To allow Madam Chen to more directly appreciate the dresses she had prepared, Zhu Jiayu instructed the maids to lay them out flat.
Madam Chen stepped forward and reached out to touch the patterns on the dress, but in the end she withdrew her hand and instead gazed at the dress in front of her repeatedly.
How should I describe this dress?
The deep, cool green is like a pine tree under the moon, a lush, rich blue under a cascading frost; the slightly dark gold embroidery is like a chrysanthemum after autumn, a deep, bright yellow in the misty white fog. Pine branch patterns spread across it, the texture delicate and lustrous. Because it is a woman's dress, it retains a sense of strength while also being graceful, like a spring breeze writing a beautiful poem.
Madam Chen was not unworldly; on the contrary, it was precisely because she had seen so much that she understood that only the words "exquisite and unparalleled" could describe the dress that Zhu Jiayu had ordered to be presented to her.
She turned her head, calmed her slightly rapid breathing, and asked Zhu Jiayu with great surprise, "Whose work is this?"
Green Kite answered quickly, "Of course it's my young lady."
Madam Chen looked in the direction of the voice, then turned to Zhu Jiayu for confirmation, and smiled slightly, saying, "I dare not accept such praise."
It's considered an implicit agreement.
Madam Chen was surprised, but then smiled with relief: "After tomorrow, the Zhu Family Embroidery Workshop will become famous in Suiping City. Miss Zhu, are you ready for this?"
The insincere address of "sister" was no longer used; she addressed the woman before her as "Miss Zhu," which was enough to show her deep affection.
With these words from her, Zhu Jiayu understood that the matter was settled. She relaxed her brows and smiled, "But I dare not stand by the abyss and envy the fish."
She had a very pretty face, and because her eyebrows and eyes were slightly raised, she had a beautiful complexion, like a red peony by a pond or a lotus in the water. She was the most beautiful woman in Suiping City.
Now, the smile on her lips adds a touch of radiance, like the first soft snowflakes falling amidst the misty trees and sea of clouds at dawn in spring, easily captivating the heart and intoxicating the world.
Across the street, on a tall building, is the most elegant study in Suiping City, selling only unique calligraphy and paintings. The shopkeeper charges exorbitant prices, and few people go there on weekdays.
Today was the first time they had opened the doors to welcome guests, but these distinguished guests were surrounded by guards, and ordinary people could hardly see their faces or even their clothes.
The study door opened and closed, but those with keen eyes noticed that a window on the second floor, which was always locked, was half-open, vaguely revealing the delicate features of the young man's chin.
This young man was none other than Wei Qinglou, who had been nearly killed in an assassination attempt at Tanji Temple a few days ago.
At that moment, he held a folding fan with his well-defined fingers, tapped it lightly in the air, and ordered, "Go and find out what they're talking about."
The image of Zhu Jiayu's charming smile flashed through his mind, and he scoffed, "A sycophantic scoundrel."
The guard received the order and quickly turned and went downstairs. He returned shortly afterward with the news and reported the details to his young master.
After he finished speaking, heavy footsteps echoed on the boxwood stairs. The newcomer had graying hair, disheveled clothes, and cloudy eyes. He was over sixty years old, but surprisingly, he seemed to be in excellent spirits.
Wei Qinglou waved his hand, signaling the guards to step back. At the same time, his previously languid posture straightened slightly, showing how much he valued the newcomer. Even so, he did not get up, but stared at the old man, almost sighing, and called out, "Mr. Yue."
That was his purpose in coming to Suiping City.
Thirty years have passed since the world was pacified. The name Yueguanshan seems to have been gradually buried under the sands of time along with the smoke and fire of war thirty years ago, like a reef hidden beneath a calm surface of water, gradually worn away over the years.
Yue Guanshan paused slightly, then waved his hand: "You're the little guy from the Wei family, aren't you? You do look a lot like your mother... Mr. Yue... It's been a long time since I've heard anyone call me that."
Wei Qinglou casually raised his eyes: "Thirty years ago, Mr. Yue retired from the army and came to Suiping City alone." Thinking of a certain annoying woman, his voice grew colder, "The traffic here is congested, and the people in the countryside are uncivilized. It's understandable that they don't know the famous General Yue. If it were in Yujing... who in Yujing wouldn't know you!"
Yue Guanshan said "Oh," stepped up the last step, and stood at the top of the stairs: "Is Young Master Wei here to persuade me to return to Yujing as well?"
Wei Qinglou raised an eyebrow: "Oh? So, besides me, someone else came to invite the old gentleman? Could it be those two stray dogs, the King of Yue or the King of Qi?"
He poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said meaningfully, "They're almost being driven back to their fiefdoms and they still won't calm down. I'm afraid that in the future, the Yue and Qi regions won't be able to accommodate such big shots as them."
Yue Guanshan glanced at him and sighed inwardly: If it were anyone else, who would dare to speak so disrespectfully to the Prince of Daye? Only this lawless and fearsome man, who dared to ride a horse in the Forbidden City and carry a sword before the Emperor, would dare to do so!
Despite his unruly nature, he was deeply favored by the imperial family, even more so than some of the princes!
As he was thinking this, Wei Qinglou drank another cup of tea and said, "Mr. Yue, you have been standing upstairs for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Since you are reluctant to sit down, I will not insist. Please go back. I will send someone to invite you again tomorrow."
Crossing the Passes and Mountains: ...
Did he say he wouldn't sit down? If he remembered correctly, it was that bastard Wei Qinglou who never invited him to sit down from beginning to end, right?
But he was a renowned general who could ride through mountains and pass through passes, capable of defeating the barbarians on horseback and drafting military dispatches on foot; he wouldn't need to beg for a seat from a bastard like Wei. So he turned around, flicked his sleeves, gave a cold snort, and left.
The guards standing nearby kept their eyes down, pretending not to notice their young master's rudeness.
They were used to such scenes.
After Yue Guanshan left, Wei Qinglou turned to look at the teahouse across the street, only to find it deserted, with only the spring mountains outside and the evening glow among the flowers remaining.
He flicked the water droplets off the teacup, watching them slowly trickle down the celadon lotus pattern from the rim onto the table, finally losing patience.
"The son of the Duke of Zhenguo must be someone important to come to Suiping City, so why hasn't the county magistrate brought anyone to pay his respects?"
The guard beside him understood and immediately turned and went downstairs.
...
After returning home from the Floating Cloud Teahouse, Zhu Jiayu didn't tell Zhu Congjian about what happened that day. She just wanted to wait for the news to come out tomorrow so she could give her father a surprise.
She was really exhausted today. After sitting in front of the mirror for a while, she started to doze off. She was only able to stay awake until Green Kite woke her up.
"What's wrong?"
She thought that Lüzheng had just come to the room by chance, but seeing that she had not left after waking her up, and that she had tried to speak several times but then stopped herself, she finally realized that the little maid probably had something to say, so she asked.
Remembering the steward's instructions, Lüzheng didn't want to speak, but the moment she met her mistress's eyes, she recalled the various situations at the mountain temple and in the embroidery workshop, and sighed, "Miss, Madam Wang... she's here again."
The feud between Zhu Jiayu and this Madam Wang was longer than a sack of Xuan paper laid end to end. To put it simply, Madam Wang was mentally ill.
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