Bo Mansion...

Her heart skipped a beat, suddenly thinking of Madam Chen!

She’s the matchmaker; what if she favors Tong Xiyang... Could Madam Chen’s sudden arrival, unbeknownst even to Lady, be related to Madam Wang?

One must admire Madam Wang’s impressive tactics!

Thinking of this, Xiqiu laughed...

The gloom of recent days dissipated in the gentle morning breeze.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zijuan emerged from Zhui Garden but went straight to the West Courtyard. Another maid came over to speak with Siliu, who turned back to inform Xiqiu: "Lady instructed Zijuan to invite Third Miss and Eighth Miss."

Xiqiu raised an eyebrow; it really was as she thought!

She slightly nodded and asked, "Do you know why Fourth Miss was left out?" Siliu replied, "Lady told Madam Chen that Fourth Miss has caught a cold and is recuperating these days."

Tong Xiyan’s illness indeed posed a problem, especially now that it’s spring; every family’s backyard is filled with flowers and plants. If she falls ill at someone else’s house, the rumor would be a major obstacle to her future marriage.

She lifted her skirt and, along with Sixing and Siliu, returned to Zhui Garden.

Madam Chen looked at her with a smile: "It’s been a few days, and Sixth Miss seems to have grown taller!" Xiqiu blushed, shyly looking at Lady, who laughed, "Youth is indeed wonderful; with every season, you grow and have new clothes to wear."

"As if you don’t have clothes to wear," Madam Chen laughed and continued, "But speaking of it, I remember being her age and always feeling I didn’t have enough clothes. I’d stay in the room with my maid, digging out old clothes, trying to make new ones. But back then, my hands would tremble while sewing, and my maid wasn’t very handy either. We ruined quite a few good clothes..." At the end of her story, her face revealed a trace of melancholy.

Madam Chen’s family was well-known in the previous dynasty; her grandfather Yuan Tixing investigated a massacre of the Wang clan during Emperor Wen’s early reign, and twenty years later, Lord Yuan followed the clues to catch the culprit, suddenly gaining fame. His career soared, achieving the rank of Grand Scholar and entering the Cabinet, the only official in Emperor Wen’s era who could retire peacefully!

He wrote a legendary Chapter for the Imprisonment Department.

Yet this generation of the Yuan Family hasn’t produced exceptional talents, and Madam Chen is Yuan Tixing’s legitimate great-granddaughter. By her generation, the family’s situation was far from what it once was. Her reminiscences from childhood might not just be for humor; now, only her branch of the Chen Family is doing relatively well. Her frequent visits to Wujin Bo Mansion are likely connected to her family’s decline.

Lady skillfully interjected, realizing everyone had childhood stories, and offered consolation with a smile: "Indeed... Back then, for a piece of clothing, I got into a spat with my sister and didn’t speak for days until mother promised to make us new ones to settle the matter... Later, I learned those skirts were made by mother herself."

Madam Chen’s melancholy vanished as she smiled and said, "I’ve heard in the Capital about Old Madam Zhang’s renowned embroidery; they say even butterflies can’t tell the real from the fake..." Lady smiled with unabashed pride and replied, "We didn’t understand back then, just knew some noblewomen came requesting mother’s embroidery every year, running countless times for a piece, and us sisters benefited in many ways because of it!"

They drifted from discussing height to old clothes, from old clothes to embroidery, then to the palace attire of nobles, like this year’s trending gauze skirts and patterns...

Xiqiu listened attentively, her face adorned with a gentle smile.

Third Miss and Eighth Miss arrived together.

Xiqiu first looked at Tong Xiyang, clad in a rose-red gown with gold embroidery, a pale pink thread skirt, styled with a heart-shaped braid. On her left she wore a golden hairpin inlaid with emerald gems, something Xiqiu hadn’t seen before, while on the right was a kingfisher hairpin, accompanied by a large red jeweled flower, crimson gold and emerald earrings, and a striking red coral bracelet adorned her hand, nails painted with red polish...

The beauty resembling a rose with dewdrops, vibrant and captivating!

Then she looked at Tong Xiyu, in a goose-yellow jacket, having abandoned her usual double-braid style for a Willow Braid at her nape, with golden hairpins and jade earrings, giving a look of gentle charm.

Both were dressed elegantly; Xiqiu glanced at her own mismatched skirt and smiled softly.

Lady looked at them and remarked with a smile, "So slow! Keeping Madam Chen waiting for so long."

Tong Xiyang and Tong Xiyu both curtsied with apologies: "Sorry for keeping Madam waiting!" Madam Chen smiled at them, waving her hand: "It’s been only half an hour. Which girl doesn’t take her time to dress up well when going out? They were quite fast already."

Tong Xiyang’s eyes glimmered with a smile, momentarily narrowing at Xiqiu in a show of provocativeness, revealing an air of confidence.

Xiqiu raised an eyebrow, smiling in return!

It happened again; Tong Xiyang, frustrated, withdrew her gaze and moved to converse with Madam Chen.

The group departed, boarding the carriage. Mrs. Chen originally invited Lady to ride with her, but Lady declined gracefully, taking Xiqiu in one carriage while Tong Xiyang and Tong Xiyu rode another, with the maids in the few carriages behind.

Tong Mansion was situated slightly to the north of the city, whereas Wujin Bo Mansion lay to the west, requiring a diagonal traverse through Northwest Street, taking about half an hour. During the journey, Lady’s complexion remained somber. Xiqiu sat quietly to the side, understanding not to utter a sound.

Just as she presumed the entire journey would be like this, Lady suddenly turned, her gaze intense upon Xiqiu: "Remember, when we arrive, always wear a smile when meeting anyone. If I introduce someone, greet them; if I don’t, quietly follow behind me. Accept any gifts without being shy or timid." Seeing Xiqiu agree obediently, Lady’s expression slightly relaxed: "The Ren Family has three households; First Young Madam Ren comes from the highest lineage, a direct member of Marquis Huaining. Second Young Master was born of a concubine, and Second Young Madam is from the Yuan Family—Madam Chen’s cousin. Though the family has somewhat declined, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse..." Lady implied that compared to the Tong Family, both had deeper roots.

Xiqiu nodded understandingly, aware Lady was preparing her for the situation. Her intent was clear, yet Xiqiu felt some exaggeration in Lady’s words. Emperor Wen reigned for sixty years, with his last decade somewhat muddled; those nobility and wards of honor became unrestrained, opening businesses and even dabbling openly in civilian salt trade. After ten years, Chengzong ascended the throne; unsure if he harbored resentment over the old emperor’s prolonged life or merely disdained the nobles, upon succession, he leveraged the Hangzhou Prefecture dam breach incident to strip twelve families of their titles, among them the Ma Family of Marquis Huaining.