Chapter 44: Interlocking
Edited By :- Mim
Chu Jinyao was not surprised when she heard these words, but she was very curious: why did Sixth Sister remind her about this?
Thinking about this, Chu Jinyao asked, “Why are you reminding me? If I’m being tricked, isn’t it good for you?”
When the Sixth Young Lady heard this, she opened her mouth in amazement, as if she were surprised: “Fifth Sister, what do you mean by this? How could I do this?”
“Oh?”
Sixth Young Lady sighed for a long time and said, “I really didn’t expect that Fifth Sister would think of me like this in your own heart. We are sisters in the same house. We are both prosperous and healthy. But we both are not appreciated. What’s more, we said before to form an alliance. Although you don’t think of me as an ally in your heart, I really consider it for you. There were originally two positions for companionship, and your election did not hinder me. On the contrary, we both can still help each other out. Fifth Sister, you should know the reason why there are two pieces of chopsticks, right? If you suspect me, I have nothing to say, but if people take advantage of it, it doesn’t matter if I lose the selection. But Fifth Sister, you have half a foot in the selection. Those who don’t have anything are secretly planning.”
“What do you want to say in the end?”
“I didn’t want to say anything; I just wanted to remind you.” The Sixth Young Lady said, “I saw Fourth Sister and Third Sister secretly meeting each other a few days ago and behaving sneakily. I don’t know what they want to do. I can only remind you in advance. I hope you can just stay alert.”
Chu Jinyao remembered what Sixth Young Lady had said to her a long time ago and couldn’t help asking, “Do you really intend to form an alliance with me?”
“Naturally.” Sixth Young Lady smiled, “How can I fight the two of them alone? In desperation, I can only ask the Fifth Sister for help. Now it happens that your position as a companion has been stabilized by half, as long as I defend today. With the two of them at work, your position will be finalized. At that time, this little sister will rely on the Fifth Sister to say a kind word for me in front of the Princess Consort and the Old Princess Consort. Isn’t it just right for us to mutually benefit each other? When we enter the palace in the future, we can also help each other; don’t we trust our allies more than others?”
They all said that they have no other motives. If Sixth Sister just says that she wanted to help Chu Jinyao sincerely, Chu Jinyao would definitely not believe it. Now she pulled out her own purpose and wanted Chu Jinyao to help her afterwards. Picking out what you want is actually a bit of a mutually beneficial posture.
Chu Jinyao didn’t say anything at the moment and smiled and nodded: “Sixth Sister treats people sincerely, which touches me. Don’t worry, what I said before is naturally true.”
Seeing Chu Jinyao talking, Sixth Young Lady was overjoyed and held Chu Jinyao’s hand and said, “This is great! Fifth Sister, don’t worry, you go to the banquet boldly today, and I will stare at the other two in the dark. As long as they make any unusual movements, I will immediately let the maid remind you.”
“How embarrassing…”
“It’s okay.” Sixth Young Lady patted Chu Jinyao’s hand and smiled, “Now you are in the light and they are in the dark. If you show signs of suspicion, they will be alerted immediately. It won’t be good to get rid of the grass and startle the snake. It’s better if you walk in the bright spot and numb your vision; let Fourth Sister and Third Sister think that we are not aware of it, and I stare behind you quietly; once they show their feet, I will immediately remind you. If we two cooperate well, then we can let them both pick up a rock and smash their own feet, and eat their own evil results.”
It made sense. Chu Jinyao looked at the Sixth Sister with a smile in her eyes and said, “Okay, just do as Sixth Sister said.”
Sixth Young Lady listened and sat back in her seat happily and said, “The journey is still far away. Today is a tough battle. Fifth Sister, please rest for a while. I won’t bother you.”
As expected, Chu Jinyao closed her eyes, keeping her back straight, closing her eyes to rest as the carriage swayed. Chu Jinyao didn’t have to worry about leaking her thoughts in her eyes; she let her thoughts fly with confidence.
Sixth Young Lady’s words were really inciting, and there was no trace of falsehood in her expression. If it were Chu Jinyao in the past, she might have been really enamoured.
