"Miss, the rumors outside are getting worse and worse."
At the Song residence, Fuyao carried a bowl of medicine into Song Jiangmei's room, her face grim.
Song Jiangmei did not deny it, and the Song family did not comment, so the rumors intensified. Although they all knew that those people might just be joking and didn't really take the so-called truth seriously, the saying "three men make a tiger" still holds true, and over time, even if it wasn't true, it became true.
Fuyao had witnessed firsthand how difficult it was for her young mistress to build a good reputation all by herself in Heling City. Now that her reputation was tarnished, even if Song Jiangmei wasn't worried, she was anxious.
It's amazing that those people could come up with such a thing as saying that their young lady fainted because she was so angry at the beauty of the Qiu family's cousin.
Song Jiangmei pursed her lips, her delicate face somewhat pale. She frowned slightly and said, "Forget it, let's leave it at that. If we make a big fuss, I'm afraid my affair with Liu Yasheng will become impossible to keep secret."
But no.
The image she cultivated in front of the noble families of Heling was always gentle and untouched by worldly dust. If people were to find out that she had such a close relationship with Liu Yasheng, her image would be ruined.
Fuyao was still indignant, but after hearing what she said, she had no choice but to nod.
Song Jiangmei rubbed her temples and then asked Fuyao if there were any banquets in Heling recently. She needed to find an opportunity to appear and shift public attention back to her, instead of focusing on those strange points of interest.
Fu Yao curtsied and said, "The young lady of the Wei family on the 25th is holding a flower banquet. The invitation was sent yesterday, but I haven't sent anyone to reply yet. Are you going, young lady?"
Her daughter doesn't usually attend these kinds of occasions.
Song Jiangmei nodded: "Go." After she finished speaking, she asked Fuyao, "How's the matter I asked you to inquire about?"
After thinking for a while, Fu Yao recounted the information she had gathered: "The Qiu family's cousin, named Zhu Jiayu, lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her father. Her family runs an embroidery shop, but business is said to be slow. She's probably here to beg for money..."
As she finished speaking, she realized she had said something she shouldn't have, and quickly stopped, looking nervously at the young lady in front of her.
In Heling City, many people were unaware of the young lady's background, and rumors secretly circulated that although she came from Yujing, she was actually a poor family who came to Heling to take advantage of the Song family.
When the young lady found out, she was very angry about it.
Song Jiangmei didn't hold it against her.
She was just thinking about Zhu Jiayu.
I caught a glimpse of her at the foot of Bailu Mountain that day. She stood next to Qiu Lingyan, silent and timid, but her eyes were relaxed and she had a calm and composed demeanor.
Qiu Lingyan, that idiot, couldn't see it, but she could.
She had seen this kind of composure in the noble ladies of Yujing many times. She didn't believe that Zhu Jiayu had come to Heling simply to freeload; perhaps she harbored the same intentions as her?
She pursed her lips and asked Fuyao, "What about Yujing..."
Before she could finish speaking, Fuyao shook her head and said cautiously, "Miss, there has been no news from the manor yet."
...
The maid delivered the invitation to the Wei family's flower banquet to Qiu Lingyan's courtyard for her to review. Qiu Lingyan pondered for a long time, but still couldn't decide whether to feign illness or not.
It wasn't that she was afraid of anyone, but she and Miss Wei had always been at odds. However, since Ayu had just arrived in Heling, she would definitely have to take Ayu with her to the banquet. What if Miss Wei targeted Ayu then?
Seeing her young mistress so worried, and remembering her mistress's instructions, Wanqing smiled and said, "Since you can't make up your mind, why don't you ask Miss Biao? What if Miss Biao wants to go to the flower banquet?"
Qiu Lingyan thought for a moment and nodded: "You're right."
At Chunshan Residence, after hearing Qiu Lingyan explain her purpose, Zhu Jiayu pondered for a while and said, "Let's go. If she wants to target me, even if she can't find an opportunity this time, she will find a way next time. Cousin," she said meaningfully, "some things can't be avoided."
Her expression was calm, her eyes gentle, but Qiu Lingyan could detect a resolute strength in her words.
Perhaps it was her expression, or perhaps it was the seductive power of her words, that made Qiu Lingyan's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, suddenly relax.
She nodded solemnly, "You're right." The next moment, she relaxed, "Anyway, our Ayu is so powerful, what is there to fear from a mere Wei Wuniang!"
Zhu Jiayu remained silent. Although her expression was calm, she was not at ease inside. She wasn't overly fearful of Wei Wuniang, whom Qiu Lingyan had mentioned, but she was also cautious and wouldn't rashly underestimate any potential hostility.
She changed the subject: "Cousin, do you have my cousin's policy essays?"
Seeing that Qiu Lingyan looked a little confused, she stuck out her tongue and said shyly, "I heard that my cousin's writing is very good, so I wanted to borrow it to read. But my cousin isn't here right now, so I thought I'd ask you."
Qiu Lingyan still looked at her with confusion.
She studied for several years and finally finished her school days. After that, she developed a problem where she would get dizzy whenever she looked at words. She really didn't understand why someone would be so eager to do what she avoided at all costs.
But after looking at Zhu Jiayu, she felt it was normal.
Ayu's cousin is different from her; her cousin is capable and ambitious.
She patted her chest and said, "I don't have any here either, but it's okay. I'll go to my brother's study and get them for you. You can have as many of these as you want, I'll take care of it."
“This… isn’t a good idea,” Zhu Jiayu hesitated. “Why don’t we wait for my cousin to come back and ask him first? It’s alright, the end of the month isn’t far off, I can wait.”
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