Chapter 65 "Fairy and Oriole..."

Chapter 65 "Fairy and Oriole..."

"Xian'er and Yingxun, why did you come together today? It's quite windy outside. You must have caught a chill on your journey. Please have some hot tea." The First Madam warmly welcomed the two girls from the next room.

Even though the two families had argued and clashed more than once, and even though they weren't truly welcoming, they still had to maintain a facade of harmony most of the time because they were both members of the Xiao family. Besides, today the two girls not only arrived hand in hand with smiles on their faces, but they were also followed by several people carrying gifts.

“We were in the old lady’s courtyard before, it’s just a few steps from here.” Xiao Quexian pointed to the maid carrying the box behind her and said to the eldest madam, “The old lady has been very happy since she received the news of my eldest brother’s success in the imperial examination yesterday. She’s still beaming today. She’s been smiling all day long and keeps saying that as soon as my father returns to the mansion, she will immediately open the ancestral hall to inform our ancestors.”

This was all because the old lady was in a good mood and spent quite a while searching the storeroom to find several sets of fine writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for my eldest brother. She originally intended to have the nanny deliver them, but my fourth sister and I heard that my third sister was also returning today, so we specifically asked the old lady for this task. It was also a good opportunity for us to come and spend some time with my third sister.”

Just as expected, Xiao Quexian was very friendly this time, appearing both gentle and generous. Not only did she have a smile on her face, but her words were also pleasant.

Upon hearing Xiao Quexian's words, a hint of unease flashed across the eyes of both the First Madam and Xiao Yan Hui.

Upon returning home, Xiao Yan was immediately taken to her own courtyard by the First Madam. For a moment, both of them forgot to pay their respects to the Old Madam first, which was rather impolite.

Fortunately, the gift had already been delivered, and given the current situation, the old lady wouldn't be picky about the gift, so everyone just let it slide.

"You sisters chat for a while, I'll go check on the kitchen." Although the First Madam said this, she actually went to the Old Madam to make some changes.

"Thank you so much for the gifts, Third Sister. I really like them. I noticed that the old lady also really likes the new tooth powder that you prepared, especially the jasmine-scented one. She absolutely loves it. I heard that the one you sent over today has pearl powder added. Did you specially develop it because you know that the old lady has trouble sleeping?"

Xiao Yingxun greeted Xiao Yanhui with a shy smile, thanked her for the gift, and then very naturally handed Xiao Yanhui a ladder.

The fact that the tooth powder was specially made for the old lady and contained pearl powder was enough to erase the fact that Xiao Yan did not go to pay her respects to the old lady first upon returning home.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanhui became curious and took a closer look at her fourth sister.

She had very little contact with this fourth younger sister before; the only memory she had of her was of her secretly crying in the garden last time. Now, looking at her again, girls in their developmental stage grow extremely fast. If a year ago she still had the appearance of a somewhat timid and innocent child, now she looked like a graceful and beautiful young woman.

Putting aside her appearance, her interpersonal skills have improved at an astonishing pace, rising several levels compared to a year ago.

Seeing her third sister looking at her, Xiao Yingxun met the gratitude in her third sister's eyes and gave a friendly and lovely smile.

She did have very little contact with her third sister, but in fact, Xiao Yingxun had quite a good impression of her third sister.

Whenever her third sister sent anything to her parents' home, she never forgot to include her or her aunt. For this reason alone, Xiao Yingxun was grateful to her third sister.

It wasn't just about those things. Even though she wasn't particularly favored at home, the Xiao family was wealthy and didn't have many children, so she wouldn't be shortchanged on the treatment she deserved. What she valued was the sentiment that others would have, but which wouldn't overlook her.

However, the most important thing is what happened a year ago.

At that time, her stepmother wanted to marry her off to her nephew's family at will. She and her aunt went to the eldest son's house to make a scene. Although her aunt and third sister were somewhat displeased at the time, they later spoke up for her to her father.

In the end, it was only thanks to her elder brother's intervention that her father firmly rejected the foolish marriage. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened to her now.

At the time, the eldest brother suggested that they postpone their fourth sister's marriage, saying that if he passed the imperial examination, he could find her a better match.

Now that her eldest brother has truly passed the high school entrance exam, Xiao Ying recalled how she and her aunt hugged and cried when she heard the good news yesterday. After crying, they wiped each other's tears and laughed, feeling that the future held even more hope.

Here, Xiao Yingxun was secretly contemplating her future, and Xiao Quexian also brought up what would happen next.

"I heard about the great victory in Yunzhou. I wonder when my brother-in-law will return home? As for my affairs..." Xiao Quexian smiled shyly, "My wedding will probably be set before the end of the year, or at the latest next spring. I don't know if my brother-in-law will be able to make it in time."

Despite her repeated attempts to restrain herself, Xiao Quexian finally couldn't hold back any longer.

She wanted to announce to the world that she was about to marry into the Liang family.

She couldn't bear to keep the feeling of all her efforts paying off, of the sense of relief that everything had finally settled, of the secret joy of knowing that she was finally doing well—it was something she couldn't help but express.

Since her rebirth, she realized how difficult it was to marry Liang Lang, something she thought would be a piece of cake.

She painstakingly planned and spent over a year finally managing to cancel the engagement with the Xiao family. And from the time she saw Liang Lang again until now, when the Liang family sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, it has been another year of hard work. These efforts over the past two to three years have finally paid off.

Simply put, for her, not showing off in front of Xiao Yan Hui and Qin Ji would be like wearing fine clothes in the dark.

She hoped Xiao Yan would see her marry into a prestigious family, and she also hoped Qin Ji would see her marry someone else. Although Qin Ji knew nothing, she was Qin Ji, and perhaps this was a way of secretly avenging her past self.