But she met Qin Yi. After being baptized once by Qin Yi using his dark method, Chu Jinyao couldn’t believe her allies anymore. If she hadn’t met a Qin Yi-like teammate, she might have bought it. Still counting money for the other party.
So Chu Jinyao was skeptical about what the Sixth Young Lady said, and keeping her back to others to make her alert to this kind of thing, Chu Jinyao would never be able to do it. It was better to rely on yourself than on others. You could only truly trust yourself.
Chu Jinyao couldn’t help but think of what Qin Yi said at the beginning: “First respond to it for the time being, privately paying attention to the other party’s flaws, and finally leaving it as a handle, not afraid of the other party’s backlash.”
Chu Jinyao thought it made sense, but now she had a guilty conscience.
She understood the truth, and she wanted to do this, but what could she do if she didn’t get the handle of the Sixth Young Lady?
Staggering, they finally arrived at the Huailing Palace. It was too cold sitting like this in one place for a long time, even if enough charcoal was burning. Chu Jinyao got out of the car, her breath forming a white mist in the air. She stomped her foot quietly under the cover of her skirt.
Her feet are almost insensible, but they are good now.
Madam Zhao led the group of ladies into the Huailing Palace, which was extremely lively today. The Princess Consort sent invitations to the surrounding daughters of the right age. Who wouldn’t give the Princess Consort face? From twelve to twenty, the ladies gathered together. At the same time, there was constant laughter in the palace, and the clothes were like beautiful clouds with ten miles of fragrance.
The maid reported the arrival of the Marquis Mansion, and the chattering and laughing voices in the hall were quiet, and then the Princess Consort smiled and stood up: “It’s Madam Zhao here.”
Today here there were many family members of Taiyuan officials. Shanxi had only two nobles; one was the Huailing County Prince’s Mansion, and the other was the Marquis Changxing Mansion. Many of them here were civil servants’ wives, and they mostly to made friends with wives of officials from the same background. They don’t have much contact with such nobles as Changxing Madam, but even so, it doesn’t prevent them from giving the Marchioness some face.
After all, it was different to have a title. Even if the Changxing Marquis was passed down to the last generation, it was still a Marquis. The husbands and sons of other wives mostly used the imperial examinations to promote to their official positions. The family also relied on poetry and heirlooms. Unlike the Marquis Changxing, who took the lead in the military as generals, the younger generations also took up positions in the army. It was said that there was no deep friendship between civil and military affairs, and these officials and wives did not have much contact with the Marquis Changxing Madam, but since they saw her here today, there was no reason to neglect her.
The officials and their wives stood up one after another and greeted Madam Zhao with a smile. When Madam Zhao entered the door, she saw so many people. She smiled and said, “It seems that I am late. There are already so many people seated here!”
The ladies all laughed. Someone stood up and gave up her seat to Madam Zhao, but Madam Zhao quickly declined. Chu Jinyao was in the crowd; her eyes swept slightly from the surroundings, taking in the details of the hall and people. In such a small, warm pavilion, there were more than twenty people crowded together, but still there was a place to sit.
Madam Zhao’s declination was just a show in the next movement she half-pushed and sat down with the Princess Consort. Several ladies like Chu Jinyao stepped forward to salute the Old Princess Consort, and the Princess Consort and the Old Princess Consort called them up with a smile.
Just standing upright, a crisp laughter sounded from the side: “Are these the daughters of the Marquis Mansion?”
It was an official lady who was wearing a cyan silver squirrel leather jacket. She was young, and she was very good in appearance and had a pleasant smile when looked at. The Old Princess Consort also liked this official’s wife very much, so she smiled and said, “It is them; the Marquis’s family is blessed.”
The lady’s eyes slipped a circle from the Chu ladies and finally stopped on Chu Jinyao: “This is?”
Madam Zhao replied, “This is my second daughter, whose name is Jinyao. She is rather naughty, which can make several ladies laugh.”
“It turned out to be Madam Zhao’s biological daughter.” Another wife answered, “That is to say, the Eldest Young Lady who was married a few days ago is this lady’s direct sister.”
“Yes, it’s them.”
