As soon as Lu Qiqi spoke, bursts of mocking laughter immediately echoed through the lobby on the first floor of Baozhu Pavilion.

"you!"

Yan Huier was surprised that Lu Qiqi would not defend herself or her innocence.

Speechless for a moment, her face flushed red.

At the same time, Qingdai also recognized the two people who were causing trouble.

She walked up to Lu Qiqi and whispered in her ear, "Miss, these two young ladies are the daughters of officials who were demoted by His Majesty and ordered to embroider a hundred longevity paintings at home to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday after they severely damaged your reputation recently."

After hearing Qingdai's words, Lu Qiqi's expression turned serious as she looked at the two people in pink and blue dresses.

The two women were of the delicate, pretty type. Because they didn't have to do housework, they had fair skin and were quite beautiful when they dressed up. They were much prettier than girls from ordinary families.

At this moment, seeing that Yan Huier was no match for her and had lost her momentum, Liao Shuer stepped forward and said, "Looking at your attire, you don't even have a decent set of clothes or jewelry."

We suspected you of theft, but we were simply speaking out in defense of others.

This kind of thing has happened before at Baozhu Pavilion!

Now, the two of them don't even dare to mention the Marquis of Lin'an's residence.

They just seized on the sisters' clothes and arbitrarily threw dirty water on them.

Lu Qiqi sneered, "Miss Liao, Miss Yan, your fathers are still doing needlework at home. Don't you think about giving them some pointers and helping them finish the Hundred Longevity Painting as soon as possible to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday?"

Instead, they're falsely accusing us sisters here. Do they think we're helpless and alone in the capital?

Those present had long understood the sisters' identities and were well aware of why the daughters of two censors were causing trouble.

They were just two officials who tried to smear Princess Kangle County, but instead were reprimanded by the Prince of Libei.

Now, the daughters of two censors are fabricating stories about the two sisters in the Baozhu Pavilion.

Liao Shu'er vehemently denied it, saying, "This isn't the first time people from the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion have done something like this. Do you really want to deny that your sister, Lu Changping, stole something?"

This statement reveals his true identity.

Liao Shu'er's words instantly reminded the onlookers, "Back then, didn't the people from your Lin'an Marquis's Mansion also do such despicable things here?"

We were merely reminding Baozhu Pavilion to be wary of malicious people.

Lu Qiqi was so angry she almost laughed. Without any evidence, they could arbitrarily slander someone based solely on suspicion.

These two women, unable to produce any concrete evidence, are simultaneously smearing her while cowardly making excuses for themselves.

They may seem to be on the moral high ground, but they actually have no basis in reason.

Lu Yao stood aside, and she finally understood that the two of them had teamed up to bully her sister.

Clutching her money pouch, she said, "We were going to buy this sandalwood hairpin anyway. My sister is right, it's only one hundred and eighty taels of silver."

"Let alone the enormous Marquis of Lin'an's mansion, even a little girl like me could afford it!"

As she spoke, she took out two silver notes worth one or two hundred from her purse.

A crowd gathered on the first floor of Baozhu Pavilion. Xuan Wenying, who was in a private room on the second floor at the time, felt as if a hand had suddenly clenched her heart when she heard the servants from the mansion report.

That familiar feeling, transmitted through the blood, instantly spread to every part of the body.

Lu Changping's theft at Baozhu Pavilion was still vivid in her mind; how could she possibly forget it?

"The First Madam?"

The maid Chunhe whispered a reminder, which brought Xuan Wenying back to her senses.

She quickly stood up and said, "Take me there right away."

Lu Changping was not Chen Wenjun's daughter, and in her opinion, the Lu sisters were definitely not the ones who did this.

There are many people in the new capital who are opportunistic and exploitative, so she had to hurry down there; the two sisters absolutely could not be bullied!

As Chunhe broke through the crowd, Xuan Wenying heard Lu Yao's words.

She didn't know if Lu Yao was acting out of spite.

But the spirit she displayed when she said that it was only one hundred and eighty taels of silver made her look at her in a new light!

"Well said!"

Xuan Wenying was the daughter of a military family, not to mention the status of the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion in the capital.

As the daughter of the Marquis of Lin'an's deputy general, she had followed the late emperor into battle, making her a unique figure in this new capital.

Therefore, when people see her, some might as well chime in with their own opinions.

"Could the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion be short of such a small amount of silver?"

"The two adults are of humble origins, unlike the wealthy and powerful families of the Marquis of Lin'an. How much could the two young girls possibly earn each month?"

"Just because you're short of money doesn't mean you can slander others!"

Previously, when Lu Qiqi mocked embroidery, Yan Huier and Liao Shuer felt as if they had swallowed a mouthful of ash, which they could never get rid of no matter how hard they tried.

These days, when these noble ladies see Xuan Wenying arrive, they show no mercy and directly pierce their hearts.

Their father was an official in the capital, but he always prided himself on being a man of integrity and was not good at business.

Now that their salaries have been drastically reduced, their monthly allowance has dropped from ten taels to five taels of silver.

Immediately, Liao Shuer and Yan Huier's expressions turned extremely ugly.

Xuan Wenying walked up to the two of them and coaxed them softly, "I picked out a lot of jewelry in the second-floor room, but I waited and waited and you didn't come upstairs."

It turns out that such a sordid matter had tripped them up.

Ah Yao, let's ignore them. Keep your silver notes to buy pastries.

"I like these two hairpins, my aunt will buy them for you!"

Buying two sandalwood hairpins in one go is a rare sight, even in the heart of the capital.

Baozhu Pavilion had a rule that only those who purchased items worth two hundred taels of silver were eligible to access the private rooms on the second floor.

The price of these two hairpins was exactly the entrance ticket to the second-floor wing room, something that ordinary officials and their families could only dream of.

Xuan Wenying not only went up to the second-floor room early, but also casually spent 320 taels.

Anyone who hears or sees this will have to say, "The Marquis of Lin'an's mansion is so grand!"

To everyone's surprise, Lu Yao shook her head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Aunt, but I want to buy this hairpin myself and give it to my sister."

Upon hearing this, not only was Xuan Wenying stunned, but even Lu Qiqi was taken aback by her reaction.

Then, Lu Yao was heard saying, "I have two hundred taels of silver notes. I spent one hundred and eighty taels to buy the hairpin, and I still have twenty taels left, enough to buy a lot of pastries."

Upon hearing this, Liao Shuer and Yan Huier's faces flushed red and then turned pale.

A young girl who had not yet reached marriageable age had two hundred taels of silver notes to squander.

What kind of family could raise such a spendthrift child!

Just as the two were trying to sneak away when no one was looking,

Then they heard a clear, cold voice coming from behind them, "Don't you two ladies want to apologize to us sisters for what just happened?"