Chapter 171 Despicable Appearance

Upon hearing Yu Qingyan's words, the noble ladies behind her all wore expressions of anticipation, while Lu Yun Chu's face darkened.

Yu Qingyan casually said to the noble ladies around her, "My third younger sister grew up in the countryside with my father and is used to being wild. She has only been back in the capital for a short time before she married into the General's Mansion as a young mistress. She must be very uncomfortable with everything. As her older sister, I am naturally very worried about her. I wonder if she is behaving herself in her husband's family or if she has caused any trouble."

Moreover, I heard that your General's Mansion has split up, and the second and fourth branches have all moved out. It's good that they've moved out. I remember that both branches have grown sons, and with the whole family living together, and given Third Sister's situation, there's bound to be some impropriety. If bad news were to spread one day, the reputation of the Ningyuan General's Mansion would be greatly tarnished."

The noble ladies around Lu Yun Chu began to whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with mockery as they looked at her.

"Stop talking!"

Lu Yun Chu's face flushed with anger. She was rather timid and rarely argued with others in public, but at this moment she couldn't hold back any longer.

“My sister-in-law is not like that. She is a good person and she is very good to my mother and me. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Yu Qingyan feigned ignorance and said, "Why is Sister Yun Chu angry? I was just worried about my third sister and didn't say anything nonsense. Why are you so angry? —"

What really happened?

Upon hearing this, the noble ladies around them began to whisper among themselves, as if Yu Qingci had done something shameful.

"you,"

Lu Yun Chu never expected that Yu Qing Yan, who used to be like a gentle older sister, would say such disgusting things in public. She was so angry that she didn't know what to say and just kept pointing at Yu Qing Yan and saying "you, you" for a long time.

"My sister-in-law is completely innocent and did nothing wrong. How can you talk such nonsense? You've gone too far!"

Bai Yuzhu, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to say, "Miss Yu, please watch your words. Miss Yu comes from a noble family and is a sister of Yun Chu's sister-in-law. I didn't expect you to be so unrestrained when talking about your own sister in front of others, making unfounded speculations about a widowed woman. Is this the family education of the Marquis of Nanping?"

Yu Qingyan's smile vanished, and she looked coldly at Bai Yuzhu: "And this is—"

A noble lady recognized Bai Yuzhu and said, "This is the daughter of Hanlin Academician Bai."

"So she's the daughter of a fifth-rank official," Yu Qingyan said with disdain.

"How do you know that what I said isn't true, Miss Bai? I was just worried that my sister might say a few extra words. How is that considered making unfounded speculations? Since you don't want to hear it, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Miss Bai immediately questioned the upbringing of my Nanping Marquis's family. When I get back, I'll have my father have a good talk with Lord Bai.

Some of her words made Bai Yuzhu's face turn pale.

Her father, a mere fifth-rank official, was not even qualified to speak with someone of high status like the Earl of Nanping. It seems she has caused trouble for her father today.

The other ladies also started talking amongst themselves.

Miss 1: "Miss Qingyan, I heard that your younger sister is quite the businesswoman at such a young age. After marrying into the General's Mansion, she first stockpiled a batch of Xia Guang brocade and made a fortune in the capital. Now she has set up a winery, and the most popular Baiye Qing wine on the market is produced by her."

Miss Two: "Not only that, I heard that her mother is very good at business. The mother and daughter are indeed worthy of being from the countryside. They gave up their noble status as daughters of the Earl's Mansion and actually had the nerve to become lowly merchants. It's really rare."

Miss Three: "How can a family of our status value money so much? Otherwise, we'll end up looking vulgar and uncouth."

Miss Four: "If we're talking about the demeanor of a legitimate daughter, it has to be a woman like Sister Yu, who is so radiant and virtuous, that she could be valued by the Prince of Cheng'an and be betrothed as a good daughter-in-law."

...

Yu Qingyan found these words very pleasing, and after everyone had finished speaking, she spoke again:

“You all have no idea how stingy my third sister is. Before the New Year, the brocade she stockpiled sold so well, but she didn’t send a single piece to our Marquis’s residence. After all, the Marquis’s residence is her maternal home.”

Not only did she not send any to us sisters, but she didn't even give my grandmother and mother a single bolt of silk as a token of her filial piety. Sigh, she's so inconsiderate.

Yu Qingyan became more and more confident as she spoke. She was now engaged to the Prince of Cheng'an's mansion, and which of these noble ladies wouldn't look up to her? Now that she had the opportunity to publicly humiliate Yu Qingci, she naturally spared no effort in doing so.

This time, even Bai Yuzhu didn't dare to say anything more, and Lu Yun Chu was so angry that she was about to cry.

When her brother was alive, although she didn't have much contact with Yu Qingyan, her future sister-in-law, the few times they did interact, Yu Qingyan was always gentle, graceful, and kind, with an even flattering air about her.

Every time her brother returned from the battlefield, she would send her personal maid to the general's mansion to bring him all sorts of little things and food. She always received a share, so she had a good impression of Yu Qingyan.

Since her father and brother passed away, Yu Qingyan had never contacted her again. Now, upon meeting her, she showed no regard for their past relationship and spread rumors about her sister-in-law to everyone. It turns out that all her previous behavior was an act. This is her true face. She is truly despicable.

Lu Yun Chu secretly rejoiced that the woman who had married into their family was not the annoying woman in front of her.

There were several groups of noble ladies present. Some fawned over Yu Qingyan, while others looked down on their behavior. Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to smooth things over. They pulled Lu Yun Chu aside and asked when Jinxiu Pavilion would start selling new styles, thus bringing the topic to a close.

After Yu Qingyan's outburst, Lu Yun Chu's friends lost their enthusiasm for sightseeing, and the group quickly boarded a carriage and headed back home.

Guanlan Pavilion.

A maid's voice came from the courtyard: "Miss is back. Greetings, Miss."

Inside the room, Yu Qingci was supervising Tong'er and Lian Qiao's calligraphy practice. Hearing the sound, she looked up in surprise at the hourglass placed in the corner of the room. It was only past 11 PM, so why was Yun Chu back already?

Lu Yunchu entered the house and saw Yu Qingci manage a forced smile on her small face. She stepped forward and called her "sister-in-law".

Yu Qingci noticed the displeasure in her eyes but said nothing, instead instructing Lianqiao to serve her tea.

Tong'er, who was engrossed in writing, looked up and eagerly said, "I'll go, I'll go."

He put down the pen and paper and walked outside.

Lian Qiao rolled her eyes at her disdainfully and continued writing. She wrote faster than Tong'er and would finish the whole thing in one page.

The two women sat down and took a sip of tea before Yu Qingci asked:

"What's wrong? You look unhappy. Did something happen outside?"

Lu Yunchu bit her lip, lowered her head and thought silently for a while, then told the whole story of what had happened today, but she downplayed Yu Qingyan's excessive words.

Yu Qingci simply smiled and said nothing after hearing this.

Lu Yun Chu asked unhappily, "Sister-in-law, aren't you angry?"