“Oh.” The ladies all laughed, “Looking at Marchioness’s two daughters, I really envy you! The young lady who married two days ago looks so beautiful and elegant. I didn’t expect her to be already engaged. And now there is still one hidden!”
Madam Zhao’s smile was flattering. She was modest: “You are all willing to praise her, but she is actually naughty.”
At this time, Chu Jinyao didn’t need to say anything; she just needed to maintain a shy and dignified smile and bow her head slightly.
In fact, these were all just empty words; no one really took it seriously. Chu Jinmiao also knew this truth, and even more so, she had listened to it a lot in the first thirteen years. Chu Jinmiao knew these beautiful words and just listened to them, but even so, Chu Jinmiao still couldn’t restrain her anger.
Chu Jinyao was stupid and vulgar and had no merit except a face. Why should such a person who was inferior to a vase steal her things? Were these ladies blind?
Chu Jinyao was so pretentious because she was so indifferent, so Chu Jinmiao hated being mentioned about her appearance the most. She always felt that everyone should come to appreciate her talent; if not, it meant that the other party had no eyes and no knowledge.
The space in the warm room was not big enough. The ladies were sitting here and talking homey topics. The little ladies like Chu Jinyao couldn’t say anything, so they either stayed and listened or went outside. So after giving the gift to the Old Princess Consort, Chu Jinyao went to the Flower Hall under the guidance of the maid. This was the place where the County Princess entertained these young ladies.
Many people also sat in the Flower Hall. The Princess Consort sent an invitation, due to which the officials and their wives were flattered and overjoyed in their own hearts.
They didn’t forget that there were two sons in the palace, neither of whom had yet been married.
With this idea in their minds, when they went out, they naturally brought all the ladies of the right marriageable age in the family. As a result, there were even more ladies than the ladies who came to the palace as guests.
As soon as she entered the door, a warm fragrance hit her face. Chu Jinyao couldn’t help but choke. The ladies present had applied strong spices as perfume. Now with so many people’s incense mixed together; after such a long time, it gave a different smell.
The arrival of Chu Jinyao was like a pebble falling into the centre of the lake. They looked up with no seriousness and soon returned to normal. The ladies who did not leave the pavilion had their own circles.
They were guests in other people’s houses, and they talked casually with the hosts first, and then they all went to find friends they knew well. Although the Flower Hall was full of people now, if you looked closely, the ladies were all sitting in groups separately, and you could see that each had its own place.
After all, Chu Jinmiao and the other three ladies grew up in the Marquis Mansion and accumulated a lot of contacts for so many years. Hence After greeting the County Princess, they soon walked towards their small groups. And Chu Jinyao, who had just returned home for less than a year, was alone at this time.
She was only found back at the end of the first month of this year. There was not much time for Chu Jinyao to go out, so where could she go to find friends to mingle with?
Chu Jinyao stood there, a little embarrassed. Fortunately, the Sixth Young Lady walked over quickly and said to Chu Jinyao, “Fifth Sister, you can sit there with me.”
Chu Jinyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and of course she agreed.
After the Sixth Young Lady took Chu Jinyao to sit down, they talked and laughed with her friends while taking care of Chu Jinyao with the utmost thoughtfulness. These young ladies all knew that Chu Jinyao was the real young lady in the Changxing Mansion. She had been with farmer parents a few years ago and was just found back at the beginning of the year. They didn’t say anything, but privately, they were all looking at Chu Jinyao secretly.
They saw Chu Jinyao wearing a white brocade coat; underneath it was a red satin dress, sitting sideways on a stool; it was more dignified and elegant; it was obviously the most expensive. The splendid beauty piled on her, but it made people jealous, as if she was born to enjoy the richest thing in the world. The sunlight hit her side face, illuminating her skin dimly and warmly, as if coated with a layer of golden light, while her cheeks were white and golden, as if they could shine.
When Chu Jinyao was quiet and silent, she didn’t need to look for an angle; she was already a picture of a beautiful lady with meticulous brushwork.
The ladies talked and laughed as usual, but the corners of their eyes were sharp. These pampered young ladies had the most sensitive sense of smell; whoever stole the limelight at the banquet, whatever kind of background this person was, couldn’t escape their eyes.
