"Sister is so lucky."
Feng Rui looked at Jiang Mingzhi eagerly, her fingers stroking the brocade quilts that Ping'er had just brought from the Marquis' Mansion. The brocade on them was delicate and looked very expensive. She could not use them. Some people are just lucky. Just because they were born in the Marquis's wife's belly, they were born as the legitimate daughters of the Marquis' Mansion.
Is she lucky? Jiang Mingzhi withdrew his gaze from the pale green tea and looked at Feng Rui, who was wearing a bamboo green jacket and a pale green skirt.
"Maybe." She replied ambiguously. She had no topic to talk about with Feng Rui.
Feng Rui was called by Jiang to entertain Jiang Mingzhi. Feng Rui is now sixteen years old, about the same age as Jiang Mingzhi. It was originally thought that the two should be able to chat together, but now it seems that this is not the case.
When she was in the Zhou family, there was also a concubine sister in the family. However, because of the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, her mother was worried that other people had ulterior motives, so they kept a distance from each other. When they met occasionally, she would just nod and not say much. Who would have thought that the concubine sister would later elope with a captain under her father's command. When she was caught, she falsely accused her mother of arranging it. After that, she had no good feelings towards these concubine daughters born by young women.
My mother is not a cruel person. My father originally ordered her to be beaten to death to correct the family tradition, but my mother persuaded my father and just let her live out the rest of her life in seclusion.
I always feel that these concubines' daughters smile on their faces, but I don't know what they are thinking in their hearts. They are like dormant scorpions, waiting to sting you at any time.
Seeing that Jiang Mingzhi was indifferent to her, Feng Rui's smile faded a little. What's so noble about her? Even if she was a legitimate daughter, so what? Without the protection of her biological mother, what was the difference between her and a concubine's daughter? Didn't she still have to live by the mood of her legitimate mother?
But it was Jiang who arranged for her to come here. If she didn't obey and get along well with the eldest daughter of the Jinyi Marquis's Mansion, Jiang would teach her a lesson, and she wouldn't be able to bear it.
Thinking about it, her face was full of smiles again. Feng Rui waved her hand, and the little maid beside her handed her a purse. Feng Rui smiled and said, "Sister, these are some small things I embroidered when I was free. Sister, please don't despise my crude stitches and accept them as my gift."
As the saying goes, you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. Jiang Mingzhi naturally had no reason to refuse when she heard that. She glanced at Qingtang and said, "I have a gift for my sister too."
Qingtang brought up a small, exquisitely carved wooden box. Jiang Mingzhi pursed her lips and smiled faintly, "I was ill before, so I'm not very good at needlework. I can only give you some small gifts to express my gratitude. I hope you don't mind."
Feng Rui took the exquisite wooden box with half belief and half doubt. When she opened it, she saw a pair of white jade earrings lying on the bright red silk cloth. The earrings were in the shape of teardrops with excellent water content. It was obvious that they were good things.
I just gave her a purse, but she actually gave me such an expensive gift in return. Feng Rui was a little flattered, "This is really too expensive!"
Jiang Mingzhi waved her hand and said, "It's just a little thing. Don't refuse it, sister."
It wasn't a valuable thing at all. She just saw it at a temple fair and it cost only five hundred coins. She just thought the box was beautifully carved and the jade was of good quality, so she asked Qingtang to buy it.
After receiving such a valuable gift from Jiang Mingzhi, Feng Rui had a sincere smile on her face.
"Sister, this is your first time staying at home. If there's anything you're not used to, please tell me. You're the daughter of a marquis, so it's normal for you to be unaccustomed to the things at home. Don't let yourself down just to save face."
Jiang Mingzhi listened to her words with some kindness, and smiled more sincerely, "I know, thank you for your concern, sister."
The two of them exchanged a few words indifferently, and then Aunt Zhao, who was beside Jiang, came over and asked if there was anything missing.
Seeing that Madam Zhao, who always looked down on her and didn't take her seriously, was so attentive, Feng Rui felt a little sad, but when she thought of the earrings, she swallowed her anger.
In this way, Jiang Mingzhi settled down in the Feng family.
The moon was dim and the lights were on, but Jiang couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning like a pancake.
Should she just stop here? Her husband has already warned her today. If she still does what her sister-in-law says, she will be in trouble if her husband finds out.
But when she thought about the benefits her sister-in-law had promised her, Jiang felt that it would be painful to give up like that.
You have to know that she can only successfully enter the circle of noble ladies in Kyoto if she has that money to bribe the ladies in various mansions. If she has no money, she will not be able to deal with all the parties, and her status in the Feng family will probably plummet.
In such a conflicted mood, Jiang did not sleep all night. At four o'clock in the morning, she got up to change her husband's clothes. Feng Yushan was shocked when he saw the black eyes under his wife's eyes.
He had been dealing with some things until late last night. Worried that going back to his room would wake Jiang, he simply slept in the study. This was something the couple had become accustomed to over the years. He couldn't help but ask, "Did you not sleep well last night?"
Jiang couldn't help but yawn and said vaguely: "No, I slept well."
Feng Yushan glanced at his wife suspiciously, shook his sleeves, and chuckled twice, clearly unconvinced. "I advise you to go back to sleep for a while. You're going to pay your respects to Mother like this, don't scare her."
When Jiang heard this, she couldn't help but touch her face. She didn't sleep much last night, and it seemed that her husband had noticed. She smiled at Feng Yushan and said, "I know, I know. You should go to court quickly. Don't be late."
After seeing Feng Yushan off to the carriage, Jiang returned to the house yawning all the way. Holding a mirror, she asked Aunt Zhao, "Do I look that bad?"
"Madam, have you encountered any troubles? Cui'er said you didn't sleep much last night."
Cui'er was the maid on duty last night. How could the maid dare to close her eyes when her master was not sleeping? What if the master wanted tea or something, and the maid couldn't wake her up after calling for a long time? Wouldn't that annoy the master?
Thinking that Cui'er might have complained to Madam Zhao, Jiang secretly cursed her inwardly and ordered someone to change her clothes and put on some powder. She looked in the bronze mirror and saw that her complexion was much better. "It's almost time to go and pay my respects to Mother."
As a guest, Jiang Mingzhi should have paid his respects to Feng Xu, the oldest lady in the Feng family. However, it was too late when he arrived at the Feng family yesterday, so he came early this morning to pay his respects to Feng Xu.
Although she has always disliked the Feng family and naturally has no good feelings towards Feng Xu, she just can't lose her manners. As long as the Feng family doesn't show their claws to her, she has to pretend to be nice to these people.
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