Chapter 178 Qiao's Tea Ceremony

He had just finished court and left the palace when his servant came up to report that the madam had come to Liuli Lane to take Madam Su back to the mansion. He was startled and hurried over.

Upon seeing the Earl approach, Madam Qiao stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "This concubine greets Your Excellency. Please, Your Excellency, persuade my sister. I came to see my sister with utmost sincerity today, hoping that if she would be willing to return to the manor, all the better. But who knew..."

As she spoke, Qiao couldn't help but show a wronged expression.

Upon hearing this, the Earl of Nanping looked up at Su Chengniang, only to meet her dark eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

The Earl of Nanping chuckled and told Madam Qiao to get up. He then walked to the chair on the other side of Su Chengniang and sat down, saying, "I told you before that Madam Qiao is easy to get along with, but you didn't believe me. Look, she's come to see you on her own initiative."

She seemed to be speaking up for Qiao Shi, but her posture was clearly one of flattery towards Su Chengniang.

Su Chengniang looked at him and said, "So, I'm supposed to be incredibly grateful and then pack my bags and go back with her?"

The Earl of Nanping smiled ingratiatingly and said generously, "You know that's not what I meant, Chengniang. I promised you I would never force you. We'll go back whenever you're willing."

Madam Qiao: "Yes, why don't you set a date, sister? Then I'll come with you to pick you up from your home. Once you're back, I'll pay my respects and offer you tea in front of my mother-in-law. In short, I'm happy with whatever you say."

Su Chengniang knew perfectly well what Qiao was thinking. Knowing that Zhang disliked her, she knew that when they returned to the Marquis's residence, she would probably be the one kneeling down and kowtowing to serve tea in front of Zhang.

So he looked at the Earl of Nanping and said, "What if I said I wanted to drink the tea my sister offered today?"

"this,"

Qiao's expression of grievance deepened, and she looked at the Earl of Nanping with a mournful expression.

She simply forgot that she was already past her prime, and making such an expression in front of others was really unsatisfactory.

The Earl of Nanping glanced at it once and then turned his head away. He looked at the teacup in Liu Mama's hand and said, "Since you have come here sincerely, then let's do as Cheng Niang wishes and serve tea."

Qiao was so angry she almost lost her composure, but the Earl of Nanping stopped talking and gestured for Granny Liu to hand the teacup to her.

Granny Wu had wanted to say a few words for her mistress, but now, in front of the Earl, she didn't dare utter a single word and could only watch helplessly as her mistress was humiliated.

Qiao reluctantly walked over. She glanced at the Earl of Nanping first, but found that the dog of a man was only staring at Su Chengniang. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and kneel down.

Suppressing her humiliation, she accepted the teacup and handed it to Su Chengniang, saying, "Please have some tea, sister."

Looking at Qiao's face, which showed a mixture of innocence and blame, Su Chengniang finally felt a sense of satisfaction.

This is just the beginning; for his two children, this is only the start of what they have suffered.

Perhaps because she felt too wronged, Qiao's hands, which were holding the teacup, trembled even more violently.

Seeing this, Madam Su kindly suggested, "Since you're so resistant, why don't we skip the tea today?"

Qiao's hatred grew stronger: You say I'm disrespectful, so you think I've been kneeling here for nothing?

So she forced a smile and said, "Not at all, it's just that I'm inviting you to have some tea."

Su Chengniang: "Then you must hold the teacup steady. It's a small matter if you accidentally break it, but it would be bad if my sister got burned. Look at how trembling she is, I don't even dare to reach out and take it."

The Earl of Nanping, standing to the side, also spoke up in displeasure: "Mrs. Qiao, since you are doing this willingly, you should hold it steady so that you don't have to do it all over again if you spill the tea."

Qiao was so enraged by the Earl of Nanping's heartless words that she almost closed her eyes. She forced herself to stop her hand from trembling. She had already planned to splash the cup of tea in her hand on Su Chengniang, hoping to scald her so much that she would jump up and curse. But now she had to give up that idea.

Su Chengniang calmly took the tea, took a small sip, and then put it down.

Just as Mrs. Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and was about to get up, she heard a voice coming from above her:

"Since this is my sister's first time serving tea, I haven't prepared anything special, so I'll give her this hairpin."

As she spoke, she pulled a gilded hairpin inlaid with turquoise from her hair and considerately placed it in Qiao's hair.

Qiao clenched her fists tightly under her sleeves, secretly vowing that once she returned to the manor, she would kill that vile woman Su to avenge the humiliation she had suffered today!

Seeing this, the Earl of Nanping waved his hand and said to Madam Qiao, "Alright, the tea has been served. That's enough for today. You should go back now. Madam's return to the manor is a big deal, so we should choose an auspicious day."

Qiao stood up, bowed, and left without saying another word.

After Madam Qiao left with her entourage, the Earl of Nanping stepped forward and advised, "I know you don't like her, but she has already lowered herself by coming to our door today. Why don't you think about it and come back to the manor with me?"

Su Chengniang looked up and saw her husband looking at her with a fawning expression. She couldn't help but laugh, but she knew that it was absolutely impossible for him to give in and go back so easily.

The Earl of Nanping thought he would talk to Chengniang about it when the imperial edict was issued.

After Qiao Shi went outside and got into her carriage, the thick curtains were drawn to block all the view from outside. Only then did Qiao Shi fiercely pull out the hairpin from her hair and try to break it.

Unfortunately, the hairpin was too hard and cut her finger, drawing blood. Startled, Granny Wu quickly snatched the hairpin from her hand and threw it aside, pressing her hands tightly against her injured area, saying:

“Madam, be careful. Why hurt yourself for that slut? Quickly, let this old servant bandage you up first, and we’ll go to the clinic right away.”

He was about to tell the driver to change course and go to the clinic.

Qiao stopped her: "No need. Do you want the whole city to know about this? Let's talk about it when we get back."

Granny Wu had no choice but to swallow the words she was about to say. She held Qiao's hand with a worried expression, and the two of them fell silent. The atmosphere in the carriage quickly became unusually cold.

At this time of dusk, the famous red-and-green streets of the capital are bustling with activity. People dressed in red and green are moving about, and the place is filled with noise and business is booming.

Lu Yunbo walked over from afar, looking around, and finally stopped in front of the most popular Furong Tower on this flower street.

With just a glance, he could see several glamorous girls and madams flirting and soliciting customers at the entrance of the Hibiscus Pavilion. He couldn't help but reach out and touch the not-so-thick purse in his pocket, his brows furrowing with a wistful expression.

The girls in Furong Tower are all charming, beautiful, and very good at serving people. Most of the customers who can afford to come here are either rich or noble. He once came here with his colleagues when he was working at Dali Temple, but he didn't feel guilty because his colleagues treated him. After all, he couldn't afford to go to a place like Furong Tower.

But today, he made an appointment to come here to drink and have fun, not for any other reason than that he has secured a job.