Chapter 9 Remaining Unchanged Amidst Change

After hearing Dongmai's words, Shangguan Jin cursed the Empress Dowager three more times.

That old hag, she spends all her time in the palace, and all she does is stir up trouble between different families, doesn't she!

"Did Zhu Qing see it clearly?" Shangguan Jin asked.

Dongmai nodded firmly.

"I can see it clearly, it is the second young master of the Wuding Marquis's family, Song. He is wearing a dark blue brocade robe, a jade hair ornament, and holding a folding fan that he never lets go of."

The woman was dressed entirely in white, even the hairpin in her hair was made of white jade, as if she hadn't had time to change her clothes before a funeral was being held at home.

"Miss, believe me, Zhuqing has excellent eyesight. She can thread a lot of needles even late at night, her eyesight is better than mine!"

Shangguan Jin remained silent.

Thinking of Shen Qingyue's delicate appearance...

Damn, I've run into a jerk!

"Miss, please think of a way. If the Duke were here, he would definitely come to our door with a knife."

Now that the Duke isn't coming back, if the young lady really marries him, won't she be tormented by that guy?

That young master Song was a gambler and womanizer, frequenting casinos and brothels; he never did anything good.

Bad things never fail to happen.

Miss, let's find a new family for the eldest daughter. At worst, we can just find a husband for her, like in the storybooks.

The Duke's mansion is so big, it should be able to support an obedient idler.

If that doesn't work, I'll just give him all my monthly allowance from now on.

Dongmai got angrier and angrier as she talked.

Shangguan Jin felt that if that Second Young Master Song were here, Dongmai would smash a teapot over his head.

"I know, isn't it the Marquis of Wuding's family?"

"They'll be sending people over on the day of the old lady's birthday; we'll talk about it then," Shangguan Jin said.

Dongmai was a little surprised to see Shangguan Jin so calm.

"Miss, are you saying that you would cause trouble for the Marquis of Wuding's family that day?"

Shangguan Jin nodded.

That's right, she planned to slap the Marquis of Wuding in the face that day.

In the past two days, she has looked through all the noble families and finally decided on the young chicken from the Marquis of Wuding's family.

After three years of silence, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion has reappeared before everyone, and there are bound to be many people coming to investigate.

If we don't make an example of them, who knows what might happen in the future!

As for the Wuding Marquis family, they were backed by the Anguo Duke's Mansion, the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, and were also distant relatives of the Empress Dowager.

Shangguan Jin, who already loathed the Empress Dowager, immediately brought out the chicken.

If she behaves herself and doesn't cause any trouble, that's fine. But if she dares to cause trouble, Shangguan Jin will make her lose face in front of the nobles in the capital.

As for the claim that Shen Qingyue will suffer after marrying into the Marquis of Wuding's household...

So what if I don't marry into that family? It's just an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager, who knows how many more years that old woman will live...

Ugh! Keep these thoughts to yourself, but never say them out loud!

Dongmai, standing to the side, looked on with admiration.

She believed in her mistress and was certain she would protect the young lady.

All she had to do was help the young lady take good care of the young ladies and gentlemen.

Thinking of this, Dongmai suddenly remembered what she had thought about while sleeping last night.

“Miss, there’s one more thing I think we should pay attention to.” Dongmai carefully approached Shangguan Jin.

Shangguan Jin looked at Dongmai's serious expression.

I sense that the reason Dongmai is taking things so seriously is probably related to money.

"Is there not enough money in the account? If not...?"

"Miss, no, it's not about the money in our household."

"I'm thinking about something. What if the gifts that come to give are different from the gifts that we send out in our mansion?" Dongmai said very seriously.

"How can it be the same? No matter which family sends the gift, they can't just send back the gift we sent before, untouched!"

"If we return it untouched, it would be a slap in the face, showing that they don't want your gift," Shangguan Jin said with a smile.

Winter wheat shakes its head.

As she refilled Shangguan Jin's tea, she gave her a serious explanation.

"Miss, you don't understand what I mean."

What I mean is, let me give you an example!

Our family sent a congratulatory gift to the Marquis of Wuding's family worth a thousand taels, but the Marquis of Wuding's family returned the gift, which was only worth five hundred taels.

Then we're at a loss.

Furthermore, when families sent gifts, those congratulatory gifts were carried in one load at a time, covered with red silk.

Then a gift list was attached.

Does the gift list mean exactly what's on it? What if the gifts on the list don't match the actual items under the red ribbon?

The palace was busy that day, everyone was busy, so even if they knew, they couldn't possibly say it in front of everyone.

After all, it's a shameful thing for both sides.

The explanation given by Dongmai was very convincing.

Shangguan Jin listened very carefully.

The concerns raised by the winter wheat farmer are somewhat valid.

Substituting inferior materials for superior ones is also highly likely.

If it were the old Shangguan Jin, she would definitely say that they are all respectable families and wouldn't make a fuss over such a small gift.

But Shangguan Jin doesn't think so now.

What if they knew exactly what you'd think and were just trying to annoy you?

What will you do? Just accept it and bear it?

Hehe, Shangguan Jin has been busy all day, not so you could just stuff a blank piece of paper into a red envelope and then come and eat for free.

Chicken, duck, fish, and meat are quite expensive!

Shangguan Jin once attended a friend's wedding, where there was a money counting machine in front of the gift table.

Counting them out on the spot saves everyone trouble.

However, the problem now is that on the old lady's birthday, she can't say that she's checking the gift list one by one.

It's not that I'm afraid of looking bad, it's just that this doesn't seem to fit her public image.

Shangguan Jin quickly came up with an idea.

"Dongmai, am I good to you?" Shangguan Jin looked at Dongmai with a smile as she prepared to pour herself a cup of tea.

“That would be wonderful, Miss is the best person in the world.” Dongmai immediately put down the teapot.

"Then on the old lady's birthday, I'll arrange for you to do something. Can you do it well?" Shangguan Jin continued with a smile.

“I must do it well, Miss. Tell me, what do you want me to do?” Dongmai immediately replied.

Shangguan Jin waved to Dongmai, signaling her to come closer, and then whispered a few words in her ear.

The more Dongmai listened, the brighter his eyes became.

A young lady is a young lady indeed; she leaves no room for error in anything she does.

"Do you know what to do?" Shangguan Jin asked, holding Dongmai's hand.

"Don't worry, Miss, I understand. I definitely won't let you down," Dongmai assured him, patting her chest.

Shangguan Jin nodded in satisfaction.

That's right, winter wheat is definitely suited for this job.

Suddenly, Shangguan Jin found herself looking forward to the old lady's birthday.

That day will be very lively, and the commotion will be quite significant!

And so, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the capital, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, which had been silent for three years, finally became lively again.