Sure enough, Chu Jinyao was listening attentively to her sixth sister talking to her friends. Suddenly, an errand lady was hit by someone, and all the tea cups on the plate crashed to the ground. Chu Jinyao was caught off guard because she was sitting close, and the corners of her skirt became wet immediately.
The maid kneeled down immediately and begged for mercy. At this time, the County Princess heard the sound of broken porcelain and finally remembered her host’s obligation. The County Princess stood up and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Chu Jinyao had already stood up. The Sixth Young Lady and the others were also taken aback and quickly gathered around to see Chu Jinyao’s condition. Sixth Young Lady looked at the corners of Chu Jinyao’s clothes and frowned. “The corners of the skirt are all wet; what can we do?”
The women next to them also gathered around to watch the excitement, and they pointed out, “What’s the matter with these maids? A good dress has been ruined by them.”
The lady next to her immediately went to stab her companion, and the speaker saw that the County Princess was coming and immediately shut up wittily.
When the County Princess saw her maid doing such a thing, she was embarassed. She said, “It’s just a skirt; it’s not a big deal. Since this one can’t be worn, you can just change it to the back. I have a few skirts you can wear, so I can just give them to you.”
Chu Jinyao shook her head: “No. I always bring another piece of clothing when I go to a banquet, so I don’t have to bother the County Princess.”
The County Princess thought this was her best dress, and she felt distressed by being splashed with water. But in fact, even if Changxing Marquis Mansion was not as good as the prefectural mansion, it was not to be underestimated, and Chu Jinyao herself did not take this dress in her eyes, even if it is a satin that was difficult for a daughter to buy.
Chu Jinyao didn’t look distressed and said casually, “Everyone, goodbye for a while; I’ll go back and change my clothes.”
The daughters who were watching the excitement found that Chu Jinyao didn’t look hurt at all, and they secretly slandered that his person was doing really well on the surface. Don’t look at how calm she was now; she must already be crying in distress, right?
When the County Princess heard that Chu Jinyao was going to change clothes by herself, she was really anxious for her to do so. She hated trouble the most. However, the County Princess remembered the princess’s instructions and now pretended to be concerned with a few words: “You just came to the palace; do you know the way? Do you need me to take you to the changing room?”
At this time, the maid who caused the trouble took the initiative to say, “County Princess, this maidservant made a big mistake; let the maidservant make up for it and take Young Lady Chu Jinyao to change clothes.”
This way saved trouble! Upon hearing this, the County Princess agreed without thinking: “Okay, then you take her.”
Chu Jinyao looked at the leading maid with a calm expression, said nothing, and set off to follow the maid out. After the two of them left, the Sixth Young Lady’s gaze fell on the leading maid, and suddenly, without warning, she turned her head to look at Chu Jinmiao.
Chu Jinmiao was taken aback. She quickly calmed down and looked directly at her head fearlessly. The Sixth Young Lady smiled inexplicably and sat down on the spot again.
After a while, the Sixth Young Lady walked outside the house. Linglong had just been distracted, and as a result, she couldn’t find Chu Jinyao when she came back. When Linglong saw Sixth Young Lady come out, as if she saw a saviour, she quickly came up and asked, “Sixth Young Lady, where is our young lady?”
“I was about to tell you about this.” Sixth Young Lady frowned, “Just now a little maid overturned the tea cup somehow and sprinkled water on the skirt of Fifth Sister. Fifth Sister has now been taken to the back to change her clothes. I don’t feel at ease in my heart; you are back now. Go hurry up and have a look!”
Linglong hurriedly responded; she asked eagerly, “Sixth Young Lady, what kind of maid took Fifth Young Lady away, and what clothes did she wear? Tell me so I can also ask someone on the way.”
The Sixth Young Lady thought for a while and said deliberately, “It seems that her hair was combed into two buns and she wore a stone cyan skirt. I can’t remember more.”
Linglong responded and ran back.
Chu Jinyao was led by the maid, turning left and right in the palace. The maid just walked forward. She passed through a moon gate and suddenly found that the footsteps behind her stopped.
The maid turned her head and asked puzzledly, “Young lady, didn’t you say you want to change clothes? Why aren’t you walking?”