"He wrote that he would try his best to go home for the New Year. If the timing is right, he should be able to make it to Second Sister's wedding." Xiao Yan looked at the exceptionally excited Xiao Quexian and decided not to say anything to dampen her spirits. Let her show off, it's her big day after all, so there's nothing wrong with letting her show off a little.

"By the way, I heard that Third Sister has also implemented a membership card system for the new glass shop you opened? Is there anything you don't understand, Sister? After all, this is a method that my shop implemented first. If you don't understand anything, Third Sister, just ask me. As sisters, I won't hesitate to teach you this little thing."

"But if you want to learn, Third Sister, you'll have to hurry. You know I'm probably going to be very busy soon. After that... I might not be able to handle the shop's affairs personally anymore." As she spoke, Xiao Quexian raised her chin, a smile that was both elegant and condescending on her face.

"..." Hearing this, Xiao Yan Hui was so angry she almost laughed. She had only wanted to let her gloat a little, but Xiao Que Xian was as always, always trying to take advantage of her and always wanting to step on her.

The way he said it was subtly implying that he had stolen her membership card, while also suggesting that her status was different now and she no longer needed to get involved in business.

This person hasn't even truly risen to prominence yet, and he's already looking down on the entire Shang family's business.

"I don't need Second Sister's guidance. It's quite a coincidence that I saw a booklet in Qin Ji's study that explained the membership card very clearly. Judging from the handwriting, it's quite old. His idea is exactly the same as Second Sister's."

To others, these words might have sounded like Xiao Yanhui making a fuss, but Xiao Quexian was startled.

Did Qin Ji actually plan this membership card thing so early on? When I discovered that he was promoting it in the shop, what did Qin Ji think? Did he just think it was a coincidence?

What about the secret recipes I "borrowed," and the poems I secretly commissioned from an accountant and a manager? Would he notice anything?

Recalling Qin Ji's methods and cold-bloodedness in her previous life, Xiao Quexian felt a moment of panic.

"It's alright, it's alright. Many things are different from my previous life, and my status is different now. I'll soon be a member of the Liang family. No matter what, Qin Ji won't dare to offend Prefect Liang. In this Jiangzuo City, apart from the one from the imperial family, no one else dares to provoke the Liang family. From now on, I'll be the one to look down on Qin Ji, and he won't have the right to argue with me."

With that thought, Xiao Quexian quickly calmed herself down again.

On the other side, Xiao Yan, after subtly but genuinely frightening Xiao Quexian, stopped talking to her and started chatting with Xiao Yingxun instead.

"Brother-in-law has actually turned misfortune into blessing this time. Although the Qin family lost money, at least they have caught that person's eye, and their future is limitless. It's just... I heard that person doesn't have a very good temper."

As Xiao Yingxun said this, her face paled as if she had thought of something terrible, but she couldn't help but want to continue the topic.

"No matter what, a business family like ours can't get close to him. Whether he has a good temper or not doesn't really matter. Besides, no matter how terrible the rumors are, his methods are only for rebels and derelict officials. Yunzhou has been in chaos for more than a year, so it's understandable that he's a bit strict."

Recently, there have been many rumors circulating on the streets about Prince Cheng, most of which say that he is ruthless and cold-blooded. Xiao Yan Hui has heard quite a few of these rumors, but she never expected that even a young girl like Xiao Ying Xun, who has long been confined to the inner quarters, would hear them.

"Ah! But I also heard..." Xiao Yingxun whispered in Xiao Yanhui's ear, "I heard that he also forcibly abducted women. Any wives, concubines, or daughters of the local chieftains who were even slightly attractive were taken by him. He also killed for pleasure, not only killing but also...beheading and skinning. And he has two powerful generals under his command, comparable to the Black and White Impermanence..."

At this point, the little girl trembled.

"Stop, stop, stop, Fourth Sister, if you keep talking, you'll scare yourself. Where did you hear such nonsense? That person has been in our Jiangzuo City for many years, and he has never had a bad reputation before."

It seems the situation in Yunzhou is dire, and the battlefield is not a pleasant sight. Some of the news that reached our Jiangzuo City has become distorted, leading to that version of events. Fourth Sister, you are young; don't listen to the servants' talk, or you might not sleep well tonight.”

While offering words of comfort, Xiao Yan Hui already sensed something was amiss. To quell the Yunzhou rebellion within a year, that person's ruthlessness was undeniable, but the extent of their lust, bloodthirstiness, and cruelty was questionable.

The rumors are spreading so fast these days, it seems like someone is deliberately trying to smear him. These rumors even involve his generals, saying that his subordinates are the Black and White Impermanence. Does that mean that the prince is Yama, the King of Hell?

"Luckily, Qin Ji is in charge of allocating supplies, otherwise who knows what kind of rumors would spread about him after he came back from his trip!" Xiao Yan thought to herself, teasing Qin Ji. Then she remembered that he seemed to have some kind of secret guards under his command. Was he really just in charge of allocating supplies? Could he be one of those Black and White Impermanence?

"No, no, no, it shouldn't be that bad. After all, Qin Ji is a gentle and kind person. I don't think he would do anything too outrageous." Thinking of Qin Ji's personality and his consistently mild-mannered approach in the business world, Xiao Yan quickly dismissed her own guess.

......

"Be careful, hurry up and move these things to the backyard, we need them!" Having just returned from her parents' home and not even back to her own courtyard, Xiao Yan Hui bumped into six or seven servants lined up carrying things. And the direction they were carrying them was the only courtyard of the Qin family that she had never been to, the one called the "backyard."

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Author's note: Qin Ji: That's right, wife, I am just that good. Those who say I'm bad are just spreading rumors, slander, and mudslinging.