"Madam, I still don't understand."
Inside the magistrate's residence, a maidservant stood beside a woman who was leaning on the railing watching the fish, holding fish food. She frowned and said...
This was Madam Chen's capable maid; if she spoke the words that others couldn't, Madam Chen would usually not blame her.
"What don't you understand?"
"That young lady from the Zhu family is clearly using you as a stepping stone, how... how come you're not only not angry, but you're even helping her out!" The maid felt very indignant about this. In her opinion, it was because her mistress was too kind that all sorts of devils and monsters dared to scheme against her!
Since that was the matter, Madam Chen smiled and said, "It's just a trivial matter, why not help her out?"
"The world is full of hardships, and it is not easy for women to survive. I should help those I can. Besides, I think that young lady from the Zhu family is sincere and a good person."
As the master and servant were talking, the attendant who had returned from the inn rushed over, informing the lady that the Third Young Master Wei was coming to visit, and also conveying the master's words.
"Madam, what should we do?" the maid asked worriedly. Seeing that the madam's face had turned pale, she quickly added, "Don't worry too much. Since that young master Wei is from the capital and is a distinguished guest, he must have seen many rare and precious things. He might not necessarily want the peonies in our garden..."
Madam Chen curved her lips into a forced smile: "You're right, take my calling card and invite Miss Zhu over."
The maid curtsied and said yes, when she found Zhu Jiayu, she was teaching embroidery techniques to the female workers at the Zhu family's embroidery workshop.
Since the banquet, the embroidery workshop has received too many orders. Zhu Jiayu also wants to expand the scale of the embroidery workshop, so she posted a recruitment notice.
In the past, the Zhu family embroidery workshop declined, and female embroiderers who had other places to go were unwilling to go to the Zhu family embroidery workshop. But things are different now. Both the bright future of the embroidery workshop and Zhu Jiayu's amazing embroidery skills made the female workers very eager. So as soon as the notice was posted, people came to apply and broke down the threshold of the embroidery workshop.
After some investigation, Zhu Jiayu selected more than fifty embroiderers with clean backgrounds and hard work. He taught them in the embroidery workshop every morning and had them rush to complete orders in the afternoon.
Upon hearing that the magistrate's wife had sent someone to invite her, Zhu Jiayu dismissed the embroiderers and went to the magistrate's residence with her maid.
When she arrived at the magistrate's residence, Chen Rusong was already showing Wei Qinglou the peonies in the garden.
Just as spring was in full bloom, the peonies in the magistrate's mansion were in full bloom, like rosy clouds, surpassing all others; like golden waves and jade dew, their beauty was captivating.
Zhu Jiayu passed through the garden at this moment, dressed in plain clothes and without any makeup. Her clear eyes looked over, making the distant mountains' eyebrows appear even greener and her rouge lips even redder.
Wei Qinglou leaned lazily against the railing, looking down at the building with a nonchalant expression. He thought to himself, "Famous flowers and beautiful women are indeed best appreciated from a distance. This is true of peonies, and it is also true of people."
Upstairs, the courtesan was singing, "I saw you by the Huanhua Stream, your face bright and clear, your eyebrows delicate and graceful." He suddenly realized that these words perfectly described Zhu Jiayu. If she didn't speak, she would indeed look extremely beautiful. No wonder Wang Huaiyu was so infatuated with her.
"Let's go. Now that she's here, we shouldn't keep her waiting." Wei Qinglou withdrew his gaze and said to Chen Rusong.
The maid led Zhu Jiayu to the backyard, where she first met Madam Chen.
She was about to curtsy when Madam Chen stopped her, saying, "There's no need for such formalities between us. Miss Zhu, are you aware that it wasn't my husband and I who wanted to see you today?"
Zhu Jiayu looked at her in surprise.
Madam Chen sighed: "He is a distinguished guest from Yujing. He is of high status and has heard that you are an excellent embroiderer. He would like you to make a robe for him."
"His family is wealthy, and all the world's treasures are nothing but fleeting clouds in his eyes. So it's understandable that your clothes don't meet his standards or suit his taste. Just be attentive and don't panic or worry. Leave everything to me and the master."
Zhu Jiayu had only met Madam Chen a few times, and in her memory, this lady was always well-mannered and virtuous, with measured words and actions. She had never seen her so fearful and apprehensive before. She wanted to ask more questions, but then she heard the county magistrate's voice behind her:
"This must be the famous Miss Zhu from Suiping?"
She turned around, curtsied to the newcomer, and then heard him say to the distinguished guest beside him, "Third Young Master, you may not know this, but the embroiderer you mentioned is this young lady in front of you."
"Oh?" Wei Qinglou casually raised his eyes. "I never expected that someone with such achievements would be a young lady. Before I met her, I thought she would be an old woman."
Chen Rusong wanted to speak up for Zhu Jiayu, so he smiled and said, "Although Miss Zhu is still young, her embroidery skills are rare in Suiping City. However, Suiping is naturally not as prosperous as Yujing, so perhaps in your eyes, her embroidery is just ordinary."
Wei Qinglou scoffed lightly: "What's the matter? Why don't we hear what this young lady has to say? But it's been so long, why doesn't she look up at me? Or am I mistaken? Can't you take measurements for clothes without looking?"
Zhu Jiayu lowered her head: "It's not time to take your measurements yet. As you and the master are talking, I dare not look directly at your face, lest I offend you."
She looked extremely cautious, as if she had never encountered such a situation before, and was practically terrified.
Chen Rusong's face already showed reluctance, and Madam Chen's eyes also held some worry when she looked at her.
Then Wei Qinglou walked over, took out a folding fan from his waist, and lightly pressed it against her chin, forcing her to look up. He asked lazily, "How many times have you offended me?"
Zhu Jiayu stared at him, then quickly lowered her eyes. When she spoke again, her eyes were already brimming with tears.
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