Chu Jinyao smiled, put her hand in the warmer, and said leisurely, “I think you are going the wrong way.”
The maid had a stiff expression on her face, but she smiled reluctantly, “How come?”
Chu Jinyao snorted and said, “Even if I don’t have a good sense of direction, can I not even recognize this kind of common sense?” The place where the females should change clothes should be in the inner house. What are you leading me out for?”
At this moment, Chu Jinyao turned around and was about to walk back. The maid looked at her and didn’t care much and hurried up to grab Chu Jinyao’s hand.
“Young lady, you are wrong; you should go this way!”
Chu Jinyao did not expect that the maidservants in this place were so bold; she was dragged for a few steps unpreparedly, and she was also annoyed at the moment. She simply refused to give face to Prince Huailing’s Mansion, and pulled her hand back vigorously, saying, “Do you still dare to say it?”
The maid stretched Chu Jinyao’s arm hard for most of her effort. When she thought about it, how much strength can a spoiled boudoir lady have? But she didn’t expect Chu Jinyao to get serious; her arms violently exerted force, and she actually dragged the maid forward for several steps.
The maid looked shocked, and Chu Jinyao was still disgusted: “With your strength, you want to force bad things on me? What a shame.”
Chu Jinyao shook off the maid hard, turned her head, and walked away.
The maid stood in place, quite in a dilemma. She watched Chu Jinyao leave and wanted to go up to pull Chu Jinyao back, but she was not as strong as Chu Jinyao, hence she couldn’t pull her.
In the original plan, if Chu Jinyao was disobedient, she could be forcibly taken away, but no one told the maid; what if she couldn’t pull her? Chu Jinyao’s strength didn’t seem like a boudoir lady, and it was hard to tell who would drag whom.
The maid gritted her teeth, simply stomped her feet, slightly lifted the dark blue dress, and ran back quickly to ask the master for advice.
But Chu Jinyao got rid of her tail, and she couldn’t care about the wet skirt corners now. She wanted to go back to the banquet place immediately or find a place with more people. Looking at this scene today, she was afraid that she had been targeted again. Now Chu Jinyao had no one by her side, and the yard was empty. If something really happened, she would be unable to argue.
Chu Jinyao was burning with fire and wanted to return to the banquet. However, the more anxious she became, the more impossible it was. She went around several times and finally had to stop in frustration.
She detoured herself and lost her way.
It was all right now; not only herself but even the instigator behind the scenes couldn’t find her.
On the tall building with cornices, a man in an ocher-red uniform was standing in front of the window, his fingers knocking regularly on the edge of the window.
An attendant in a green robe next to him also copied his vision, watching the lady in a white coat and red dress downstairs circling the yard. Leaves blew from the treetops, and with a biting chill, the attendant shook his neck and couldn’t help asking, “Master, what are you looking at?”
“I just want to see how long she will take to find her way out.” The young man smiled lightly. “It seems that I am overestimating her. She can’t find the way at all.”
Xiao Linzi stretched his head and looked, but couldn’t figure it out. His master stood at the window under the cold wind for a long time, just to see a lady finding her way in the garden.
However, before Xiao Linzi finished muttering, he saw his master’s finger point to him. His cuffs were decorated with delicate turquoise, and his fingers were slender and symmetrical: “You go out and send her outside.”
Xiao Linzi’s eyes widened in shock: “Master, you’re saying me?”
“Why, you don’t want to go?”
“Don’t dare.” Xiao Linzi quickly lowered his head, arched, and walked out. After turning around, he quietly raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Their master was indeed a natural superior, with unfathomable emotions and anger. After coming off the battlefield, his temper became more and more incomprehensible.
After dismissing the person, the young and tall-looking boy held on to the window and watched the lady downstairs crashing around like a headless fly. Unconsciously, he smiled: “How long has it been, but the sense of direction of yours is still bad.”
Translator’s Note:- Sorry for the late update guys, I am not feeling well 🙁
And Do check out my new novel : Shenjing Dessert Shop https://moonlightnovel.com/novels/shengjing-dessert-shop/
Thanks for the chapter! Take good care of your health!
Thank you for the update Cupcake! Take it easy and look after your health!