Although Jinyun yarn is precious, it's not enough to make such an exaggerated expression!
How could Shangguan Tianyun have such a short-sighted older sister?
Come to think of it, I've never heard of any other girls in the Shangguan family. Could it be that she's not Shangguan Tianyun's biological sister, but rather a concubine's daughter?
That's why my perspective is so narrow.
That makes sense.
In a flash, Yu Shanlai's attitude turned noticeably cold, losing all of her previous enthusiasm.
"Jinyun gauze is indeed precious, but I also have a shawl in my household. To say that giving a piece of gauze can express the Third Prince's feelings is far too cheap."
The camel-colored silk shawl in her wardrobe was obtained from Xiao Ziyan. Mu Yaozhi originally wanted to have it too, but at that time she still had some influence with Xiao Ziyan.
But it took quite a bit of effort to snatch the food from Mu Yaozhi's jaws!
Seeing the change in her attitude, Shangguan Jingyi suppressed the sarcasm in his eyes: "What if the Third Prince had sent a whole bolt of silk?"
A whole bolt of Jinyun yarn!
This isn't something you can have just with money!
Yu Shanlai's eyes widened, and she swallowed the saliva that involuntarily welled up inside her. This news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly clearing her confused mind.
The Third Prince, Xiao Ziwu, is an extremely wealthy man.
Since that's the case, there's no need for me to waste my time on Shangguan Tianyun; her heart is as hard and stinking as a rock in a latrine.
Xiao Ziwu was different; he was a man.
In Yu Shanlai's mind, dealing with men is much easier than dealing with women.
It's like striking gold! Xiao Ziwu has a cold and aloof personality and has never been in contact with women. He's so easy to fool; he could easily take the bait with a wave of his hand.
However, Yu Shanlai did not dare to show too much surprise, for fear that Shangguan Jingyi would see that she had developed feelings for Xiao Ziwu.
This matter must not be known to anyone, not just Shangguan Jingyi!
Xiao Ziwu is a stain on the Emperor's reputation, making him the most taboo person in the entire Great Liang. If she openly seduces him, not only will her father be implicated, but she herself will also be looked down upon by the noble ladies' circle!
Despite her proud and arrogant nature, even though her reputation has been damaged and she no longer holds the same position as Mu Yaozhi, she is unwilling to be truly excluded from the noble ladies.
She stroked the orchid pattern on the embroidered handkerchief, and when she looked up, her ambitious gaze had returned to calm.
Yu Shanlai chuckled and said, "Thanks to your heartfelt words, sister, I was able to see the true colors of Shangguan Tianyun."
It's strange, but the first time I met Shangguan Tianyun, I felt that she was quite different in front of the Second Prince and others. At the time, however, I was focused on befriending her and didn't pay attention to anything else.
Shangguan Jingyi was very interested and asked, "How are they different?"
Yu Shanlai sighed softly, a thin frown forming between her brows, as if she were somewhat heartbroken: "She told me that she had no feelings for the Second Prince, which made me lower my guard. But not long after, the Second Prince asked Shangguan Siye to marry her!"
Having two faces, one in public and one in private, is indeed Shangguan Tianyun's specialty.
She feigned magnanimity in front of the prince, offering him the feather fan in return, thus winning the opportunity to travel with him. Now it seems that it was all premeditated...
Shangguan Jingyi squinted, his heart being gnawed by an uncontrollable jealousy.
These men were all deceived by her seductive face!
Is such a pretentious woman really worth fighting over?
Yu Shanlai patted her hand to comfort her: "Sister, why worry? How can someone who only takes things one step at a time have a good ending?"
She calmly withdrew her hand.
Shangguan Tianyun will definitely not have a good ending...
※※※※
"Where is Master taking me?"
Xiao Ziwu rode behind Duan Ximu on horseback. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe with intertwined branches and green leaves. He had deep phoenix eyes under his eyebrows and a graceful and upright figure.
He always attracted the attention of shy women along the way who would steal glances at him.
"I'll take you to meet someone."
When Duan Ximu heard that he had thrown the Xi Feng and Yu Niao sisters out of the mansion, he did not say anything, but only offered to take him to see someone.
But Duan Ximu didn't say who he was.
His master would never harm him. Xiao Ziwu mounted his horse, his moon-white robes fluttering in the air, drawing sharp arcs. He didn't ask any more questions and spurred his horse to follow.
The two stopped at a blacksmith shop.
Duan Ximu dismounted, turned around and gave him a look, signaling him to follow.
A large stove, called a kiln, is placed in the center of the room.
Despite the freezing cold, you could still feel the scorching flames as you entered the shop.
Xiao Ziwu looked around and saw that there was only one blacksmith in the huge shop. He was shirtless and moving the red-hot iron to the large iron block, holding a large hammer to forge it.
After being forged with brute force, sporadic sparks flew out from the ironware.
Hearing the sound of someone entering, the blacksmith did not turn around, but focused on his work. His voice was loud and powerful, easily drowning out the "clatter" of his chisels.
"Choose whatever you want."
He was tall and burly, with taut muscles all over his body. Even a large iron hammer looked as small as a child's rattle in his hands. When the guest did not respond, he took a moment to look back and saw that the person who came was Duan Ximu. He was not surprised at all.
But when he saw Xiao Ziwu behind him, a strange look appeared in his eyes.
Duan Ximu, with his hands behind his back, said in a familiar tone, "Old Jiang, how about we go out for a drink?"
Inside the tavern.
The three sat separately, with several plates of roasted beef and mutton on the mottled wooden table. The strong aroma of the meat was mouthwatering, and a small dish of stir-fried peanuts with oily skin was also present.
The rich, mellow liquor slowly poured out of the wine jar.
Jiang Kun picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, smacking his lips with satisfaction: "So, what brings you here this time?"
Duan Ximu poured him another glass, smiling and saying, "I just wanted to invite you for a drink, is that not allowed?"
Jiang Kun glanced at Xiao Ziwu, who was sitting quietly to the side, and sneered at Duan Ximu.
"Are you bored out of your mind? You old fool, you won't do anything without a profit. Do you think I don't know you?"
Jiang Kun, the fiercest general of Beiqiu in the previous dynasty, once defeated the Turks at Qinhu Mountain, causing them to fall apart and preventing them from grazing their horses in the south.
Later, because his achievements overshadowed the emperor, the Northern Qiu Emperor listened to the instigation of treacherous officials and stripped him of his military power, leaving him with only the honorary title of Dragon Tiger General. When the Tatars invaded, he was about to lead his troops into battle, but was forced to retire to his hometown by those pedantic civil officials who advocated peace talks. He disappeared from public view after that.
It was precisely because Jiang Kun retired that the current Emperor of Liang dared to rebel. In just three days, he came directly from Nanzhou County, broke through the imperial city without lifting a finger, and slaughtered all the royal family of Beiqiu!
Only Xiao Ziwu's mother remained.
Jiang Kun's acquaintance with Duan Ximu was also due to Xiao Ziwu's mother.
Jiang Kun was in love with Princess Zhaoyang of the previous dynasty, who was also Xiao Ziwu's mother.
When he defeated the Turks and returned in triumph, he intended to ask for permission to marry Princess Zhaoyang. However, upon returning to court, he was tricked by Emperor Beiqiu, who led him into the palace alone and seized the tiger tally.
He could only suppress his anger.
Without the tiger tally, he was nothing but a commoner, utterly unworthy of the noble and precious Princess Zhaoyang of Beiqiu…
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